Muscle Healing & Repair

Q: I have arthritis in my neck and lower back. Will the Visibly Fit™ system aggravate my condition?

A: Isometrics, a main component of my Visibly Fit™ technique, have long been known to help people with arthritis get into shape without the discomfort of bending painful joints. When performed properly, isometrics have proven to increase and maintain muscle tissue to support the muscles without aggravating any of the sore, tender joints.

Q: I feel pain in my left shoulder while doing some of Visibly Fit™ exercises. I should mention that I have had an aching shoulder for a couple of years, so it wasn’t caused by doing any of the Visibly Fit™ training. But, hoping to heal this area, I’ve been following your techniques for three weeks and the pain isn’t going away. Am I doing damage to my body by continuing with your program?

A: If you feel pain while doing the Visibly Fit™ exercises, listen to your body. Lifelong injuries occur when people try to push through pain. I recommend seeing a sports doctor of chiropractor before continuing with any type of exercise that causes you pain in one particular area of your body. Visibly Fit™ exercises can eliminate old injury pains and repair and heal the muscle. But, it’s best to have the area of concern evaluated by a doctor before attempting to heal it through using Visibly Fit™ techniques.

Q: I believe I have inflamed muscle tissue in my shoulder due to a sports injury I experienced a couple of years ago. What do you suggest I take to reduce the inflammation?

A: Actually, my Visibly Fit™ exercises are a readily accessible, safe and inexpensive anti-inflammatory medicine! Yes, you read that correctly. Inflammation is the body’s natural means of stimulating healing. But, properly performed exercise releases signaling molecules that stimulate a unique healing response that couples both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms to repair, regenerate, and grow stronger tissue. If you have not already seen a sports doctor or chiropractor about your shoulder, I suggest you do so before implementing my Visibly Fit™ program or any other recommendations.

Q: I have pulled thigh muscle while biking and wonder how long it will take to heal?

A: It generally takes about 4-6 weeks for a muscle to heal. The healing muscle will have scar tissue, which must be stretched for proper healing to occur. A combination of Isometric and Isotonic exercises with gradually increasing resistance within the limits of the pain will help to promote healing. These exercises are fully illustrated in my book, Every Woman’s Guide to Personal Power. Be aware that a gradual progression of increasing resistance is important in order to minimize the potential for re-injury.MIND, BODY & SPIRIT WELLNESS

Q: What exactly is meant by mind, body and spirit wellness?

A: Wellness of mind is about the quest to improve our quality of life, to achieve a balanced lifestyle and the peace-of-mind achieved by knowing you’re following a proven path to becoming healthy and happy. Wellness of body is about our optimal physical health and fitness. It may also be about optimizing your body’s natural healing ability and overcoming a challenging health condition. Wellness of spirit is about the quest for spiritual wholeness. It’s about having a relationship with a Power greater than oneself, and about becoming faith-based. It is the balance that comes from feeding our mind, body and spirit which results in an overall feeling of well-being.

Q: Does one “think” their way into a mind-body-spirit connection, or how does this happen.

A: It really is a process that comes about through the elements I’ve outlined in my answer to the previous question. However, the quickest way to have an experience of a mind-body-spirit connection is to do some deep breathing. I have found that nothing brings me into a quicker awareness and total mind-body-spirit connection that this. Deep breathing, as I talk about in my book Every Woman’s Guide to Personal Power, comes from the diaphragm. Give it a try: place your hand on your abdomen just below the ribcage. You should feel the diaphragm shrink as you inhale, expand as you exhale. Repeat this several times and you are likely to feel an experience of euphoria as you become more aware than ever of the connection between your mind, your body and your spirit.

Q: I have heard that affirmations play an important role in overall wellness. Is this true?

A: Absolutely! Affirmations are simple mental exercises that can tap you into the positive, creative part of yourself. It’s the place that’s free from your ego (you know it: the ego is the leaky tire in constant need of being filled from outside sources!). Affirmations are different. They allow you to reveal the secret, powerful, depths of yourself and care for your being by affirming what is there. Example: I am beautiful! I am healthy! I am kind and loving! Say this to yourself, especially in front of a mirror and see how powerful the effect will be on you. Repeat it daily, along with any other affirmations you want to create. Positive affirmations—thinking good thoughts about yourself, are a very important component of total wellness.