How much do you move every day outside of your workouts? This was on my mind this morning as I woke up to snow and had to do some shoveling at 5:45am to take my trash and recycling bins out.
Daily movement includes things like shoveling snow, walking the dogs, doing the dishes, sweeping the stairs, carrying a basket of laundry, and many other things. These things aren't enough on their own to keep a person fit, but they are a step up from just being sedentary.
Another thing about these types of activities, is that being fit makes them easier. Keep up and build your strength, work on your flexibility, focus on maintaining or increasing your mobility, and on correcting your posture (if needed). When you are in fit condition, shoveling snow is not hard. The laundry basket is not heavy, bending to load the dishwasher is no problem at all. But if you allow your strength, mobility, and flexibility to degrade, then pain and difficulty will begin to creep in.
Now, above I wrote about how shoveling snow is not hard when fit. Yes, this morning the 4 or 5 inches of snow I shoveled off of my deck, stairs, and sidewalk was easy. It can feel like a tough workout, however, to shovel two feet of wet snow from my driveway. The difference is- I can keep plugging away at it like a machine and not have pain; whereas my husband will be developing back pain. So the difference is not ease, but whether or not it results in pain in this case.
Disclaimer: You should understand that when
participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the
possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or
exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are
voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury
to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Jennifer of Jenn's Fitness Journey from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Jenn's Fitness Journey.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Progress Towards Side Splits
Hello!
Side splits have always been something that I wanted, but never knew how to achieve. I would do wide legged seated forward bend static stretches daily, but never made any progress. I got a small amount of progress in martial arts class with partner stretching, but still not enough. Once I learned about kinesiological stretching and learned some of those stretches, I got some progress. The most progress so far has been through Easy Flexibility. I purchased their Master Splits Combo (it has 9 training programs: Side Splits, Open Front Splits, and True Front Splits, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced programs for each type of split).
So far I have spent the most time on the Side Splits. In the spring I started the beginner program. I chose that because my side splits were less than 135 degrees. I did the program slightly less than once per week for a couple of months (and then took a break for a few months due to an injury in my right hip flexors that I got during Lyra class conditioning exercises and an injury in my right deep buttock region obtained while doing canicross style trail running with my huskies). Over the summer I maintained the progress I had made with mild static stretching, because it would not have been safe to try to increase my flexibility while injured. It took a long time for the injuries to heal, probably because those areas get used even while "resting". I still walk and go up and down my stairs, etc. Plus I did a lot of physical labor work over the summer (I removed decaying concrete stairs with a sledgehammer and built a deck and new stairs to replace it).
Yesterday I decided I am ready to start again, but now I have moved up to the intermediate program because my side splits angle has gone above 135 degrees. My plan for now is to do the Side Split Intermediate Program once per week (either before or after the ZGym workout that I do on that day).
I am eager to get to 180 degrees, but I must be patient. My body does not build muscle easily and heals slowly, so patience is very important for me. Below are the photos of "before" and "during" for my side splits. The pics were taken in May and October. I really hope to be able to post a lovely "after" photo in the future, of me at 180 degrees!
If anyone reading is wondering about the measurements on the photos, I used an app called Stretch 180. Here's a screenshot of it on my phone:
I mostly just use this for checking my progress (like in the photos above), and have found it quite useful.
As I mentioned above, I started the Side Split Intermediate program yesterday (after doing Power Yoga #35 in the ZGym). That was not on the ZGym schedule, but I was feeling off due to fighting the mild cold that's going around. Today I have only a small amount of muscle soreness, so that is good and I think the intermediate level is right for me now. I did the ZGym Power Yoga #33 today (also not on the ZGym schedule for today, but I'm sticking to only yoga and stretching until I'm over this mild cold). Note that if my cold was worse or if I had a fever, I would not be exercising, I would be following the rest and fluids plan.
I will write about the other splits programs later. Happy stretching until next time!
Disclaimer: You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Jennifer of Jenn's Fitness Journey from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Jenn's Fitness Journey.
Side splits have always been something that I wanted, but never knew how to achieve. I would do wide legged seated forward bend static stretches daily, but never made any progress. I got a small amount of progress in martial arts class with partner stretching, but still not enough. Once I learned about kinesiological stretching and learned some of those stretches, I got some progress. The most progress so far has been through Easy Flexibility. I purchased their Master Splits Combo (it has 9 training programs: Side Splits, Open Front Splits, and True Front Splits, with beginner, intermediate, and advanced programs for each type of split).
So far I have spent the most time on the Side Splits. In the spring I started the beginner program. I chose that because my side splits were less than 135 degrees. I did the program slightly less than once per week for a couple of months (and then took a break for a few months due to an injury in my right hip flexors that I got during Lyra class conditioning exercises and an injury in my right deep buttock region obtained while doing canicross style trail running with my huskies). Over the summer I maintained the progress I had made with mild static stretching, because it would not have been safe to try to increase my flexibility while injured. It took a long time for the injuries to heal, probably because those areas get used even while "resting". I still walk and go up and down my stairs, etc. Plus I did a lot of physical labor work over the summer (I removed decaying concrete stairs with a sledgehammer and built a deck and new stairs to replace it).
Yesterday I decided I am ready to start again, but now I have moved up to the intermediate program because my side splits angle has gone above 135 degrees. My plan for now is to do the Side Split Intermediate Program once per week (either before or after the ZGym workout that I do on that day).
I am eager to get to 180 degrees, but I must be patient. My body does not build muscle easily and heals slowly, so patience is very important for me. Below are the photos of "before" and "during" for my side splits. The pics were taken in May and October. I really hope to be able to post a lovely "after" photo in the future, of me at 180 degrees!
If anyone reading is wondering about the measurements on the photos, I used an app called Stretch 180. Here's a screenshot of it on my phone:
I mostly just use this for checking my progress (like in the photos above), and have found it quite useful.
As I mentioned above, I started the Side Split Intermediate program yesterday (after doing Power Yoga #35 in the ZGym). That was not on the ZGym schedule, but I was feeling off due to fighting the mild cold that's going around. Today I have only a small amount of muscle soreness, so that is good and I think the intermediate level is right for me now. I did the ZGym Power Yoga #33 today (also not on the ZGym schedule for today, but I'm sticking to only yoga and stretching until I'm over this mild cold). Note that if my cold was worse or if I had a fever, I would not be exercising, I would be following the rest and fluids plan.
I will write about the other splits programs later. Happy stretching until next time!
Disclaimer:
As an affiliate of Easy Flexibility I will receive commission if anyone
clicks on the link in the image and makes a purchase.
Disclaimer: You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Jennifer of Jenn's Fitness Journey from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Jenn's Fitness Journey.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Happy Halloween!
This is one of my favorite holidays because I love any excuse to dress up in a costume!
This year I did think about being a volunteer scare cast member at a local Halloween event. My plan was to walk in wheel pose toward people to scare them. It would have been quite physically challenging, but a lot of fun too. Ultimately I didn't do it. I was stuck with other obligations, oh well.
Here's a living room photo of my idea:
Of course, had I done the event, my clothing would have been different. October is chilly in Minnesota (it has been in the 20's (F) for the last few nights). Which brings me to another thought. It is not safe to engage in stretches cold, which is why I always warm up before any kind of stretching. But right now, my workout room is very cold. The heater broke and I am waiting for a replacement (it was really old and started pumping out CO). That means I have to do a long and careful warm up before my workout, and then complete my stretches before my body finishes cooling down after my workout.
Here is another picture of me trying to pose in a creepy way, from the same photo session (before my daughter recommended that I remove my boots):
These pictures bring me to the topic of back bends. I have always enjoyed back bends. I do have mild scoliosis, so my spine is certainly not perfect, but back bends have always felt good and a bit fun. Because I enjoy them, I never stopped doing them. I would use wheel pose for silly photos now and then, or try them in yoga now and then. But after a couple of decades of only doing them a few times per year, they were not as good as they had once been.
Practicing and stretching for back bends has since become a regular part of my routine. It also helps me to take photos of my wheel pose, so I can see where I need improvement. I found that my upper back and shoulders had been getting stiffer with the years, so I needed to work on that.
Here is an old photo (2017) that shows how stiff my upper back and shoulders were:
Sorry about the poor lighting and quality of this photo! Anyway, back then I could only do a short and plain wheel pose with poor form. I could not straighten my arms or shift my weight at all. I could not even try to lift an arm or a leg like in my Halloween photo above. My form has improved, but most notably, I am more comfortable in the position such that I can now lift an arm or a leg!
Since then I have worked on my spinal flexibility through Easy Flexibility's "Back Bending Beginner" program, plus adding the counter stretch, arm circles holding a strap, and sometimes handstand shoulder stretches, after workouts. These have allowed me to feel much more stable and comfortable in wheel pose, and to improve my form. I still have room for improvement, but it is so much better than it was! How my wheel pose looks now:
Disclaimer: As an affiliate of Easy Flexibility I will receive commission if anyone clicks on the link in the text and makes a purchase.
Disclaimer: You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Jennifer of Jenn's Fitness Journey from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Jenn's Fitness Journey.
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
About Me
Hello!
My name is Jennifer and this blog is my platform for writing about my current fitness journey. It is a new beginning, at a weakened time in my life. I say a weakened time because I used to be fit. I used to work out almost daily. I did workouts from the old BodyRock TV, I went running, I lifted weights, I took martial arts classes, I went horseback riding every week, and I used my bicycle for a lot of my transportation.
Fast forward to 2019. I had been through long distance moves and serious health problems. I tried to keep up my fitness, but couldn't. My health did not allow it. Anytime I got the gumption to workout more than two or three days per week, I would catch a bad cold. I hung on to some fitness through my dogs. Once or twice a week I would take them trail running. Unfortunately during this past winter the crazy thaw and freeze cycles that we had here in Minnesota turned all of the local trails into ice and it was too dangerous to use them for running. Shortly after, I developed seasonal depression.
To cope with my depression, I signed up for aerial classes in January (specifically Lyra, and for a time Pole Chair Fusion until that class was cancelled). The idea was to force me out into doing something. It did provide temporary relief, and I started to want to get better at it. I realized quickly how much fitness I had lost. My flexibility had gone downhill and I found myself weak. In the past I could do fancy types of push ups, and had since degraded to the point where even a modified push up from the knees was almost too hard to do. I once could do chin ups and a couple of pull ups, but by this time neither was even close to possible.
I didn't have the emotional strength to improve my physical strength at that time, but I did think I could improve my flexibility. I had heard of Easy Flexibility from a fellow aerial student, and decided to purchase a few of their programs for splits and back bends. This method has recovered my former flexibility and allowed me to move past that point, towards my goals (even though I honestly haven't practiced as consistently as I should).
After months went by and the summer sun lifted the dark cloud from my emotional well being, I decided to add one more fun thing. A Lyra class every week is the first fun thing. The second fun thing was signing up for bellydance classes with my daughter. I had never taken any kind of dance classes prior to this, so it is quite a deviation from my norm.
By the end of August I decided to make big change, with my sleep health. My sleep has definitely been a negative point in my health. To start with my bedroom window is only about 30 feet away from a busy highway with heavy traffic. I didn't have a schedule and would oversleep all of the time, yet felt tired. So, I began a strict sleep schedule of going to bed by 9:30 pm and waking at 5:30 am. I added blackout noise-reducing curtains to block headlights and reduce road noise. I started taking melatonin and CBD to ensure I would get sleepy on time.
Once I started that strict schedule, it became easier to improve other areas. So I started to follow the Beginner schedule in the ZGym. At first I did every other day, but after a week I started following the workout schedule every day. It has now been 91 days since I have started this strict schedule. Now every morning I wake up, drink a cup of Zuzka Light's Pre & Post Workout Adaptogenic Mix, then I sweep the floor, lay out a big yoga mat and do a workout from the ZGym schedule and follow it up with about 15 minutes of stretching and/or yoga. For the first time in years my sleep quality has improved and I workout every day without getting sick! I can do regular push ups again and my splits are the farthest along they have been. It feels good to see progress, and this has inspired me to want to share my journey with others!
Of course it feels good to see progress, but my reality is that there is a lot more that I can improve on. I am still only using the Beginner ZGym schedule, and just starting to mix in a few Intermediate workouts. I am much closer to the splits than I was, but I am still not there yet. My back bends are deeper, but there is room for them to improve. I still haven't regained my pull ups yet. My arm balances are not all there yet. My nutrition is sorely lacking. My emotional health is OK, but needs to become more solid. Baby steps. That is how I have been tackling it this time around, and although it takes patience, I am seeing results for the first time in years. :)
Disclaimer: As an affiliate of Easy Flexibility I will receive commission if anyone clicks on the link in the text and makes a purchase.
Disclaimer: You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Jennifer of Jenn's Fitness Journey from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Jenn's Fitness Journey.
My name is Jennifer and this blog is my platform for writing about my current fitness journey. It is a new beginning, at a weakened time in my life. I say a weakened time because I used to be fit. I used to work out almost daily. I did workouts from the old BodyRock TV, I went running, I lifted weights, I took martial arts classes, I went horseback riding every week, and I used my bicycle for a lot of my transportation.
Fast forward to 2019. I had been through long distance moves and serious health problems. I tried to keep up my fitness, but couldn't. My health did not allow it. Anytime I got the gumption to workout more than two or three days per week, I would catch a bad cold. I hung on to some fitness through my dogs. Once or twice a week I would take them trail running. Unfortunately during this past winter the crazy thaw and freeze cycles that we had here in Minnesota turned all of the local trails into ice and it was too dangerous to use them for running. Shortly after, I developed seasonal depression.
To cope with my depression, I signed up for aerial classes in January (specifically Lyra, and for a time Pole Chair Fusion until that class was cancelled). The idea was to force me out into doing something. It did provide temporary relief, and I started to want to get better at it. I realized quickly how much fitness I had lost. My flexibility had gone downhill and I found myself weak. In the past I could do fancy types of push ups, and had since degraded to the point where even a modified push up from the knees was almost too hard to do. I once could do chin ups and a couple of pull ups, but by this time neither was even close to possible.
I didn't have the emotional strength to improve my physical strength at that time, but I did think I could improve my flexibility. I had heard of Easy Flexibility from a fellow aerial student, and decided to purchase a few of their programs for splits and back bends. This method has recovered my former flexibility and allowed me to move past that point, towards my goals (even though I honestly haven't practiced as consistently as I should).
After months went by and the summer sun lifted the dark cloud from my emotional well being, I decided to add one more fun thing. A Lyra class every week is the first fun thing. The second fun thing was signing up for bellydance classes with my daughter. I had never taken any kind of dance classes prior to this, so it is quite a deviation from my norm.
By the end of August I decided to make big change, with my sleep health. My sleep has definitely been a negative point in my health. To start with my bedroom window is only about 30 feet away from a busy highway with heavy traffic. I didn't have a schedule and would oversleep all of the time, yet felt tired. So, I began a strict sleep schedule of going to bed by 9:30 pm and waking at 5:30 am. I added blackout noise-reducing curtains to block headlights and reduce road noise. I started taking melatonin and CBD to ensure I would get sleepy on time.
Once I started that strict schedule, it became easier to improve other areas. So I started to follow the Beginner schedule in the ZGym. At first I did every other day, but after a week I started following the workout schedule every day. It has now been 91 days since I have started this strict schedule. Now every morning I wake up, drink a cup of Zuzka Light's Pre & Post Workout Adaptogenic Mix, then I sweep the floor, lay out a big yoga mat and do a workout from the ZGym schedule and follow it up with about 15 minutes of stretching and/or yoga. For the first time in years my sleep quality has improved and I workout every day without getting sick! I can do regular push ups again and my splits are the farthest along they have been. It feels good to see progress, and this has inspired me to want to share my journey with others!
Of course it feels good to see progress, but my reality is that there is a lot more that I can improve on. I am still only using the Beginner ZGym schedule, and just starting to mix in a few Intermediate workouts. I am much closer to the splits than I was, but I am still not there yet. My back bends are deeper, but there is room for them to improve. I still haven't regained my pull ups yet. My arm balances are not all there yet. My nutrition is sorely lacking. My emotional health is OK, but needs to become more solid. Baby steps. That is how I have been tackling it this time around, and although it takes patience, I am seeing results for the first time in years. :)
Disclaimer: As an affiliate of Easy Flexibility I will receive commission if anyone clicks on the link in the text and makes a purchase.
Disclaimer: You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Jennifer of Jenn's Fitness Journey from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Jenn's Fitness Journey.
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