thrive: understanding our connective tissue health
Sara Vatore
Today I want to talk about HYDRATION and CONNECTIVE TISSUE.
As someone who has struggled with chronic illness and pain for most of my life, finding the MELT Method in early 2017 and learning about my connective tissue was a game changer and completely shifted my relationship with pain and my body.
As a culture we have gotten accustomed to believe that pain is just a natural part of getting old. As a result we can often dismiss taking care of ourselves when it shows up.
We actually do not have to live in consistent pain and discomfort in our bodies!
Our CONNECTIVE TISSUE HEALTH is the foundation of our ability to thrive as a body.
Our connective tissue is the environment our cells live in. It consists of fibers and fluid and this 3D webbed matrix provides the stability for our cells to fully express and makes all movement and function possible.
The fluid system is the communication system for our body-it is like a super highway, allowing for exchange of information. In order for everything to be running smoothly, we want to make sure there is hydration within the tissues.
From the natural aging process, along with the habituated or repetitive movements we find ourselves doing (like sitting at a desk for hours), our connective tissue dries out.
This dehydration is the culprit of much of your aches, pain and stiffness in your body!
The good news is that we can hydrate the tissue and create an optimum environment for our cells to thrive!
Newsflash… this goes beyond drinking water!
The MELT Method is science backed self care--a simple gentle self-treatment technique that boosts your body’s ability to heal by calming your nervous system and rehydrating your connective tissue. It uses large soft foam rollers and small rubber balls to return the body to a more ideal state and release dehydrated connective tissue, otherwise known as "stuck stress,” which causes pain, nervous system dysregulation and other health issues.
MELTing is a supportive addition to any health regime, whether you are recovering from an injury, supporting your active lifestyle, looking for ways to help your body destress, or wanting to age with more ease and less pain.
There are many benefits to adding MELT treatments in your day to day practices:
Helps you develop/hone/expand your body sense (ability to sense your body from the inside ANY help you locate where your body is in space)
reduces pain and inflammation
releases stuck stress from the tissues
supports nervous system nourishment by rebalancing your nervous system
supports your stability and balance
speeds up your recovery process from illness or injury
supports generative sleep patterns in the body (helps you fall asleep and stay asleep!)
creates space in the tissue for fluid flow
softens and releases holding from pelvic bowl, root space, womb space, and creates more space for fluid flow exchange in this region
builds/reinforces patterns of down regulation into the system
feels REALLY good!
The more open and fluid our tissues are, the more capacity and space we have in our bodies to:
track our nervous system
move fluidly in our bodies
receive downloads
discern/differentiate out energy
experience pleasure
receive rest and relaxation
sleep well
digest our food with ease
move and live actively without pain