Monday Workout: Multi!

I love my multi-joint exercises because they get a lot done in a short amount of time.  Take, for example, the suitcase swings that we do first this week.  We use our ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders to do the major motions, while the rest of our joints work, along with our core musculature, to stabilize everything.  The more muscles we work at once, the more calories we burn and the more we amp up that metabolic system.  Then, of course, we have eight more exercises to go.  (This is why we get tired at the end!)  Do three rounds, squeeze in a little stretching, and make sure to get some water.

suitcase swings	30
bench press	20
1 leg pass	10
plyojacks	30
kickbacks	20
pushups	10
mountain climbers	30
(lunge to) curl	20
Russian twist	10

Fruit for thought

Sometimes life makes us sit more than is ideal.  Here are four ways to make ourselves stand up a bit more:

1.     Drink more water.  This is a win-win.  First, we are more hydrated, which is always a good thing.  Then we have to get up to use the bathroom.

2.     Be inefficient.  Most of the time efficiency is awesome, but when we are stuck sitting, it can be a life-saver.  Take the extra trip to bring in the groceries.  Bring the copies back to your desk before you go check with your coworker about that other issue.

3.     Be helpful.  Offer to get a refill for other folks just to get the walk to the coffee maker.  Take an extra turn emptying the dishwasher.

4.     Get curious.  What was that sound?  Did the mail come?  I wonder what that batch of sirens was about outside the office.

Do whatever it takes.  Standing is good for us.

Adaptable kind of rhymes with apple...

One of the things I love about Pilates, and specifically equipment-based Pilates, is how adaptable it is.  Clients with vertigo can work standing or sitting.  People with knee problems can work with appropriate support and just enough challenge to build up the muscles around the knees.  Shoulder issues?  The equipment provides opportunities to learn new motor pathways to protect against future injuries while helping to recover from old ones.

People who bend like Stretch Armstrong (remember him?  My brother had one who eventually oozed red goo all over the carpet, so my mother still hates him—Stretch, not my brother.) can learn to contain all that mobility with some strength and precision.  Those of us who bend more like your average steel girder can learn to channel our strength into something more flexible and less likely to snap.

All of us benefit from the breath, the balance, the spinal alignment, and the improved proprioception.

Ready to try it?