A Week Of "Making Do" With What's In Front Of You!

This last week of exercises all centered around one amazing prop; our bodies! Here is a quick recap.

1. Begin kneeling with your knees about hip distance apart. Rest your palms on your thigh muscles, your core engaged spine in neutral and shoulders down and back.
With your breath and keeping your torso straight, slowly lean your quads and torso back to about 45-50 degrees. Take 3 deep breaths and return to upright. That is 1 repetition. Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions!

2. Stand facing a wall with your palms on the wall at shoulder height, feet hip distance and parallel, preparing for a standing push-up. This will become more difficult the further away from the wall you stand, begin 2-3 feet from the wall.
Engage your core muscles, drop your shoulders and maintain your neutral spinal alignment.
Lower your torso toward the wall, maintaining your posture, hold in the "down" position for 5 deep breaths and return to the "up" position, 1 repetition.

3. Stand with your forearms lightly resting the back of a chair or resting on a counter top. Stand far enough away from the support so you can lean forward and rest your head on your forearms with a straight spine.
Lift your right leg with your foot flexed and bend your knee so your heel is toward your butt. Lift and lower your heel for 15 repetitions. After 15, make small pulses with your heel for 30 seconds and repeat with the left leg.

4. Begin on your hands and knees with your core engaged, drawing your belly button in toward your spine.
Maintaining the engagement of your core and keeping your shoulders away from your ears, lift your right leg to the side, inhale and lower.
Lift and lower your right leg for 3 sets of 15 repetitions, cycled in with the previous exercises and switch legs.
Focus on your small hip rotator muscles and the engagement of your core.

5. Find your way to plank pose, the "up" position of a push-up. Drop your shoulders away from your ears and engage your core, no stomach sag!
Option #:
1. Hold plank for several deep breaths or a predetermined time, 30 seconds for example. Holding plank with your knees on the ground is perfectly suitable!
2. From plank, lift first your right arm straight in front of you and then your left, continuing with your breath for 10-15 repetitions with each arm.
3. From plank, lift your opposing arm and leg, take a deep breath and lower, continue on, switching arms/legs for 10-15 repetitions.

Aim for 2 to 3 sets of this cycle of exercises and love the body you've got!