We have a friend at PATH who gets out of sync with her routine, as we all do, and when she first gets back on again she tends to go big! Too big for a person just getting started, ahh-gain (sigh). She’s not really a beginner but she still has to respect her temporary “out-of-shapeness” (especially since she’s not 20 anymore). BUT, getting back on the horse is fun and breeds a lot of ambition, sometimes a manic sense of exercise excitement.
This is a tough pattern because “too big” means she gets super-de-dooper-de sore and doesn’t want to keep going. All the mania from the first day turns into sluggish frustration. Ipso-facto, the getting started process takes longer and is no fun at all. Often, before she knows it, she’s completely off her game again and she never got back on!
It’s inevitable that we’re going to ebb and flow in our excitement for healthy living and exercise. When it starts to flow again, take your time and channel that excitement into measured growth. Our motto: “every little bit counts.” Take it in chewable bits, rather than all at once, and you’ll be able to sustain your growth over time.
And, take a lesson from Olga. If you only did ONE of her exercises each day, you’d make great progress. Here’s a new one from her: Side Angle Stretch. It’s good for your leg strength, stretching your sides (duh), arm strength, digestion, and more…
Instructions:
- Stand in a wide but comfortable stance.
- Put your arms out to your sides, parallel to the ground.
- Turn your right foot out to your right but keep your left foot and toes pointed forward, your left heel down.
- Bend your right knee in a lunge position but don’t allow your knee to go past your ankle, keeping your shin and thigh as close to 90 degrees as possible.
- Straighten your right knee again and then hinge at the hip, rotating to turn your chest forward.
- Touch your right hand to the floor if possible. Reach your left arm up over head stretching your side.
- Stand up again and now put the two together – lunge, hinge, rotate, stretch!
Here’s how it looks:
Remember to stretch and strengthen both sides.
Let us know how it goes!
