Like her or hate her, Gwyneth sent out a great article in this week's GOOP newsletter about the connective tissue in your body, called Fascia.
It's about how we can literally change the way we LOOK, by utilizing specialized massage and body work like chiropractic. It makes sense, and is well explained.
Here's a link to the whole article, and an excerpt is below.
So what exactly is fascia?
"Fascia is a thin layer of connective tissue that encases your body under your skin like a wetsuit and actually wraps itself around every muscle, joint, and organ. If you've ever cut into a piece of raw chicken or steak and seen that thin, white, filmy layer, then you've seen fascia.
While fascia is incredibly malleable and thin, it's also largely responsible for the shape of our bodies. How is this? Well, fascia can store toxins (my orthopedic surgeon friends tell me that when they cut through thickened fascia during surgery, it actually spurts pus-nasty, right?). Most importantly, it can thicken and harden when it is not used correctly: When you have a stiff shoulder, for example, often it is not damage to the muscle that it causing it, but a hardening or thickening of the fascia around the shoulder muscles and joint.
The amazing thing is that fascia is only now being medically recognized for its importance in maintaining a healthy, fit, toned, calm, and aligned body. In fact, it wasn't until 2007 that the first international Fascia Research Congress was held at Harvard Medical School, bringing a new awareness to the importance of the fascial webbing system.
These days, "myofascial release" has become a bit of a buzzword in the fitness and wellness communities: Medical science is finally catching on that fascia is a major player in every movement you make and every trauma you've experienced, making it largely responsible for 'shaping' the body."
---structural integrative specialist Lauren Roxburgh
Hey, HAPPY THANKSGIVING... In case I haven't told you lately, I'm very thankful for you!
With Sincere Gratitude for YOU,
Dr. Rina