Stretching for Strength
"Flexibility is the discipline of life; rigidity is the discipline of death." LAO-TZU (Chinese Philosopher)
When we include stretching as part of our overall exercise, it can boost our flexibility, balance and coordination, and studies have proven that greater strength gains are made by nearly 20% according to a study by the YMCA. Basic stretches to improve our flexibility focus on our body's major muscle groups such as the core, thighs, hamstrings, hip flexors, lower back, neck and shoulders.
The body's core consists of the area around the trunk and pelvis and it is where our center of gravity is located and where all movement in the body originates. When you have good core stability, the muscles in the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen work in harmony.
Core: Get into a pushup position on hands and toes. Contract the abs and keep the body in a straight line from head to toes.
Thighs: Stand on one leg and hold the other bent leg behind the glutes with that knee facing the floor.
Hamstrings: Stand with crossed legs and do a forward fold while keeping legs straight.
Hip Flexors: Kneel on right knee with left foot in front. Lean forward with a straight back.
Lower Back: Lay down and bring one knee as close to the chest as possible.
Neck and Shoulders: Stand tall and erect lengthening the neck. Drop ear to shoulder without raising the shoulder. Also try turning the head to line up chin to shoulder.
Hold all stretches for 30-40 seconds which allows time to lengthen the tissues safely.
fABulous ABS
Pilates and Yoga are similar in that they are both mind/body activities with a focus on breathing and posture. However, Pilates focuses more on strengthening the body by engaging the muscles of the torso.
Posture - Like Yoga, proper posture is emphasized during standing and lying exercises.
Breathing - In Pilates we inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth and focus on engaging the abs to pull air in and out.
Pelvic Stabilization - The idea is to stabilize the pelvis, engage the abs and back while moving the arms and legs around in various ways. In Pilates we are looking to create a strong, stable foundation for movement.
Abs and Back - Pilates has very specific exercises that target the abs and are designed to engage every muscle in the torso to stabilize the body.
Endurance - Holding the body stable while doing various arm and leg motions builds muscular endurance and a new appreciation for the abs and back.
What the Abdominal Muscles are:
Transverse Abdominal = deepest
Internal Obliques = next deepest and provides rotation and lateral flexion of the spine
External Obliques = provides rotation and lateral flexion of the spine
Rectus Abdominis = 6-pack
Jump-Start your Shape-Up Routine
You may have started out with the best of intentions to become more fit, but the fact is that a lot of people who start a new workout program drop out after the first six sessions or so. That's usually because the novelty begins to wear off and the whole thing starts to feel more like effort than fun. It can take up to three months to turn your training into a habit, so keep yourself motivated in the meantime by recommitting to your goals and rewarding yourself for your ongoing progress.
Here are 10 steps to jump-start the new you:
Take it One Day at a Time: The easiest way to get started is by just getting more active throughout the day - sit less, stand more, walk extra steps, park further away...
Lose the Diets: If weight loss is your goal, do yourself a favor and do not follow any drastic fad diet or unbalanced diet plan. The health nutritional changes that you implement for yourself should never be interpreted as "going on a diet," which implies that the "diet" will end at some point. Dieting by itself (without exercise) results in greater loss of muscle and less reduction in abdominal fat. So start moving more in any way possible, give up dieting, and develop a healthy relationship to eating in general.
Love What You Do: Pick an activity you enjoy because that will give you built-in motivation. Some suggestions are: Get yourself an exercise buddy (or even a dog who needs to be walked). Don't start out exercising too intensely or you're likely to get discouraged or injured. And, motiviate yourself by planning realistic exercise goals.
Multi-Task: Instead of working individual muscles, choose exercises that target more than one muscle group at a time. This is more time-efficient and you'll burn more calories than single muscle group training.
Do More for Your Core: If there's one body part that shouts "over 40" it's the abs.
Slow Down: When you exercise too quickly, you're using momentum instead of muscle. This not only decreases the effectiveness of the exercise but also increases the risk of joint injury. Slowing your pace can also be an intensity technique...you'll get stronger faster.
Confuse your Muscles: The more you repeat a certain activity, the more efficient your muscles become, so you burn fewer calories. Stretchy bands and cables offer variable resistance, so they work the muscles differently than dumbbells or a bar.
Focus for Results: If you are focusing on something other than exercise (i.e. reading) you're not working out to your capacity. Listening to upbeat music, however, is the exception because it tends to make you want to move more.
Hydrate: If the body's cells don't get enough water, they become less efficient. Drink more when you are exercising and figure 3-4 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes to stay hydrated.
Exercise 10 Minutes Times 3: In a recent study, it was found that those who exercised for only 10 minutes, three times daily, had the same health benefit as those in the study who exercised for 45 munutes, three times per week. One year after the study, researchers found that those participants, who exercised three times a day for 10-minute intervals, had a higher rate of maintaining their exercise program.
Men On Mats
If you go into a Yoga or a Pilates class at an area health club, odds are that 80 percent or more of the students in the class will be female. The fact is, Pilates was created by a man and was later adapted for women!
Men generally have less flexibility and a greater degree of upper body strength than women. The exercises men do, weight lifting in particular, also tend to tighten up their muscles. Pilates is more for core and spine strengthening which is ultimately the human framework.
Pilates for men focuses on a well-balanced masculine aesthetic and to achieve this we may add more resistance props to build muscle tissues. This is where a Pilates class for women differs, as females mostly desire a sculpted, lean body. Any man can practice Pilates in order to gain explosive strength, to widen their range of motion and flexibility, to build stamina and boost energy.
Another important factor for men and Pilates is to lessen the odds of prostate cancer. It's believed that the atrophy (deterioration) of the pelvic floor muscle is a major factor of this disease. By practicing Pilates, the muscles can be effectively strengthened, and as a result the risk of prostate cancer lessened. Pilates has also been shown to enhance sexual function for this same reason.
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