Reflections: body, mind, and spirit... Mobility Drills, Boosting Brainpower and Leaving Chaos Behind
Here's what I've been doing for Body, Mind, and Spirit.
Body
Golf Mobility - Not just for golfers!
When you are mobile life is grand. Through my recertification process for personal training, I concentrated my continuing education on fitness for golf. I have learned some great mobility drills for golfing. The nice thing is you don't have to be a golfer to perform these drills. There are many exercises that I'm doing and working on with my clients. I will share just two of them here for now. Let's take a look.
Mobility drill #1 - Half-kneeling torso rotation
This exercise will facilitate thoracic spine mobility as well as improve rotary stability.
Begin in a half-kneeling position with right knee on a mat and left leg up.
Place your finger tips touching lightly to behind the ears.
Slowly turn your torso as far as you can comfortably turn to the right and then rotate to the left.
Repeat this for 10 repetitions and then switch legs so that the left knee is on a mat and right leg is up.
From here rotate to the left and to the right to extent it is comfortable.
Mobility drill #2 - Adductor stretches with T-spine reaches
This exercise will help with hip mobility and thoracic-spine rotation (key components to a good golf swing).
Begin on the floor in an "all-four's" position. Extend the right leg out to the side so that it is straight.
Using the right arm, reach for the sky with that hand allowing your head and torso to rotate in the direction of the extended leg.
Then rotate your torso back down toward the ground, letting that same hand slide under the arm used for support
Repeat for 10 repetitions and then switch arm and leg positions, and continue for ten repetitions
For more Mobility Drills check these out
Challenge for you:
Perform both of these exercises and make it part of your daily routine. These would be great for a morning routine, during the day as a "movement snack", as a warm-up or part of your workout, or at the end of the day. Everyone needs good thoracic spine and hip mobility, not just golfers!
Mind
Boost your brainpower and improve your sleep
I was intrigued by this 10-minute meditation guide with Dr. Andrew Huberman, a Stanford neuroscientist. We can regulate the nervous system, shift our brain state from activity to relaxation, and achieve deep rest all while we're awake.
In this video (more of an auditory instruction), Dr. Huberman walks us through some breathing exercises, visualizations, and sensory cues that bring you into an extremely restorative state. This protocol enhances the learning process by reducing day-time fatigue and improving focus. "It can greatly enhance your sleep, boost your mood, and promote neuroplasticity - the ability of your brain to change and grow."
Challenge for you:
Feeling stressed? Tired from a poor-night's sleep? Distracted? Give this 10-minute guided meditation a go.
Spirit
To stay connected, remove the distractions
I've written here about what we can do to be more connected to our spirit - being still, walking in nature, breathing, etc.. So the opposite must also be true - if we are continually in motion, "running hot", and constantly on our devices waiting for our instant gratification, then we can never be in tune to our spirit and thus disconnected what is truly us.
Ryan Holiday, author of Stillness is the Key (yes, I'm going to keep referring to it - it is so good!), discovered one essential truth - that inner peace is essential to a life of purpose, meaning, and fulfillment. He calls it stillness - to be steady while the world spins around you.
Challenge for you:
Take a minute to stop and examine your life. Where is your life chaotic? Where can you make time for stillness?
Quote I'm pondering
“How different would the world look if people spent as much time listening to their conscience as they did to chattering broadcasts? If they could respond to the calls of their convictions as quickly as we answer the dings and rings of technology in our pockets?” ~ Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key
To your reflection and health,
Lisa Schaffer
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See my last newsletter Body, Mind & Spirit…
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