Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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Posts Tagged ‘Ball of foot’

Morning Workout

Posted by terrepruitt on June 14, 2011

I am actually going to get to bed earlier tonight than I have been getting to bed.  The plan is to get up a little earlier and do my Ten Minute Workout.  I want to actually have it done before noon.  Since I don’t have a Nia class on Tuesday I can get my ten (or twenty) ten in ten done in the morning.  Not necessarily early morning just morning as in before noon.  What about you?

Also, how are you doing with the ten?  Are you getting through ten repetitions of all ten exercises?

Well, I shall return to actually check-in with my “I’m done!”

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June 14, 2011 at 9:46 am

Okey-dokey.  I did my Ten Minute Workout.  I am averaging at least twice through, but, as I’ve said before I am convinced it is because my lunges aren’t that long, BUT . . . . . they ARE lunges.  Yay!  I am getting on the ball of my right foot (while my left leg is forward) AND pushing off on it when the right leg is forward. I am working on distributing the weight through the entire width of my foot (ball of foot) and all five toes, because I sense that I am still putting the majority of the weight on the actually “ball” of my foot (metatarsal head).

So are you ready to give the ten a try?  Remember we all have different goals so do what YOU can, not what I am saying I am doing.  Let me know how it is going for you.

Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Long Lunges

Posted by terrepruitt on June 4, 2011

We do lunges in Nia all the time. We call them the “bow stance”.  Different Nia routines have different “lunges”.  Sometimes we do them fast, sometimes slow. Sometimes the music allows us to do a deep lunge, sometimes it might just be a shallow or a high one. Lunges are great for the quadriceps and glutes. In my original design of my Ten Minute Workout I wanted the concentration to be in the glutes, so I decided to do a long lunge. A long lunge gets the backside more.

Holding weights down at your sides adds to the work your leg and butt muscles have to do. Standing up from the long step requires much more effort. As a reminder only step as far as will allow you to stand back up. Also be certain that in addition to being able to stand back up you are stable, so your legs are wide enough that you cannot be easily pushed over.

As you step out also remember that it is a controlled step. The foot that is stepping out should land softly and not in a stomp. These do not need to be done fast.  When including this exercise in the ten minute workout I was thinking of a long controlled step.  The movement is solid and fluid.

The foot that remains stationary ends up with the heel raised (completely vertical if you can get there), weight on the ball of the foot and toes.  Since this is a long lunge, the stationary leg could end up with the knee almost on the ground or on the ground.

The idea is to step one leg out then back, then the other leg steps out then back. Alternate legs, each step out is “one”. There are other ways to do lunges, modifications that can be made, but for now, this is the explanation of the exercise chosen to be included in this ten minute workout. Eventually I will post some information on different ways to do the lunges.

What questions do you have about the long lunges?

Posted in Ten Minute Workout (Posts) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

All out in Nia Class

Posted by terrepruitt on June 4, 2011

I subbed a Nia Class this morning.  Nia is a lot “about” the music.  We dance to the music.  Today while I was teaching I really just let the music take me and I danced.  I didn’t hold back much because of my foot.  I don’t put my weight on my right foot when I am in ball of foot position or bow stance, but I was DOING ball of foot (a GREAT step forward in my healing process).  During the class once or twice I wobbled or missed a beat because my foot kind didn’t want to support me.  At another point I realized I was on the EDGE of my right foot (another HUGE step forward in my healing process).  I had enough time in which to think about that and while it seemed ok, I was glad when the music told me it was time to move again because it didn’t seem like I should be doing that for much longer.  I really worked my foot this morning.  I went all out in Nia class.  That led me to not wanting to do my Ten Minute Workout.  I was really dreading the lunges because I am not ready to put weight on my right foot in ball of foot position—-and that is what a lunge is!!!

I came upstairs to do it.  Then I sat down at my computer, did an e-mail or two and I decided my foot really was too tired to do it.  I logged onto my blog to post that I was skipping Terre’s Ten Ten in Ten today, but when I saw the picture of my “gym” I thought, “It is really only 10 minutes.  And it is really just the first exercise that you are dreading.  So . . . do it LESS.  Even more “less” than you have been.”  So . . . . I did it.  It is obvious to me that I spend a lot of time in my long lunges — when I do them fully on a stable foot — because I thought that I was not going to make it two times through and when I looked at my timer I had plenty of time left and I was on the stability ball pass for the second time.  When I do lunges little it takes me less time.

I did my little workout, how about you?  What are you finding while you do these exercises?

Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Ball of the Foot

Posted by terrepruitt on June 29, 2010

We often step on the ball of our foot.  We often call it the toe.  The Ball of the foot is one of the 52 Moves of Nia.  Ballerinas are actually on their toes and they do it in special shoes that have a support in them where their toes are.  We usually are stepping onto the BALL of our foot when we step on the “toe”.  It is the ball portion of the foot that supports the weight when we are “on our toes”.

This is plantar flexion and assists with keeping the ankle joint flexible.  If you are standing on the foot you are flexing it can also assist with strength.

In a Nia workout class we do all types of movement and sometimes we are using the ball of our foot.  We could be stepping or standing.  The moment might call for us stepping ONTO the ball either forward, back, or even laterally.  Or it could be that we are standing and just rising up. This could be a position where we stay either in a display of balance or it could be a display of agility, a temporary place where we quickly move onto another move.  Either way it is all part of how the body was designed to be moved.

It might be a nice idea to keep in mind that moving and working the foot in different ways than it is used to being worked might cause some muscle soreness or tenderness through the entire leg.  If you are never on your the ball of your feet and suddenly your dancing a few moments on them, your calves might remind you of it later that day or even the next day.  Same goes for the whole foot, if you are not in the habit of moving on the whole foot your ENTIRE leg could end up letting you know you worked some leg muscles.

As with the whole foot, the ball of the foot can be used in the stances of Nia.

Just as I have done with the heel lead and the whole foot, I am going to suggest that you take note of this foot position.  As you walk notice when your stride gets to the point of the ball of your foot.  As you reach for something on the top shelf and you balance on your toes, notice the flex of your foot and the muscles in your calves.  As you walk through your day notice the ball of your foot.

Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Dance Workout, Nia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments »