There are 3 kinds of muscles in the human body: skeletal, smooth and cardiac. Smooth muscles make up our organs and are called "involuntary" because we can't consciously control them. The heart, or cardiac muscle, contracts and relaxes to pump our blood. Skeletal muscles contract and relax and, with the help of tendons and ligaments, move our bones. They are "voluntary" muscles that we can consciously control. The diaphragm is the only muscle that is both voluntary and involuntary.

The human body is about 40% skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle cells form fibers that slide under and over each other to shorten and lengthen a muscle. Contract and relax, contract and relax -that's how you flex a muscle.

Healthy muscles do their job and then they are quiet. You won't hear from them as long as they are: well nourished by a proper diet, well hydrated with water, well rested with proper sleep, well used with correct ergonomics and technique, well cared for without bumps, strains or bruises, and well tended in a body that is not housing emotional tension, stress, and negativity.

Sounds like high maintenance but it's not really. Just taking care of your body in general translates into taking care of your muscles. It just takes forethought and maintenance.

If we were unconscious beasts and only ate and did things that were good for us, and listened to our bodies instinctively, we'd have a much easier job of it. But we're human - we do things we know are not good for us. And we need to make a concerted effort to do things that we know are good for us to counteract that.

2007 © Lisa Henderson, NC-LMBT #4665. This article not to be copied for commercial use.