I often do the heavy lifting, running or other types of cardio, but the best fitness results for me, have come from pilates, stretching, and yoga types of workouts that focus on stretching the muscles.
Plus, the latter types of workouts allows you to open up so much space in your body and consequently in your mind to receive new experiences.
Morning Routine
One of the first things I like to do in the morning is a figure 4 on my back while still in bed. Then, go on all fours and do a cat-cow, wiggle the hips around in a freestyle. Then extend one leg back and the opposite arm to the front. With each inhale, bring them a little higher. With another exhale, open your top hip to the side. You can stay like this. You can open the arm to the sky. Alternatively, bend the knee of the top leg and bind them together behind your booty. Push the top of your foot into the arm and feel the shoulders expanding and the heart making way for fresh experiences. Slowly release back to the ground.
There are many options you can do from all fours or even plank pose if you want to challenge yourself. See what your body needs, listen to it and you’ll 100 % feel good after it. How can you not? You’ve given the body the ultimate love of refreshing it from the inside and out. If at any time during the workout, you feel your body shaking, it is just your body forming stronger muscles.
Next, you want to transition into a pigeon pose. This is great to really open up the hips and prepare them for days when I do sit behind the desk or in a car a lot. Pigeon Pose is the perfect exercise for that.
For a stronger, better spine, it is important to keep moving. As you probably know that many aches derive directly from the spine. Once you’re familiar with different types of workouts, you can easily take one exercise and reshape it into another form to fit your needs. Listen to your body and stretch the areas that need to be stretched. Open up space within your joints. I get it, it hurts. But the little pain that you feel is the one making you more flexible and in turn quicker and your muscles less prone to injuries. When you do hit a wall with pain, first breathe through it. Use each inhale to release the tension in your mind and then on the exhale deepen into the stretch—until it goes. Hold in the pose and breathe through anything that crosses your mind.
Obviously, don’t do any sudden movements. It should all flow and look like you eased into the stretch. As I’ve mentioned so many times before, you make the definition of the muscles at the gym and fuel them right in the kitchen while the place where you really take care of them is your yoga mat with stretching exercises. Utilize your knowledge and be in tune with your body to the max.
