TFC Day 5 - Undulation, the Fountain of Youth

How are you feeling today? Please make note of any activities from yesterday that go on your “good, as-is” list, “good, but need to modify” list or “bad” list.

Assignment #1: When we were kids we didn’t have to exercise to stay in shape. We stayed fit through being present and including a great variety of movement. Today’s assignments hope to revive this youthful spirit within you. The video practice is a compilation of different undulation exercises. If you are new to undulation, you may be surprised at how little effort and movement is needed to mobilize stuck segments in your spine. That’s because small and slow movements engage the smaller, more core muscles; muscles that many traditional exercises neglect. Be cautious with (or skip) the Happy Dog and Hip Hiker undulations if your low back is easily aggravated. Remember that kids have little patience for uncomfortable activities. Also, if you can’t do exercises on your hands and knees, you can do those ones standing with your hands on the wall instead.

Assignment #2: Make breathing fun. Remember how you used to challenge yourself to take a big, deep breath when driving through a tunnel or swimming across the pool? Take 10 very big breaths as big as you can. Make sure you extend your exhale with each one, too.

Assignment #3: Get some cardio exercise at your target heart rate for 15 minutes. Do something fun and safe.

Assignment #4: This isn’t a kid’s exercise; meditation requires a mature brain. The benefits of meditating include increased pain tolerance, lower anxiety, and greater presence. The assignment: Watch your thoughts for 5 minutes. Don’t try to change your thoughts, just notice what you are thinking. Notice when you get caught in the thoughts and stop noticing. Then begin noticing again.

TFC - Day 4 for the Core

A strong core is key ingredient in the recipe of preventing injury.  The core muscles maximize strength in the back, which is essential to lift anything heavy. The core also keeps the body in good alignment and the nervous system out of “fight or flight.” That’s why today’s assignments focus on building your internal powerhouse. Unfortunately, many supposed core workouts only strengthen the core if you already know how to use it. The practice below uses a progression to be sure you know where your core is.

Please remember: This program is not intended to replace professional medical care nor contradict medical advice you may have received.  If you experience physical discomfort or anxiety, stop and consult your medical advisor.

Core practice

The breathing assignment today is a combination of the breathing exercises from day 2 and 3: Breathe through your nose combining chest and abdominal expansion on inhale and extending your exhale until you develop a comfortable maximum breath. Note how your core engages on the strong exhale. Sustain this breath for 10 more breaths then let your breath return to its natural rhythm.  Notice the difference in your energy and awareness compared to when you started.
 
Sit and feel the sensations in your body.  Describe them with adjectives, nouns, verbs, and/or adverbs.  Say them out loud or write them down and save the paper. (Does this assignment seem boring or useless? Bear with me, please. Being able to sense and name the sensations in your body is another key to avoiding injury and developing strength.

Day 3 TFC - Aligned, Relaxed & Resilient

Today’s assignments are near and dear to the hearts of structural integrators as they are based on intention and alignment. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished simply by starting with an intention that is developed into an affirmation. And, while today’s alignment exercises may be considered by some as too easy, the repeated daily insults of misalignment are the root of so many painful knee, hip, spine, and shoulder problems. It’s worthwhile to take the time to improve daily alignment in all activities.

1. Evaluate the physical activities from yesterday: aerobics, wall sit, forward bend, and stretches. Based on how you feel today, give each one of them a “thumbs up,” “thumbs down,” or “not sure” grade for future reference.


2. Write 5 affirmations and say them aloud. Here’s a great post about affirmations.


3. Alignment practices:  These “exercises” can be incorporated into your daily routine to strengthen your core and reduce wear and tear on your joints and connective tissues. 
 

4. In good seated alignment, develop a full breath. With each breath, get your breath bigger.  Each inhale feel more of your ribs expand, in the back, sides, and front, all the way down to your kidneys, in your armpits, and up to your collar bones.  With each exhale, draw your belly button toward your spine and your waist in from the sides, engaging more of your abdominal muscles with each exhale.  Find your maximum comfortable breath for today.

Day 2 TFC - Breathing, Assessment, Intentions

Yesterday we assessed our range and quality of motion. Today we are going to continue to assess aspects of our fitness. There are more exercises than usual today, but each one is short.

1.     Sit comfortably with good posture or lie down and breathe through your nose.  Keep your jaw relaxed but closed and breathe consciously for 5 minutes. If you feel anxious, try inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. If you still feel anxious, stop the exercise and breathe naturally for the rest of the time. Breathing through your nose activates the parasympathetic (calming) nervous system and also uses more intrinsic muscles in your chest. It’s a habit worth developing.

2.     Keeping your heart healthy is one of the most important parts of fitness. Do your typical aerobic exercise and measure your heart rate 5 minutes into the exercise and at the height of your aerobic activity. Then stop exercising for 2 minutes and measure your heart rate again. Write down the numbers. Using this webpage, determine: a) if you are exercising within your target range, and b) your Heart Rate Recovery. 

3.     Time how long you can comfortably do a wall sit (instructions here) and write down the length of time you held the sit and the approximate angle of your thighs.  Keep your knees in line with your middle toes the entire time. “Comfortably” means that you aren’t wishing you were somewhere else, that you can breathe deeply, and that you can stand up again without groaning or hurting. (You can count seconds in your head, or you can use a stop watch.)

4.     Test your flexibility. It is important to do this test with no pain. Standing with slightly bent knees, bend forward to see if you can touch the ground. If so, notice if your fingers or palms touch.  If not, measure how far from the ground your finger tips are.  Bend your knees, stand up carefully and write down your results. (Skip this assessment assignment if you have low back or sacrum troubles.)

5.     Stretch. 

6.     Write down your intentions for the next 20 days. Do you have any specific goals or aspirations? How would you like to feel when you are finished with this challenge?  As much as possible, be specific and include your desired emotions.

You will want to refer back to your results later in the challenge, so please write them down somewhere you can find them later. (You are welcome to report on the Facebook page if you’d like.) And one more thing, keep drinking water.
 

Day 1 TFC - Breathing, Water, Scheduling, Range of Motion

Congratulations on your decision to take better care of yourself with the Therapeutic Fitness Challenge (TFC). Your consistent work with this program will pay rewards of improved health and peace of mind. True fitness is a comprehensive endeavor. Therefore, the assignments in the TFC are well-rounded, targeting the mind-body-energy connection.

This program is not intended to replace professional medical care

nor contradict medical advice you may have received.  

If you experience physical discomfort or anxiety,

stop and consult your medical advisor.

And for today, the assignments are:

1) Spend 5 minutes noticing your breath. Extend your exhale so it is at least as long as each inhale.  (But limit this exercise if it causes any anxious feelings.)

2) Schedule 30 to 60 minutes a day in your calendar for the next 21 days to do the challenge (or 36 days if you are doing the challenge every other day).  The time can be continuous or in 2 or 3 chunks of time throughout the day.

3) Get a water bottle and find out how many times you'll need to fill and drink the water in it to get 2 quarts a day.  Your connective tissues require water for health.  Start to get in the habit of drinking that much every day.

4) Do the range of motion assessment exercises.  The links are below.  Please note that there is not a video component for today’s assignment. I prefer for you to be entirely focused on your body as you explore your range of motion. I divided the exercise into three segments so you can determine the right amount to do for your body. Although these exercises seem simple, they most likely will be moving your joints and muscles in unusual ways.  So start with the first one and if you aren't sore move to the second, and then if you're still feeling OK, do the third.  All together they will take 40 minutes.

 

Range of Motion exercise #1
 

Range of Motion exercise #2
 

Range of Motion exercise #3

In addition to noting the quantity of your motion, the range, please also consider the quality of motion. I am recovering from a repetitive stress injury in my left wrist/thumb/arm (quite frightening to a structural integrator, I assure you). In the process of healing, I have noticed the grabby, jerking way I typically use my left hand. No wonder it got hurt! I am consciously trying to grasp fluidly, like an octopus not a robot, in addition to being careful when lifting. As you listen to and follow the range of motion “videos” be aware of how you move as much as how much you do.

Make a note of your range of motion limitations for future reference. For example, if you experience discomfort when you raise your arm to shoulder height, you will need to modify or not do any exercise that involves lifting your arms higher. If rotating your thigh causes discomfort in your low back, you want to be careful of twisting motions.