The Miracle of Muscles

My physical progress has been slower after this second hip replacement than for my first one, but given that, I’ve had ample time to marvel at my muscles’ recovery. Watching and feeling how my muscles have gotten stronger day by day almost seems miraculous.

For instance, the exercise of straight leg lifts while laying down. This showed me quite clearly how quickly muscles gain strength:

• My first day of rehab I could not even move my leg; but I still tried, doing 10 “lifts” two separate times that day. What a shock that my leg wouldn’t even move!
• The next day, I could see a little quivering in my leg even though it didn’t come off the bed.
• Two days later, I could JUST see my leg slightly lift, though not actually off the bed.
• After a few days I could see my leg come up off the bed a few times during the reps.
• A week later I was actually lifting my leg off the bed about a foot high each time - but it was so hard and so tiring!
• Several weeks later, I was lifting my leg every time, over a foot high.

Isn’t that magical? To see such progress, just from DOING IT over and over. Of course I was highly motivated and rarely missed a session of exercising, sometimes doing them three times a day (what else was there to do except sit around!). But I couldn’t help but think that IF ONLY every belly dance student practiced so often - how quickly they would progress!

Can This Be The Secret?

What if you practiced ONE move for a minute several times a day - what would happen? Can you imagine, after even just a week, how much better you would be? You could do this almost anywhere! Try putting a few one-minute session into your day, doing just one particular movement, and see what happens.

I used to advocate for longer practice sessions; I do think they are the best, as well as a blessing in our busy lives. But if you find yourself continually too tired or too busy to practice at home, these quick sessions are better than nothing. The secret is repetition: do several a day or at least several a week. I even have YouTube Playlist of quick technique tips called “My Best Belly Dance Tips”, most under 2 minutes.