Day 177- Single Bent Leg Stretch with Pelvis on Foam Roller

This exercise is a variation on Joseph Pilates’ classic Single Bent Leg Stretch.  The foam roller provides the opportunity to lengthen the hip flexors.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a Foam Roller.  Start by lying on your back with your pelvis on the foam roller.  Your legs should be in a tabletop position.  Inhale in to the back of the ribs and then exhale as you extend one leg long towards the floor.  Continue exhaling as you switch your legs, and then inhale into the back of your ribs for two more leg switches.  Repeat for 8-10 repetitions.

Things to think about

This exercise can be varied for different strength levels.  As the leg lowers to the floor the spine and belly muscles are required to work hard to maintain axial length.  Be sure to keep the ribcage connected to the ground as you work so that the spine doesn’t arch.

Imagine reaching through your big toe as you lengthen the leg.  This will aid in the length of the hip flexor, which will in turn keep the pelvis from tilting anteriorly. 

Day 176- Double Straight Leg Stretch with Pelvis on Ball

This exercise is a challenging variation of the Joseph Pilates Classic Double Straight Leg Stretch

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your back with the soft ball underneath your pelvis.  Your legs should be reaching towards the ceiling.  Inhale into the back of the ribcage, and then exhale as you lower your legs four inches and then bring them back to the starting positing.  Inhale in between repetitions and then exhale as you lower and lift your legs again.  Repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

Finding the midline of the body is essential to the safety of the spine in this exercise.  As you complete the repetitions be sure that you are squeezing your ankles, big toe knuckles, and sitz bones together. 

The exhale allows you to access the very inner core of the body.  As you exhale the diaphragm lifts into the lungs, which helps to lift the pelvic floor and engages the transverse abdominals.

Day 129- Oblique Abdominal Curls with Pulses

This exercise provides a little bit of extra work to the oblique abdominal connection.  It also provides the opportunity to complete release all of the air out of your lungs to facilitate the most length in the spine.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted in the ground.  Clasp your hands behind your head at the base of your skull and inhale into the back of your ribs. Exhale as you reach your right elbow, arm, and shoulder toward your left knee, thigh, and hip.  Inhale and then exhale again as you begin pulsing.  This means deepen the movement and then release slightly.  Repeat these pulses 10-12 times and then inhale into the back of the ribs before exhaling to release your upper body back to the ground.  Inhale into the back of your ribs again and repeat this process on the other side. 

Things to think about:

You should not do this exercise if you have osteoporosis.

While this exercise will increase your abdominal strength it will also help you train and improve the work of your diaphragm.  With each pulse imagine that your diaphragm is moving further toward your lungs pushing as much carbon dioxide out of your body.

Be sure that the pulse is occurring at the ribcage and that the movement of the pulse is not emanating from any of the cervical vertebra or the shoulder.

Day 127- Oblique Abdominal Curls

This exercise will continue increasing the abdominal connection as well as articulating the spine through rotation and flexion.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your back with your hands clasped at the base of your skull, your knees bent, and your feet flat on the mat.  Inhale into the back of the ribcage and exhale as you begin reaching the right elbow, arm, and shoulder toward the lift hip, thigh, and knee.  Inhale at the top and exhale as you lower your body back to the beginning position.  Inhale into the back of the ribs and exhale as you repeat this movement on the opposite side.  Repeat 5-10 times alternating sides.

Things to think about

You should not do this exercise if you have osteoporosis.

This is exercise is so much more than reaching your elbow to the opposite knee.  If we reach just the elbow to the opposite knee, then we are not integrating the core into the movement.  This exercise is about lifting one side of the upper body and moving it to the opposite side of the lower body. 

The breath is key in this exercise, be sure that you are inhaling into the back of your ribcage and exhaling completely as you do this exercise.

Day 124- Abdominal Curls Over Foam Roller

This exercise increases thoracic spine mobility in spinal flexion and spinal extension.  It provides the body the opportunity to improve posture while releasing shoulder and neck tension.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a foam roller.  Start by placing the foam roller perpendicular to your spine so that it is underneath your shoulder blades.  Your knees should be bent and your hands will be placed behind your head.  Begin by inhaling as you let your head, neck, and shoulders gently lower toward the floor, then exhale as you narrow the ribcage, nod your head, and then begin curling your head, neck, and shoulders into an abdominal curl.  Repeat this exercise 8-10 times

Things to think about

This exercise should not be done if you have Osteoporosis. 

As you are releasing your head, neck, and shoulders to the ground be sure that you are opening your chest and widening your collar bones.  This is a great way to begin to improve posture around the head and shoulders.

Be sure that the foam roller is at the bottom of the shoulder blades and not lower on the spine.  If the foam roller is too low you might feel discomfort or even strain in the low spine.

Day 123- Abdominal Curls with Slomo Ball behind Shoulder Blades

This exercise is intended to increase the mobility and flexibility of the thoracic spine and ribcage for increased lung capacity and improved posture.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted into the ground.  The soft ball should be under your ribcage right between your shoulder blades and your hands should be clasped behind your head for support.  Inhale as you extend your spine over the ball allowing your head neck and shoulders to open towards the floor.  Then exhale as you narrow the ribcage and begin to use the upper abs to bring the thoracic spine into flexion.  Repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

If you have a diagnosis of Osteoporosis you want to be sure to move between spine extension and neutral in this exercise.  This means that your head will never come higher than your neck and shoulders.  Extension done safely is excellent for osteoporosis, but flexion increases the incidence of possible fractures.

 This is also not an exercise for the low back, so be sure that the low back is relatively still as the thoracic spine continues to move.  This will help distribute movement across the whole spine so that the low spine is not overworking.

This exercise is more about the breath than the abdominals (Are you sick of hearing this yet).  The abdominals play a role, but abdominal work without breath can lead to a compressed dysfunctional lumbar spine.

Day 121- Abdominal Curls

This exercise is intended to strengthen the abdominal wall, and if done correctly can also create length in the thoracic and low spine.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted in the floor. Your hands should be clasped together behind your head. Inhale into the back of your ribs and exhale as you press your ribcage into the ground and lift your head neck and shoulders.  Inhale at the top and exhale as you release your head neck and shoulders to the ground vertebra by vertebra. Repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

This seemingly simple exercise is filled with many variables.  I always tell people that if you can do more than ten of these (aka I just did three hundred crunches…You’ve heard this I know you have) that you’re not doing it right.  This exercise takes a great amount of mindfulness and awareness of the moving body to get the most benefit. 

Also if you have a diagnosis of Osteoporosis, this is not the abdominal exercise for you.  Flexion of the spine increases the chance of vertebral fracture.  In this case the toe taps in all of its various form would be a better abdominal strengthening exercise because they are an excellent source of abdominal work that leaves the spine safe and even strengthens it.

Now the most important thing about the abdominal curl is the breath.  The inhale into the back of the ribs lengthens and opens tissue in the spine so that the spine is able to bend easily.  It is also important to be aware of the exhale and that it is a complete exhale.  As the air is leaving your lungs the diaphragm is moving into the ribcage and lengthening the Psoas.  With this length you body will be in the ideal place to flex the spine.

Neck placement is also something to be aware of.  As you are doing this exercise your want there to be a slight nod to your head.  Your focus should be at your navel not at the ceiling

Day 120- SIngle Straight Leg Lower on Slomo Ball

This exercise is intended to add challenge to the leg lower, while giving support to the sacrum

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your back with the soft ball under your pelvis.  One leg should be in a tabletop position and one leg should be straight with the heel reaching towards the ceiling.  Inhale as you point your toe and exhale as you lower your leg towards the floor.  Then inhale as you float the leg up to the ceiling. Repeat 5 times on each side.

Things to think about

Wobbly pelvises can bring strain to low backs and sacro-illiac joints.  Use your breath to make sure that your pelvic floor and lower abdominals are working.

Feel the length in your hip flexor as you lower the leg down.

Day 119- Toe Taps from Table Top with a Diagonal on Slomo Ball

This exercise is intended to increase the difficulty of this oblique abdominal exercise by adding proprioceptive challenge.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your back with the soft ball underneath your pelvis.  Your legs should be in a tabletop position.  Inhale as you point your legs to the side and then exhale as you lower your toes to the floor and bring them back.  Inhale as you point the toes to the other side and then exhale as you tap our toes on the ground.  Repeat alternating sides 8-10 times.

Things to think about:

Remember with these oblique variations that you are rotating the thighs in the hip sockets while maintaining stillness in the pelvis.  Your pelvis may want to roll to one side or the waist may shorten because your hip hikes towards the ribcage.  Be sure to use your exhale to engage your pelvis floor and lower abdominals.  Sometimes it helps to think of the abdomen pulling away from the leg as it lowers.

Day 118- Toe Taps from Table Top Double Leg on Slomo Ball

This exercise adds proprioceptive challenges to the double leg toe taps by placing the pelvis on an unstable base

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your back with the soft ball underneath your pelvis.  Your legs should be in a tabletop position.  Inhale into the back of the ribs to prepare and then exhale as you squeeze your inner thighs together and tap both toes on the ground and then bring them back up to tabletop position.  Inhale in between movement and then exhale as you repeat.  Continue for 6-8 repetitions

Things to think about

The wobbly ball will make this exercise quite challenging for the lower abdominals.  Be sure that you are exhaling completely and maintaining awareness of your pelvic floor and lower abdominals

Day 117- Toe Taps from Table Top single leg on Slomo Ball

This exercise is intended to add proprioceptive challenge to the Single Leg Toe Taps.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your back with the soft ball underneath your pelvis.  Your legs will be in a tabletop position.  Inhale to prepare and exhale as you lower one leg to tap the toe on the ground and return it to a tabletop position, then inhale in between and exhale again as you lower the other leg and bring it back up.  Repeat 5-10 times alternating sides.

Things to think about

The soft ball may make the pelvis a little wobbly, so to keep it stabile will require additional abdominal strength.

Try and breathe into the back of your ribs during the exercise.  The space underneath the back that is created by the ball allows for more room in the ribcage, so if you focus the breath there you might be able to get some release

Day 116- Single Straight Leg Lower

This exercise is intended to challenge the stability of the pelvis by lengthening the lever arm of the moving leg.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your back in a tabletop position.  Inhale as you straighten one leg for the ceiling and exhale as you lower that long leg towards the floor.  Just before it touches the floor flex your foot and inhale as you lift the leg again.  Repeat 5 times on each side.

Things to think about

It is very challenging to do this exercise correctly.  Often when first learning this exercise a person recruits the quadriceps and hip flexors so much that they pull the pelvis into an anterior tilt causing extension in the low back, or distress at the sacro-iliac join.  To prevent this it sometimes helps to imagine that the sacrum is glued to the floor.  It also helps to bend the knee slightly to create ease in the front of the hips.  As always you are imagining the ease in the hip socket as you are moving the bones of the leg.