The Joy of Exercise

All of these ten exercises are good workouts for your stomach flattening program. It’s just that you can’t do eighteen exercises every day and hope to do much of anything else.

When you substitute one exercise for another, circle that exercise’s number on your workout chart. You may need to reduce the reps on a new exercise and you may not. If you’re at the eight rep step and you get a new exercise, you may want to drop it back to four and work it up to your level on the others. (more…)

Here are a few “off line” exercises that you can do. Some of them you can do sitting at a computer or desk. Some you can do while you’re walking down the hall or in your office with the door closed.

Again these exercises are aimed at your stomach muscles, and at trimming your waistline (more…)

Which is the best of the aerobic exercises? Just how many calories does walking burn, compared to a man running a six minute mile for the same time frame? These estimates are worked out on the basis of a person weighing 150 pounds. For each fifteen pounds more than this, add 10% to the calorie burning figure. For each 15 pounds less than this, take off 10%. (more…)

Strengthening and Stretching

We know that each Yoga exercise is initiated from a neutral spine — and this alignment ensures that a balance of muscle action is achieved around each and every joint and in and out of every movement. Muscles can only pull on bones and joints —they can’t push. So all muscles work in pairs, and when one muscle is contracting around a joint, its opposite number is stretching. In order to maintain a perfect balance, it’s important that the muscles are strong enough to hold the joints in a stable position — and also long enough to allow them to travel through their full range of movement. The fascia also plays a big part in this, through its connection to the muscles. (more…)

Shoulder Lifts

1. Lying in supine rest position, become aware of your neutral spine and center yourself. Tuck the chin into the throat to lengthen the back of the neck, then relax, holding no tension here.
2. Inhale, raise the arms up into the air in line with the shoulders, palms facing each other. Holding this position for a few breaths allow the weight of the arms to sink into the shoulder girdles and onto the floor. Sense the arms just floating and balancing; there is no effort for them to be there. Make sure your facial muscles are relaxed; your jaw is soft. (more…)

Balancing on your sit bones, this time the feet and knees are pressed together, activating the inner thighs for extra stability.

Holding your hand towel, slide your shoulders down into the mid-back with the Thoracic girdle active and the neck long, lengthening through the spine.

1. Inhale to prepare.
2. Exhale, draw navel to spine, tucking the pelvis under, start to roll down through the spine, with abdominal control, articulating each vertebra into the floor as if you are laying down a string of pearls.
3. As the head touches the floor, inhale the arms up in line with the shoulders. (more…)

These exercises focus on the upper body and arms, and define and strengthen the arm and chest muscles while at the same time strengthening the mid-back and spine. This in turn creates the foundation for that all- important Thoracic girdle of strength, which supports and protects the neck and aids in upper limb movement.

It is imperative throughout the exercises that you draw the navel to the spine and pull up on the pelvic floor muscles to activate the Abdominal and Pelvic girdles and their connection at the pelvic platform. (more…)

These exercises tone the buttocks, building endurance and creating definition in the muscles, while strengthening and sculpting the legs. The lower back and pelvis will also be strengthened, and again the abdominals will be toned, creating core stability.

It is imperative throughout the exercises that you draw the navel to the spine and pull up on the pelvic floor muscles. This activates the Abdominal and Pelvic girdles and strengthens their connection at the pelvic platform, ensuring the spine and pelvis is protected during movement. I will refer to this activation of muscles simply as ‘navel to spine‘. Remember to keep the facial muscles relaxed and the jaw soft, ensuring there is no tension as you work. (more…)

Each of the following poses/exercises can initially be done a few times on their own to warm the body so that you become familiar with them. They can then be linked together in a flowing sequence or be mixed and matched to suit the type of workout you require. When you feel ready you can incorporate the advanced sequences. (more…)

Lunge

From Extended Uttanasana:

• Inhale to prepare, remaining up on the fingertips.
• Exhale, draw navel to spine, stepping the right foot back into the basic lunge, extending the back leg and squeezing the buttocks, push through that heel with the knee off the floor and the kneecap lifted. Tuck the chin, slightly extending through the crown of the head and draw the shoulders down away from the ears. Find your neutral spine in this position. Find a point of focus just in front of the body.
• Hold the lunge for 3 breaths, checking that the front knee is above that ankle with even pressure and weight distribution through the front foot; maintain the abdominal and pelvic floor contraction. (more…)