The Amazing Stickie and Couch Stretch With Activation

Today the Amazing Stickie is working on her amazing booty by doing couch stretch with activation.

 

She begins in front of a couch (thus the name) or bench or sturdy chair.  One foot rests on the seat with the knee (on a cushion!  No need for extra ouchiness!) on the ground.  The other leg is in a lunge position and her body is upright.  (If this stretch is too intense, choose something else!)

Once she is in position, Stickie squeezes the glute of the back leg and then releases it.  After a minute or so of this, she switches her legs and does the other side. 

Effects of Strength Training - 9

Want to hurt less?  Lift more.  That’s oversimplified, but generally true.

Strength training helps manage pain.  It works in several ways.  Various mechanisms in the body produce analgesic effects when muscles work.  In plain English:  the body feels better moving.  The mood-enhancing effects of strength training help us cope better with any pain we are experiencing.  Further, our sense of self-efficacy built by lifting weights makes us more resilient to whatever we experience, even pain.

 

A few caveats.  It’s crucial to warm up.  Avoid exercises that are dangerous for any conditions (e.g., no spinal flexion for folks with osteoporosis).  Discomfort is all right, but if there is actual pain during an exercise, stop that and try something else.  Always use good judgment, appropriate equipment, and safety precautions.

 

Go play and feel better.

Effects of Strength Training - 8

In general, all of us need more sleep than we tend to get.  We could also use a better quality of sleep.  Strength training can help!

The People Who Do Studies have found that strength training reduces the prevalence of insomnia.  (OK, it’s not a surprise that when we make ourselves really tired, it’s easier to sleep, but it’s good to have our common sense validated by science.)

 

But strength training also increases the proportion of good sleep we get.  I know I’m not alone in having the occasional night where technically I got plenty of sleep, but I’m still tired and I wake up feeling like I was wrestling alligators all night.  There’s less of that when we strength train regularly.

 

Work hard, sleep better!

Monday Workout: Switch!

End of the month means a little switch in format to keep our minds and bodies awake and growing!  Three to four rounds, depending on time and energy.

 

1 min cardio
(lunge) punches	30
rows	20
bench dip	10
leg kicks	30
skullcrushers	20
Russian twist	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Step Up Reverse Lunge

The Amazing Stickie loves an amazing challenge.  When she gets bored with her usual step ups, she amps things up by doing step up reverse lunges.

 

She begins with her right foot on a step or box or bench sturdy enough to support her.  She steps up on to the box lifting her left leg so that her knee is raised like she is marching.  She steps back to the floor with her left leg and then moves her right leg behind her, bending both knees in a reverse lunge.  Then she stands back up and repeats the exercise beginning with her left foot on the box.

A set of thirty is good. 

Effects of Strength Training - 7

This effect of strength training is a little more warm-fuzzy.  We improve our sense of wellbeing when we lift.

A number of things go into this benefit.  One is that anything that gets our heart rates up tends to make us feel better (and if our heart rates don’t rise when we lift, we aren’t lifting enough!).  Another is that we increase our sense of efficacy.  Look!  I can lift a weight!  I am strong!  This sense of efficacy carries over into other areas of our lives.  Exercise generally releases endorphins in our bodies and those are the happy chemicals.  We like those.  Finally, over time as we lift, we look better and we improve our health, both of which tend to improve our sense of wellbeing.

 

So:  Lift and get happy!

Effects of Strength Training - 6

One of the guiding principles of my personal life is that crutches are bad.  I say this from experience.  So when something is likely to reduce my risk of injury, I tend to be in favor of it.  Strength training decreases the risk of injury.

There are a few ways that this works.  For one, the stronger I am, the more likely I can lift that thingie or whatsit without throwing out my back.  Having practiced good form as I lift, I know how to lift safely.  Because strength training improves my proprioception (five dollar word translator:  sense of where my body is in space), I react better to my environment and bump into fewer things and fall down less often.  I also cope with surprise curbs, gopher holes in the grass, and other unexpected obstacles better.  My body is generally more resilient as a result of my strength training.  Plus:  stronger bones less likely to break.

 

Lift to skip the crutches!