Step Three of Perfect Workout: Corrective Exercises

Now that you have rolled for five minutes (see here), and done ten minutes of mobility work (see here), you are well into your workout and have yet to do any “exercises!”  It’s time to start working your muscles.  Corrective exercises are best done now, while you’re fresh and sufficiently loosened up.

Corrective exercises are meant to do exactly what you would guess, namely to “correct” any structural imbalances which lead to vulnerable muscle groups. These types of exercises have also been termed “prehab,” with the idea that if you do them, you avoid injury, pain, and the need for “rehab.”  Why would imbalance lead to injury?  I’m glad you asked.

As I mentioned in the previous post, we all (and by “we” I mean those of us with CF) tend to develop a somewhat kyphotic (hunched forward) upper back, and usually the end result of this is an overarched, or “lordotic,” lower spine.  This lordosis combined with  hours and hours of sitting lead to tight hip flexors (the muscles that work to hinge your hips forward—think bringing your thighs to your belly-button).  Tight hip flexors tend to go along with weak gluteal muscles. This stick figure here shows the problem.  Tight low back and hip flexor muscles along with weak abdominals and gluteals.   The picture of imbalance.  This is a set up for low back pain.

These are the areas that I focus on in my “prehab” work.  I do exercises to strengthen my gluteals and abdominal muscles, and work to stretch and strengthen my hip flexor group and low back extensors.  In the YouTube video below, I go through a few of my favorite “glute” activators, and some good abdominal exercises using a stability ball.  Try these, and let me know what you think.

In the next post, I’ll talk about some corrective exercises for that pesky hunchback.

 

 

 

Almost Six Months Later….

Well, it has been a very long time, hasn’t it?  You may wonder where I’ve been…why no words of wisdom from the now 50-YEAR-OLD Julie?

The reason is that it has been a winter from Hell, and I will just leave it at that because my mother (RIP) always told me that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, I should just say nothing.

But, here I am, ready to begin this strange past-time of blogging again, wondering if anything will fall out of my brain.  I decided while on my walk today that I will begin by doing what is easy: posting what I have already written.  Lame, I know, but let me explain.

Two years ago, I decided I knew exactly what would be helpful to other adults with CF, and I set out to write it up.  I fondly titled this project my “CF Wellness Boot Camp.”  The idea stemmed from the fact that most people with CF, and certainly all adults with CF, are increasingly thrust into what I like to term “exacerbation exasperation.”  Say that five times as fast as you can.  You know the game:  you go about, living your life, doing what you do, feeling as good as you feel, and then WHAM, you are sick, need IV antibiotics, and essentially life must go on hold.  Your body-your master- revolts, and you are its slave.

Three weeks later (and can I just get a hand here for Western medicine?) you are better.  Your lungs are clear-or as clear as they get.  You now have enough energy to shower.  You look at your desk, your kids, your spouse/parter, your dog(s), your list of everything you were supposed to do back on the day before the aforementioned body revolt, the scale now reports that you are five lbs lighter…  You take this all in, and the only thing you want to do is crawl back under the covers.  Does this happen to you?  It’s all so overwhelming, this re-immersion into your life.  Whatever fitness progress you made before your illness is gone.  The stress of being completely knocked down is replaced with the stress of getting up.  At least, this has been my experience.

So, the plan for the Boot Camp was to outline a three-week plan (everything seems to come in blocks of three weeks) to begin anew and re-enter the world with some new, healthy habits to accompany those pristine (?) lungs.  So I put on my wellness coach hat and began to write.

This was quite a project for me.  I wrote for a couple of months until I was happy with the content.  I then began to research how to make it into an e-book, put it on the website, and, generally, do all of the technical stuff that one must do in such a project.  Roadblock.  Big time.  Julie is not “tech-y.”

Thank God for David Mahoney, though, because he really tried to help me.  I was just not able to keep the ball rolling, and the project sat for two years, lost but not forgotten, on my hard drive.

So that brings me to my walk this morning.  I want to blog again, so why not start by posting my 21-day plan?  Maybe when it’s all up, I’ll figure out how to bundle it into a pdf and send it out instead of the fizzled out newsletter promise in the opt in box?  Who knows?

So, as my favorite email come-on’s say, watch your inbox (for those who have opted in)!  Tomorrow we begin the CF WELLNESS BOOT CAMP!

To your health….

 

Chest Opening Stretches

Have you noticed those long, white, cylindrical foam things in your gym, and not known what to do with them?  One thing you can do is quite painful, but good for you, and will be the topic of a future video.  Today, I’ll show you a couple of lovely stretches to do as you lay over the foam roller.  These particular stretches are great for people with lung disease.  The more we can open our chest and anterior shoulder area, and keep from hunching, the more lung tissue is available for air exchange.

I do these after every single workout.  It’s sort of like a reward for working hard.  Spend at least 30 seconds per stretch, and if you have more time, even better.

Push Ups for Kids Who “Can’t Do” Push Ups

It’s not always easy for a young kid to do push ups, even “modified” or knee push ups.  This video demonstrates how to use a stability ball to make push ups easier.  Over time, your child will build up enough strength that knee push ups will be possible.  Then, before you know it, they’ll be bench pressing you.

Fun Abdominal Exercises For Kids

I hate sit ups.  I don’t know anyone who likes them, in fact.  Why should we ask our kids to do what we hate?

The good news is that sit ups and crunches aren’t necessary evils.  It is quite possible to develop very strong abdominal and other “core” muscles with other more interesting, and functional, exercises.

So I am posting a few here.  I am in the process of creating a playlist of exercises for kids on my YouTube channel as part of a study I am helping with.  The study is looking at how exercise (in combination with weekly coaching) can benefit kids with CF.

Now, just because the title says “for kids,” and they have cutsie names, doesn’t mean you can’t try them, too.  Go ahead…I dare you to do the Banana/Superman--5 times each direction.  Double dare….

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