This Week...Stretch!

This week’s exercises turned into a series of stretches that will also engage and strengthen your muscles. In this review I changed the order a bit to improve the flow, finishing it up with the sun salutations. Next week the exercises will be done with a stability ball. If you don’t already have one, it is a great fitness tool to have in your home.

1. Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, bend your torso into a forward bend and walk your hands out to plank position keeping your shoulders away from your ears and your core engaged. Take a deep breath in plank position and press back into "downward dog". If your hamstrings are feeling tight, keep your knees slightly bent. From down dog, walk your hands up to meet your feet, ending in a forward bend with your hands on the floor. Take a breath, walk your hands out to plank, press into down dog, walk your hands to your feet and so on.
Great to get your blood flowing, engage your arms, core and legs, stretch your hamstrings...love it!

2. Begin standing, feet together, shoulders down and back, core engaged and your arms by your sides. Take a deep breath and bring your palms together with your arms straight out in front of your chest. While opening your arms to your sides, just below shoulder height, reach your chest forward, hinging at your waist. As you are leaning forward, find your balance on your left leg and extend your right leg out behind you, lifting your leg off the ground and keeping your hips level. Take a deep breath and return your lifted leg to the ground. Repeat the cycle, balancing on your right leg and extending your left leg behind you.
Repeat this series for 10 repetitions, switching legs each times.

3. Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, drop your shoulders and engage your core. Take a large step, about leg length, back with your right leg and drop into a low "runner's lunge." Engage all the muscles in your extended leg, reaching back through your heel. Reach your arms straight overhead, all the muscles in your arms engaged.
Take a deep breath and on an inhale, bend the knee of your extended leg while maintaining the lunge of your front leg. Straighten your extended leg and continue to bend and straighten your leg for a series of 15 repetitions, working with your breath. Step your back, extended leg up to meet your other, lower and relax your arms. Take several deep breaths and repeat with the other leg. Perform 2-3 sets.

4. Root around in your cupboards for a couple paper plates and sit on a hard surfaced floor. Place your heels on the paper plates with your knees bent and your feet hip distance apart. Sit up tall, drop your shoulders and engage your core with your palms rooted to the floor, fingers forward, just behind your sits-bones/butt/hips…inhale and slide your heels forward on the plates, bending your elbows and leaning slightly back. With your exhale and maintaining your core engagement, slide your heels back toward your body and return to your seated position. Repeat for 3 sets of 15.

You can modify this by maintaining the upright body position, sliding out one leg at a time, twisting and engaging your obliques when you return to seated, crossing your arms at your chest and eliminating them as balance, etc.
This will target your hamstring, glute and core muscles. Have fun!

5. Sun salutations 6-10 to get your blood flowing and welcome your day!

Have a great weekend!

A Twist On The Lunge!

Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel, drop your shoulders and engage your core. Take a large step, about leg length, back with your right leg and drop into a low "runner's lunge." Engage all the muscles in your extended leg, reaching back through your heel. Reach your arms straight overhead, your shoulders dropped and with your core and all the muscles in your arms engaged.

Take a deep breath and on an inhale, bend the knee of your extended leg while maintaining the lunge of your front leg. Straighten your extended leg and continue to bend and straighten your leg for a series of 15 repetitions, working with your breath. Step your back, extended leg up to meet your other, lower and relax your arms. Take several deep breaths and repeat with the other leg. Perform 2-3 sets.

Here Comes The Sun

This morning seems like a good one for a few sun salutations, a series of yoga poses that flow together with your breath. These poses will target the entire body and help with mental focus for the day.

1. Stand with your feet hip distance and parallel with your arms by your sides, palms facing forward, your shoulders dropped and your core engaged
2. Inhale and raise your arms out to your sides
3. Exhale and "swan dive" forward hinging at the hips bringing your hands to the floor, palms flat if possible, on either side of your feet
4. Inhale and come up with a flat back bringing the chin up and the finger tips to the floor, not standing up completely
5. Exhale bringing your hands back to the floor, hanging in a forward bend, palms flat on the floor if possible
6. Inhale while extending your right foot to the back of the mat, coming on to your finger tips in a low lunge
7. Exhale while bringing the left foot back to meet the right and press back into Downward Facing Dog
8. Inhale and bring your body forward into plank position
9. Exhale and lower to your knees, chest, and chin or into the down phase of a push-up
10. Inhale and come forward into a low cobra position
11. Exhale, pressing back into Downward Facing Dog
12. Inhale, step the right foot next to the right hand into low lunge
13. Exhale and bring the left foot forward next to the right and hang in a forward bend
14. Inhale and lift the arms out to the sides and up, reversing your "swan dive" to stand
15. Exhale and drop your arm back to your sides

Repeat, switching sides. Allow your mind to relax and your body movements to follow your breath!

http://www.yogasite.com/sunsalute.htm
this site shows images of the sequence along with directions if needed!

You Ask "Y"

…for your shoulders and back.

Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended out from your shoulders forming a ‘Y’ position overhead. Engage the muscles in your arms all the way through your finger tips with your thumbs pointing toward the ceiling. If someone was looking down on you, your body would be the stem of the ‘Y’ and your arms would form the v. Slide your shoulder blades down and back and engage your core. Using the strength of your core and with an exhale of your breath, lift your torso, head and arms off the floor, inhale, lower and repeat for 3 sets of 15 repetitions. If you are looking for an extra challenge, lift your legs, with your muscles engaged, off the floor at the same time.

Enjoy the day!