STRETCH DAILY TO IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY

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For most us, our bodies will get stiffer with time. It’s our responsibility to do something about it. Anyone can improve flexibility but it requires daily practice. It doesn’t have to take up too much time. Today I demonstrate a short 3-5 minute stretching routine that I do EVERY SINGLE MORNING upon waking. I literally drink a full pint glass of water then immediately get down on the ground and perform a few stretches. I’ve done this for years. It’s short and sweet. I might not be the most flexible person in existence but I’m much better off now had I ignored stretching altogether like so many do. Watch the entire video. I have a few useful tips scattered in it. Please ask me any questions. I want to inspire you to take better care of your health. If you’re not very flexible, you may be missing out on more than you’d ever realize. It may also increase the chances of sustaining a serious injury. You can do something about it. Start today. #morningflow #morningrituals #dailystretching #fiveminuteflow #yogaflow #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #austinpersonaltrainers #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 3, 2020 at 6:59am PDT

Books on Injuries, Prevention of Injuries

 

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The body has an amazing ability to heal…if/when we let it. Ultimately, the responsibility rests in our own hands. There is an abundance of information out there dedicated to improving health. Much of it is free. I like books. I own many. These are a few that I own that have helped my own movement and body work. Knowledge is key. I was told a long time ago: ask better questions and you’ll find better answers. When it comes to health and quality of life, being lazy should never be an option. Seek help when needed. #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 5, 2019 at 7:30am PDT

Part 2: Injuries, Pain, Soreness

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PART 2 : INJURIES-PAIN-SORENESS. Just because a medical professional “cleared” you does not mean all problems are over. At some point, all medical/therapy roads come to an end. When they do, then what? Ask a lot of questions. Anything you can think of. Most importantly, find out what things you should probably limit, avoid or NOT DO in the future. But after that, most likely, you’ll be on your own. Discomfort, pain and things-in-general “not feeling the same” might be a reality. Do everything you can not to take pain killers unless you really need them or your doctor has had a long conversation with you about the option. The most important thing now is to get back to as normal of a life as possible. With regards to movement and exercise, you will need to start VERY slow and experiment with everything. You may be surprised at what you CAN do but also what you CAN’T do, at least not yet. Remember, first make sure there aren’t things you shouldn’t be doing. Besides that, always listen to your body. Start LIGHT, SIMPLE AND SLOW. Learn to move well using only your bodyweight. If using some form of external/manual resistance, start with very light weights, simple movements (that you understand), and can perform near-perfect form. Lastly, make sure to start by moving SLOW. If something hurts, see if you can safely modify or maybe try doing something different. There might very well be some things that you won’t be able to do. It’s ok. Learn to work around them. There are many options. Research. Explore. Don’t be too cautious but also don’t be reckless. Use that beautiful brain! #blueskystrongbox #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 2, 2019 at 8:46am PDT

…examples of BIG stretches

 

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FLEXIBILITY is this week’s theme. It should always be a “theme”. Watch the video from my last post. This post contains a few “stretches” I would recommend to most healthy individuals. If you already have pain or experience pain during any of these movements, make sure you see a qualified health professional soon. When doing any of these movements above, it’s very important to RELAX INTO the stretch. Never force a stretch. That’s exactly how to hurt yourself. Instead, start slowly and breathe INTO the stretch. If you cannot breathe reasonably well in any particular stretch, you’ve probably gone too far. Back off. Begin again. Breathe slowly in through the nose and out through pursed lips. How long should you hold? I’d recommend starting with a range 5-20 slow breathes. STRETCHES: 1) Child’s Pose 2) Rock Back Baby 3) Cat 4) Down Dog 5) Spider-Man Reach 6) Carlton’s Super-Stretch part one 7) Carlton’s Super-Stretch part two 8) Cossack Squat 9) Hang *Call these whatever you like. Names mean nothing. It’s the movement, the action that matters most. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox #stretching #flexibility #mobility #mobilityfirst

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Apr 12, 2019 at 7:23am PDT

Flexibility is essential for many reasons…

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Some people are naturally flexible. This basically means they did a good job of NOT losing the flexibility they were born with. However, most of us are not in that boat. Because of a variety of factors (sitting, inactivity, injuries, etc) most of have lost quite a bit of our “natural” flexibility every year as time has moved forward. With that said, it’s not limited to just the mature. I regularly see young folks in the teens, 20’s and 30’s with poor flexibility. Obviously, this is an area that most of us should give more attention. There is no one stretch or technique that will fix everything for everyone. We are each unique. Some people think “I should try Yoga”. It might not be a bad idea. Some think, “maybe a good massage might help”. That’s also a great idea. But even Yoga and a great massage still might not fix everything. Becoming more flexible, increasing mobility and range of motion may require many approaches. The first step is to find what area(s) need immediate attention. We call this “finding the MOST limiting factor(s)”. A great tool to use is a screening test. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is a great screening test that many Fitness Professionals prefer to use. Regardless, find a way to assess where you currently are. For many, backs and shoulders feel stiff. For others, it’s more in the hips and legs. Sometimes everything is a bit of a mess. Regardless, most of us will have at least one major area that needs some TLC. It’s ok. It happens. Do something about it. Today, I’m demonstrating a simple lower-body stretch, typically called a Cossack Squat. Try it out. Go slow. Be very careful! This is just a quick example of a little something you could do daily to help get some Stretching into your life. Increasing flexibility take does time. Start slow and practice regularly. The phrase that really helps the most with my mindset needed while stretching is “relax into stretch”. Lastly, count your breathes not the seconds, doing your best to breathe comfortably during all stretching. Holding your breath is the last thing you wanna do when stretching. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox #stretchingexercises #flexibilitytraining #mobilitytraining

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Apr 8, 2019 at 8:25am PDT

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.