Listening follow your heart

Watch a child learning to write or a tennis player practicing his serve, and you realize how much of our pleasure and competence in life come from the conscious mastery of our voluntary muscles. Healthy muscles are important to our sense of well-being, our grace, coordination, and energy. But only properly exercised muscles stay in good condition; the reduced muscle tone that goes with a sedentary life can lead to poor circulation and a sense of physical depression. If muscles are not used at all because of prolonged bed-rest or other immobilization, they become weak and atrophied.

Almost everyone has experienced a charley horse. This results from too violent use of a muscle or group of muscles-for instance, in shoveling the first snow. The muscles protest against this unaccustomed activity by becoming sore, stiff, and- painful. The discomfort usually clears up in a few days with rest, warm baths, and a tablet or two of aspirin.

Muscle twitching result from various causes usually minor ones such as temporary fatigue, overwork of a group of muscles, nervousness, or insomnia. If muscle twitches become frequent or painful, you should discuss them with your doctor. The same is true of muscle cramps, especially ones that occur at night. A sudden cramp in the calf or arch of the foot can be eased by massaging the muscle and walking slowly. Muscles are affected by a great variety of disorders.