Structural Training

Have you ever stopped to connect with your body while exercising? If you do that every time, great job! However, that's not always the case, and even Personal Trainers may assume that everyone knows how to exercise correctly. But, every body is unique, and we all have different aches and pains. Therefore, we must learn to train our bodies accordingly.

First, we must start with the basics. Our body consists of bones, joints, tendons, muscles, cartilages, veins, and organs, each having their own function and place. Proper alignment is essential, but due to everyday wear and tear, our posture may adapt to poor work ergonomics and habitual slouching. So, we must correct ourselves during exercise.

The first thing we should check is how our spine is aligned and if our thorax is open. Lifting our head from the neck and opening our thorax by lifting the solar plexus allows our shoulders to sink naturally into their sockets. However, often we tend to pull our shoulders back, which misplaces our center of gravity and affects our mobility. Letting our head lean forward and our shoulders cup into the front is unhealthy and prevents us from accessing our core power bank. We must be able to hold our body upright, allowing our center of gravity to pull everything into place and distribute weight in the middle of our body. The more our head is upfront or tilted, the more our spine is pressured to carry extra weight caused by gravitational pull on our head.

Proper alignment enables our organs to function optimally, and our nerves have open passageways to their designated organs. Without any obstruction from misalignment and muscular pressure, our nervous system can function well, and we suffer less from mysterious illnesses that cannot be analyzed.

Proper alignment and postural positions are the basis for gaining the most functionality from our bodies. When energy can flow freely, our organs work as they should, and we use our skeletal structures to generate movement and power. Proper functionality in training helps sustain a healthy body and mind.

Proper alignment also affects the mind. When our posture is correct, and our thorax is up and open, there is enough space for our lungs and heart to work correctly. Proper placement helps us generate deeper breathing and lets our heartbeat without external pressure. Neurologically, our body is also accessible for better functionality. 

Structural training is always mindful training, and mindfulness keeps giving us positive growth in all aspects of our training. It helps us maintain a healthy body, prevent injuries, and improve recovery and sleeping scores.