MINI ME TIME!

MICRO WORKOUTs at home can be a great way to keep some balance in your life and give yourself time to check in with your body. They can also, sometimes, evolve into deluxe, hour long meditations or an invigorating session.

As a new mother I am very appreciative of how busy life can be and how hard it can be to find 'me time'. My leisurely pre-motherhood life allowed me the luxury of long pilates & yoga at home and up to 3 regular classes a week. Many of us are juggling work, social lives, family, study, housework, hobbies and creative projects, not to mention fitting in time to meditate, eat properly, take regular exercise, relax, keep our minds active with a good book, spend time with our pets, garden etc etc. Scheduling in a couple of hours for exercise a week is important for fitness (physically), but also for mental balance, time to switch off and to tune in to your body and it's wisdom.

MINI (or micro) 'ME TIME'

My tighter time schedule has led me to appreciate the importance of small snatches of time in which to fit in a couple of stretches or exercises. Sometimes I only manage one a day, and some days I'll do several (by the end of the day I'm sure it adds up to a fairly good session!). We all have areas of tightness or imbalance, part of our physical selves we need to nourish & attend to. It's quite incredible what you can achieve in a small space of time to make your shoulders or hips feel looser, to relax your neck, lengthen your spine, give a muscle group a good workout or spend some time breathing and letting go of any tension or stress in body or mind.

I enthusiastically encourage my Pilates clients to do homework, and I can almost ALWAYS tell when they do. A few simple exercises or stretches that are specific for your posture or a particular goal you have, will make a BIG difference over the weeks, and will enable you to progress with your goals more quickly. Try to remember an exercise you find really enjoyable or challenging, or one you can feel your body wants and see if you can find the time to do it every day, or every second day, or even once during the week before your next class! You can always jot it down straight after class so you won't forget, and if you can't remember it, make sure to pay attention next time.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore,
is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle

 TRY THIS MINI WORKOUT

Discontinue if you feel any discomfort during ANY exercise, consult a medical professional before beginning any excercise programme. These exercises are for healthy individuals and are not recommended for anyone with any pathologies, injuries or conditions without supervision from a qualified practitioner.

 BOOK OPENINGS

Lie on your side, knees bent into a right angle with your knees in line with your hip bones. Place a small ball or rolled up towel between your knees, and a pillow or rolled up towel under your head. Reach your arms forward to the wall infront, in line with your sternum.

Inhale: Lift your top arm up to the ceiling and look at your thumb.

Exhale: Open your arm and follow your thumb with your eyes, head and ribcage. Rotate your spine towards the floor, keeping your arm in line with your collar bones.

This is a rotation for your upper spine. Keep your knees still and your ribs at the front softening together.

THORACIC SPINE STRETCH (TOWEL)

Roll up a towel and place it under your upper back (width ways/ parallel with your collar bones). Arms out to the side or behind your head. Rest here for 2-10 mins.

You can move the towel up or down to stretch different parts of the spine. 

This should feel comfortable and your back should be relaxed. If it causes any discomfort please stop!

PELVIC CURL (BRIDGE)

 

Lie on your back, feet hip width apart and knees bent.

Exhale to peel the spine off the floor, one vertebra at a time 

Inhale hold and find length through the spine

Exhale articulate the spine back down to the mat

Inhale hold

Repeat 3-10 times

 Detailed in Sally Anderson's article in Body & Soul! Sally Anderson is one of Australia's most esteemed instructors, and founder of the Pilates Alliance, Pilates industry body.

 http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/body+fitness/news+features/work+the+whole+body+with+pilates,11711

SPINE TWIST

 There are several versions of the spine twist, this is a 'lazy man's' version which is really gentle and relaxing. 

Lie on your back with knees bent, feet on the floor, a little wider than your pelvis. Arms out to the side, palms up, at shoulder height.

Exhale to drop both knees to one side and hold for 1-3 breaths
Exhale to draw in the belly and bring the knees back to center,.

Repeat 3-5 times each side.

QUADRUPED SWIMMING

Kneeling with hands under shoulders and knees under hip bones.

Exhale to lift the abdomen and slide one arm and the opposite leg away from each other, maintaining a still pelvis and spine
Inhale hold and find length in the spine
Exhale return

Repeat 3-5 each side progressing to a full leg and arm float off the floor

5 MINUTES TO A HEALTHIER SPINE..... meet the 'Dart'!

 8 years on, in my Pilates jouney, as a student & Pilates instructor, I am constantly rediscovering & appreciating a simple, humble little exercise called the 'dart'. Almost ALL of us will benefit from this basic & powerful exercise, & it is worth perservering with its challenges, to unearth the incredible wisdom, strength & benefits you will gain. 

BENEFITS FROM THE PILATES 'DART'

• Relief from shoulder & neck tension
• Relief from lower back tension 
• Stronger upper back muscles
• Improved posture
• Opening the heart chakra
• Improving core support in extension biased movement
• Shouler girdle organisation and strength
• Thoracic spine mobility

WHAT IS THE DART?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the 'dart', it's a very 'simple' pilates exercise which promotes thoracic (upper back) strength and extension. A strong upper back helps to reduce common overloading of the lower back, encourage upright posture and allows your head to sit on top of your spine (as opposed to forward of it). This apparently simple exercise is both challenging and rewarding, and deserves perseverence and patience to reap the huge rewards it presents. Most of us will benefit from this exercise as it counters our days spent with our heads forward, shoulders rounded, spine flexed, whilst driving, working, lifting or reading. (See 'exercise of the day' at the bottom of the blog)

WHY I LOVE THE 'DART'

When I first started pilates I had a clothing label, and spent much of my time sewing. This resulted in constant back and neck pain and tight upper shoulders. I remember being amazed at how such a simple and small movement made such a dramatic change to my life. At first my biggest challenge was in not lifting from my lower back, and finding my core. Once this happened I quickly found my upper back support muscles and learned to correct the placement of my shoulders. Over time it became a great 'quick fix' for a day of bad posture infront of the sewing machine, and today it's my constant companion for reversing the load that is placed on my body through lifting my gorgeous 1 yr old daughter, time spent at a computer, riding my bike,  and teaching Pilates! In just 5 minutes, once a day (or even once a week!), you can do something positive for your spine.

NOT AS SIMPLE AS IT LOOKS

Why is such a simple movement so challenging?

When you correctly execute a 'dart', you are using your deep abdominals to support your lower back, and working against gravity to extend your upper back. This is essentially reversing the forward curve that our upper backs are generally in. As we age, gravity, work, and our everyday habbits and tasks, lead us to become more forward curved in our upper spines. Our Thoracic spine has less natural ability to extend, and without use, the muscles in the upper back become weaker and we rely more and more on our lower backs to access this range of movement. Often when we try our first dart, it's challenging to keep the lower back relaxed and 'find' the upper back muscles. With a little patience, increasing your core strength, and slowly strengthening the upper back muscles and finding the correct placement for your shoulders, you will be able to access the upper back & shoulder muscles and feel your deep abdominals gently supporting your lower back. Both lower back AND upper back pain can be helped by adding a dart to your home exercise programme!

DART AFTER PREGNANCY

After pregnancy, the dart was uber challenging and I had to be very patient as I gently re-visited and strengthened this part of my body. Through pregnancy your core is very much weakend, your ribcage has widened, and the early rigors of breastfeeding put enormous strain on your shoulders, not to mention carrying the ever icreasing little bundle of joy. It takes time to build the strength back into your deep abdominals and it is easy to feed into your lower and middle back as you begin to find your upper back. Patience, patience, patience. Even the preparation for the dart will reap huge rewards and daily, regular practise will build strength in both your center and thoracic spine, don't be in a hurry to find a big lift, keep it small and listen to your pelvic floor and your deep abdominals, they will tell you when to stop!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Behind every unhealthy physical movement pattern slumbers a good one.

                  Eric Franklin

EXERCISE OF THE DAY

'DART'

If you have any specific back or neck issues you should clear these with your medical professional before commencing any exercise. These exercises should not cause any pain or discomfort either during or after. If you are unsure about this work in any way, please find a qualified instructor or medical professional for advice and/ or instruction.

PREPARATION

Lie on your belly with your forehead on a towel (so your nose isn't squashed). Palms face the ceiling.

EXHALE  Draw you belly into your spine and imagine you are picking up a small pebble in your belly button, and gently lift your pelvic floor. Roll your shoulders back and gently down so that your shoulder blades float down your ribcage towards the middle of your back.  Allow your hands to lift to hip height and reach your fingertips to your feet. 

INHALE: Bring your hands back to the floor and let your shoulders relax down.

Repeat 6-10 times

FULL DART

EXHALE: Draw you belly into your spine, pick up your pebble in your belly button,  lift your pelvic floor, roll your shoulders back and down, float your hands to hip height and lift your head just off the towel. Eyes keep looking down, but your sternum floats forwards and upwards towards the ceiling. Create more length in your spine, so that the top of your head is reaching forwards, and your fingers reach to your feet. (you are essentially, long and straight with the crown of your head pointing straight in front of you, with the directional force of a dart shooting toward a dart board!). 


INHALE: Lower and relax

REPEAT 6-10 times

NOTES:

Maintain a soft, relaxed lower back throughout these repetitions and tune in to your deep abdominals to gently support the movement. 

Stay as long as you can between your tail bone and your middle back. Slightly sliding your tailbone underneath you and feeling your hip bones slide towards your ribcage will allow this length to be maintained. 

It is important that you widen your collar bones and feel your shoulder blades sitting flat on your ribcage, before you reach to your feet. Pulling the arms down when the shoulders are still rolled forward will encourage a closing of the front of the shoulder. Feel wide and open in the chest AND the back (between the shoulder blades) and then feel the fingertips reach to the feet. 

'Listen' to your Pelvic Floor and deep abdominals. If you feel your pelvic floor or your belly drop, or cannot sense a lift, you have begun to find the support from somewhere else in your body (maybe you are squeezing your butt or tensing your lower back). Come down and lift only as far as you can, maintaining the support of your core.