To get the most out of your workouts whether it’s resistance training, practicing yoga, pilates or other core work, let’s remember to “hug our muscles to the bones.” This is a simple phrase that helps you to remember to keep your muscles active. For example, if you are doing bicep curls and you have flip-floppy-quick-arms, you are only using momentum which won’t make the muscles stronger. Same thing with core work. If you are scrunching up your neck and hunching your shoulders for a crunch or sit up, you are using neck muscles and back muscles (not in a good way) and you will probably be sore in those places from doing the exercise incorrectly.

Using weights/resistance and doing the correct moves is only part of the game. Since mind and body are linked, you will find that when you are focused and mindful of the muscle groups you are working, the muscles respond much quicker.

Let’s keep our muscles strong, our bodies elongated and hug those muscles to the bones. Practice daily (I just straightened up in my chair at work). You can do it at work, in the car, watching tv, doing dishes, or in a nice mountain pose. Let’s be mindful of our bodies to keep them strong and working nicely for us.

And remember no matter what, roll your shoulders up, back and down. Always holding an open chest. Open heart = open mind.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 1:32 pm and is filed under Fitness, Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.