How Fascia Helps Keep You Moving (and Grooving)

We know that a big component of weight loss success is increasing our movement and being more mindful of the calories we consume. Diet plans and prescription weight loss medications can help with the former. But for many people attempting to move more in hopes of finding weight loss success can be difficult—especially at the beginning of the journey.

Carrying excess weight in general can cause knee and other joints to ache and can result in reduced movement. Exercising beyond what you’re usually capable of or not used to can lead to muscle injury, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and increased inflammation. This can be even more true for a person with a higher body mass index (BMI). 

Reducing pain and stiffness during exercise can help make exercise more enjoyable because, after all, you gotta want to work out. Working out and strengthening your muscles is key, of course, but there’s more to movement. That’s where your fascia comes in—the most important body tissue you’ve (probably) never heard of.

What is fascia?
Fascia is a term for the collection of connective tissue that surrounds your organs, muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. It’s fascia’s job to help these body parts smoothly interact with each other to help us do everything from high-intensity workouts to cleaning up the house.

While fascia plays a crucial role in the body's structural support, movement, and overall function, it’s not directly related to weight loss. However, there are some indirect ways in which fascia health can impact physical activity and overall well-being related to movement:

• Mobility and flexibility: When fascia is happy and healthy, it’s flexible and hydrated and promotes movement. But when fascia hardens and thickens around your muscles from inactivity, it can make it harder to move or even make moving around painful.
• Protects from injury: Maintaining healthy fascia can help reduce your risk of injuries during exercise. Injuries can put a hard stop on weight loss efforts your weight loss efforts.
• Keeps posture and alignment: Fascia plays a key role in having good posture (so hard in our sedentary society). Good posture can enhance workouts and contribute to the overall success of a weight loss program.

Care for your fascia 
Your fascia is basically hugging you at all times, and now it’s your turn to return the love. Keeping fascia happy and healthy through supplemental activities like the following may help reduce pain and make exercise more enjoyable and sustainable:

• Move your body often
  Not moving your body enough can cause your fascia to tighten, which can then lead to pain that keeps you from being able to exercise. Make sure to move throughout the day, especially if you have a desk job. Get up every hour and take a short 2-5 minute walk to get the blood flowing in your fascia (and the rest of your body).
• Stretches, foam rolling, and massages
  Recovery activities like foam rolling and massage are classic ways to care for our muscles after a workout, but these same methods can also care for our fascia by improving circulation to the massaged areas.
• Prioritize posture 
  Poor posture—which can stem from any number of reasons such as: looking down at your phone too much and compensating for an injury or other discomfort—can lead to tight fascia. Improving posture can help keep your body in balance and reduce pain. Try exercises like the sit-to-stand and glute bridge to improve posture (and overall core strength).

Strategies like these can benefit fascia, but they are just one part of a smart and holistic approach to pain-free and sustainable exercise. Always consult with healthcare or fitness professionals for a personalized workout plan that will help you safely reach your goals.

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