Ilchi Lee, Burning Questions

Why you feel muscle pain and what to do about it..

If you are like most people, you have probably started and stopped dozens of exercise routines. You begin full of enthusiasm, but somehow that initial mindset always fades away. You skip a day here or there, then a week, and soon you have returned to your sedentary lifestyle. Do you lack discipline? Most likely, muscle pain is the culprit.

Even if you have led a relatively inactive life, you have probably experienced muscle pain—a simple session of gardening or housecleaning can leave muscles achy and stiff. If we use muscles we are unaccustomed to using, they may feel sore for many days after the initial exercise; this makes further exercise more difficult and discouraging and erodes our best intentions.

Sources of muscle pain include lactic acid buildup, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and Ki imbalances. Fortunately, practitioners can easily learn several ways to reduce muscle pain and manage it on both physical and energetic levels.

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Ilchi Lee, Tips For Building Muscles

Ilchi Lee

Uh-oh! Tips for incontinence

Q: I am a woman in my mid-40s who suffers from incontinence. Is there anything I can do to overcome this problem? Are there any exercises you recommend?

A: Contrary to popular belief, incontinence does not affect only women, such as those in menopause, the elderly or mothers who have just given birth. It can affect women and men of any age. Incontinence usually occurs when pelvic and sphincter muscles become weak, causing the constriction of the urethra to become loose. If the anus and/or vaginal muscles cannot relax and tighten easily, urine can flow unexpectedly. Strengthening these muscles through exercise can be very helpful.

Also, keeping your energy circulation smooth will help prevent incontinence problems. In terms of energy channels, the bladder, vagina, urethra and anus are closely connected to the Kidney and Bladder Meridians. Incontinence is a result of blocked energy circulation in these energy channels.

Also, if the back of the head, neck, shoulders and chest are very tense, your breath may be too shallow, never reaching your lower abdomen. As a result, energy circulation in your bladder and urethra may become very weak, causing one to feel a continuous urge to urinate or a lack of ability to control it. These conditions are tied to mental stress, tension, anxiety and fatigue.

Try the following exercises.

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