FIT BLOG:
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It’s no secret I love to talk about the power of water for healing, relaxing, and challenging (i.e. Stand Up Paddle Boarding) your Body. I realized recently those are all ON top of the water and I haven’t really shared about the benefits of being IN the water. Kind of funny considering it’s one of my favorite things to recommend to clients. If you’ve got chronic pain and inflammation especially in your joints, water is one of the safest places for you to exercise. Why? There are many reasons but one of the most amazing benefits of water is something you can’t get on land: HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE This is the compression that water has on your body when you are IN it. What’s the big deal? Well, plenty… Compression has a calming effect on the Body and can help reduce pain in your joints and muscles. The pressure water provides also helps your:
As we age, one of the things that happens is our blood vessels stiffen and this leads to elevated blood pressure. So not only can you work on your joint flexibility and range of motion in the water, you’re actually helping your blood vessels do that too! You don’t even have to move your body to get the benefits of hydrostatic pressure. You just need to be standing or sitting in the water. Of course- if you exercise, you’ll increase these benefits. All this pumping of fluids while IN water is why it’s important to drink lots of fluids when you get OUT of the water. It’s just like when you get a massage and you’re encouraged to hydrate after it to help the body flush all the toxins. Ever notice you have to pee when you get out of the pool or lake? That’s from all the pumping of fluids that your Body is ready to let go of. Hydrostatic Pressure isn’t the only benefit of exercising IN water. NEXT UP- I’ll share why water isn’t just for cardio workouts. In the meantime… you can soak in your tub with some Epsom salt (& lavender) if you don't have access to a pool right now. It’s not as intense as the pool but it’s still providing compression to your Body and gives a boost to your circulatory and lymph systems.  P.S. Ready to be active & agile at any age? Download your FREE Relaxed Body Toolkit to get started here.
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You're probably familiar with Wall Squats as a leg strengthening exercise but have you heard about other benefits? Research studies show it's #1 Isometric Exercise for reducing blood pressure. And by making one small tweak, your wall squat can also help release stress. So let's spice up your Wall Squats! Here are 3 Wall Squat Modifications that'll help you:
 WALL SQUAT WORKOUTS:STARTING POSITION FOR ALL SQUAT MOVES:
3 WALL SQUAT MODS & MOVES:
And of course, ALL of the above will help you have Strong Legs as well. Staying strong in your lower body as you age will help prevent falls & support good posture. If you haven't already added some Wall Squats to your workouts, it's time! Slide, Hold, & Shake your way to a Strong, Calm, more Balanced Body at least 3 times a week!  P.S. Ready to go from your Stressed Body to your Relaxed Body?
It’s never too late to break the habit of going too hard, too fast- THE recipe for inflammation, injury, & burnout... if you're willing to sprinkle some Rest & Relaxation Moves into your day. Let’s calm your body with daily Rest Moves so you can feel more energy, ease, & flow. Download the Relaxed Body Toolkit & Daily Energy Planner to help you get started. If you have low back stiffness and/or pain, it's time to TWIST & PRETZEL the tension out. Let's start with the FLOOR TWIST!  HOW TO DO THE FLOOR TWIST:This position targets your low back muscles and hips.
If you have low back pain or stiffness: keep the bottom knee bent as it's stretching less fascia (connective tissue). As you feel more flexible, do the Twist with your knee straight on bottom leg. NEXT UP: For low back pain or flare-ups, add my all time favorite stretch, THE PRETZEL, to the TWIST. It's a glut stretch that'll help you take pressure off your lower spine. Do your Floor Twists before the Pretzel Glut Stretch.  HOW TO DO A PRETZEL GLUT STRETCH:
PRO TIP: If you have neck, shoulder, or back pain/injuries, put your foot on the wall (of the bottom leg that you would normally hold onto) and relax your arms at your side. Gently rock your hips side to side using your foot on the wall. This allow you to keep your neck and shoulder's relaxed as you stretch for a few breaths (or minutes). The Floor Twist + The Pretzel Glut Stretch= A Happy Low Back! They're the perfect combo to help relieve low back stiffness or pain. Add them at the end of a workout or in bed (morning or night) to help take some tension off your lower spine. It's holding you up all day. Give it some love. PRO TWIST TIP: You can change up the position of your twist to target energy and/or digestion as well. Check out the SEATED TWIST.  P.S. Ready to be active & agile at any age? Download your FREE Relaxed Body Toolkit to get started here.
Do you wake up feeling well-rested and pain-free on most days? Did you know that’s even possible? It is. You CAN be active & agile at any age. You’re not destined to a life of being exhausted, stiff & sore 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 activity. Slowing down with REST gives the body time to work its MAGIC… to heal itself and get stronger. The catch... You only have so much energy (i.e. brain power) in a day. You can’t sleep your way out of exhaustion and chronic pain. It’s about knowing what types of rest to target and how to pace yourself. The first step is learning how to calm your nervous system so you can go from Stressed to your Relaxed Body. We’ll show you how in the Relaxed Body Toolkit. You’ll learn:
PLUS it includes a Bonus MINI Moves Daily Energy Planner! It’s never too late to break the habit of going too hard, too fast- THE recipe for inflammation, injury, & burnout... If you're willing to sprinkle some Rest & Relaxation Moves into your day. Let’s calm your body with daily Rest Moves so you can feel more energy, ease, & flow. Download the Relaxed Body Toolkit to help you get started.   P.S. Ready to be active & agile at any age? Download your FREE Relaxed Body Toolkit to get started here.
Time to go deeper in Part 3 of how to have a strong, healthy pelvic floor for better posture, power, and overall performance. Now that you've got the PF PREP WORK down from Part 2, let's upgrade your REST Toolbox with 6 CORE STRENGTH MOVES that'll help challenge & address weakness or coordination issues of your pelvic floor muscles and core. The more gravity you are dealing with, the more weight you’re holding with your arms, or faster your breathing is during an activity, the more challenging it is for your PF muscles. If they’ve been injured, be gentle and work toward more heavy exercise routines or demands. Bridges before Wall Squats. Floor Planks before Bird Dogs. Squats before Lunges or Warrior Poses  GETTING STARTED: During the exercises:
Work through these 6 Core Strength Yoga Moves in the following sequence: 1. Bridges- lift hips up and down while holding your Kegel. Legs together or with a ball between knees to modify. Do 5-10 reps. 2. Planks- modify if needed on elbows and knees. Progress to straight arms and legs. Hold for 5-10 breaths. 3. Chair Pose- modify if needed by leaning spine against the wall as you slide up and down wall for 5-10 reps. Hold pose for several breaths if you're not against the wall. 4. Tree Pose- modify if needed against the wall and keep foot low around ankle. Hold position or move the foot up and down from the floor for several reps/breaths. Add arms overhead to make it more challenging. Progress to tree pose without wall support. 5. Bird Dog- you can slide or reach your hand and opposite foot on the floor vs off the floor to modify the pose. You can also just reach your arm or leg to modify then progress to both at same time. Do 5-10 reps or hold for a few breaths on each side. Slowing it down and holding is more challenging to stabilize than lots of reps. 6. Warrior 2 Pose- you can sit on a chair vs without the chair to modify the pose. Hold for a few breaths on each side. WANT MORE PF SUPPORT? Pilates and Yoga Therapy offers many ways to modify and progress a pelvic floor training program. There are also specialists that can provide internal pelvic floor therapy as well. Just reach out if you need a resource in your area.
P.S. Want more guidance with your Pelvic Floor & Core using Pilates Rehab? You'll want to check out the updated version of REST Camp: SHINE™... get on the interest list here.
Here's Part 2 of how to have a strong, healthy pelvic floor for better posture, power and overall performance. Let's add some Pelvic Floor Strength Moves to your REST Toolbox. Remember your Pelvic Floor Muscles (PF) are the base and foundation of your Core. When strong and healthy, they coordinate with the diaphragm and abdominals as you inhale and exhale during physical activity to support and stabilize the spine. If you've got PF weakness, it might show up as
You may not have issues with a cough or sneeze (forced exhalation) but leak after running 20 minutes (dysfunctional breathing or endurance issue). If you're having signs of PF weakness, it's time to do some Pelvic Floor Prep Work.  *Gif from Burrell Education- another great resource for women's health programs. PELVIC FLOOR PREP WORKThe goal is to learn how to contract your pelvic floor muscles properly (Kegel Exercise) while having good form (posture) and using diaphragmatic breathing during exercise or functional activities. 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. GETTING STARTED: 1. Find & Feel your Pelvic Floor Muscles- can you contract and relax the PF (Kegel Exercise) while holding a neutral position of your pelvis? It's a diagonal up, back and in motion. 2. Add Diaphragmatic Breathing-
Can you Kegel & Breathe while having good posture and form? 3. Brace and Move- Prepare for a movement or exercise by turning on your Pelvic Floor Muscles (Kegel Exercise) and lower abdominals then HOLD that posture (Bracing) while you do a movement or exercise. Can you brace, breathe, and move without losing your posture and a pelvic floor contraction? PRO TIP: start connecting with your PF while lying down or seated then progress to standing or moving your body. OVER TO YOU: Start practicing daily & take your time doing the PF Prep Work so you can avoid the more common mistakes when you Kegel. If you're not mindful, you'll just be going through the motions without getting any results. Do a check in while you Kegel. Are you?
If you need some more guidance with the PF Prep Work, check out these Resources: It's never too late to address PF weakness but you'll get better results with a Mind Body Approach to retraining the pelvic floor muscles. Pilates and Yoga Therapy offer many ways to modify and progress a pelvic floor training program. Next up: we'll go over 6 Core Strength Yoga Moves that'll help challenge & address weakness or coordination issues of your pelvic floor and core. To A Healthy Pelvic Floor!  P.S. Want more guidance with your Pelvic Floor & Core using Pilates Rehab? You'll want to check out the updated version of REST Camp: SHINE™... get on the interest list here.
You probably don't think about them much but they play a leading role in your posture, power, and overall performance. If weak, they can lead to leaks. When tight, they can lead to pain. They can be injured just like any muscle resulting in painful scars, trigger points, weakness, or soft tissue restrictions. Injuries are when they get the most attention but never as much as the abs or gluts. It's your Pelvic Floor Muscles. Don't wait for an issue with them. Learn how to care for your pelvic floor muscles now as a part of having a strong, healthy core. Your pelvic floor muscles job is to support and stabilize during functional activities. They need to anticipate movements so they know how much or how fast to turn on (contract). And also have the ability to relax and lengthen for things like sphincter control. That requires a combo of flexibility, strength, AND coordination. If you think of the pelvis like a bowl, the pelvic floor muscles would cover the inside of the bowl as they attach to the pelvic bones. They form the base and foundation of your core.  Healthy Pelvic Floor Exercises: Let's start with upgrading your REST Toolbox with these 3 STRETCH MOVES that will help open up and prevent tightness of the pelvic floor muscles:  Happy Baby Stretch- Lie on your back and grab hold of your feet or ankles. Open your knees and bring them toward your armpits as you rock side to side for 1-3 minutes.  Child’s Pose- Kneel on floor with knees apart. Reach your hands on the floor as you lean forward with your chest on your thighs and forehead on floor as you breathe 3-5 times.  Sink Squat- Hold onto a sink or railing and sit down into full squat with feet apart and turned out slightly. Breathe and let your tailbone sink toward the floor as your head reaches to ceiling. Breathe and shift your hips side to side. Do for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You can do these 3 Stretches daily:
Next Up: we'll add some exercises that'll help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. To A Healthy Core!  P.S. Want a strong, healthy pelvic floor and core? You'll want to check out our updates to REST Camp: SHINE™... get on the interest list here.
It can happen to anyone. Both women and men. It’s common after some pregnancies and as you get older but not a normal part of aging. Do you have any leaking of urine when you sneeze, cough, laugh, jump, or run? If so, that’s called Stress Incontinence. It’s when the bladder leaks urine during physical activity or exertion. Stress is on the bladder due to suboptimal pressure management in the abdominal region. The good news: you can improve leaking no matter your age. The first step is to uncover the cause or causes of it. Stress Incontinence can be caused by any of the following:
When you look at this list, it might be obvious what your main issue is but it’s more likely that you need to address a combination of them. It pretty much boils down to having some healthy practices in place to support your bladder, gut, and pelvic floor muscles. Getting Started Strategies: 1. Improve your Bladder Health- good hydration but limit fluids 2-3 hours before bed, identify your irritants, address low estrogen, and decrease risk for UTI's. Consider bladder training with time voids to increase how much it can store. 2. Improve your Gut Health- good hydration and clean eating will help with decreasing risk of constipation. 3. Improve your Pelvic Floor Health- learn how to stretch, strengthen and improve the coordination of your pelvic floor muscles. They're the foundation to your core and are responsible for anticipating movements. Are they contracting for you to take a walk down the hall or to run from a fire? How well they're doing their job impacts whether you end up leaving a trail behind FYI there are 2 other forms of incontinence (urge and mixed) which can be a little more complicated to treat. And if you’ve experienced childbirth, back, sports or neurological injuries, you’ll probably benefit from a health professional like a gynecologist, urologist, or physical/occupational therapist to help you come up with a treatment plan for incontinence. Leaking can fluctuate. You might find it’s only an issue when your bladder is full, you’re sick, or in different parts of your cycle. Maybe it's when you sneeze but not during exercise. Don’t ignore it. The earlier you address it, the easier it will be to reverse. Up next I'll address my favorite topic...how to have a strong, healthy pelvic floor.  P.S. Want to get stronger with less effort? You'll want to check out the updated version of REST Camp: SHINE™- get on the interest list here.
What do you do when you’re feeling stuck in a rut? It doesn’t matter if it’s fear, overwhelm, confusion, or cognitive fatigue holding you back. There is one MOVE that can help you start moving forward again. Move Your Body. It’s the best bang for your buck when you’re stuck. Why? Physical activity is the number one way to manage stress and complete a stress cycle. It’s also going to bathe your brain in BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor). A protein that is essential for the survival of neurons (cells that make up the brain). It protects the brain from ischemic damage (damage from lack of oxygen), degeneration (deterioration) and promotes long term memory. Just 20 minutes of any kind of physical activity can boost BDNF levels and improve learning, energy levels, memory, MOOD, focus, even your creativity. Stop beating yourself up or trying to figure out why you’re stuck. Start moving and your brain & body will know what to do. Although any form of movement works, one of my favorite moves when I’m feeling stuck is to take a walk. POWER MOVE: Make it Interval Walking. Research shows it IMPROVES:
HOW TO INTERVAL WALK*:
MODIFY TIP: If you’re overcoming a lower body injury and aren’t ready for that much walking, then do the same thing on a stationary cycle until you can transition to walking more.
FIT TIP: The more you enjoy it, the better it is for you. Add your favorite music and the dopamine will start flowing (your pleasure hormone). Next time you’re feeling stuck, go for a walk. It’ll help your brain & body get back in flow so you can move forward. Your heart will love it too. Get Moving! Mollie P.S. For more on the benefits of Interval Training and some more workout recommendations, check out this FIT Blog: How To Get Stronger in 1 Minute *From the book: The One Minute Workout by Martin Gibala, Ph.D. **For intensity guidance, refer to the Modified Borg RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion) Scale from 1 (extremely easy) -10 (extremely hard or max effort). Let’s do a brain energy checkup.
You only have so much brain power each day. In the brain injury rehab world, we talk about energy by thinking of the brain as a pie. Your brain controls everything your body and mind are doing. If 50% of your brain’s focus is on pain (i.e. half the pie), then you’ve only got 50% left for every other function. Pain and stress- whether mental, emotional, or physical- can easily leave you with crumbs energy wise as they take up a lot of brain space (or pie). Here are 3 MOVES to help you free up some brain space for more energy & better performance:
Did you notice all these moves are calming by nature? A calm brain is one that creates, performs & learns better. OK your move. Pick one to test & track how much more energy you have each day for work & play. To Better Brain Moves! Mollie P.S. Want 4 more moves to help trigger your rest & relax mode? Check out this FIT Blog. |
Mollie, Ender, Ty & Teddie
Mollie Miller, PT
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