25 Days of Wellness - Day 8

My teeth probably don't thank me for brushing lefty yesterday, but I'll work on it.

What's next? Let's stretch a bit today. Monday is a good day for that. Here are some ideas:

Back: Rest your hands on the edge of a table and back up, so you are bending in half. It feels great on the shoulder blades and spine.

Hips: Hold the table still and cross one ankle over the opposite knee. Lower down as if you were sitting. Do both sides.

Hold these for a few seconds each and breath deeply. What's your favorite stretch?

Also, some of you may wonder why I'm doing this or what qualifications I have. I'm a certified Health Coach through ACE. It used to be called Lifestyle and Weight Management Coach, but I like the name change. Here's a bit about it. This is my way of encouraging others, and myself, in a healthy lifestyle. 

25 Days of Wellness - Day 7

Did the back hold up with good posture yesterday? Mine spent 6 hours in a car, so it was a tough one. But here's a fun one for the Sabbath: Use your non-dominant hand or foot for some task, like eating an apple, stepping down a step, or brushing your teeth. I recommend not trying this activity with knives. Let me know how it goes!

25 Days of Wellness - Day 6

How's that back? It gets a lot of use! To give the back a little love, here is an all day challenge: Try to have good posture all day today, be it sitting, standing, or walking. One quick way to realign is to keep the shoulder blades drawn together. It's hard to slouch with square shoulders.

25 Days of Wellness - Day 5

The moves this month have been somewhat joint-centric, so let's keep going. Today is the hips. You may want to do this out of view of others or you might be one to just let the world know. Your choice. Find a recording of Jingle Bell Rock, audible or in your head, and let your hips get some Christmas Spirit.

Recap:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

25 Days of Wellness - Day 4

It's a new day! Time for something different. This is a total body work-out. Find a toddler. Tail them for a bit. That will get the heart and muscles going. If one is not available, try a pigeon or a duck. If none of those are available, take a walk around your office area, living room, or the block, weather permitting. At the very least, the "up, down, touch the ground" Winnie-the-Pooh demonstrated make for some good wiggling.

Merry Christmas!

25 Days of Wellness - Day 3

How's the month? The link below totally changed my perspective on some things, like what I wrote the past two days and how to do more functional exercises. No, I'm not compensated for linking to it and the suggested exercises probably won't work at your desk or in line at the store, but it gives some good food for thought!

http://www.acefitness.org/blog/5151/top-exercises-for-pain-free-knees/

Merry Christmas!