Originally written 16 Feb 2022
Do you want a way to exercise and de-stress that isn’t yoga? Oh, and it could be useful for defense. I’m talking about Tai Chi, which is short for T’ai chi ch’üan. Good thing it’s been shortened! Although today’s Tai Chi varies from the original it still has benefits. Like yoga, it takes time to master, however… it’s easy to start and if you have limited mobility due to injury, age, or are a bit fluffy (like me, let’s face it… all three of those apply to me) Tai Chi is great. I was first exposed to the form in high school at the state Thespian festival. It was one of our workshops on relaxation and breathing. I was grateful for it. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep up with practicing but now that I’m older I see the benefits. If you’re looking to give it a try, here’s a website for beginners. No equipment required, well… maybe a good set of shoes if your balance isn’t that great. Loose clothing to not restrict your movement is a plus as well. If you love yoga and aren’t sure you want to give it up, you don’t have to! Tai Chi and yoga complement each other! Today’s in office exercise is the “Chair Pose Twist.” Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Bend at the knees like you’re doing a squat, place your hands behind you head and rotate from one knee to the other (like a bicycle crunch and Russian twist at the same time). Be sure to keep your core engaged! From one side to the other is one rep. Try 10 to start. If that’s too easy, bump it up to 15! Happy Wednesday!
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Originally written 2 Feb 2022 -
Here’s an easy soup recipe that’s just 80 calories per 1 cup serving courtesy of UBA. Serve with a piece of toasted baguette or French bread. You can even pair it with half a sandwich. Creamy Cauliflower Soup Makes 4 servings This one is EASY, only 5 ingredients. In less than 20 minutes you’ll have yourself a warm, delicious bowl of soup that is so light you can serve this as a first course for dinner or with a half sandwich for lunch. INGREDIENTS 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp unbleached flour (gluten-free, if desired) 1 medium head cauliflower, chopped 1/2 cup chopped onions 4 cups less sodium chicken or vegetable broth Salt and pepper to taste DIRECTIONS
Here’s a couple ab exercises you can do standing in your cubicle: Standing Side Crunch Stand tall with your fingertips behind your ears, elbows out wide, and core engaged. With foot flexed, draw right knee up and out as you crunch right elbow to right knee. Return to standing and repeat to complete 20 reps then continue on the other side for 20 reps. Why: In addition to targeting the obliques, you can also elevate your heart rate the faster you go. This move does not hit all abdominal muscles, but it fires up the exterior ab muscles, which are key for stabilization. (from Runner’s World) Standing Crunch Stand with feet shoulder width apart, fingers interlaced behind your head, and crunch like you would a traditional supine crunch. Do 10 reps. Originally written 29 Dec 2021...
Do you know what the number one resolution is? Exercise more! Gym memberships and attendance soar in January and February. But did you know that most people that do make that resolution do not stick to it? True story. This year, try something a bit less… intimidating. Maybe you gained a little extra… fluff over the last two years. Instead of saying, I want to lose 15 pounds this year, make your goal about losing 2 pounds a month. Making big goal but not plotting the small points to get there deters us from ever really reaching for bigger things. Maybe you find that your wine bottle cork collection has expanded like unattended Tribbles. Try doing dry January and abstain from your favorite fermented grape drink for the month. Now it wouldn’t be Wellness Wednesday without some cubicle exercises…. Abdominal Contractions (yes, think crunches but from the comfort of your chair and a bit less sweat) – Sit straight in your chair and “tuck” or “pull” your navel in toward your spine. Hold each rep for 5 seconds. Don’t want to do this in your chair? If you have the space (and you trust the cleaning crew) lay on your back like you’re going to do a bridge, but press your spine flat against the floor and tilt your hips up while pulling your navel toward your spine. This will help your lower back. (15 repetitions) Glute Squeezes – Sit straight in your chair, feet flat on the floor, contract your gluteus maximus muscles (you should rise up a wee bit in your chair (ladies, these feel kind of like Kegels)) and hold for 2-3 seconds. (15 reps) Have a great Wednesday! Originally written 15 Dec 2021...
Back in the office after being at home for a year and a half, where you were able to get up and move around, get that laundry done or walk the dog so you both get out of the house and get some exercise… but now that you’re back, how can you squeeze that exercise in to your work day to get the blood flowing? If you have a smart watch, it may give you attitude when you’ve been still too long, or depending on Apple or Samsung, it may tell you to breathe (looking at you Apple) or let you pick an exercise (torso twists or squats, anyone?) If you have a convertible desk, you know the “I can sit or stand” things, great! But is that enough? Not sitting all day will decrease the risk of blood clots, but standing all day isn’t great either. Ask those who stand on their feet because of their career. (You go get your hair trimmed, cut, etc.? Talk to your stylist about being on their feet for eight hours a day, it sucks.) Here are a couple of exercises you can do at your desk. (More to follow, each Wednesday until I run out of exercises to share!) Desk pushups (if you have the space): Lean against your desk, hands slightly wider than shoulder’s width, lower yourself, then push back up to starting position. Repeat. I find 10 reps works best and you can repeat this as many times as you need to. Calf raises: Stand behind your chair, raise up on to your tiptoes and slowly lower yourself back down. Repeat 10 times. Again, you can do this more than once a day. Why is this important? Research has shown that adults need 30 minutes of moderate exercise (daily). But you’re busy, how do you fit that 30 minutes in? Breaking that 30 minutes up is okay. But I’m in the office all day. Well, take a couple minutes each hour to hour and a half and focus on your wellbeing. Whether it’s getting up to go out and walk around the building, going down the stairs (easier to go down 14 flights than it is coming up 14 flights) and catching the elevator back up, even doing a few stretches (hold each stretch for 30 seconds). Even getting out and walking to get your lunch can be added to that exercise tally for the day. Next week, Sarcopenia! Have you ever had your memory jogged by a picture, movie, or a phrase and the memory that came back was something that you did that causes you guilt? Then you went on feeling horrible for a while, okay a long time because you couldn’t help but play that moment over and over? Or you’ve been dealing with the guilt for something you’ve been carrying for years and didn’t know how to deal with it?
Do you know the healing power of forgiveness? You may know that forgiving others helps heal wounds caused but why should you be so unkind to yourself and not use the same forgiveness for yourself? Oh, because that’s selfish and you’re not selfish? Stop. Forgiving yourself is not selfish. Whether we admit it or not, we are our own worst critics when it comes to the things we do in our lives. Complete a project and look it back over and you notice errors… you’re going to chastise yourself for that. Don’t. Fix the mistakes and move on. Or get a second opinion. Does anyone else notice the mistakes? No. Then carry on. But it happened years ago? That’s okay. Let’s take a look at some ways you can forgive yourself mistakes made long ago and a lifetime away…
Forgiving yourself can alleviate depression and anxiety. We’re on the downside of a global pandemic that magnified depression and anxiety in a lot of people because of the isolation and time to get all up in our heads to re-examine every part of our past. Move forward. Forgive yourself because we are all human. Live your best life now because the past is the past. Suffer from low back pain? Try this stretch: Child’s Pose And if you have trouble rolling your ankle like I do: Ankle Circles |
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