Shop Talk
I grew up around dirt bikes and motorcycles and my dad always made sure us kids knew how to ride. Knowing how to ride a motorcycle was like knowing how to drive a car. I know how to put gas in both a car and a motorcycle, and I know how to change the oil in both a car and a motorcycle, but other than that, I don’t know squat about how all that mechanical and electrical stuff works.
I bought my very own motorcycle in my twenties. It was a 750cc Honda Shadow American Classic Edition. "CC" stands for cubic centimeters. I still don’t really know exactly what that means (shhh! don't tell my brother!), except a bigger number means more power.
I remember being out in the garage with my dad after I bought my bike, and he was super interested in all of its bits and pieces, looking around at the engine and the wheels and the handlebars and the fuel tank, classic dad stuff. I said to him: “Dad, how does the engine work on a motorcycle?”
He started talking about pistons and spark plugs and fuel combustion, all this complex technical stuff I knew nothing about. He must have seen the glaze in my eyes, which gave him a twinkle in his, and he said to me: “Now that you have this motorcycle,
do you feel like you have to be able to talk shop about it?” I laughed and then he laughed his familiar laugh. He was on to me. That’s exactly what I wanted to be able to do.
I didn’t want to seem like a newb.
But the truth was and still is, I’m a rookie motorcyclist. I just think it’s fun and I don’t really give a rip if I know how it works. All I know is that I love the way it makes me feel when I’m riding. I sold that motorcycle after my son was born and just recently, my husband bought me a new little Honda, only 125cc’s, though. A more gentle motorcycle, if there is such a thing.
So, what does any of this have to do with anything? It has everything to do with the most complex machine of all, the Human Body, which is the kind of shop talk I love. I’m fascinated with the science of the human body. When I was younger it was all about how I could work out to look a certain way, but nowadays it‘s all about how I can take care of my body in ways that keep me strong, stable, and out of pain. And I’m especially interested in the relatively new and evolving science of fascia and how we can tap into it to support our bodies in a more gentle way.
My fascination with fascia (fash-uh) started back in massage therapy school when we learned about cells. We talked in detail about intracellular fluid (the fluid located inside the cells), but there was only mere mention of something called interstitial fluid (the fluid located in the spaces between the cells).
I distinctly remember thinking: Fluid outside the cells? Well, that’s interesting. What does that do?
I had no idea that this is where so much “magic” was happening!
Many years later I learned that that environment outside of the cells is the single most abundant tissue in the body and interchangeably referred to as fascia, connective tissue, or the extracellular matrix (depending on the educator sharing the work). This space is filled with fibers and fluids that protect, support, cushion, and hold the cells and the tissues in place, and its most fundamental job is to facilitate the smooth gliding, action, and function of the structures it envelops.
Pretty amazing, right? Did your eyes just glaze over like mine did when my dad was talking motorcycle mechanics? If so, you might want to re-read that!
Raise of hands if you've ever gotten up after sitting for a long period of time and felt stiff and achy? That’s your fascia talking!
According to my most recent studies in the Melt Method, that language is your fascia communicating directly with you about the STUCK STRESS - otherwise known as dehydration - present in your body. This stiff and achy feeling is a pre-pain signal alerting you that your body needs some attention. If left unattended, this stuck stress, or dehydration, accumulates and can cause all sorts of unwanted symptoms.
Unfortunately, drinking more water isn’t the answer because chronically dehydrated fascia doesn’t allow your cells to absorb water or nutrients efficiently. It’s kind of like how a dried-out sponge can’t absorb water as well as a moist one. And what’s worse, is that when dehydration becomes chronic in fascia, it alters how your nervous system and immune system manage stress, because fascia IS the environment these systems live in and rely upon to function efficiently!
Day-to-day living creates tension and stress within our bodies.
Physical stressors range from sitting at a desk to running a savage race. Carrying children and heavy bags create tension, as does even the gentlest form of exercise. Even emotional, mental, and environmental stressors such as processed foods, medications, environmental toxins, and daily worries all contribute to build tension that gets trapped in the body.
But here’s the thing: When fascia is hydrated and free of roadblocks, our bodies function more efficiently. The Melt Method is designed to keep our fascia and nervous system - the neurofascial system - in top condition and slow down the aging process.
Melt rejuvenates tissue hydration and relieves the tensions of day-to-day life that get trapped in our bodies.
There’s NO other proactive approach that directly treats the connective tissue in this way! It doesn’t matter on which side of the spectrum of flexibility you are, when the tone of fascia is balanced, your sensorimotor control is more accurate, and your joints are more stable.
The beauty of the Melt Method is that it’s for everybody!
It helps the hyperflexible become more stable and the inflexible become more mobile. Rehydrating the connective tissue allows the fluids to move throughout the entire body allowing for better overall balance, alignment, and stability.
All that said, I sense that sitting here writing this blog has got MY fascia dehydrated! I better wrap this up and go do some MELTing!
But before I go, I'll say this:
You don't have to know how to talk shop about any of this in order to learn how to positively influence your fascia and start loving how you can feel by MELTing.
That's what my Intro Workshops are for!
Check my EVENTS page to learn more and sign-up! And Stay Tuned for my next blog to learn more about the Melt Method.
