The Overwhelming Thought I Had on a Plane to Los Angeles

As my plane took off this morning, I looked out my window and I could see the beautiful, expanding city of Nashville.

An overwhelming thought came to me...

“Everyone down there needs to stretch! It is vital that I get this message to everyone on the planet.”

Whoa… that is a big task, but I know I can do it.

I feel more strongly than ever that I am on the right path and that stretching drastically changes peoples lives for the better.

I am determined to stay on my quest, and that is why I am heading to Los Angeles today. I will be attending a 2 day workshop dedicated to Assisted Stretching. I am so excited and can’t wait to get there! I have been looking forward to this for months.

I want to learn as much as I can about what has already been researched on the value of stretching, but even more, I want to know what hasn’t yet been researched. I have so many questions that I can’t wait to get answered.

Questions like…

1. Can stretching—which improves blood flow, circulation & range of motion—truly reverse or at least slow down the aging process? (i.e. arthritis, dementia, etc.)

2. Can stretching increase heart & lung capacity and organ function due to standing taller, which creates more space for these to work more efficiently?

3. Are we over-exercising and overly-contracting our muscles to the point of injury? At that point, is it too late to reverse these injuries when there is damage to ligaments and tendons and extreme inflammation in the muscle tissue?

4. Why does the medical community not put more emphasis on recommending stretching to patients as a way to prevent injuries and surgical procedures?

And I have so many more!

Stay tuned; I will be letting everyone know what I learn and will be returning with lots of new ways to stretch as well.

[Photo by Eduardo Velazco Guart via Unsplash]

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She Didn't Have to Quit Her Job + 2 More Stretching Success Stories

I’ve seen lives changed from Stretch Therapy.

My own life — and the lives of my students.

Here are a 3 success stories from my students:

From Feet Pain to Relief: A Stretching Success Story

Most everyone that I work with, privately or in a group class, has a story about how they wound up seeking Stretch Therapy to relieve some form of pain in their body.

For some, stretching is a last resort effort to avoid surgery.

Some want to avoid injuries so they can stay active.

Some just want to feel good in their body all the time.

Some of my students have become so tight that they can hardly move — so they move less and less.

I always know my private student’s stories because we spend a lot of time together. I don’t always know the stories of the many students who attend my classes at my studio or at the local YMCA that I teach at.

A few weeks ago, at the end of my stretch class at the Y, a man approached me to ask me if he could tell me his story.

4 Holiday Health Hints to Keep Your Body Happy

Holidays are here… and too often, in all the busyness, we can forget to take care of our bodies! Here are 4 easy ways to keep your body happy this holiday season.

It Doesn't Come in a Bottle

This is a really hard question to ask, but…

Are you addicted to Ibuprofen?

If the answer is “yes,” then you are in good company because so many people are.

I have decided to write about it in hopes that this will give people hope that they can find alternative ways to deal with pain and feel better in their mind and body!

I have students that tell me that they have to take Ibuprofen before they work out in order to go through movements without pain.

Could it be magic?

Could “it” be magic? I can’t seem to get this question out of my head. You see, I have a new private student who is an avid golfer. She loves it and seems to be a bit competitive with her fellow golfers.

At our first session, I told her that stretching would improve her golf game.

She looked a me with skepticism, but said “well, if you think so, I hope so, I’ll give it a try.”

She has been stretching with me for 4 weeks now. Yesterday, she casually mentioned to me that she had her best golf game ever the day before.

Hydrate... and then hydrate some more!

Hydration is essential to life!

Think about it…

Every human, every animal, every plant, every tree, every blade of grass needs water to survive. If it doesn’t get enough, it shrivels, dries up, and dies.

What does hydration have to do with stretching, you ask?

Where It is, It Ain’t: How the Point of Pain is Never the Source of Pain

“The point of pain is usually never the source.”

On my first journey to California searching for stretching guidance, research, and knowledge, my stretch workshop instructor said this to us as he began his session.

“That is crazy,” I thought.

So, if your back hurts, it’s not your back?

How could that be?

Feet: The Foundation Of Our Body

26 bones.

33 joints.

19 muscles.

100s of ligaments & tendons.

… are in each foot!

There are more of these in the foot than any other part of our body… and we put them in shoes all day!

In the “stretching world,” shoes are considered “coffins for your feet.”

Healing Your Body from the Inside: How My Stretch Student Avoided Foot Surgery

A student approached me this week with an incredible transformation story.

She told me she had suffered for years with foot pain.

She has had many visits to her podiatrist who only offers surgery as an option for treatment. She was determined not to have surgery, so she sought a different route.

One of those routes was Stretch Therapy. She has been attending my class for about 6 months now.

A True Stretching Success Story: From 5 ft. 10 in. to 5 ft. 8 in. to 5 ft. 10 in.

I have a married couple that has been coming to my studio twice a week for private Stretch Therapy sessions for the last 6 months. The wife loves it and cannot wait to get to every session. The husband... not so much. I think he really does like to stretch on the inside, but on the outside, he comes kicking and screaming—but still, he comes.

A little background about the reluctant husband…

He is in his 70s, and he is very fit. In fact, he works out for hours every day. He is extremely tight and has had to modify movements to reduce pain in his body. He wants to stay active.

A few days ago, as we were finishing up a session, out of the blue he asked me if I had a tape measure. I said that I did and asked him why he needed it.

He said that on his doctor visit last year, his height was measured as being 5 ft. 8 in. He was upset because he had been 5 ft. 10 in. his whole life. He wanted me to measure his height again to see if it had changed.

Longer, Taller, Younger, Smarter, Leaner, Sweeter, Happier, Healthier: The 8 “-er”s of Stretching

I always say to my students at the end of every stretch session that I teach...

You are now… longer, taller, younger, smarter, leaner, sweeter, happier, healthier.

Everyone laughs, but I am telling them the truth!

All of these amazing things happen when you stretch — I call them the 8 “-er”s of Stretch Therapy.

Let me break it down for you.

2 Partner Stretches for Your Quads, Low Back & Upper Body

Did you know…

Our flexibility decreases by 10% every decade!

It does not matter if you are an extreme athlete, a fitness buff, play a sport, walker, runner, biker, swimmer, or if you’re none of these.

Muscle tissue tightens over time just by doing daily life!

One of the most beneficial ways to decrease tight muscle tissue is a form of Stretch Therapy known as Partner Stretching.

Stretch TherapyConnie WilliamsJanuary 10, 2020

The Overwhelming Thought I Had on a Plane to Los Angeles

“Everyone down there needs to stretch! It is vital that I get this message to everyone on the planet.”

I feel more strongly than ever that I am on the right path and that stretching drastically changes peoples lives for the better.

Questions like…

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