Quick Fit with Cassy

- I hope you're ready for a great workout.

I'm Cassy, and in this Quick Fit class, we'll be focusing entirely on the abdominals.

Strengthening these muscles will help you do all your favorite activities and your daily chores.

So let's get moving.

[upbeat music] We'll be using a chair for part of the class, so have a sturdy one on hand without arms or wheels.

First move we're doing today isn't very glamorous, but it is very effective.

It's called the vacuum.

So while we stand here, we're going to be pulling in our abdominals and holding them in as tight as we can, contracting, making sure that they're engaged by using your fingers to help your brain and your muscles connect.

So press and pull in, take little sips of air and exhale, tighten your behind at the same time, and pull in.

So think butt and gut to pull it in, pushing on the muscles, keep holding it.

What we forget is we kind of start to release them.

And so I'm gonna keep repeating for your sake and mine to pull it in, pull it in.

This is one of those moves that we've done seated, we've done on our hands and knees.

I've recommended people do it at against a wall at home.

You can do it as passenger in your vehicle.

Just squeeze your hind end, feel your back pressing against the seat.

You can do it lying on your back anywhere, in bed or on the floor.

And I'm still pulling in, I hope you are, pull it in, push, make sure they're engaged.

These deep abdominal muscles deep in around your spine are the ones that we're focusing on.

That we're trying to engage and to condition.

So just keep pulling them in, the longer you hold this, the better.

And I'd like you to see if you could get up to five, maybe 10 minutes at a time of doing these vacuums.

A great way to get used to them is do them say during commercials, or if you're riding in a vehicle as passenger, maybe at stoplights, okay, very good.

[exhales] Don't forget to breathe, but keep pulling in, exhale, exhale.

Now, while they're still engaged and your bottom is still tucked under and tight, I would like you just to start reaching to the side.

Don't release, lift, inhale, exhale.

Keep pulling the abs in, abs in.

I think you'll start feeling different parts of your abs while you do this.

I mean this whole area, okay, lift and lift.

Now, a little softer knee.

We're still tucked under, still engaged, we're going to press, [inhales] exhale, press, press.

Other side, press it down, focusing on pulling the abs in, press, one more time, the other side, low, exhale, pull it in.

Keep making sure they're engaged, and three, and then bring your arms up and then we'll just reach it across.

Are your abs still engaged?

Pull it down, exhale, other side, and across and down.

One more, and pulling it.

Let's do it again, but this time, add a leg lift, exhale.

Try to control it, other side and down, pull in the abs.

Very good, all right, now let's get ready to do a lunge back.

We're going to sit straight down between our knees, okay?

Engage those abs, tuck the butt under, pull it in, reach, and now little twist.

[exhales and inhales] So all those abdominal muscles have to stabilize while you twist and you get slightly off-balance.

Let's go the other way.

[exhales] Exhale, [inhales] inhale, exhale.

[exhales] One more time and twist, very good.

Let's switch legs.

Draw your other leg back.

Make sure you're sitting straight down on that back knee, lift [inhales] and twist, [exhales] blow, pulling in your abs, holding your butt tight and tucked under, twist the other way.

[exhales] Reach [inhales] and reach, one more time, and reach.

All right, good job, shake that off.

Now we're going to use a chair.

So just grab that chair that you had at the ready with no arms.

All right, and put two hands down and let's draw your leg up.

[inhales and exhales] So if this is your left leg up in the air, let's extend your right arm.

All right, we're going to hold it nice and long, reach as far as you can in either direction and lift it a little higher, stomach's in.

Remember, for strong abdominals, we also need a strong back to match.

So stomach's pulled in still, holding, holding, holding.

[inhales and exhales] Keep it going, keep it going.

Is it a nice, pretty line?

Is your arm reaching?

Is your leg reaching?

[exhales] I know your hamstring's getting tight, so let's just bring that knee in and stretch for a moment.

[inhales and exhales] You can either cross your ankle over your knee or you can just give it a nice hug.

[inhales] Good job, let's switch legs.

All right, so draw that other leg up.

[exhales] Nice, long limbs, extend the other arm and reach.

[inhales and exhales] Stomach's pulled in, lengthen through your arm and shoulder, lengthen through your hip and leg.

Don't drop things; is your stomach tight?

[inhales] Hold it in, hold in, hold in.

[exhales and inhales] Breathe as heavy as you need to, don't be holding your breath.

Your body needs oxygen, [inhales and exhales] and pull that leg in one more time, give it a good hug.

You could do a little figure four.

[inhales and exhales] Catch your breath.

All right, let's adjust our seat and sit down.

I know we can do abs from a chair.

All right, so what we'll do is sit on the very edge of your chair.

All right, and then we're not leaning against the chair back.

We're just going to talk that tailbone under, squeeze your hind end, pull in your abs, and extend.

If you need to pull a little bit on the bottom of the seat, gives you a little extra leverage.

Nice leg lifts, [inhales] exhale.

With each one, match it with a little exhale, pulling in the abs.

Okay, are they engaged?

You can push, push, and switch, a little stretch.

[inhales and exhales] Exhale.

Roll it back, pulling the abs in.

So you're not arching back.

You're tucking to tailbone under, rolling back, lift, lift, lift.

We're not leaning against the chair back.

Lift, lean towards that leg, lean towards that leg, lift, lift.

All right, get ready and press.

Now with this one, you can pull a little bit on the bottom of the chair, just like the other, but I want you to push both feet into the floor at the same time.

Press, press, press.

You can feel your abs really engage when you push both feet into the floor at the same time.

Other leg, lift, press, lift, press, little tuck of the behind as you do this.

Lift and press, lift, press.

[inhales and exhales] All right, now this is where it gets a little tougher, lift two legs and press, press, press.

We're still not leaning into that chair back.

If you need a little room, all you gotta do is turn in your seat if you feel like you're leaning on the chair back.

All right, press, press, press, press, keep it going, if you need a break, take a break and join us.

That's how you get stronger.

Press, press, press.

All right, we need a little stretch.

So lift the spine, exhale and over, we'll get right at it again.

So you'll tuck that tailbone under, hang onto the chair, lift two knees, and twist.

I know this might be a little hard for some, but that's okay.

It means you've got room to grow, room to get stronger.

Just be encouraged that with a little bit of patience, little time and consistency, you'll get better.

And you'll be like, "You know, I couldn't do that "two months ago, but I can do it now."

All right, and sit up.

Nice big stretches, arch the back to stretch the front.

All right, we're not quite done yet, so you're going to once again tuck that tailbone under, pull in your abs, extend a leg.

I'd like you to twist and reach.

Again, it's a nice double move.

Twist, reach, keep the belly in.

Make sure you're not pushing up towards the ceiling you know, like this with your belly, look at it.

Twist, reach, breathe as heavy as you need to.

Twist, reach, twist, and reach, good job.

Leg got a little workout as well.

Let's turn around and do the other side.

All right, extend your other leg when we roll back, pull in, extend, [inhales] trying to lean back a little bit past vertical, okay.

Twist, reach, twist, reach.

Hopefully you're getting that leg up a little higher.

The foot that's on the floor, use it, push it into the floor to help you.

It's about your whole body, okay.

Use the whole body to get stronger.

One more, hang in there.

[inhales and exhales] Very, very good, good job, let's stretch that out.

All right, I feel stronger already.

Isn't it amazing, all the things we can do right from a chair?

It really is such a great tool.

All right, plan on joining me again tomorrow, and please, tell a friend about pbswisconsin.org/quickfit, where the goal is to live better, longer by being intentional and improving a little bit each day.

See you soon.