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  • Alexander Zaitchik on "Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance" September 2, 2010
    Glenn Beck organized a much-publicized "Restoring Honor" rally on Saturday in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. Beck's fans reportedly number in the millions, and Saturday's rally drew nearly 100,000 supporters. We speak with Alexander Zaitchik, author of Common Nonsense: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance. [includes r […]
  • Appeals Court Ruling Allows Government to Use GPS to Track People's Moves September 2, 2010
    A federal court in California has issued a ruling that's raising widespread alarm among advocates for civil liberties. Earlier this month, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said law enforcement agents can sneak onto a person's property, plant a GPS device on their vehicle, and track their every movements. The court's ruling means t […]
  • After Years of Organizing, Domestic Workers Win Bill of Rights Law in New York September 2, 2010
    New York Governor David Paterson has signed into law a measure establishing a landmark set of working standards for housekeepers, nannies and other domestic workers. With the signing of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, New York becomes the first state where domestic workers will be guaranteed overtime pay after a forty-hour workweek, at least one day off […]
  • As Pakistan Floods Continue Moving South, Calls for Debt Cancellation Grow September 2, 2010
    In Pakistan, torrential rains a month ago that triggered unprecedented floods have moved steadily from north to south, engulfing a fifth of the country. Seventeen million people have been affected, and some five million have lost their homes. Meanwhile, a movement to cancel Pakistan’s external debt is now underway as campaigners plan a protest in front of Pa […]
  • Headlines for September 2, 2010 September 2, 2010
    Palestinians: Obama Vows to "Stop the Settlements", Biden Marks Nominal End to US Combat Operations in Iraq, Over 60 Killed in Pakistan Air Strikes, Justice Dept. Charges Mehsud with CIA Bombing in Afghanistan, UN Increases Estimate of DRC Rape Victims, Evacuations Ordered in NC Ahead of Hurricane Earl, Armed Suspect Killed After Taking Hostages at […]
  • "Security for Everyone, Not Just Settlers and Occupiers" - Ali Abunimah on Opening of US-Brokered Mideast Peace Talks September 1, 2010
    US-brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority begin today in Washington. Both sides agreed to sit down last month after the US successfully pressured Palestinian leaders to drop their precondition of an Israeli settlement freeze. On the eve of the summit, Palestinian militants killed four Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. We speak […]
  • Invisible War: How Thirteen Years of US-Imposed Economic Sanctions Devastated Iraq Before the 2003 Invasion September 1, 2010
    While the US invasion and occupation of Iraq over the past seven years has inflicted multiple disasters on the country, many argue that the US assault on Iraq really began twenty years ago with the US-imposed economic sanctions. Joy Gordon, author of Invisible War: The United States and the Iraq Sanctions, writes, "U.S. policymakers effectively turned a […]
  • Withdrawal or Enduring Presence? US Military Continues to Invest Hundreds of Millions in Iraq Bases September 1, 2010
    In his Oval Office address Tuesday night, President Obama said the US had closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the Iraqis. But many US bases remain in Iraq, as well as the massive US embassy in Baghdad, the size of eighty football fields. We play a report on US bases in Iraq by independent journalist Jacquie Soohen of Big Noise Films. [includes rush tr […]
  • "Iraq Is a Shattered Country" - Nir Rosen on Obama Declaring an End to US Combat Mission in Iraq September 1, 2010
    President Obama declared an end to the combat mission in Iraq Tuesday night in the second Oval Office address of his presidency. Although tens of thousands of US troops, special operations forces and private contractors remain in Iraq, Obama announced that Operation Iraqi Freedom is now officially over. We go to Baghdad to speak with independent journalist N […]
  • Headlines for September 1, 2010 September 1, 2010
    Obama Declares End to US Combat Operations in Iraq, 4 Israeli Settlers Killed on Eve of Mideast Talks, Study: CEOs Who Fired Most Workers Earned Highest Pay, Bank Profits Soar, But Lending Drops, Murkowski Concedes Alaska GOP Senate Primary, 5 Arrested After Shots Fired at New York Mosque, Seattle Man Charged with Hate Crime after Attack on Turban-Wearing Cl […]

Stretch

Next to massage and cardiovascular workouts, stretching is key to muscular health. But even stretching can be dangerous! Please take a mental survey of your body before you start any new routine. Age, weight, injuries, balancing abilities, and know-how are all factors to correct stretching and safety. Using Active Isolated Stretching will keep your muscles from tearing and provide the most thorough stretch. See a short description below.

When in doubt, ask your doctor about new activities.

When stretching any part of your body, not only are you stretching muscles, but you are also stretching fascia, the tissue that surrounds muscles, bones, organs, and the nervous, circulatory and lymph systems and sometimes muscle tendons. Fascia is a three dimensional fibrous network that serves a structural purpose as well as delivering oxygen and storing water. It can get “bunched up”, “glued” or “stuck” which can cause as many problems as a muscle contracture (chronically tightened muscle).

Muscles that have contractures or are tight are weak muscles in the sense that part of the motion they make to move a body part is already used. Nerve impulses have been slowed or shut off, which can lead to muscular issues along the nerve pathway.  To do work, a muscle must contract / shorten to bring the two ends of the muscle closer together. If you are lifting an object and your biceps are in contracture, the force exerted by your biceps is lessened by the already shortened muscle.

Simple things you need to know for proper stretching:

  1. Have a picture in your mind of the muscles you are stretching and where they attach to bones.
    Check out this site to find a drawing and action of each muscle Lumen’s Master Muscle List
  2. Your muscles work and stretch synergistically through agonists (the muscles being contracted) and antagonists (the muscles opposite to the contracted muscles)
  3. Contracting a muscle on one side of a joint will activate a stretch reflex causing the opposite muscle (antagonist) to relax. Take a look at the animation on the right. Even if your leg stays straight, contracting your quadriceps will relax your hamstrings.
  4. A thorough stretch comes from lengthening the muscle across all associated joints and through all available planes.
  5. A muscle will stay relaxed only when muscles that work synergistically with that  muscle are relaxed.
  6. Opposing muscles must be equally strengthened and stretched for optimal flexibility and health.
  7. ACTIVE ISOLATED STRETCHING provides the best method to lengthen muscles without tearing! To stretch an area of the body you would move to lengthen the area WHILE contracting the opposite muscles. (ex. Quadriceps/Hamstrings shown in the picture) Once you have reached the end of the motion (end of range of motion) you would then use an assisting tool, whether it be your hand or a rope, and give an extra force (not too hard) for 1 and 1/2 seconds. You should realign your body to neutral before performing the next repetition. Use around 8 repetitions for each stretch
  8. 3 Minute Stretches – If you have chronically tight areas of your body, it is better to stretch those areas many times a day than to do a one-hour stretching session of your whole body once or twice a week. Chances are your daily routine is what causes the inflexibility and taking care of specific areas  is more helpful to your overall health. Take 3 minute stretch breaks against a wall.  With your back to a wall place your feet far enough out from the wall for support and bend at your waist.  Check out the animation on the right. Don’t forget to drop your head! Use the same principles listed above for isolated stretching. Here you can keep your hamstrings in motion (keep from muscle tears) by slowly bending your knees during the stretch. Come back to neutral and repeat.
  9. Core muscles are the hardest to stretch (They are the closest to the midline of your body; therefore, lengthening away from their origins is sometimes impossible. It is better to contract and relax those muscles or get a deep massage to loosen them.)

A chronically tight muscle (contracture) is weak and undernourished. Contractures in muscles can occur from overuse, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and trauma.

The stretch reflex is an arch mechanism between muscle body and tendon cells (Muscle Spindle Cells and Tendon Organ cells) and the nervous system. It monitors proprioception (your body’s spacial displacement) and rapid muscle movement so as to prevent tearing of muscles through relaxation of antagonist muscles. An example of this can be seen when a persons arm is forced or pulled toward their backside – the biceps would be triggered to relax so they wouldn’t tear.

Stretching in all available planes: This concept is easy to understand if you think of every stretch existing within a circle. Think of moving your head, arms and legs in circular motions along the front of your body, your side, and behind you. Those ranges of motion are clues as to how to best stretch away from a tight area. Finding the point of tightness and potential pain is sometimes elusive, especially on the body’s trunk. But, if you can palpate (touch and feel) areas on your limbs that are sore, tender or emit some unusual sensation, you can easily lengthen muscles and alleviate pain.  Find your pain, locate the nearest joints, and visualize where that muscle crosses joints. ( Lumen’s Master Muscle List)  Stretch, bringing your limb as far away as possible from the painful site. You don’t have to know exactly what the muscle looks like or where it attaches to bone to find the right movement. Making minor tweaks in the circles of the ranges of motion will give you the perfect stretch. Movements within the circle can bring awareness to other muscles that are tight along that grouping. Pathways in larger muscles might be tightened along other routes besides directly through the main thickness of the muscle.

Stretch your quadriceps by standing next to a wall. While grabbing hold of a foot, push through that hip moving forward so that both the origin and insertion of the muscles are being stretched. This is a nice stretch through the hip area and helps low back aches feel better. You can use your foot as a lever and push away from your body and in toward your midline to stretch thoroughly.

Stretch your right hip by sitting cross-legged (Indian style) on the floor with your right leg crossed in front of your left.  With a straight back, lean forward.  Feel the stretch along your sit bones.

Sherrington’s Law of reciprocal inhibition and muscle contraction states that when a muscle on one side of a joint is contracted, the muscle on the opposite side is sent a neurological signal to relax or release.

More to come…

animated wall stretch
animated hamstring stretch