Keith's Powerful Fitness Tip - Warming Up And Stretching Parts One And Two

Warming Up and Stretching are areas of fitness that most people over look - And wrongly so.

As we grow older, our joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles become less flexible.

And, when you do not warm up and stretch before you exercise, at the start of exercise your heart skips beats - even in healthy individuals.

So here are some simple programs that you can do every day. (Of course, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check with your licensed physician before starting any exercise program.)

First, do not stretch "cold". Spend a few (5-10) minutes to warm up. A brisk walk, jogging in place, jumping jacks, push ups or a stationary bicycle are all excellent ways to warm up your body.

When you warm up you:

1)       increase the temperature of your body,

2)       increase blood flow to the muscles

3)       increase your heart rate to get it ready for additional exercise and,

4)       Increase the elasticity of muscle tissues.

Here is a good warm up that I use and you can also, to get you ready for stretching. This is also a good strength building routine as well that you can incorporate into other areas of your fitness routine.

Pyramids, no not the ones in Egypt. Pyramids, the ones that incorporate jumping jacks, sit ups and push ups into a sequence that will get you sweating and breathing hard - fast! They are simple to do and you can do them just about anywhere - especially for you "Road Warrior" types who stay at hotels with less than adequate fitness centers.

Set one - do one jumping jack, one crunch sit up and one push up. Set two - do two jumping jacks, two crunch sit ups and two push ups, Set three, three repetitions of each, etc. Sounds easy, huh? If you challenge yourself to do ten sets successfully, you will have completed 55 reps of each in about 5-10 minutes. And the best part of it is - no equipment is required!

Next, you move on to stretching. Here are some great upper body joint loosening / muscle stretching exercises that I do every day in my fitness and martial arts training and instruction.

 1) Neck rotations - relax your neck muscles and slowly rotate your neck in a circle to the left and then to the right, 10 revolutions each,

 2) Shoulders #1 - rotate your arms forward making large circles in the air and then reverse the motion to go backwards (10 times each),

 3) Shoulders #2 - with your arms at your sides rotate both shoulders forward as if you were making an "I don't know shrug". Repeat backwards - 10 each way,

 4) Trunk twists - with  your arms directly out to the sides turn your upper body at the waist back and forth to loosen up your lower back,

 5) Hip rotations - place your hands on your hips and using the "hula-hoop" motion do ten to the left and 10 to the right.

Now, here are five super lower body stretches to help you build more flexibility and get the most out of your workout - not to mention lowering the risk of injury. 

So, let's begin!

 1) Knee Rotations - stand with your feet side by side, and toes pointing directly ahead. Bend over and place your hands on your knees. Move your knees - gently! - back and forth in a circular motion. Do 20 rotations to the left and then 20 rotations to the right. This is an excellent joint loosening exercise that will help to keep your knees flexible and strong,
 

 2) Standing Hamstring Stretches (the 3 major muscles in the back of your leg) - keep your feet side by side with your toes pointing forward. Bend forward at the waist. Try to touch your toes WITHOUT bouncing. If you are more flexible, you can wrap your hands around the back of your ankles and gently pull your head closer to your knees for a deeper stretch. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds. Stand up straight to relax then repeat for 20-30 seconds, 

 3) Ankle / Foot Turns - Did you know that walking puts 1.5 times your bodyweight on each foot? And, your feet absorb 1,000,000 (yes - million) pounds of pressure during one hour of strenuous exercise? Your feet and ankles have 26 bones in each. THAT'S 25% OF THE NUMBER OF BONES IN YOUR BODY (kudos - American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons). Sit on the floor with your left leg out straight to the front. Take your right leg and place your shin on top of your left thigh so that your ankle can rotate freely. Grab your toes and rotate your right foot in a circular motion forward (clockwise) and then backward (counterclockwise) 20 times each. Take this opportunity as you stretch to work the toes of your foot. Grab your toes and pull them towards your shin to further stretch your ankle and also build more flexibility in your foot. Repeat with the other side,

 4) Seated Lower Back Stretches - Remain as you are; seated on the floor in the same ending position as the ankle / foot turns stretch we just covered and did together. Twist your body and place your right arm behind your left thigh and gently apply constant pressure to stretch your lower back. Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat on the opposite side,

 5) Seated Hamstring Stretches - for this stretch place the bottom of your left foot on the inside of your right thigh as in the picture to the far left. Reach down to your toes. If you can not touch your toes, no worries; do the BEST you can. Have faith AND persevere. Over time you will become more flexible! Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.

And, there you have it; ten effective stretching exercises to keep you loose and limber.