TFC Day 10 - Manage Your Energy

The realm of fitness typically doesn't include ethereal concepts like energy. However, if you don't have enough energy to exercise, it's hard to get fit. Today's assignments are all designed to keep your energy up, without burning you out.

1. Wake up Early.  (Hopefully it’s not too late.) J

2. Eliminate sugar and caffeine from your diet today. Learn to generate your energy internally through breath and movement.

3. Evaluate the physical assignments you did two days ago (aerobics, core, or alignment) and the yoga practice from yesterday. Make a note of how these affected you and if you need to make modifications for these practices in the future.

4. Breath practice: For 5 minutes focus on your inhale, which builds energy.  Like the exhale practices from yesterday choose one of three methods to enhance the energy of the inhale. 1) Make each inhale a little longer, 2) Add a pause after each inhale, or 3) Do single nostril breathing on the inhale.  Do be careful with extending the inhale, especially if you are prone to anxiety.  As with all breathing practices, stop at any point your nervous system feels uneasy. After focusing on your inhale, let your breath relax and breathing normally for several minutes.

5. Movement practice:  Go for a hike or walk for at least 15 minutes, rain or shine.  Choose a route that is not too hilly.  Trigger points are often activated by cold, so dress warmly with a scarf or long jacket if appropriate. Try to get to your target heart rate, as you learned about in the TFC Day 2 exercises. 

 

6. Stretch after going for your walk or hike

TFC Day 9 - Sleep to Get Fit

Sleep is essential for healing and well-being.  If you don’t have enough energy you can’t get fit, and sleep is the cornerstone of building energy. Today’s assignments all relate to getting a better night’s sleep. 

1. Evaluate your sleep patterns and how well your routine promotes a good night’s sleep.  The SleepFoundation has good information about this on their website.  Interestingly, both my sons use sleep tracker apps for their smart phones that calculate how much sleep they get and how they can modify their schedules to get a better night’s rest.  I don’t recommend any particular app, but I do recommend that you do an internet search if this interests you.

2. Set your alarm to get up early tomorrow. Decide how early you want to wake, perhaps a full hour to do tomorrow’s assignments before you start the rest of your day, or perhaps just 15 minutes. 

3. Breathing is the number one way you can control your energy.  Today the breathing practice is to facilitate relaxation and sleep. 

4. Today’s physical practice is a yoga routine I designed to help you unwind and relax.  I suggest doing it about an hour before you go to sleep, but you can use it any day you want a more restful practice.

5. Choose a route for a walk or hike to do tomorrow and write schedule it in your calendar. You will be doing this rain or shine, feel like it or not.  Pick something that can be modified, made shorter or longer, and one that is neither too flat nor too hilly. 

TFC Day 8 - Don't Quit and Don't Hurt Yourself

The Marines have a saying: “Improvise.  Adapt.  Overcome.” Please notice that improvisation and adaptation are the tools to overcome. This week’s goal is to learn to modify—improvise and adapt—activities so they are suitable for your body. Remember what you learned from last week’s exercises, like your range of motion and ability to engage your core, and use that information to determine if and how to change the assignments this week.

For today:

1. The breathing assignment is to extend your exhale slowly so that it is twice as long as your inhale.  Lengthen your exhale in increments, taking several breaths at each count level before progressing to the next.  For example, if you inhale for a count of 4, start with 3 breaths exhaling for a count of 4, then 3 breaths exhaling with a count of 5, the next 3 with an exhale count of 6, then 3 breaths exhaling for 7, then getting to a breath ratio of 4 counts on inhale and 8 counts on exhale.  Maintain this ratio for several more breaths before slowly reduce the exhale by 1 count each time until you get back to a balanced breath.  Notice how this affects your energy and mood.  If you feel anxious at any time, shorten or stop this breathing exercise. 
2. Review the intentions you wrote on day 2 and modify them based on what you’ve learned and accomplished so far.  Rewrite them even if you don’t make any changes. 
3. Work on your core.

• If you gave the core exercises from day 4 a thumbs-up and feel like you could do something a bit more difficult, do the Therapeutic Aerobics. However, remember to improvise and adapt when needed. For example, if your neck gets sore, stop lifting your arms. If your back gets sore, don't go to the end.

• If you gave the core exercises from day 4 a thumbs-up and feel like they were difficult for you, do them again and modify where necessary.  Feel free to stop at any time.
• If you gave the core exercises a thumbs-down rating, do the alignment exercise video.

 

TFC Day 7 - Rest and Reflect

Fitness is not all about doing stuff. The body, mind, and spirit need down time to repair, heal, and prepare for increased capacity. Today’s challenge is to rest and get ready for the second week of the challenge. Do take one minute to evaluate the physical exercises from this week:

• Wall Sit
• Aerobics/Cardio exercise from day 2
• Stretches
• Alignment exercises
• Core exercises
• Undulation compilation
• Aerobics/Cardio exercise from day 5
• Sun salutation seated
• Sun salutation hands-and-knees
• Sun salutation standing at the wall

Which ones need to be modified if you do them in the future?

Which ones will you not do in the future?
Which ones are on you’re A-list of exercise?

Take time to relax today. Tomorrow we start to build on this week’s assignments.

TFC Day 6 - Therapeutic Sun Salutations

Years ago I thought of this Fitness Challenge as a Therapeutic Boot Camp, but never went through the logistics to find a class location. I recently was inspired by the Yoga Journal's onlineYoga Fitness Challenge to do this program online. And today we have one of the most popular yoga practices, Sun Salutations also known as Surya Namaskar, modified into therapeutic versions with breathing exercises before and after. 

I have created three versions: one seated, one on hands-and-knees and one standing.  Start with the seated version.  If your body feels good, go on to the hands-and-knees and/or the standing versions.  The hands-and-knees version includes lunges, which can exacerbate any sacrum or low back problems. So if that is an issue for you, or if you can’t be on your hands and knees, skip the second version. Feel free to repeat the salutation(s) that feel(s) the best to you. 

The breathing and mind assignments are built into the Sun Salutations. Link your breath to your movements and be as aware as possible when doing the video. This is useful multi-tasking.

After the sun salutations, lie down in a comfortable position and be aware of your bodily sensations for 3 to 5 minutes.  Try to feel without any judgment, just notice.

And remember to stay hydrated and keep track of activities that are helping you and those that cause you pain so you can limit symptom causing movements in the future.

Feel free to post questions and comments on the Undulation Exercises Facebook page if you like.