After your run, your legs are probably in need of a good stretch. But it's not all quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Don't forget these areas when stretching after your jog.
Hip flexors: Combat all that forward propelling (and desk sitting) with stretches that open up and loosen those all-important hip flexors. Tight hip flexors can lead to back pain and a limited range of motion, so make sure you incorporate some of these hip flexor stretches into your postrun routine.
IT band: Regular runners know that stretching your iliotibial (IT) band is very important, but if you've never had problems, it's easy to neglect the tendon that runs down the outer side of your leg. Prevent painful IT and knee problems before they happen by keeping your body loose with this standing IT band stretch.
Calves: Calves have the luxury of being among some of the most-used muscles in your body, but many people ignore them after a run, which can lead to an overly tight and inflexible pair. After you finish a run, find a curb or wall and do one of these seven calf stretches regularly.
Toe stretches: Your lower digits can use some attention too. Keep your toes happy and help prevent plantar fasciitis by doing a minute of toe scrunches after your run (or regularly throughout your day).
Besides these often-neglected areas, there are several other important stretches you should be doing to ensure you keep your muscles strong and flexible and prevent injury. Try this postrun stretching sequence after your next jog, or incorporate this yoga sequence for runners into your routine.
It takes a lot of time and energy to get a workout in, especially if you have a busy schedule. Don't make these post-workout mistakes that may undo the good you've done — or worse, result in illness or injury.
Original article and pictures take media1.popsugar-assets.com site
Do This 10-Minute Yoga Routine After Every Workout To Get Crazy Flexible Getty Images
Think of your workout as a meal. Your warm-up is your appetizer, the actual sweat session is your entree, and your cooldown is—wait... cooldown? "Most people skip stretching because they don't think it's important," says John Porcari, Ph.D., an exercise and sports science professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. "But gradually returning your body to its natural resting state is the best way to prevent cardiovascular and muscular mishaps."
So may we introduce to you: yoga for dessert. That's right, yoga—the age-old practice of controlling your breath, opening up your body, and quieting your mind—has become the cherry on top for boxing, indoor cycling, and boot camp. Trace it back to a growing emphasis on the mind-body connection and an increasing interest in restorative and recovery-enhancing techniques. In fact, instructors at buzzy niche studios (like NYC's Box + Flow and Studio 360) and big-name gyms (including Crunch) are replacing the standard quad-stretch-shoulder-roll quickie with 10 to 20 minutes of slow-flowing poses.
Smart thinking, since research shows that a single bout of yoga can reduce post-workout muscle soreness, thanks to improved flexibility. "Yoga gives your muscles a chance to relax and lengthen after they've been contracting throughout your workout, which should help you maintain range of motion even after intense exercise," explains Porcari. "It also helps lower your heart rate, so you can enter recovery mode faster." In other words, you'll be in better shape to max out your next workout, whatever it may be.
Of course, the mental benefits deserve a shout-out too. When you go-go-go during your session, then skedaddle, you don't get the full de-stressing perks of your hard work. "Exercise excites the nervous system, while a subdued yoga flow calms it," says Ryanne Cunningham, founder of Flow Yoga Studio in DePere, Wisconsin, and author of Yoga for Athletes. "That's crucial to finishing your workout feeling optimistic, peaceful, and inspired—and hopefully, a little more appreciative of what your body just did for you."
But there's more! Even if you aren't a yogi, it's practically impossible not to look forward to a wind-down when you've been pushing yourself for half an hour or more. "You might even find yourself cranking up your intensity just to 'earn the reward,'" says Cunningham.
She created a short and sweet sequence exclusively for WH that'll complement any strength or cardio program. You're in for a treat.
ZEN IN 10
Yes, just 10 minutes! Directly after your workout, focus on slowing your breath bit by bit. Inhale for three seconds, hold for three, then exhale for three; add a count each round until you're inhaling, holding, and exhaling for six breaths. This gradually gets you from panting heavily to calm and focused. Then perform this flow in order, starting with your vinyasa and going back to it between every sequence. Repeat each sequence on the other side, vinyasa included, until you've made it to your final sequence, then repeat the entire flow twice. Optional: End with a minute or two in savasana (lying on your back).
Kagan McLeod
Start in a pushup position, hands under your shoulders (a). Keeping your core engaged and elbows close to your sides, bend your elbows to slowly lower your body in one straight line until your arms form a 90-degree angle to the floor (b). Roll over your toes and straighten your arms to draw your chest forward, keeping your hips and legs a few inches off the ground (c). Plant your toes and push your hips up and back to finish in downward dog (d).
Kagan McLeod
WARRIOR II TO WARRIOR II WITH ARM STRETCH
From downward dog, place your right foot between your hands. Ground your heels and lift up to stand. Bend your right knee and angle your left foot to face the top left corner of your mat. Extend your arms in opposite directions (a). Lift your right arm and bend your elbow to rest your palm on your upper back. Place your left palm on your right elbow. Push your hips slightly forward to feel a stretch in your right side (b).
TRIANGLE
Extend your arms and bend your right knee to return to warrior II. Push your right foot into the mat as you straighten your right leg. Shift both hips back as you tilt your upper body forward and reach for the front of the room with your right hand. Rest your right hand on your shin or ankle and reach your left arm toward the ceiling.
This yoga sequence for everyday athletes is great for fending off injury, improving flexiblity, and building strength:
Kagan McLeod
PYRAMID TO REVOLVED TRIANGLE
From downward dog, lift your right leg up and step your right foot behind your right hand. Step your left foot in about a foot, feet staggered. Lift up to standing, keeping your hips facing forward. Touch your palms together behind your back, and slowly fold over your right leg (a). Place your left hand to the left of your right foot, then raise your right arm directly up as you twist your torso toward the ceiling, pushing your hips back (b).
Kagan McLeod
From downward dog, lift your right leg, then bend your right knee to open up your hip. Bring your right leg forward and place your right knee down on the mat behind your right wrist. Gently guide your right foot a little closer to your left wrist. Lengthen your left leg so it's in a straight line directly behind you, and uncurl your toes. Keeping your hips square, press your fingertips into the floor. (Optional: Lower onto your forearms to deepen the pose.)
Swing your left leg around and plant your left foot on the mat on the outside of your right thigh. Place your left hand on the mat behind your hips and hook your right elbow on the outside of your left knee. Keeping your spine tall, gently twist toward the left, using your elbow to draw your knee back and twist a little deeper.
(Torch fat, get fit, and look and feel great with Women's Health's All in 18 DVD!)
Kagan McLeod
From downward dog, lower onto your knees and come to a seat on your mat. Lower onto your back and extend your arms, palms down, by your sides. Slowly lift your legs up and behind you until your toes touch the floor (a). Plant your toes into the floor, then walk your elbows in closer together and place your hands on your middle back. Raise one leg toward the ceiling, then the other. Walk your hands along your back toward your shoulder blades to keep the weight off your neck (b).
Lower your legs to the floor behind you (back into plow) and place both hands down onto the mat. Slowly bring both legs back onto the mat; extend your legs and bring them together. Come to a seat and flex your feet. Reach your arms overhead, then fold forward over your legs, reaching for both feet.
Original article and pictures take www.womenshealthmag.com site
After an intense run or indoor cycling class, your tired muscles are screaming for some love. Here are six must-do moves to target all the tight areas of the body, increasing flexibility, preventing injury, and reducing next-day soreness.
Tipover Tuck
Targets: hamstrings, lower back, chest, shoulders
Stand with your feet hips-width distance apart. Inhale to interlace your hands behind you, pressing the heels of your palms together in a double fist.
As you exhale, fold forward at the hips. Keep your legs straight and press your navel toward your thighs to encourage a straight spine. Fold as deeply as you can, pressing your weight forward into your toes. Hold for 30 seconds.
One-Armed Camel
Targets: quads, abs, shoulders
Stand on your shins so your knees are underneath your hips.
Take a breath in, and then exhale to reach your right hand back, placing it on your right heel or on the mat behind your right toes. Extend your left arm in the air.
Shift weight forward onto your knees to increase the stretch in your quads, belly, and chest. Lower your head behind you, holding for 30 seconds. Lift the torso up, and then switch sides.
Open Lizard
Targets: hip flexors, hips
Come into a low lunge with the right knee forward, hands resting on the floor underneath your shoulders. Inhale and then exhale as you slowly lower your right knee to the right, resting on the outside of your right flexed foot. Keep the arms straight, pressing your chest forward to increase the stretch in the front of the left thigh.
After 30 seconds, switch sides.
Butterfly
Targets: hips, lower back
Sit on the floor, bend both knees, and bring your feet together. Inhale to lengthen the spine, and then exhale to fold forward. Rest your hands on your feet or extend your arms out in front of you.
Stay here for 30 seconds.
Half Wheel
Targets: quads, abs, chest, shoulders, neck
Begin lying flat on your back with your arms along the sides of your body, palms facing down.
Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the floor and clasp your hands together below your pelvis, extending through your arms. Rock your weight from side to side to bring your shoulder blades closer together.
Stay here for 30 seconds.
Seated Straddle
Targets: hamstrings, lower back
Sit on the floor with your legs wide. Inhale to lengthen the spine and exhale to hinge at the hips, folding forward. Rest your hands on the floor or, if you're more flexible, rest on your forehead or cheek.
Decode, Treat and Prevent 5 Common Types of Post-Workout Pain 30-Day Secrets to Success
Pain is a real, well, pain! How many times have you been gung-ho to start a new workout routine only to feel like you've been hit by a ton of bricks on day two? Something as simple as walking down the stairs can feel like torture. Most of us have "been there, done that" when it comes to muscle soreness. However, did you know that there are many different causes for muscle soreness and that some of them are entirely preventable? Read on to learn what's normal and what's not when it comes to muscle soreness, and how to tell the difference between normal soreness and pain that requires time off from the gym (or even a doctor's visit).
Many people confuse soreness with pain, but the two are very, very different. Soreness is more of a dull, slightly uncomfortable ache in your muscle, while pain is a very uncomfortable or sometimes sharp sensation in your bones, joints, or sometimes your muscles. While some muscle soreness is normal, pain is not. If you feel pain at any point during your workout, it is essential that you stop what you are doing. If you experience sudden pain, severe pain, swelling, extreme tenderness, extreme weakness in a limb, inability to place weight on a leg or foot, inability to move a joint through its full range of motion, visible dislocation or broken bone, numbness or tingling you should see a healthcare professional right away.
5 Types of Muscle Soreness Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Called DOMS for short, this is the soreness you're probably most familiar with. It's what you feel when you get out of bed the next morning after a tough workout. This type of muscle soreness begins 24 to 48 hours after your workout and actually indicates a natural adaptive process that the body uses after an intense exercise session. When you do a new or particularly challenging workout, your muscle fibers tear on a microscopic level. It takes time for your body to repair that muscle, which is why you may feel this type of lingering soreness for up to 72 hours after that hard workout. Sometimes, you may even feel sorer on the second or third day after your tough workout than you did on the first. The good news? Once you get through this bout of soreness, that same activity shouldn't make you that sore (or sore at all) because your muscles will have gotten stronger and will be better able to handle that particular challenge.
How to prevent it: For a long time, fitness professionals believed that stretching would prevent DOMS, but current research is mixed on that. Stretching is great for a myriad of reasons, and you should continue to stretch and properly cool down, which is also believed to help prevent DOMS. But when it comes to avoiding DOMS entirely, your best bet is to progress slowly and steadily into your exercise program so that your muscles are gradually challenged and can build over time.
How to treat it: There are differing opinions and research on this topic, but a number of things may give you some relief from those post-workout muscle aches including massage, icing, gentle stretching, an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory (always consult your doctor), and yoga. Unfortunately, nothing has concretely been proven to reduce how long the soreness lasts, but try a few of those things to get some relief.
What not to do: Don't be a couch potato! Sure, your body needs rest, but performing active recovery, such as walking or yoga, is better than just sitting on your duff. Active recovery is beneficial after a hard workout—just a little bit of physical activity will help increase circulation which, in turn, helps speed muscle recovery. Just be sure to keep it low-impact, low-intensity and pretty short—no longer than 30 minutes are needed to get the results.
Long-Term Muscle Soreness Sometimes you might be sore for longer than 72 hours after a workout. If you are, this probably means that you really pushed yourself, did a completely new activity, or haven't exercised in a long time. This muscular soreness feels much like DOMS, just more severe, and indicates that your body needs additional time to repair those muscles.
How to prevent it: Like DOMS, prevention comes by slowly easing into your workout frequency, intensity and duration.
How to treat it: Use the same treatment options as general DOMS, and engage in easy active recovery such as walking, light swimming or yoga. If the soreness lasts more than five days, consult your physician.
What not to do: Do not do a hard workout or skimp on sleep. Give your body ample time to repair itself with active recovery, and plenty of good sleep to recharge those batteries!
Muscle Cramps At one time or another, you've probably experienced a muscle cramp in your calf, foot or hamstring. Muscle cramps are basically sudden, involuntary contractions or spasms. They most commonly occur after exercise or at night and can last from a few seconds to several minutes. Muscle cramps can be caused by nerves that malfunction due to a health problem such as a spinal cord injury or a pinched nerve in the neck or back. Most muscle cramps have far less concerning causes like straining or overusing a muscle, dehydration, a lack of minerals in your diet, a depletion of minerals in your body, or low blood flow to your working muscles.
How to prevent it: Eating a healthy, nutritious diet and taking a multivitamin can help, as can making sure you're drinking enough water. Regular stretching and not overdoing it in your workouts will help prevent muscle cramps as well. Replacing lost electrolytes during prolonged (greater then 90 minutes) workout sessions is also helpful.
How to treat it: Cramps can be very painful, but stretching or gently massaging the muscle can relieve the pain. If you're in the middle of a workout and a cramp comes on, stop if necessary until it subsides; just be sure to monitor how you're feeling overall as suddenly stopping during exercise can cause lightheadedness or fainting.
What not to do: When your muscle is cramping, the worst thing you can do is flex it. Flexing that muscle only increases the strength of the cramp and causes you more pain. Instead, elongate the muscle to stretch it out. For example, when you get a cramp in your calf, your instinct may be to point your toes but instead, just pull the toes of your foot up, giving the calf muscle a nice stretch.
Unexplained Aches Ever have a great workout and then the next day you're sore in an area that you didn't really work? Or perhaps you are in the middle of a workout and are noticing pain or burning in muscles that shouldn't be feeling the particular exercise, such as your lower back aching while doing an abs exercise. This may be a sign of improper form when lifting weights or performing an exercise. Unexplained aches in your back and neck, or general joint pain, can be signs that you have overstressed your joints or exercised in poor form, causing your body to overcompensate and recruit other muscles to help do the work.
How to prevent it: Always make sure that you're exercising with perfect form. If you can't perform an exercise with proper form, it's a sign that you either need to decrease your weight or modify the exercise.
How to treat it: If you generally feel just sore, treat the same as you would DOMS, but pay special attention to where you're sore to determine the cause of it—you can then avoid it the next time you hit the gym. Joint pain can indicate a more serious injury, so don't use the affected joint in any way that causes it pain. Also, be sure to check with your doctor to rule out injury before exercising again.
What not to do: Do not work the area that is sore—especially if you have back, spine or neck aches. Be cautious of any activity that increases the soreness and consider RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) for relief.
Burning Sensations in Muscles When people say "no pain, no gain" in the gym, the pain they're talking about is actually the burn you feel in your muscles when you really push into and past fatigue. (As you've already learned, real pain is no gain to anyone.) This burn is an unpleasant—but normal—sign that you are working. See, when our muscles use energy, they release hydrogen ions or protons. When doing heavy or prolonged exercise, the protons in your muscles actually accumulate faster than your body can release them, making your muscles burn. This burn is a sign that you've reached muscular fatigue or "overload," which is a necessity if you hope to build stronger muscles.
How to prevent it: You can prevent this by working out at a lower-intensity, although every few days it's good to "feel the burn" because you know that you're really working those muscles in a way that will help them get stronger!
How to treat it: Stopping "the burn" is as simple as stopping the exercise you're doing. Rest a minute or two and try again if you feel up to it. The feeling should subside in a matter of seconds or minutes, although you may experience DOMS in the following days as a result of your hard work.
What not to do: Don't feel like you have to feel the burn every time to have a good workout. The best exercise plan is one that switches high-intensity workouts with easier, lower-intensity workouts to prevent over-training. Keep workouts fresh and give the body adequate rest.
Finish your core workout with this static stretching routine. Abs, obliques and lower back stretches to increase your flexibility and release all tension. Start the timer, play the music and relax!
CORE STRETCHING INSTRUCTIONS
WARM UP AND WORKOUT
Start your exercise routine with a core warm up, continue with a set of core strengthening moves and finish with these static stretching exercises.
1. Child’s pose: 30 seconds. Sit down on your heels and stretch your arms in front of you. Relax and feel the tension fading away.
2. Ab stretch: 30 seconds. Lie face down on your mat with your arms in a push up position. Straighten your arms slowly, until you feel the stretch in your abs, and then hold.
3. Cat cow stretch: 30 seconds + 30 seconds. Drop your head and round your back and neck by pulling your abs in. Hold for 30 seconds and then lift your head and round your back down toward the floor.
4. Hip stretch: 30 seconds + 30 seconds. Bend your left knee and cross your left leg over the right. Place your left hand on the floor and rotate your upper body to the left. Repeat on the opposite side.
5. Lower back stretch: 30 seconds. Lie down on your back and then slowly pull your knees toward the chest.
6. Obliques stretch: 30 seconds + 30 seconds. Stand up, raise your left arm and lean your torso to the right until you feel the stretch in the obliques. Hold and repeat on the opposite side.
7. Standing forward bend: 30 seconds. Exhale as you slowly rotate your hips and lower your torso. Try touching the back of your ankles, keep your knees straight and hold.
INTERVAL TIMER
MUSIC PLAYLIST
CALORIE CALCULATOR
Enter your weight to find out how many calories you can burn doing these static stretching exercises:
RELATED WORKOUT ROUTINES
Original article and pictures take www.cdn.spotebi.com site
No matter how pressed for time you are, you should never skip your post-workout cooldown. Taking a few minutes to stretch muscles helps prevent injury, build muscle, and increase flexibility. Here are four cooldown ideas for your workout.
After a bike ride or Spin class: An hour on your bike or in an indoor cycling class can lead to tight hips and hunched shoulders, not to mention tired leg muscles. Work them all out with cooldown stretches like a basic hamstring stretch, and then move onto your quads. Use a sturdy wall, curb, or tree to help with stretches if you are cooling down after an outdoor bike ride. In class, you can use the stationary bike to help you balance while stretching. Get the rest of the postride stretches here.
After a run: Place emphasis on relieving overworked leg muscles and opening tight hips after a long run; these postrun stretching sequences will make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated after your run. Make sure to focus on the lower back, quads, hip flexors, and hamstrings.
After circuit training: You've squatted, lifted, and planked your way through a sweaty routine, and now you need to show your body some love. This ab and cooldown video workout features cooldown stretches at the end that will relieve your legs, back, and arms. Check out the entire workout, or skip to the cooldown at the 5:54 mark.
For everyone: No matter what your choice of fitness, chances are your workout has contributed to tight hips. And sitting in a chair for hours a day at work doesn't help matters! Use this nine-stretch sequence to cool down after a workout and focus on tight hips and an inflexible midsection.
This Fitness Blender Cool Down Workout video is made of thorough stretches to help you slowly bring down your heart rate and help fend off muscle soreness after a tough workout.
So long as your muscles aren’t completely cold (for example, if you have been sitting in front of your work computer all day), you can also do this stretching workout as a standalone routine to help improve flexibility and decrease stress. If you’ve been sedentary for a long period of time, do a quick 2-3 minutes of marching in place in order to get your blood moving and your muscles more primed for a good stretch, then jump right in.
We are holding each stretch for 30 seconds. Holding a position for this length of a period is wonderful for improving flexibility, but you don’t want to hold a stretch for that long before a workout – make sure that you don’t do this routine before a more strenuous HIIT or strength workout as it can actually increase your chances of injury.
Cool Down Stretches
Toe Touch
Inside Thigh
Wide Toe Touch
Standing Quadriceps
Hip Flexor + Arm Cross Pull
Overhead Triceps
Downward Dog
Downward Dog + Leg Extension, Hip Opener
Plank Calf Stretch
Modified Pigeon
Cobra
Child’s Pose
Lying Torso Twist
Full Body
Use smooth and controlled motions to go through each one of these movements. You never want to bounce or force a range of motion that is painful, as this could end up doing far more harm than good, and even causing injury. As you can, push the range of motion, very slowly and very gently, but never to the point of pain.
This is one of our longer videos of this sort, but if you give this routine a shot you’re going to find that you like the way that you feel by the time you’re done (particularly after that nice long full body stretch). The harder the workout that you did before you got to this video, the better that these flexibility exercises are going to feel.
You can do this video every day of the week if you like, even several times a day if you are feeling as though you are having extra muscle stiffness or soreness.
Original article and pictures take cloudfront.fitnessblender.com site
Cool Down With 5 Post-Workout Stretches In Under 8 Minutes
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Follow along with contributing fitness editor Assata McKenzie for the ultimate post-workout stretching routine that will cool you down from head to toe, in under eight minutes.
Stretch and relax your entire body with this 5-minute stretching routine. A set of cool down exercises to increase muscle control, flexibility and range of motion. Start the timer, play the music and unwind!
1. Ab stretch: 20 seconds. Lie down on the mat with your arms in push up position and your legs straight. Straighten your arms slowly and lift your torso.
2. Cat cow stretch: 20 seconds + 20 seconds. Start on all fours, drop your head and round your back and neck. Hold and then slowly curve your back down and raise your head.
3. Hip flexor stretch: 20 seconds + 20 seconds. Kneel on your left leg and bend your right leg in front of you at a 90-degree angle. Shift your weight forward and feel the stretch in your hip. Switch sides.
4. Lower back stretch: 20 seconds. Lie down on your back and pull your knees up to your chest. Deepen the stretch as you breathe out.
5. Standing forward bend: 20 seconds. Stand up and then slowly rotate your hips and lower your torso. Try touching the back of your ankles, keep your knees straight and hold.
6. Quad stretch: 20 seconds + 20 seconds. Keep your thighs together, grab one foot and pull it toward your butt. Hold the stretch and then switch sides.
7. Calf stretch: 20 seconds + 20 seconds. Hold onto a wall and extend one leg back. Keep your back foot flat on the floor, your back knee straight and lean forward.
8. Shoulder stretch: 20 seconds + 20 seconds. Grasp one elbow and gently pull the arm toward the chest. Breathe slowly and exhale as you deepen the stretch.
9. Biceps stretch: 20 seconds. Straighten your arms, clasp your hands behind your back and rotate your palms. Raise your arms and hold.
10. Child’s pose: 20 seconds. Sit down on your heels and stretch your arms in front of you. Relax and feel all tension fading away.
INTERVAL TIMER
MUSIC PLAYLIST
CALORIE CALCULATOR
Enter your weight to find out how many calories you can burn doing these cool down exercises:
RELATED WORKOUT ROUTINES
Original article and pictures take www.cdn.spotebi.com site
Common Mistakes People Make After Exercise Hinterhaus Productions/Digital Vision/Getty Images
What do you do after you exercise? If you're like me, you usually go home and sit on the couch. Or if you exercise in the morning, you shower, change and head to work. Do those habits sound familiar? If so, it probably means that you're making one or more huge post-workout recovery mistakes.
A healthy post-workout routine is essential for optimal fitness. And if you're trying to lose weight, your post-workout ritual can make or break the success of your program. So for my own benefit and for the benefit of my readers, I'm busting the five biggest post-workout recovery mistakes. These are the things we forget to do — or do wrong — that ultimately make our workout routines less successful.
Glow Cuisine/Getty Images
Post workout nutrition is essential to maintain a fit and healthy body. So you need to know what to eat after you exercise. Most experts recommend that you take in a reasonable combination of carbohydrates and protein in order to replace essential nutrients that were lost during the workout and to aid in the recovery process.
But what do many of us do? We use the exercise session as justification to overeat the wrong foods. If you're trying to lose weight, a single post-workout binge can completely undo the hard work you did in the gym. And then you won't lose weight.
If weight loss is your goal, the key to successful post-workout nutrition is to eat like you didn't exercise. Of course, you should refuel properly. But you shouldn't overeat because you worked hard at the gym. Be mindful of your food intake and include the calories from your post-workout meal in your total calorie plan for the day.
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If you're a smart exerciser, you leave stretching to the end of your workout. That way, your muscles are warm and flexibility training is easier and more comfortable. But what do most of us do (myself included)? We skip the stretching part of our workout and hit the shower.
Stretching at the end of your workout is important to maintain healthy joints, healthy muscles and prevent injury. If you're trying to lose weight flexibility training has even greater benefits — like stress reduction and improved sleep.
While I wouldn't necessarily recommend moving the stretching part of your routine to the beginning of your workout, I would suggest that you stretch like you've got nowhere better to go. That means that you commit to a solid 10-15 minutes of full-body flexibility training. Schedule this part of your workout routine just like you schedule your ab work and your cardio. It's that important.
Paul Taylor/Getty Images
This is the post workout recovery mistake that I make most often...and I'll bet you do too. After you exercise, you look forward to a restful recovery period — on the couch, in a chair or even in bed. Sound familiar? It's a huge mistake!
Post workout recovery and rest are essential. Your muscles need time to rebuild and your body needs time to relax. But you need to stay active in this phase for two reasons. First, if you continue to do the easy movement, your joints stay more limber and mobile. And second, you continue to burn more calories through NEAT.
If you are trying to lose weight, the number of calories you burn from NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) can make or break your weight loss success. The number will vary from person to person, but if you stay mobile you can easily burn hundreds of calories during the day and maybe even more than you did during your workout.
So how do you stay active when your body just wants to rest? One way is to dress to stay active. Believe it or not, your clothing choices can have a big impact on how much you move each day. I like to wear compression gear after I work out. Many experts say it speeds recovery and even provides greater benefits to people who are trying to lose weight.
Ned Frisk/Getty Images
So how did your workout make you feel?
Believe it or not, writing down your feelings about your workout may help you stick to your program over the long term. A workout journal serves as a reminder of your progress and your accomplishments. It is also helpful to review if you have problems losing weight or completing your sessions.
So it's a good idea to take a few minutes after your exercise session to jot down a few notes about how you felt during the workout. Include information about:
What you did (length of workout, types of exercise)
How you felt when you started
How you felt during the workout (confident? strong? uneasy?)
How you feel now that you're done
Other factors that may have influenced your mood (work stress, relationships, etc)
If you have a workout journal, keep it in your gym bag so that you can write down notes immediately after your workout is complete. I use my Polar M400 to rate my workouts — it's one of the coolest things about the device. The app allows you to choose an adjustable smiley face to reflect your post-workout mood.
JoSon/Getty Images
What's the most important post-workout recovery tool? A pen...or a smartphone, or calendar or whatever tool you use to schedule really important meetings and events. As you finish your workout, you should plan your next session as if it is the most important thing on your agenda. That way, you can be sure that it will get done.
Of course, you're not going to want to make a plan to do the same workout you just did. The best weight loss workout plans involve different types of activities, different durations and different types of training. It's smart to have a weekly schedule in place to make sure you get the right amount of exercise for weight loss. But as you finish your workout, revisit that plan or at least finalize the details it so you know which workout is next on the agenda.
Original article and pictures take www.verywell.com site
Cody’s Focus and De-Stress Yoga Playlist yoga playlist
Music is an essential part of any workout routine, including yoga. Typically yoga is done to the soothing sounds of the ocean, or rain, or whales bellowing, or other nature sounds.
But hey! It’s the 21st century.
The modern yogi might be craving something a little more stimulating than a bubbling creek, so I have put together a yoga playlist of of some of my favorite tunes to relax to. Roll out your yoga mat and prepare for 52 minutes of robot zen. Enjoy!
Cody’s Focus and Destress Yoga Playlist:
In Love Not Limbo, by Of Oceans
BTSTU, by Jai Paul
Geometer, by Slidecamp
Fences, by Phoenix (Def Starr remix)
Helicopter, by Deerhunter (Diplo & Lunice remix)
Lay Down, by XXYYXX
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight, by The Postal Service
Blackout, by Muse
Crystalised, by The XX (Neon Lights remix)
Basic Space, by The XX (Jamie XX remix)
No Diggity, by Blackstreet (Chet Faker cover)
Transatlanticism, by Death Cab for Cutie
Hide and Seek, Imogen Heap
Original article and pictures take 17eu8o3hks9l3pocszejtb1c.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com site
Christine Bullock’s guide to getting the best workout (and it might surprise you)
When Christine Bullock, our resident Fitness Guru, shared her favorite daily yoga flow sequence this month, we have to admit we were a little surprised. “But you’re invincible!” we said, wondering about tips for our tummies, butts and thighs. Turns out Christine’s approach is not only about cultivating a killer body, but a beautiful heart that radiates warmth and vitality throughout the day.
The once professional ballet dancer explained:
“My daily yoga practice helps me to cultivate an attitude of renewal and center myself for the day. A tired, stiff body cannot grow and adapt to your workouts, so it’s important to spend time daily on nurturing your body and preparing yourself for the day.”
So here you have it, folks. Enter Christine with her daily, pre-workout routine to get you reenergized and ready for more.
Did you know that women hold many of their emotions in their hips? Use these first three hip opening poses to clear out the stale emotions that you may be unknowingly holding onto as tension in this area. Resist the urge to force yourself into the poses, instead deepen slowly with your breath.
Pigeon
Begin in a seated position with your hands planted shoulder width apart on the mat in front of you. Extend your left leg straight behind you, while using your hands to support your torso as you keep your right shin on the mat in front of you. Encourage your shin to lie parallel to the front of your mat. Square your hips to the front and balance your weight in the center of your body. Sink deeper into the pose for three breathes. Switch sides.
Begin in a lunge with your right leg forward and left leg back. Using your hands for support, glide your left leg back to deepen the lunge so that you can place your forearms on the floor inside of your right ankle. Keep your right knee directly over your right ankle and continue to push out of your left heel to straighten your left leg. Relax and release through your right hip for three breathes. Switch sides.
Modification: If balancing is difficult, lower your left knee to the mat to keep the focus on the stretch in your hips.
Stand with your feet as wide as the mat. Lower into a deep squat. (Keep your heels on the floor if you can; otherwise, support them on a folded mat.) Press the palms together into prayer and open elbows wide, pressing them into your thighs to assist in hip opening. Lengthen your torso and sit up tall. Hold the position for three breathes, then come to standing.
Modification: If squatting is difficult, sit on the front edge of a chair seat, thighs forming a right angle to your torso, heels on the floor slightly ahead of your knees. Lean your torso forward between the thighs.
I use these twisting poses daily to wring out stagnant emotions and negativity. Be sure to lengthen your torso as you twist to create new space for growth.
Twisted Wide Leg Forward Fold
Begin standing with feet wider than hip distance apart. Fold forward at the waist and reach your left hand to the outside of your right ankle. Rest your right arm gently across your lower back. Use your left arm to encourage your left shoulder towards your right side and open your chest to the right. Hold the pose for three breathes. Switch sides.
Begin lying on your back with your arms by your side and your legs zipped together. Use your core to draw your legs up overhead while you shift your weight to your shoulders. Hinging at your waist and keeping your knees straight, bring your toes to touch the ground above your right shoulder. Push through your heels to intensify the stretch. Keep your chin down and gaze forward to protect your neck. Breathe into the stretch for three breathes. Switch sides.
Embrace the vulnerability of these heart opening poses. Focus on opening your chest and heart to graciously receive whatever opportunities and challenges are coming your way.
Bow
Begin face down on the floor with arms extended to a T, legs hip distance apart and tops of feet resting on the ground. On an inhalation, use your back muscles to lift your chest and arms off of the floor keeping the neck relaxed and drawing shoulder blades and elbows back; engage your glutes and thighs to hover your legs off of the floor. Then bend your knees and draw your arms back to capture your feet in your hands. Roll to the soft part of your belly. Breathe into the pose and lift up high through your hands and feet.
Flip Dog
Begin in Downward facing dog with your body in a pike position, hands shoulder distance apart, feet hip distance apart, hips lifted high. Bring your weight into your right hand and shift onto the outer edge of your right foot. Lift your left leg high and begin to rotate your left hip open towards the sky. Bend your left knee and allow your left foot to find the ground. Open your chest to the sky and extend your left arm overhead. Hold the pose for three breathes.
Begin by kneeling upright with your knees hip width apart. Rotate your thighs inward and press your shins and the tops of your feet into the floor. Rest your hands on the back of your pelvis, with your fingers pointing to the floor. Lean back, with your chin slightly tucked toward your chest. Beginners can stay here, but if you would like to take the pose deeper reach back and hold onto your heels. Hold the pose for three breathes.
Daily renewal is all about clearing out the old and starting fresh — new opportunities, new adventures, new habits. Habitually performing a morning yoga sequence can have an awesome impact on your attitude and mentality for your day and your life.
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Original article and pictures take theflexiblechef.com site
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