Have you gotten clear on your ONE fitness goal for January 2020?
 
Does it include having more energy and less inflammation in your body? 

Is 2020 the year you become a joyful & well-rested Wellness Warrior?

If so, we’ve put together a few NEW YEARS deals on our online bodywork camps to help you get started without burning yourself out. 

They’ll help you take the first step to having more energy, ease & flow each day… by giving your body the gift of stretching and massage to release your tight & tender spots with less than 10 minutes of daily self-care (or what we call "stretch-care"). 

Both camps begin on January 6th. 

At this time of year when there’s a ton of pressure to speed things up and change everything about your workouts and diet, we want to show you the benefits of slowing things down. 

Let’s set you up for success by breaking the habit of going too hard, too fast.  It’s THE recipe for inflammation, injury and burnout.

Instead let's calm your body with daily fascial stretch-care and bodywork tools so it has time to work its magic...to heal itself and get stronger.

Your body gets stronger at rest. 

You can train smarter by resting harder whether it's to support your workouts or your wellness.

Our bodywork camps show you how easy it is to do this.

They lay the ground work for you to stay active, agile, & pain-free at any age.

It’s like when the flight attendant says to “put on your oxygen mask first.”  Our camps are the "oxygen" for a strong, well-rested body & mind.

Our online bodywork camps are on special until December 31st.  Choose the one that is the best fit for your body's needs right now.

GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR STRETCH-CARE:

If you’re a newbie to fascial stretch-care, our online MINI Bodywork Camp™ (How to Foam Roll & Massage for More Freedom & Flow) will help you get started with a simple daily foam roller routine.  You'll learn how to use our favorite flexibility hack, foam roller massage, to calm your body for better mobility & stretch results- it’s 50% off for a limited time. Learn more.

GOING PRO WITH YOUR STRETCH-CARE:

If you’re ready to take a deeper dive into improving your mobility for better posture & faster recovery from workouts, you’ll want to check out the special we’ve got on HIP Camp™ (Stretch Care & Recovery Tools for the Mindful Athlete).   It includes an AWESOME bonus holiday offer: The Pelvic Floor 5 Day Strength Challenge.

HIP Camp™ is our 4 week online base training program that will help you build a strong core with a well-rested body & mind.  We'll walk you through our simple system to find & treat ALL your spots- the tight, tender, weak (& tired) spots to make lasting changes in your mobility & performance.  You can get $150 off when you pay in full or we have a new payment plan option available with this special offer.  Learn more.

It’s time to renew & refresh yourself in 2020.

Let’s do this!
Mollie & Ender

P.S. All holiday deals and bonus offers expire Tuesday, December 31st at 5pm CST.

The Pelvic Floor 5 Day Strength Challenge is a BONUS offer when you purchase HIP Camp™ by December 31st.  It includes a pop-up Facebook Group for coaching & support beginning February 3rd.  We’ll have daily challenges + office hours for questions, prizes, and cover strength, cardio, & clean eating exercises to improve the health of your pelvic floor & more.  It’s the perfect compliment to HIP Camp™ trainings.  Learn more about camp here.

Did you figure out your Peak Time to workout yet?  If so, did you shift anything around in your schedule and see changes in your energy or performance?

Hope so.  I've got another fitness hack to help you plan your workouts.

Cycle syncing.

You can use your monthly cycle to help guide you with exercise.

Cycle check in (for females): 

Where are you in your monthly cycle? 
 
Your body needs different activity and has different energy levels based on the changes in hormones you go through each monthly cycle. 
 
Paying attention to and respecting these needs throughout the month will help your body have more energy and perform better with less effort.
 
In general, you want to be gentle and take it easy while you are bleeding and start to ramp up exercise during the middle of your cycle.  You want to ramp down as you approach the end of your cycle. 
 
Beginning of your cycle (Days 1-5): focus on Rest/Reflect/Relax activities (i.e. naps, meditate, gentle stretching/walking). 
 
Middle of your cycle (Days 6-20): you can train harder and increase the intensity (i.e. strength, cardio, interval training).
 
End of your cycle (Days 21-28): start to taper down training (i.e. yoga, pilates).
                                            
To dig deeper into this, check out the:

• MyFLO free app to help you track your cycle, any PMS symptoms, and for recommendations on food and exercise during each phase of your cycle.
• Kate Northrup's latest book:  DO LESS: A revolutionary to time and energy management for busy moms.

Not bleeding regularly or at all?  You can use the lunar cycle to guide you.  Kate's book talks about this in detail but basically:

• New moons are like the first part of your menstrual cycle. Rest more.
• Full moons are like the middle part of your cycle.  Train harder at this time.

If you are male, you can do this too.  You actually go through all these hormone cycles in a 24 hour period.  Every. Single. Day.  You've got a few options:

• Find your Peak Time to plan your workouts
• Plan your day where your hardest workouts are midday (like mid cycle mentioned above). Consider starting your day with meditation and do recovery workouts later in the day (ramp up then ramp down). 
• Pay attention to how you feel as the moon changes and workout accordingly.  Like do you have a ton of extra energy around the full moon?  Then challenge yourself with your workouts around that time each month.  The moon is affecting you also, just like the tides of the ocean, we are all mostly made of water :-)
  
  

Bottom line for all of us is to tune into our body's signals.  It'll tell you the best time and type of exercise it needs, if you listen.  And be open to changing it up if that's what it needs to feel and move better.

Cycle syncing + working out at your Peak Time will help you get better results with less effort! 

If you test it out, you'll see what I mean.  Give it a go and let me know your results in the comments below.

Enjoy!
Mollie

P.S. Want to feel, move, & perform better in 3 minutes or less?  Download the free MINI MOVES Daily Planner & Cheat Sheet for simple self-care exercises that’ll help your body feel more energy, ease and flow each day.

Want to get better results with less effort when you exercise?

Here's a cool fitness tip for you to test.

One of the best things I started doing a few years ago was planning my day around my body’s natural rhythms and peak times. 

If you pay attention, you can figure out your peak times for exercise, work, and other activities.

Peak Time check in:  When are you at your best? 

One of the first steps to know your peak time for exercise is figuring out if you’re a lark or a night owl. 

In the research, a LARK is defined as an EARLY RISER or what you might refer to as a morning person. 

A NIGHT OWL is someone who naturally goes to bed at 1 or 2am.

The summer is a great time to figure out which one you are naturally especially if you’re on vacation. 

When you don’t have an alarm clock, when do you naturally wake up or go to bed?

The goal is to exercise, train, or do physical activity when you’re at your peak time.

The best time for LARKS is to exercise is between 7am to midday.

And the best time for NIGHT OWLS to exercise is around 8pm.

Schedule your workouts or training at your peak time to perform better with less effort. 

You’ll naturally have more energy during and after exercise plus it’ll be less depleting to your body overall.

I realize work and other commitments can interfere with your ability to do this all the time.  Just do your best to block it off. 

Be creative and mindful as you plan your workouts to see if you can shift any of your current activities to support your peak times. 

Even if you do this 20% of the time, you’ll feel a huge difference in your energy and performance.

Have fun!
Mollie

P.S. Download this free daily planner to help you pick out a few self-care & mini moves each morning.  Your body will love them!

I had the most fascinating thing happen last month.  I got a 12-minute treatment for dry eyes that my optometrist recommended and without changing my glasses prescription I was able to see SOOOOO much better.

Like immediately.
 
Driving home, I felt like a kid at Disney World looking around in awe at all the details.  Everything was so sharp and clear.  Kind of like you feel after getting a new pair of glasses or contacts.  Or it feels watching a 3-D movie.
 
And walking the dogs in the dark that night was dramatically better.  The difference before and after treatment really blew me away!
 
Being in the brain injury rehab world, I had heard some info on dry eyes but now I really get it.
 
Besides going to the eye doctor each year and eating your carrots, people don’t talk much about what you can do for your eye health.
 
It’s more important than ever because we all have so much screen time.
 
Anytime you’re focusing on a screen (any screen), you’re blinking less among other things.
 
We’ve got some tiny oil glands in our eyelids that help keep the eye lubricated and love it when we blink.  Apparently, they also love heat and massage.
 
The treatment I got a week ago was a heat and massage for my eyelids called LipiFlow.  It helps unblock those tiny oil glands that get backed up for various reasons.
 
I didn’t realize all the things I could do to help them function better.   Honestly, I didn’t really know they existed until this past month.
 
Here’s what I’ve learned you can do to counter screen time and help support the function of these tiny oil glands:

• Take breaks from focusing on a screen every 20 minutes. Look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Includes TV, computer, phone and even books. If you work in an office, try to look out the window if you can. Taking eye breaks from screen time allows your eye to relax and hopefully encourages you to blink.
• Be more mindful of blinking. Maybe take some blink breaks. LOL
• Use lubricating drops 3-4 times a day.
• In the shower, close your eyes and let warm water massage your upper and lower eye lids for a few minutes. My doctor recommended this over warm compresses. Again, your tiny oil glands like heat AND massage.
• Make sure your diet is high in Omega 3’s. If you’ve got dry eyes or symptoms, my doctor recommends you supplement regardless with cold pressed flaxseed (The brand he recommends and went on and on about is Barlean’s.  He’s really into this topic and has trialed everything. Says this brand gets best results.)  Add it to yogurt to help with taste and your body’s ability to absorb it.

Not sure if you’ve got dry eyes?  Here are some symptoms to look out for:
Burning, dryness, irritation, light sensitivity, vision fluctuations, contact lens intolerance, eye fatigue.
 
MINI MOVEMENT BREAKS

Just like our eyes need breaks when we spend too much time focusing, the body needs to MOVE to feel good and work well.
 
We preach & teach about mini movement breaks throughout the day because the research shows it all adds up to support your brain and body health whether it’s 3 breaths, 3 reps, or 3 minutes of movement.
 
Mini Moves, as we call them, done throughout the day can help your body feel more energy, ease and flow each day.  
 
Your brain likes to move especially after long periods of sitting or focusing on a task.
 
When your brain slows down, or brain fog sets in, it’s time to MOVE.
 
Ignore these signals and you’ll likely get more easily frustrated, be less focused, and less productive.
 
Want to feel, move, and perform better?
 
We’ve got 16 mini moves for you to experiment with and see which ones work best for your body (including another eye massage exercise you can do).  They take anywhere from 3 reps to 3 minutes to do.
 
Download the MINI MOVES Daily Planner & Cheat Sheet to help your body feel more energy, ease and flow each day.

Enjoy & don’t forget to blink!
Mollie
 
P.S. Download this free daily planner to help you pick out a few self-care & mini moves each morning.  Your body will love them!

Do you wake up feeling well-rested and pain-free on most days?

Did you know that’s even possible?

Lots of clients tell us they’ve always been tight, are living with aches and pains, and assume they always will be.

Because that’s what happens when you get older, right?

Absolutely not! 

You’re not destined to a life of stiff or sore muscles, slowing down, and eventually falling and breaking your hip.

Stiff joints, sore muscles, and fatigue are all signs of over-training (or over-doing) and not giving your body enough rest or recovery time between your workouts and activities.

Your body needs time to work its magic…to heal and repair itself.

Stiff, sore muscles are also signs you need to work on your mobility or flexibility.

The truth is…

You can win the battle against gravity, sitting, adhesions from old injuries, and the impact exercise has on your body’s flexibility as you age. 

It’s possible even if you’ve never touched your toes. 

It’s about technique and knowing what to target. 

Once you know the fundamentals, you can see how easy they are to sprinkle into your day.

The pill-free way…

So, how can you stop struggling with stiff, sore muscles and fatigue?

You can stretch. 

You know that thing you skip when you're trying to squeeze in a quick workout.

But, here's the deal.

Healthy tissue isn’t stiff.  It’s elastic.  Bungee cord like versus rope like.

Is that how you feel when you move right now? 

If not, it’s OK because it’s never too late to improve your flexibility.

The first step…

Stretching is the first step to bringing the spring back into your tissue (after having good hydration and sleep habits).

And it doesn't take a lot of time when you know what to target and what to do before and after you stretch.

Just like we’ve evolved from flip phones to smart phones, we’ve made advances in stretching that’ll make a lasting impact on your flexibility and posture. 

If you feel pain with stretching, you’ve gone too far…

There’s nothing more annoying than seeing an athlete on the sidelines getting his hamstring cranked on by a trainer.  There is such a thing as over-stretching. 

Bottom line: if you have pain with stretching, your body will tighten up more.  The body’s response to pain is to protect, tighten up, guard. 

And since you’re the best judge of what’s painful or not, you’re the one who should be the stretch “super star” of your body.

You can help your body stay active, agile, & pain-free at any age when you know # 1 thing to target with your stretching and how to stop over-stretching.

We’ll show you how in our FREE training, MINI MOVES: How to have more energy, ease, and flow in your workouts (& life). 

In this free mini training series, you’ll learn:

• The #1 thing to target with your stretching.
• How to use your secret weapon to stop over-stretching.
• What to focus on before and after stretching for lasting changes in your mobility, posture, and performance.

The technique we’ll share with you can benefit everyone.  We’ve used it on clients with chronic neck or back pain to professional athletes. 

Our pros always seem to achieve their personal best after a treatment (i.e. no hitter, new race time).

Are we promising you’ll become as flexible as a prima ballerina if you stretch daily?  No, anatomy and genetics does play a role.

But it’s never too late to improve your flexibility…

if you’re willing to spend 10 minutes a day on simple self-care stretches and moves.

Let's get you stretching with (lasting) benefits!
Mollie & Ender

P.S. Sign up before 6/10/19 to get the free Mini Moves training – it's in 3 short parts (just like your stretch self-care can be) to help you feel better, move better, and ultimately live better.

Whenever you set a new fitness goal, its completely normal to get off track while it’s becoming a habit.  You’ll most likely go too hard, too fast and burn yourself out.  It’s human nature.   

The research tells us this will happen to ALL of us.  80% of New Year’s Resolutions are abandoned in the first two weeks of January!

What’s more important is how fast you bounce back.  How resilient you are.  Not that you got off track.

You can build your resilience muscle.  It just takes practice picking yourself up.  In order to do that you have to become mindful of when you get off track.  The faster you realize it, the faster you can start up again.

You’ve also got to learn to let go of the guilt of eating that cookie or not going to the gym.  Before you go beating yourself up, focus on the fact you caught yourself or noticed that sneaky habit of procrastination and commit to starting over.

It’s OK if you over complicate it, overwhelm yourself, or get distracted by the new shiny object.  We want it all NOW.  New things excite us.  They turn on our brain’s happy hormones.  How many books have you started that you haven’t finished?

Whether it’s the holidays, a vacation, or a busy schedule that throws you off track, having the mindset of expecting to get distracted will make it much easier to get focused again on your goal.

Besides working on your mindset around goals, you can try these tips to help you stay and get back on track with them.  Take 5-10 minute to reflect on the following when setting a new goal:

1. Reflect: What are your fitness achievements over the past month (or past year)? 
2. Decide: What’s one specific improvement you want to make in your fitness over the next month?
3. Break it down: What’s the first action step you need to do to toward this goal?  Write it down.
4. Let go: What do you need to let go of?  How can you create some space for your new goal? Eliminate something and replace with your new goal/habit. Example: start using Stevia in your coffee instead of sugar.
5. Anchor it: How can you tie your goal to something you already do?  Example:  work on mindfulness while walking your dog or while you drink your coffee.
6. Visualize: How will it feel to accomplish this one action step?  Take a deep breath and feel that “good” emotion for at least 17 seconds to help you attract it.
7. Act: Focus on doing that first action step. 
8. Celebrate:  Once you complete the first action step, celebrate before moving to the next action step.
   

 
Download your Mindful Athlete Goal Setting Worksheet to help you avoid burning yourself out with your new fitness goal. 

PRO TIPS:

• Your action step should be a baby step.  If it’s overwhelming, you haven’t broken it down enough.  You can write up to 3 action steps but focus on one at a time.  You probably can’t see more than 5 action steps at a time.  Don’t force it.  As you get new information, you may need to modify/tweak your plan. 
• Add some accountability- a workout partner, coach, or join a workout class/group to increase your chance of success.

Keep in mind that fitness goals are really the steps that make up a larger lifestyle journey.  It's about deep breaths and baby steps.  It’s about progress not perfection.  You're training for a marathon not a sprint.  Building your resilience muscle will help you stay on course.

You’ve got this!
Mollie & Ender

P.S. Avoid burnout & overwhelm with the Mindful Athlete Goal Setting Worksheet - it's free!  Download here.

Want to knock out some of those projects piling up on your to do list?  You’ve got to try this time management tool/brain hack. 

Your feel-good neurotransmitters, Serotonin and Dopamine, will be flowing to help you push past procrastination and avoid the burnout of trying to do too much at once. 

I used it to go through our garage (in 100 degree summer heat) and 2 closets quickly without ending up exhausted or overwhelmed.

It’s called the Pomodoro Technique™.  It’ll help you better estimate the time and energy it takes to do a task.

You can use it to:

• Declutter and sort through piles of papers, books, magazines, pictures, closets, etc.
• Write an email, report, or your first book
• Brainstorm ideas
• Research
• Get in a quick workout
• Do your bookkeeping, taxes
• Finish the work project you keep pushing back
• Complete any task, honestly…

Focusing your attention on ONE thing, breaking it down, and building in breaks allows you to keep going without getting over fatigued and to finish the task quickly. 
 
The next time you look at your to do list with dread or feel the weight of an unfinished project, train yourself to say, “I’ve got this.  I’m gonna do just one Pomodoro Round.” 

You won’t believe how much you get done and how great you’ll feel.  Want to dive deeper, go to www.pomodorotechnique.com to learn more.

Let me know what you got done using this technique in the comments.

Mollie

P.S. Not sure what to do after a run or on your recovery day?  Download and test out this 3 minute Active Recovery Yoga Routine for Runners.

Do you ever wish you had more energy to train?

Learning how to balance training with rest will not only boost your energy but improve your performance. 

We grow at rest NOT by pushing harder.  This includes growth in the areas of your strength, healing and energy both mentally and physically.

There are 3 easy steps to follow to make your own Recovery Training Plan that will increase your strength and energy while decreasing your overall stress level and your risk for injury.   

If you missed our previous blog that shared the benefits of recovery plan, which types of recovery are best to improve performance, and how important it is to plan your training around a recovery day each week, you can find it here.   

Which recovery techniques work best to help you recover faster from training?  It depends!

You have to know your body, your sport, your work load, and emotional stress level to decide what’s most beneficial for you.

PRO TIP:  The challenge is to feel good while getting stronger and more flexible!

Although there are a variety of tests used in research and some training facilities (i.e. jump test, blood tests- high levels of muscle enzyme creatinine kinase- delayed onset muscle soreness, questionnaires) to monitor recovery and post exercise fatigue, you don't need fancy tests or equipment to figure out what your body needs. 

You just need to listen to your secret weapon- your body's signals- to help guide you.

We've created a Spring Training Recovery Guide (free download) to help walk you through a 3 step process to learn how to tune into the signals your body gives you each day to make your own recovery plan.

Take the pressure off of yourself and think of this as: a journey and an experiment.  Fitness is about progress not perfection. 

3 STEPS TO SET UP YOUR PERSONALIZED RECOVERY PLAN

1.  TEST: 

• Pick one recovery technique at a time to test either throughout the day, post workout, or on a day off from your typical training day (i.e. active recovery day). 
• Just 10-15 minutes may be all you need to fully recover from training activities.
• You can choose a recovery activity based on symptoms* you have (i.e. poor sleep, muscle soreness, brain fog or mental fatigue, physical fatigue etc.).

 
*Get recommendations for managing symptoms in the free Recovery Guide and Planner.

2. TRAIN:

• Do your workout or train for sport as planned but ideally at your peak time.  Are you a Lark or Night Owl?  Find out in the Recovery Guide.
• Do your recovery technique post workout or on your day off as planned.

3. TUNE IN:

• Use our Recovery Tracker Checklist to check in daily with how your body is responding to the recovery techniques you are testing (download below).
• The Recovery Tracker walks you through 10 simple questions each morning to figure out what your body is saying it needs in the areas of sleep, hydration, nutrition, energy, mood, and pain.
• Based on your body's signals, you'll make a plan for training and recovery each day.

 
BEFORE YOU BEGIN TESTING: GET TO KNOW YOUR BODY FIRST! 

We recommend a Pre-Test to find your baselines for your resting heart rate, sleep, hydration, nutrition, fatigue and pain.  This will give you something to compare to each day.

The Recovery Guide with Planner will walk you through getting your baselines.  Once you’ve got your baselines, you can start testing recovery techniques.

WHERE SHOULD YOU START TESTING?

Sleep is #1 place for everyone to start no matter what sport, type of exercise you do, your age, or gender. 

Sleep is when we produce the most growth hormone and when new information we’ve learned and memories are saved.  It’s when we filter out the garbage as well. 

Are you getting 7-9 hours of sleep consistently?  If so, is it quality sleep?  Do you feel rested when you wake up?

If not, this is where you should focus your energy initially.

PRO TIP:  If you are experiencing frequent injuries or not making progress despite your best efforts, you may want to have your physician check your thyroid function.  Also consider decreasing inflammation using recovery tools and diet modifications, increasing rest, and/or consulting with someone on your rehab/medical team.

OVER TO YOU:

Ready to get started?  Download the Spring Training Recovery Guide with Planner and Daily Tracker to help you get stronger & have more energy without injury and overwhelm – it’s FREE!


Go Test, Train & Tune In!
Team Core Power

What would you say is the most important training day?  Do you think it’s the day you push it to your max? 

Nope.  It’s the opposite- your recovery day.

Do you even have one? 

You stretch after running.  That counts right? 

No, but close.  You need a day of rest from your normal training activities each week. 

This day will look different for everyone since work (job/school) and training activities (exercise/workouts) vary between people.

Does the icing or massage you do to get rid of and decrease your muscle soreness count?

It's a good start, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  

Having a day off from training each week is necessary to perform your best, learn new skills and to build strength or stamina. 

Planning your training around your recovery day is ideal.

It’s normal for this to stir up some anxiety.   Here’s the good news. 

This doesn’t mean you have to lie around on the sofa unless you feel that’s what your body needs that day. 

You can stay active on your recovery day by doing something different than your normal workouts or training.   For example, the runner who does yoga on her rest day.

Finding a healthy balance between training and rest is important for both optimal brain function and to build muscle strength.

Your body needs to be in a relaxed state to self-repair.  Workouts cause muscle damage.  Whenever you’re training or learning a new skill/information, your brain and body need rest to grow.

An athlete who doesn’t make recovery part of their fitness plan is at high risk for burn out and even depression. 

It’s no different than the workaholic that never takes a vacation.  Stress is stress.  It can be emotional, mental or physical in nature.  Work is stress whether it’s for your job or training for your sport.

Your body needs a regular time out each week.  Rest will re-build energy and re-balance your mind and body. 

Rest can be done in short spurts throughout the day, post workout and by taking a recovery day off from training for your sport.

Here’s the tricky part to recovery:

There isn't a MIRACLE recovery technique for everyone or every sport.

Everybody is different.  It’s not just what you are putting your body through physically during training.  It’s also what is going on emotionally and mentally during training and in the rest of your life. 

It’s also impacted by what you believe is helping you.  What we believe is true for us.  That applies to everything not just whether you believe that ice pack is helping your muscle soreness go away faster.

WHICH TECHNIQUES ARE BEST?  

It depends.  Some research shows that active recovery or ice baths boost performance for some athletes. 

It’s usually a combo of techniques and is dependent on many factors: hormones, age, gender, stress level, your sport, your beliefs, etc.  What works at age 25 may not work at 40.

If you’re female, your hormones change daily but on a monthly cycle.  Every day is slightly different. 

If you’re male, your hormones go through a daily cycle.  Every day is more or less the same.

WHEN SHOULD YOU DO THEM? 

It depends.  Recovery can be done throughout the day, post workout and by taking a day off from training. 

You have to know your body, your sport, your work load, and emotional stress level to decide what’s most beneficial for you. 

HOW OFTEN?

It depends. :) You need to test different techniques by listening to your body before, during and after you train.-ultimately evaluating your overall performance. 

It’s ideal to test new techniques between seasons or before competitions to see how your body responds.

It's complicated so...

In order to learn how to balance fitness and fatigue, you have to test, train, then tune in to your body to see how it responds.

Your body knows best!

Here are a few examples of how you can easily add rest and recovery to your training plan:

• Throughout the day- take restorative breaks depending on what activity you are doing to decrease stress.  Example if you are working on project that requires a lot of focus and sitting, take a brain break for 5 minutes every hour.  Stand up, walk around and do a quick stretch.   Get in nature and move if you can.  It’ll boost your creativity.
• Post workout- you can do a combo of active, social or passive recovery and nutrition.
• Rest day- a great time to do active recovery techniques.

Want more help getting started? 

Our next blog post will go through the 3 steps to help you make a recovery plan that increases your strength and energy while decreasing stress and risk for injury. 

In the meantime, you can download and test out this 3 minute Active Recovery Yoga Routine for Runners.

It's just in time for Spring Training Season!

OVER TO YOU:

What's your favorite recovery tool?  If you haven't tried any, which one are you going to test out this week?  Tell us in the comments.

Team Core Power

A strong foundation or “core” helps decrease your risk for injury, promotes good posture, and improves coordination and power during sports.  It’ll help you walk, run, bike, row, and move better.

There are 3 key exercises you can add before or after a run to help you build a strong core and turn on your hip muscles:

THE BRIDGE, FRONT PLANK AND SIDE PLANK

BRIDGE AND MARCH:
Lay on your back with feet in line with hips.  Lift hips evenly off floor into a bridge position. Press hands into floor, pull belly up and in as you lift a foot a few inches off the floor.  Shoulders and neck relaxed.  Keep hips level as you alternate lifting one leg off floor into a table top position like you are marching.  Do 5-10 reps each leg.

 FRONT PLANK ON ELBOWS:
Press your forearms down into the floor as you lift your hips and knees off the floor until they are lined up with your spine.  Slide shoulders down toward your hips.  Pull belly up and in and tuck your booty.  Gaze at floor slightly in front of your hands.  Feet are in line with your hips.  Hold 10 seconds and breathe or alternate bending knees slightly while keeping spine/hips steady.

SIDE PLANK:
Lay on your right side with left leg slightly in front of right leg and inner thighs squeezing together.  Press down through right forearm as you lift hips off floor a few inches.  Your head, shoulders, spine and hips should be lined up once you lift off floor.  Place your left hand on your hip.  Pull your belly up and in.  Squeeze your inner thighs.  Hold 10 seconds and breathe. Repeat other side.

New to these exercises?  Remember to:

1.  MODIFY AS NEEDED
Bridge: you can start by just lifting your hips up and down and progress to foot off then to marching.

Planks: you can start them on the floor with your knees down and progress to knees off. 

You shouldn’t begin these exercises if you are pregnant and new to them or have a recent injury.  Consult your health care provider for guidance.

2.  FOCUS ON FORM
During all movements, you want to:

• Engage your lower abdominals: pull your belly muscles up, in and back.  Think pubic bone to your lower back (where your belt would sit in the middle of your low back).  It’s a diagonal pull up, in and back that you are aiming for.
• Keep a neutral spine: a slight curve in your low back not too rounded or arched during the entire exercise.
• Head in line with spine, chest lifted and shoulder blades pulled down and in toward your back pockets (think arm pits to hips) and lower ribs pulled in. 
• Breathe: don’t hold your breath during the exercises.  Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
• During the bridge, have equal weight on front and back of your foot.  Feet in line with hips and knees in line with hips.  Hips stay even while you bring one foot off the floor during the march. 

There should be no pain especially in your wrist, neck, back and knees when doing these exercises properly.  STOP if you feel pain.  You can get sore from them but sharp pain is not OK.  If you have pain, modify and look at your form.  If that helps, keep going.  If it doesn't, STOP.

3.  THE GOAL
Add these 3 core exercises before or after your Running workouts 3 days a week.  Overtime build your endurance to holding planks 30 seconds and 15 reps of bridge for 3 sets.
 
Got a running or workout buddy you think would enjoy these exercises?  Please share this blog post with them.

Get Stronger, Run Longer!
Team Core Power

P.S. GO PRO TIP: Add the runner’s lunge stretch to open up, activate and reset your hips before or after your run.