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STRETCH & REST CARE for the wellness warrior

3 Moves For A Strong Foot Core

2/16/2022

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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™.


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Challenge Your Core With Pilates

10/13/2021

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How’s it going using the Head To Toe Posture Checklist to turn on your core during workouts?
 
Are you more aware of how to reset your posture during your day?
 
One way to feel and get your core stabilizer muscles working is to hold a small ball or towel roll between your inner thighs as you run through the posture checklist or during your core exercises like when doing a basic abdominal crunch, hip bridge, plank or pushup.
 
If you’re ready for more of a challenge to your core, then it’s time to practice doing these posture cues while doing a mind body workout like Pilates.
 
Pilates exercises are some of the most powerful for strengthening AND stretching your core to improve your posture and performance.

Done right, you’ll walk out of your Pilates session a different person than going in.  You’ll feel taller, calmer, centered... EMPOWERED.

Pilates is an art form like martial arts or dance.  Knowing the history and purpose behind the exercises will help you experience the full benefits of it. 

Just like dance, the more you practice Pilates, the more you perfect it and it becomes a lifestyle. 

The first step is learning the movement pattern for each exercise then you progress to focusing on your form from head to toe while executing each exercise. 

The goal is to eventually become your own coach.  You can’t do that without having a good instructor to help you learn how each exercise should feel in your body.
 
Here are some resources to help you make sure you are getting the most out of your Pilates workouts and not just going through the motions:
 
Getting started and the benefits of Pilates
 
How to find a great Pilates Studio & Instructor
 
How to pick your first class & understand the most common Pilates cues  
 
There is no better time than the present to introduce (or reintroduce) your body to the Pilates world. 

I love that Pilates can be modified to be more gentle or challenging depending on what your body needs.  I’ve used it with all ages and abilities. 

When you stick with it, it becomes a lifestyle.  It’s addictive 😊 but a healthy one.

Pilates Rocks!
Mollie
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3 Exercises To Prep For Better Core Workouts

5/19/2021

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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!
Mollie

P.S. Download the Head To Toe Posture Checklist Video to reset your posture during your day.

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Get Rid Of Pelvic Floor Pain

4/23/2021

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Exciting news!  Mini Massage Camp™ is ready to roll.  You'll find details below.  But first, let's talk about pain down there.

This is Part 3 of the Pelvic Floor Series to help you have a strong, healthy pelvic floor for better core workouts, posture and performance.

We've addressed how to do a proper Kegel exercise
(part 1) and how to trouble shoot the more common mistakes of the Kegel (part 2). 

Now let's talk about what you can do to address pain or injuries to the pelvic floor muscles.

Pain anywhere in your body can turn off the muscle that is inflamed or hurting.

Your pelvic floor muscles can be injured just like any muscle resulting in painful scars and trigger points, weakness, or soft tissue restrictions. 

Damage to these muscles can occur due to:


  • back or hip injuries
  • trauma from childbirth and abdominal surgeries
  • sports injuries from jumping/jarring (cheerleading or gymnastics) or prolonged pressure to the area (cycling)

Injuries to the pelvic floor muscles can lead to pain or decreased sensation with sex, incontinence (leaking of urine or bowel), or organ prolapse (bladder, uterus or rectum drops lower). Fortunately there are treatment options to help rehab the pelvic floor after injury:
  • manual therapy for trigger points
  • stretching exercises for tightness
  • strengthening exercises for weakness
  • biofeedback training (using auditory or visual feedback by placing an electrode on the muscle you are contracting; this helps you hear or see the muscle to help you feel it as it contracts)
  • neuromuscular electrical stimulation (using electrodes on the muscle and stimulating with an electrical signal to help strengthen and contract the muscle)
  • scar massage

All of these rehab techniques can be done externally (in the pelvic, lower abdominal and back region) or internally (through the vagina or anus).  Let’s break this down more.

External Pelvic Floor Rehab addresses pain from an outside approach.  A Physical Therapist, especially one experienced with manual therapy and Pilates Rehab, will have the skills to provide exercise and treatment to stretch, strengthen, and release adhesions in the muscles around the hips, pelvis, and core.


Pilates Rehab with pelvic floor retraining is how I healed from a back injury that almost caused me to retire from PT in my 20's. I still use the exercises along with fascial bodywork tools to help my pelvic floor and core stay healthy and pain-free.  These are the techniques I have taught my clients for years, many who had pelvic floor dysfunction or back pain, and now teach in my online camps.

Internal Pelvic Floor Rehab addresses pain from an inside approach.  These specialists are certified to work internally on the pelvic floor muscles to stretch, strengthen and relax muscles in the lower pelvis. They're usually Physical Therapists or Nurse Practitioners with advanced training in this area.  They can do manual therapy internally to release restrictions, biofeedback training to help strengthen, guide vaginal weight training for prolapse (i.e. vaginal pessary training), and design an exercise program to address your specific needs.


If you've had an injury to your pelvic floor muscles that has resulted in pain, scarring or incontinence (leaking of urine or bowel), reach out to your OB/GYN, Urologist, or Midwife for a referral to a Pelvic Floor Specialist in your area. 

Internal pelvic floor rehab is a treatment to consider for decreased sensation or pain during sex as well.
If you experience painful orgasms (dysorgasmia), this Mind Body Green article has 17 treatment and tips that you might find helpful.

If these more conservative approaches listed here don't help, there are medications and surgical options available.  In addition, acupuncture or lifestyle changes for weight loss may be beneficial. 

These issues can be debilitating but are treatable. Don’t give up. Keep searching for someone to help you with your issue. 

It's never too late!
Mollie

P.S. Ready to have more freedom & flow in less than 10 minutes a day? You’ll want to check out Mini Massage Camp™!  Learn
more. 
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How To Avoid The Most Common Kegel Mistakes

3/17/2021

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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.
Picture of Yoga Half Pigeon Pose

 OTHER AREAS TO ADDRESS FOR A HEALTHY PELVIC FLOOR

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.

You've got this!
Mollie

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3 Stretches For Healthy Hips

1/13/2021

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Got tight hips? No problem, we've got 3 moves to help you not only open up your hips where we trap a lot of our emotions (especially women or those who identify as female) but challenge your stability and balance: The Warrior Moves Daily Hip Routine.
How to Modify: modify the routine by holding onto a counter, wall or chair.
 
How to Intensify: make the routine more challenging by holding the positions longer than in the video or by going through the routine more than once.
 
To Healthy Hips!
​Mollie


P.S. Ready to have a calm, strong, well-rested body?  Our online bodywork camps will not only help you Move With Ease but every camp sale supports an organization that improves the health & welfare of animals and wild life like the Beagle Freedom Project & Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Learn more.
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3 Steps To Prep For A New Year & Find Your 1 Thing

12/27/2020

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Can you believe there's only 5 days left in this wild ride of a year?  Man, what a ride its been.  Hoping you’ve been able to renew & refresh some before we ring in 2021. 

Even though 2020 has been challenging, it’s important to take a moment and reflect before you move into the new year.

Here are 3 simple ways to prep for 2021:
  1. Celebrate Your Wins.  Grab a partner and start sharing all the things you're proud of in 2020.  Your goal is to come up with 30-50 brags.  When you get stuck, your partner says, "what else?" to trigger you to think of more.  It's normal to get stuck so the partner is key.  Turn this exercise into a game by seeing who can come up with the most brags, the fastest for a prize. 
  2. Make Space.  Let go of the old, make space for the new.  What do you need to declutter, release, or repurpose in your home or life so you have room for the upgrade you are trying to make?
  3. Focus. Decide on your 1 thing to focus on in the new year so you don’t sabotage yourself.  It could be related to your fitness, relationships, finances, or education.  Whatever you feel is the next step for you to move along your wellness adventure. 

Need help narrowing it down?  Here’s the Mindful Athlete Goal Setting Worksheet to help you pick out your first fitness or wellness goal for 2021.

We know 2021 is going to be a BIG year of healing for all of us.  

We look forward to sharing more about the healing power of rest & bodywork practices to help your body do its magic... to heal itself and get stronger so you feel, move, and perform better. 

Wishing you more health, happiness, & healing in the new year!

Mollie & Ender

P.S. Ho. Ho. Ho. It’s time to Roll.  Our favorite foam roller is 30% off this month. 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*.

In our online program, HIP Camp™, we show you how to use the foam roller & more to help you reshape your body for better energy, mobility and posture.  Learn more here.


*denotes affiliate link

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One Move To Prep For Workouts

11/17/2020

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Ready to have some fun? Dust off your mat. It’s time to try the Baby Get Up.

Baby Get Up is one of our favorites for warming up your spine and turning on your core before a workout. 

To be honest, I stole this exercise from Ender.  His athletes all love it.  But I've spiced it up for you. 

Besides being a great prep for your workouts, it’ll give you some feedback on which side of your body is tighter and which side is less coordinated. 

Remember we all have a difference between the right and left side of our bodies because of which hand is dominate and what we do all day.

As you do the Baby Get Up, which side is more clunky or feels harder to do?  That’s the side that needs more reps or attention.

Before you try it, 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 neck or back pain due to disc issues, this may not be the exercise for you. You need to be able to round out your spine to do it safely.
  • Do NOT roll into your neck with this exercise. It’s a small movement from hips to shoulder blades.
  • Make sure you have a soft surface or thick mat to do it on.
  • Take as long as you need to loosen up your low back and spine before you start the Baby Get Ups.
  • If you sit a lot, you might need to do a short walk, some stairs, or few minutes on the mini tramp before starting this routine. The blood flow can help your hips and spine loosen up better.
  • This exercise is contraindicated for anyone who is pregnant or has osteoporosis.

Watch the video one time before you try it (it’s only 1.5 minutes).  You’ll find some more details below the video on how to do it safely.

If you can’t even attempt it safely due to pain or tightness, you need to get yourself into HIP Camp™ to unlock your tight & tender spots using our favorite bodywork tools.  It’s never too late to improve your mobility and strength, but you probably need some tools to help you.

OK, let’s do it.  Watch the video then test it out.



HOW  TO DO THE BABY GET UP


  1. LOW BACK STRETCH: Lay on your back. Bring your knees to your chest & breathe to stretch out your low back. Rock side to side or circle your knees one way then the other to loosen up.
  2. SPINE STRETCH: Gently lower feet to floor. Scoop & pull your belly in and rotate legs to right side. Take a few breaths to stretch then rotate knees to left side. Take a few breaths to stretch then bring knees back to the middle.
  3. BABY GET UP ON RIGHT SIDE: Scoop & pull your belly in, round out spine, chin to chest, and rock on right side 3 times. Rock from hips to shoulder blade. Stay rounded throughout the movement with your eyes on your knees. DO NOT ROLL INTO YOUR NECK.
  4. BABY GET UP ON LEFT SIDE: Switch over to left side. Scoop & pull your belly in, round out spine, chin to chest, and rock on left side 3 times. Rock from hips to shoulder blade.Stay rounded throughout the movement with your eyes on your knees. DO NOT ROLL INTO YOUR NECK.

TIPS TO MODIFY THE BABY GET UP

You can modify by holding your knees as you rock, using your elbow on the floor as you rock, or make the rocking motion smaller. 

EXERCISES TO DO AFTER THE BABY GET UP

If you love Pilates Mat Work, you could add on the following exercises after your Baby Get Up’s:
  • Rolling Like A Ball or Seal
  • Pilates Open Leg Rocker
  • Spine Stretch Forward
If you love Body Weight Training, do some planks after the Baby Get Ups.

If you love resistance training, do some band work that targets your shoulder, core and hips after the Baby Get Ups.

If you love Yoga, do some Warrior Poses after the Baby Get Ups.

Lastly, Baby Get Ups are an excellent warm up for the old school Turkish Get Up Exercise.

If you can’t decide, do them all in the order I wrote them for an awesome core workout that targets and balances both sides of your body. 

A few reps with good form of each exercise will improve your mobility, strength, and overall posture.

And if you’ve got kiddos, it’s a good one to show them. 

Have fun with it!

Mollie (& Ender)

P.S. Want to reshape your body and have better mobility, posture and energy? Check out HIP Camp™.

Disclaimer: We do not provide medical advice. Always consult with your physician before starting a new fitness or wellness program.
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6 Strategies To Decrease Inflammation

10/7/2020

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Would you agree that time is our most precious resource?  One thing that can rob you of time is being in pain.

You only have so much energy (i.e. brain power) in a day and painful joints or muscle soreness takes up brain space.

If you’re in pain and not able to move well, what are you missing out on in life?  Is it time with loved ones, your favorite sport or hobby, planning your dream trip?

What’s pain costing you?  At work? At home?

It's never too late to learn simple strategies to help you get out of pain and calm things down.

So, let’s do an inflammation checkup.

Are you in pain?  Does your body feel, sore, tight, or stiff?

Inflammation and soreness are signs of over-training or over-use. 

Healthy tissue doesn’t hurt. It’s not tender to touch.  It doesn’t hurt when you move.

Pain is telling you something is not right. It’s a protective mechanism.  It’s locking up to guard.

Your body is like “Hey, over here. Pay attention to me. You better stop that. I need a break NOW!”

It’s talking to you all day. We get hunger signals. Thirst signals. Fatigue signals. All of them are like the warning lights on your car. Alerts before you break down.

Most of us wait until our body is screaming at us all day or we can’t move before we pay attention.

The good news is you can learn to calm it down if you missed the warning signals.

6 Strategies To Calm Down Inflammation

  1. Fascial Body Work: Our favorite way to deal with inflammation or flare-ups is with fascial stretching and trigger point self-massage.   Sore muscles after workouts is common.  Soreness that lasts several days is a sign you over did it and might be pushing too hard without having a good recovery program in place.  HIP Camp™ shows you how to use bodywork recovery tools for flare-ups and chronic pain so you can get stronger and recover faster after workouts. Learn more here.
  2. Lymph Care: we shared 4 tips to start a daily lymph care practice in the last FIT BLOG that’ll help decrease inflammation in your body.  You can find them here.
  3. Sleep Care: 7-9 hours of consistent sleep that’s also good quality helps your body renew and heal itself.  Do you wake up feeling refreshed?  If you’re exercising and eating well but not getting enough or quality sleep, you’re actually aging yourself faster and lowering your immune system.  Here’s a 5 minute rest meditation to help you prep your body for sleep.
  4. Clean Eating: eating an anti-inflammatory diet full of anti-oxidants and whole foods can help decrease inflammation in your body.  Aim to eliminate or avoid artificial foods, dyes, sweeteners and GMO’s as well as highly processed foods from your diet. Here are some simple recipes to help you get started.
  5. Treatment strategies:  a physical therapist can show you how to use ice packs, compression garments, kinesiotape and/or cupping to help manage flare-ups and chronic pain.
  6. Acupuncture: one form of traditional Chinese medicine where the practitioner inserts needles into specific points on the body to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions.  Studies suggest it can help relieve chronic low back pain, dental pain, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis.  It has also been used to treat addiction, anxiety, depression, digestive complaints, and neurological problems. 

THE MORE YOU:
  • sit for your job (computer work) or sport (cycling)
  • have adhesions from chronic injuries (neck/back/knee injuries)
  • play a contact sport (running/tennis/basketball/football)
 
The more you'll benefit from supporting your body with daily practices to decrease inflammation.

Which one are you going to test out first?

It's never too late to feel, move, and perform better!  Here's to taking it one day or one step at a time.

Happy Healing!

Mollie

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P.S. Want to have better mobility, posture, and energy?

Check out HIP Camp™.


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The One Minute Summer Workout Hack

8/15/2020

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How's your summer going? It’s so easy to slide into the summer slump with your exercise routine. The heat, travel, changes in schedules, and now a pandemic can throw you off track before you know it. 

It’s the perfect time to bust out our favorite summer workout hack, The 1 Minute Workout*.

Fast. Powerful. Can be done anywhere. Even barefoot depending on what exercises you pick.

One minute of hard exercise gives you the benefits of 50 minutes of training! Woo hoo!

Moving your body is also one of the best ways to combat “brain fog”, if you happen to be one of the many who are experiencing it during the Rona Ride.  It’s even got a name, COVID Brain. 

This FIT BLOG explains the 1 Minute Workout* in detail.  You can do it with your cardio, body weight exercises, resistance bands, or a combo of them. 

It’s basically warm up 2-3 minutes, do a cardio or strength exercise as fast or as many reps as you can for 20 seconds (intensity of 10 or make it burn), do 2-3 minutes of gentle cardio, repeat 2 more times.  Cool down for a few minutes. Should be a total 10 minutes of actual exercise with 1 minute of hard exercise. 

These FIT BLOGS have 9 different full body movements you can use to design a combo strength/cardio interval 1 Minute Workout:
  • 3 Strength Moves with Bands
  • 3 Core Floor Exercises
  • 3 Core Power Moves

You can do it!  Go hard for 1 minute (with good form).  Get creative.  Mix it up and have fun.  Always take a minimum of one day to rest between interval workouts so your body can fully recover.

Besides burning calories and boosting your heart health, all these moves will improve your energy and strength.  Add them to your stretch care for longer lasting results in your mobility and posture. You can even squeeze this in during a work break if you have to. No excuses!

HOW TO MODIFY YOUR INTERVAL WORKOUT

How To Modify Your Interval Training: If you’re coming off a long gap in exercising or a break due to injury, you can modify the interval training by doing interval walking.  

Research shows it improves blood sugar levels (glucose control) in those with Type 2 Diabetes better than just walking.  And studies have shown that 34 minutes of interval walking has shown to improve blood pressure.

 HOW TO INTERVAL WALK

  1. Walk to warm up for 3 minutes at an intensity of 1 (i.e. extremely easy pace)**.  You’re just getting the blood flowing.
  2. Increase your effort to intensity of 3 (i.e. breathing deeply but can still hold a conversation) for 3 minutes. Another way to figure out the brisk walking pace is hitting 100 steps in a minute.
  3. Ease back down to intensity of 2 (i.e. very easy pace and ability to talk in complete sentences) for 3 minutes.
  4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for 30 minutes. If that is too long at first, build up to 30 minutes over time (i.e. do 5-10 minutes your first workout and build from there or 1 cycle then 2 cycles to increase your workout time, etc.)

OK, get up & get your body moving!
Mollie & Ender

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!

*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).
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    Mollie, Ender, Ty & Teddie

    Mollie Miller, PT
    Ender Serrano, LMT

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