Tag Archives: Balance

Magic Weight Loss and Brain Power Tips

Posted on December 9, 2009 | Leave a comment

Yeah, No.

Not really. No magic here. Mentos and diet cola looks pretty magical too, but it’s not. If anyone offers you magic solutions to health, you might as well be buying the Brooklyn Bridge. Has the price gone down on it yet?

There are only habits. Stopping old rituals and starting new routines. Doesn’t that sound daunting? It really doesn’t have to be. Start small. Go slow. Keep steady. Yeah, not glamorous, but it works.

Think Slow and Steady


Invest 10 minutes everyday in a new habit. No more.

Below are a few opportunities to start making changes. Pick only one. Who we kidding, we all want to do more. Go ahead and try a few, but stick to one. If you force too much too soon seeking immediate results, you will crash and burn. If you can keep that one new habit for a 2 months, then perhaps add another. This slow steady method goes a long way in helping maintain better mental and physical health.

  • Just 10 minutes of exercise first thing in the morning can increase your metabolic rate for the rest of the day.
  • Up your consumption of water throughout the day. Drink sugary beverages sparingly.  Be fully hydrated. This can increase your metabolic rate.
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables. Big ugh, I know. Make it more interesting. Go seasonal. Get to know your local farmers. Frequent the farmers market or local grocer. Ask how they like to prepare the harvests of the season. My personal favorite way to eat most veggies is a quick sautee in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Bam.

  • Eat more fats. The good kind. As in HDL, not LDL.  Latest research suggest that cholesterol lowering foods such as avocados, almonds, olive oil, soy beans, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, chili peppers, oat bran, beans (kidney, pintos, black, navy, etc.), onions, fatty fish, and flax seed play a crucial role in lowering LDL and sometimes raising HDL levels. These foods fill you up and help your cholesterol stay healthy.
  • Drink Green Tea. This one is personal.  Although skeptical of touting weight loss benefits, green tea has been helpful in curbing sugar and nicotine cravings.  A little green tea after dinner helps in digestion and is a wonderful winter ritual rounding off dinner with a mandarin orange or two as dessert.
  • Journal 10 minutes a day. Huh? Yup. Get a notebook. Vent your anxieties, frustrations, write down your hopes, dreams. List three thing you are grateful for everyday. These little moments help clear the brain and make the rest of your day smoother, creating peace of mind and less stress.

Take your time and enjoy the process. As enticing as quick fix solutions can be, slow and steady habit shifts will keep the body and mind healthier throughout a lifetime.

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Better Health by Walking Tall. Building Postural length and muscle awareness.

Posted on December 2, 2009 | Leave a comment

80 year old catwalk model Daphne Selfe has amazing postural grace

When a muscle is shorter than the optimal length, it not only effects the opposing muscle but can have repercussions on the entire [body]…If you continue to exercise with poor posture you will recruit the wrong muscles and build your body disproportionately…If you do not correct your muscular imbalances the cycle will repeat over and over again and get progressively worse. – askthetrainer.com

The above statement is a difficult lesson to learn, yet it is the most crucial. People ponder why it is they have done exercise for years and yet their body is still riddled with aches and pains. The answer is never simple, but a few simple answers are often missed.

The simpler the concept, the harder it is to master.  Walk tall. Breathe. Lengthen muscles and release tension. All of this translates to proper muscular support of the joints and spine. Although a good cardio regime is important for the body and mind, so too is understanding posture.

We all fight gravity and posture issues. Think of how much time we spend sitting.  The damage cannot be completely reversed by three hours of weekly fitness. The in-between moments matter most. You could be a daily runner, or someone who sits all day, if there is no postural awareness there is a more rapid deterioration of the body structure.

In a recent lesson a client had a personal break-through, and in her own words, she found that by stretching a muscle, you are “canceling it out” of the exercise. In other words, when stretching a muscle long, it can’t be tensed inward. This is a simple way to think of how lengthened muscles will create less stress and tension in both the body and mind.

lifting up, stretches open the chest and shoulders

Here are some ideas designed to create postural awareness.

– Roll Downs and Pelvic Tilts against the wall

– Other awareness exercises against the wall

– Work on your breath.

Take a moment at your desk, in the kitchen, wherever you might be, and focus on your breath to allow tension to melt away and bring your body and mind back into focus. My favorite breathing cues come from Mary Bond and her book “The New Rules of Posture.  #1. Inhale beauty: as if you are smelling something wonderful, like fresh-baked cookies or roses.  #2. Exhale surrender: Exhale and focus on one part of your body releasing, letting go, and becoming heavy.  Don’t over-breathe or force the breath. Just let it happen lightly and without strain.

– Most importantly. Go back to basics.

Even if you are an advanced fitness person, consider going back to the basics. People often know how a movement should look, but are doing it with the wrong muscles. The most common example is overuse of the hip flexors which take over for the abdominals, making it impossible to get any benefit from certain core exercises.

overuse of the hip flexors causes back strain and lack of abdominal strength.

Take a basic pilates class, yoga class, tai-chi, or dance. Any movement practice that focuses on fundamentals. A strong understanding of basic movements and how they relate to your body is what makes someone truly advanced.

Both the final image and the first quote are found at askthetrainer.com


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Gratitude is Good for your Health

Posted on November 24, 2009 | Leave a comment

Time for a seasonally poignant post.

Exercise your gratitude muscles regularly, and you might find yourself healthier and happier.

•People with high blood pressure not only lower their blood pressure, but feel less hostile and are more likely quit smoking and lose weight when they practice gratitude. In one study, patients just called a research hotline once a week to report on the things that made them grateful.

•People who care for relatives with Alzheimer’s disease feel less stress and depression when they keep daily gratitude journals, listing the positive things in their lives.

•Those who maintain a thankful attitude through life appear to have lower risks of several disorders, including depression, phobias, bulimia and alcoholism.

•Most people can lift their mood simply by writing a letter of thanks to someone. Hand-deliver the letter, and the boost in happiness can last weeks or months.

– USA Today

Need some help getting started?

Try starting a gratitude journal. Write down three things you are thankful for everyday. There is even a gratitude journal iphone app.

So once you’ve put the fork down, start working on the happiness of being thankful that your digestion is moving things along. Go from there.

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Every Woman is a Guru Unto Herself. I Think.

Posted on September 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

NEW YORK TIMES 9 21 09The new wave offered up a few playful names for themselves — “the Charlie’s Angels of Wellness,” “Spiritual Cowgirls” and “Spiritual Superheroines.” It’s clear they are proffering guidance at a time when urban women like themselves are eager for it.

Referring to an article from Sunday’s NY Times.

Cringe.

The desire to change from within is a good thing, right? A search for spirituality and personal insight is always something to strive for, yes? Self-empowerment…yay?

Then why does this trend make me so uncomfortable.  Frankly, it’s irksome.

Perhaps it’s the seemingly quick self-help”Secret” approach.  The entirety illuminates the inside of  my head  with the omnipresent neon Mc-preface American society can pin on any subject…the McMansions of the last 5 years have been foreclosed upon and we are now walking towards the dollars and hopes surrounding McSpirituality – no meat, meditation, and wish lists for what we want our future to hold. There is some wisdom here, but overall, something doesn’t feel right.

Perhaps what makes me squeamish about the latest new age spirituality is how close my own tenets teeter that fine line of reasonable and ridiculous. My loathing of McSpirituality dances right beside my manifesto on moderation in modern society. But they are so cheesy! I am realistic. And yet, the proof is on the bedside table, where the book pile includes Deepak Chopra, Brian Weiss, and maybe a copy of Co-Dependent no more…but it was a gift! I swear!

Is it possible to have a sound mind, healthy body, a closet full of great shoes, and dinner reservations at the French Laundry?

I don’t really know.

I do know I do the best I can, and make peace with it regularly. Life is a work in progress…and not a cliche…like the one I just spewed. Wait. Life can be cliche. That’s why we created them. Life can be a lot of things to a lot of people. Just figure out what it is to you. For me…I guess life is a work in progress.

In looking for balance, it helps to hear what others have to say, just pick your sources wisely. Skepticism can be a healthy thing.  Use your intuition. Listen to your gut.

My intuition and healthy sense of skepticism tells me to steer clear of anyone who labels themselves the Charlie’s Angels of Wellness…

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Understanding Your Balance Creates Strength Control and Flexbility

Posted on September 9, 2009 | Leave a comment

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You may have heard of the 42 year old Beijing Olympic Swimmer Dara Torres, who attributes much of her training success to resistance stretching. Bob Cooley is one trainer who created a system of movement around this concept, Meridian Flexibility system. Before this in the 1950s the physical therapy concept of PNF stretching was created to help people retrain muscles with isometric contractions followed with passive stretches of muscle to improve range of motion.

At the early part of the 20th century, Joseph Pilates created his own resistance training method combining Western calisthenics with Eastern movement principles, working from the inside out and elongating muscles outward as they were being contracted simultaneously in order to maintain core stability. Go further, a thousand years or so, and we find the concept of muscular balance and flow, stretch and strength, yin and yang, in movement arts throughout Asia, such as in Tai Chi and yoga.

tai_chi

The idea of stretching and strengthening simultaneously is not new. But it seems to be a hard lesson to learn. Brainpower is a necessity. It requires patience and knowledge of one’s own body. Most of us do not seem to have time to invest in ourselves, although it would reduce injuries and add to our active lifespan.

In my ten years of teaching pilates i have found several truths about people and our bodies.  One in particular is: flexible people love to stretch and tight people like to strengthen. Funny how we do. A very broad example is that it’s very hard to get a runner to slow down, become internally aware of deep muscles and breathe. It’s also a huge challenge to get a yogi to speed up, not to over think, and push their strength training more while forgoing lots of stretches. Part mental, part physical in both cases.

There must be a balance of both stretch and strength, body and mind to create true balance.

In any exercise you do, look for a lengthening, stretching muscle, reach against gravity. Use awareness and gravity to create resistance. If all you feel is a passive stretch, explore the muscles which should be contracting in their length to support the stretch. Don’t just hang out in a stretch! This is what is meant in muscular balance.

Don’t force a stretch, and don’t force a muscle to be in a certain place. These things come with time. Forcing your body (and mind) into place will not create sound balance any sooner. In fact, it might impede it.

Here are two moves, from previous posts, to help you contemplate your own balance.

#1. The Forearm Plank ( detailed in Hip strain post)– test strength, learn to release tension in difficult situations and find the stretch. I go to this again and again, but it is a safe test for strength, balance, and control for the entire body.

core-abdominal-and-lower-back-exercises-28

forearm plank(1)

# 2. Wall Exercises for feeling your postural muscles stretch and strengthen ( detailed in Spinal Stability post)

wall squats

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TIME Magazine, what have you done? Exercise Won’t Make You Thin?…ugh

Posted on September 1, 2009 | 3 comments

a_wexercise_0817

Maybe while standing in line at the store you glanced through the recent TIME Magazine cover story:

Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin

This bummed me out in the same way Tracy Anderson does. The title is misleading, and the article could be construed as confusing to people who are looking for a simple answer. (Despite this, it does contain interesting information and research.)

The title alone, Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin infers we should all stop moving, because it’s not helping, and instead focus on what we eat. The title supports the all or nothing mentality so often held in America, seeking the path of least resistance.

Call it exercise or a walk to the store, either way, Please keep moving!

This article is really about the psychology of diet and exercise in the US, and the definition of the word “exercise”.

The truth is, exercise, or activity or movement will help you lose weight. It is a basic formula: less caloric intake plus more energy expended equals weight loss.

As stated in the article: The problem ultimately is about not exercise itself but the way we’ve come to define it.

AMEN! If nothing else, this is the statement you should take away from the Time Magazine article.

You may work out two or three times a week at the gym, an hour each time, but does your workout become an excuse to eat more? And how do you spend the other 166 hours that week?

Think moderation. You would be better off, moving all day long, albeit low intensity. It’s healthier, less impact on your body and better for the mind.

Have you ever been on a trip to a big city where you are constantly on the go while at the same time enjoying the city’s culinary delights, and upon returning home, are surprised to find you’ve lost weight? It is possible to enjoy life and stay healthy. Healthy living is not based on sacrifice and rewards. (Does this stem from our puritanical roots?) No matter how you slice it, the American perspective on health is a bit off.

Granted, it’s a big country. Few places in the US are navigable by foot like New York or San Francisco, making it harder to stay active throughout the day.  Use some creative elbow grease. Walk in the evenings after dinner with friends, take the steps, not the elevator, create a living environment and lifestyle that allows you more room to move and not just remain in the car or at the desk 10 hours a day. It’s a tall order, but the doing falls on you, and it can be done.

And yes! If you enjoy walking on the treadmill, then do it. If you enjoy going for a lap swim or taking a pilates class, then please go for it. Don’t stop. The key is to enjoy. Enjoyment keeps your brain happy, heart healthy, and stress levels down.

However you add a bit more movement throughout the day, always keep in mind moderation and enjoyment. Life is too short.

hg_60_plus_fit

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Health Care Reform – Start by caring for yourself

Posted on August 6, 2009 | 2 comments

healthcare-reform2009-06-18-1245364138Democrat or Republican, Public Relations and Politics go hand in hand, like used car lots and the flags, loud sticker prices, and sellers who reel you in. Knowing this well since both were involved in my career at various points. A shower is in order after just remembering.

Can I interest you in some health care facts?

Can I interest you in some health care facts?

If asked to name 3 or more specific points in the health care reform plan up right now, and 3 or more contraindications of the opposing views, the majority of Americans haven’t a clue.  Though we all know the name of Henry Louis Gates and the beer he drank at the White House. Which issue is going to effect you more next year?

The health issue can be summed up into two camps: A. Health Care reform is so crucial it needs to happen now and won’t work without help from the government. or B. Government needs to stay out of the health care industry. These are the broad strokes painted by media and politicos, in an attempt to get you on their side of an extremely complex issue, bound up in trails of intrigue, lobbyists, secret nods… and tons and tons of dollars and details.

What’s a person to do?

Take control of what you know and what you do. Here are 2 steps towards better health you can take today.

1. Do your homework. Arm yourself with as much information, from ALL sides: The government, pro groups, anti groups,  the insurance companies, research firms, hospitals, doctors, other countries, and etc. Then make an informed decision. Know your sources.

Step 2.: (AND MOST IMPORTANTLY) Reform your own personal health care today.

Eat a little better, find fun exercise, learn how to truly relax and take deep breaths, laugh more, count 3 blessings everyday, forgive any grievances you might still harbour, let go…bascially, start to make the world round you a better place from the inside out.

The above sounds pretty hippy dippy, but, break it down and the words make sense. You don’t have to be on one side or the other of the politically driven, public relations debate. No matter your race, religion, politics, or creed.  If we all paid more attention to our own self care and concern, the USA might be a bit healthier place to live.

Classic US Hygiene Posters

Classic US Hygiene Posters

We have to start somewhere, right? Might as well start where one can make a real difference.

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The Pelvic Debate – Spinal stability lying Down

Posted on July 29, 2009 | 2 comments
arched, tucked, and neutral pelvic positions

arched, tucked, and neutral pelvic positions

To Tuck or not to tuck? That is the question.

And just like for Hamlet, there is no easy answer. It’s all in your relation to gravity, what movement you are performing, and what kind of weaknesses and spinal posture you have right now.

When performing exercises on your back that require spinal stabilization –  keeping the back still while moving the arms and legs – it is important to learn how to maintain a neutral pelvis and spine. We want to strengthen the natural alignment without force.

To find neutral pelvis, first learn how to isolate and move the pelvic bones by doing pelvic tilts.

pelvic tilt

Lying on the back with knees bent, draw the pelvic bones inward towards your nose, pressing the low back into the floor and slightly lifting the tailbone off the floor. This is called tucking under. Next, go the opposite direction, creating a tunnel or arch with the low back by drawing the pelvic bones downward towards the knees, tailbone connects to floor. This is called arching.

Neutral pelvis is the happy medium between this range of motion. The front two pelvic bones are pointing upward towards the ceiling, most likely creating a slight arch in the low back.The tailbone and the back of the rib cage remain heavy on the floor. To engage the abdominals in this neutral pelvis, imaging trying to zip up the last bit of zipper on your tightest pair of pants! The muscles between the pelvic bones should sink down, but the bones themselves should not move.

(Refer to the picture at the top of the post)

Exercising supine (lying on your back) maintaining neutral pelvis will strengthen and stabilize the spine, allowing the arms and legs to move around freely. Your abdominals gather towards the spine ( like a corset closing in on all sides of the waist, belly and back), but, don’t force down the belly by tucking under the pelvis. Often we confuse scooping the abdominals with tucking under the pelvis.  This will only create bad spinal stability habits in the long run, leading to overdeveloped hip flexor muscles, weak core, and an overstretched low back. The tuck under for stability when lying down will translate to a lordotic low back when standing, or what is called “sway back”.

image025fv3There are always exceptions to every rule. If your back is extremely weak or you have never exercised then modifications must be made. Prop up the pelvis with a small pillow or blanket roll to support weak back muscles when lying on the back. This elevation of the backside will create less pressure directly on the spine and allow you to feel the core muscles. In this case, DO work on keeping the low back heavy and the pelvis tucked under. Given the body’s change in relation to gravity and weakness of the muscles, this works best. As one gets stronger take the prop away and work in neutral pelvis.

Once you’ve found a neutral pelvis position, practice moving the arms and legs while maintaining the stable spinal column.

Look at the “dead bug” exercise in finding your fulcrum.

A good image to help create stabilization would be to imagine balancing a bowl of water ( or a glass of champagne, depending on your preference) on top of the pelvis, just below the navel and between the pelvic bones.

For a more difficult stability challenge, try balancing a tennis ball or golf ball on this same low point in the torso.

Good luck. Once you are able to maintain and understand a correct neutral position, it is surprising how fast one can strengthen their body from the center outward!

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Mind Body Medicine: A Good Laugh

Posted on July 20, 2009 | 1 comment

This is a good place to start on a Monday, the most unfunny day of the week.

Science, Art, Religion and various realms of knowledge are slowly melding back together under one roof….the human experience. What we instinctively do, is often for the betterment of humankind and ourselves. Take Laughter. And then take these families here, for example…

tavin-awesomeness-lr

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Did you crack a smile?

Remember the old adage ” Laughter is the best medicine”?

Realizing this post bears a striking resemblance to mass fluff emails from well meaning relatives and coworkers.  Admit it. You’ve smiled at one of those emails before, even a little. At least one thing here should coerce a laugh, or at least create recognition to the benefit of having one.

…also keeping in mind a newly edited old adage “beauty, [and humor] is in the eye of the beholder”…

We live in such a cynical society. Just let go sometimes.

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. All emotional sharing builds strong and lasting relationship bonds, but sharing laughter and play adds joy, vitality, and resilience. And humor is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.

pie area

Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to:

  • Be more spontaneous. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.
  • Let go of defensiveness. Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.
  • Release inhibitions. Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.
  • Express your true feelings. Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface.
kniggits5hw

  • Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
  • Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
  • Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.
  • Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
  • Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
  • Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
  • Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

OKAY ALREADY. So how do you start laughing more?

Funny Dog Costume

Laughter breeds creativity

  • Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter. Like laughter, it’s contagious. Pioneers in “laugh therapy,” find it’s possible to laugh without even experiencing a funny event. The same holds for smiling. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling.
  • Count your blessings. Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the good things in your life will distance you from negative thoughts that are a barrier to humor and laughter. When in a state of sadness, we have further to travel to get to humor and laughter.
  • When you hear laughter, move toward it. Sometimes humor and laughter are private, a shared joke among a small group, but usually not. More often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s funny?”
  • Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious.
  • Bring humor into conversations. Ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?”

blades-of-glory

  • Watch a funny movie or TV show.
  • Go to a comedy club.
  • Seek out funny people.
  • Share a good joke or a funny story.
  • Check out your bookstore’s humor section.
  • Host game night with friends.
  • Play with a pet.
  • Go to a “laughter yoga” class.
  • Goof around with children.
  • Do something silly.
  • Make time for fun activities (e.g. bowling, miniature golfing, karaoke).

To Find out more about Laughing Yoga.

Big+Laughing+Buddha+Taichung-1

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go out of your way to have a hearty laugh at least once a day, preferably with someone else. Waka Waka!

storm troopers

storm troopers

Kind of funny, right?

Much of the bulleted information taken from Help Guide.org

Many of the awkward family photos from awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Several other photos were snagged from one of my favorite wordsmiths, Capitol J

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Hip and Leg Strain in Pilates

Posted on July 15, 2009 | 1 comment

pilates06-1

So you’ve been doing pilates tapes and/or classes for awhile and are at a point where all you feel in many of the exercises are the legs and hips. You might get popping or snapping in the hips. Your lower back might be straining too. Why?

One reason might be that in a traditional pilates mat sequence the beginning exercises are mostly lying supine (on your back) with your legs in the air.

Most people start pilates because they have a weak set of core muscles they want to strengthen.

It is imperative to understand the core is NOT the belly. You cannot look down right now and see your core.

Yes. Your abdominals are part of the muscles that make up your body’s core, but so are many muscles of the torso, including overstretched back muscles, the shoulder stabilizing muscles, and even the back of the thighs, just below the buttocks. The core is more like a long corset wrapped around your entire midsection. Some of these muscles are over-developed, some are under-utilized. Pilates helps find core balance.

Your Core includes many muscles

There is no one perfect exercise that strengthens and stretches all of the core muscles at once.  We need to mix it up. The positioning should be moved around also. If you do all of your core exercises lying on the back with the legs extended upward, ultimately, your core will not be getting stronger. Your hip flexors, the muscles that lift the legs, will, however. If you have strained or tensed hip flexors and quads ( the front of the thighs), they will take over the movement and not allow your core to perform correctly. (The same is true for tense shoulders and neck muscles as well.) Tight hip flexors and gripping in the buttocks go hand in hand…as it were…and overtime can actually compress the low back vertebre and cause low back pain.

Here are a few ideas for finding your own core balance and getting out of leg straining:

#1. If you are feeling leg, hip and back tension in the first part of the traditional pilates mat exercises. SKIP THOSE EXERCISES. Not forever. Just for a few weeks. Focus on some of the countless other exercises that work your core more effectively for you.

Some alternative exercises for overall core strength can be done in their place, such as; forearm planks on a fit ball, careful back extensions, and roll downs against the wall.

#2. If you do the exercises that sometimes strain your legs and hips, keep to the modified versions with the knees bent. Focus on release of the buttocks and thigh tension. (tense and release those muscles a couple of times and they will relax much more easily).

#3. As your center becomes stronger, learn to lengthen and stretch the legs away from your core in the movements. This will release tension as well.

#4. When the legs are outstretched, work on turning out the thighs. This will help you engage the back of the thighs, which help you contract the pelvic floor, which helps you get out of the hip flexor tension…see how it’s a chain reaction!

#5. If you feel popping in the hip socket on some of these back lying exercises, you have 2 options for getting it to stop. (1) Make the movements much smaller and focus on length in the leg rather than width of movement. (2) Squeeze the muscles around the hip to help hold things in place. The hip snapping often occurs in active women who have hip flexor imbalances…too much stretch on one end, too much tension in the other. This can get better if you work bit by bit.

Your ultimate goal is to create tension free, balanced movement. There should be no strain. It take a lot of practice, patience and concentration to move with ease in most areas of life. Slow down, relax and practice. Good luck!

Alternating arm and leg plank

Alternating arm and leg plank

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