I hopped on an elliptical with a magazine. Yes a magazine. I can’t tell you the last time I did this. I know this topic sounds random, which it was, but it’s something I used to do a lot before Ava was born when I was in between clients and needed something to do to pass time. From my experience with training, I’ve learned that exercise doesn’t always need to be INTENSE. Although I tend to gravitate towards the most difficult workouts that leave your body spent like  Group Power & Boot Camp classes. Sometimes  exercising in a leisurely way feels good.

I didn’t up the resistance, I didn’t do any intervals, I just strolled and read a couple articles. (reading while ellipicalling is DIFFICULT by the way) hence why I don’t do it often! These articles were not educational if anything they were useless information, but it was nice to give my mind a break from my usual routine and my usual reading on health & fitness.

I finished my low key workout with 15 minutes of stretching. I used the foam roller to stretch my IT Band, Quads, Hamstrings and Glutes. I also did some standing adductor/hamstring stretches, calfs and chest/back.

I walked away from my workout feeling loose and relaxed. It was just what my body needed.

Over the weekend I realized how tight my legs were from teaching extra classes, so I’m glad I made the time for myself to loosen up my muscles and let my body relax from all the intense classes I teach.

Speaking of classes, I’m off to the YMCA to teach my Fit For Life class. They are such a wonderful group of people that continue to motivate to help others reach their fitness goals no matter what age!!

How often do you stretch?

Have you ever read a magazine while doing some sort of low impact cardio?

This morning at 7am it was 18 degrees, which makes it even more crucial to get the body warm before exercise. I spent a little extra time with my first client making sure she was really warm before we got into lifting weights.

I know for myself I need at least 5 minutes of warm-up. if my body isn’t fully warm, I cannot perform exercises to my full potential. Some people may need 10-15 minutes to warm-up, but I think it is important to listen to your body.

Some people jump right into their workouts without doing a Warm-Up or only taking 1-2 minutes to warm-up and it scares me. Even if you are short on time you need to take your warm-up seriously. You increase your risk for injury and pulled muscles if your muscles aren’t ready for exercise.

Tips for a better Warm-up:

1. Incorporate 5-15 minutes of warm-up time to your workout
2. Choose at the minimum 5 minutes to do low intensity cardio (treadmill, bike, elliptical, or light calisthenics)
3. Take another 5-10 minutes to do some light stretching.
4. Once your body and muscles feel prepared, begin your workout!

For more tips, check out the links below!

Trainer Tip #9 Keep your muscles confused

Trainer Tip #8: Make time for yourself

Trainer Tip #7: Get more out of your Group Fitness Class

Trainer Tip #6  Choose exercise that you enjoy doing

Trainer Tip #5 Quality vs Quantity

Trainer Tip #4 Lift a little heavier

Trainer Tip #3 A short workout is better then no workout

Trainer Tip #2 Exercising outdoors

Trainer Tip Tuesday #1: If you don’t like an exercise, start doing it!

Do you do a warm-up before your workout?

Have you ever injured yourself from not being warmed up properly?

I did however, do a few minutes of light Cardio at home to warm my muscles up and took advantage of some stretching. I do stretch with all my classes every day but ever since my hip injury a few years back, my body needs a little more then just the before/after class stretching.

When I don’t want to think or come up with my own workouts I turn to the internet and the TV for “no-thinking workouts.”

I chose a Ballet Body Stretch on Demand (Thanks Verizon Fios)  The stretch workout was 13 minutes. It was PERFECT and hit every muscle in a short amount of time. Here are a few of the stretches.

PIGEON POSE (Cooper snuck in the picture!)

CROSS LEGGED SIDE BEND

LOWER BACK TWIST – also gets legs, glutes, neck

CROSS LEGGED FORWARD LEAN

I walked away feeling loose which was my goal.

Stretching is so important! It keeps us loose & limber. You will gain flexibility by adding regular stretching to your fitness routine!

On a different note….This Sunday we will be heading to the Thanksgiving Parade in Stamford, CT. They have GIANT balloons of awesome characters like Cookie Monster and Kermit the frog!! I can’t wait, I think Ava is going to love it!

HAPPY FRIDAY  

Do you stretch on a regular basis? What is your favorite stretch?

Any fun weekend Plans?

All the squats and lunges I have done in boot camp this week have made my hips a little stiff, so I have added daily stretching to reduce the tightness.

Do you sit all day at work all day? You might want to stretch out… if you sit all day this causes the muscles in your hip to shorten up. The good thing is you can get that flexibility back.

Here are a couple of pictures that demonstrate a hip flexor stretch. Make sure to ease into the stretch if you have never done it before. You don’t want to over stretch the muscle.

To get a deeper stretch raise your arm straight up and bend it slightly over your head.

This is just one of many stretches for the hip flexor. I have also been doing the butterfly stretch and the seated straddle stretch. I am hoping that after a few days of stretching my hip flexors I will be able to get a little deeper and more comfortably into my squats!

How often do you stretch? Do you feel better after you do? 

After some painful massage of my posterior tibialis, Melissa also used a stick roller to massage my IT Band (Iliotibial Band). If you haven’t been to physical therapy before rolling out any tight muscles can be torturous at first. I know the reward of the massage which is muscles that are relaxed and aren’t holding onto tension, so I act tough during the remainder of the session.

After doing an exercise to build up the arches in my feet I was finished. I walked around and felt completely loose and I could tell that my alignment was significantly better! Thank you Physical Therapy!! I love it.

I am constantly paying attention to my areas of weakness and I focus on making those areas stronger. Right now my feet are my weakness and I need to strengthen my arches. If I don’t it will cause more muscular imbalances in other areas of my body.

Do you notice any muscle imbalances in your body? What do you do to correct them? here are a few stretches I do multiple times per week:

For a tight lower back…

Lay on your back and tuck your knees into your chest, let your knees fall to one side of your body and then switch. I find that this helps stretch your butt and lower back.

For tight hamstrings…

lie on your back and stay completely flat. Wrap a towel around one of your ankles and keeping your leg straight pull your leg up as far as you can. This helps stretch the back of your legs.

If you slouch forward… rounded shoulders

Try stretching out your chest. Find an open door frame and grab the door frame so your arm is extended straight back at or just under shoulder level. This should help open up your chest.

Before beginning a new exercise program consult your physician first