Wellman

When I was 24, somehow I developed a bad case of back pain. It persisted for weeks before I sought help.

I found an older University professor doctor, who said my muscles were cramping, from a lumbar tear in my back, most likely caused by short leg (hamstring) muscles.

Those big leg muscles don’t tear as easily as the smaller back muscles. Once the tear occurred it would cramp to protect itself. This process could go on indefinitely.

He said if I really wanted to beat this I should go to this yoga class starting the next week.

“You need to stretch those hamstrings.”

“We all have tight spots all over, and these tight short muscles cause us problems.”

So, I went to this yoga class and noticed it was hard for me to do a number of the stretches. Sitting all those years had shorted those muscles that gradually improved over the next few weeks. Each posture stretches and strengthens; the most difficult ones are the most important for you. It’s a slow gentle workout.

At the YMCA here we do the same workout each time, so repetition helps learning quicker. If you want your body to stay flexible and strong, but don’t like sweaty workouts, consider stretching, or yoga. I’m 70 and it helped me a lot over the years. Hope to see you there sometime.