Posts Tagged ‘stretch’
Posted by terrepruitt on February 13, 2023
I have posted these feet facts before, but since I couldn’t easily find them because they are part of a larger post. I thought I would list them for quick reference:
—Feet are not just for standing and balancing, they help with shock absorption to keep the entire body from sensing the entire jolt as you move. A flexible foot is great with absorbing the impact.
—Each foot has a network of more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
—Each foot has 26 bones and 33 joints.
—With 52 bones (26 for each foot) it is about 1/4 of all the bones in the body (206).
—The largest bone in the foot is called the calcaneus (heel bone).
—There are over 7,000 nerved endings in each foot.
—The feet have 250,000 sweat glands so an active person can produce four to six ounces of perspiration a day.
As you may guess – from that previous post – I am a big believer in moving the feet. I believe they need to be strengthened and stretched. We do a lot of that in Nia, yoga, and of course stretch. I always remind my students of their “Homework”.
Have a great day!
Posted in Misc | Tagged: balancing, bones, calcaneus, Feet Facts, heel bone, ligaments, Muscles, Nia, Standing, stretch, tendons, walking, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 15, 2022
This is a pretty narrow tree. Since I use the room as my studio to do my Zoom classes it works. Gentle yoga and stretch don’t require a lot of room, but Nia has lateral movement so I am going left and right a lot. It is easier not to be too restricted. So a narrow tree is working ok. I was just kinda surprised when I saw it in the daylight today. It is a good tree. Looking at another photo of it though, I think it may have shrank!
What do you think?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Chrstimas tree, gentle yoga, narrow tree, Nia, Online Classes, stretch, tall tree, Zoom classes | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 11, 2022
So, I had the conversation again, you may be familiar with it, in fact you may have had the same thoughts yourself. I have people tell me all the time they are not flexible enough for yoga. This comment makes me so sad. And, to be honest, it is rubbish. The comment makes no sense at all, but it may stem from the fact that people don’t understand yoga or they want to be further along in the practice than is reasonable. I have a question to answer when presented with that statement, but I seldom remember it, my question is: “Would you go to the gym only if you were strong?”
Most people don’t start resistance training when they are strong, they start it to GET strong or improve their strength. Why is it people don’t approach yoga the same way? One does not walk into their first yoga class knowing all the moves and being able to do them all. Yoga is a practice. I posted once about how I was taught yoga was actually originally created for yogis . . . people that wanted to spend their entire lives learning yoga . . . not only the poses, but all the other things involved. So with that alone, it proves that people cannot just do the poses from the very first time they try. Some take years of “doing” to be able to “do” them.
So I think the statement is rubbish because YOGA MEETS YOU WHERE YOU ARE! That is the thing about yoga. Since it is a practice you do it as you can. If you can lie in shavasana for ONLY 1 minute at first – LIE THERE FOR ONE MINUTE! Then next time it might be 3 minutes, but then the next time it might be 30 seconds . . . that is ok. If you can’t touch your toes in a forward bend, do what you can. BE where you are. If you want to be “flexible enough to do yoga” (not my words, I don’t agree with that statement) – DO YOGA.
One does not get strong by NOT lifting weights. One does not get flexible by not doing yoga. If you want to do yoga, do it. It is not meant to look a certain way, but to allow one to get into their body. In addition, it could be that your body will never get into a pose like you see on Instagram or in Yoga Journal, I have another post that talks about body design – that is a whole other story. Yoga is a practice and the only way to do it is to “do” it.
I hope this allows you to realize that you don’t need to be anything when you practice yoga, yoga can help you discover what you ARE, yoga accepts you, and gives you space to adjust and just be.
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: body design, flexible, gym, Instagram, resistance training, strength training, stretch, strong, Yoga, Yoga Journal, Yoga Practice | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 28, 2021
Recently I asked my students what they would consider their goals in our classes. Currently I teach gentle yoga, Nia, and stretch via Zoom. The majority of the response was they wanted to work on strengthening their core and working with light weights. So . . . that is what we are going to do. While we work on core strength and stability in yoga and Nia we don’t use weights. About the same time I asked my students this I had a conversation with a friend who reminded me of the term Sarcopenia which can be defined as “a type of muscle loss that occurs with aging and/or immobility.”
Muscles need to move in order to stay mobile and they need to be challenged in order to stay strong. There is ultimate truth in the saying, “Move it or lose it.”
There are basically three types of increased strength changes that can happen to muscle it can get stronger, in can gain more endurance, or it can get bigger. These changes are not exclusive of the other, but generally there is a focus on one because they are done in different ways.
We are going to do a quick class (30 minutes) primarily working the core isometrically and work on endurance in the arms and shoulders. This is going to be a five week series, while some people will be dropping in I am going to design the class in a progression. I still may make some tweaks but basically we will be using light weights and moving pretty fast.
We had a little demo class a couple of weeks ago and we decided we liked it so we are moving forward. For now it is only scheduled for the month of August but we will see how it goes. I have been wanting to do this for as long as I can remember so I am excited to actually be doing it.
I am also very excited to help people. I have experienced that being able to move with comfort, ease, and having a little bit of strength makes life so much more enjoyable. Have you ever had a sore back or an injury to a hand, arm, foot, or leg? You may have experienced some challenges during that time. Being able to move and have the strength to do so is so important to one’s quality of life so I am excited because I think of this as me helping people have better lives. YAY!
More information about the upcoming class can be found on my site http://www.HelpYouWell.com, you can click here to go to the specific page.
Do you have weights in your fitness routine?
Posted in Misc, Muscles | Tagged: @HelpYouWell, core stability, core strength, fitness routine, gentle yoga, issometric strengthening, light weights, muscle endurance, Nia, stretch | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 11, 2020
With our living room as my studio for Nia, yoga, and stretch I’ve had to make some adjustments that have displaced some of my Christmas decorations. I’ve had to move some furniture around and my Zoom backdrop is in the way of a table that I normally put up to display a number of Christmas decorations. So . . . I’ve been rearranging things a bit. I just put the small bottle light up tonight, and I thought that it would be the piece that allowed me to be at peace with this arrangement, but I am not sure about it yet. I will have to sit with it. I have still been up and down (there are two ladders involved) decorating so we will see once I have a chance to actually observe it. My original vision was for multi-colored strings of lights. I didn’t have them, but might be able to scrounge them up. Maybe THAT will do the trick.
Christmas decorations continue for Friday Photos in December.
How are you doing so far?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Christmas decorations, Christmas Ornaments, Friday Photo, Nia, stretch, studio, Yoga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 18, 2020
There are so many blog posts out there with helpful advice on what to do while being quarantined at home. The blogs cover all types of situations: people with kids, people working from home, people working from home with kids, how to stave off panic and anxiety . . . you name it you can find it. I don’t feel the need to add to that because . . . as I said, there are A LOT of post out there where you can get all those ideas. And, as with my last post, I might not be writing a post to the masses because this is going to be a little stretch routine. Tomorrow will be the first cancelled stretch class and I want to give my students something to do. Of course anyone can do this but some of it might not be really clear because I am not typing out DETAILED instructions on how to do the stretches. But my students will hopefully recognize them and be able to do them. In the weeks to come I might give some instructions on some of the stretches, but for now I am just putting out a routine so they will have something to do tomorrow morning.
I was communicating with one of my students and she confirmed that when she read the yoga routine she heard my voice. I am sure that as my students move through the stretches they will hear my voice and really not need detailed instructions. Once they start to move their body into the stretch my voice will click on and then they will know it. Sadly I probably say the same thing for the same pose and stretch every time. I am surprised they don’t get tired of hearing it.
Anyway . . . I should have mentioned in my last post what I am about to say here: get out of stretches (or poses) slowly and mindfully.
If you have any questions about this little routine please contact me. I have no idea how it will look/sound to someone that has not taken my class. In fact I don’t know how it will look to my students, but I know they will contact me if they have questions. It was created for a 60 minute class.
Oh, I do have a post on the 13 Joint Exercise so you can learn about that if you are not familiar. It is a Nia exercise.
Are you doing any routines or exercise at home?
Posted in Exercise and Working Out | Tagged: at-home workout, COVID-19, flattening the curve, forced stay at home, hour stretch routine, Nia, staying safe, stretch | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 3, 2011
I’ve talked about resistance bands being great for strength training. The other day after having taught a Nia class with a lot of sumo stances in it AND after having done some weighted squats, I really needed to stretch. I needed a really deep stretch and as I was trying to think of how to get it I remembered I could use my resistance bands for stretching. The resistance bands I have are long flat sheets of rubber. I don’t have the ones that are like rubber bands or tubes. Mine don’t have handles. Any type of band made for exercising will do. There are so many ways to stretch using a band. I will just name a few in this post and maybe do another post at another time.
The first one you probably have done when you pick up a band is just to hold it in each hand and let your arms “fall” to the side. Obviously your arms don’t actually fall because you are holding the band, but you can feel the stretch in your arms and shoulders. The great thing about bands is you can make the tension however you need it to be by the way you hold the band. If you need a really deep stretch make the band really short and either pull or let your arms “fall”. If you want a gentle stretch then hold the band closer to the ends.
Holding opposite ends of the band and allowing your arms to fall behind your body really allows for a stretch in the upper arms, shoulders, upper back and neck.
You can do side bends with an end of the band in each hand holding your arms above your head. Again sensing the stretch in your shoulders and upper back, but with this stretch you also get your sides. Using the band for this stretch allows for a much greater stretch than without the band.
For the legs there are a few I want to share. Sit down on the ground, fold the band in half then put your foot in the band at the fold, hold one side of the band in each hand. Then lay down, keeping your foot flexed, bring your straight leg with the foot in the band up as far as you can. Keep your other leg straight out on the floor. Adjusting the tension of the band gives you the stretch you need. You can bring your leg straight up and closer to your face for an even greater stretch. The closer you pull your leg to your face the greater the stretch in the hamstrings and even calf.
Still lying on your back with your leg up and still holding the band let your leg fall ACROSS your body. This is a further stretch for the hamstrings and gets the outer thigh. With this stretch – again – using the band to pull your leg closer to your head gives you a bigger stretch. Hold the end of the band in the hand opposite the direction your leg is going, while the hand on the side of where your foot is gently pulls the leg towards your head. Remember to be mindful of what you are sensing, often a stretch will cause discomfort but the muscles need to be stretched especially after a workout. But pain is different than discomfort, so be aware of what sensation is present.
Another stretch you can do is from the same position of laying on your back, with your foot through the band, leg in the air, foot flexed, but this time let the straight leg fall away from your body. With this stretch the hand opposite the side your stretching leg holds the end of the band and the hand on the side of the stretching leg can gently pull the leg towards your head. This stretch allows you to really sense the stretch in the inner thigh. The closer your leg gets to the floor the more your inner thigh gets stretch. And at the same time you can gently pull your leg towards your head enable the back of the leg to be stretched too.
Bands are such a great way to get some assisted stretching in without having to have another person there to help you. It is like proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) by yourself. As I mentioned before, please be mindful and aware of what your body is saying. Discomfort at a tolerable level is acceptable but pain is not.
Posted in Helpful Hints | Tagged: assisted stretching, deep stretch, exercise, exercise bands, gentle stretch, hamstring stretch, Hamstrings, inner thigh, Nia class, PNF, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, resistance bands, rubber bands, squats, strength training, stretch, sumo stances, tubes | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on March 7, 2009
I want to talk to you about Nia™. I was looking for a different form of exercise when somehow (in the vastness that is the internet) I came across Nia. I had never heard of it. It has been around for 25 years. At one point it was known as Non-Impact Aerobics, then it was called Neuromuscular Integrative Action, then at one point it was the Nia Technique, now it is just Nia.
Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas created it in the early 1980s from a need and a desire to help people exercise. When I read the book and listen to Carlos, I believe that they wanted more than just traditional exercise because they really wanted to help people feel good. They were being drawn towards something that addresses the whole body.
Nia is a teacher led dance workout that allows you the freedom to get exactly the workout that your body needs. Nia is really awesome because it is done in bare feet to all kinds of music. With the absences of shoes, we are reminded that we do not have to have harsh impact to get a great work out. With Nia, the level of intensity is regulated by the participant. A workout includes movements of all of the 13 major joints and I believe that this is one of the key factors that make people feel so good after they do a Nia workout. Throughout our day we don’t always move each joint as it was built to move, so sometimes they can become stiff. In a Nia class you move them throughout the routine and it helps the balance in the body’s systems.
Nia is similar to Jazzercise in the sense that there are segments or cycles to the routine: warm-up, cardio, strength, floor, and a cool down.
A lot of people just want to go to a workout class and be told what to do, I am going to be honest with you because I want you to enjoy your experience, you need to concentrate a little. What you are concentrating on is not so much what the teacher is doing, but more what you are sensing. You are encouraged to listen to your own body and do what it is telling you it needs. It might not need what the teacher is doing. And with Nia, that is fine.
In a Nia class there is no judgment if you cannot bend, stretch, jump, kick, shout, shimmy, shake, punch, chop, cha-cha-cha, hula, jazz square, modern dance, or anything like your teacher or neighboring participant, because it is all about YOU and whatever you can do. You must seek your own Body’s Way and what gives it pleasure. With Nia you can get a great workout at the same time.
Does your present workout invite you to seek pleasure during your workout?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: bend, body's way, cardio, Carlos Rosas, cha-cha-cha, chop, cool down, cycles, dance, Debbie Rosas, encouraged, exercise, hula, impact, intensity, jazz square, Jazzercise, Jazzercise San Jose, joints, jump, kick, levels, modern dance, Nia, Nia class, Nia Technique, Non-Impact Aerobics, pleasure, punch, segments, shake, shimmy, shout, stiff, stretch, warm-up, workout | 2 Comments »
I have posted these feet facts before, but since I couldn’t easily find them because they are part of a larger post. I thought I would list them for quick reference:
Terre Pruitt's Blog 