Who says V-Day has to be about your significant other? Make it about you! You only get one body. What are you doing to appreciate it?
Before you hunker down for your chocolate binge and netflix (it’s allowed, I’ll be doing it too), make sure you do a little something for your one and only body. It doesn’t have to be a huge thing, our body appreciates the simple things. Movement. Total body movement. We don’t move much anymore. A great quote from Katy Bowman’s book Alignment Matters sums this fact up:
“Our culture’s use of chairs and toilets, our beliefs in what our posture means to others, and even our clothing (rigid shoes, narrow skirts for women, etc) have all resulted in self-induced joint rigidity. All the movements you have never done are movements that would have toned muscle, kept connective tissues moist and supple, and kept blood oxygen flowing evenly to all areas of the body. Instead, we have huge chunks of unused muscles, bones scraping together at the joints and increasing friction (causing osteoarthritis), and we are constantly medicating to make living possible in our physical agony.”
Scary, right? But there’s a silver lining- all of that is COMPLETELY CHANGEABLE. All you have to do is wrap your head around moving more. Change that little voice that says “we’re tired today, it’s okay to just sit here and relax” and reframe it into “I’m going to go for a nice relaxing walk after each meal, to clear my head and move my body”. I guarantee you’ll feel much better!
How many people do you know who use restrictions in their body as an excuse? I’ve even had people tell me their trainers avoid their areas of pain in their programs, simply because that area causes them restrictions. That’s a sure way to cause long term issues, in my mind. For example. You don’t do squats, lunges, or high impact cardio because your knees hurt. So, instead of figuring out WHY your knees hurt (probably and issue in your hips and core, and/or your posture, gait, and lifestyle habits).. you just avoid them completely. Long term effect? Decreased bone density, higher risk of osteoarthritis, muscle imbalances, decreased movement ability- chronic pain.. So while it’s great you’re working with a trainer, it might not do you much in the long term. If you have a restriction- or a bad attitude- there is a way to correct them and move on. Don’t get stuck with what you have!
Sitting for long periods is bad. So is over exercising or staying in any one position for a long period. It’s all about constant change. We’ll all have to sit for long periods here and there.. it’s the nature of the world we live in.. but we can adjust how we’re sitting so we’re not always stuck in one spot. Take stretch breaks, get up every 20-30min and go for a walk around wherever, don’t sit cross-legged all the time. Change it up.. constantly!
So, in the light of that lecture.. here’s one of my favourite strength exercises for the WHOLE BODY. And guess what, it doesn’t require any equipment except for you and the floor/ground. It also requires little time, and little space. Feel your excuses narrowing? Good.
All you need is a floor, with enough clear space that you could lie on your back and not hit anything, and a can-do attitude. If you have a can’t-do attitude, I’m not sure why you’re reading this post- go be unhealthy somewhere else and come back when you’re ready to adjust your lifestyle.
This exercise involves moving your own body-weight and doing the most functional of tasks: lowering yourself to the ground, and then lifting yourself back up. This is a task that everyone, no matter your size or age, should be able to do. It’s imperative to our health. I know 90yr olds that can still do this. You have no excuses to let this ability falter!
So. Get to the point. I know.
I commonly call this the “inchworm” exercise, but I’ll let you create your own name for it if you want.
It’s pretty simple, really. Start by standing up (in a good posture, I hope), then bend over from the hips, and knees, touching your hands to the ground. From here, walk your hands out until you’re in a plank position (you can drop to your knees here if needed), and then lower yourself to the ground (preferably in a push-up style and not a face plant style). Here, take a second and do a back extension or a cobra pose, just cause it feels nice. Then lower yourself back to the ground, push-up back into your plank and reverse the whole process… walking yourself back up to standing. Here’s a super accurate stick-figure drawing:
I know. I’m the next Van Gogh.
Repeat this anywhere from 5-10 times and you’ve got yourself a total body workout with no huge time commitment and no equipment necessary. When you’re ready for an extra challenge.. start on one leg and keep one leg elevated through the entire movement! Or start adding more push-ups.
You can do this anywhere! The office, the kitchen, the living room, your mom’s house, in front of the couch, in the gym, outside, at the barn… ANYWHERE! So.. do it. If you have a good reason not to, please share in the comments below 😉
Reblogged this on katmah.