4 EXERCISES YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW FOR BETTER HEALTH

MINI WORKOUTS

Mini workouts are a favourite tactic of mine for exercising when I’m busy. They are short in duration and don’t take up much space. These workouts are not for sweating or building muscle, but to get you moving and feeling better. They are based upon the strategy of accumulation, and using a positive habit often. They are not strenuous, so you can do them throughout the day.

The mini workout I am sharing here is based upon breathing, movement, circulation, and stimulating your vestibular (balance) system. If you are sitting at work, they are a great way of getting you moving.

Here are the basics of this mini-workout:

1.BREATHING

The first and most important exercise is conscious deep breathing. This can be done whilst you are still sat down, but you need to sit ‘tall’ with good posture. First breathe in deeply through your nose and into your diaphragm. Keep the mouth closed and place your tongue on the roof of your mouth just behind the front teeth. You can place a hand on your stomach to make sure that it is moving with your breath. Maintain a 1:1 ratio of inhale to exhale. Continue being conscious of your breathing. You can also introduce some variations:

· 1:2 ratio of inhale to exhale – Start by inhaling for a count of 3, then exhale for a count of 6. Repeat. When I do this I can literally feel the tension leaving my head, neck, and shoulders.

· Box breathing – This is a technique taught by Mark Divine of Unbeatable Mind. Start with a 4 count inhale, and then hold your breath for 4 seconds, then exhale for 4 seconds, then hold for a final 4 seconds. Repeat. This is an excellent technique for increasing concentration.

You can also perform the variations as a circuit:

1. Deep breathing x2

2. 1:2 Ratio x2

3. Box breathing for 2 cycles

4. Repeat

2.STAND

Once you are mindfully breathing, stand up into Yoga’s Mountain Pose (Tadasana). Tadasana is a standing posture that will teach you the extremely important aspect of body alignment. It will help you to stand up straight and keep your spine aligned properly in the vertical plane. Practicing Mountain pose is an excellent way to learn how to tense/contract your muscles to develop the all important mind-body connection. It is also a great preparation exercise for pushups.

How to Mountain:

1. Continue to breathe mindfully

2. Stand upright with your arms by your side feet together, engage the core, look straight ahead

3. Contract your thighs so the kneecaps rise slightly, engage the glutes (backside)

4. Tail bone towards floor, lift sternum slightly, draw shoulder blades downwards using your lats (wings)

5. Elongate the neck so the crown of the head rises and chin is parallel to the ground

Again, do this for as long as time allows.

Reference: The Manual of Yoga Anatomy (1)

3.MOVE YOUR HEAD

Moving your head stimulates the body’s vestibular system. For more information on this topic, see the Original Strength website. Controlling your head is essential for good posture, balance, and coordination. Mastering head control is critical for building strength in your body. A preliminary exercise for getting the head moving is head nods.

Head Nods:

1. Continue to breathe mindfully, keeping the neck in the neutral position, i.e. looking forward

2. Move the chin towards the chest (neck flexion), within a comfortable range of motion...DO NOT MOVE YOUR NECK INTO PAIN

3.Move the crown of your head backward so you are looking up (neck flexion)...again keep this within a comfortable range of motion and do not move into pain

4. Continue to nod the head, start with sets of 5 complete nods. Count: Head down = 1, Head up = 2, continue with odd numbers head down, even numbers head up until you reach 10.

4.CROSS-CRAWL

The glutes and lats are muscles that you really need to know about and understand for their integral role in your body’s health and fitness. The glutes are a nickname for the Gluteus maximus muscles (one above each back of your leg, or to put it in layman’s terms – the butt). The Gluteus medius and minimus are also in this muscle complex. All of the glute muscles are the major operators of your hips and lower body.

The lats are a nickname for the Latissimus dorsi muscles (one on each side of your spine) of the back. They are the primary pulling muscle in your upper body. However another major contribution is stabilisation of the shoulder.

The most important concept to understand about the ‘glats’ is that they function optimally when you ‘connect the X’. Picture an X on your back where the top is your shoulder blades and the bottom is your butt. Connecting your left shoulder blade via the lat with your right butt via the glute, and vice versa, has a major impact on your strength.

A basic exercise for connecting your X, and getting the all important glute and lat muscles fired up is the standing cross crawl.

Standing Cross Crawl:

1. Continue to breathe mindfully looking forward

2. Raise the left arm up

3. Bring the left arm down, and the right knee up, aiming to touch the elbow to the knee

4. Repeat using right arm/left leg

THE MINI-WORKOUT

This workout can be done anytime, anywhere to stimulate healthy function and movement of your body. The duration is up to you, only limited to the time you may have to do it. Aim to do it when you have a spare few minutes throughout the day. Another option is just after you wake up to get your day started off on the right foot.

1.BREATHE

2.STAND

3.MOVE YOUR HEAD

4.CROSS CRAWL

Give it a try and see how it works for you. My hope is that it helps you to know that you can maintain health and fitness no matter what you’ve got going on.

Reference:

(1) Parkes, Sally ‘The Manual of Yoga Anatomy’, Quad Books, eBook