My good friend, Lar, emailed me last night, after both of watched the finals of the Olympic Figure Skating couples division.
He wrote that animals are afraid of ice and stay away from it (okay, polar bears don’t count) – but the human being uses his/her creative imagination and adaptable athleticism, to conquer it.
How true.
I’m telling you, there’s almost nothing we human beings cannot do if we simply set our minds to it. And that includes YOU!
What I watched last night was so magnificent I’m almost lost for words. AS someone who knows what happens to a knee that lands on hard surface – especially when it is preceded by a flying lesson. Been through the repercussions once – and they’re not pleasant.
So believe me, when you take a fall like Zhang Dan took – then get up and skate with absolute fearlessness – you deserve a gold medal. Because of the fall she had to settle for the silver – but I think the standing ovation from the crowd told the rest of the story. In fact, each medalist, from gold to silver to bronze, had a story of human perseverance, of turning tragedy into triumph.
Most of the Olympic Games don’t hold my attention. But time and again, the figure skating grabs me by the scruff of the neck and forces me to pay watch.
A lot of the reason why these skaters are so magnficent is because of their incredible flexibility. Without flexible bodies they wouldn’t be able to do one-tenth of what it takes to conquer the ice. And they wouldn’t be able to bounce back from falls, overcome training injuries, etc.
Flexibility is extraordinarily important. And not just when you’re younger. One of the tell-tale signs of aging is a body that has gone stiff.
Don’t let this happen to you!
You can remain flexible your entire life – and if your muscles are tight – you can coax them into loosening up once again (or for the first time). I’ll teach you How to Double Your Flexibility in One Evening, but you’ve got to learn to breathe and relax the right way. Far too many people try to get flexible by forcing the stretch. That’s not the way to do it. Relax into the stretch. Breathe and let go.
One of the other reasons why you’ll want to improve your flexibility is because it relaxes you physically and mentally. When you stretch your body you increase blood flow to the muscles – and this has a de-stressing effect on your system. You literally begin to WAKE UP your body to a whole new level.
Stretching helps rid you of the feeling of fatigue, too. Ever come home from work, feel like you’ve been beaten up from all the stress of the day? This literally drains you of vim and vigor. But when you stretch out like I teach, you purge your body of the negative and bring in the positive.
Accomplished athletes know how to let go of the bad and bring in the good better and faster than anyone. We saw Zhang Dan do it last night. Now it’s your turn.
Kick ass – take names!
P.S. Forgot to mention that the Chinese Acrobats know a thing or two about stretching as well. When you see the Chinese skaters perform, you know their coaches have shared information with the Chinese Acrobats. Not a bad idea. That’s why I learned from them, too. A little more flexibility goes a long way.