fitnessandfood

As a swimmer at university, we had to endure a grueling winter training schedule that included cross-training with the football coach (we called it ‘dry land’ training).  This was intended to increase strength, stamina, and overall fitness, but its most immediate result was the inability to walk up stairs or roll out of bed in the morning without intense pain.  Good pain though, the kind that reminds you of muscles you nearly forgot about.

The football coach would take us through series of plyometrics, exercises that alternated short bursts of speed and strength followed by short rest periods.  These exercises can be performed with minimal equipment, and are perfect for home training.  All you need is an empty outdoor space and some natural props such as stumps, benches and railings.  The following are some good basics exercises to get you going and get that heart rate up.

Two footed ankle hop

Keeping your feet together and trying to remain in place, hope up and down using only your ankles and calves. Concentrate on getting as high as you can without compromising your movement and exploding off the ground as soon as you land.

Side to side ankle hop

Similar to the ankle hops above, but instead of remaining in place jump 2-3 feet side to side.

Stump Jumps 

Like the name suggests, this involves finding a stump, bench or box that is about knee height.  Stand facing the stump about six inches away and, keeping your feet together, jump up onto the stump.  Jump back lightly, bending the knees to protect the joints, and repeat as many times as you can.  An advanced version would be one-legged stump jumps.

Clap Pushups

Begin in push-up position, the back straight and the arms and legs engaged and strong.  As you push-up, explode off the ground and clap your hands before returning, repeating as many times as possible.  If you are unable to do this version, try clap push-ups from the knees initially.

Sprints

Sprints of all kinds are wonderful for cardiovascular health and muscle strength.  Using a park or playground, or designting start and finish lines with cones or other markers, set up a course that has three equidistant markers about 50 yards apart.  From the starting line sprint towards the first marker, turn and run back to the start, immediate turn and run to the second marker, back to the start, and then to the third marker and back again.  Rest and repeat, or, if you are able, turn this into a pyramid sprint and work your way back to the first marker in the same manner as you worked up to the third.  This will really get your blood pumping!

Okay, okay, ref takes a point for the terrible title of the post.  But, with today’s focus on the hips and hip flexors, I couldn’t resist.

We put our hips through a lot on a daily basis.  They carry the weight of the torso, move the strong leg muscles, offer complex flexible movements, and are put under strain by modern sedentary jobs.  Often the lower back pain which plagues modern man can be linked to tight or weak hips.

The following exercises will both strengthen and open the hips.

Warrior II

Start standing with your feet together.  With an inhale, jump to the right, landing with your feet about a leg’s length apart.  Raise your arms parallel to the floor, turn your right foot in and your left foot out.  Activate the thights as you exhale and bend the left knee, keeping the knee cap in line with the ankle.  Keep your right foot firmly anchored to the floor, sending energy through the outer edge of the foot.  Don’t lean out towards your left foot; keep the torso straight over your hips as you reach out over your left knee with your left arm.  Hold for one minute; release and switch to the other side.

Image courtesy of yogatic.com

 Keyboard Bend

This one’s for everyone that has to sit at a desk.  You can easily do this stretch at work or school, as well as part of your hip-stretching routine.  Sit on a chair that is at a height where your legs are bent 90 degrees but your feet can still lie flat on the floor.  Take the right foot onto the left knee and bend the torso forward, lengthening the back and through the top of the head rather than towards the foot itself.  Fold over as far as you feel comfortable without hunching the back.  With time you may be able to reach you arms towards the floor and fold over completely, but do not stretch beyond your abilities or you may injure yourself.  Inhale and come up, switching the legs and completing the stretch on the other side.

Pilates Side Kick

Lie on your side on a mat or carpet.  Rest the head on your hand, the other placed on the floor in front of you for stability.  Raise the top leg a few inches, flexing the foot and sending energy through the heel to the opposite wall.  Keeping the hips immobile and the foot flexed, swing the leg to the front.  At the height of the kick, do a small pulse kick.  Point the toe and sweep the top leg to the back, lengthening your leg and keeping your torso quiet (no ‘dancing’).  Do 8-10 repetitions on each side.

photo courtesy of Peak Pilates

Leg Circles

Lie on your back on a mat or carpet, arms by your side and anchored to the ground through the triceps.  Inhale and float your right leg up to the ceiling, pointing the toe, while your left leg is flexed and firmly anchored to the ground.   Using the hip and abdominal muscles, sweep the leg across the body as you circle the leg in the hip socket all the way back to the starting position.  Keep the breath even and full, and the hips and shoulders firmly anchored.  Repeat for 8 circles each direction.

Now, I like to think of myself as a fairly fit person.  I run, do yoga and pilates regularly, and am up for just about any outdoor sport no matter how muddy or sweaty.  So when I attended a class based on the Bar Method, I thought I would enjoy it on a stretching/core strengthening level, perhaps as a supplement to more intensive exercise.  An hour later I walked out of the class on jelly legs and actually had to stop in a cafe for a cup of tea to wait for my muscles to stop shaking.

The Bar Method is based on the work of Lotte Berk, a German dancer who designed a programme of fitness based on her dance background and brought it to America in the mid-twentieth century.  Berk’s method tones the core through controlled exercises performed at a ballet barre, which both stretch and strengthen the muscles to promote strength without bulk.  Bar Method classes incorporate the principles of interval training (usually used for high-insensity cardio) with the tiny targeted movements which are characteristic of pilates and yoga and enhance body control and core strength.  The result is truly a whole body workout.

For a taste, try hanging on to a barre or doorknob with both hands, straighten the arms and bend the knees to a ninety-degree angle while raising up on the toes, and then try lowering an inch and then raising and inch for two minutes straight.  Now this is truly “feeling the burn”.  My quads actually felt like they would burst into flame. 

If you want a taste of some of the other exercises, visit the Bar Method website for nine sample moves.  There are studios all over the country, with a fair number in California, and there is a new client special of 30 days of unlimited classes for $100.  If you’re in New York, The Body on Lexington Avenue offers an introductory class free to new clients.  So go out an give it a try!

You are probably already familiar with the plank, which can be performed either on the forearms or on the hands.  This is one of the best core-strengthening moves and is an integral part of pilates and yoga.  Here are a few variations to work your arms and your abdominals.

Walk the Plank

Begin in plank pose (on hands).  Keep your spine straight by pulling the abdominals to the back and pulling the quad and hamstring muscles in to stabilise.  Start walking the hands forward, keeping the feet still, as far out as you can.  Hold for as long as you can while maintaining form.  Walk hands back in and lower to the knees to release the pose.

Walk the Plank with a Twist

Begin in plank pose, conscious of a straight back and stabilised core, and walk the right hand out one step followed by the left.  Hold for a count and then walk the hands back to the starting point underneath the shoulders.  Raise the right arm toward the ceiling, rotating the body and putting your weight on your left arm.  Return to the plank position and perform the walk again, this time raising the left arm toward the ceiling, rotating the weight onto the right arm.  Perform five times on each side.

Plank with Leg Lift

Begin in plank form, forearms on the ground and elbows in line with your shoulders.  Keeping the pelvis steady and the abdominals contracted, lift the right leg up and hold for ten seconds.  Return to plank, then lift the left leg up and hold for ten seconds.  Begin with 5 repetitions on each side, building up to 10 if you are able.

My previous post on core fitness focused on strengthening the back; this post looks at the abdominals in order to balance core strength.  I’ve spoken of my love of pilates for strengthening the muscle groups that support the trunk, so it should come as no suprise that these exercises are derived from the pilates series.

The first is related to the hundred, but works on the form rather than the movement.  Through this exercise, focus on bringing the abdominals to the spine, not by sucking in the stomach but by drawing in the muscles.  Begin lying on the floor, knees bent and feet flat on the floor and knees and toes touching.  Bring the head up, keeping the neck long, and focus the eyes on the navel.  Reach the arms straight for the opposing wall, shoulders long down the back.  Breathe in and out, focusing on keeping the abdominals strong and drawn toward the spine.  Return to the ground and relax.  Bring the knees up to a 90 degree angle (see below), and then bring up the head and reach the arms out, keeping the abdominals strong and drawn in toward the spine.

If this is enough for you, hold the position and then relax the head and arms, bringing the feet down to the ground slowly.  If you feel comfortable, try extending the legs out straight (see position three above).  This is the preparatory position for the pilates hundred.

The second movement is more advanced, and is prep for the pilates teaser, one of the best exercises for both strength and balance.  Begin lying on the floor, knees bent and feet flat on the floor and touching.  Bring the arms above the head and breathe in, exhale and bring the arms up towards the knees, bringing the abdominals in towards the spine to elevate the head and shoulder blades.  Roll up, bone by bone, as far you can comfortably.  The goal is to eventually bring the torso all the way up so you are balancing on the tailbone and without raising the feet off of the ground.

Stay here for several breaths.  To come out of the position exhale and roll the spine down, bone by bone, until flat on the floor.  Bring the arms above the head and relax the body.

I love working my legs, whether through strength training or cardio.  One of the best exercises out there is the prisoner squat, a variation on the standard squat which increases strength and power in the major muscle groups in the legs, core and upper body, as well as the important smaller muscle groups, ligaments and tendons which enable movement.  Because of this the prisoner squat is a great exercise for athletes such as baseball, tennis and soccer players, runners and swimmers.  It is also great for focusing on form before adding weights to the squat movement.The prisoner squat is performed from a standing position with the hands interlaced and held at the back of the head. Begin the exercise by pushing your butt back and down, as if you were sitting down in a chair.  Keep the neck and back straight, and keep the weight on the heels rather than the toes.Go down as far as you can while keeping your form and balance, and never beyond 90 degrees (you will find it difficult to make it further than 90 degrees anyway with this one).  Push up through your heels into the starting position.  Build up to three sets of ten.If you want a more challenging squat, try the prisoner squat jump.  Same as above but as you push up, explode up into a jump. Be sure to land with soft knees to avoid injury.  Build up to three sets of ten.This exercise helps teach core stabilization, which helps with balance, posture, and prevents injury.

Like many people I’ve suffered with back pain on and off for many years.  I’ve sought treatments of all kinds, from traditional doctors who mostly gave me painkillers and said it was something I had to learn to live with, to physiotherapists who gave me exercises which did not lessen the pain, to acupuncturists who sent my back into spasms, and massage therapists who made me wonderfully relaxed but who did not stop the pain returning some time later.  Back pain is the scourge of modern society, affecting 80% of adults at some point in their lives.  But it doesn’t have to. Back is often the result of weakened core muscles: the ‘core’ being the abdominals, back muscles, hip flexors and all the muscles that stabilize, align and move the trunk of the body.  Strengthening these muscles and increasing hip and pelvic flexibility can go a long way to prevent and treat back pain.Here are two basic exercises which strengthen and stabilize the core as a whole.  The first is the plank pose, found in both pilates and yoga.  Lying on the stomach, come up onto the forearms and toes, making sure that the elbows are directly under the shoulders.   The back should be perfectly flat (keep the hips down!) and the gaze towards the ground.A variation of the pose is to come up on the hands, keeping the shoulders aligned over the hands and the spin straight.  Hold the pose for 30 seconds initially, longer if you can.  Do 3-4 sets a day.The second exercise is the pilates swimming move.  Lying again on the stomach, raise the right arm and left leg simultaneously, and then switch to the left arm and right leg in a fluid motion.  Think of reaching with the hand and the foot towards the walls, rather than gaining height.  Keep the neck long and lift with the core muscles rather than the hand and foot.  Do 3-4 sets of 30 seconds of swimming daily.  Next up are exercises that will strengthen the abdominals.

The holidays can be a difficult time to fit in your daily exercise.  Add rich food, drink, and family stress, and you could be climbing up the walls by the time you go home.  This year I spent the holidays with my sister and parents in New York, and found the city has a wealth of opportunities to exercise, stretch, and relax during short stays.  Here are a few recommendations if you find yourself in the city.Power Pilates49 West 23rd Street, between 5th and 6th AvenuesThe studios offers very good classes, and offer an introductory offer of a week of unlimited mat classes for $25.  They also offer apparatus and tower classes, but these are not covered in the introductory offer.Om Yoga826 Broadway, 6th Floor, at 12th Street A nice, relaxed atmosphere, more hippie than yuppie.  Individual drop-in classes are $18, half-hour express classes are $12, and an introductory 2-class card can be had for $25.The Ailey Extension405 West 55th Street at Ninth AvenueThis dance and pilates studio has classes for non-professionals (”real people”).  You can get an introductory 2-class card for $25.  And with the Alvin Ailey name, you know it’s good. Bikram Yoga lower east side172 Allen Street, 2nd Floor  All classes are 90 minutes, and there are between four and five classes on offer daily, seven days a week.  A single class is $20, but they have an introductory offer of $20 for a week of yoga.  They also offer discounts to full time employees of non-profit organisations and senior citizens.  Two towels and a washcloth is included in the price of an individual class, and a mat is included in the introductory special though towels are $1.  A very good deal. The most reasonable exercise while you are traveling is running: as long as you have good shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather, most cities have safe pedestrian and cycle paths which offer wonderful views.  In New York, the path leading from Battery Park up the West Side is a haven for runners and cyclists, though it can get windy next to the water.  Central Park has numerous runners paths, with maps available online here. Stay happy, healthy and safe! 

A few years ago I began to have niggling lower back pain.  Over time it grew gradually worse, and I sought treatment from my doctor.  The doctor prescribed painkillers and referred me to a physiotherapist, and I went and did the exercises she recommended religiously.  After a few years of no improvement, my mom recommended an alternative specialist who works on body alignment and movement.  Although I no longer see him, I do still have a book he recommended called Somatics: Reawakening the Mind’s Control of Movement, Flexibility, and Health.The book argues that the decline of the body with age which take for granted as natural - joint stiffness, back pain, fatigue, and even high blood pressure - are not natural progressions and can be prevented.  This is achieved by training the body’s sensory awareness through a series of simple exercises.Thomas Hana’s theory is an attractive one, and reading the book does open your eyes to the way in which the body operates.  The exercises are based on yoga and pilates, but are so gentle that people of all ages can do them.  One of the key movements is the cat stretch, and if done upon waking and before going to sleep, leaves the back supple and the core strengthened. So does it work?  Well the catch behind Hana’s theory is that it takes time and dedication - you must do the exercises regularly in order to see an effect.  I have been integrating Somatics into my own stretching and exercise routine and I do see an effect.  My chronic back pain is reduced to a flutter, and there is less creaking and popping in my hip joints.Give Somatics a try.  Your body will thank you. 

The holidays are a busy time, what with stuffing my face with ginger-scented goodies and trying to squeeze in some shopping time around work.  Sometimes you can feel that all you are doing is stuff you have to do, leaving little time for relaxation and re-centering.

Although the cold and dark can make a walk feel like the last thing you want to do, once I get outside and the cold invigorates my cheeks and gets my blood moving, I feel terrific.  It can be as simple as a walk around the block with a friend or partner to chat about your day, or walking to a favourite restaurant or cafe in the evening instead of driving.  Or, if you are as lucky to live along a river trail, as I do, a walk is a chance to enjoy a bit of nature in the city.  How lovely is this?