LaReine Chabut

Yoga is well known for making people more flexible, supple, lithe, and limber. In fact, you’ve probably seen photographs of yogis or yoginis contorting themselves into different yoga postures. However, recent studies indicate that it’s a safe and effective option for relieving moderate low back pain.In a study funded by NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), participants suffering from chronic lower back pain were divided into three groups: one group took 12 weekly yoga classes, one group took 12 weekly stretching classes, and one group was given a self-care book and encouraged to exercise to relieve pain.

Your core muscles stabilize the spine and pelvis and run the entire length of the torso. A strong core gives you better posture and stability and reduces back pain — a strong core also makes you less prone to aches when you have to stand for a long time or spend hours sitting in front of a computer. You can train your core in a variety of ways, and you can even use everyday items around the house to do so.

Yoga itself is at least 5,000 years old, and yoga exercising — what you know as yoga postures, or asanas — emerged about 600 years ago. Even though yoga has evolved over the centuries as it traveled to new cultures, its principles are universal. Yoga is a practice of mind, body, breath, and spirit. The articles in the Cheat Sheet touch on the physical and mental benefits yoga offers, offer suggestions for how to enhance your yoga practice even when you’re on your own, and remind you why warming up is so important to any exercise routine — even one as “user-friendly” as yoga.

The lifting motion used by the hips in leg circles exercise on an exercise ball helps create a shapelier butt by defying gravity. By working the muscles in the upper leg and alongside the hips, you’ll notice better buns in no time! This exercise focuses on working the lower body.Lie on the floor, placing your left leg on the ball.

Doing a basic crunch with a twist at the end works your oblique muscles. Because of the twisting motion, your obliques are targeted along with your abs. This exercise focuses on working the upper body and training your core. If you find the following exercise challenging but are able to maintain proper form while doing it, then you’re working out at the right level for you.

Rowing exercises are similar to the motion of rowing a boat. You may perform rows with a barbell or dumbbell, a set of machine handles, a bar attached to a low cable pulley, or an exercise band. Rowing exercises use the same muscles as pull-downs and pull-ups, except that they don’t involve your chest. Rows are particularly helpful if you want to find out how to sit up straighter — to perform a row correctly on a machine, you have to sit up tall.

If you want to get into weight training, start by sorting fact from fiction. Don’t let stories you’ve heard about weight lifting keep you from the gym. You'll reach your fitness goals sooner by getting some simple home equipment and finding a qualified personal trainer. Follow some basic etiquette when working with a trainer and using the gym, and learn some muscle terminology so you’re comfortable with weight training.

There are so many little ways that improving your flexibility can help in your daily life. So, why not give stretching a try? Investing in a consistent stretching routine can help you maintain general health, avoid injury and reduce stress. Stretching can be as simple as touching your toes and can be done almost anywhere, at any time.

A variation on the classic bridge, the single-leg bridge targets the hamstrings and glutes while working on an exercise ball. Because the single-leg bridge uses the weight of only one leg to support the weight of your entire body, the all-important core muscles (abs and butt muscles) also get a good workout.Sit tall on the ball and roll down slowly until only your shoulders touch the ball.