(Stretching your arms when you wake up in the morning does NUH COUNT).
If you go to yoga routinely – good for you! I don’t. I never go. Except that time I bought a Groupon for 30 days, and then I HAD to go. Gotta get my moneys worth, ya know??
Since I workout, walk and sit in a desk for 90% of my life, stretching is so crucial. Especially after a workout:
Tight hips and hamstrings are a HUGE factor in why people get lower back pain, and why they aren’t able to squat properly.
Tight calves can cause tight feet, which turn into bunions or foot cramps (I’ve actually had to end workouts halfway through due to foot cramps – so annoying).
Tight glutes can affect your knee alignment and your hips, and therefore affect your form.
There are so many other issues that arise from having super tight and tense lower body muscles, but these are the most common in my experience.
I do a 10 minute warm up before every workout, and a 6 minute cool down post workout stretch routine afterwards. No matter how long my workout is, I always make time to stretch. If you leave the gym immediately after completing your workout – stop. Make it a priority before leaving. Even if it means ending your workout 5 minutes early to get that stretch in.
The main areas I focus on when I stretch are:
Hip flexors
Quads
Groin
Calves
Glutes
Hamstrings.
(…. basically all the muscles).
I press Start on my stop watch, and every 30 seconds I alternate legs, or move onto the next stretch until i’ve completed them all. If a particular area is more tight or sore than the others, I will stay in that stretch for up to 90 seconds.
The mat i’m using is from BYoga and it is amazing! It’s solid and anti-slip (key for a sweaty human such as myself) and it comes with this super dope/hip leather bag strap. I place the Turkish towel under my knee for the first stretch, as the mat alone is not enough for the pressure on the bone.
6 Minute Post Workout Stretch Routine
Kneeling Quad & Hip Stretch
Stretches quads & hips
Set up so that your left foot is flat on the ground, and your right knee is kneeling behind you. Ensure your left knee is directly over your left toes – you don’t want to be leaning into the stretch here. Instead what you will do is tuck your tailbone under, almost like you’re curving your bum towards your belly button. You should feel a stretch in the front of your right hip. Now, carefully lift your right foot and grab it with your right hand. You should feel a good stretch in both the right quad and hip. Keep your torso upright and ensure both your hips and chest are facing forward.
PigeonPose
Opens hip joint, stretches the glutes & groin
Slide your left knee forward so that your thigh and knee are directly in front of the hip (as much as possible). Place your left foot towards your right hip, keeping your knee from sliding to the side. Your shin does NOT need to be parallel with the mat, but your hips should be facing forward. The right leg should be extended behind you, with the top of your foot flat on the mat. You can either lean over your bent leg, or keep your torso upright.
Low Lunge Stretch
Opens and loosens tight hip flexors & groin
Step forward with your left foot and bend at the knee. Your right leg should be extended out behind you, with your knee several inches off the ground. Sit into your left leg, allowing your hips to open up as much as possible. Place your hands beside your left foot, with your torso parallel with your upper left leg. Try to maintain your pose so that your right knee stays off the ground.
Kneeling Groin Stretch
Stretches and opens your groin
Start on your hands and knees with your knees running the length of the mat. Slowly spread your knees further apart, until you can comfortably maintain that position and feel a stretch in your groin muscles in both legs. Spread your feet apart, so that your shins are running parallel to one another, rather than forming a V shape. If you’re able to, rest yourself down on your forearms as i’m showing in the photo. Otherwise stay up on your hands, leaning your chest forward and over the ground.
Standing Hamstring Stretch
Stretches hamstrings, glutes, calves
Stand with your feet together, legs and knees as straight as possible. Bend at the hips, with your hands either folded in front of you, or touching the ground. If you can’t reach the ground without bending at the knees, just let your torso hang. Keep your shoulders back, and avoid letting your back round out and hunch over.
Seated Glute Stretch
Stretches glutes & hip flexors
Sit on your bum with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Take your right foot, and place it over your left thigh, close to the knee. Keep your weight on your hands behind you, and your torso upright facing forward. The closer your right foot is to your chest, the more intense the stretch will be. Don’t lean your chest towards your foot to make this a deeper stretch. Instead, lift the toes of the planted foot so that the heel is the only part touching the mat. This will push your left knee, and therefore your foot, towards you.
Alternating Calf Stretch
Stretches calves & hamstrings
Set up in downward dog so that your hands are slightly in front of your head and arms extended. Your body should form an upside V, with your legs and feet in line with your hands. Bring your left heel down to the ground and hold for ~5 seconds. Alternate heels, lifting up your left one and bringing down the right heel, stretching out the calf muscle.
Now you have your stretches figured out – what about your workouts? If you’re bored of your current training program, check out my 12-week HIIT E-Book, The Sweat Series!
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Original article and pictures take borntosweat.co site
Shin splints are one running injury that can stop you in your tracks. Not only do they disrupt your training, shin splits hurt too. Weak muscles in the front of the shin coupled with tight calves can lead to this problem, so it's time to strengthen and stretch this area whether you're training for your first 5K or your first marathon.
Here are a two exercises and one stretch to do at the end of your runs to balance out the strength of your lower legs.
Toe and Heel Walks
Walking on your toes and heels with your legs in different positions works all the muscles in your lower legs. The motion of turning the feet in and out comes from rotation in your hip joint, not the ankle.
Directions: Walk for 20 to 30 feet in each of these four positions.
Walk on your toes with feet turned out (like a ballerina)
Walk on your heels with feet turned out (like a duck with heels together, toes out)
Walk on your heels with legs turned in (toes in, heels out)
Walk on your toes with legs turned in (pigeon toed, on your toes)
Heel Rock
This move will strengthen the lower legs and adds a dynamic element that will challenge your balance.
Lift your heels to rise onto your toes, and then rock back onto your heels lifting your toes.
Repeat rocking forward and back, holding onto something to help keep your balance if needed. Do 20 reps.
Calf Stretch
Keep your calves long and loose with this simple stretch, which you can repeat throughout the day to ensure your calves stay flexible.
Step your right foot back about two feet, bending your left knee.
Press your heel into the ground to increase the stretch.
It is essential to exercise and equally essential to do pre and post workout stretches. The types of stretches performed by us have a huge impact on our flexibility, athletic performance, muscle strain and risk of injury. Not all stretches are the same. Doing static stretches before working out can actually increase the risk of injury instead of reducing it. You need to know what stretches should be done before a workout and which ones after as they are totally different.
Pre workout stretches
Stretches before a workout should have moves that increase the heart rate, stretch the muscles and lubricate joints. Doing dynamic stretches before a workout reduce the risk of injuries and increases our athletic performance.
Duration: 5 minutes
Dynamic stretches
1) Jumping jacks
Start with your legs together and your arms by your side. Jump and bring your legs out so that they are more than shoulder width apart. While you jump, bring your arms overhead, clapping your hands together. Jump immediately back to the starting position.
2) Kick-backs
Start jogging at the same spot. While jogging, kick the left heel to the bum. Switch legs, while making sure that your knees are pointed straight down all the while.
3) Knee to Chest
Stand with your feet hip width apart. Lift your right leg and bring it to your chest, giving it a big hug as close as possible. Switch legs and repeat the same.
Stand with your legs a hip width apart on one side of a tennis court. Walk up to the other side of the tennis court, lunging alternately with your right and left leg. This needn’t be intense, don’t bend down completely while doing the lunge, the body should lean forward.
5) Arm circles
Extend your arms out straight out by your sides so that they seem parallel to the floor. Start rotating them in small circles. Continue the movement for a while and then reverse the movement so that your arms rotate anticlockwise too. Small arm circles should be performed before doing large arm circles.
6) Straight leg kicks
Stand straight wit your feet a hip width apart. Kick your left foot in the air and touch your right toes with your left hand. Make sure you keep your legs, back and arms straight and toes bent. Even if you can’t reach your toes it is fine. Switch sides and repeat the same.
7) Neck roll
Stand up straight. Begin by dropping you head forward followed by rolling it from your right shoulder to your left shoulder. Keep repeating this a few times and start rolling the head complete 360 degrees. Alternate the rolling action and continue.
8) Knee-ups
Do spot jogging bringing each knee up so that your thigh is parallel to the floor.
Post workout stretches
Stretches that you do after a workout should lower your heart rate and stretch your muscles. These stretches should be static (non-moving) exercises.
Total duration: 3-5 minutes
Static stretches
1) Butterfly
Sit on the ground with your knees bent and soles of each foot touching each other. Hold your feet together and bring them as close as possible to your body while making sure that your back remains straight.
2) Forward fold
You can keep your legs either together or hip/shoulder width apart. Keep the straight with your body bent forward trying to touch the ground.
3) Downward Facing Dog
Begin with a forward fold and then walk your legs back so that your body can make a “V” upside down! Arms should be straight with your shoulders down, keep bums in the air.
4) Flamingo stretch
Stand straight with your feet a hip width apart, bending your right leg bring your right foot up towards your bum. Hold the position while making sure that your knees are aligned well.
5) Extended leg stretch
Sit down with your right leg straight. The left leg should be bent with the foot against the upper right leg. Complete the forward fold while trying to touch the toes and keeping the back as straight as possible. Switch legs.
6) Torso Stretch
Stand while holding arms above the head with your fingers interlocked. Fold to your left, back, right and then forward, holding each position for an appropriate amount of time.
7) Shoulder stretch
You can do it while sitting or standing. Extend your right arm and then use your left arm to pull it to your chest. The right arm should be straight across the chest with your hand extended to the left.
8) Bum stretch
Sit on the ground with your legs extended forward. Bend the right knee and place your right foot on the outside of your left knee. Rotate your torso and place your right elbow against the inside of your right knee while your left arm is behind for support. Rotate your back and neck so that you look over the left shoulder. Switch sides and keep your back straight.
Do stretch the right way before and after your workout!
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Original article and pictures take www.fitnessvsweightloss.com site
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A lot of effort and focus goes into your workout preparation. What time should you workout? What foods are best to eat beforehand? How can you get the most definition, in the least amount of time? The list could go on and on. Yet, what about post-workout recovery? That is just as important if you want to build and maintain a strong body.
Tony Horton shared some of his favorite post-workout recovery tips. He didn’t get the body he has today just by exercising. He was smart about his training. Here is his complete list.
1. Get Quality Sleep
Tony refers to sleep as “your own personal oasis time.” It’s when your body does a lot of it’s recovery. In fact, one study found that sleep debt can actually reduce muscle recovery after exercise. He recommends investing in a quality mattress, mattress pad, and pillow to get the most out of your Zzzs. Also don’t forget to remove the distractions from your bedroom, like the TV, and that cell phone on your nightstand!
2. Take a Bath
If you don’t have a tub, then this could be a problem. But otherwise, why not hop in the suds once a week? Tony recommends heating the water to the point where it is almost unbearable to get in. Then sit back, relax, and let your sore muscles melt away.
3. Other Options
Tony has made numerous other videos, detailing the benefits of yoga, myofascial release, and hydration. These will all help your body get back to 100% after a brutal workout.
Attention Men & Women Over Age 50 Struggling To Lose Weight...
Discover How The “Health Foods” You're Eating Every Day Are ...
Making it IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight, while also damaging your joints, disrupting your hormones, rapidly aging your skin, and even leading to Diabetes.
Which means if you've been struggling to lose weight, whether it's months, days, or even years, then please pay close attention to the article below because you're going to discover it's NOT your fault...
Sound insane?
Please do yourself a favor and take 2-minutes out of your busy day to read this very important health article...
Also please make sure you read to the end, because there's a very special surprise, just for YOU, that I know you'll love...
…or did it take a while to force yourself up and out of bed, after being rudely shaken out of your slumber by that stupid alarm clock buzz, buzz, buzzing in your ear?
Did your body feel “young” and energetic as you got up, or...
...Were you achy and groggy from another restless night’s sleep?
When you looked yourself in the mirror, did you see a fresh, young face, or…
…Did you stagger into the bathroom, ankles and knees creaking, hunched over from back pain and tightness, and see an old version of yourself staring back through the mirror? With bags under your eyes, dry & graying hair, wrinkled & dry skin?
When you looked down as you got dressed did you see a fit, lean, and healthy body, or…
… Did you see an ever-growing stomach, soft, “flabby” fat, and a body that’s become weak, tired and soft?
What goes through your mind as you look at yourself?
Are you happy with the way you look and feel, or…
… Are you frustrated by your life, with your lack of health, and with your inability to lose weight and keep it off?
Do you mumble to yourself, “What the hell? How did I get to look and feel like this?”
Are you at ease and peaceful, or stressed as you get ready for your day?
Do you have to drink multiple cups of coffee before you can even think about being productive and nice?
Do you drink more throughout the day, or even worse, use energy drinks and soda, because you have wild energy swings where you go from feeling good and energetic… to crashing and feeling like you need a nap?
Do you get winded easy? Lose your breath after you’ve gone up a flight of stairs, or as you rush out the door to your car?
How’s your digestion? Do you have comfortable bowel movements, or is your life all about digestive issues like constipation, bloating, bouts of diarrhea, and indigestion?
How many times have you promised yourself you were going to lose weight, and maybe even did, but then put it all back on… and more?
How many times in the last couple years have you started a “diet” or workout program? Once, twice, 10 times?
How do your failures make you feel?
If you and I were sitting face-to-face, and I asked you point blank, after all you just read, “How do you feel?” What would you say?
Look, weight gain, and weight loss, are serious concerns of yours, and I get it…
… but these other issues are also very serious:
Joint pain, muscle weakness, digestive issues, “old” skin and hair, stubborn belly fat, zero energy, and an addiction to carbohydrates…
… and they’re ALL connected.
You may be thinking this all sounds crazy, but let me ask you this...
How many of the following are you currently struggling with?
Stubborn belly fat that will NOT go away, regardless of the diets you try
Painful or uncomfortable bloating (especially after eating meals)
Fat gain in strange places (chest in men, belly in ladies, for example)
Dry, aging skin & hair (looking older than you really are...)
Energy swings (low energy before eating, high after... then crash)
Constant craving of carbohydrates
Trouble sleeping (can’t fall asleep and/or stay asleep)
Moody and irritable if you get too hungry
Indigestion
Your gut & stubborn belly fat...
There is growing evidence showing the connection between a “leaky” gut and issues such as weight gain, thyroid problems, Type-2 Diabetes, a lack of energy, digestion problems (constipation, bloating, gas, diarrhea, indigestion, etc.).
Basically, your gut works like this…
Your entire digestive system, from your mouth to your hind end, is one long tube that’s actually outside your body… even though it’s inside.
This long tube has very strong barriers that keep toxic substances OUT of your body, and when these barriers are damaged, as in the case of leaky gut, then food particles and toxins that are not supposed to make it into your blood stream and lymph system, are there, which then makes organs like your liver have to work double time to get rid of this toxicity.
This heavy workload then makes your liver get sluggish and bogged down (imagine yourself having to do the job of 10 people in half the time and how that would make you feel)…
When your liver gets sluggish it makes it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to burn fat, because that’s where your fat gets processed…
… but it all starts in your gut.
Your intestines have small hair-like features that line their walls that help shuttle food along, aid in digestion, and help shuttle nutrients from your digestive system into your bloodstream to be used by your body.
Unfortunately the foods you eat, including many foods falsely labeled as “healthy”, as well as too much stress, a lack of sleep, too much alcohol, a lack of Vitamin D, and more can damage this delicate system...
... Causing toxins to be “leaked” into your body, leading to weight gain, an inability to LOSE weight, achy joints, constipation, bloating, rapidly aging skin, zero energy, hormone problems, etc.
What foods can lead to such a horrible situation?
The biggest culprits are the “health foods” you eat every day, and have been told are the healthiest by big food corporations, your doctor, health teachers, and even the government.
You often hear vague claims in the news that "sugar is bad for you" or that "wheat and gluten are bad for you", but do you truly understand what these foods do to your insides?
Most people DON'T understand the reasons...
...and the fact is that some of the foods you’re going to discover can not only DESTROY your digestive system, but also hormones and metabolism.
Not only that, but as you'll see below, there's a common plant-based food that you probably eat in restaurants frequently (I bet you ate this at least ONCE in the last week), and this common plant food is proven to CAUSE heart attacks!
You'll also discover exactly what to eat in a way that BOOSTS your metabolism, balances hormones, FIGHTS stubborn belly fat, heals your gut, and increases your energy, regardless of your "bad genetics".
So let's get right to it…
The 3 reasons you should NEVER eat wheat -- Yes, even "whole wheat"
There are 3 main reasons why wheat is a terrible food for your body and does more harm than good...
Reason #1 -- Wheat causes blood sugar disruption, Glycation of your cells, increases AGING, weight gain & boosts Diabetes risk
Before I tell you why wheat can actually speed up the aging process in your body, let's clarify some simple biochemistry in your body...
This deals with "glycation" in your body, and substances called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). These nasty little compounds called AGEs speed up the aging process in your body including damage over time to your organs, your joints, and of course, wrinkled skin.
So with that said, what is one of the biggest factors that increase production of AGEs inside your body?
This may surprise you, but high blood sugar levels over time dramatically increase age-accelerating AGEs in your body.
This is why type 2 diabetics many times appear that they have not aged well and look older than their real age. But this age-increasing effect is NOT just limited to diabetics.
So, let's get back to how "whole wheat" relates to this...
Here is a little-known fact that's often covered up by the massive marketing campaigns by giant food companies that want you to believe that "whole wheat" is healthy for you...
... But the fact is that wheat contains a very unusual type of carbohydrate (not found in other foods) called Amylopectin-A, which has been found in some tests to spike your blood sugar HIGHER than even pure table sugar.
In fact, amylopectin-A (from wheat) raises your blood sugar MORE than almost any other carbohydrate source on earth based on blood sugar response testing that's documented in studies.
This means that wheat-based foods such as breads, bagels, cereals, muffins, and other baked goods often cause MUCH higher blood sugar levels than most other carbohydrate sources.
If you don't believe me, here's something you should know... I ran personal blood sugar tests on myself using a blood glucometer about 45 minutes after eating 2 slices of wheat bread vs eating a bowl of oatmeal, with equivalent grams of carbohydrates.
The blood sugar test results of wheat vs oatmeal:
2 slices of whole wheat toast:
45 minutes after consumption: Blood sugar spiked from 86 fasting level to 155
1 Bowl of Oatmeal (equivalent grams of carbs to 2 slices wheat toast)
45 minutes after consumption: Blood sugar increased from 86 fasting level to 112
As you know now, the higher your average blood sugar levels are over time, the more AGEs are formed inside your body, which makes you age FASTER.
Clearly, the whole wheat spiked blood sugar MUCH higher than the oatmeal, and if you don't know, 155 is a massive blood sugar reading that will certainly contribute to faster aging if you eat wheat frequently... and most people eat wheat without even thinking about it at almost EVERY meal...Yikes!
Not only that, but the high blood sugar spikes caused by wheat also makes your body pump out more insulin which makes you pack on more body fat... Not fun at all!
These massive blood sugar spikes from eating wheat daily also cause damage over time to your blood sugar regulation system, harming your pancreas, causing insulin resistance, and eventually causing type 2 Diabetes. I think we have a strong case against eating so-called "healthy" wheat!
Reason #2 -- Gluten and other gut-damaging compounds
The topic of gluten is on fire in the media lately...
...But most people are confused as to whether there's any real health risks with gluten for the average person that doesn't have Celiac disease.
The truth is that even if you are not officially "gluten intolerant" or "gluten sensitive", there are hundreds of published studies that indicate that gluten can cause inflammation in your digestive system, and even cause "permeability" in your gut, which can lead to a health condition that's on the rise lately called Leaky Gut, as well as other digestive issues and autoimmune problems.
Scientists theorize that the reason gluten is causing these digestive system problems is due to the excessive hybridization of wheat over the last 50 years, which has created newly modified gluten molecules that are foreign to the human digestive system compared to the ancient wheat that humans ate for several thousand years historically, and even compared to the wheat that your grandparents ate 50+ years ago.
Reason #3 -- Antinutrients and mineral blockers in wheat
The third reason that wheat is terrible for you is that it contains what's called "antinutrients", which are naturally occurring compounds in the wheat plant, but can cause undesirable effects in humans that eat too much of them.
One of these antinutrients is called phytates, which blocks the absorption in your body of certain minerals like zinc, iron, manganese, and calcium if you eat wheat too often.
Again, most people eat wheat with almost every meal (cereal in the morning, bread on sandwich at lunch, and pasta or bread at dinner), so this can cause a mineral deficiency in your body over time that leads to many health conditions.
Wheat has other mineral blockers and antinutrients aside from phytates, such as lectins. Lectins are another constituent of wheat that causes gut irritation. Yet another reason to minimize or eliminate wheat from your diet.
There's absolutely nothing "essential" about wheat in the human diet...It simply does more harm than good...period.
Many people often ask me... "But what about the FIBER in wheat? I thought that's why it's supposed to be healthy?"
Sorry, you can get ALL of the fiber you need from fruits, veggies, and nuts, without the digestive system damage and massive blood sugar issues that are caused by wheat.
Note: It's important to keep reading this page because I'll show you how to get access to ALL of my best secrets for AVOIDING wheat, but still eating amazingly delicious meals that BOOST your metabolism, BALANCE your hormones, FIGHT diabetes, and also help reduce abdominal fat. It's easier than you think, so don't think that eating healthy has to be "boring" like so many people foolishly believe.
Original article and pictures take fatlosshealth.info site
