HAPPY BABY - HAPPY BACK

We’ve had a great start to our Winter Session, meeting many new clients and welcoming back current clients from last session. Getting moving together is bound to make us all happy, and so will this week’s stretch: happy baby! A wonderful stretch for your back, hamstrings, hips, inner thighs, chest, and shoulders, this one is effective in so many ways!

START HERE:

Start with half-happy baby if you’ve never tried this one before: Lying on your back on a flat surface, bend both knees and plant your feet on the ground. Engaging your abdominal muscles, lift your right leg and grasp onto the inside edge of your right foot. While pulling down slightly with your hand, press your foot up slightly into your hand to create an isometric stretch. At the same time, press your right hip down into the floor. Notice if your shoulders have lifted off the ground and settle them back down. Hold for at least 30 seconds, then release and repeat on your left side.

LEVEL 2:

Now that you’ve tried half-happy baby, you’re ready to give the full happy baby a try! Engage your abdominals once more and lift one leg at a time, reaching your right arm to your right foot, and your left arm to your left foot. If you have difficulties reaching your feet, grasp onto the inside of your calves instead. Reach your tailbone toward the floor and lengthen your back to hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds.

Fifty 5 Fitness aims to have you moving in a healthy way that also feels fun! Exercising together as a group can be a powerful motivator - our classes in Winnipeg are always full of like-minded ladies you’ll enjoy exercising with! Pictured here is me, Emily, the owner of Fifty 5 Fitness, and some of our classes are taught by other talented instructors. Click below to meet us all, then sign up for class so that we can meet you!

AN ARM AND A LEG BACK EXTENSIONS

Having our classes in 8-9 week sessions really allows our instructors to get to know our clients’ personalities, past/current injuries and their health and fitness goals. This helps with our program planning and makes our classes stronger. One of the things we’ve learned is how many women have concerns about their posture. Over time we tend to develop a rounded posture - and this exercise is fantastic to counteract this tendency! 

START HERE (A)

Start in a comfortable seated posture and bring the soles of your feet together. Let your knees flop to the side without worrying about how close to the floor they are. Even though Emily is wearing shoes in these photos, feel free to try it in socks or bare feet as well. Sit in a way that you feel balanced on both sit bones and find a tall spine. Continuing to reach the crown of your head up and your tailbone down is a good habit to get into! 

MOVEMENT: LEVEL ONE

Lay on your front body and stretch your arms forward and your legs back. Engage your core and gently squeeze your shoulder blades together. Press down with your right arm and left foot while lifting and reaching your opposite limbs. Keep your gaze down at the floor but stretch the crown of your head away from your tailbone. Hold for a count of 5, then switch sides. Start with a total of 10 lifts alternating sides. As you get stronger, increase the amount of time on each side.

MOVEMENT: LEVEL TWO

This modification requires even more core and back strength but we know with practice you’ll be up for it! Engaging your core and shoulder blades, lift both arms without hunching your shoulders to your ears. Squeeze both legs together and engage those glutes while lifting and pointing your toes. Press your pelvis down into the mat to find more lift and height. Try 5 repetitions and build up from there!

MOVEMENT: LEVEL THREE

Practicing this exercise will revolutionize your posture! It is very similar to Level Two, with the slight difference of bending your elbows to a 90 degree angle and drawing your shoulder blades down your back. Keeping your neck straight, focus on lifting from the back of your head and the space between your shoulder blades. Try 5 repetitions and build up from there! For more back strength training exercises, join us for Fifty 5 Fitness classes for women in Winnipeg!