More Inspiration

At the risk of turning my blog into yet another Shakira fan site, I love this video.

I have been having a lot of trouble with my hips over the past few months. It started when I hurt my knee (yes, my knee) last summer. I was limping around putting too much stress onto my good leg, and before I knew it, the problem had spread to my hips.
I know it’s going to get better— it’s just going to take time, and a lot of exercise in the pool.

In the meantime, I love to plan ahead to when my hips are better. Research has shown that visualization actually can help you maintain your physical ability better during periods of injury. Every time you imagine moving, you activate the motor neurons that would be responsible for that movement. On an almost imperceptible level, your muscles begin to prepare, as if they really are about to move. Visualization basically helps “keep the machine oiled.”

Of course, this is no substitute for real exercise… but it is a great excuse to watch Shakira videos!

P.S. Normally I try to provide citations for all the things I say… but I learned this from my anatomy and physiology professor and couldn’t find a good link. So if it turns out to be wrong, blame him 🙂