Day 130- Chest Lift

This exercise is intended to increase the range of motion of the thoracic spine, and to strengthen the relationship between abdominal strength and arm movement.

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet planted into the ground.  Clasp your hands behind your head and inhale into the back of your ribcage.  Exhale as you press your ribcage into the ground and lift your head, neck, and shoulders into the air.  Inhale into the back of your ribs as you release your hands and arc them through the air toward your thighs.  Exhale as you clasp the back of your thighs to increase the spinal flexion and lift your head, neck, and shoulders higher.  Inhale as you reverse the arm arc and return your hands behind your head, while maintaining the increased spinal flexion and then exhale as you release your head, neck, and shoulders to the ground. Repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

You should not do this exercise if you have osteoporosis. 

This exercise requires additional abdominal control when moving the arms.  Often people complain of pain in the back at the base of the ribcage when lifting the arms over head.  The loss of abdominal control in overhead movement can cause us to arch our back.  With this exercise you have a great opportunity to practice the differentiation of arm movement to spine movement, which creates a strong center for any arm movement required.

The breath pattern of this exercise is very important in that if facilitates the core control necessary for the increased flexion and arm movement.

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 128- Oblique Abdominal Curls on Foam Roller

This exercise is intended to increase the balance challenge, while continuing to increase the oblique abdominal connection.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a Foam Roller.  Start by lying on the foam roller with your spine running along the length of the roller.  Your head and your pelvis should both be on the roller with your knees bent and your feet planted in the ground.  Clasp your hands at the base of your skull and inhale into the back of your ribcage, and then exhale as you reach your right elbow, arm, and shoulder toward the left hip, thigh, and knee. Inhale into the back of your ribs again and exhale as you lower your upper body back to the foam roller.  Inhale and repeat this movement on the other side, and then continue to repeat alternating sides 5-10 times.

Things to think about

You should not do this exercise if you have osteoporosis.

The wobbles caused by the foam roller require additional strength and control and can make this quite a challenging exercise.  To continue improving your balance be sure that your feet are connected to the ground completely, and that your knees are pointed directly for the ceiling.

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 126- Abdominal Curls with Spine Parallel to the Foam Roller

This exercise adds a balance challenge to the spinal articulation in an abdominal curl.  Not only will you be strengthening the abdominal connection you will also be improving your balance.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a foam roller.  Start by lying on the foam roller.  Your spine will run along the length of the foam roller, and you will want both your pelvis and your head to be on the roller.  Your knees will be bent and your feet will be on the mat in line with your pelvis.  Place your hands behind your head and inhale allowing your ribs to expand.  Exhale as you first nod your head and narrow your ribcage, and then allow your exhale to continue as you press your ribcage into the foam roller and lift your head, neck, and shoulders into the air.  Inhale into the back of your ribcage, and then exhale again as you lower your head, neck, and shoulders to the ground.  Repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

This exercise should not be done if you have osteoporosis.

As you work your way through this exercise you may notice that you might be wobbling a little bit.  Due to the unstable base of the foam roller your body may have trouble balancing.  Be sure that your feet are both on the ground and that you can feel your entire heel, your big toe knuckle, and your little toe knuckle, and the pads of all your toes reaching into the ground like the roots of a tree.  These roots will allow you to find the midline of your body for support in balance.

Be sure to support your head with your hands.  The hands can help you articulate the first vertebra with the head nod.  This will facilitate the spine articulation that will protect the muscles of the neck.

Day 125- Abdominal Curls combined with Bridge over Foam Roller

This exercise lengthens and strengthens the spine.  It also provides the opportunity to practice the using the breath to create core support for the movement of the spine.  Warm up with this everyday!

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 allow your head, neck, and shoulders to lower toward the floor.  Once your upper body has extended over the foam roller as far as possible, then exhale and begin lifting your pelvis into the air.  This will allow your head to move closer to the ground.  Once your pelvis is as high as it can go, then inhale as you begin lowering the pelvis down to the ground, maintaining the position of your head, neck, and shoulders.  Once your tailbone reaches the ground, then exhale to send your ribcage toward your pelvis as you curl your head, neck, and shoulders forward.  Repeat 6-8 times.

Things to think about

This exercise should not be done if you have osteoporosis.

This exercise is intended to lengthen and strengthen the spine.  You will also begin to feel a balance between flexion and extension along the spine.  Imagine the entire spine reacting to each individual movement of each individual vertebra.  While this movement may not feel rigorous it is a full body movement that requires integration of all of the parts.

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.