I’ve known what I wanted to share with you this month, but it’s been delayed because you know life… 

I’ve had to focus on family and taking care of my energy to celebrate my dad’s life as he passed away peacefully with my brother’s and I by his side at the end of July. 
 
The more I look at pictures and have memories pop up, it’s becoming clear that dad was a big influence on my love of nature & water which ties into what I wanted to share with you.
 
I grew up on South Florida beaches and lakes just like dad. My dad was a Bass fisherman his whole life. He later became a hunter after we lived in Louisiana, and he spent time with our Cajun relatives.
 
Thinking of when I was younger, it feels like the longest periods of time I spent with dad was fishing on his Bass boat. He even taught us to water ski behind it. So embarrassing! 
 
Dad also loved to sit outside in the morning with his coffee and just watch nature. OK, so he was also known to get his BB gun out to scare away squirrels and raccoons from the pecans or bird feeders. 
 
But this Vietnam Army vet, who called yoga therapy “yogurt” while at one of his inpatient rehab stays, had his own way of meditating by calming and grounding himself through nature or on the water. He just didn’t know that’s what he was doing.
 
Here are 3 ways you can easily tap into the healing power of water and nature yourself:

1. CALM YOUR BRAIN: visualize or sit in nature or near water and do some Cooling Breathwork.   

2. CALM YOUR BODY: try this Qi Gong "Fountain" exercise. It’s a moving meditation to help you get in the flow and “just be water.” It can be done in sitting or standing. Kids love it. It’s a fun one to do when you need a quick break to clear your mind, calm your body, or recharge. Just 7 reps can make a difference and help you find your flow.  Watch this short video to learn how simple it is to do.

3. CHALLENGE YOUR BODY & BRAIN: go Stand Up Paddle Boarding to get the benefits of the calming meditative powers of nature AND the core challenge to your balance & coordination from stabilizing on the water.   

Hopefully this will inspire you to spend more time in nature or near the water. If you’re not able to get outside, you can do the first two inside. And if you’ve never SUP, well what are you waiting for? It’s so much fun and a great thing to try over Labor Day weekend.
 
Go try some "yogurt" :)
Mollie
 
P.S. Summer Savings Alert.  It’s time to Roll.  Our favorite foam roller is on sale until 9/30/22. It’s like having a PT, Chiro, Massage Therapist in one and the closest we can get to sending our hands home with you.  You can find it here*.  
 
Then let us show you our favorite massage & stretch moves with the Rollga in one of our online camps.

*denotes affiliate link

How's your stretching going?

Did you practice calming your body with gentle stretching vs overstretching like we went over in the last Fit Blog?

Hope so because it's time to kick your stretch skills up a notch with the 3-IN-1 Hip Stretch!

It's an active recovery stretch for cyclists and spin lovers that takes less than 2 minutes.

TBH we’ve held back on sharing this one for a while. We really need you to listen to your body so you don’t injure your knee doing it. Ease into this one especially if you have tight hips, IT Band or knee issues.

Before you try these moves, please read through everything below so you get the most out of it and stay safe.

• Listen to & know your body. If you have chronic knee pain due to arthritis or old injuries, you may need to modify the quad stretch position (at video 0:47 and 1:50) significantly. See suggestions below on how to modify it.
• Make sure you have a soft surface or thick mat to do it on to protect your knee.
• Do this stretch sequence after you cycle (or workout) so that your hips and core are thoroughly warmed up.
• As always be gentle with the stretching. It should not be painful. Sharp pain means STOP especially around the knee cap. Fascia stretching pain can burn but it stops right after you stop stretching. If you’re holding your breath or tightening your face, you are over-stretching.
• You can foam roll your glut and quad muscles before you do these 3 moves.  We show you how to roll out your tight hips in HIP Camp™.
• Go slow and pause the video until you know your body and the 3 moves especially if you’ve had a history or have current flare ups in your IT band, bursitis, dislocated kneecaps or other patella femoral issues.

Watch the video here.  Find the flow sequence, modifications, and how to intensify below the video.
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THE 3 STRETCH MOVES:

This 3-IN-1 Hip Stretch sequence is primarily a hip flexor stretch (unlocks the front of the hip) that moves into the fascia above (in your core muscles) and below (in your quad muscles) to work the front fascial line.

For each stretch move, breathe and pull your belly up and in. Pace yourself and pause the video if you need more time to focus on your form. Listen to the cues in the video but the overall sequence and flow is:

1. Hip flexor lunge stretch (video at 0:10 seconds)- left leg forward, kneel on right knee and press hips forward to stretch front of right hip.
2. Runner’s lunge stretch (video at 0:22 seconds)- hands on the floor, chest to left thigh, step back with right foot into a lunge with right knee off floor.
3. Quad stretch prep (video at 0:32 seconds)- lower right knee onto floor, bend right knee, twist and reach back with left hand for your foot as you look over your shoulder.
4. Runner’s lunge with a twist (video at 0:43 seconds)- go back into the runner’s lunge and twist/reach up to the ceiling with your left hand.
5. Quad stretch (video at 0:47 seconds)- bring chest up tall with your shoulders over hips, pull your belly up & in, reach back for your right foot with left hand to stretch your thigh, and if able reach back with right hand for your right foot (only if your chest and shoulders have the mobility to do that while you hold your balance).
6. Hip flexor stretch (video at 1:00 seconds)- slowly release full quad stretch as you move back into the original hip flexor stretch before you step forward with your right leg into standing.
7. Switch sides and repeat stretch moves #1-5:

• Left hip flexor stretch (video at 1:10)
• Runner’s lunge (video at 1:28)
• Left quad stretch prep (video at 1:35)
• Side Bend in hip flexor stretch (video at 1:45)- new vs runner’s lunge twist #4
• Left quad stretch (video at 1:50)
• Left hip flexor stretch (video at 2:00)

HOW TO INTENSIFY:

• Bring your arm overhead with a side bend during the Hip Flexor Stretch (video at 1:45)
• Add a Twist during the Runner’s Lunge by reaching toward the ceiling (video at 0:43)
• Bring your chest up tall during the Quad Stretch (as Ender does in the video)
• Reaching back to stretch your quad with both hands is more intense than one hand 

HOW TO MODIFY the Quad Stretch (video at 0:47 and 1:50):

• You can keep your chest on your front thigh instead of chest upright toward the ceiling as Ender is doing in the video.  He is showing an advanced position that is putting the hip flexor and quad on full stretch while you’re also stretching up into your core and shoulder/s It’s a lot of fascia (full front line). If you sit a lot, this is going to be intense.
• You can prop your foot on something like a stool, workout bench or sofa versus reaching back for your foot while doing the chest up position Ender is in for the quad stretch or put your chest on the front thigh.

Change the position entirely if needed for the quad stretch so it’s less intense and less fascia stretching at the same time:

• You can lie down on your side with the thigh you are stretching on top and reach back for your foot and stretch your thigh/quads. Once done get back in the lunge position and finish the full movement sequence.
• You can stand up and reach back for your foot to stretch your quad. Hold onto wall, counter or chair if you need to for balance.
• Modifying and working your way into this full quad stretch is a way to progress your mobility and the elasticity of your fascia. If you’re not seeing progress or have old injuries and scars, we show you how to use fascia tools to release your tight hip spots in HIP Camp™.

 
OVER TO YOU: 
The 3-IN-1 Hip Stretch helps open up the front of your hips for better posture and less tension on your back and knees.

Once you get these 3 moves down, you can do the flow in less than 2 minutes for active recovery after riding or workouts to release the front of your hips, core and quad’s.

You may notice one foot is harder to reach due to hip tightness and that one side is harder to balance due to hip weakness. That's normal but you can balance out and improve overtime with practice.

There are a lot of ways you can progress yourself with the 3-IN-1 Hip Stretch as you bring the spring back to your tissue especially if you sit a lot for work or exercise.
 
Enjoy!
Team Core Power
 
P.S. Want to get stronger with less effort?  Download this 3-minute Active Recovery Yoga Routine to help you train smarter, it's free!

​Do you feel pain when you stretch? If so, it’s a sign you’ve gone too far.

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

You can bring the spring back to your body with stretching no matter your age but there is an art to stretching.

Just like we've evolved from flip phones to smart phones, we've made advances in stretching that can help you have better results.

First you have to learn to stop over-stretching.

If you experience pain with stretching, your body will tighten up more.

Why? The body’s response to pain is to protect, tighten up, guard.

Gentle stretching is key to stop over-stretching.

Stop stretching as far as you can go.

Start stretching at about 90% of your pain-free range of motion.

The goal is to calm the body so the tissue will lengthen and let go.

Here are some basic stretch principles to practice that'll help improve your elasticity:

BE GENTLE
Don’t force the motion or your body will tighten up. Check in with your face and neck. Are you tensing up because the movement is uncomfortable? That’s a sign you’re stretching too far.

BREATHE
Always breathe while stretching to help hydrate the tissue and increase the circulation to the area. Slow, deep breaths are calming.

FOCUS
Be mindful while stretching and focus on what you are feeling in your body as you stretch. Imagine restoring the spring in the tissue vs. pushing to your limits to get taller or more flexible.

Stretching the fascia can feel like a burning sensation, but it should go away as soon as you stop stretching. Feel for the tissue to let go, releasing before you stretch farther into the movement. 

CHANGE THE TEMPO
Stretching with proper breathing prepares your nervous system for your next activity.  Fast, shallow breaths will turn on your nervous system. Slow, deep breaths will calm your nervous system. 

Breathe and stretch faster before exercise.   Breathe and stretch slower after exercise for recovery.

CHECK YOUR FORM
Stretch with good form and control.  Hold positions for 2-3 breaths before your workouts and a little longer after workouts.

MOVE MORE
Take mini movement breaks throughout the day to help your fascia be healthy and elastic.  It all adds up whether it’s 3 breaths, 3 reps, or 3 minutes of movement.

Become more mindful of these principles as you stretch each day to help you feel and move better. 

Let pain be your guide at first as a sign that you need to back off. Go slow, breathe, and let the tissue let go before you stretch deeper.

If you want to make lasting changes in your flexibility and posture, you’ll want to learn how to use fascia stretching and trigger point massage tools. We show you how in our online Rest Camps.

Camp routines are designed to help you release your most glued down stuck spots (whether they’re from chronic injuries or intense workouts) in less than 10 minutes a day so you can move & perform pain-free. Get on the interest list here.

Let’s get you stretching with (lasting) benefits!

P.S. Maximize your stretch results with this flexibility hack: The One Thing To Do Before You Stretch.

I'm sure you've heard about how to exercise your core muscles in your trunk area but did you know you’ve got a foot core too?

We’ve got 4 layers of muscles in feet- i.e. the intrinsic muscles. 4 layers!!! Doesn’t seem like there is enough room, does it? 

Most of the time you only hear about the plantar fascia (connective tissue) as it gets all the attention when it’s flared up, i.e. plantar fasciitis.

They may not be as vocal when you’ve got a foot injury, but the foot intrinsic muscles are important too.  They make up your foot core and help provide stability of the arch and control toe movements. They play a huge role in functional movements and by helping with your balance and posture. 

It's very easy for them to be weak or even turned off due to tight spots in your calf and foot fascia. They LOVE to be lazy when you’re wearing cushy shoes (all that cushion in our shoes helps with impact on our joints but encourages our foot core to not work very hard).

So how about we give them some love in honor of Valentine’s day?

1. DO A FOOT CORE CHECKUP.

You probably know if you have a high arch, low arch or no arch but let’s see how your foot core muscles are doing.  This might be easiest to do in front of a mirror where you can see your foot vs trying to look down at your foot. Or you could video and look at it after you do the moves.

Stand on one leg. Hold onto a counter, wall or chair if needed to but with as little support as possible. Don’t lock out your knee- keep a soft knee.

What do you see going on in the foot your standing on?

Is there any flickering going on in the top of your foot tendons or any movement side to side from trying to keep from falling over?

Or is your foot like a flat pancake on the floor with no arch? Or maybe it’s like a dead fish- limp, no life?

Are your toes holding on for dear life to the floor, so you don’t fall over?

How does it feel?

Does it hurt to stand on one foot? 

Are you wondering where the floor is?

Is it hard to balance? Are your hips working hard moving side to side to keep you upright?

No judgment just look and feel what’s going on or not going on.

What happens if you bend your knee slightly?  Any changes?

Now check out the other foot.  Go through same questions and then compare to other foot.

Flat arches, no signs of muscle activity on top of your foot, difficulty balancing and/or your toes flexed and trying to grip on the floor are signs your foot core muscles need some attention. 

One foot core may be having more issues than the other one. It'll depend on which hand you are dominant and what kind of activities you do each day. Also if you've had any injuries on one side.  It doesn't matter, both sides probably need attention.
 
2. GIVE YOUR FOOT CORE SOME LOVE.

Massage your foot core:

Self-Massage on the bottom of your feet with your hands or massage tools will help release trigger points (tender spots). Keep it simple and use a tennis ball, racket ball or even dog toy if you don’t want to buy a massage tool. Roll back and forth from the ball of your foot to the heel or find tender spots to hold pressure on for a few breaths then move to another tender spot.

You can do foot massage in sitting or standing. Sitting is less intense than standing. Massage the bottom of your foot as described to get to the foot core muscles. You can gently massage the top of your foot with your hands but the top (dorsum) of your foot is more sensitive and more bony.

If your foot is flared up, you can do ice massage by rolling back and forth on the bottom of your with a frozen water bottle for several minutes.

An added bonus to massaging your feet is that the bottom of your foot has acupressure spots for every organ in your body. When you massage your foot, you’re sending calming signals to your whole body.
 
Stretch your foot core:

Stretching the tight spots in your toes, ankles, and calves in sitting or standing can help your foot core turn on. 

• Toe stretches: bend/flex or straighten/extend them using the floor. Intensify the stretch by lifting your heel off the floor. Standing is more intense also.  If it’s too intense, just use your hand to stretch your toes.  Don’t over do it. Be gentle but add as much weight as you need to feel a stretch.

 
Strengthen your foot core:

Full body and barefoot workouts like Yoga or Pilates will help strengthen your foot core.

• Form Check In’s: being mindful of having good form or balanced feet during standing activities and workouts will help your foot core muscles turn on.  Imagine a triangle on the bottom of your foot- place equal weight on ball of 1st toe and 5th toe and center of the heel.  Pay attention and check in regularly to your foot position anytime they have contact with the floor.

• Toe lifts: In sitting, you can try to pick up with objects with your toes or keep foot on floor and try to scrunch a towel with your toes.

• Arch lifts: Put your foot on floor with toes straight and spread as much as you can. Imagine a string attached to the middle of your foot as you try to lift your arch off the floor while your toes stay in contact with the floor. If that doesn’t make sense to you, place your hand on the table. Lift your palm off the table while your fingertips stay in contact with the table. Try the same move with your foot. Lift your arch off the floor while you keep your toes in contact with the floor.  You should feel a tightness or almost cramping in the arch if your foot muscles are working. Hold a few seconds. Repeat the move a few times.

​Challenge your foot core:  

Pilates Reformer work, unstable surfaces (like Bosu ball or foam surfaces) and doing band work resistance exercises barefoot are some of my favorite ways to challenge the foot core.

Support your foot core: 

Good arch support will help keep your foot in good alignment which helps your foot core turn on properly. You might need some extra arch support if you have very flat feet or high arches, stand a lot each day, or do an impact sport like running.  It could be a simple over the counter foam insert to a custom orthotic.

Typically, the liner that comes in your shoe is crap.  You’re not looking for a huge build up under the arch. Just a little arch support so it’s not completely collapsed, and you aren’t getting pain in your feet or knees with activities. You can learn from a health professional how to use kinesiotape to calm down foot pain if you get flare ups and support your arch but it’s important to also strengthen your foot core to help avoid foot injuries.
 
3. DO A RECHECK.

If you try any of the above foot care tips, recheck to see how your foot core is doing. Stand again on one leg and see what’s going on down there. 

Do you see more activity on the top of your foot, have better balance and/or a little bit of arch activity where there is some space between your foot and the floor?

How does it feel? Hopefully you’ll feel more contact with the floor and more grounded or stable overall. 

Even though your feet are at the end of the line, they’re the first body part in contact with the ground which then causes a chain reaction up the leg and into your trunk muscles.  They need just as much love as the rest of your body. Just a few mini moves for the foot core make a big difference in your posture and balance.

Give your foot core some love each day!

Mollie

P.S.
Want more tips on how to check your form? Here's a Fit Blog that'll help.

Want more massage tools & stretch routines to support and challenge your foot core (and hip core) We’ll show you how in HIP Camp™.

P.S. ​P.S. Want to get stronger with less effort?  Download this 3-minute Active Recovery Yoga Routine to help you train smarter, it's free!

Before you jump into your core workouts, try these moves to help turn on your core and maximize your results.

OPEN UP YOUR HIPS: tight hips can make it harder to contract the pelvic floor muscles (the base of your core). In fact, tight hips can pretty much turn off your pelvic floor.  Stretch the front and back of your hips with a  runner’s lunge and full squat to prep for a core workout.
 
WARM UP YOUR SPINE: The Baby Get Up is one of our favorites for warming up your spine and turning on your core before a workout.
 
CHECK YOUR FORM: Use this Head To Toe Posture Checklist to turn on your deep core stabilizer muscles and reset your posture during workouts.  Be mindful of these spots for better form and check in frequently from head to toe that you’ve got yourself lined up during your core workouts. 
 
Here is the Head To Toe Posture Checklist and posture cues to become familiar with and the video to walk you through the following spots. 

• Feet balanced- find the 3 points of triangle
• Knee’s over 2nd toes as you bend them
• Inner thighs turned on and pulling toward each other
• Sits bones pulling together
• Pelvic Floor Lifted (Do Your Kegel)
• Belly scooped up and in
• Arm Pits to Hips
• Ribs pulled down and in
• Sternum lifted
• Shoulder blades pulled down and in (toward back pocket)
• Chin tucked in with neck long
• Spine elongated reaching through top of your head

 
HEAD TO TOE POSTURE CHECKLIST VIDEO

Becoming mindful of these key spots from head to toe during your core, Pilates or Yoga workouts will help you improve your posture overtime.  Using good form during your workouts WILL carry over into your day. 

You can take these posture cues out of the gym or off the mat to help reset your posture anytime during your day. 

Better posture equals more confidence, better performance, and decreased risk for injury.  You’ll walk, run, bike, row, and move better.

Prep, Reset, Reshape!

It's time for more Kegel talk. A simple movement that can turn complicated quickly. 

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll be troubleshooting some of the more common Kegel mistakes to help you have a strong, healthy pelvic floor for better core workouts, posture, and performance.

Quick review:

One of the most neglected areas of the body and least talked about until you’ve got an issue down there, is how to have a healthy pelvic floor (PF). 

The pelvic floor muscles are important for all ages but can need more attention as you age. They form the base of your core and support all your organs.

The Kegel exercise is the basic way to strengthen them.  We reviewed how to do a proper Kegel in this blog post.

Here’s the challenge of the Kegel...

A proper Kegel is done when you can contract the PF without the rest of your body tensing up.

Easier said than done, especially when you start moving your body while you Kegel.

Let’s do some troubleshooting on how to avoid the more common mistakes when you Kegel.

Do a check in while you Kegel.  Are you? 

• Holding your breath
• Tightening your upper traps and neck muscles (tensing your shoulders up near your ears)
• Bearing down (pushing out)
• Tightening your gluts (butt muscles)

These are all signs you're not staying relaxed or maximizing your Kegel.

Here are some tips to prep for the Kegel and take the tension out of your body:

• CHANGE THE POSITION- instead of sitting, try the Kegel laying on your back with knees bent and feet on floor in line with your hips. Support your head with a pillow. If that doesn’t help, try lying on your side with your knees and hips bent and slightly in front of you. These positions help decrease how much your pelvic floor has to fight gravity. You would exercise in these positions and move into sitting then standing as you get stronger over time.
• STRETCH YOUR HIPS FIRST- tight hips can make it harder to contract the pelvic floor muscles. In fact, tight hips can pretty much turn off your pelvic floor. Prep for your Kegels by doing stretches that open up the hips like the Half Pigeon Pose (see photo below) before you Kegel.
• MASSAGE YOUR TENDER SPOTS- Learn how to do trigger point self- massage to release your tight and tender spots (or scars) around your hips and low back before you Kegel- we teach you how in our online camps.

A few other issues you’ll want to pay attention to as you improve the overall health of your Pelvic Floor Muscles:

Pelvic Floor & Constipation

Constipation and doing the Valsalva maneuver (holding breath and bearing down when lifting or pooping) can over stretch the PF muscles.  Improving the health of your gut can take pressure off your PF muscles that have the job of holding up your organs.

Do you have any GI issues?  1 in 4 Americans do.  You could have up to 15 # of mucus from inflammation in your gut.  Signs are painful joints, bulging belly, bloating.  All that puts load on your PF muscles.

You can decrease inflammation through clean eating with lots of green veggies, eliminating foods that irritate (dairy, refined sugar, gluten), staying well hydrated, doing a quarterly detox/cleanse, taking probiotics and exercising regularly.

You might also want to check out The Squatty Potty™, a toilet stool that puts your body in the best posture for pooping to take pressure off your PF.

Pelvic Floor & Hormones

If you identify as female and still bleed monthly, you might notice that it’s easier to do Kegels during the middle of your cycle and more difficult at the beginning of it due to hormone changes.  Just keep at it but be mindful of your cycle and plan your more intense workouts toward the middle of it when your pelvic floor muscles might be at their best.

Pelvic Floor & Fatigue

The pelvic floor muscles can fluctuate in endurance just like any muscle.  Sometimes you can turn them on but not keep them on because of fatigue.  Or you may notice you can turn them on with bladder empty but not with weight of full bladder (or when constipated).  The weight of your organs may challenge the PF when tired.  That’s OK – you just need to build your strength and endurance like you would any other muscle. 

For strengthening, use the weight of gravity to challenge your PF.  Example: going from laying down to sitting to standing to moving your body as you Kegel.  Each position has to deal with more and more gravity.

For endurance, add reps throughout the day to challenge your PF.  Once you can do a proper Kegel in sitting, you can practice anytime throughout the day to build endurance- while driving, watching TV, standing in line.  The more complicated the activity you are doing, the more challenging it will be to hold the Kegel and breathe. 

The more mindful you can be of your form while holding your Kegel, will help guide you on when to challenge yourself with more gravity or moving your body. 

When you can’t hold the Kegel without tensing up in a position, you may have pushed too fast or done too many reps in that position. Listen to your body.  It’ll guide you.  You'll know when you need a rest break or it's time to slow down.

Next up, Part 3 of the Pelvic Floor Series: Get Rid of Pelvic Floor Pain