Balance Tension & Relaxation!

 

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Our bodies need a healthy balance between Tension and Relaxation. Too often, many of us stay “tightly wound” from overworking our minds and bodies. I’m all for 100% effort (both physical & mental) but it needs to be balanced with some Calmness & Relaxation after. When it comes to exercise and being physical, there is nothing wrong with pushing hard if done safely but again this needs balancing. This balance I’m talking about can come from many different things (warm baths, adequate sleep/rest, taking a day off, massage, stretching, relaxing yoga flows, easy walks, etc) This same concept can also be applied WITHIN the actual workout between each set of any exercise. This works great when there is no time for stretching (or a warm shower). The great Russian fitness expert, Pavel coined these ideas as “fast & loose” exercises. Call them what you want. The idea is that in a very short amount of time we can greatly reduce tension inside our bodies by shaking certain areas of the body in a controlled yet relaxed manner. I believe by shaking the JAW, the SHOULDERS (via the arms) & the HIPS (via the legs & butt) we can achieve this “dumping of tension” in less than one minute. I typically shake each area 10-20 times between any exercise that feels intense or heavy. I normally first jump around to shake my arms & shoulders out, then shake both hips/legs while also moving my jawbones back and forth sideways. The more jiggle and floppiness the better. The idea is to “get loose” as fast as possible. It may look AND feel ridiculously silly but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it for a while. I’ve done this for years and can honestly say that it has helped me a lot. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox #healthandwellness #strengthtraining #strengthandconditioning #

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Feb 18, 2019 at 7:37am PST

Try Hanging to get the body stretched out…

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Today, try hanging (safely) from something sturdy and stable. Count how long you can hold. It’s absolutely ok if you can’t manage this just yet. Be patient. In time, you may find it possible. See if you can find and practice an easier version till you get stronger. Also, keep in mind that any extra weight will make this more difficult. For those that can already do a pull-up, great, you might try adding in “breathing” pauses at the top (or bottom) to change things up. The point of all this is to get some regular hang-time in each week, if not daily. The body needs to expand. This is an easy way to accomplish this. Hanging lengthens the spine and gets our arms overhead, something most of us don’t do often enough. It may sound crazy but most folks find this strangely addictive once the habit is formed. My body has actually learned to crave stretching in this manner. It’s also worth noting that the “big fitness 3” (Flexibility, Strength & Stamina) can all be improved if appropriate variations are applied. Practice. Enjoy. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Dec 10, 2018 at 7:57am PST

How Well Can You Crawl?

 

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I appreciate simple things. I also appreciate that simple and easy are not the same thing. They say you can tell a lot about someone by the shoes they wear and how they walk. I can do the same watching someone crawl. A very simple thing to try (but may prove to be more difficult for some) is to walk/crawl down to the ground and come back up to standing using mostly your upper body and whatever flexibility you currently have. Try to do several in a row if you want. (After years working as a fitness professional, I can honestly say that, as easy as this may be for regular exercisers, it’s often quite difficult for those that are sedentary.) Did it make you breathe heavy? Was it challenging to move the weight of your body around? Did you feel tight in a few areas? Perfect. This would be a great place for you to start exploring movement with your body. Yes, it also burns calories too. Just make sure nothing hurts when you do it. It is ok if it doesn’t look perfect. The point is to begin getting more comfortable being uncomfortable. I recommend practicing this daily. You don’t need to get all sweaty while doing it. Not yet anyway. For now, don’t even worry about counting any reps if you don’t want to. I would rather you put all of your energy toward simply moving better. You’ll know you’ve made progress when it feels easier to do AND begins to look more and more graceful over time. You can always upgrade to BEAST MODE later on if or when things drastically improve. But for now, master the fundamentals. They are never to be overlooked. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jun 27, 2018 at 9:52am PDT

Carlton’s basic “A.M. Flow” to mobilize the spine and the 4 knots (both shoulder sockets+both hip sockets). Lastly, breathing deeply & rhythmically throughout is most important. Breathe in through the nose and out through pursed lips.

New Weekly Health & Fitness Video Tipz! This week I demonstrate and describe a short and simple exercise routine that can be done anywhere by most anyone, with very little equipment. Don’t be put off by the fact that it might only take 10 minutes to do the entire workout. Don’t be put off by the fact there are only 3 exercises. I’m not going to go into great detail on this today, but just know that exercise need not be long or include lots of exercises to be effective. All 3 of these exercises will help improve the three big areas that constantly need our attention: Stretching, Strength & Stamina. Do you need to lose body fat? Then focus most of your precious energy on eating better and food prep, sleeping well and managing your stress. Most of us don’t need to exercise hours on end. But yes, we should move every day and eventually work towards 2-3 days of simple strength training each week. There will be much more on all of this in the coming year. In the meanwhile, get to work. Ask for help if you need it. You are in control.

Workout that only requires a Shoe (Turkish Getup – Part 1 ) – Time Warner News’ ACTIVE NOW

Time Warner News’ (Austin) “Active Now” spot showed me a little love last week. Here, I do my best to demonstrate the main first move of the Turkish Getup using a shoe. It’s like a sit-up but much much more.

http://www.twcnews.com/tx/austin/lifestyles/2015/10/30/workout-that-only-requires-a-shoe.html

http://www.twcnews.com/tx/austin/lifestyles/2015/10/30/workout-that-only-requires-a-shoe.html

New Health & Fitness Tipz! Today i talk about “Squatting”. Most people hear that and think: an exercise. But it’s much more than that. Even if you never plan to “workout” again, you still should be able to squat down without it looking like total dogsh*t. The point is, you need to be able to safely squat down fairly low till the day you die. But this requires some knowledge and will take some practice. Today’s video is not about trying to teach anyone how to squat correctly(that would be a much longer video), but more for ideas on where to begin. Start today. Learn to squat again. If you are not an “exerciser” then try getting down and hanging out in the bottom part of the squat, much like a daily stretch. If you have seen the light and do practice movement on a regular basis, include squats in every workout, either as part of your warmup or as a main dish. The point is to move better and squatting is a fundamental part of that huge equation. Enjoy.