Quick Fit with Cassy

- Hello, I'm Cassy.

And this is Quick Fit .

When we sit down to sew and quilt, those long periods of immobility work to shorten the muscles and compress the joints in an unnatural way.

Today's class will work to reverse the effects of sitting too long and bring relief.

So let's get moving.

[gentle music] For today's class, have a chair handy, preferably one without any arms or wheels.

We'll start with some nice easy leg swings.

Standing nice and tall, stomach pulled in, head up over your shoulders.

Let that knee bend so you can get a little bit more range of motion, [inhales and don't hold your breath.

Breathe nice, big, deep breaths in and out.

Let's go across.

Warming up both hips actually, as we do this.

And then do a diagonal across and out the back.

Stomach in.

I have to keep reminding myself as well.

[inhales and exhales] All right, then stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, and we'll start doing some easy hip circles.

Widening the feet a little bit more.

And then a little bit more.

You might hear some clicks as things start to loosen up.

All right, and let's go to the other side.

Easy swings again, forward and back, [inhales and exhales] standing up tall, stomach's in.

And remember, this is a pain relieving class, so we never worked into any bad kind of pains.

All right.

And if you have any kind of pain injury or condition that you're working through right now, work with no contractions.

Work very gently, no force, okay?

Loose is the name of the game for pain relief.

[inhales and exhales] All right, two feet down again, big inhale, exhales, and then we'll circle in the other direction.

[inhales and exhales] And with every couple of rotations, let's widen up your feet a few more inches.

[inhales and exhales] Good, let's go the other way just in case we didn't go the other way the first time around, and then sit it back, heel back.

And the other way, make sure your knee's not going forward, but your butt is moving back.

Good, in and out.

[inhales] Don't forget about the breathing, stomach's pulled in.

We're using a nice flat back as we sit in to these sits, stretching the inside of those thighs.

It feels so good.

Let's just do an extra little reach and twist of the shoulders.

[exhales] Other way, inhale, exhale, [inhales] only getting deep if it feels good.

And the more you do these, the more you'll start getting a little bit more creative in finding deeper moves to enhance the stretches.

All right, let's just stand up next to the chair, pull those knees up and give it a good hug [inhales and exhales] with a big inhale and exhale.

Let the head relax.

Let's do the other one.

Breathe it in and out.

[exhales] All right, I really make a big deal about the deep inhales and exhales because they also work to exercise all those breathing muscles.

Mirror me, and I'd like you to draw your left leg back, slightly toed in.

[inhales and exhales] Squeeze your hind end.

And now I'd like you to extend, same leg, okay?

Left leg, left arm, and a slight twist.

Now remember, if that tweaks your knee in a bad way, don't do it, or make some adjustments so that it doesn't tweak.

Come up and we'll do the other side.

Draw that leg back, slightly toed in.

[exhales] It feels really good in your calf too, doesn't it?

Now I have a fairly wide stance, and let's extend that same side arm.

[inhales and exhales] Exhale.

It just helps everything loosen up.

Very good, let's stand.

All right now, let's just do a hydrant or two.

Chair is a good tool.

Nice tool for support.

[inhales and exhales] Good.

Let's flip this chair around and we'll do that other leg.

All right.

Enjoy the stretch, don't rush it, don't jam your leg up in the air.

[exhales] The standing leg is really the one where I tend to feel it, but you'll feel it wherever you do.

All right, let's just do a nice ballet stretch.

So if you mirror me, this is your right leg.

Do a nice circle so that it crosses behind you.

Press that heel down.

Squeeze your hind end.

It tends to push the hips forward.

Right arm up.

[inhales] Exhale.

[exhales] Enjoy that for a minute, don't rush.

Good, all right, we'll do the other side.

Swing that chair around.

Okay, so take your left leg, just do a nice big circle.

Let it land behind you.

Sit down into that back heel.

[short exhale] You'll feel this front of your hip flexor stretching.

You can squeeze your hind end to deepen the stretch.

[inhales and exhales] Don't let me rush you.

Lift an arm and then exhale, and enjoy it as your head relaxes, and that arm hangs over your head.

That's one of my favorite stretches.

Okay, now for a yoga move, a modified yoga move, we'll be using the chair.

This is called a cat and cow.

It can be done on the floor on your hands and knees, or just like we're gonna do it here.

So put your hands on the seat.

All right, and the first one I'd like you to do is I'd like you to push into the chair so that your spine rounds up towards the ceiling, scaredy cat.

[inhales and exhales] Let the head relax.

All right, now this one is particular, particular for the low backs.

Arching so that your tailbone comes up, arching in the low spine.

Hours of sitting when that tailbone gets tucked under, this is gonna feel especially good for many of you.

And if it doesn't, then it's not something you need.

You'll probably feel better from these.

So not every move and stretch is right for everybody.

And if it doesn't feel exactly right for you, don't do it, or modify in some way.

[exhales] Good, a few more.

[inhales and exhales] And with repetitions and consistency, you'll get looser quicker, as time goes on.

[inhales and exhales] All right, now let's deepen this stretch.

Widen your feet just a little bit.

And I'd like you to bend the left knee, and sit in to the right hip.

Might even deepen it further if you're a very flexible person.

If not, you're gonna think I'm crazy.

So in time, that'll feel good for you, if it doesn't today.

Now let's recenter.

And then this time, bend the right knee.

The other leg is straight, and we're sitting into the left hip.

[inhales and exhales] And the beauty of these videos is you can watch them over and over until things make sense.

And when you're new, they rarely make sense because we involve so many body parts at the same time.

But your brain and your body will catch up.

Just give it time and be patient with yourself.

All right, so we'll roll up slowly, and then we're going to sit down in the chair.

Okay?

All right.

So first thing I'd like you to do is I'd like you to turn in your chair to your right, and let your hind end hang half off the seat, hook your arm around the chair back.

I would like to stretch these quadriceps, these long muscle on the top of your leg.

So let's lift that knee up and slide the hand down to your ankle.

If you're struggling reaching for the ankle, you can find a band or a towel, and hook it around to help you grab that ankle.

[inhales] So a big inhale, and then we'll blow [exhales] as we let that knee fall.

Now squeeze your hind end to deepen the stretch.

Oops, sit up.

[inhales] I was getting slouchy.

[exhales] Another one, inhale, [inhales] exhale as you press that knee down.

[exhales] Very good.

Now gently release that leg and find your toes.

And I'd like you to turn in your seat.

So for this part, don't look at me.

I want your hip to be in a certain position.

So I have a little trick, turn and put two hands on your chair back, and I'll do my best to explain myself so you can hear.

So two hands on the chair back, you're looking behind you, [exhales] or towards the back of the room, I should say.

And now I'd like you to lift that leg out to the side, get that foot off the floor, and pick it up to the side.

Now, if those side hips are very weak, which is very common, your leg's gonna try to cheat, and your knee's gonna come forward.

Imagine that there's a wall right here.

Now some of you won't be able to lift your leg up to the side, that's okay.

If you cheat, you won't be challenging the muscles you need to.

So even if you can't get up, just squeeze these muscles to begin conditioning them, and in time, they'll get up.

You'll get those legs up.

All right.

All right, now face just sideways, and I'd like you to stretch that leg to the back.

Now, if you're not flexible enough yet to get the leg straight to the back with the knees straight, then you'll go out to the side, somewhat.

Just find that sweet spot.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale.

This feels really good for the hip flexors.

[exhales] Enjoy it.

And now face forward.

Let's bring this knee up, a big hug.

You're pulling the leg against like your ribs, lifting the chest, and now relax into a hug.

So the head'll come down, you'll still be hanging on to the leg.

Bringing that foot close to you as you can.

Maybe you have to pause and do it a few more times.

[inhales and exhales] Lots of breathing helps the muscles relax.

So if you're flexible enough to get this ankle above the knee, great, otherwise modify, okay?

We'll lift it up and now use your leg muscles to press that knee down.

[exhales] And if it's not going anywhere, give it a little encouragement, but gently.

All right, inhale, [inhales] exhale, press it down.

[exhales] Very good.

All right, so before we finish on this side, I'd like to do a couple little twists, dropping the knee in, and going the other way.

Dropping the knee in, [exhales] and going the other way.

Good, nice big arms.

And then let's turn in your seat towards your left.

Slide your hand down to that ankle, press that knee down.

Squeeze your bottom.

[inhales and exhales] I always make a face 'cause it really gets me all the way down towards my knee.

It's a strong pull.

Inhale, exhale, press it down.

[exhales] Very good.

All right, toes down, turn and put two hands on that chair back.

Don't let this leg cheat, lift.

If you turn and look at me, your hips open and then your quads start to take over, and we don't want that, so look away, lift that leg out to the side, squeeze your hind end.

You actually might have to push on these muscles that are responsible.

A few more lifts, lift and hold.

Oh, and down.

Big stretch to the back.

Inhale, exhale [exhales] to the back or slightly to the side, wherever you are.

Places where you can get that knee all the way open.

Enjoy it.

[exhales] All right, facing the front.

We'll do a couple more of those twists where we drop the knee in.

Feet have to start really quite wide to be able to do this one.

All right.

Now let's lift, trying to pull the hind end back, arching your low back.

Just like this, not rounding, okay.

Arch as much as you can.

Big inhale, and just press it forward through the chest.

Go to the point where you start to round your back and that's where you need to stop.

And then I'd like you just to twist, good.

Pressing that knee open, it wants to come in, press it open and twist.

Come up, a little rounding of the back, pushing the hands forward, sitting up, arching the back as far as it feels good for you.

Open that knee and try to look up over your shoulder.

Inhale, let's do each side again.

Exhale, open that knee.

[exhales] Dropping that shoulder.

Inhale, exhale, opening the knee, dropping the other shoulder.

All right.

Let's have your hands on your hips, and we'll rock on your pelvis.

Kind of on those sit bones, bringing the top of the hip bones back, stomach in.

Sit up, move them forward.

Couple more.

So you're tucking under, push, arch.

[exhales] Let's do a push and a pull, other side, push and a pull.

Make sure your feet are in front of you, not under the chair.

Arch one more.

Push and a pull.

All right, finally, use your feet, shift one hip up and then the other.

All right, trying to drop the shoulder towards the same hip.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale.

[exhales] That one gets better with time.

It's not an easy one.

Simple movements like this are effective, but need to be done consistently.

Make it part of your morning routine to log in at pbswisconsin.org/quickfit, where you'll find easy and effective fitness classes to keep you feeling great.

Because life is movement.