WHAT'S UP DOC?

Happy New Year everybody!  If you're like me, and most other people, you'll be making a New Year resolution to be more healthy.  This may include being more active, losing weight, gaining some muscle, or eating better food.  Whatever your resolution, you should start with a visit to the doctor to determine what your starting point is.  Hopefully, you are able to get yearly physicals. A lot can happen in a year, and what you don't know CAN hurt you.  Different risk factors require different compensations, and ways of managing them.  I have yet to find a risk factor that would prevent all forms of exercise, but when starting a new workout program there may be things you should avoid doing (doesn't mean you can't do it later, as your body gets used to working out).  Keep in mind that any recommendations from your personal doctor always come first. For this post I will be talking about typical scenarios - your situation may be different.

Blood Pressure: Having high blood pressure is a really common risk factor.  There are a couple of things to keep in mind when you have high blood pressure:  Your heart is working harder than normal, so this means that when you are exercising you are going to want to keep your heart rate lower than the normal guidelines for the specific exercise you are performing.  You will also want to avoid overhead exercises - at least in the beginning.  Overhead exercises have been known to make people with high blood pressure dizzy because of the stress placed on the vascular (blood vessels) system.  If you have high blood pressure, make sure to talk to your doctor about diets and medication (if needed) so that you can stabilize your blood pressure before you start a workout program.  Long term effects of working out usually include lower blood pressure, but that can take awhile to achieve, so sometimes you doctor will recommend medication as a stop gap.  Diet can help speed up the process of lowering blood pressure as well.

Heart Complications: Hopefully, your doctor does routine examinations of your heart when you go in for a physical (I mean, it's sort of an important organ).  This is a huge category and each different complication has to be handled in a different way (super specific advice, I know). Your doctor may also recommend you see a specialist.  If you haven't had a physical in a while and you have unexplained dizziness or feel your heart racing, skipping a beat, etc. make an appointment to get your heart looked at. You're not catching feelings - you need to see a doctor.

Diabetes: For clients who have diabetes, I always suggest two things.  The first is you talk to a doctor to make sure you are ready for exercise (most of them will recommend exercise as a way to help with the disease).  And second I recommend seeing a nutritionist who specializes in diabetes.  Exercise affects your blood sugar, so this is a case where a specialist can help you to prepare for what you need before a workout, how you will feel during a workout, and what your condition requires after a workout for recovery.  If you are trying to lose weight and you also have diabetes, a nutritionist with experience in that can also help you to learn what snacks are best to help with blood sugar while not interfering with weight loss.

Arthritis: In most of the cases of arthritis I have seen, the individual is fine to work out. But there are certain exercises that cause pain.  If you have arthritis, get cleared from your doctor before you start your workout, and also talk to him or her about getting involved in some rehabilitation exercises.  A lot of arthritis pain can be managed by doing a regular rehabilitation program aimed at strengthening the muscles around the affect joint(s).  There are some clients with arthritis that I recommend only doing weight training (starting with very light weight and building very slowly).  As you make yourself stronger the muscles are able to handle more of the force placed on your body during daily life and it helps to decrease pain.  And as the pain goes down you will be able to do more exercises and get even stronger, and then the pain goes down even more.  I also like to caution: if you have arthritis and something causes pain, don't do it. Also, pay attention to the amount of fatigue you are feeling. You may fatigue very quickly in the beginning, so if you start an exercise with no pain and then after 15 min you have pain, it's time to stop and rest.  As you get stronger, your endurance will also go up.  Listen to your body and stop when you need to.  If you have arthritis (especially in weight bearing joints) do not push your body to the point of pain. The recovery can actually set you back further than the progress you make working out.

slightly inaccurate, but I laughed

Effects of Medication: Medication is obviously very helpful.  But it can also have weird effects on you when you exercise.  Medicine can make you gain weight, lose weight, feel light headed, affect your endurance levels, make you lethargic, make you not sweat, make you sweat too much, and a crap ton of other things.  Just talk to your doctor and see if you need to be careful while exercising.

Pregnancy: This topic is a bit of an odd ball one.  If you are pregnant, just talk to your doctor about your workout.  Depending on any risk factors you have for complications, your age, how far along you are, and what shape you were in before you got pregnant, your doctor may change your limitations.  Plus, being pregnant changes your nutritional needs.  I can't really give any feedback in this because every pregnancy is different.  If you are looking to start a workout program and are trying to get pregnant, make sure you find a trainer that has certifications involving pregnancy.  I also recommend getting a heart rate monitor, I refuse to work with any pregnant women until they have a heart rate monitor because when you are pregnant your heart rate should not reach the same levels as when you were not pregnant (the heart rate you should aim for depends on what shape you were in before you were pregnant).

Injuries: If you have an injury, don't be stupid about it, see your doctor and try to get an appointment with a specialist or get a rehab program.  Pushing injured tissue in a workout doesn't help it heal faster, it just sets you back. You run the risk of complications and secondary injuries as well.  It is also a good idea if you have an injury to focus some attention on stability exercises related to your injury.  The scar tissue that heals in the place of injured tissue is very brittle, and its never gonna be quite the same, so some stability exercises can help to prevent re-injuring the area.

Skeletal Abnormalities: Again, this category is very broad. There are a ton of skeletal abnormalities and within each one there are varying degrees of severity.  Your doctor may limit you from types of training, he or she may limit specific exercises, or he or she may limit the intensity of exercise.  All three of these categories are things you are going to want to specifically address with your physician.

Hormone Levels: This is another tricky category.  From my experience MOST (not all, so do what the doc says) hormonal imbalances don't actually affect the work out part, they affect the results.  If you are trying to lose or gain weight, and you are doing everything perfectly (including food and proper rest) and I do mean perfect, it may be hormones that are holding you back.  So talk to your doctor about getting that tested.  This is especially true in women who have recently started or stopped taking birth control, or recently given birth.

Autoimmune Disorders: Huge category (I've been saying that a lot this post, but it's true).  I don't have much to say about this except that the more information you can have the better off you will be.  I know its not super helpful, but these diseases are all very weird.  Usually there will be good and bad days, and as long as you have clearance from your doctor, it's just gonna take time for you to figure out what programs work for you.  In many cases, exercise can help autoimmune disorders but usually only in moderation, and again, that's for your physician to decide.

Hopefully this post will help you get started with your New Year's resolutions and isn't too vague.  If you need elaboration or have questions for me, leave a comment below the post.  I always like hearing what topics you guys would like me to cover, so let me know.  Happy New Year and good luck everybody.  Time to make some changes.

Super Simple Shoulder Stability

Try saying that title 5 times fast.  So, a little while ago I did a post on improving the stability of your knees, and I thought it was time for some more stability exercises - this time, we'll focus specifically on the shoulder joint.  There are multiple ways of stabilizing the shoulder, but in this post I will be focusing on the rotator cuff and the scapula (shoulder blade).  These exercises are meant to strengthen the shoulder joint and help to prevent injuries.  By increasing the stability of the shoulder, you can also help to improve posture, and your general strength.  

The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis.  They play a major role in stabilizing the shoulder joint during everyday life and exercise.  Strengthening the rotator cuff helps your body rely on the muscles instead of cartilage and ligaments.

Like the rotator cuff, your shoulder blade plays a large role in shoulder mobility.  In fact, if you didn't have a shoulder blade you would find it very hard to raise your arm above 45 degrees.  By working on the stability of the scapula, it is possible to improve the strength and range of motion of the shoulder.  

Keep in mind this post is meant to increase the stability of the shoulder, and while many of these exercises are implemented in a shoulder rehabilitation, this post is not meant to help with any specific injuries.  If you have a specific injury please see your doctor or a therapist.  In a healthy shoulder none of these exercises should cause pain, so if you feel pain doing any of these exercises stop immediately and see your doctor.

Internal Rotation: Internal rotation of the shoulder activates your subscapularis (one of the muscles of the rotator cuff).  You can perform internal rotation using a band or a cable machine at a gym. Hold the handle or the band in your hand with your thumb up and your elbow at your side.  If you are using your left hand, the band should be outward from your body on the left side.  If you feel pressure on your elbow, use a towel rolled up between your elbow and your body.  Keep your elbow close to your side and bent to 90 degrees, and pull the cable or band across your body so that your hand touches the opposite side of your waist, like in the picture below.

External Rotation: This is the opposite of internal rotation (Duh).  The starting position is the same as it was for internal rotation, with the exception that the band/cable should be crossing in front of your body.  Keeping your thumb up, you move your arm away from your body like the picture below shows.  This exercise helps to activate your infraspinatus (another muscle in the rotator cuff group)

Scapular Pushups/ Scapular Punches: This exercise works primarily the serratus anterior (yet another stabilizer) which helps out with your shoulder blades.  You can do this exercise with your body weight in push up position, or against a wall, or with a cable machine or band, or laying on your back with a weight in your hand (there are a crap ton of options - in my opinion laying on your back is the easiest to start with).  To perform this exercise you should be holding the weight in your hand with your arm at 90 degrees to your body, straight out in front of you, with your elbow straight.  Then you want to push your shoulder forward without twisting your torso or bending your elbow.  It's a subtle movement, and it's not going to move very far, so don't expect a lot here.  After you push the shoulder forward, you can either return to the starting position or continue the motion so that your shoulder also goes back, still keeping your arm straight.

in this one notice the shoulders are coming back all the way like I mentioned

Scapular Pull Downs: This is another subtle movement, so it may take a bit of practice. The easiest way is to stand with your arms at your side.  Don't move your arm or your torso, but pull your shoulder blades down towards your butt.  Again, subtle, it's not gonna be a ton of movement.  When you get really good at the movement, you can add resistance by doing this on a lat pull down machine, or as pull ups when you become very advanced.  Remember, you're not actually doing a pull up or a lat pull down, you're just trying to move your shoulder blades.  The picture below shows the starting and finishing position for the movement (the picture shows the pull-up version, but the movement itself is the same no matter how you do it).

Cat and Camel/Cow Stretches: This stretch is meant to help increase the range of motion in your upper back while also improving the quality of movement between your shoulder blades, the shoulder joint, and ribs.  It can also help relax your back muscles.  Start on your hands and knees with your back straight.  You want to then push your back up to the ceiling, separating your shoulder blades apart.  Push as high up as you can without lifting your hands off the floor.  Next, sink your chest down to the ground so that your shoulder blades move as close together as you can.  Remember that this is a stretch and should not feel painful.  Repeat this for a few minutes, and you should feel your upper back loosen up.

Various Rows: Rows can work your rhomboids, which are muscles in your back between your shoulder blades that can help to improve posture and stabilize your scapula.  Two of the more common rows are a seated cable row or a dumbell row. 

Regardless of what type of row you are doing, you want to make sure your back is straight. 
Start with your arms straight, then pull the weight towards your chest and squeeze your shoulder blades together.

"T's" Y's" and "I's": These are actually three separate exercises.  They help to activate the rotator cuff, and also the deltoid muscles.  They can be deceptively difficult, so start with about 2.5 pounds.  You lay with your stomach on a bench (depending on the height of the bench - you may have to place it on a slant to give your arms room to move) and the weight in your hands with your arms straight.  To perform a "T", start with your arms out straight in front of you at a 90 degree angle, then move them outward so you make a plus sign (+). Make sure you are laying on your stomach so that you are resisting gravity.  To make a "Y", start in the same position as the "T", then move your arms up and out to 45 degree angle - just like the "Y" in the YMCA dance (and you thought that 5th grade dances wouldn't come in handy).  The "I" has the same starting position as the first two, and then you raise your arms straight up so that they are directly over your head, making your body a straight line.  The picture below shows the starting position for "Y" (A) "T" (B) and a modification for "I" (C).

I hope this post was informative and helpful for you guys.  As always, if you have any questions or would like elaboration feel free to comment at the bottom!

*Note: This post is meant to increase the stability of the shoulder joint.  If you have or think that you have a shoulder injury or pain in the shoulder joint you should see your doctor before performing any of these exercises.*

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

It's been awhile since I've done a post on a book, but I just finished the third Harry Potter.  The third book is excellent, and also marks the start of the maturity of the series overall. In this one, Harry has just turned 13 - and as he gets a little older, the story gets a little darker.

WARNING!  This post is contains spoilers.  It is pretty much all spoiler with a few of my opinions thrown in.  Sorry I'm not sorry, this post is meant to be for fans of the series who want to discuss the book in depth.  I do, however recommend that you read the series (if you haven't already), then come back and join in the fun.

One of the things that I really like about the third Harry Potter novel is that the main villain isn't He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.  I mean, the villain is associated with You-Know-Who, but not actually the man himself.  It's not the first time we hear about other dark wizards (cough cough Lucious Malfoy), but it is the first time Harry and the gang take on a new opponent.  I think it expands the perspective you get of the story, and makes the whole wizarding world more believable.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love me a good super villain, but when you only have one person being evil against every other person... not very realistic (at least outside of the Marvel universe).  The Dark Lord was a true dark lord, he had armies of people and creatures behind him.  One man doesn't get that far even if he is a super powerful wizard.  I like that this novel gives us a bigger picture of the wizarding world and shows us a realistic side of evil dominion.

Then you combine that with the betrayal of a close family friend, and Harry is getting a heavy dose of real world war.  How many traitors are there in a war?  No one really knows unless they are caught, but let's face it, there hasn't been a war without traitors - and the closeness of this betrayal to Harry really makes the reader feel it on a personal level.  It doesn't matter that the facts weren't accurate -  Harry's parents were still betrayed by a friend.  And not even betrayed because the friend was captured and tortured, which would be slightly more understandable. It was a deliberate and planned deception, which makes the sting even worse.  Betrayal that had actually been going on for a while, the Potters knew someone was leaking information.  What a horrible feeling -  having someone you trust betray you, knowing that you would die for your friends and one of them is selling you out literally to your death.  I can't imagine, but I would guess Lily and James died heartbroken on so many levels.

So, apparently time traveling is a thing in the wizarding world (you guys like that segue?).  And let's face it, was anyone surprised that Hermione used time travel so that she can take extra classes?  Classic Hermione.  

There are a lot of people that go around and are like WAIT!! If time travel exists, why didn't someone go back and kill He-who-must-not-be-named before he became an evil overlord and mass murderer?  Why didn't someone go back in time and prevent him from trying to kill Harry's parents?  It is an interesting thought that time isn't really set in stone, but to those people who are hating on this third novel, please remember a few things. Yes, the Dark Lord is pretty evil. I'm not trying to debate that, dude was evil, and he deserved what he got. BUT can we really justify going back in time and killing him before he commits a crime?  Well, haters, if we paid attention in Divination class (and more importantly to what Professor McGonagall said about the device itself) the future is a very, very tricky thing. And how can you punish someone for something they haven't done?  The argument that he will go on to kill people is irrelevant. Yes, we know that it's been written down, and in terms of Harry Potter history it happened, but going back and killing him before he kills in the name of prevention? Not OK.  I mean come on, innocent until proven guilty, right?  Just the act of going back in time and trying to kill him before he could cause too much damage would be changing time, so you wouldn't know 100% he was going to kill until after it happened... because you already changed the outcome. Technically, that leaves a tiny chance he could change his ways (slim, but still there, hence the 'beyond a reasonable doubt'). So now what? Do you still punish him for a crime he hasn't committed?  That's not a justice system I can get behind. 

Ok, so then let's say you find a way around that conundrum. Maybe you wait for him to kill someone, or find some other way to justify going back in time and ending it all before it starts.  So, you've gone back in time and stopped the Dark Lord from rising to power!  Awesome!  Now there aren't two huge wars! And you saved countless people by providing a key eye witness in Tom Riddle's murder trial.  So now what?  Well, guess what - you just created a time paradox.  By eliminating the cause of the war, and the cause of you going back in time in the first place, you've made an alternate timeline. The only way to get back where you started is to have the war... which means you have to everything play out as it did originally. If you don't, everything has now changed, and you can't get back where you started and may not exist at all.  BOOM, classic time travel paradox.  So guys, when you are raging on Mrs Rowling remember time travel is a tricky thing.  And to all the haters who are like, 'well, then why were Harry and Hermione were able to still save Sirius and Buckbeak', I say, 'well they didn't change the CAUSE, just the outcome.'  They didn't stop Sirius from going to jail the first time, they didn't stop the trial, or Buckbeak maiming Malfoy, they only changed the outcome, and they did it quickly enough that nothing else had happened yet that was contingent upon that action.  BOOM knowledge explosion (I'm basically a logic wizard, it's ok to admit it). I mean, come on, go watch Back to the Future/Minority Report/contact me for a list of other movies that will show you how wrong you are in ways ranging from "that movie was fairly entertaining" to "this one is incredible, and how have you not watched this yet?"

So lets talk for a second about Azkaban and Dementors.  This shit is super dark.  I mean, these things live off of stealing people's happy memories and thoughts, and not only that, they can literally steal your soul.  They steal the essence of what makes you, well, you.  But not only do they take everything from you, they take away your ability to re-make yourself.  You don't just lose yourself, you lose the ability to make yourself, the process of learning and growing that we all go though continuously in life. That's just gone.  And there is no chance of recovery.  You might as well be a vegetable.  It is interesting to note that people on the internet say JK Rowling wrote the Dementors to represent her own depression she was dealing with.  And I think this is perfect.  No idea if its true, I haven't researched it, but either way, it works.  Depression can't be seen, and muggles are incapable of seeing Dementors. And when it's left untreated, when you lose the support of others, when you're alone, it gets worse and harder and harder to function as a normal person.  Just like Harry and the Dementors, the longer you are exposed to depression, the harder it is to overcome.  Most of the prisoners in the prison fall so low thanks to the Dementor,s that they go insane or they stop caring about anything. They stop eating or caring for themselves, and they die.  The comparison of the effects of Dementors to depression is very powerful.  The Dementors aren't killed by the patronus charm, depression never really goes away, it just become better or manageable for a time period.  So props to J. K. Rowling book 2 showing us how wrong any form or discrimination is, and book 3 giving us a first hand experience of what living with a mental disorder is like.  TAKE THAT Harry Potter haters who say that it's a kid's series. These are serious issues.

Now the idea of Dementors as guards for wizard jail seems very cruel to me.  The only thing I can think of to justify the use of the Dementors as Azkaban guards is that I don't know how to get rid of them.  I mean the patronus charm is awesome but it doesn't seem to kill the Dementors.  Now I could be wrong, but I don't think it's ever mentioned how to kill a Dementor.  The story tells us how Dementors multiply (in later books), but from what I know, does not tell us how to kill them.  So you could argue that putting them as guards at least keeps them from running around giving random people their creepy kiss, but still, the idealist in me says that there must be a better solution. Because let's face it, being in Azkaban is cruel and unusual punishment.  The prisoners there lose their powers, and then also have every good memory and thought taken from them. Most of them go insane.  There are people that argue against solitary confinement as cruel and unusual and (not that I have experience with either) I would guess that Azkaban is a just little bit worse.  I suppose wizards don't have the death penalty, but that doesn't seem to justify Dementors.  I'm at a loss here - I think there must be a better solution for controlling them and not letting them run around hurting innocent muggles, but I don't know what it is. Like I said, at least they are all in one place.

And in this edition of "Wizards are Useless", we're gonna talk about being an animagus and how when someone turns into a rat and you trust them, you're a moron.  Like, come on, your animagus is basically a window into who you are as a person (your inner spirit, or whatever you wanna call it) and you think trusting the "rat" was a good idea?  I'm actually a little mad my 13 year old self couldn't figure this out when she was reading the books for the first time.  Seriously, you're worried that someone in your inner circle is betraying you and you look around, why do you not immediately look at the guy who shape-shifts into a rat?  Come on, people.  Even his nickname should make you pause. "Wormtail", come on, a spineless blind slimy bug (yes, worms are helpful for plants and life, but we're gonna ignore that for now).  This is who you trust with your life?  Sirius turns into a dog, known for loyalty and you're like, 'nope not a good idea, lets go with the rat'.  James Potter, you done goofed.  I suppose when you don't learn math or logic in school, just magic, this is what happens.

But now onto a lighter subject... like those Undervalued Characters Who Deserve More Credit Than They Get.  I know you have been waiting for this part.

Snape- Ok, let's not take future books into account.  Snape is a dirty (like dude go shower) jerk.  He may be good at potions, but let's be real for a sec: he's a horrible teacher. He plays favorites way beyond what is an acceptable level.  He ostracizes his students (I mean does he really need to intentionally mean to Neville).  He is vindictive and cruel. I mean, he threatens to poison several students, and Neville's toad.  Dude has some serious issues.  BUT I have to give him a shout out for "saving" Harry, Ron and Hermione in the shrieking shack.  Yes, he was completely off base, yes, he was a jerk while he was doing it, yes, he probably didn't give a crap about the three students.  BUT!  Look at it as an outsider - you don't know Sirius' story. For all you know, he is a crazy mass murderer.  That was the thought belief Snape was acting on.  Should he have handled the situation better?  Hell yeah, like call the other professors and stuff.  But I'm still giving him props for trying to save the day

Professor Trelawny- This shout out is based purely on her actually doing something useful.  Yup, that's all I got.  Thank you for actually making a prediction, it's about time.

Hermione- Ok, Hermione is awesome on her bad days, so you could argue she doesn't deserve to be on this list cause she's always recognized for her awesomeness.  True. BUT she slaps Malfoy in the face.  And for that we love her just a little bit more in this novel.

Lastly if you haven't read this histerical troll post comparing Twilight to Harry Potter you should 
http://www.eatliver.com/twilight-vs-harry-potter/ 

HARD CORE

I've been asked a lot about how to "get abs". So many people want definition in their abdominals.  My answer is always the same: If you want definition, you have to eat correctly. Abdominal definition comes from having a low body fat percentage.  BUT if you want strong abs and a strong core, then abdominal and core exercises are the way to go.  Also note that your abdominals are a muscle group, but your core includes many more muscles than just your rectus abdominis.  Your core also includes your obliques (side abs), the muscles in your back, and in some cases your hips.  There is no one definition for "core" muscles, but in this post I will be limiting the exercises to abdominals, obliques and low back.

Plank and Side Plank: Planks are my favorite core exercise EVER!  So, of course, they are first on my list.  One thing I really like about planking, is that if you have back problems you can USUALLY still do a plank with no pain, because it doesn't involve moving your spine.  PLUS when you plank, your abdominals become stronger - which means your back pain is less!  WIN-WIN.  When you plank, you place your forearms and toes on the ground, and then hold your body in the air like the pictures show below.  Try to keep your shoulders directly over your elbows to decrease the stress on your joints.  Then, you just hold the position. It may sound -imple, but trust me, it's not.  Also MAKE SURE you do not let your low back "sag" down towards the ground, as this will decrease the strength of your abdominal muscles and place stress on the low back.  I like to recommend looking down at the ground rather than craning your neck upwards, as this will allow your spine to be better aligned.  I recommend starting out around 20-30 seconds, and then as your abdominals get stronger, holding the position for longer and longer.  You should feel this working the muscles on the front of your torso (the rectus abdominis).  If you find that placing your weight on your forearms is too difficult for your current fitness level, or you are not able to maintain the proper form when you start off, you can place your hands on the mat instead of your forearms (this is called high plank).  

notice the excessive curve in the low back- avoid this!

So, once you're amazing at the plank, how do you make it harder?  Easy! Try lifting up one of your legs.  Be careful - the first time you try this, you need to make sure that your hip and back position do not change just because you lift a leg.  Is lifting a leg too easy?  Lift an arm instead. Then, when that is too easy, lift one arm and the opposite leg (I told you I'm evil, right?)

For the side plank, place your weight on your forearm and the side of your foot.  Again, make sure your shoulder is directly above your elbow.  Some people feel more comfortable placing one foot in front of the other on the mat, while others like to place one foot on top of the other foot.  Either way is fine, just figure out which works best for your balance.  When you are in the side plank position, make sure your shoulders are in a straight line up and down. Also, make sure your hips* *a-*re aligned one on top of the other, you don't want to allow gravity to pull the top hip or shoulder down to the mat.  When starting out, I recommend holding this position for about half the time you held the regular plank position.  You should feel the burning in the side (obliques) that is facing the floor.  If you have any pain with this position in your arm, try this on your hand instead of your forearm.  If full side plank is too difficult as a starting point, simply use your knees instead of your feet.

yes, you have to smile like this

Boat Pose* For this exercise, sit on your butt.  Then you want to slowly lift your legs and arms up until you reach the position in the picture below.  Then you hold the position.  Then you find me and punch me, cause this exercise sucks (in a good way).  Just know that this is a very hard exercise.  To start, I would touch your heels to the ground and use them to help balance, and keep your arms at your sides while leaning your torso backwards.  This will activate your abdominal muscles, and you'll feel it pretty much everywhere.  To advance the exercise, extend your arms first to match the picture. When you feel comfortable, slowly lift your heels.  It is a gradual process to reach full boat pose.  Don't give up, and you WILL see progress.

Leg Lifts: For this exercise, lay on your back with your legs straight and your arms at your side.  Keeping your legs straight, raise them both into the air (until they reach about 90 degrees), then lower them until they are a few inches off the ground and repeat.  You can put your arms next to you for balance, or under your low back/butt to support your low back.  You will feel this in your abdominals, mainly in the lower portion.  

Penguins: For this exercise, lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.  Raise your shoulders off the floor and alternate touching your heels (left, right, left, right, etc.).  You should feel this on your side, though. Depending on how high you raise your shoulders, you may also feel it at the top of your abs.

Sit-ups/ Crunches: Most people are pretty familiar with crunches and sit-ups already.  Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.  Using your abdominals, move your torso into a sitting position so your chest touches your knees (sit-up) or, alternatively, simply raise your shoulders off the floor (crunches).  Return to the starting position and repeat.  When you're doing crunches, you'll feel this in your upper abs. When you do a full sit-up you should feel them through your whole abdominal group - so, the entire front of your stomach.  There technically isn't a correct place to put your arms for this exercise, but most people place their hands behind their head.  If you do put your hands behind your head, make sure you use your abdominals through the movement. Don't pull with your arms, as this puts stress through your neck that you don't need.  If you want to make these movements more difficult, or just mix things up, try laying your legs flat on the ground or putting them in the butterfly position.

Just so you know if I was training you I'd make you get your chest to your knees!

Flutterkicks/ Hello Darlings: For this exercise, again lay on your back (notice the repetitive theme here). I recommend if you are new to these exercises, to place your hands under your low back and butt to give your back some extra support.  Hold you legs straight and raise them about six inches off the ground.  For flutter kicks, you will move your legs up and down in opposite directions, the same way you would kick while swimming.  For hello darlings, move your legs open and closed and make sure they cross over each other.  I love this exercise because no matter how much you do them they never seem to stop sucking.  You'll pretty much feel this everywhere including in your hips, and your hips don't lie. I had to... you're welcome.  I recommend starting out around 20 or 30 seconds for this exercise and progressing from there.

Reverse Crunches: Lay on your back with your arms at your side for balance.  Hold your legs up in the air (they can be bent or straight), then raise your hips off the ground as high as you can.  Return to the starting position and repeat.  This exercise should burn in the lower portion of your abdominals.

V-Ups: This exercise is very similar to sit-ups, but much MUCH worse.  Instead of leaving your feet planted on the ground, lay your legs out straight with your arms straight above your head.  Next, use your abdominals to simultaneously raise your torso and legs so that you can touch your toes.  If this is too difficult to start with, try bending your knees.  In the ideal "top" position, your entire weight should be on your butt.  This exercise will work pretty much every muscle in your core.

Side V-Ups: The first thing to know about this exercise is you need to make sure your weight is on the side of your butt cheek and not the side of your hip.  Lay your legs straight and then use your obliques (side abs) to pull your shoulders and legs together.  This will be noticeable in your side.  You can put your bottom arm straight out in front of you and use it to balance.  Try to keep your legs straight, but if that is too difficult in the beginning, then bend your knees to make the move easier.

Supermans: I know what you're thinking - FINALLY an exercise that starts in a different position, you can finally get off your back.  So, start this out laying on your stomach.  Put your arms straight out above your head, and your legs straight as well.  Then, lift your legs and arms as high as you can AT THE SAME TIME. I know, it's crazy.  If this is difficult, start with one arm and the opposite leg, and then progress to both as you feel more comfortable with the exercise.  You should feel this exercise in your lower back muscles, and you may also feel it in your glutes.

Bicycles: Sorry guys, we're back to laying on your backs.  Place your hands behind your head and raise both legs about 12 inches off the ground.  Bring one knee in and touch it with your opposite elbow, then switch elbows and knees.  This is another exercise that you should feel in your sides, but you'll also feel it in the top part of your abdominals as a bonus.

Toe Touches:  So remember the crunches from before?  Good. This is crunches, but with your legs straight in the air, 90 degrees with your body.   Use your abdominal muscles to raise your body until you touch your toes (hence the name).  This is quite a bit harder than the crunches, so don't get discouraged.  The benefit of raising your legs, though, is that you incorporate a larger area of your abdominals.  More work and burn, but more results, too.

Inchworms: This exercise is a bit complicated, so take your time getting the motions down.  First things first, don't lock your knees during this exercise.  You want to hold your legs as straight as possible without locking them for this entire exercise.  Depending on your flexibility, your legs may be more or less straight, and that's perfectly fine.  So keeping your legs straight as possible, place your palms on the floor and then walk your hands out until you are in the high plank position (without moving your feet).  Then, using your hands, walk yourself back all the way to standing.  You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings while doing this.  This move works your core, back, shoulders, back and hamstrings ... again, you're welcome.  Make sure while doing this you hold your hips steady, so you don't wobble back and forth, and make sure to avoid the sag in your low back we talked about before.

Jack-Knives: For this move you need a stability ball.  Place your shins on the ball and your hands on the mat, and hold yourself in the high plank position.  Use your abdominals to pull your knees as close to your chest as you can, and then push back into the starting position.  This move puts your body in a very unstable position because of the ball, so take your time in the beginning and get a feel for how the ball will move.  Again, make sure to keep you abdominals tight so that you don't get a sag in the lower back.  This move works the abdominals, obliques, low back and hip flexors (front of your hips).

Oblique Dips: For this exercise, start in the low plank position.  Make sure to hold your core tight and then lower one of your hips until it touches the floor.  You want to aim your hip for the mid-line of your body.  Return to the starting position, and then lower your other hip.  You should make sure that the only part of your body touching the mat is your hip (not your knees).

Look at the ground though not up, I can promise this won't let you smile

Bug/ Dead Bug/ Superman Planks: The name dead bugs has always confused me a bit, 
'cause dead bugs don't move... but whatever, let's move on.  Bug exercises are performed on your hands and knees.  You stabilize yourself with your core and raise one arm and simultaneously the opposite leg.  The goal is to get your legs straight out behind you and your arm straight out in front of you at the same time, without allowing your hips to rotate and without allowing your back to sag.  You then bring your arm in at the same time as you bring your knee in, and try to touch your elbow to your knee, and then repeat.  If you feel your form compromised or about to be compromised, return to the starting position.  This is complicated to do, so it may take some practice before you can achieve "perfect" form.  Just keep working at it and don't try to force range of motion that you're not ready for yet, it'll happen.

Dead bug exercises are performed while laying on your back.  Just like the bug exercises you want to alternate the straightened leg with the opposite arm.  While doing this exercise, try to hold your torso perfectly still so that your low back doesn't arch up off the mat.  I think you'll find it surprisingly difficult to maintain your position.  While you are alternating you legs and arms, you may hold the other (non-active) ones up in the air. Or, if that is too difficult to do while maintaining back position, place the non-active foot on the ground, and non-active arm by your side.

Superman planks are very similar to the bug exercises, except you are on your toes rather than your knees.  You are going to want to spread your legs a bit to give yourself better balance, and then carefully raise one leg up straight and the opposite arm up straight at the same time.  Again, make sure that you keep your abdominals tight so that you can maintain correct posture in your back.

Standing Oblique Crunch: This exercise will require a weight. The picture shows a kettlebell but any weight you can hold in one hand will work.  I recommend starting around 10 pounds for this exercise, and then progress from there.  Hold the weight in one hand and use the other arm to balance yourself.  Stand with your feel about shoulder width apart, and then lower the weight along your side.  Make sure that you  move only sideways, not to the front or leaning backwards.  You should feel this in your sides (oblique muscles).  

Wood Choppers: These can be done with a cable machine or with a med ball.  Holding the ball or the handle of the cable in your hands, extend your arms out straight and rotate up and out, away from your body and over your shoulder. Then, bring the resistance down and over so you end on the opposite side of your body with the resistance by your knee.  You can start this from the top and move to the bottom, or start at the bottom and move to the opposite top.

Sit-up to Standing: This is particularly evil (cue villainous laugh).  Basically, you just do a sit-up and then continue the motion until you're standing ... without putting your hands on the ground (that's the evil part).  This is very difficult, you're going to want to swing your arms so that you can gather momentum.  The picture shows a weight, but weights aren't necessary, especially in the beginning.  Make sure you plant your feet and use your legs, because it's just not gonna happen otherwise.

Walking Plank: To start this exercise start in the high plank with your hands directly under your shoulders and your feet together.  You're going to very carefully move one hand out to the side (doesn't matter which one, just pick) and at the same time move the leg out.  Then move the other side in, so you are back to the starting position (except not, you're about a foot to the side).  The distance you're going to travel is going to depend on how difficult you want this to be. I recommend starting with 5-10 "steps", and then moving all the way back to the point where you started.  This will work all the muscles in your torso, including your back and also your shoulders and hips.

SO... how do you put all of these together?  Let's talk about that.  Some of these exercises are going to be harder than others, and some work different muscles than others.  The difficulty of the exercises is going to depend on what your daily life is like, and how much experience you have with abdominal exercises.  I recommend starting with about 10 minutes of abdominal exercises, and then adding more time as you get stronger (if you want to, there isn't really a required length of time. It depends on what else you're doing as part of your workout).  If you are going to be adding abdominals exercises to your workouts, I recommend adding them at the end of it because fatiguing your core muscles will make the rest of your workout even harder, and could make you less stable during the workout.  I have included exercises that involved different muscles, combinations, or all of your muscles.  Some exercises involve you moving, and some exercises involve holding a position.  The best way to put together a program is to pick variety.  Make sure you target each muscle group, not just one, and start with the hardest exercises and end with the easiest ones.  Remember, different people will find different exercises difficult.

I hope this opens up a whole new realm of core exercises for you all.  Let me know in the comments section which ones are your favorites, or if I left any of your favorites off my list.  There is no end to how creative you can be with these exercises.  As always, if you have any questions or want a more elaborate explanation feel free to ask.

**NOTE: Always consult your physician before starting a fitness program.  If you experience pain during exercise stop IMMEDIATLY and see your doctor.**

REHAB FOR SHIN SPLINTS

So, a little while ago, I did a post on how to prevent shin splints.  Hopefully, you all read it so that you don't have shin splints.  BUT just in case you didn't read it, or sadly, I was too late posting it and you now are experiencing shin pain, I've put together some exercises that can help minimize the pain - or hopefully make it go away completely.

First things first, if you're experiencing shin pain, in order to help rehab it you'll need to rest.  It's annoying, I know, but if you don't rest it becomes very difficult to recover.  Not impossible, but if you're not training for something, I recommend rest.  Doing these exercises, you should start to feel better (as long as you rest) in about a week, and the pain should decrease to nothing from there.  Keep in mind that the more severe the pain, the longer the recovery is going to be.

Toe Walking: This is super simple, all you have to do is pretend like you're wearing stilettos and walk around on only your toes.  Told you: super simple.  This exercise is meant to help strengthen all the little tiny muscles in your foot.  There is no set amount of time to do this exercise. My rule of thumb is to go until you feel fatigue, and then stop.  Remember, all of this is meant to be like rehab - so you want to reach fatigue, not exhaustion.  Make sure you give your injury plenty of rest between sets.  This is meant to strengthen muscles and increase stability. To get the most out of the exercise you should do this barefoot, so that your muscles are working to stabilize your foot, not your shoe.  However, in the beginning, you may be in too much pain to do this barefoot.  Start with shoes if you need to, and then progress to barefoot.

Heel Walking: Similar to the toe walking, but you use only your heels (duh).  WARNING: This may make you look like a penguin.  Same rules apply here as with toe walking, work only until fatigue, take rests when you need to, and work until you can do this barefoot (then keep working at it).

She makes it look cool

Toe Towel Crunches: Lay a small towel out flat on the floor (dish towels are perfect for this exercise).  Then use your toes to pull the towel towards you, without picking it up off the floor.  It'll get all scrunched up under your foot, so you'll have to readjust as you go.  When this becomes easy for you, start adding weight to the towel by placing something on the far end of it.  Keep in mind that your toes aren't the strongest muscles in your body, so start by adding only a pound at a time.

Marble Pick-up: Technically this doesn't have to be done with marbles, it can be done with anything small-ish.  All you have to do is spread the marbles out on the floor and then pick them up with your toes and place then in a cup (or bowl or whatever). Easy peas-y.  

Resisted Foot Inversion and Eversion: This one may be more difficult to do at home if you don't have a resistance band. You can also do them with the cable machines if you have access to those.  For both of these exercises, the band or cable should be placed around the ball of your foot.  For foot inversion you should pull your toes "in", so that if you're standing, your foot points towards your other foot, with the resistance pulling in the opposite direction.  For foot eversion, you should pull your toes away from your body so they point outwards.

inversion

eversion

Massages: When you have shin splints, it's very common to have stiffness in the morning and achiness in the evening.  Hopefully, as you progress with these exercises you will feel less achiness, but massages can help.  When you are feeling stiff, but have no pain, you can do a calf and foot massage.  This will help increase blood flow, which will help with the healing and to decrease the stiffness.  You can also try rolling your foot or calf on a tennis ball if massages aren't really your thing.  Massages also help to decrease pain.  When you are feeling achy, you can do an ice massage on your shins to decrease the pain.  Fill some paper cups halfway with ice and then put them in the freezer.  When they are frozen, you rip off the top part of the paper cup and rub it on your shins for about 10-15 min.  If you feel tingling in your toes, time to stop.

Toe/ Foot/ Ankle Stretches: These are meant to help more with the stiffness.  I would recommend doing these in the morning - once before the massage, and once after the massage.  Try pulling your toes towards you, and then add the foot. Also, try curling your toes under your foot.  Stretches can also help with pain, but if you are feeling achy, I recommend caution: start very light with the stretches.

So, once you're pain free and you have super strong toe muscles (you're welcome for your jacked monkey feet), it's time to go back to running (or whatever it is that gave you the pain in the first place).  So go read that other post on how to prevent shin splints, cause once you've had them once, you're prone to getting them again.  PLUS, if you just stop and go straight back to what you were doing before, are you gonna be surprised when you get exactly what you got before?

Please keep in mind that "shin splints" is a term that covers all pain in the shins. So, if you are doing these exercises, and also resting, and you don't notice a decrease in your pain within two weeks, I would recommend you see your doctor - because you may have something more serious than some over-used muscles.  If you are resting properly you should notice continual decrease in your pain levels. So if you see a decrease at first and then nothing for a while, that also would be a sign you need something extra in your treatment.

**NOTE: This post is meant to be informative and educational.  While I do think that these exercises are useful in decreasing shin pain and can be very rehabilitative (is that a word?), this post is not meant to replace care from a therapist or a doctor.**