FIT BLOG:
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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.
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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.
Has this snuck up on you too?
Those trips to the bathroom at night? It's common as we age but there really isn't any research to show it's normal. You may not realize how disruptive to deep sleep every bathroom trip is. I didn't until recently. I've been working on improving my sleep quality for over a year but hadn't really addressed my bladder. I'd connected the dots on drinking fluids late at night with more frequent trips but not much beyond that. It helps me for sure to limit fluids a few hours before bed and just take sips of water if I need it during the night. And last year I'd cut back on caffeine as I became more sensitive to it disrupting my sleep. But there is much more you can do to improve your bladder health and ultimately decrease those trips to the bathroom. Let's start with 6 Bladder irritants you may not be aware of:
Not everyone is sensitive to these but it's worth checking out to help your brain know it doesn't have to send a signal to your bladder to empty at night. Uncovering your sensitivities can also help if you have frequent UTI's (Urinary Tract Infections) or leaking when you sneeze, cough, laugh, or during activity. It might take some detective work and monitoring your bathroom trips to figure out if you're sensitive to any of them. If you do uncover sensitivities, start to reduce how often you consume them especially later in the day. For some, you may have to eliminate them all together. Next up, I'll share what has eliminated my trips to the bathroom most nights AND helped me stop needing Melatonin the first week I started doing it. To Better Sleep! Mollie P.S. Ready for more Energy & Flow? It's almost time for our FREE Summer Workshop & the inside scoop on our next REST Camp: SHINE™! Get on the interest list here. Besides backing up in the car, how often do you twist and look behind you in a day? Computers, phones, and even back up car cameras are messing with our movement patterns. Stiffness and loss of thoracic rotation used to just be related to poor posture and aging but technology is definitely contributing to spine issues. Our bodies & brains weren't meant to be staring at a screen all day. Even if you play a sport like golf or tennis that involves rotation, it's highly unlikely you're playing as much as you look at a screen. Remember our fascia (connective tissue) takes the shape of the thing we do most during the day. It's time to add some Seated Twist breaks to your day or when sitting at the computer for long periods. BENEFITS OF THE SEATED TWIST:
Stop what you're doing and let's do some Seated Twists together.  HOW TO DO A SEATED TWIST:This position targets your mid back muscles and helps with digestion. It can be done sitting in a chair or the floor.
PRO TIP: On each breath, visualize your head and tailbone pulling away from one another as you lengthen through your spine. Focus on getting taller more than twisting. Don't force the twist. Be mindful of your current mobility. I've got a lot of upper body & back tightness so I prefer to do the Seated Twist in a chair. Placing my arm over the back of the chair takes the tightness in my arms out of it and gives me some proprioceptive feedback & resistance so I can have better posture while I'm twisting. Basically, I feel more of a stretch in my spine because it's less fascia stretching. If you have issues with constipation, try 3 twists a day and see how your body responds. Whenever you need an energy boost during the day, do a twist. Your body will love it. Twist It Out! Mollie P.S. If you want better Energy and Mobility, you'll want to get on the wait list for our next REST Camp: SHINE™ - get on the interest list here. Our 13 year old dog, Teddie, got a home exercise program to strengthen his back and hips at his last vet appointment and that, of course, made me think of 2 FIT TIPS to help YOU get stronger. We’d noticed he was having more stiffness and difficulty getting up from the floor or jumping up onto surfaces. Apparently, it’s common for dogs to start to overuse their stronger front legs as they age and start to develop arthritis/pain in their spine or hips. We went deeper into why that is to satisfy my PT brain, but I won’t bore you with that. More importantly, the discussion reminded me of 2 Healthy Aging Moves to share with you. But first, check out Teddie being a good boy doing his homework: 3 sit to stands every day to strengthen his back and hips/legs. Yes, snacks are included!  Here's Your Homework (without the snacks):1. ADDRESS YOUR WEAK SPOTSTeddie’s vet visit was a great example of how our brain loves to find the easiest way to move so you’ll automatically default to overusing your stronger muscles even if that isn’t an efficient movement pattern. We all have muscle imbalances in our body based on which hand is dominant, what you do all day, or the sport you play. Full body workouts like Yoga and Pilates are a great way to work on strengthening both sides of your body. Tightness or stiffness can also be a sign you’ve got some underlying weakness in your postural and core muscles. If you’re weak, your body will tighten up in key spots to hold you up against gravity. Finding your tight and weak spots will help balance you out. 2. FOCUS ON YOUR LEGSTeddie’s vet visit was also a great reminder of how important it is to keep your legs strong as you age.
Have you ever noticed that some folks have difficulty standing up from chairs/sofas as they get older? It’s related to a variety of things- hip weakness, stiffness in their joints, and/or a fear of falling that can develop due to decreased vision, balance, and flexibility. The fear leads to them not leaning their trunk forward enough to stand up and it just spirals from there. And guess what they start to do- overuse their arms to stand up! Just like Teddie… Left unchecked it'll increase their fall risk. Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths for age 65 or older. Having a solid strength training program for your legs is a key component to staying active & agile as you age. Unlike dogs, we can't walk on our hands! Focus on your hip mobility & strength and use these exercises to help you get started. DAILY MOVES: Take Sit to Stand breaks throughout the day. It’ll help counteract all the negative effects sitting has on your posture and joints but also help your heart stay healthy. There is research showing that standing up once every 20 minutes is more effective than walking 15 minutes on a treadmill for cardiovascular and metabolic changes. It’s also more beneficial than standing up 35 times at once. You’ll want to stand up every 20 minutes to overcome the negative effects of sitting. Teddie has to do 3 sit to stands per day but you need to do 3 per hour of sitting.
POWER MOVES: Add these Power Moves to workout routines for stronger legs, hips, and core muscles. OVER TO YOU: Which moves will you start with this week? FYI if you need snacks to get you motivated at first like Teddie, aim for protein snacks (it's OK to sneak in a little dark chocolate too). To Strong Legs! Mollie P.S. Want more help with your tight & weak spots? Our next round of SHINE™ & opportunity to be a part of Rest Crew #2 is coming up soon- get on the waitlist here. Did you know tight hips can make it harder for your core muscles to fire properly? Here’s a stretch to release your low back, hip, and pelvic floor muscles. It’s actually a yoga relaxation pose that is calming to your nervous system. HAPPY BABY STRETCH HOW TO DO THE HAPPY BABY STRETCH:
Make Sure You Avoid:
How To Modify:
How To Intensify:
PRO TIP: Add the Happy Baby Stretch to these 3 Moves to Prep for Better Core Workouts. Staying flexible in your hips will help you have a stronger core which helps improve your posture and performance. The Happy Baby Stretch is a great one to do daily at the end of a workout or your day. Go ahead and add it to your Rest Toolbox. To Happy Hips! Mollie P.S.EXCITING NEWS- our next round of SHINE™ & opportunity to be a part of Rest Crew #2 is coming up soon- get on the waitlist here. |
Mollie, Ender, Ty & Teddie
Mollie Miller, PT
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