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Stretch It: Lying Ab Stretch

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:00:06 -0700

After an intense core strengthening session with your trainer, your abs are so sensitive, it can even hurt to laugh. So here's a relaxing stretch you can do to lengthen your abdominal muscles, and relieve tension in your middle.

For instructions on how to do this stretch, read more.

Lie on the floor on your back. Extend your arms overhead.
Keeping your bum on the floor, lift your belly up to the ceiling and slide your shoulder blades an inch or so closer to your hips. Keep your upper back on the floor as you arch through your lower back.
Stay like this for 30 seconds, reaching your hands and feet away from each other.
Then release your lower back to the floor and sit up.

Stretch It: Extended Puppy

FitSugar — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:00:23 -0700

Take a break to stretch your spine and shoulders with this relaxing stretch. Not only does it make your spine feel longer and your shoulders more open, but relaxing your head to the floor also helps relieve stress and tension.

This stretch looks a little sexier than others I've posted, so maybe do this one when you have a little privacy. To learn how, keep reading

Hit the Hay: Cobra

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:35:04 -0700

Stretching in bed relaxes your body before going to sleep, and it can also be a great way to gently wake up in the morning. This gentle stretch will lengthen the muscles in your abs, chest, and neck, and it'll also increase flexibility in your spine.

To find out how to do this stretch, hop in bed and read more.

Roll over onto your belly and extend your arms out in front of you. If you're tall, you can hang your feet over the end of the bed.
Keeping your legs and pelvis grounded, slowly begin to walk your hands toward your chest, As your your torso lifts off the bed, keep a slight bend in your elbows. Walk your hands in until you feel a nice stretch in your abs. Relax your shoulders away from your ears and lengthen your neck. If it feels OK, lower your head back between your shoulder blades, and you'll feel a nice stretch in your chest and neck.
Stay here for 30 seconds and then lower your torso back to the bed.
Follow this move with a child's pose to stretch out your back.

Stretch It: Abs

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:45:00 -0800

We spend a lot of time working towards that coveted six pack, but we often forget to stretch our ab muscles after working them.

So here is a simple stretch that not only does wonders for stretching out your abs but also feels great - it also happens to be my favorite stretch:

Lie face down on the floor, preferably on a mat.
Position hands on floor to sides of shoulders. Make sure that your hands are placed beneath your shoulders, about shoulder-width apart.
Push torso up until your arms are basically straight while keeping your pelvis on floor.
Hold for 20-30 seconds.

Fit's Tip: Be sure to look ahead, rather than upwards so you don't strain your neck.

Source

Get on the Ball: Plank to Pike

FitSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:30:00 -0800

Figuring out how to work an exercise ball into your workout is totally worth it! The ball can transform basic exercise into a super challenging more effective move – crunches on the ball are a perfect example. One of my favorite ball exercise is the Plank to Pike move (or in Pilates we call it "Up Stretch" like the Reformer exercise). It is a full body exercise that targets your abs, but challenges not only your core but upper body strength too!

Here's how to do Plank to Pike on an exercise ball:

Plank

Start in a plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders with your shins on the ball.
Do not allow low back to arch. Keep your feet, pelvis and shoulders in one long line.
Make sure the ball is sized to your body; you should be able to sit on the ball with 90º degree angles at your hips and knees.

Pike

On an exhale pull your abs deeply to your spine and use your abs to fold your body in half.
You will be pulling the ball forward toward your hands as your pelvis moves up in the air.
Your toes will move onto top of ball and your back will become perpendicular to the floor like a hand stand. Allow your head to fall between your arms, keeping your neck long and in line with your spine.
Lower yourself back into a plank position and do not allow your pelvis to sag below your shoulders.

Do 8 to 10 reps, 2 times

Couch Time: Stretch For Your Back and Abs

FitSugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:45:00 -0700

Sick of just sitting on the couch? Looking to increase flexibility in your spine? Then try this move the next time you find yourself becoming one with your couch. It's a great stretch and it will help you with the yoga pose Scorpion, a variation of Forearm Stand. Doing this pose on a couch is similar to doing it on a ball, only easier. The couch allows you to do the pose without much arm strength or balance, and it feels more relaxing on a couch since the cushions are so supportive.

Here's how to get into the stretch:

Maneuver your body so that your belly is on the seat of the couch with your thighs resting on the back of the couch.
Use your hands to push your hips as close to the back of the couch as possible.
Now bend your knees and bring your feet as close to your head as you can. Remember to keep your back muscles and glutes relaxed.
Stay like this for as long as you want, breathing deeply and allowing gravity to pull your feet closer to your head.

Want to see how to make this stretch even more challenging? Then read more.

Press your hands into the couch to lift your chest and head off the cushion. You'll feel this in your lower back and your abs.
When you've had enough, lower your torso back down to the couch, unbend your knees, and roll out as gracefully as you can. Then sit on the couch with your bum on the edge and your feet on the floor. Reach for your feet, taking a forward bend to release your lower back.

Why be a couch potato when you can be a couch scorpion?

No Equipment Necessary: Tabletop Lift

FitSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:00:57 -0700

Tabletop may look easy (shown in the photo on the left), but once you hold it for a while, you'll feel your thighs, booty, and triceps burning. It's also a great exercise that will open your shoulders and chest. Here's a variation that will strengthen your core and increase flexibility in your lower back and hamstrings.

To give it a try read more.

Start off sitting on your bum, so your hands are planted eight inches behind you. Bend your knees and place your heels about a foot away from your hips. Make sure they are hips-width distance apart.
Inhale and lift your hips off the ground so your torso is parallel with the floor and your arms are straight. Your hands should be directly underneath your shoulders and your ankles underneath your knees, so make small adjustments if you need to. Lower your head behind you to increase the stretch in your chest and neck.
Hold for a complete breath, and then keeping your arms straight, exhale to lower your hips and straighten your legs, so your hips are hovering above the floor. Engage your abs and try keep your spine long as you balance on your heels and hands. After a complete breath, inhale and push yourself back into the first position.
Do three sets of 12 to 15 reps, flowing from one to the other, pivoting on your hands and heels. To make this move more challenging, hold each position for longer.

I love a full body exercise, don't you?

Which Body Part Changed Most Postpartum?

babysugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:00:49 -0700

The human body is an amazing work of art, especially the female form that can stretch and shrink with the birth of a child. While many moms can get back to the prebaby weight or even work their way back to abs of steel, their postpartum bodies will never be the same. A herniated belly button, stretch-marked tummies, or wide hips may be the indicators of motherhood that mommy will never be able to change. Which body part changed most dramatically for you postpartum?

We want to hear your shocking, funny, embarrassing, and insightful pregnancy and motherhood stories. Join our Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me? group over in our LilSugar Community and share your tales and tips.

Flickr User chrisbastian44

You Asked: Stretch For Sciatica

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:50:08 -0700

Hey Fit,
I've been having issues with my sciatic nerve lately, I was wondering if you could post some stretches and/or yoga poses that would help with sciatica? Thanks!
- Hitting a Nerve

I feel your pain. The sciatic nerve, when pinched or pressed, can cause tingling and numbness down the back of the leg. The pain can come from a nerve root being pinched in the lower spinal column - mostly at the last vertabra (lumbar 5) and the sacrum. Pain can also come from a tight piriformis muscle, since the nerve runs through this deep booty muscle. If you are experiencing sciatica from a degenerative or herniated disc, you should see an orthopedist to get a diagnosis and a recommendation for a physical therapist. When it comes to lower back injuries due to nerve compression, strengthening your core is elemental to getting rid of the tingling pain. It is important to strengthen your abs and spinal muscles in a way that won't compromise your injury further.

I do have two safe stretches to share with you. Learn them when you read more.

I have found this piriformis stretch to be safe and effective with Pilates clients experiencing sciatica. I call it the figure four, but it is a simplified variation of the yoga pose pigeon.

Lie on your back with both legs in the air. Place your right ankle on your thigh above your left knee. See the shape of the number four? It is there, just upside down.
Reach your right hand through the open space created by your right leg and grab your left hand that is reaching around the outside of your left thigh. Slowly bend your left knee. You should feel a stretch on the outside of your right hip. Hold for 30 seconds.

Another stretch that can relieve tension caused by an unhappy sciatic nerve is this simple hamstring stretch.

Lie on your back, bend your right knee and place right foot on the floor.
Raise your left leg as high as you can keeping your pelvis square (don't raise your left hip toward your ear).
Hold your lower thigh or place a strap over the arch or ball of your foot. Flex your foot to stretch your calf too.
Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs.

What is your FAVORITE exercise?

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 08:30:00 -0800

We all have exercises we do every time we workout - what is yours?