FIT BLOG:
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How's it going using the CORE FLOW MOVES to start your day or prep for workouts? It's been about 2 weeks so you should be feeling more connected throughout your core if you've been doing them at least 3 times a week. Your core muscles like and need regular reminders to turn on. They can struggle if you've had any previous injuries to the area. Pain or tightness in your shoulders, spine, and/or hips can make it harder on your core muscles as well. If you find yourself holding your breath or you feel tension or clenching in your neck or glut muscles when you do core exercises, then you'll want to prep before your core workouts. Start with a Pelvic Floor Check In. 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. These FIT Blogs will walk you through it: PELVIC FLOOR STRETCH MOVES PELVIC FLOOR STRENGTH MOVES If you're pain-free, you can jump ahead to this FIT Blog for some core prep tips. PREP FOR CORE WORKOUTS OVER TO YOU Work through these PF and CORE PREP MOVES to address any weakness in your fascia and to strengthen your postural (stabilizer) muscles. A strong core helps decrease your risk for injury, promotes good posture, and improves coordination & power during activities especially sports. Next up, I'll share some CORE POWER MOVES to challenge your core. In the meantime, keep going with the CORE PREP & FLOW MOVES. You'll feel and move better if you do them regularly.  
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It's time to give your CORE muscles some love and attention. Your CORE muscles are a complex series of muscles from arm pits to hips that help keep the spine aligned during movement. They're involved in almost every movement you make. You need them for all your daily activities and definitely for sports. They protect, support, and stabilize your spine helping you have better posture, power, and overall performance. Your core muscles need to be turned on and challenged regularly so the body doesn't start to compensate with other muscle groups. Here's a sequence that'll help you do that.  FOCUS ON FORM During all movements, you want to:
>>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 never OK. If you have pain, modify and look at your form. If that helps, keep going. If it doesn't, STOP. CORE MOVES: 1. TWIST & GLUT STRETCH- do on each side; if you need instructions on how to do them - go here. Hold for a few breaths each side. 2. BRIDGE- lift hips up and down while lifting your belly up and in. Keep hips level and neck/shoulders relaxed. Have equal weight on front and back of your feet. Modify- legs together or with a ball between knees Do 8-10 reps. 3. PLANK- Hands shoulder width apart and feet hip width apart. Press your hands down into the floor, slide your shoulders down toward your hips, scoop your belly and tuck your booty. Gaze at the floor slightly in front of your hands. Modify if needed on elbows and knees. Progress to straight arms and legs. Hold 20-60 seconds. 4. DOWNWARD DOG- Move into position from the plank- press chest toward your thighs and imagine your inner thighs connecting as you reach long through your head and heels thru the floor. Hold 10-20 seconds. 5. PLANK- move back into a plank position. Hold 20-60 seconds. Repeat Plank into Downward Dog into Plank at least 3 times 6. PIGEON STRETCH- when ready- end with a pigeon stretch on each leg.  OVER TO YOU You can use these CORE FLOW MOVES to wake/warm up your core muscles at the start of your day or before workouts for better posture, power, and overall performance. If you've had a back injury or have really tight hips, slow down and spend more time on the Twist and Glut Stretches. Start and end on your tight side (i.e. tightest side gets 2 stretches for every 1 stretch on the other side). You may also want to use the trigger point massage ball in your glut before you begin the Core Flow Moves. Listen to your BODY. It'll tell you what it needs to feel, move, & perform better.  Spring is a great time to do a check in on how “aligned” you're feeling in different areas of your life. What's blooming (or not) so far this year for you? Remember you’ll feel ease, flow, & relaxation in your body (& life) when you’re in alignment whether it’s for your posture or your purpose. It's never too late to course correct if you're off track or took an accidental detour on your fitness goals. When it comes to your posture, you want to start with creating space. You need to overcome the compressive forces that gravity, aging, sitting, and even exercise have on your tissue and joints. How? Through daily stretch moves that help you lengthen through your fascia (connective tissue) and spine. A great stretch tool for this is an exercise ball. The surface can support your spine while you stretch up and over it. You can also add some gentle rocking motions while you stretch with it which is super calming to your nervous system. Use these 3 BALL STRETCH MOVES to help open up your shoulders, hips, and low back for better posture & core mobility.  You can do the STRETCH MOVES for a few breaths to a few minutes. Add gentle rocking if it feels relaxing. Child's Pose on the Ball is a great one to do before bed. Move the ball slowly to each side to get a deeper stretch through your lat and core side muscles. Caution!!! *always protect your neck- you may need to support your head/neck with your hands like you would for an abdominal crunch especially if you have had a neck injury. Imagine a string pulling from the top of your head so you keep your neck long (not crunched). *if you get dizzy in any of the positions, support your head/neck with your hands and make sure you aren’t holding your breath. Stop if that doesn't help relieve it. OVER TO YOU Remember our fascia takes the shape of the thing we do most during the day. Do these BALL STRETCH Moves after sitting long periods or at the end of your workouts or day. You can also use these BALL STRENGTH Moves before you stretch over it. Find more ways to traction while you stretch here so you can make lasting changes to your posture and flexibility.  P.S. Want a full body daily massage & stretch routine that takes less than 10 minutes? Check out MINI Massage Camp here.
Ready to have a BALL getting stronger? Let’s challenge your Stabilizer Muscles with these 3 BALL STRENGTH MOVES. They’ll not only help you have stronger legs and core muscles but lead to better Posture.  Bridge Legs on Ball: Basic Move- Lie on your back (on the floor). Arms at your side. Legs in Level 1 or 2 position. Lift hips to ceiling. Hold 5-10 seconds. Lower hips. Repeat 5-10 reps for 1-3 sets. Level 1- Legs straight and together with lower legs and heels on the ball. The less of your lower legs are on the ball, the harder it is to stabilize. Keep the ball as steady as you can while you move. Engage your core muscles. Don’t forget to breathe! Level 2- Bend your knees and place the bottom of your feet on ball as you lift and lower your hips. Start with feet shoulder width apart. Progress to slightly wider than hips and turned out (like a squat position) as you lift and lower your hips. These positions challenge your hamstrings and gluts more intensely. One of my favs for knee rehab. Plank on Ball: Basic Move- Get in a push up position with elbows bent and under your shoulders. Legs in line or slightly wider than hips. Engage your core muscles. Hold the position for 30-90 seconds. Rest 1-2 minutes. Repeat 3-5 times. Level 1- Elbows on ball and body in the plank position. Legs slightly wider than hips if needed. Keep the ball as steady as you can while maintaining good form. Level 2- Hands on ball and body in the plank position. You might need to start with your feet against the wall until you know you can keep the ball steady. Squat on Ball: Basic Move- Sit on ball with your feet on floor. Move from sit on ball to squat position and then back to sit on ball x 20-30 seconds. Goal is to make your legs burn. Rest 1-2 minutes. Repeat 3-5 times. Level 1- Position feet in line with hips and feet in parallel. Progress to feet wider than hips and turned out slightly. Go slow and keep your form while you do this exercise. Have your ball on a surface so that it won’t slide away from you. Please be careful. I don’t want you falling off of it or landing on the floor. Level 2- Hold 5-12 pound free weights while you do the sit to squats. Keep the weights close to your core/hips. You can either hold them with elbows bent (gets your biceps) or on top of your thighs. Note- you should not have any knee discomfort during these moves. Make sure your knees are going over your second toes, so you keep good form. You also need to have a ball that is large enough and has enough air so that when you sit on it your hips are slightly higher than your knees. Prep Moves: If you aren’t used to the Bridge, Plank, or Squat, here are some FIT Blogs that go over how to do them (with good form) in more detail. CORE MOVES (Bridge and Plank Tips) POWER MOVES (Squat Tips) Stretch Moves: After you do these Ball Strength Moves you may want to do these 2 STRETCH MOVES for your low back and gluts or these 3 Ball Stretch Moves. OVER TO YOU: Keep the sequence the same (bridges to planks to squats) when you do them. You can also use them as a warmup or post cardio workout routine. Good form and ball control is very important to focus on during these BALL MOVES. Challenge your balance but listen to your body. If you can’t keep good form, it might be too advanced. Stop when you lose control of the ball or your form. If you don’t have an exercise ball, you can get a good one that will last for years online for $10. Join FIT NEWS, my weekly newsletter, to get more Rest (& Ball Moves) to challenge your strength, mobility, and balance throughout the year.  P.S. Ready to Boost your ENERGY, Strengthen your JOY Muscles, & Bring out the BLISS?
Use the 12 Days of Bliss Challenge- ONE simple REST Move in just 5-10 minutes a day to help you Recharge & anytime you need a Reset. Download the FREE Challenge here. Guess what regulates both the temperature of the Human Body and the Earth? WATER And water can help your Body with Recovery, Rehab, or Relaxation depending on its temperature. For Recovery (cold plunges/ice baths), you want the temperature between 46.4-59°F (8-15° C). For Rehab (aquatic therapy), water temp needs to be greater than 89°F with the sweet spot typically around 96°F (33-38° C). For Aquatic Exercise (swimming or aerobics), it can be cooler 83-86°F (28-30° C). RECOVERY You may wonder why ice baths are so popular right now. There has definitely been a progression from using them post workout for speeding up muscle recovery to using them on a regular basis for the other health benefits. Benefits of ice baths: increased fat burning, immunity, & resilience (toning the vagus nerve to handle stress better). They can also help improve sleep, reduce inflammation & migraines, and be good for your skin. You’re wanting it cold enough to elicit a shiver which switches your body into burning fat for fuel. Note that new research shows women may not need to get as “cold” for the ice baths due to having a more sensitive vascular response to cold than men. Caution with ice baths: you need to build up slowly if you’re doing it on your own and new to it. Unless you are training heavily every day in a particular sport, full body ice baths aren’t something you typically do more than a few times a week or max of 11 minutes total per week. **None of the extremes temp wise are safe for those with cardiac issues unless cleared by a physician. Those with Raynaud’s phenomenon should avoid extreme cold temps. REHAB We use aquatic therapy for both ortho and neuro patients. It’s wonderful for pain relief from arthritis to spasticity. It’s fabulous for working on flexibility, balance, core strengthening, and pre-gait activities. You can unload joints and decompress the spine depending on the depth of the water. At waist deep, you unload your body weight by 50%. At chest deep, by 75%. At neck deep, by 90%. You can change the depth, the position (supine, prone, sideways, kneeling, standing, one leg), and balance in or on the water using mats/noodles/boards. In fact, I used to work on balancing in the pool using therapy mats way before I did SUP on lakes/oceans. We have a ton of pool tools we can use to challenge patients. Remember water can assist or resist you as you move. You can work on walking all directions or jogging at all depths. As you can imagine, pedi patients love it. It brings out playfulness in adults too and gives them so much freedom of movement and pain relief. So good for mental health especially for those dealing with chronic pain. Insurance will cover it under outpatient physical therapy or occupational therapy if you have a medical diagnosis and the therapist has aquatic certification. RELAX Floating in water is probably the most relaxing way to enjoy it. One of my favorite Relaxation Bodywork in water is called Watsu. Watsu is a form of Shiatsu (bodywork) in the water that involves a therapist moving you through different positions to stretch & massage for relaxation, pain relief, and improved mobility. You’re floating & moving slowly through the water. Imagine that calming sensation you get swinging in a hammock, resting on the front of a catamaran or enjoying a piece of chocolate melting in your mouth. Ah, feels so good! BTW Ender is great at this technique. *Hot Tub Temps are great for Recovery & Relaxation- can really help with spasms and pain. *Contrast baths where you alternate cold and hot temps on an injured body part. Helps with swelling, injuries, inflammation and pain. OVER TO YOU Water has so many therapeutic benefits. Match the temperature to what you need it for- recovery, rehab, or relaxation. Find some ways to add it to your Rest Toolbox and remember it if you get injured or are dealing with some chronic pain issues. You can resume exercise and movement a lot earlier in water than you can on land. And don’t forget there is aquatic therapy for your pets too, if they have arthritis or need some rehab from an injury.   *If you have diabetes or cardiac conditions like uncontrolled hypertension, you'll need clearance from your physician to exercise safely in water. P.S. Can’t get in the water or it’s not time for a vacation yet? Use the 12 Days of Bliss Challenge- ONE simple REST Move in just 5-10 minutes a day to help you Recharge & anytime you need a Reset. Download the FREE Challenge here.
**Note- We shared this blog post about a week before the devastating 4th of July floods in the Texas Hill Country. We are sending so much love to all of those impacted by this tragedy & gratitude to all of the responders who continue to support these communities. If you need some Rest & Recovery Tools to help you manage the stress or trauma of this event, the next blog post has resources for you. You can find it here. Be extra kind to yourself right now. XO- Mollie & Ender We’ve all seen the power of water by what happens in flash flooding events. Trees, cars, buildings are no match. Water will WIN every time. We can take advantage of that force when we exercise IN water. Water provides 12-14% more resistance than on land. The more you push, the harder the water pushes back. Exercise IN water is not just for cardio workouts like swimming. You can get a full body, low impact, strength training workout IN water. A gentle yet challenging way to workout. It’s great to build strength AND work on your posture and balance. It’s a safe place for you to exercise if you have pain or arthritis. Anything you can do on land exercise wise, you can do in the water. The water can assist or resist your muscles. 30 minutes of pool exercise can give you the benefits of closer to a 2 hour land workout. Less time, same or better results. You can change the intensity by moving:
You can add weights or bands to increase resistance or just use the water itself. When you change the shape of what you’re pushing or moving through water, it changes the resistance (i.e. hand closed vs open or with a fin vs without). You can do your arm or leg strength workouts in the water- punch, lift, kick, squat, lunge. Walking in water is a great full body workout for your strength, cardio, & balance. Walk forward then turn around and walk through the current you just made to increase the resistance and intensity. Do that all directions (front, side, back). Kick Boards are great for pressing through the water to workout your core and arms or across the water to workout your core and legs. Group exercise classes in the water are getting more varied lately as well. Some classes might focus more on strength training vs cardio or do a combo of both. I’m seeing more Mind Body Exercise classes pop up especially at the YMCA. Yoga Aquatic classes or even ‘Ai Chi’ classes that involve breathing & resistance training to relax and strengthen your Body using Qi Gong and Tai Chi Movements. Water exercise can make your strength training more fun, varied, and full bodied. Remember to Start Slow! If you aren’t used to water exercise, start with 15 minutes and build up slowly overtime especially if you have an injury or chronic pain. Monitor how you feel into the next day to see if you overdid it or not. Aim for 2-3 times a week of strength training whether it's on land or in water. NEXT UP: I’ll share how to use water for recovery or rehab. In the meantime… jump in. The YMCA is one of the best places to find an indoor pool. If it's Summer where you are right now, you should be able to find an outdoor pool to exercise in.   *If you have diabetes or cardiac conditions like uncontrolled hypertension, you'll need clearance from your physician to exercise safely in water. P.S. Ready to be active & agile at any age? Download your FREE Relaxed Body Toolkit to get started here.
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.
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.
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Mollie, Ender, Ty & Teddie
Mollie Miller, PT
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