March 28, 2024

After-Running Stretch

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Mid-Foot Stretch!

After your next run, do this stretch to ease sore feet and tired legs. Here’s how:

Place the ball of your foot on a object about 4 inches off the floor such as a curb, foam roller or small step. Keeping your heel on the ground and ankle straight, slowly transfer your weight onto the ball of your foot. You should feel a slight stretch along the bottom of your foot. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then release.

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

 

Ease-Tension Stretch

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Corner Stretch!

Stand facing a corner. Step forward with one foot and place your forearms on the wall, with your elbows slightly lower than shoulder level. Gently lean forward, feeling a stretch across your chest and front shoulders. Hold for ten to thirty seconds.

 

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

Stretch Break

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Single Knee to Chest Stretch

Stretch Break: To ease lower body tension, perform this stretch. Lie on your back with both legs straight on the floor. Using both arms, gently pull your right knee in toward your chest. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then release. With both arms gently pull your left knee into your chest. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then release.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Sore Feet?

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Stretch!

If you’re on your feet all day, try this simple Calf Stretch to ease sore feet.

Use a step or a curb, or on any stable platform that is about two inches off the floor. Place your right foot flat on the step, hold on for balance. Place the ball of your left foot on the step with your heel hanging off. Slowly drop your left heel, feeling a gentle stretch in the left calf.  Hold for ten to thirty seconds. Release the stretch. Repeat with your left foot flat on the step and your right heel hanging off.

 

*Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.

How to Stretch During Your Day

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Stretch during your day!

Decrease lower body tension and muscle aches that come with sitting in your office chair for hours on end. Here’s how:

Stand up behind your chair. Hold on to the chair for support with your left hand. Bend your right knee and hold your right ankle behind your body with your right hand. Keep your torso upright. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then slowly release. Repeat the same stretch, holding on to the chair with your right hand. Bend your left knee and hold your left ankle with your left hand. Stand up tall and breathe, hold for 10-30 seconds, slowly release.

 

*Always consult your physician before performing exercise.

12 Minutes to Stress-Free! Written by Jessica Matthews

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Got 12 minutes? 3 Simple Strategies for Stress-Free Surrender!
Written by Jessica Matthews

Busy day at work? Hectic holiday season?  A growing to-do list? Whatever the reason might be, in this fast-paced world it’s not uncommon to find ourselves feeling stressed from time to time, especially as the end of the year draws near. These three simple strategies for stress relief, which when done together take just 12 minutes to complete, can help you to truly relax and unwind at the end of a long day.

Yogic breathwork in child’s pose (Ujjayi Pranayama in Balasana)- Numerous scientific studies have shown that pranayama, the practice of breath control, helps to increase relaxation, decrease feelings of anxiety, improve mental focus and enhance overall psychological well-being. Ujjayi breathing, a type of pranayama in which inhalation and exhalations are done through the nose, is a breath that is both relaxing and energizing. This diaphragmatic breath has been shown to increase oxygen consumption, as it is designed to be both a long and smooth breath in which air is guided gently in and out of the body through the nose without force, creating a soothing sound, almost like the sound of distance ocean waves. Pair this breath with child’s pose, a resting posture that helps to release tension in the back while also relieving fatigue and stress, and spend about two minutes quieting the mind and steading the breath while enjoying a few moments of surrender.

Legs up the wall pose (Viparita Karani)- Borrowing from restorative yoga, this posture helps to release tension from the lower extremities and reduce swelling in the legs and feet while also calming the mind and decreasing feelings of anxiety and stress. With your legs extended up the wall, use folded blankets or a bolster to help support the lower back as you come to stillness for five blissful minutes.

Seated meditation (Mantra Visualization in Anjali Mudra)- Clearing your mind after a long day can seem like quite the challenge, especially if you’re new to meditation, but by practicing anjali mudra, a comfortable seated posture in which the palms are pressed together at heart center with both thumbs lightly touching the sternum and the head slightly bowed forward, in time entering that meditative state of awareness will start to become much easier. Couple this stress-relieving asana with a mantra visualization in which you select a word or phrase that you repeat silently to yourself, allowing it’s meaning to radiate through your body, and in just five quiet contemplative minutes it can help you to quiet your mind and truly become grounded, present and fully attuned in the here in now.

This article is written by Jessica Matthews, MS, E-RYT, is an exercise physiologist, yoga teacher, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, adjunct professor, blogger and fitness personality. Jessica strives to open minds, ignite passion and inspire the world to health and fitness through purposeful movement, quality nutrition and kind words. She has been featured as a fitness expert on CNN and has been quoted in numerous publications including Shape, Self, Oxygen and Oprah.com. For more health and fitness information, follow Jessica at www.twitter.com/fitexpertjess