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exercise

Warm It To Cool It

October 7, 2011 by gracefulfitness 4 Comments

Yesterday I wrote a friendly reminder about the importance of including a warm up and cool down any time you exercise.  Today I am going to go into more detail about what to include in these crucial pre and post workout times.

Warm It Up

Specificity

In general the best way to warm up is to do workout specific movements.  For running this means starting by walking and then progressing to a slow jog.  For biking this means starting more slowly on your bike.  Elliptical/stair-stepper warm ups should start on a low incline and resistance.

You get the picture, to warm up for cardio you do the activity for which you are warming up but at a slower, easier, gentler pace.

But what about strength training or a full body tabata  or interval style workout?  You can actually do the same thing here; do similar exercises to what will be included in your workout but at a much lower intensity.   Do not include jumping or held stretches in the first five minutes of your warm up.  Do include often neglected areas of the body like the shoulders and spine.  I love to include a few big arm circles and some chest opening movements to wake up my shoulders and upper torso.  A great full body warm up exercise is to shift between Downward Dog and Plank position for several repetitions.  These movements open up the shoulders, upper back, and back of the legs, starts building heat in the core, legs, and arms, and gives you a moment to really tune into correct form and alignment through the whole body.

Progression

Just as you don’t want to jump right into your workout you also don’t want to jump into your warm up.  Instead, wade into your warm up.  Start with less intense movements that require a smaller range of motion and progressive become more full bodied and active until you can seamlessly transition into your workout.

Note: Stretch is not a warm up!  Stretching can be an element of your warm up but stretching alone, whether it’s dynamic or static, does not warm up the muscles or increase the heart rate adequately to prepare you for exercise.

Just Cool It

Specificity

Sound familiar?  Yep, the first step in cooling down is to keep your body moving in a similar way to the exercise you just completed.  I usually walk a block or two at the end of my runs then keep moving around the house for a few minutes (putting away my iPod, taking off my shoes, getting water) until my heart rate has dropped down to near normal.

Progression

Your cool down starts as soon as you finish your workout and thus you need to bring your body from an active state back down to a rest state.  It’s important to make this transition gradually to avoid a sudden change in blood pressure and blood pooling.

Stretch

Now’s the time to stretch out all those worked muscles.  While exercise generally warms up and loosens up muscles it can also cause muscular tightness that, if not regularly stretched out, can lead to poor posture, pain, and/or injury.

Stretch each muscle group and pay special attention to areas of tightness or injury.  Stretching takes time, it’s best to stay in cool down stretches for at least 30 seconds.  Do you get bored stretching?  Sometimes I like to use my post-run stretch as a time to flip through a magazine or listen to some music.

Post exercise stretching has been on my mind recently because this weekend I am going to be leading sessions on exactly that; post running race and post biking race stretching.   The events are part of a weekend music festival taking place outside of Cville, The Festy Experience.   I will be camping Saturday night and spending two days listening to music, attending workshops, leading stretching sessions, and being outdoors-so excited!

My stretch sessions are going to focus on Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF).  Usually this type of stretching is done with a trainer or health care provider but there are a few great stretches that you can do on your own.   Have you ever done PNF stretches?

Have a great weekend!

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Posted in: workouts Tagged: cool down, exercise, warm up

Bake, Bike, Grill

April 18, 2011 by gracefulfitness 14 Comments

These gorgeous Spring days energize me.  Yesterday I walked and ran and before I knew it I’d covered 10 miles!  150 miles? I got this.

Good food energizes me as well.

Corn ‘n Beans Bread Muffins

Makes 12  Pre-heat oven to 365*

  • 1 c. white whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 c. cornmeal
  • 4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 eggs
  • 1 c. milk
  • 1/4 c. applesauce
Mix dry. Mix wet (if your applesauce is chunky like mine was then puree first in the food processor).  Add dry to wet.  Let sit while you prepare the beans.
  • 2 c. white beans
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • 1/2 chopped onion
  • lots of fresh ground pepper
  • red chili flakes
  • minced chives
  • minced fennel fronds
Sauté onions in oil over medium heat.  When onions turn translucent add beans.  Continue to stir and cook for a few minutes so beans soak up the onion-oil flavor and begin to brown.  Add herbs and spices, turn off burner, stir thoroughly.
Add beans to batter and mix.  Butter 12 muffin cups, fill, and bake for 30-40 minutes.  The muffins are done when the tops are slightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
A meal in a muffin!  These guys are dense, moist (why do so many women have a problem with that word?  I kinda like it. Moist.), and quite hearty.
I made these up for a potluck dinner party we attended on Saturday night but there ended up being loads of food and I got to bring at least half a dozen home with me.  Love leftovers.
The muffins are going to go great with all the grilled squash and asparagus in the fridge.
Um, yeah, that’s a mountain of veg to feed two people.  Leftovers. 🙂
I tossed the veggies in balsamic vinegar, a wee bit of olive oil, fresh ground pepper, and loads of rosemary.
Did you know that adding rosemary to your marinade can greatly reduce the risk of carcinogens in your grilled meat?  Vegetables don’t create carcinogens when grilled  like meat does, I added rosemary because I love the flavor.   If you grill meat consider cultivating a love for rosemary grilled meat.
After my 10 miles yesterday I am feeling less than motivated to hit the pavement today.  My exercise for the day may be biking back and forth to the clinic a few times and a mat Pilates class.
Thanks to Song for turning me onto my current favorite band, The Weepies!  They are perfect for playing in the clinic!  Here’s one of my favorites for your Monday morning listening pleasure.

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Posted in: baking, goals, recipes Tagged: exercise, food choices, running
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I am Faith Levine, a movement instructor, home gardener, mountain biker, hiker, pickle maker, closet poet, and best of friend to some of the most amazing women in the world.

I’d love to hear from you,
gracefulfitness@live.com

Header photo: Meredith Coe

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Hi, I'm Faith! New? Check out I Am for my story, I Cook for recipes, and I Move for some motivation to get moving! I'd love to hear from you, e-mail me gracefulfitness@live.com
Header photo: Meredith Coe

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