Energy Express by Marilynn Preston

Stress happens. It's part of life, especially now. Your spouse loses his job. Your best friend steals your Prius and leaves you his bicycle. The larger-than-life person in the airplane seat next to yours sneezes in your direction. Swine flu! Yeecch . . .

Though the root cause of your everyday stress will vary, the effect on your very human body is universally the same.

MUSCLE TENSION. If I could decorate the page right now with little sizzling thunderbolts of pain stabbing at your neck, your shoulders and your lower back, that's what I would do, just to make the point: Stress and aging lead to tight muscles. Over time, the tension leads to chronic tightness, and tightness leads to strain, misalignment and a body that is unhappy and out of balance.

This is where you come in. It doesn't have to be this way. There's lots of good stuff you can do — with body rollers and body workers, in yoga or meditation class — to release the muscle tension that comes from stress, so that it doesn't build up, lock in, and cause headaches, back aches, fatigue and other medical problems in later life. Like tomorrow.

It all begins with your own body awareness.

WHERE DO YOU HOLD TENSION? Stop reading, start doing, and answer that question for yourself. Everybody is a little different. Some people react to stress by hunching their shoulders, straining their neck or clenching their jaw. A huge number hold tension in their lower back.

Don't blame yourself. It's not a conscious thing. Most of us don't know when or why we do it. The good new is you can undo it. You need to practice releasing the stress, dissolving the tension, and letting go in the deeper structures of your tissues, muscles and organs. This is exactly what happens in a good Yin Yoga class.

STAND UP, PLEASE. Here's a little self-test you can do to help you gauge your own level of muscle tension. It's a mental scan of your innards, using your own mind, breath and imagination to dive inside and see what's what.

TRY THIS. Take off your shoes. Stand tall, balancing your weight evenly on both feet. For this moment, let go of your worries, thoughts and fears. Breathe. (You can also do a body scan sitting up straight or lying down.)

Close your eyes or, if you prefer to keep them open, soften your focus.

Turn your attention inward, and begin to scan your body, becoming aware of places that feel stuck, numb or tense. Start at the top of your head, and work your way down. Notice your forehead. Relax it. Release tension from your face and ears, around your lips, your tongue and eyes. Tune into your neck and shoulder area, a major place for holding tension. Keep moving down your body: chest, back, arms, hips, legs, ankles, all the way to your feet. Spread your toes, and plant all four corners of your feet into the ground. Finish your routine with a serene inner smile, the kind that warms your entire body and doesn't move a muscle in the process.

Do your body scan slowly, with awareness. This isn't a competition. If you're unsure what muscles feel like in a relaxed state, use the technique of first holding lots of tension in any given body part — squeezing with all your might — followed by letting go. That sensation of openness — even if it's just a flash — is what you're moving toward. It will take time, but the discovery process will feel pretty good, because at the same time you're finding your muscle tension, you are learning to let it go. That's where your breath comes in.

USE YOUR BREATH. When you sense an area that is tense, tight or blocked, use your breath to ease the stress. Inhale deeply, expanding your belly, and direct an enthusiastic exhalation into the area, using your intention and imagination to open it up, create space, relax and let go. Suspend disbelief. When you're working energetically, your breath is a powerful tool for easing stress.

Body scans are just one way to help you find and release muscle tension. Study yoga. Learn to release and relax through mindfulness and meditation. Work with a good physical therapist. Self-care is the best care.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! IMAGINE THE BIGGER PICTURE

True peace is not merely the absense of tension; it's the presence of justice. — Martin Luther King

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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