Work It Out

Happy New Year! We cannot even believe that a new year is starting, let alone another decade! It seems like there is never enough time in the day to get everything done. Am I right? It’s a constant battle of scheduling and fitting things in and then when you are asked to fit a workout into that jammed packed day, it seems impossible. Sometimes exercise is the very last thing on our list and it’s more of an ‘I won’t’ make it happen rather than an ‘I can’t.’ If you were told that exercise no matter what form is mood boosting, has great benefits for your insides and also keeps you strong, wouldn’t you want to make it a priority!?

It’s true that exercise can lift your spirits – but you need to adjust your moves to your mood. These few easy workouts that we will post over the next few days will transform your energy instantly.Whatever your mood, the scientific evidence can’t be denied: Exercise makes you feel better, and even short bouts of activity can help alleviate everything from stress to depression. We don’t know exactly why exercise elevates mood, but theories include exercise’s impact on regulating biorhythms (improving sleep and boosting energy levels), enhancing vigor and cognitive functioning and controlling weight, which impacts self-esteem.

But to truly reap the rewards, it’s a good idea to adjust your workout according to how you’re feeling. The potential for harm is there if you push yourself to do something inappropriate. But it’s also important to avoid using your mood as a reason not to exercise. Often, people feel tired, but their fatigue is emotional – not physical – and doing a relatively easy activity will leave them feeling more invigorated and happy than if they stayed on the sofa. So try one of the exercise prescriptions, based on a few emotional states, that follow – each with moves designed to boost your mood in just 10 to 15 minutes – and discover how powerful the right program can be.

Exercise is such an important component of our health. This can come in many forms from yoga to weight lifting to stretching. Incorporating movement into our days is so beneficial to our mental and our physical state. In this series, we will connect our different emotions with exercises that you can benefit from in that mental state. 

Our first emotional profile is stress. Are you anxious, overwhelmed or simply pressed for time? You need an exercise that provides mental clarity to help you focus on the task at hand.

An exercise that one can benefit from during stressful times is QIGONG. Qigong is an ancient Chinese healing art that requires concentration and offers unique breath-control techniques, qigong can help you become more centered.

A Qigong style meditation called MONK GAZING AT THE MOON is a form of standing meditation. It is one of the fundamental exercises in the style of qigong known as ‘Flying Phoenix Celestial Healing’ – from Santa Monica, Ca –based kung fu and qigong master Terry Dunn, creator of the DVD series Chi Kung for Health (taichimania.com)

Try now: 

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Raise your arms in front of your chest, with hands at eye level, palms facing each other and fingers spread. Maintaining a straight back, ‘sit’ in a shallow stance. Relax the back so it doesn’t arch. Keep your eyes open, gazing through your fingers. 

2. Keeping your mouth closed and the tip of your tongue touching the rough of your mouth, breathe through your nose. 

3. Take three deep breaths, after the third one, inhale fully, then exhale 60% of your breath capacity. Continue inhaling fully, and then exhaling, first at 100%, then 40%, 100%, 20% and finally 100%.

4. Take three more deep breaths, then hold the position for 3 to 5 minutes, breathing naturally.

5. End with 3 final deep breaths. On the third, exhale through your mouth, then lower your arms to your sides.

Our next emotion profile just so happens to be Exhausted. When you are feeling drained, fried or fatigued, rest is probably in order, but often sleep isn’t an option, and you’ve got to pick yourself up and get on with your day.

Sometimes the right kind of movement can help give you some much needed energy! Kundalini Yoga Twist is a great way to wake up the mind and the body without creating more exhaustion! Kundalini involves doing repetitive movements while focusing on a sacred mantra or the sound of your breath. This stimulates the nervous system, filling you with ‘prana’ or life force. 

You can learn more about Kundalini with Denise here at Wellness on the mountain! 

Kundalini Torso Twist is another technique to try from Gurmkh, co-founder and director of Golden Bridge Yoga in Los Angeles.

1. Sit tall in a comfortable cross-legged position, fingers spread and resting on your shoulders. Keep elbows in line with your shoulders and your belly drawn in. Close your eyes.
2. As you inhale through your nose, let your belly extend and twist your torso from your waist to the left, keeping your hips still and allowing your shoulders and head to follow your trunk.  Then exhale through your nose, pull your navel back toward your spine and twist to the right.
3. Repeat this twisting motion for 1 minute without stopping, eventually working up to 3 minutes. Let your breath guide you into each side of the twist.
4. When you’ve completed your minute (or longer), slow the movement gradually until you come to a complete stop, then lower your hands to your shins and take 3 deep breaths to get centered and bring yourself into a revitalized state. 

We are coming to a close with our work it out series by taking a look at a wide range of emotions and how you can change them by rebounding. Have you heard of rebounding before? Maybe the better question is have you heard of a trampoline before? Rebounding is an exercise done on a mini trampoline called a rebounder. There are many benefits of rebounding and we recommend it to just about anyone because it’s just that good and it’s an easy way to get in some movement without a gym membership! 

We know that exercise is important. We’ve been told since we were little that we should be exercising almost every day. When it comes down to it though, there are a lot of reasons why a person doesn’t exercise, let alone step into a gym. Let’s face it, the nine to five work schedule can really make it hard to let exercise be your top priority. On top of that, you have other responsibilities that are downright exhausting. What is the remedy? 

The easiest way to fit in a workout during our busy day is by exercising in your own home. This is where the Rebounder Workout comes in to save the day. Whether you are fatigued, sad, under the weather, or energized, rebounding could be the type of exercise that suits you. The Rebounder Trampoline Exercises not only will save you time, but it is the all-around workout that you need in order to tone up, strengthen your limbs and core, as well as help you to enjoy the benefits of living a healthy life. 

“The mini trampoline [rebounder] provides a convenient form of exercise with a major advantage being its apparent low level of trauma to the musculoskeletal system.” -Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, 1990: 10; 401-408

There are a lot of exercises you can do on the Rebounder to increase your balance, strengthen your core and build your endurance. It is important that you know the different exercises so you can get the complete body workout you need, and to ensure that your form is correct, enabling you to gain a stronger, fitter body. Let us take you through a few key exercises to enable you to get the most out of each and every workout. 

When beginning a workout of any kind, always remember to warm up your body. It is not a healthy practice to start pushing yourself before your body is geared up and ready, that is why one of the first exercises we would suggest is The Health Bounce. The Health Bounce is a good warm-up exercise. It is also good for relieving tension and improving lymphatic, or body fluid circulation. To do The Health Bounce, be in the center of your Rebounder, move up and down by using your toes and your calf muscles. Your toes will not leave the mat surface. The Health Bounce stimulates the vestibular system, the antigravity muscles, the nerves in the joints, ligaments and muscles, creating a much keener sense of balance. 

Once your body is warmed up and you’re ready to start your workout, a good transition is The Strength Bounce. To do this, in the middle of the Rebounder bounce so that both feet leave the mat at the same time. Rhythmically shove your toes into the mat, bend and straighten your knees shoving your feet into the mat. Swing your arms upward in rhythm. A combination of any or all will accomplish the same result.

The last workout we will go over now is Rebound Running. It utilizes the same body movements as Rebound Jogging, but at a much faster pace. While running in place, move your arms in the opposite direction you are moving your legs and don’t wait for the mat to bounce you. Run at your own pace. This exercise is easier and safer on your joints and will yield long-term health benefits.

Let us know if you would like some other workouts for the rebounder or tell us in the comments what your favorite rebounding movement is! If you are interested in getting a rebounder for yourself click the link in our bio!

(Provided by ReboundAir.com)

Interested in a Rebounder, visit our website: https://wellnessonthemountain.com/lymphatic