September 24, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC For those of you who think that yoga is all calm, slow, relaxing movements that don’t make you sweat or get your heart rate up, sun salutations can prove you wrong. These vinyasa sequences happen in the beginning of your flow, and are basically the cardio part of your yoga practice (yes, yoga can count as cardio). While all variations of these salutations can be challenging, it’s sun salutation B, specifically, that gets your body ready for certain poses you’ll be doing later on. If you’re not familiar with sun salutations, they’re the part of the vinyasa flow that tend to get your body generating heat. “Sun salutations are commonly used as warm-up yoga sequences usually in the first half of a class that involve repeating the same series of postures several times, while linking breath to movement, often with chaturanga transitions in between sides and repetitions,” says Christine Kick, master trainer for YogaSix. “Sun salutation B is a flow of poses that generally begins with a chair pose to chaturanga transition, followed by a sequence of poses on the right, ending in the chaturanga transition, then again on the left, also ending with a chaturanga transition.” You’ll repeat this several times to really get your body warmed up. In a yoga class, you may be doing sun salutations A and/or B or neither—it depends on the parameters of the class and what the teacher’s preferences are. “It really just depends on the
Category: Yoga
These 3 ‘T-spine’ stretches are the key to perfect posture
September 24, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC You know the puppet strings that hold up Pinnochio by attaching to the key parts of his back? (Of course you do.) Well, they work to pull him upright so that he stands straight, with his shoulders back, in perfect posture… much like what your T-spine does for you. Short for “thoracic spine,” your T-spine is the middle and upper part of your back, and works as the foundation for all kinds of different movements. That’s why in so many warm-ups, instructors have you do T-spine stretches—they essentially get your body opened up and primed to move more efficiently. “It’s important to stretch or mobilize the T-spine before working out so that your whole body has more freedom for functional movement,” says Lara Heimann, physical therapist, yogi, and founder of Movement by Lara. She points out that this part of your spine is restricted a lot of the time, especially in extensions and rotations, which means that your lumbar (lower back) or cervical spine (the neck) will then try to compensate, which isn’t good. Since hunching over our phones and desks keep our T-spines compacted all day long, it’s important to do the work to lengthen them before jumping into a workout. “With so much social media, computer work, and sitting hunched in crowded subways, our upper body gets really tight,” says Ally Berlin, trainer and founder of Body by Ally Berlin. “I always do T-spine stretches in my class before I start
Meet the ‘Big Four for Booty’ toning exercises you need to know
September 24, 2019 at 01:01PM by CWC Squats? Check. Lunges? Yep, got those too. When it comes to leg- and butt-toning workouts, they’re kind of a big deal. It’s hard to beat the basic exercises for serious results. But there’s a set of variations on your go-tos that could take your progress to the next level. Amanda Bisk, exercise psychologist and yoga teacher, recently shared a workout on Instagram that features the “Big Four for Booty”—well, that’s what we’re calling it anyway. The simple exercises are smaller, more stationary variations of some of the ones you’re used to, and because of that, they’ll burn muscles you didn’t even know existed. “They really target all of your leg muscles—including the inner thighs and booty. These muscles keep your exercises controlled and stable,” Bisk writes. Another perk? You can do these four exercises right at home—no equipment needed. All you need is a mat, a great workout mix, and some determination to get through the five rounds of booty-burning torture. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amanda Bisk (@amandabisk) on Sep 18, 2019 at 11:30pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js The ‘big four for booty’ workout Complete five rounds of the following exercises: 1. Narrow lunge How many: 15 on each side Amanda’s tip: Your back knee should be behind your heel, bottom sitting back, and aim for elbows to front knee, keeping a straight spine. Your front heel should firmly press down for full glute activation. 2. Slide squat
How to fake the Big Five personality trait that helps people stick to their fitness goals
September 24, 2019 at 02:01AM by CWC Anytime I meet someone who breezes through life with a fully optimized, color-coded Google calendar, I turn green with envy. Of the Big Five personality traits (a quick-and-dirty psychological framework that helps you determine who you are), conscientiousness is the one I lack. My disorganization and taste for rule-breaking has made it difficult to make many habits sticks—especially when it comes to workout motivation. A new study published by the Psychological Science points a finger at why those lacking in the hard-to-spell “c” word may find it harder to convince themselves to make it to their sweat sesh. Over a 20-week period, researchers tracked the workout plans of 282 participants (who were mostly students). They found that those who ranked themselves highly on planfulness items such as “developing a clear plan when I have a goal is important to me,” ended up following through on their exercises more frequently than those who didn’t. Planfulness happens to be a key part of conscientiousness, according to Art Markman, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Even if you’re not born with it, you can still learn to fake workout motivation. No lie. “The best way to understand personality characteristics is to think about them as the default way, or the factory settings on your motivational systems,” explains Dr. Markman. “The idea is that most of us are motivated by different things and there’s a range of variations that’s normal for people.
How lousy mobility leads to hidden weaknesses in your body
September 23, 2019 at 06:51PM by CWC Nowadays, the majority of us are hyper-mobile. And by that I mean we’re, like, always on our phones. Ironically though, the constant texting, scrolling, and appsturbating wreaks havoc on our physical mobility. That, paired with some of our other 21st century quotidian movement patterns, creates hidden weaknesses in the body, according to Emily Kiberd, DC, a doctor chiropractic at Urban Wellness Clinic. “Mobility is often confused with flexibility, but they are not the same,” says Dr. Kiberd. “Mobility is the ability of a joint to reach its full range, opposed to flexibility, which refers to the ability of a muscle to stretch.” Whether or not your joints move to their full extent largely depends on factors like the tightness of your muscles, the wear and tear of a specific joint, and muscle memory. When any of these factors moves out of balance, your entire body takes note. “A lack of mobility can affect how we walk, how we sit, and if we can move through our day pain free,” the chiropractor explains. While “text neck” paired with the constant hunching over phones also messes with mobility, Dr. Kiberd says our desk jobs might be the greatest threat to good posture. “One of the biggest factors to compromise mobility is poor posture from sitting all day, leading to muscle imbalance. Weak muscles from sitting too much can lead to compensations in the body which can prohibited mobility, and cause joint degeneration, tight muscles, and headaches,” she
This 10K training program will get you up and running in only 5 weeks
September 23, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Traci Copeland is a Nike Master Trainer and run coach based in New York City. She’s created this five-week program that will have you eyeing the finish line of a 10K, whether it’s your first time lacing up or you’re an old pro. Train with us over the following month and we’ll meet you on October 26 for our virtual race. Allow me to blow your mind: If you’ve never run a race before or are a race-day pro, the mental preparation is exactly the same—and that holds true no matter if you’re training for a one-mile sprint, a 5K, or a 10K. So in other words, don’t let the thought of powering through 6.2 miles psych you out, because as long as you’ve got your head in the game, you can do it. This five-week plan is designed to carry you to the finish line of a 10K. Each week, you’ll build up the minutes you spend pounding the pavement until you’re powering through a full six-miler like it’s nobody’s business. You’ll combine walking, running, and walk-run sessions throughout each week, getting both your body and mind accustomed to moving for such a sustained period of time. Though this is technically a running program, you’ll actually only be running three days—the others will be spent either as a rest day or cross-training, both of which are critical to getting you across the finish line in tip-top shape. Cross-training is important because, while
The sleep issue each dosha struggles to hit snooze on
September 22, 2019 at 08:06PM by CWC Here are two things that are old as dirt: the constant quest for a good night’s sleep, and Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old holistic healing tradition that originated in India. Luckily, you’re able to use the latter to aid the former: using Ayurveda for sleep is all about identifying your dosha. In Ayurveda we have a certain mind-body composite, made up of a combination of three doshas. Your most dominant dosha is a reflection of everything from how you sleep to how you respond to your stress. The idea is that you want your doshas to be balanced, but if something’s a little kilter, that means you’re being pulled energetically pulled one way or another. And just so you don’t fear you’re going to have to learn a whole new zodiac wheel of personalities, there’s only three doshas that determine your energy: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Knowing what dosha (and yes, like a rank amateur I find mine out from a what dosha are you quiz, I’m a Vata) can give you a more personalized wellness map of sorts. And if you’re in the timeless struggle of tossing-and-turning, we have some insight from Oriental medicine specialist and founder of Juhi Center in New York, Juhi Singh, LAc. Vata Studies tend to show that those who align with Vata have plenty of trouble getting a good night’s rest. Like, perpetual eye baggages is kind of Our Look, and Singh confirms that we struggle the hardest of
Target the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ of back pain with these 3 stretches
September 20, 2019 at 09:57PM by CWC In case you thought you were alone, a whopping 31 million Americans experience a painful lower back. It’s a turbulent spot for a great deal of the population, which is why Lara Heimann, physical therapist, yogi, and founder of Movement by Lara, has come to classify the most achey parts of your lumbar region “The Bermuda Triangle” of back pain. According to Hymann, taking the time to properly care for this area can usher away a great deal of the pain lingering at the base of your spine. “I call it the ‘Bermuda Triangle’ because it’s the area of disaster that as a triad creates compression tension on the low back,” she says. “Over time, it can lead to degeneration at the disc and at the joint level. In the short term, it can lead to discomfort and muscle tightness.” To locate the territory on your back, trace a line from just below your pubic bone, up to your outer hip, and around your sacrum. Do the same thing on the other side, picture the lines you’ve traced in 3-D, and there you have it—one of the most shipwrecked zones of your body. When I ask Heimann what movement patterns that spark Bermuda back pain, she tells me (shocker) that we can blame it on our all-day, everyday desk job stance. “Sitting is a huge culprit because it will create tightness around the hips that will make your body have to compensate somewhere
‘I’m a dancer, and these are the 3 no-no-no’s of stretching your hamstrings’
September 19, 2019 at 04:55PM by CWC I have a rocky relationship with hamstring stretching (see: the yoga butt incident of 2018). Unwinding the tight group of muscles running up the backs of your legs can make all of your everyday movements feel more effortless, but getting the hang of how can be tricky. That’s why I asked Donna Flagg, a dancer and stretching instructor at Broadway Dance Center, to coach me through proper techniques. Apparently, there are three things you should never (like, ever) do when you’re stretching your hamstrings. “The world is divided into people who believe they were born inflexible and always will be, and those who stretch but don’t understand why their flexibility does not improve,” she tells me. If you find yourself struggling with forward-fold or (trying) to do the splits, then Flagg wants you to listen up. Simple as it may seam, tweaking your form just slightly can lead to big results. Ready for smarter hamstring stretching? Watch out for these 3 common mistakes. 1. Don’t: Buckle foward “In an effort to go farther and touch their toes, people bend their knees, making it more likely that they will touch the floor,” says Flagg. While nothing’s inherently wrong with that, the problem arises if you buckle and slacken the whole back of your leg. Meaning, your hamstrings won’t get stretched out and you’re compromising the health of your needs. Do this instead: To keep your entire lower chain safe, contract the muscles around your kneecaps.
The Class by Taryn Toomey is coming to a city near you (you heard me!)
September 19, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Every Sunday, no matter how non-virtuous my behavior the night before, I scrape myself out of bed at 8 a.m. to make it to a 9 a.m. exercise class. I do this not because I love to work out (I do not), but because it is the only time in the entire week I can catch The Class by Taryn Toomey (who happens to also be a Well+Good Council member) near my house in east L.A., and I gotta have it. If you know The Class, you know The Class. Trying to describe the yoga-HIIT-dance hybrid always makes me feel inadequate as a wordsmith, because it’s really different than anything else out there. Much of The Class is focused upon the principles that you can build long, lean muscle by focusing on working fast-twitch muscles. You do this by repeating small, dance-like movements for what feels like for-e-ver. It’s emotional, raw, and plain-and-simple: effective. And it’s gained enough of a reputation outside of the New York City and Los Angeles bubbles that the brand felt like it needed to take Toomey’s show on the road. In an attempt to answer these calls, she’s kicking off a seven-city tour this October. “Every day we receive emails and DMs from students near and far that are asking about when The Class might come to them, whether that’s in Midtown or Nashville,” says Toomey. “So we decided to bring it to cities where we’ve never been,