Proof of item:
Over 100 million people in America currently suffer from chronic pain. I used to be one of those people.
And what’s worse, is that 66% of them believe they will live with that pain FOREVER.
This pain forces you to move less and less, eventually leading to obesity, more pain, and depression. It flat out sucks to watch life pass you by from the sidelines.
No one, no matter the injury, should have to live in pain.
The saddest part, is that in most cases it is EASILY fixable!
The problem, is that people focus on all the wrong things.
The biggest mistake you can make, is to focus ONLY on the painful area.
You see, pain is a tricky devil. Just because you feel pain in your shoulder DOES NOT necessarily mean there is ANYTHING wrong with the shoulder.
In fact, it could be stemming from your opposite hip or your spine (seriously, and more on that later).
3 Things You NEED To Know About Pain
![Lower Back Pain 5 Minute Flow, Max Shank](https://maxshank.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/5min_back_pain.jpg)
1) Pain is NOT a Life-Sentence
Pain can stop at any time–if you stimulate the body and brain in the correct way. Sadly 66% of chronic pain sufferers believe it IS a life sentence. I assure you, it is NOT.
2) Injury ≠ Pain
Even with a serious injury (herniated disc, torn rotator cuff, labral tear) you can be completely pain-free with the right exercises.
3) The SOURCE of the pain is completely different (and unpredictable) from the SITE of the pain.
It’s best to take a full body approach so you don’t accidentally miss YOUR “magic bullet” exercise. I say YOUR exercise, because two painful shoulders (even if it’s the same spot) can have COMPLETELY different causes.
The Surprising Pain Reliever in Your Chest
Like most people (myself included) you probably don’t give a second thought to breathing most of the time… after all, it happens automatically. But did you know that breathing exercises are one of the BEST ways to relieve pain, stress, and anxiety?
STOP EVERYTHING for just one second and take a BIG deep breath in through your nose.
Hold it for a 4-count and as you exhale, consciously release the tension from your eyes, face, neck, and shoulders.
Feels good right? There’s a reason for that, and I’ll explain why right now.
Breathing is one of the few processes in your body that you can control, and that happens automatically. This makes good breathing neurologically very powerful. Because of this, proper breathing and relaxation techniques can take you out of “fight or flight” mode.
Synchronizing proper breathing patterns with movement is one of the most tried-and-true methods of stress and pain relief. But the benefits of healthful breathing don’t end there.
![Breathing Diaphragm - Breathing in vs breathing out Simple Shoulder Solution, Max Shank](https://maxshank.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/diaphragm-breathing.jpg)
Did you know that your diaphragm (main breathing muscle) is connected to most of your upper body? Not only that but it is assisted by many neighboring muscles to help drive breathing.
Dysfunctional breathing creates tension in the neck, shoulders, and face, while healthy breathing massages the internal organs, relieves stress, and releases tension from overworked muscles.
Breathing exercises are my #1 go-to for anyone looking to feel better, gain flexibility, or relieve stress. It really is amazing what a difference just a little bit of breathing and movement can do for your health, fitness, and even happiness.
How to “Hack” Your Willpower
The key is to make these behaviors into habits.
Let’s talk about habits for a second and how they shape your life. Because without action, even the best plan is worthless.
I first became enamored with behavioral psychology and neuroscience over a decade ago, and I was amazed at how powerful the brain is.
Over the past decade, helping people achieve higher levels of health and fitness, I noticed that the #1 thing holding people back was CONSISTENCY. You see the “BIG SECRET” to lifelong fitness is just making sure you show up every damn day.
The big difference between those who achieved success and those who didn’t…they kept on showing up. Physical Freedom isn’t a 6 week plan from a magazine, it’s a part of your life.
It IS your life.
So what is the best way to turn this into a habit? There are special strategies that you can implement to increase your chances of success, and I use every single one that I can.
I try to trick the brain every chance I get into accepting a new reality as quickly and effortlessly as possible. These strategies can help you start flossing, exercising, or develop any habit.
3 Things You MUST Know About Habits
1) Start Small, Build on Wins
Building momentum and overcoming inertia is important. It’s EXTREMELY difficult to go from 0-100 all at once and be able to SUSTAIN it (95% of people quit a high-intensity exercise program within the first 2 weeks). If you can get an easy WIN and repeat that, you have a very good chance to developing this new behavior into a habit.
2) Trigger, Habit, Reward
We all forget. If you want to remember, attach your new habit (in this case, movement) to something you already do (in this case, waking up). I have also had success using “turn on the shower” as a trigger for “do 20 push-ups”. Give that one a try to give your arms, chest, and core a little boost over the next month–all that volume adds up to some excellent strength and muscle gains–and for a very small time investment. After each habit enjoy a reward, think of it as completing the circuit. The reward is like celebrating your victory–and that’s a very good thing (for habits, and for life).
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3) 67 day rule
On average it takes 67 days for a habit to “sink in.” This means that the first 67 days are going to take some effort and determination. Fortunately, knowing there is this target on the horizon will give you the resolve to stick with it through the challenging “adaptation period.”
Can You Burn Fat in 5 Minutes, Too?
I’m going to share a secret with you now that most fitness professionals completely ignore when it comes to fat loss.
Hormones.
Far too often I see crash diets, and obscene amounts of “cardio” exercises. All this does is wreck your metabolism and make you weak and frail. We are supposed to be strong and vibrant – how does starving yourself and running yourself into the ground help that?!
Fat storage is switched on by a stress-response. This is decided by your nervous system when it perceives that you are in a fight-or-flight situation. Essentially, these diets and workout plans are sending you into fight or flight mode–which makes you store fat, have achy joints, and sap your energy levels.
Luckily, you can optimize your muscle-building, and fat-burning hormones with relaxed breathing and the correct movements.
That’s one of the main benefits of a mobility-centered routine – it takes you out of the stressful fight-or-flight mode. This creates a hormonal response of growth hormone and testosterone while suppressing the secretion of cortisol–this is what lets your body know it’s OK to drop the bodyfat – because you’re not in survival mode!
TO PUT IT SIMPLY…
Mobility training stimulates your body’s hormones to burn fat and build muscle.
Change Your Life in 5 Minutes a Day
5 Minute Flow is something you will look forward to doing every day. It challenges and builds your mobility, strength, and coordination.
It also just feels damn good and will release “happy hormones” into your blood stream -eliminating stress and reducing anxiety.
Developing a 5 Minute Flow habit can take any human being from absolute level zero, all the way up to a ninja warrior of movement.
Starting with a foundation of simple joint mobilizations used by cutting edge physical therapists, and eventually leading to an advanced hybrid of calisthenics, yoga, and martial arts, it will make you into a better man or woman. But of course, none of this is possible unless you make a commitment to yourself.
Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation… even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.
-Leonardo da Vinci
Give your body 5 minutes per day to show it that you love it. That’s the real “body love.”
I’ve put together a comprehensive system that outlines EVERYTHING you need to know about mobility, strength, breathing, and habit formation. I’ve spent the last 10 years sifting through information across the world from a huge variety of sources to distill it down to only the MOST IMPORTANT and IMMEDIATELY USEFUL stuff.
If you follow this plan, your small 5 minute daily investment WILL pay you huge dividends – GUARANTEED. You will make the fastest progress if you let me share some of these extremely effective and time-saving secrets with you.
If you decide not to accept my help, then please at least understand the pure essence of 5 Minute Flow and implement the idea into your daily life.
5 Minute Flow is about winning the day, starting with the very first thing you do when you wake up in the morning.
By starting with a win you are signaling to yourself, your brain, and the world, that you plan on following through in every part of your life.
While the Flow itself lasts just 5 minutes (though I get many messages “complaining” how hard it is to stop after just five minutes), the mobility drills, core exercises, and breathing will leave you feeling invigorated. This Flow is rewarded (remember those 3 keys to habit formation?) with a large cup of water. Drinking water after you wake up has a ridiculous amount of health benefits ranging from metabolism and brain function to appetite suppression.
It’s a simple concept, really, but I believe it’s not WHAT you do…it is HOW you do it. So MOVE!
Move well, move often, and move every day of your life – as long as you can.
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Movement Changes Lives
This is Rob. Rob was 62 years old when he walked into my gym (referred from a member who had fixed their back pain). Rob hadn’t run for 15 years—he had chronic pain in most of his major joints, and his activity level was playing golf once per week. Fast forward to 6 months of diligent work at Ambition Athletics, and Rob and I were playing racquetball together once a week. He had actually regained the ability to run—even though it had been lost for over a decade. Rob is 67 now and we still play once a week to this very day, and he is one of my closest friends.
![Max Shank and Rob R 5 Minute Flow, Max Shank](https://maxshank.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Rob-R-500.jpg)
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