It takes 17 muscles to smile...

... and 43 to frown. Who knew?!

​This week's blog is about muscles and how to look after them. Muscles are responsible for maintaining posture, physical movement (sitting, walking, eating), and movement of internal organs (such as keeping the heart pumping to circulate blood and moving food through the digestive system). Think about which muscles you are using now: are you standing, sitting or moving? Focus in on the ones most in use. So often, we take for granted their function and only really notice their presence when they have been stretched or over-used.

​For many people, exercise leads to sore muscles, either the next day or the day after (weirdly, this is often to do with your age more than anything else). This is usually because muscles aren't permitted to reach their pre-exercise length (by stretching) so are a bit 'short'. A couple of things can really help:

​1. S-t-r-e-t-c-h! Spend between 15 and 20 seconds stretching muscles after exercising. If you come to any of my classes, you'll spend a long time stretching and cooling down at the end.
​2. Have a warm bath. This is for two reasons: firstly, the heat can help to stop muscles seizing up; and secondly, the compression of the water on your body is likely to ease soreness.

​I've recently discovered magnesium sulphate or Epsom salts: putting them in a warm bath makes a massive difference to aching muscles and tired limbs. You need to use quite an amount (not just a sprinkling) to feel the benefits. And if you are concerned about whether this is right for you, read this article to make sure.

​Have you booked your place at the MMM Celebration Day on 12th November? Everyone is welcome!