3R Favorites 1

All that movement is fabulous for us, but no month of favorites would be complete without a chance to rest, restore, and recover.

 

One of my favorite ways to reset my busy little brain is by meditating.

 

I am a terrible meditator.  And that’s okay.  I keep practicing.

 

Sometimes I use an app to time my sitting or for music or a guided meditation.  Sometimes I sit and focus on my breathing.  Sometimes I think about a word or phrase.

 

Even two minutes can help me reset.  Heck, even five breaths helps.

 

Give it a go! 

Monday Workout: How Hard

As always, how hard the workout is depends on us.  When we choose heavier weights or change up the tempo (both faster and slower can be harder, depending), we are deciding how difficult things are going to be.  Choose wisely, for today’s body.  Three rounds, or the number that is appropriate for right now.

 

suitcase swings	30
bench press	20
reverse fly	10
1 arm clean and press	30
db pullover with bridge	20
1 leg squat	10
(lunge) punches	30
flies	20
plank to pike	10

 

 

Pilates Favorites: 10

Other favorite Pilates mat exercises include:

 

1.     chest lift

2.     arm arcs

3.     side to side

4.     swan

5.     leg circles

6.     dart

7.     roll down

8.     push up

9.     twist

10.  mermaid

Pilates Favorites 2

My other favorite Pilates mat exercise is the bridge.  Again, because most of us spend too much time sitting, we suffer from tight hip flexors and relatively weak glutes.  Bridge to the rescue!

I love how many variations of bridging there are, including the single leg version, the “chip and dip,” the typewriter, and more.  I particularly love adding a hip flexor stretch by sliding a yoga block under my pelvis at the top and then extending my legs long to let gravity do the work.

 

One important note, though.  Those of us who have osteoporosis need to be a little careful in our bridges.  Articulating through the spine is not recommended because it puts us at risk of fracture.

 

Be careful, but enjoy!

Pilates Favorites 1

Since not everybody has a studio full of Pilates equipment, I’m choosing my favorite Pilates exercises from the mat work.  We all have floors.

Because, like most of us, I sit at a desk more than is ideal, my favorite Pilates exercise is the supine twist.  I like to do it with yoga tune up balls under my back at the spot just above my bra strap (people who do not wear bras will have to envision the spot) with one ball on either side of my spine.

 

To do the exercise, we lie on our backs (With or without balls.  People new to this exercise might find doing it with balls a little… spicy.).  We bend our knees and place our feet flat on the floor.  So far, so comfy!  Then we extend our arms up toward the ceiling and place the palms of our hands together.  Throughout the exercise, the hands stay together and the elbows stay straight.

 

First, we keep our head still and move our arms as far from side to side as we can without moving our hips or suffering more than discomfort.  After about ten reps, we shift to moving our arms and taking our heads with us; another way to think about this is that we keep an eye on our thumbs as we move.  Then, after about ten more reps, we take our arms one way and our head the other way for ten reps.

 

At the end, our upper backs tend to feel looser and our breathing is easier.

 

Try it!

Monday Workout: Back

We’re doing some stuff that focuses on the back of the body this week.  Our hammies will notice those db kicks.  Kettle bell swings work the entire back of the body.  And tap backs get those glutes working.  Three rounds.

 

db kicks	30
rows	20
YTA	10
kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
tap backs	30
kickbacks	20
scissors	10

 

Strength Favorites: 4 x 4

More strength favorites?  I got you:

 

1.     pushups

2.     deadlifts

3.     pretty princesses

4.     rows

 

And some un-favorites that I do because they’re so good for me:

 

1.     lunges

2.     burpees

3.     YTA

4.     single leg anything for balance