By Request: Back Traction?

This month, I’m taking requests for things folks want to know about fitness (yes, please!  Ask me questions and I will blog the answers!).

How do I give myself a little traction in my lower back?

 

Lower back pain and tightness is endemic.  The good news is that most of us can get a little relief using just a yoga block.

 

To do it, we lie on our backs on the floor.  We probably feel better already!  But we’re just getting started.  We want to bend our knees and put our feet flat on the floor with our heels in line with our sit bones.  Those of us who have osteopenia or osteoporosis will take a big inhale, exhale, and lift our hips straight up toward the ceiling, keeping the spine in a straight line.  Those of us who do not have those conditions will take a big inhale, tilt the pelvis toward the belly button as we exhale, and peel our hips up toward the ceiling one vertebra at a time.  All of us will take a big inhale at the top and then return to the starting position by reversing the way we lifted.  This bridge exercise creates a bit more space in the lumbar spine and loosens up all those joints.

 

But it gets better.  After we’ve done a couple of bridges, we get to the top position and then we slide a yoga block under our hips.  The direction of the block will depend on our flexibility—we don’t want to force our hips higher than they want to go.  Allowing our hips to rest on the block creates a gentle traction for the lower back.  We can hang out here as long as it feels good.

 

Those of us who have tight hip flexors (spoiler alert:  that’s most of us) can give them a stretch by extending the legs on the floor.  The front of the hips and thighs will enjoy an opportunity to lengthen.  Bend the knees again before lifting off the block, removing it, and coming down to the starting position.

 

Aaaahhhhh.

Monday Workout: Shake!

End of the month is time to shake things up!  We’re working in multiple planes this week.  Three or four rounds, depending on time and energy

 

1 min cardio
kb alt arm swing	30
side lunges	20
diamond pushups	10
tap backs	30
skullcrushers	20
pretty princesses	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Wall Walk

The Amazing Stickie loves all things plank.  On days when she wants to plank more extremely, she chooses wall walks.

To begin, she gets into plank position with her feet near a wall that she is allowed to put her feet on.  Then she walks her feet up the wall.  The higher up the wall she walks her feet, the more she needs to rely on her upper body strength.

 

Just like all planks, Stickie holds it until she is tired and then carefully walks her feet back down the wall. 

By Request: Scoliosis

This month, I’m taking requests for things folks want to know about fitness (yes, please!  Ask me questions and I will blog the answers!).

I have scoliosis.  What kind of exercise can I do?

 

This is one of those questions that requires my usual disclaimer.  I am a personal trainer and Pilates instructor, not a doctor or physical therapist.  My scope of practice does not include diagnosis or treatment of any condition.  I do know how to modify exercises to keep my clients safe.

 

Scoliosis, as many of us know, is a curvature of the spine.  There are varying degrees of severity, so a lot depends on the individual.  That said, nearly everyone in our society has some functional scoliosis. 

 

Functional scoliosis means that we have muscle imbalances that result in faulty posture.  Think about the way right-handed people tend to reach for things with their right hands.  Think about the way we hold our children on a hip, or stabilize a bag of groceries.  We move in lopsided ways and our bodies learn lopsided patterns.

 

Structural scoliosis means that our actual bones exhibit some lateral curvature.  It also leads to muscle imbalances as our bodies compensate for the structural shift.

 

Whatever kind of scoliosis we happen to have, we want to address it with similar kinds of movement.  The side we are curved toward needs to be lengthened and the side we curve away from needs to be tightened up a bit.  If the scoliosis is not severe, bringing some mindfulness to our posture can go a long way toward evening things up.

 

My very favorite technique to help balance out scoliotic tendencies is also very simple and pleasant.  It uses two yoga tune-up balls or roughly tennis ball sized balls of whatever hardness works for us.  One is placed under the fleshy part of the glute on the side we curve toward as we lie on our backs on the floor.  The other one goes under the PSIS on the other side.  (The PSIS is our posterior superior iliac spine and the spot we want to hit is the place where we have the little dimple near our spine.)  Then we just lie there and breathe for a while, allowing the muscles to relax and balance themselves.

 

Try it and let me know how it feels!

By Request: My Piriformis Hurts

This month, I’m taking requests for things folks want to know about fitness (yes, please!  Ask me questions and I will blog the answers!).

My piriformis is tight.  What should I do?

 

I feel this.  Right in my behind, just like you do!  A tight piriformis is a natural consequence of our sedentary society.  Even when we’re not stuck sitting at our desks or hanging out on the couch, we’re jammed into the car commuting.

 

Our plan to deal with this pain in the butt starts with loosening things up and then putting some good alignment and movement habits in place to keep things functional and happy.

 

If budget allows, start with a massage.  Not only can a professional get the tension out, they can also alert us to contributing factors (looking at you, IT band!).

 

To maintain this lower degree of tension, we want to dive into some self-myofascial release techniques.  Using a roller or tiger tail on the behind and the outer side of the thigh is a good (if painful!) way to start.  (Don’t worry:  we are not doing damage.  As we get used to the sensation, it begins to feel better.  Making a habit of it helps.)  I also recommend getting yoga tune-up balls (or lacrosse balls or Pinkie balls or a tennis ball, depending on the hardness you desire; the harder the ball, the deeper the release and the more intense the sensation.)  Putting the ball of our choice under the fleshy part of our behind while sitting on the floor and wiggling around until we find the tender spot does the trick.  Breathing deeply while we wait for the tension to release is useful.

 

Now that our piriformis feels less like a rubber band about to snap, we can do some stretching.  The figure four stretch is a good choice.  To do it, we lie on our backs with one ankle crossed over the other knee.  Then we pull both knees in toward our chests to feel the stretch in our behinds.  It is important that this stretch not cause any pain.  If it hurts, we are pushing too far and we are not helping our flexibility.  When it comes to stretching, pain gets in the way of gain.

 

Next, we need to build a little mobility into our hip joints.  A very simple exercise to help with this is to lie on our backs with one leg in a tabletop position.  Using our hands, we circle our knee around, stirring our femur in the hip socket.  Five circles in each direction is a good idea.

 

We want good strong hips and glutes, so incorporating some squats into our workouts is a good idea.

 

Finally, we just need to make sure we get up and move more often.  A Wristy Overlord (a.k.a. Apple Watch or other fitness tracker) can help remind us to stand and move on an hourly basis.  Or, we can drink lots of water and let our need to use the bathroom take care of the problem for us.

 

It is always a good idea to check in with medical professionals for any pain that persists or worsens.  I am not a doctor.

 

Move it, baby!

Monday Workout: Core

Lots of core challenge today!  Three rounds.

 

 

1 arm clean and press	30
1 leg deadlift	20
squat heel lift	10
plank jacks	30
flies	20
kickbacks	10
leg kicks	30
rows	20
Russian twist	10

The Amazing Stickie and Crouch Jacks

Some days, the Amazing Stickie really wants a whole body challenge.  Those days, she chooses crouch jacks.  Some people call them star jumps.  Choose the name you like best.

She begins by crouching down on the floor, arms close to her body.  Then she jumps up, raising her arms in a Y position above her head and spreading her legs.  Her whole body looks like an X.  She lands back in the crouched position.

 

Coordinating the movement can be a little tricky at first.  This is also a compound exercise, so Stickie knows she is going to get out of breath doing it.  She worked her way up to sets of 30.