First off, congratulations to Healthy Happier Bear Ashley, who is hopefully even happier now! Random.org selected her as the winner of the Blogiversary giveaway. Please email or Twitter DM me your address and I will get your goodies in the mail. :)
Next, we’re back with a new video! These three moves are perfect for targeting and strengthening your lower back muscles. And the exercises are dynamic (meaning you move throughout the range of motion rather than holding them in one place) so other muscles come into play as well. Your quads and glutes should feel the burn with the bridge kicks and your hamstrings and glutes share the focus with the back during the plate pulls.
Lower back pain is a common and life-interrupting issue. Besides performing these effective exercises, remember these quick tips from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- Focus on balancing your weight evenly on both feet when standing, and of course, try not to slouch.
- Insure that your chairs provide good lower back support. Frequent walking breaks can help relieve pressure as well.
- Avoid wearing your Manolos too often (ouchie posture!). And don’t smoke—this can reduce blood flow to the lower back and increase disc degeneration.
- Eat a nutritious diet to maintain a healthy body weight and preserve bone density.
Have you had lower back issues? Eight out of 10 people have or will experience this painful ailment, the NIH says. If you have, how did you deal with it? How did you cure it, if you did?
Today’s video is proof that you can boost your balance and tone your legs without any fancy equipment! The plan: build off the yoga tree pose and add in a riff on the quadricep extension. Try to hold tree pose for 30 seconds to one minute, then flow into the toe grab/kick move. Complete about 10 to 12 reps, and quickly follow up with about 15 tiny pulses. Your core will be working overtime to stabilize you during the exercises, and your legs should feel the burn after the pulses! Bonus: your shoulders may even feel it a bit after holding arms vertically in tree pose. A total body toner!
Do you prefer to keep different exercise styles (yoga, Pilates, kickboxing, dance, strength, etc.) separate, or mix it up by tossing them together blender-style?
Introducing Lower Body Burn, Part 1!
One of my YouTube video viewers requested more lower body strength moves, so I decided to create a month-long series dedicated to just that—the legs and glutes. It’s like a lower body strength DVD for free! Hey Acacia, Lionsgate, Anchor Bay…I’m free if you’re looking for new fitness DVD hosts ;)
Let’s get to work on the first segment! Grab a stability ball or a chair/step/bench and get ready to tackle week one’s Lower Body Burn moves. If you don’t have a stability ball, try using a towel on a hard floor or a couple paper plates on a carpeted floor during the roll-in move.
Try these exercises out and don’t forget to come back next week for the next edition with added resistance!
