Strengthen Yourself 101

Categories: Blog, PressingRESET, PressRESET, Crawling, Vestibular, neural, Nervoussystem Jan 31, 2022

What if you could invest ten minutes in a movement every day to become a better you, the best you, would you do it? 

What if there was a movement that could make your brain more efficient, your body stronger, your emotions calmer, and your thoughts more clear, would you do it? 

What if there was a movement that could unlock your body’s strength and power potential while improving your health instead of detracting from it, would you do it? 

What if this same movement left you feeling refreshed, yet strong, and relaxed, yet alert, would you do it? 

There is a simple movement, that if engaged in regularly, can help you feel amazing in your body, in your mind, and in your soul. It’s crawling, and just spending 10 minutes a day doing it will help you become your best you. 

I crawl for ten minutes every day, and here’s why: 

• Crawling connects your brain by creating neural connections; it bridges the gap between the left and right hemispheres of your brain. This makes your brain and nervous system more efficient. 
• Crawling helps improve focus and concentration.
• Crawling helps regulate the brain leading to calmer emotions and clearer thinking; it helps take the nervous system out of “fight or flight” and into “rest and digest”
• Crawling teaches the body rhythm, balance, and coordination.
• Crawling connects the visual system with the vestibular system.
• Crawling connects your shoulders to your hips, it connects your “X” (your body), creating a very strong and dynamically powerful structure.
• Crawling teaches the diaphragm how to work effortlessly and independently from movement. 
• Crawling is ridiculously gentle, yet extremely effective cardiovascular training.
• Crawling removes the neurological brakes, the neural inhibition, out of your body, allowing for full freedom of physical and mental expression. 
• Crawling helps reset the nervous system from injuries, traumas, and limitations. 
• Crawling is a movement that helps to make you whole. 

This list is by no means exhausted, crawling does so much more than this. And that is why every day it is easy for me to show up for ten minutes. 

Crawling is also so versatile, I can do it differently every day of the week. I can crawl to simply feel refreshed, or I can crawl to develop serious strength and sculpt muscles that Michelangelo would want to find in granite.  But whether I crawl to feel refreshed or I crawl to train and build my strength, crawling still does all of the wonderful things I mentioned above. Again, it’s the movement that can help make you more whole and complete. If nothing else, it’s the movement that can help you live your life better, no matter what it is you want to do in your life. 

I know it’s a hard sell, and I don’t want you to believe me. I want you to test me. Crawl for 10 minutes every day for 30 days. Experience for yourself if what I’m saying about crawling holds up as true for you. This is a valuable experience and the only way to own the knowledge for yourself. 

If you do this, just remember to start where you are. And, try your best to keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth and breathe through your nose. Also, don’t let 10 minutes be a barrier. You can break up the time if you need to. And, just in case you need some imaginational help, here are some of my 10-minute crawling routines: 

• Crawling on the hands and knees for ten minutes. Try to find ease and fluidity. Let go of tension and robotic-like movements. 
• Leopard Crawl on your hands and feet for 20 steps. Then stand up and cross-crawl for 20 touches. Repeat for 10 minutes. Keep your head up and your butt down below your head while you leopard crawl. 
• Crawl up and down your steps for ten minutes. If you’re wanting to build crazy strength, crawl up your steps backward! And maybe walk back down to start… Try it for 10 minutes.
• Crawl back and forth sideways on your hands and knees for ten minutes. Keep your head up!
• Crawl sideways on your hands and feet until you can’t. Rest and continue when you can for 10 minutes of time on the clock. Keep your butt down below your head. 
• Crawl backward on your hands and feet for 30 steps. Stand up and walk back to where you started. Repeat this for ten minutes. 
• Crawl backward on your hands and feet in SLOW SLOTH MOTION SPEED for 10 continuous minutes. 

These are just some ideas and variations of how I crawl in some way for ten minutes every day. Again, if you needed to, you could do five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening, though I think you’ll find ten minutes is very doable. This ten-minute investment could supplement your regular training program or it could be your regular training program. Either way, if you engage in it, you’ll find that it just makes you better over time. 

How can you measure “better?”

There are several ways, quantitative and qualitative. You can measure your strength gains - can you lift more weight or perform more reps than you could before? You can measure your mood - do you feel better than you did before you started? You can measure your relationships - are you able to better listen to or see others (notice others) better in your communications? You can measure your performance - Can you run faster or longer? 

This is a simple way to invest ten minutes in yourself and it gives far more than it takes. Try crawling in some way for ten minutes every day for 30 days. Remember to honor your body and start where you are. If you can only hands and knee crawl right now, fantastic! Do that! It’s such an amazing, restorative, healing, strengthening, creative movement. Show up every day. That’s all you have to do. That’s all your nervous system wants you to do. Discover how movement can make everything better. 

If you do this, please let me know what you discover. 

If you are a fitness, health, or educational professional, you need to be doing these things with your clients, patients, students. If you are not in these professions and just want to live life better and stronger, you need to do this or find a professional who will work with you.

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