Combating Cold Months and Staying Active
Winter is still here! You may be hesitant to step outside on a cold, rainy day like today; or just finding yourself over all moving less in the winter months, getting out of your normal habits!
Our bodies don’t respond the best to the cold temps, hunched back and shoulders rolled forward, clenched jaws and tight muscles restricting our movement.
How do we combat breaking routine and keeping ourselves healthy and our muscles happy? The key is to start small and be consistent. Set a timer for yourself to take a stretch break each hour you spend at your desk. Hesitant to get outside? Utilize an app for exercise at home. My favorite app is Pilates Anytime (click for a free 30-day trial), it’s reasonably priced and offers an array of not just Pilates or equipment classes, but bodyweight or full body workout classes with limited props/weights; with classes ranging from 15min to 1 hour.
Here are a few of my favorite exercises to keep tissues happy and the body upright!
Sciatic Nerve Glides: this exercises loosens, lengthens and reduces irritation of the sciatic nerve that travels from the low back down your leg, facilitating lengthening the hamstrings; in other words, combating neural tension can ease stretching the hamstrings! Lie on your back, hold on to the back of your thigh and bend and straighten your knee (don’t hold) repeatedly for 20-30 repetitions.
Wall Angels: this exercises focuses on maintaining an upright posture by strengthening your low and mid-trapezius muscles (in between your shoulder blades) and stretching your pecs. This is a hard exercise, don’t let it get you defeated if you can’t get your arms to the wall! Stand with your back to the wall in a small squat (feet about a foot in front of you), bring your arms into a cactus or goalpost shape, with backs of the arms as close to the wall as you can, without letting your ribs pop away from the wall. Slide arms up and down 10-20 repetitions.
Side Plank Clams: This exercises focuses on engaging your obliques, transversus abdominus and gluteus medius, all important for core stability, strength and balance. Lie on your side, propped up on your elbow and forearm, knees bent; lift your hips up off the ground, and perform a clamshell (lifting your knee, and lower back down - feet stay connected and on the floor.) Perform 2-3 sets of 10 clamshells in the modified side plank position.
