17 May Alicia Lavender May 17, 2017 Pain In The Back: 3 Exercises for Strength Body, Hot Pilates 0 Comment Back pain is as common as the cold. Almost everyone struggles with it. I struggle with it. Whether standing in half moon in hot yoga or working on a report at the office back back pain is prevalent in our society. On a daily basis I hear members or clients asking what they can do to help relieve their pain. Here are three exercises to put in your daily routine: while watching the traffic report in the morning, in the evening catching up on shows or rolling around with your fur babies! Forearm Plank: Strengthens all core muscles, engages stabilizers Begin lying on the floor with your forearms flat on the floor, making sure that your elbows are aligned directly under your shoulders Engage your core and raise your body up off the floor, keeping your forearms on the floor and your body in a straight line from head to feet. Keep your abdominals engaged and try not to let your hips rise or drop. Hold forearm plank for 30 seconds to start, trying to progress to a 60-second hold. Bird Dog: Stabilize the lumbar spine (low back) during upper and lower extremity movement and helps with balance Start on hands and knees and tighten your stomach muscles Lift and extend one leg behind you the opposite arm in front of you. Keep hips level Hold 5 seconds and then switch to the other leg, repeat 8 times each leg Bridge: Strengthens gluteals and back extensors A) Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor Raise your hips of the floor so that your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Pause at the top then slowly lower your body back to the floor. Back strengthening and stretching exercises can lower your risk for back trouble. Sometimes, it can be just a matter of better posture and remembering to sit up with your back straight when sitting at your computer for long periods of time or while waiting in line at the grocery store stand taller and engage your abs! The Pilates instructor in me will always tell you these two things: Strengthen your core. Partake in regular workouts that result in core strengthening, which emphasizes your posterior chain as well, think about working the muscles you don’t see, like the muscles behind you. Engage your abdominals while at the desk and sit up, way up on your sitz bones, which can change the way you sit. While on the subject of sitting, think about what you’re sitting on all day…your gluteals! Strengthen your glutes! Gluteal muscles are the fountain of youth. Keep those glutes strong and fired up and you won’t be sinking in your office chair. Also, make standing a habit. Getting up from a sitting position every 30 minutes is a way to start. Try these exercises out and see if it helps relieves some pain! Related Articles Focus, Pain Management, and Dallas Hot Yoga When you think of hot yoga, pain management may not be something you directly associate with all the bending and stretching of a yoga class. But new evidence directly links the benefits of focus and breathing with significant improvements in pain perception. Yoga and Mental Exercise Born to Move Since the recent NYT article “How yoga Can Wreck Your Body.” I have seen a number of comments on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and via email. On the one hand I was sad that yoga (in general) was getting bad press as I personally know of the positive effects it brings to many people’s lives. On the other hand I felt a sense of vindication for 10 years of standing strong on: Pilates vs Yoga Pilates vs Yoga – Which is Right for You? Since I was given the opportunity of growing up overseas as a Missionary girl; I learned at a young age to value the art of learning to understand where concepts originated from – so that would include the practice of Pilates or Yoga. I can share with you what I have learned so far and maybe you might be able to add something of value to your own experiences and journey. What Is Pilates? What To Know Before Your First Class We know that it can be a little bit intimidating to try a new workout class. And, since there are so many different kinds of classes available today, it can be hard to keep them straight or to know which one is right for you to try. If you’re considering taking a Pilates class, we’re here to help you with some information you should know before your first class, and some tips to help you! What Is Suspension Training? If you are like many people slowly coming out of quarantine, you want to get yourself back in shape. Gyms have been closed, we have been shut up in our homes, and we are just itching to attain our prior levels of health and fitness once more. For those of us who have never started a consistent fitness routine and regime, the concept of suspension training can seem very intimidating. Suspension training takes standard exercise to the next level by working with the combination of gravity and your body weight to give you a very effective workout in a relatively short period of time. What is suspension training? You may be asking yourself, what is suspension training? With the addition of some heavy-duty straps attached to an anchored surface, you can take your workout to new levels of effectiveness and efficiency. Virtually any standard exercise can be transformed through the addition of suspension straps, making your workout more effective in less time. Navy seals and other fitness professionals swear by this method of working out, as they claim that no other form of workout protocol has quite the same effect on both balancing the body and improving strength. While you must be careful when first attempting this type of adaptation, it is possible to undergo successful suspension training for beginners, provided you follow proper form and function instructions. Let's take a look at some of the suspension training benefits you stand to gain with this type of monster workout: Who Does Yoga? – Breaking Through Dallas’ Hot Yoga Myths Yoga has been around for thousands of years, but it’s still a very misunderstood form of exercise in America. Misconceptions about yoga, most especially Dallas hot yoga, are still, (sadly) widespread in the West. Here are a few of the most far-reaching yoga myths. You have to be in perfect shape if you want to do yoga. Comments are closed.