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Some people are scared off by certain myths they’ve heard about Yoga, but in truth, there’s no reason why anyone can’t and shouldn’t practice it.\r\n\r\nIf you’re new to Yoga, finding a class and a teacher that fits your needs is crucial. After that, you need to make sure you’re doing all you can to make your Yoga practice as successful and beneficial as it can be.","description":"Yoga is an ancient practice that still provides numerous benefits today to the people who practice it regularly. Some people are scared off by certain myths they’ve heard about Yoga, but in truth, there’s no reason why anyone can’t and shouldn’t practice it.\r\n\r\nIf you’re new to Yoga, finding a class and a teacher that fits your needs is crucial. 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The late <strong><b data-author-id=\"9247\">Georg Feuerstein</b></strong> was internationally recognized as a leading expert on the Yoga tradition and authored many seminal works on it. 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The following list debunks some of those myths and gives you the real story so you can confidently add Yoga to your day.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Yoga is only for double-jointed people.</strong> Yoga is for everyone, and you can tailor it to your individual needs. Yoga doesn’t require you to be flexible.</li>\n<li><strong>Yoga is a religion. </strong>Yoga is a philosophy with a toolkit of various practices that, when implemented, can calm the fluctuations of the mind. Yoga philosophy stems from a system that predates Hinduism and also influenced Hinduism, thus the similarities. But whereas Hinduism is a religion, Yoga is not; it’s practiced by people of many religions and others who are fully secular.</li>\n<li><strong>Yoga is only for South Asian people.</strong> Yoga originated in the East (India, to be precise), but it’s universally applicable. Besides, many of its practices have been modified to suit contemporary Western needs and tastes. Yoga even comes recommended by knowledgeable physicians around the world because of its great restorative power.</li>\n<li><strong>Yoga is just a bunch of mindless exercises. </strong>The popular image of Yoga as gymnastics is wrong. The physical exercises form only a part of its comprehensive approach. And the exercises are far from mindless — they call for both focus and mindfulness.</li>\n<li><strong>Yoga is only for weaklings.</strong> Yoga favors a gentle approach, but its advanced postures call for considerable strength and stamina. Many athletes complement their other forms of exercise with Yoga.</li>\n<li><strong>You can’t gain muscle strength through Yoga.</strong> Yoga has a whole range of postures that help strengthen your chest, back, abdominal, arm, and leg muscles. Take a look at advanced practitioners; their muscular strength and development may surprise you. In addition to improving your strength, Yoga can help you combat stress and keep you generally fit.</li>\n<li><strong>You need a guru to do Yoga.</strong> If you couldn’t try out some basic Yoga exercises by yourself, Yoga publishers wouldn’t do the business they do<em>.</em> Consulting with a Yoga teacher or instructor can be helpful, but a guru is necessary only when you want to engage in Yoga as a full-fledged spiritual practice. If you decide you’d like a Yoga professional in your life, do lots of research and talk to people you respect and trust.</li>\n<li><strong>Yoga requires you to believe in all kinds of strange ideas.</strong> Yoga is based on universal principles shared by many other systems that have a holistic orientation to life. The fundamental approach of Yoga is for you to test those principles and find out for yourself whether they work for you. You either find them useful or you don’t, but no belief in bizarre ideas is necessary.</li>\n<li><strong>People older than 50 can’t learn Yoga.</strong> Yoga is for people of all ages. Some people start in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. It’s never too late — or early — to start practicing Yoga.</li>\n<li><strong>Yoga can offer only a handful of exercises. </strong>Yoga has a vast repertoire of postures, and Yoga teachers are constantly adding accessible variations to refine the system and make it suitable for the widest range of people possible.</li>\n<li><strong>You can practice Yoga once a month and achieve good results. </strong>As with any other exercise system, you get out of Yoga what you put into it. Regular daily Yoga practice gives the best results, but rest assured that a little effort does go a long way.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Finding the right Yoga class for you","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Starting anything new can feel overwhelming, but choosing the Yoga class that fits you is easy when you take time to evaluate your Yoga needs. So, how do you know the right class when you see it?</p>\n<p>When you visit a Yoga center, classroom, or online class, pay attention to your intuitive feelings. Consider how the staff and teacher treats you and how you respond to the people attending class.</p>\n<p>If you’re attending an in-person class, stroll around the facility and feel its overall energy. First impressions are often (although not always) accurate.</p>\n<p>When checking out a potential class to join, ask yourself the following questions.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Is the classroom’s atmosphere calming and inviting?</li>\n<li>What’s my gut response to the teacher?</li>\n<li>Do I prefer a specific gender for a Yoga teacher?</li>\n<li>Does the teacher have at least 200 hours of training from an accredited school, or the equivalent from a well-respected master teacher?</li>\n<li>Is the teacher trained in making Yoga accessible for everyone?</li>\n<li>Does the teacher inspire trust for students’ safety as they practice?</li>\n<li>Does the class provide an appropriate amount of intensity and challenge for my fitness level?</li>\n<li>Does the teacher or school have a good reputation? The Yoga Alliance, with over 100,000 registered teachers and schools, offers a searchable database.</li>\n<li>How do I respond to other students?</li>\n<li>How big are the classes, and can I get proper individual attention from the teacher?</li>\n<li>Would I be happy coming here regularly?</li>\n<li>Do I feel better after the class than I did before the class?</li>\n<li>Can I afford the classes? If not, do they offer a reduced rate for classes?</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Examining keys to a successful Yoga practice","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Yoga enthusiasts come to the mat seeking a variety of rewards: to gain strength, increase flexibility, manage stress, or adopt a more peaceful way of life. Whatever your reasons for turning to Yoga, you want keep these considerations in mind to get off to a good start:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Set clear goals for yourself.</strong> Decide exactly what you want to accomplish (flexibility, fitness, better health, inner peace, a sense of community, and so on).</li>\n<li><strong>Make a realistic commitment. </strong>Promising yourself you’ll practice for an hour every day sounds great, but it doesn’t do you any good if you can’t reasonably maintain that schedule. Just 10-15 minutes a day is a great start.</li>\n<li><strong>Get your physician’s approval.</strong> If you have a health challenge or are pregnant, be sure to consult a physician before embarking on a Yoga practice program. Familiarize your physician with the specific kind of Yoga you intend to practice. Your doctor may caution you away from certain forms of practice and steer you toward others. If your physician is unfamiliar with Yoga, consider showing them a copy of this book.</li>\n<li><strong>Enjoy gentle Yoga.</strong> You don’t need to compete with yourself or anyone else. Allow Yoga to gently unfold the potential of your body and your mind. Don’t overdo the physical part of the practice. Keep the enjoyment factor high.</li>\n<li><strong>Keep a practice journal.</strong> Chronicle your experience with Yoga and periodically read through your journal to see the progress you’ve made. Progress is the best motivator.</li>\n<li><strong>Create a support system for yourself.</strong> Most people find immediate rewards when they get on the Yoga mat and start moving and breathing, but getting themselves to the mat or the class can be challenging. Allow yourself to feel motivated and inspired by fellow practitioners. If you prefer to practice on your own at home, you may still want to consider participating in a live online or in-person Yoga class occasionally, if only to get feedback or find encouragement.</li>\n<li><strong>Vary your program periodically.</strong> Even the best program can get boring. Prevent your enthusiasm from flagging by changing your routine occasionally. Trying different teachers is a great way to learn new postures and sequences.</li>\n<li><strong>Educate yourself.</strong> Continue to learn about Yoga, to make your Yoga practice more meaningful. Books, magazines, and websites on Yoga abound. With the Internet, getting access to the great Yoga teachers and thinkers is even easier. Take the time to read and study, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the depth you can discover in Yoga.</li>\n<li><strong>Have a role model to inspire you.</strong> Everyone needs ideals. You don’t need to worship a hero, but having someone to look up to who, in your eyes, has succeeded and whom you find inspiring is always a good idea.</li>\n<li><strong>Be a Yoga enthusiast, but not a bore. </strong>By all means, be enthusiastic about your Yoga practice, but know that not everyone shares your enthusiasm, including the dearest members of your family. Yoga’s positive effect on your body and mind is the best advertising; let those effects speak for themselves instead of annoying your family and friends with constant talk of Yoga.</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-03-08T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207698},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T22:41:05+00:00","modifiedTime":"2023-02-27T15:07:03+00:00","timestamp":"2023-02-27T18:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34038"},"slug":"body-mind-spirit","categoryId":34038},{"name":"Physical Health & Well-Being","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34095"},"slug":"physical-health-well-being","categoryId":34095},{"name":"Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34166"},"slug":"exercise-movement","categoryId":34166},{"name":"Pilates","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34170"},"slug":"pilates","categoryId":34170}],"title":"Stretching the Spine with Pilates","strippedTitle":"stretching the spine with pilates","slug":"stretching-the-spine","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"This article shows you how to do the Basic Cat and Sexy Cat Pilates exercises for strengthening and stretching your spine.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"If you've ever watched a cat, be it a house cat or a jaguar, you may have been intrigued by the cat's incredible agility and resilience. How does a cat jump from high places and land with little impact? How can a cat fit into spaces that seem way too small for it? How does a cat balance on the slimmest edge with the greatest of ease?\r\n\r\nPilates might not give you the answer to these questions, but if you want to be more like a cat and gain the flexibility, grace, balance, and strength of a cat, Pilates is the way to go.\r\n\r\nMyth has it that Joe Pilates was obsessed with the movement of animals and used them as models when developing exercises. The following exercises use the cat as a model and are meant to stretch the spine. You may notice that the word <i>sexy</i> comes up in this article. Face it — having a flexible spine is sexy, and certain movements of the spine are downright sexy!\r\n\r\nThese stretching exercises are not considered part of classic Pilates, but they're great for everyone. This is where you can get a little creative. Add in these exercises at any point during your day or during your workout when you feel you need to stretch out your spine.\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">If you wake up in the morning with a stiff back or neck, spend a couple minutes doing one or two of the cat stretches.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Basic Cat (beginning level)</h2>\r\nThe Basic Cat is one of the gentlest and simplest ways to stretch out the back. You see cats making this movement in the morning when they wake, and you can do it too!\r\n<h3>Getting set</h3>\r\nTo begin, get on all fours. Align your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Allow your back to assume its natural position, in Neutral Spine (See image <em>a</em> below).\r\n<h3>The exercise</h3>\r\n<b>Inhale:</b> Arch your back slightly, allowing your head to rise and your butt to stick up and out (See image <em>b</em> below).\r\n\r\n<b>Exhale:</b> Pull your navel in toward your spine and squeeze your butt. You begin with a Lumbar C Curve, meaning that your lower back is curved like a C, then continue rounding into the upper back. Finally, allow the head to slowly drop forward. At this point, your whole spine should be making a C shape (See image <em>c</em> below). Your back should be rounded to the greatest extent possible.\r\n\r\nPush your arms into the mat for extra resistance while stretching the upper back. Keep your abdominals and rib cage pulled in. Think of using this pulling action to stretch through your whole spine.\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">Think of pulling your tail between your legs and rounding your back into a Halloween kitty pose.</p>\r\n<b>Inhale:</b> Return to Neutral Spine, then go further into the arch, sticking your tail and head upward.\r\n\r\nComplete four repetitions.\r\n<h3>Dos and don'ts</h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Do go for the fullest stretch in each direction.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Don't hunch your shoulders. Let them relax down away from your ears.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<div class=\"figure\"><img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/0-7645-5397-6_1001.jpg\" alt=\"Basic Cat.\" border=\"0\" /></div>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Sexy Cat</h2>\r\nThe Sexy Cat is a modification of the Basic Cat and requires a bit more coordination. Because you spiral the hips and spine, this stretch is three-dimensional and loosens up more areas of tightness than the Basic Cat.\r\n\r\nStart by doing one Basic Cat to get the flow of the spine arching and contracting. Then add a spiral in one direction with your hips, and in the opposite direction with your head and neck. Imagine the tailbone inscribing a full circle on the wall behind you in one direction, and the crown of your head inscribing a full circle on the wall in front of you in the other direction\r\n\r\nComplete four repetitions and then reverse the direction of the spiral for four more repetitions.","description":"If you've ever watched a cat, be it a house cat or a jaguar, you may have been intrigued by the cat's incredible agility and resilience. How does a cat jump from high places and land with little impact? How can a cat fit into spaces that seem way too small for it? How does a cat balance on the slimmest edge with the greatest of ease?\r\n\r\nPilates might not give you the answer to these questions, but if you want to be more like a cat and gain the flexibility, grace, balance, and strength of a cat, Pilates is the way to go.\r\n\r\nMyth has it that Joe Pilates was obsessed with the movement of animals and used them as models when developing exercises. The following exercises use the cat as a model and are meant to stretch the spine. You may notice that the word <i>sexy</i> comes up in this article. Face it — having a flexible spine is sexy, and certain movements of the spine are downright sexy!\r\n\r\nThese stretching exercises are not considered part of classic Pilates, but they're great for everyone. This is where you can get a little creative. Add in these exercises at any point during your day or during your workout when you feel you need to stretch out your spine.\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">If you wake up in the morning with a stiff back or neck, spend a couple minutes doing one or two of the cat stretches.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Basic Cat (beginning level)</h2>\r\nThe Basic Cat is one of the gentlest and simplest ways to stretch out the back. You see cats making this movement in the morning when they wake, and you can do it too!\r\n<h3>Getting set</h3>\r\nTo begin, get on all fours. Align your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Allow your back to assume its natural position, in Neutral Spine (See image <em>a</em> below).\r\n<h3>The exercise</h3>\r\n<b>Inhale:</b> Arch your back slightly, allowing your head to rise and your butt to stick up and out (See image <em>b</em> below).\r\n\r\n<b>Exhale:</b> Pull your navel in toward your spine and squeeze your butt. You begin with a Lumbar C Curve, meaning that your lower back is curved like a C, then continue rounding into the upper back. Finally, allow the head to slowly drop forward. At this point, your whole spine should be making a C shape (See image <em>c</em> below). Your back should be rounded to the greatest extent possible.\r\n\r\nPush your arms into the mat for extra resistance while stretching the upper back. Keep your abdominals and rib cage pulled in. Think of using this pulling action to stretch through your whole spine.\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">Think of pulling your tail between your legs and rounding your back into a Halloween kitty pose.</p>\r\n<b>Inhale:</b> Return to Neutral Spine, then go further into the arch, sticking your tail and head upward.\r\n\r\nComplete four repetitions.\r\n<h3>Dos and don'ts</h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Do go for the fullest stretch in each direction.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Don't hunch your shoulders. Let them relax down away from your ears.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<div class=\"figure\"><img src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/0-7645-5397-6_1001.jpg\" alt=\"Basic Cat.\" border=\"0\" /></div>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Sexy Cat</h2>\r\nThe Sexy Cat is a modification of the Basic Cat and requires a bit more coordination. Because you spiral the hips and spine, this stretch is three-dimensional and loosens up more areas of tightness than the Basic Cat.\r\n\r\nStart by doing one Basic Cat to get the flow of the spine arching and contracting. Then add a spiral in one direction with your hips, and in the opposite direction with your head and neck. Imagine the tailbone inscribing a full circle on the wall behind you in one direction, and the crown of your head inscribing a full circle on the wall in front of you in the other direction\r\n\r\nComplete four repetitions and then reverse the direction of the spiral for four more repetitions.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9979,"name":"Ellie Herman","slug":"ellie-herman","description":" Ellie Herman runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates' original students.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9979"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34170,"title":"Pilates","slug":"pilates","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34170"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Basic Cat (beginning level)","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Sexy Cat","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":295416,"title":"Pilates For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"pilates-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/295416"}},{"articleId":210282,"title":"How to Do Pilates Upper-Abdominal Curls","slug":"how-to-do-pilates-upper-abdominal-curls-2","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210282"}},{"articleId":210281,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Bridge","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-bridge","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210281"}},{"articleId":210280,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Cat","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-cat","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210280"}},{"articleId":206640,"title":"How to Do the Pilates Stacking the Spine Position","slug":"how-to-do-the-pilates-stacking-the-spine-position","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206640"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":295416,"title":"Pilates For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"pilates-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/295416"}},{"articleId":210282,"title":"How to Do Pilates Upper-Abdominal Curls","slug":"how-to-do-pilates-upper-abdominal-curls-2","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210282"}},{"articleId":210280,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Cat","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-cat","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210280"}},{"articleId":210281,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Bridge","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-bridge","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210281"}},{"articleId":206640,"title":"How to Do the Pilates Stacking the Spine Position","slug":"how-to-do-the-pilates-stacking-the-spine-position","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206640"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282474,"slug":"pilates-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119907381","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119907381-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/pilates-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9781119907381-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Pilates For Dummies, 2nd Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9979\">Ellie Herman</b> runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates' original students.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9979,"name":"Ellie Herman","slug":"ellie-herman","description":" Ellie Herman runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates' original students.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9979"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;pilates&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119907381&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63fcefde946f4\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;pilates&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119907381&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63fcefde951d8\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-02-27T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":199142},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T22:49:55+00:00","modifiedTime":"2023-02-27T14:59:33+00:00","timestamp":"2023-02-27T15:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34038"},"slug":"body-mind-spirit","categoryId":34038},{"name":"Physical Health & Well-Being","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34095"},"slug":"physical-health-well-being","categoryId":34095},{"name":"Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34166"},"slug":"exercise-movement","categoryId":34166},{"name":"Pilates","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34170"},"slug":"pilates","categoryId":34170}],"title":"Easing Your Back Pain with Pilates","strippedTitle":"easing your back pain with pilates","slug":"easing-your-back-pain-with-pilates","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Most of the Pilates mat exercises strengthen the muscles necessary to properly support the spine and bring an awareness about what proper posture actually is. I","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Most of the Pilates mat exercises strengthen the muscles necessary to properly support the spine and bring an awareness about what proper posture actually is. It's not enough just to do Pilates mat exercises; if you want to improve your posture and heal your back pain, you must incorporate Pilates into your daily life. You must translate the Neutral Spine, the feeling of length, and the Abdominal Scoop into your desk job. If you can incorporate the deeper Pilates concepts into your daily life, you'll notice changes immediately — in your back pain, in your posture, and in your sense of well-being.\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">Most back pain is due to faulty posture — the posture in which you probably spend most of your days.</p>\r\nDo you sit at a desk and stare straight ahead? Unfortunately, most people do, and they find it very difficult to sit up with proper posture for eight hours at a time. It becomes a vicious cycle: First you sit for long periods of time in a way that doesn't properly support the spine (generally, in a slightly hunched-over position). Then you lose strength in your postural muscles by not using them day after day, and then you can't sit up properly even if you wanted to because you've lost strength! What to do? Well, guess what? Pilates!\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Understanding the common causes of lower back pain</h2>\r\nAgain, most back pain is a result of bad posture when sitting, standing, or walking. The main things to remember to prevent bad posture are to sit and stand up tall, keep your belly pulled in, and keep your shoulder blades pulling down your back. When you find your correct posture, you should feel the ease it creates in your whole back.\r\n\r\nYou may need to slowly work up to sitting properly for long periods of time. Even your postural muscles need to get in shape. But the more awareness you have, the better you will feel. If you stand a lot, think of keeping your knees soft; don't lock them. Try to keep even weight on both legs. Keep your belly pulled in.\r\n\r\nBut bad posture isn't the only culprit. A sedentary lifestyle is also often to blame. Let's face it: People just weren't meant to sit at a computer monitor for eight hours a day — or to sit on a chair at all, for that matter. Sitting isn't easy on your back. If you think about it, when you sit in a chair, the back muscles have to work all the time to keep you upright. Your legs are not able to help out at all. Furthermore, staying in one position doesn't promote good circulation and muscle tone. Break up your work day by getting up regularly from your chair and stretching out, going for a walk, or doing a Pilates series, if you can.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Avoiding loaded flexion</h2>\r\nMost construction workers have terrible backs by the time they're 40, because they spend much of their day bending over and lifting up heavy objects. Even if you maintain perfect alignment when lifting, you can't avoid loading the spine in flexion if you're installing a floor, say, or doing much of anything below the waist.\r\n\r\n<i>Flexion</i> is the rounding forward of the spine when standing or sitting, or what your spine does when rolling up in a sit up. <i>Loaded </i>means . . . well, loaded. An example of loading the spine in flexion is the Rolling Down the Wall exercise if you have free weights in your hands. As you roll forward, the weight of your head, body, and the free weights is dropping down. The muscles and ligaments of the back are supporting that weight. Another example of loaded flexion is the Hip-Up exercise. As you lift your hips, the weight of the butt and legs is now on your back. If you roll back too far, the weight of your whole body will be on your neck. The neck is especially vulnerable to having too much load because it is made up of small, fragile vertebrae that are not meant to hold up anything but your head when standing. When you get very strong in your core, your spine can support more weight without being traumatized.\r\n<p class=\"Remember\">Flexion is the movement of the spine that most damages the structures of the spine; especially the intervertebral discs and the ligaments of the back. If you feel uncomfortable when doing flexion exercises; don't do them! Instead, do all the exercises that don't bother your back, and come back to the others when you have more strength.</p>\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">To avoid loaded flexion, use proper body mechanics when bending over and lifting:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Keep a Neutral Spine. You can just think of keeping the spine straight. Don't round the back forward (flexion)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Bend your knees; and if you're lifting something, use your leg muscles not your back!</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Keep your Abdominal Scoop by pulling your navel in toward your spine. Doing so helps support the back.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Being your own guide</h2>\r\nA well-known doctor named Robin McKenzie wrote a book called <i>Treat Your Own Back</i>, which revolutionized the way the rehabilitation profession viewed back pain. Basically, the book describes a program where you experiment and find out what movements exacerbate your back pain, and what movements and positions alleviate your back pain. Then you do the things that make you feel better. It sounds so fabulously simple and it works. You can follow the same principles when doing Pilates.\r\n\r\nWhen trying a new exercise, see if the movement makes your back pain worse or better. Use this information to heal yourself. For instance, if you find that flexion (rounding the spine forward), like in Spine Stretch Forward, makes your back feel great, then you can proceed with all the flexion exercises with a fair bit of confidence. In that case, exercises that do the opposite movement, extension (arching the back), as in the Rising Swan, may make your back hurt. If this is so, avoid all exercises that extend the back. The act of twisting may be the source of the problem, or it could be twisting in just one direction. Take note of what hurts and apply this information to your workout.\r\n<p class=\"Warning\">When you're in pain, you must be very mindful when trying out new exercises. Talk to your doctor first to make sure you don't have any serious injury, and then go to a trained Pilates instructor if you are worried about hurting yourself.</p>","description":"Most of the Pilates mat exercises strengthen the muscles necessary to properly support the spine and bring an awareness about what proper posture actually is. It's not enough just to do Pilates mat exercises; if you want to improve your posture and heal your back pain, you must incorporate Pilates into your daily life. You must translate the Neutral Spine, the feeling of length, and the Abdominal Scoop into your desk job. If you can incorporate the deeper Pilates concepts into your daily life, you'll notice changes immediately — in your back pain, in your posture, and in your sense of well-being.\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">Most back pain is due to faulty posture — the posture in which you probably spend most of your days.</p>\r\nDo you sit at a desk and stare straight ahead? Unfortunately, most people do, and they find it very difficult to sit up with proper posture for eight hours at a time. It becomes a vicious cycle: First you sit for long periods of time in a way that doesn't properly support the spine (generally, in a slightly hunched-over position). Then you lose strength in your postural muscles by not using them day after day, and then you can't sit up properly even if you wanted to because you've lost strength! What to do? Well, guess what? Pilates!\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Understanding the common causes of lower back pain</h2>\r\nAgain, most back pain is a result of bad posture when sitting, standing, or walking. The main things to remember to prevent bad posture are to sit and stand up tall, keep your belly pulled in, and keep your shoulder blades pulling down your back. When you find your correct posture, you should feel the ease it creates in your whole back.\r\n\r\nYou may need to slowly work up to sitting properly for long periods of time. Even your postural muscles need to get in shape. But the more awareness you have, the better you will feel. If you stand a lot, think of keeping your knees soft; don't lock them. Try to keep even weight on both legs. Keep your belly pulled in.\r\n\r\nBut bad posture isn't the only culprit. A sedentary lifestyle is also often to blame. Let's face it: People just weren't meant to sit at a computer monitor for eight hours a day — or to sit on a chair at all, for that matter. Sitting isn't easy on your back. If you think about it, when you sit in a chair, the back muscles have to work all the time to keep you upright. Your legs are not able to help out at all. Furthermore, staying in one position doesn't promote good circulation and muscle tone. Break up your work day by getting up regularly from your chair and stretching out, going for a walk, or doing a Pilates series, if you can.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Avoiding loaded flexion</h2>\r\nMost construction workers have terrible backs by the time they're 40, because they spend much of their day bending over and lifting up heavy objects. Even if you maintain perfect alignment when lifting, you can't avoid loading the spine in flexion if you're installing a floor, say, or doing much of anything below the waist.\r\n\r\n<i>Flexion</i> is the rounding forward of the spine when standing or sitting, or what your spine does when rolling up in a sit up. <i>Loaded </i>means . . . well, loaded. An example of loading the spine in flexion is the Rolling Down the Wall exercise if you have free weights in your hands. As you roll forward, the weight of your head, body, and the free weights is dropping down. The muscles and ligaments of the back are supporting that weight. Another example of loaded flexion is the Hip-Up exercise. As you lift your hips, the weight of the butt and legs is now on your back. If you roll back too far, the weight of your whole body will be on your neck. The neck is especially vulnerable to having too much load because it is made up of small, fragile vertebrae that are not meant to hold up anything but your head when standing. When you get very strong in your core, your spine can support more weight without being traumatized.\r\n<p class=\"Remember\">Flexion is the movement of the spine that most damages the structures of the spine; especially the intervertebral discs and the ligaments of the back. If you feel uncomfortable when doing flexion exercises; don't do them! Instead, do all the exercises that don't bother your back, and come back to the others when you have more strength.</p>\r\n<p class=\"Tip\">To avoid loaded flexion, use proper body mechanics when bending over and lifting:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Keep a Neutral Spine. You can just think of keeping the spine straight. Don't round the back forward (flexion)</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Bend your knees; and if you're lifting something, use your leg muscles not your back!</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Keep your Abdominal Scoop by pulling your navel in toward your spine. Doing so helps support the back.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Being your own guide</h2>\r\nA well-known doctor named Robin McKenzie wrote a book called <i>Treat Your Own Back</i>, which revolutionized the way the rehabilitation profession viewed back pain. Basically, the book describes a program where you experiment and find out what movements exacerbate your back pain, and what movements and positions alleviate your back pain. Then you do the things that make you feel better. It sounds so fabulously simple and it works. You can follow the same principles when doing Pilates.\r\n\r\nWhen trying a new exercise, see if the movement makes your back pain worse or better. Use this information to heal yourself. For instance, if you find that flexion (rounding the spine forward), like in Spine Stretch Forward, makes your back feel great, then you can proceed with all the flexion exercises with a fair bit of confidence. In that case, exercises that do the opposite movement, extension (arching the back), as in the Rising Swan, may make your back hurt. If this is so, avoid all exercises that extend the back. The act of twisting may be the source of the problem, or it could be twisting in just one direction. Take note of what hurts and apply this information to your workout.\r\n<p class=\"Warning\">When you're in pain, you must be very mindful when trying out new exercises. Talk to your doctor first to make sure you don't have any serious injury, and then go to a trained Pilates instructor if you are worried about hurting yourself.</p>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9979,"name":"Ellie Herman","slug":"ellie-herman","description":" Ellie Herman runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates' original students.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9979"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34170,"title":"Pilates","slug":"pilates","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34170"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Understanding the common causes of lower back pain","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Avoiding loaded flexion","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Being your own guide","target":"#tab3"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":295416,"title":"Pilates For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"pilates-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/295416"}},{"articleId":210282,"title":"How to Do Pilates Upper-Abdominal Curls","slug":"how-to-do-pilates-upper-abdominal-curls-2","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210282"}},{"articleId":210281,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Bridge","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-bridge","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210281"}},{"articleId":210280,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Cat","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-cat","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210280"}},{"articleId":206640,"title":"How to Do the Pilates Stacking the Spine Position","slug":"how-to-do-the-pilates-stacking-the-spine-position","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206640"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":295416,"title":"Pilates For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"pilates-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/295416"}},{"articleId":210282,"title":"How to Do Pilates Upper-Abdominal Curls","slug":"how-to-do-pilates-upper-abdominal-curls-2","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210282"}},{"articleId":210280,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Cat","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-cat","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210280"}},{"articleId":210281,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Bridge","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-bridge","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210281"}},{"articleId":206640,"title":"How to Do the Pilates Stacking the Spine Position","slug":"how-to-do-the-pilates-stacking-the-spine-position","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206640"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282474,"slug":"pilates-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119907381","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119907381-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/pilates-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9781119907381-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Pilates For Dummies, 2nd Edition","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9979\">Ellie Herman</b> runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates' original students.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9979,"name":"Ellie Herman","slug":"ellie-herman","description":" Ellie Herman runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates' original students.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9979"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;pilates&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119907381&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63fcc5ae9eab2\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;pilates&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119907381&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63fcc5ae9f4ba\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2023-02-27T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":200438},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2022-10-25T21:19:01+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-12-19T19:26:09+00:00","timestamp":"2022-12-19T21:01:02+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34038"},"slug":"body-mind-spirit","categoryId":34038},{"name":"Physical Health & Well-Being","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34095"},"slug":"physical-health-well-being","categoryId":34095},{"name":"Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34166"},"slug":"exercise-movement","categoryId":34166},{"name":"Pilates","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34170"},"slug":"pilates","categoryId":34170}],"title":"Pilates For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"pilates for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"pilates-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn what you need to get started in Pilates, as well as the various exercises for fundamental to advanced Pilates.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Pilates has become one of the most popular fitness systems in the world. The Pilates method works to strengthen the center, lengthen the spine, build muscle tone and increase body awareness and flexibility. This Cheat Sheet summarizes what you need to get started in Pilates and includes lists of exercises, from fundamental to advanced.","description":"Pilates has become one of the most popular fitness systems in the world. The Pilates method works to strengthen the center, lengthen the spine, build muscle tone and increase body awareness and flexibility. This Cheat Sheet summarizes what you need to get started in Pilates and includes lists of exercises, from fundamental to advanced.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9979,"name":"Ellie Herman","slug":"ellie-herman","description":" Ellie Herman runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates' original students.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9979"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34170,"title":"Pilates","slug":"pilates","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34170"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":210282,"title":"How to Do Pilates Upper-Abdominal Curls","slug":"how-to-do-pilates-upper-abdominal-curls-2","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210282"}},{"articleId":210280,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Cat","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-cat","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210280"}},{"articleId":210281,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Bridge","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-bridge","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210281"}},{"articleId":206640,"title":"How to Do the Pilates Stacking the Spine Position","slug":"how-to-do-the-pilates-stacking-the-spine-position","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206640"}},{"articleId":206637,"title":"How to Do the Pilates Basic Cat Exercise","slug":"how-to-do-the-pilates-basic-cat-exercise","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206637"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":210282,"title":"How to Do Pilates Upper-Abdominal Curls","slug":"how-to-do-pilates-upper-abdominal-curls-2","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210282"}},{"articleId":210281,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Bridge","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-bridge","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210281"}},{"articleId":210280,"title":"How to Do a Basic Pilates Cat","slug":"how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-cat","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/210280"}},{"articleId":206640,"title":"How to Do the Pilates Stacking the Spine Position","slug":"how-to-do-the-pilates-stacking-the-spine-position","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206640"}},{"articleId":206637,"title":"How to Do the Pilates Basic Cat Exercise","slug":"how-to-do-the-pilates-basic-cat-exercise","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206637"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282474,"slug":"pilates-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119907381","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","pilates"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119907381-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119907381/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/pilates-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9781119907381-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Pilates For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9979\">Ellie Herman</b> runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates' original students.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9979,"name":"Ellie Herman","slug":"ellie-herman","description":" Ellie Herman runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates' original students.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9979"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;pilates&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119907381&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63a0d10e857a5\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;pilates&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119907381&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63a0d10e861c5\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"What you need to get started in Pilates","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Here are the basics for getting started in Pilates:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A firm mat. </strong>The mat only needs to be as long as your spine and as wide as your body. This mat should be firm enough to support your back when rolling on the floor. You will hurt your vertebrae if you use only a towel or a yoga mat. I like to use either a gymnastic mat or a fold up foam mat.</li>\n<li><strong>Comfy clothes. </strong>Wear what you would wear to a yoga class, dance class, or stretch class. Nothing should bind you — no buttons or tight waist­bands. Wearing something formfitting is nice because it lets you see if your belly is pooching out or not.</li>\n<li><strong>Bare feet. </strong>Socks tend to slip on the floor, so I recommend bare feet.</li>\n<li><strong>A small ball is great, although it’s not necessary.</strong> A small ball is a great cheap tool to have, especially when you’re first starting out.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Pilates alphabet","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<ul>\n<li>Neutral Spine</li>\n<li>Abdominal Scoop</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/exercise-movement/pilates/how-to-do-a-basic-pilates-bridge-210281/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bridge</a></li>\n<li>C Curve: Lumbar, Thoracic, and Cervical</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/exercise-movement/pilates/how-to-do-the-pilates-hip-up-position-198428/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hip-Up</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/exercise-movement/pilates/how-to-do-the-pilates-levitation-position-198563/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Levitation</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/exercise-movement/pilates/how-to-do-the-pilates-balance-point-position-198406/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Balance Point</a></li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/exercise-movement/pilates/how-to-do-the-pilates-stacking-the-spine-position-206640/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stacking the Spine</a></li>\n<li>Pilates Abdominal Position</li>\n<li>Pilates First Position</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Fundamental series (pre-Pilates)","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<ul>\n<li>Breathing in Neutral Spine</li>\n<li>Shoulder Shrugs</li>\n<li>Shoulder Slaps</li>\n<li>Arm Reaches/Arm Circles</li>\n<li>Coccyx Curls</li>\n<li>Tiny Steps</li>\n<li>Upper Abdominal Curls</li>\n<li>Hip-Up</li>\n<li>C Curve Roll Down Prep</li>\n<li>Balance Point/Teaser Prep</li>\n<li>Rolling Like a Ball, Modified</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Beginning series","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<ul>\n<li>Coccyx Curls</li>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/exercise-movement/pilates/how-to-do-pilates-upper-abdominal-curls-2-210282/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Upper Abdominal Curls</a></li>\n<li>Hundred, Beginning Level</li>\n<li>Balance Point</li>\n<li>Hip-Up</li>\n<li>Rolling Like a Ball</li>\n<li>Single Leg Stretch</li>\n<li>Rising Swan</li>\n<li>Roll Down</li>\n<li>Bridge</li>\n<li>Spine Stretch Forward</li>\n<li>Side Kicks</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Intermediate series","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<ul>\n<li>Hundred, Intermediate Level</li>\n<li>Roll Up</li>\n<li>Rolling Like a Ball</li>\n<li>Single Leg Stretch</li>\n<li>Double Leg Stretch</li>\n<li>Crisscross</li>\n<li>Scissors</li>\n<li>Open Leg Rocker</li>\n<li>Single Leg Kick</li>\n<li>Double Leg Kick</li>\n<li>Side Kicks</li>\n<li>Teaser, Modified</li>\n<li>The Seal</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Advanced series","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<ul>\n<li>Hundred, Advanced Version</li>\n<li>Roll Up</li>\n<li>Rollover</li>\n<li>Rolling Like a Ball</li>\n<li>Single Leg Stretch</li>\n<li>Double Leg Stretch</li>\n<li>Crisscross</li>\n<li>Scissors</li>\n<li>Spine Stretch Forward</li>\n<li>Open Leg Rocker</li>\n<li>Rising Swan</li>\n<li>The Saw</li>\n<li>Single Leg Kick</li>\n<li>Double Leg Kick</li>\n<li>Neck Pull</li>\n<li>Shoulder Bridge</li>\n<li>Spine Twist</li>\n<li>The Jackknife</li>\n<li>Side Kicks</li>\n<li>Teaser, Advanced Version</li>\n<li>Hip Flexor Stretch</li>\n<li>Hip Circles</li>\n<li>Swimming</li>\n<li>Control Front</li>\n<li>Kneeling Side Kicks</li>\n<li>Side Bend/Advanced Mermaid</li>\n<li>The Seal</li>\n<li>Pilates Push-Up</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-10-25T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":295416},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2022-08-15T15:36:27+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-10-21T15:53:00+00:00","timestamp":"2022-10-21T18:01:03+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34038"},"slug":"body-mind-spirit","categoryId":34038},{"name":"Physical Health & Well-Being","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34095"},"slug":"physical-health-well-being","categoryId":34095},{"name":"Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34166"},"slug":"exercise-movement","categoryId":34166},{"name":"Yoga","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34175"},"slug":"yoga","categoryId":34175}],"title":"Chair Yoga For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"chair yoga for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"chair-yoga-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Chair yoga can benefit anyone, from seniors to people on a long flight. Learn the benefits and some exercises to get your started.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Most people think of yoga as something you do exclusively on a mat. But using chairs as props has been part of yoga for many years. You can experience so much of what yoga has to offer right from your chair without any other equipment.","description":"Most people think of yoga as something you do exclusively on a mat. But using chairs as props has been part of yoga for many years. You can experience so much of what yoga has to offer right from your chair without any other equipment.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9246,"name":"Larry Payne","slug":"larry-payne","description":" <p><b> Larry Payne, PhD,</b> is the president of The International Association of Yoga Therapists. He founded Samata International Yoga and Health Center and is the author of <i>Yoga After 50 For Dummies</i>. <b>Don Henry</b> is a Yoga therapist who has been teaching Yoga for more than a decade. He is a member of the Writer&#8217;s Guild of America.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9246"}},{"authorId":35176,"name":"Don Henry","slug":"don-henry","description":" <p><b> Larry Payne, PhD,</b> is the president of The International Association of Yoga Therapists. He founded Samata International Yoga and Health Center and is the author of <i>Yoga After 50 For Dummies</i>. <b>Don Henry</b> is a Yoga therapist who has been teaching Yoga for more than a decade. He is a member of the Writer&#8217;s Guild of America.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35176"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34175,"title":"Yoga","slug":"yoga","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34175"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":271190,"title":"10 Tips for Your Yoga Practice: Off the Mat","slug":"10-tips-for-your-yoga-practice-off-the-mat","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","yoga"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271190"}},{"articleId":271187,"title":"10 Tips for Your Yoga Practice: On the Mat","slug":"10-tips-for-your-yoga-practice-on-the-mat","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","yoga"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271187"}},{"articleId":271184,"title":"Alignment and Balancing Yoga Poses","slug":"alignment-and-balancing-yoga-poses","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","yoga"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271184"}},{"articleId":271181,"title":"15-Minute Yoga After 50 Routine for Home","slug":"15-minute-yoga-after-50-routine-for-home","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","yoga"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271181"}},{"articleId":271177,"title":"Yoga Sleep","slug":"yoga-sleep","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","yoga"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/271177"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":294672,"slug":"chair-yoga-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119889533","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","yoga"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119889537/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119889537/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119889537-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119889537/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119889537/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/chair-yoga-for-dummies-cover-9781119889533-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Chair Yoga For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b> <b data-author-id=\"9246\">Larry Payne</b>, PhD,</b> is the president of The International Association of Yoga Therapists. He founded Samata International Yoga and Health Center and is the author of <i>Yoga After 50 For Dummies</i>. <b>Don Henry</b> is a Yoga therapist who has been teaching Yoga for more than a decade. He is a member of the Writer&#8217;s Guild of America.</p> <p><b> Larry Payne, PhD,</b> is the president of The International Association of Yoga Therapists. He founded Samata International Yoga and Health Center and is the author of <i>Yoga After 50 For Dummies</i>. <b><b data-author-id=\"35176\">Don Henry</b></b> is a Yoga therapist who has been teaching Yoga for more than a decade. He is a member of the Writer&#8217;s Guild of America.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9246,"name":"Larry Payne","slug":"larry-payne","description":" <p><b> Larry Payne, PhD,</b> is the president of The International Association of Yoga Therapists. He founded Samata International Yoga and Health Center and is the author of <i>Yoga After 50 For Dummies</i>. <b>Don Henry</b> is a Yoga therapist who has been teaching Yoga for more than a decade. He is a member of the Writer&#8217;s Guild of America.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9246"}},{"authorId":35176,"name":"Don Henry","slug":"don-henry","description":" <p><b> Larry Payne, PhD,</b> is the president of The International Association of Yoga Therapists. He founded Samata International Yoga and Health Center and is the author of <i>Yoga After 50 For Dummies</i>. <b>Don Henry</b> is a Yoga therapist who has been teaching Yoga for more than a decade. He is a member of the Writer&#8217;s Guild of America.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/35176"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;yoga&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119889533&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6352de5f6af28\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;yoga&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119889533&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-6352de5f6b76a\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"Benefits of a chair yoga practice","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Chair yoga lets you reap yoga’s most significant benefits:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Better flexibility</li>\n<li>More overall strength</li>\n<li>Greater sense of balance</li>\n<li>Improved cardiovascular health</li>\n<li>Reduced stress and pain</li>\n<li>Better sleep</li>\n<li>Increased willpower</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Even though yoga originated as an Eastern discipline, doctors and scientists in both the East and the West acknowledge the physical and mental health effects that adding yoga as one of your regular self-care routines can bring.</p>\n"},{"title":"Who is chair yoga for?","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>By incorporating chair yoga, you can keep practicing yoga for a lifetime regardless of your age, physical condition, or lifestyle and schedule. Chair yoga is all about accessibility. And it may also be about choosing a style of yoga that most benefits you as a person at any point in time. Although chair yoga is really for anyone who wants to try it, here are a few groups who may find it particularly useful:</p>\n<p><strong>Seniors:</strong> The human body changes over time, but you can adapt chair yoga to exactly what your body needs, no matter your age.</p>\n<p><strong>Office workers:</strong> Being stuck at a desk often means you’re immobile for long periods. Chair yoga offers a potential solution without your having to leave, well, your chair.</p>\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">Always check with your doctor before you start a fitness routine, even Chair Yoga, to see whether you should avoid any postures or movements.</p>\n<p><strong>Travelers:</strong> Staying in place on a long trip can wreak havoc on your body and mind. Consider simple chair yoga moves you can do right from your seat.</p>\n<p><strong>Expecting moms:</strong> Of course, your doctor should be your guide on what kind of fitness program is appropriate for your situation. Still, because chair yoga is so adaptable, it may be a perfect option.</p>\n<p><strong>People with limited mobility: </strong>If you have mobility issues (temporary or more permanent), you may well be able to adapt chair yoga to your needs.</p>\n<p>The bottom line is that you don’t have to abandon Yoga just because you can’t or don’t want to get up and down off a mat. Chair Yoga is one way you can start to figure out how to make Yoga work for your particular needs and your particular body.</p>\n"},{"title":"Choosing a chair for chair yoga","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Unlike so many other activities, you only need a basic chair to do chair yoga. Still, it’s worth putting a little thought into your choice because your chair is going to be your greatest source of support. Following are some fundamental things to keep in mind when selecting your chair yoga chair:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>No arms:</strong> Even doing yoga while sitting in a chair is going to require that you move around a lot. When you’re lifting your own arms up and down and around, you don’t want the arms of your chair to get in the way and restrict your movement.</li>\n<li><strong>No wheels:</strong> It’s not uncommon for certain types of chairs to be on wheels.  For example, it can be very helpful to move around your desk or office in rolling chair.  With chair yoga, however, wheels can be problematic. Sometimes, getting your body into certain positions or performing certain movements can be challenging enough without the added mission of making sure your chair doesn’t involuntarily roll around the room. Chances are you will want the chair to remain stationary, and sitting on wheels will only make that harder (and potentially unsafe).</li>\n<li><strong>No swivel or rocking:</strong> The convenience of a swivel or the soothing quality of a rocking chair does have an important place in your life, just not in chair yoga. For all of the reasons discussed above, choose a chair that doesn’t move when you sit in it.</li>\n<li><strong>The perfect height:</strong> For the sake of your back, choose a chair that will allow you to put both feet evenly on the floor. Because chairs, as well as people, vary in height, one particular chair isn’t necessarily right for everybody. It’s worth taking the time to make sure you’ve made the best possible choice. Of course, sitting up against the back of the chair may create some issues and you may need to slide forward in the seat. If that still doesn’t allow you to put your feet flat on the ground, consider putting something underneath them, like yoga blocks or even some books.</li>\n<li><strong>Don’t forget about comfort! </strong>Even if a chair meets all the previously mentioned requirements, it still may be uncomfortable. You don’t want to be distracted by an unpleasant seat during your chair yoga practice.  If your chair is going to be a true partner, definitely try to find something that’s comfy and perhaps even padded.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Chair yoga will travel","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If immobility is detrimental to good health, then being stuck in a seat on a long trip may do some real damage by the time you finally reach your destination. Tight muscles are prime targets to be over-stretched and may easily fall victim to dragging your luggage from an overhead bin or from a moving carousel.</p>\n<p>Luckily, chair yoga is ideal for tight spaces. And doing some simple chair yoga movements during your journey might be just what your body and your mind need. Of course, if you’re stuck in something like an airplane seat, you probably want to let your nearby fellow passengers know you’re about to do some stretches so that they don’t call for the flight attendant in a panic. They may even decide to join you!</p>\n<p>Try the following exercises the next time you find yourself on a long ride or flight.</p>\n<h3>Forward bends for tight spaces</h3>\n<p>While doing a simple forward bend can help to reduce stress, it’s also a great way to stretch out your back, shoulders, and neck. Here&#8217;s how to do it:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Inhale and sit tall in your seat with your feet on the floor.</li>\n<li>As you exhale, hinging from the hips, bend forward while at the same time raising your heels up, leaving your toes on the ground (see photo below).\n<p><div class=\"figure-container\"><figure id=\"attachment_294678\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_294678\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 640px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-294678\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/chair-yoga-bend.jpg\" alt=\"man sitting in chair bending forward to touch toes\" width=\"630\" height=\"945\" /><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_294678\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A forward bend in chair yoga helps to stretch the back, shoulders, and neck, and reduce stress.</figcaption></figure></div><div class=\"clearfix\"></div></li>\n<li>On your inhale, lower your heels back down as you sit up (hinging from the hips and returning to your starting position).</li>\n<li>Repeat this up and down sequence ten times, moving with your breath.</li>\n</ol>\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">While allowing your head to drop is an effective way to relieve tension in your neck, it could also be bad for other types of conditions (like high blood pressure or retinopathy). Make sure that allowing your head to fall forward is a smart choice for you (you may need to consult your doctor if you have any concerns).</p>\n<h3>Knee to elbow</h3>\n<p>This stretch that you can do right in your seat brings some length and flexibility to your entire core, including your abdominals, back, and side waist.</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Inhale and sit tall in your chair with your hands behind your neck, as shown in the following photo.\n<p><div class=\"figure-container\"><figure id=\"attachment_294681\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_294681\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 640px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-294681\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/chair-yoga-knee-to-elbow-first-step.jpg\" alt=\"man sitting in chair with hands behind head\" width=\"630\" height=\"945\" /><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_294681\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The first step of the knee-to-elbow exercise in chair yoga</figcaption></figure></div><div class=\"clearfix\"></div></li>\n<li>On an exhale, lean forward, bringing your right elbow toward your left knee (see the following photo).\n<p><div class=\"figure-container\"><figure id=\"attachment_294682\" aria-labelledby=\"figcaption_attachment_294682\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 640px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-294682\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/chair-yoga-knee-to-elbow-second-step.jpg\" alt=\"man sitting in chair twisting to one side\" width=\"630\" height=\"945\" /><figcaption id=\"figcaption_attachment_294682\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The second step of the knee-to-elbow exercise in chair yoga</figcaption></figure></div><div class=\"clearfix\"></div></li>\n<li>As you inhale, sit back up (into starting position).</li>\n<li>On an exhale, lean forward, bringing your left elbow toward your right knee.</li>\n<li>As you inhale, sit back up.</li>\n<li>Repeat Steps 2 through 5 five more times on each side, moving with your breath.</li>\n</ol>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-08-15T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":294676},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T08:13:21+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-07-28T19:48:55+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:49+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34038"},"slug":"body-mind-spirit","categoryId":34038},{"name":"Physical Health & Well-Being","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34095"},"slug":"physical-health-well-being","categoryId":34095},{"name":"Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34166"},"slug":"exercise-movement","categoryId":34166},{"name":"General Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34379"},"slug":"general-exercise-movement","categoryId":34379}],"title":"What Is CrossFit?","strippedTitle":"what is crossfit?","slug":"what-is-crossfit","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"CrossFit is an exercise routine and philosophy, a competitive sport, a corporation, and, oftentimes, a community. Learn more about it here.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<i>CrossFit</i><i>,</i> in its simplest definition, is a fitness routine that personal trainer Greg Glassman developed over several years in the mid- to late-1990s. <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/health/exercise/crossfit-workouts-for-beginners/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CrossFit</a> is designed to improve your overall physical abilities, including your endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, coordination, balance, and more.\r\n\r\nBut CrossFit is also a few more things — it's an exercise philosophy, a competitive sport, a corporation, and a community. You can't find a CrossFit class in just any gym you step into, CrossFit is offered only by gyms that undergo special certification by CrossFit, Inc. to become CrossFit-affiliated.\r\n\r\nCrossFit workouts typically include a combination of elements from other exercise styles, including high-intensity interval training, gymnastics, weightlifting, calisthenics, powerlifting, and strongman competitions. The \"CrossFit community\" is a key part of the overall philosophy of CrossFit — members of the same class typically become close by sharing fitness goals with one another, pushing each other to break personal records and overcome fitness plateaus, and praising each other for reaching milestones.\r\n\r\nCrossFit is a scalable workout that's accessible to everyone. The stereotype about a CrossFit class is that it's full of the kind of chest-pounding, lifelong athletes who scale mountains or jog from St. Louis to Albuquerque just for fun. In reality, that same class may have a 60-year-old grandmother who's just completed the first pull up of her life. The intensity of each exercise can be customized to suit the lifestyle and fitness level of every class member.\r\n\r\nMany CrossFit trainers (often called coaches) see themselves as part of a new movement in fitness that rejects some longstanding and conventional fitness wisdom. For example, a regular personal trainer may have you repeat a movement with a dumbbell 10 or 15 times, but a CrossFit Coach could ask you to keep going to exhaustion — until you simply can't perform the movement again. Most CrossFit coaches also encourage their students to follow CrossFit, Inc.'s nutrition recommendations, including a Paleo diet.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >The structure of CrossFit</h2>\r\nTo become a CrossFit affiliate, a gym's personal trainers must complete a standard two-day course and a variety of additional seminars on topics like gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, endurance training, kettlebells, self-defense, rowing, and more. Once this training is complete, CrossFit, Inc. licenses the CrossFit name to the gym for an annual fee and certifies the trainers. Each CrossFit gym is then free to develop its own exercise classes and pricing.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >What a CrossFit workout looks like</h2>\r\nA typical CrossFit workout will involve various equipment from other workouts, including\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Barbells</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Dumbbells</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Kettlebells</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Gymnastic rings</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Jump ropes</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Medicine balls</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Resistance bands</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Rowing machines</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Squat machines</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Abdominal mats</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Pull up bars</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAdditionally, a CrossFit class may incorporate some less conventional fitness equipment, including\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Ropes, for climbing</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Boxes, for performing jumps</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Tractor tires, for flipping</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nEach class is led by a certified CrossFit instructor, called a <i>c</i><i>oach</i>, and the gym is called a Box (CrossFit has its own language). CrossFit classes usually last one hour and include a warm up, a skill session, an explanation and example of the Workout of the Day (<i>WOD</i>, in CrossFit lingo), and the actual workout.\r\n\r\nSome of the exercises you can expect to do in a CrossFit class include\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Push ups</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Pull ups</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Squats</b>, with and without a barbell</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Bench press</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Deadlifts</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Farmer's carry</b>, where you pick up some heavy object and walk with it as far as you can</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Box jumps</b>, where stand in front of a secured box or platform, jump onto the box, and immediately back down to the floor</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Back extension</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Toes-to-bar</b>, where you hang from an overhead bar (or pull up bar) and bring your toes up to touch the bar</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/exercise-movement/strength-training/kettlebells-for-dummies-cheat-sheet-209038/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kettlebell</a> swing</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"<i>CrossFit</i><i>,</i> in its simplest definition, is a fitness routine that personal trainer Greg Glassman developed over several years in the mid- to late-1990s. <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/health/exercise/crossfit-workouts-for-beginners/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CrossFit</a> is designed to improve your overall physical abilities, including your endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, coordination, balance, and more.\r\n\r\nBut CrossFit is also a few more things — it's an exercise philosophy, a competitive sport, a corporation, and a community. You can't find a CrossFit class in just any gym you step into, CrossFit is offered only by gyms that undergo special certification by CrossFit, Inc. to become CrossFit-affiliated.\r\n\r\nCrossFit workouts typically include a combination of elements from other exercise styles, including high-intensity interval training, gymnastics, weightlifting, calisthenics, powerlifting, and strongman competitions. The \"CrossFit community\" is a key part of the overall philosophy of CrossFit — members of the same class typically become close by sharing fitness goals with one another, pushing each other to break personal records and overcome fitness plateaus, and praising each other for reaching milestones.\r\n\r\nCrossFit is a scalable workout that's accessible to everyone. The stereotype about a CrossFit class is that it's full of the kind of chest-pounding, lifelong athletes who scale mountains or jog from St. Louis to Albuquerque just for fun. In reality, that same class may have a 60-year-old grandmother who's just completed the first pull up of her life. The intensity of each exercise can be customized to suit the lifestyle and fitness level of every class member.\r\n\r\nMany CrossFit trainers (often called coaches) see themselves as part of a new movement in fitness that rejects some longstanding and conventional fitness wisdom. For example, a regular personal trainer may have you repeat a movement with a dumbbell 10 or 15 times, but a CrossFit Coach could ask you to keep going to exhaustion — until you simply can't perform the movement again. Most CrossFit coaches also encourage their students to follow CrossFit, Inc.'s nutrition recommendations, including a Paleo diet.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >The structure of CrossFit</h2>\r\nTo become a CrossFit affiliate, a gym's personal trainers must complete a standard two-day course and a variety of additional seminars on topics like gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, endurance training, kettlebells, self-defense, rowing, and more. Once this training is complete, CrossFit, Inc. licenses the CrossFit name to the gym for an annual fee and certifies the trainers. Each CrossFit gym is then free to develop its own exercise classes and pricing.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >What a CrossFit workout looks like</h2>\r\nA typical CrossFit workout will involve various equipment from other workouts, including\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Barbells</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Dumbbells</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Kettlebells</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Gymnastic rings</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Jump ropes</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Medicine balls</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Resistance bands</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Rowing machines</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Squat machines</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Abdominal mats</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Pull up bars</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nAdditionally, a CrossFit class may incorporate some less conventional fitness equipment, including\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Ropes, for climbing</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Boxes, for performing jumps</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Tractor tires, for flipping</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nEach class is led by a certified CrossFit instructor, called a <i>c</i><i>oach</i>, and the gym is called a Box (CrossFit has its own language). CrossFit classes usually last one hour and include a warm up, a skill session, an explanation and example of the Workout of the Day (<i>WOD</i>, in CrossFit lingo), and the actual workout.\r\n\r\nSome of the exercises you can expect to do in a CrossFit class include\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Push ups</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Pull ups</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Squats</b>, with and without a barbell</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Bench press</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Deadlifts</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Farmer's carry</b>, where you pick up some heavy object and walk with it as far as you can</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Box jumps</b>, where stand in front of a secured box or platform, jump onto the box, and immediately back down to the floor</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Back extension</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Toes-to-bar</b>, where you hang from an overhead bar (or pull up bar) and bring your toes up to touch the bar</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b><a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/article/body-mind-spirit/physical-health-well-being/exercise-movement/strength-training/kettlebells-for-dummies-cheat-sheet-209038/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kettlebell</a> swing</b></p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34379,"title":"General Exercise & Movement","slug":"general-exercise-movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34379"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"The structure of CrossFit","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"What a CrossFit workout looks like","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":208848,"title":"Fitness For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"fitness-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/208848"}},{"articleId":207910,"title":"Core Strength For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"core-strength-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/207910"}},{"articleId":206646,"title":"How to Do Chair Squats","slug":"how-to-do-chair-squats","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206646"}},{"articleId":203282,"title":"How to Use the MyFitnessPal Food Diary","slug":"how-to-use-the-myfitnesspal-food-diary","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/203282"}},{"articleId":202264,"title":"How to Get Your Kids Out and Exercising","slug":"how-to-get-your-kids-out-and-exercising","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/202264"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;general-exercise-movement&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b4592095\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;general-exercise-movement&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b4592955\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-07-28T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":145924},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T22:36:08+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-05-06T19:43:08+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:42+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34038"},"slug":"body-mind-spirit","categoryId":34038},{"name":"Physical Health & Well-Being","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34095"},"slug":"physical-health-well-being","categoryId":34095},{"name":"Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34166"},"slug":"exercise-movement","categoryId":34166},{"name":"Cardio","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34167"},"slug":"cardio","categoryId":34167}],"title":"Running Your Way to Fitness","strippedTitle":"running your way to fitness","slug":"running-your-way-to-fitness","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Running is wonderful exercise, but it can be tough on your body. Learn how to avoid injury, have fun, and run for great fitness.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Like walking, running provides a fitness workout that you can take with you anywhere. You can work up a great sweat, burn lots of calories, and your muscles feel invigorated after you finish. You don’t need a rack on your car or a suitcase full of equipment; you just open the door and go.\r\n\r\nNo single type of exercise is better than all the rest. It’s merely a question of what’s best for you. Many runners develop frequent, chronic injuries. Many people have joints that simply will not tolerate all that pounding. If you’re not built to run, don’t argue with your body. You can get in great condition in other ways. And if you’re a beginner, hold off on running until you’ve built up stamina and strength.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Running the right way</h2>\r\nRunners have a habit of looking directly at the ground, almost as if they can’t bear to see what’s coming next. Keeping your head down throws your upper-body posture off-kilter and can lead to upper-back and neck pain. Lift your head and focus your eyes straight ahead. Relax your shoulders, keep your chest lifted, and pull your abdominal muscles in tightly. Don’t overarch your back and stick your butt out; that’s one of the main reasons runners get back and hip pain.\r\n<p class=\"Remember\">Keep your arms close to your body, and swing them forward and back rather than across your body. Don’t clench your fists. Pretend you’re holding a butterfly in each hand; you don’t want your butterflies to escape, but you don’t want to crush them, either.</p>\r\nLift your front knee and extend your back leg. Don’t shuffle along like you’re wearing cement boots. Land heel first and roll through the entire length of your foot. Push off from the balls of your feet instead of running flat-footed and pounding off your heels. Otherwise, your feet and legs are going to cry uncle long before your cardiovascular system does.\r\n<p class=\"Warning\">If you experience pain in your ankles, knees, or lower back, stop running for a while. If you don’t, you could end up having to sit on the sidelines for months.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Running tips for rookies</h2>\r\nThese tips help you get fit and avoid injury.\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Start by alternating periods of walking with periods of running.</b> For example, try two minutes of walking and one minute of running. Gradually decrease your walking intervals until you can run continuously for 20 minutes. If you have the inclination, you can build from there. Of course, sticking with a walk-run routine is fine; you’re less likely to injure yourself that way.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Vary your pace. </b>Different paces work your heart, lungs, and legs in different ways.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Always run against traffic when running on the shoulder of a road. </b>This allows you to see oncoming cars and dive for the side of the road, if necessary.<b> </b>If you’re running on steeply <i>banked</i> (angled away from the center line) country roads and the road is flat, you can run in the middle of the road to save wear and tear on your legs. But as you head up or down hills, get as far over on the shoulder (that is, away from the road) as possible to avoid speeding cars mowing you down. Consider carrying a lightweight cell phone for emergencies.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Don’t increase your mileage by more than 10 percent a week. </b>If you run 5 miles a week and want to increase, aim to do 5 1/2 miles the following week. Jumping from 5 miles to 6 miles doesn’t sound like a big deal, but studies show that if you increase your mileage more than 10 percent, you set yourself up for injury.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"Like walking, running provides a fitness workout that you can take with you anywhere. You can work up a great sweat, burn lots of calories, and your muscles feel invigorated after you finish. You don’t need a rack on your car or a suitcase full of equipment; you just open the door and go.\r\n\r\nNo single type of exercise is better than all the rest. It’s merely a question of what’s best for you. Many runners develop frequent, chronic injuries. Many people have joints that simply will not tolerate all that pounding. If you’re not built to run, don’t argue with your body. You can get in great condition in other ways. And if you’re a beginner, hold off on running until you’ve built up stamina and strength.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Running the right way</h2>\r\nRunners have a habit of looking directly at the ground, almost as if they can’t bear to see what’s coming next. Keeping your head down throws your upper-body posture off-kilter and can lead to upper-back and neck pain. Lift your head and focus your eyes straight ahead. Relax your shoulders, keep your chest lifted, and pull your abdominal muscles in tightly. Don’t overarch your back and stick your butt out; that’s one of the main reasons runners get back and hip pain.\r\n<p class=\"Remember\">Keep your arms close to your body, and swing them forward and back rather than across your body. Don’t clench your fists. Pretend you’re holding a butterfly in each hand; you don’t want your butterflies to escape, but you don’t want to crush them, either.</p>\r\nLift your front knee and extend your back leg. Don’t shuffle along like you’re wearing cement boots. Land heel first and roll through the entire length of your foot. Push off from the balls of your feet instead of running flat-footed and pounding off your heels. Otherwise, your feet and legs are going to cry uncle long before your cardiovascular system does.\r\n<p class=\"Warning\">If you experience pain in your ankles, knees, or lower back, stop running for a while. If you don’t, you could end up having to sit on the sidelines for months.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Running tips for rookies</h2>\r\nThese tips help you get fit and avoid injury.\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Start by alternating periods of walking with periods of running.</b> For example, try two minutes of walking and one minute of running. Gradually decrease your walking intervals until you can run continuously for 20 minutes. If you have the inclination, you can build from there. Of course, sticking with a walk-run routine is fine; you’re less likely to injure yourself that way.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Vary your pace. </b>Different paces work your heart, lungs, and legs in different ways.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Always run against traffic when running on the shoulder of a road. </b>This allows you to see oncoming cars and dive for the side of the road, if necessary.<b> </b>If you’re running on steeply <i>banked</i> (angled away from the center line) country roads and the road is flat, you can run in the middle of the road to save wear and tear on your legs. But as you head up or down hills, get as far over on the shoulder (that is, away from the road) as possible to avoid speeding cars mowing you down. Consider carrying a lightweight cell phone for emergencies.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Don’t increase your mileage by more than 10 percent a week. </b>If you run 5 miles a week and want to increase, aim to do 5 1/2 miles the following week. Jumping from 5 miles to 6 miles doesn’t sound like a big deal, but studies show that if you increase your mileage more than 10 percent, you set yourself up for injury.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34167,"title":"Cardio","slug":"cardio","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34167"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Running the right way","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Running tips for rookies","target":"#tab2"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":240619,"title":"What is Sprint Training?","slug":"what-is-sprint-training","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","cardio"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/240619"}},{"articleId":198533,"title":"How to Determine Your Heart Rate","slug":"how-to-determine-your-heart-rate","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","cardio"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/198533"}},{"articleId":198530,"title":"How to Cool Down after Cardio Exercise","slug":"how-to-cool-down-after-cardio-exercise","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","cardio"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/198530"}},{"articleId":198529,"title":"How to Do Crunches","slug":"how-to-do-crunches","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","cardio"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/198529"}},{"articleId":198516,"title":"How to Swim to Get a Good Workout","slug":"how-to-swim-to-get-a-good-workout","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","cardio"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/198516"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = 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id=\"du-slot-63221b3f029f3\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-05-06T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":198506},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:47:22+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-05-02T20:31:38+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:42+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34038"},"slug":"body-mind-spirit","categoryId":34038},{"name":"Physical Health & Well-Being","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34095"},"slug":"physical-health-well-being","categoryId":34095},{"name":"Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34166"},"slug":"exercise-movement","categoryId":34166},{"name":"Running & Walking","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34173"},"slug":"running-walking","categoryId":34173}],"title":"Walking the Weight Off For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"walking the weight off for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"walking-the-weight-off-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Walking can be a great way to lose weight, especially if you ramp up the intensity and make walking part of your lifestyle.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"It may sound too good to be true, but losing weight doesn’t have to be complicated. One of the simplest ways to lose weight is by just walking, something you already do each and every day. Anyone can do it, almost anywhere, and at any time. Just get up and start putting one foot in front of the other, and you are well on your way to achieving your weight-loss goals.","description":"It may sound too good to be true, but losing weight doesn’t have to be complicated. One of the simplest ways to lose weight is by just walking, something you already do each and every day. Anyone can do it, almost anywhere, and at any time. Just get up and start putting one foot in front of the other, and you are well on your way to achieving your weight-loss goals.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9226,"name":"Erin Palinski-Wade","slug":"erin-palinski-wade","description":" <p>Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, is a nationally recognized nutrition and fitness expert who has contributed to national media outlets such as the CBS <i>Early Show,</i> ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, <i>Fitness</i> Magazine, and <i>Prevention</i> Magazine, among others.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9226"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34173,"title":"Running & Walking","slug":"running-walking","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34173"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":144692,"title":"Increasing the Intensity of Walking Workouts","slug":"increasing-the-intensity-of-walking-workouts","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144692"}},{"articleId":144643,"title":"Making Walking Part of Your Lifestyle","slug":"making-walking-part-of-your-lifestyle","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144643"}},{"articleId":144632,"title":"10 Stretches for Walkers","slug":"10-stretches-for-walkers","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144632"}},{"articleId":144631,"title":"Getting the Most from Your Walking Workout","slug":"getting-the-most-from-your-walking-workout","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144631"}},{"articleId":144623,"title":"Fueling Your Body to Maximize Weight Loss When Walking","slug":"fueling-your-body-to-maximize-weight-loss-when-walking","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144623"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":199314,"title":"Recovering after Your Marathon Is Over","slug":"recovering-after-your-marathon-is-over","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/199314"}},{"articleId":199179,"title":"Sizing Up Your Running Posture","slug":"sizing-up-your-running-posture","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/199179"}},{"articleId":198769,"title":"Your First Run: Starting Slowly but Surely","slug":"your-first-run-starting-slowly-but-surely","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/198769"}},{"articleId":144692,"title":"Increasing the Intensity of Walking Workouts","slug":"increasing-the-intensity-of-walking-workouts","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144692"}},{"articleId":144643,"title":"Making Walking Part of Your Lifestyle","slug":"making-walking-part-of-your-lifestyle","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144643"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282663,"slug":"walking-the-weight-off-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119002505","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119002508/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119002508/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119002508-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119002508/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119002508/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/walking-the-weight-off-for-dummies-cover-9781119002505-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Walking the Weight Off For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9226\">Erin Palinski-Wade</b> is a nationally recognized nutrition and fitness expert, speaker and spokesperson. She has contributed her expertise to many national media outlets including the <i>CBS Early Show, The Doctors, and NBC News.</i> She is the author of <i>Belly Fat Diet For Dummies, 2 Day Diabetes Diet,</i> and owns a private nutrition counseling practice in NJ. Her website, <b>www.erinpalinski.com,</b> offers a free nutrition newsletter including tips and recipes. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9226,"name":"Erin Palinski-Wade","slug":"erin-palinski-wade","description":" <p>Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, is a nationally recognized nutrition and fitness expert who has contributed to national media outlets such as the CBS <i>Early Show,</i> ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, <i>Fitness</i> Magazine, and <i>Prevention</i> Magazine, among others.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9226"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;running-walking&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119002505&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b3e58757\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;running-walking&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119002505&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b3e591ed\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":144692,"title":"Increasing the Intensity of Walking Workouts","slug":"increasing-the-intensity-of-walking-workouts","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144692"}},{"articleId":144643,"title":"Making Walking Part of Your Lifestyle","slug":"making-walking-part-of-your-lifestyle","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","running-walking"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144643"}}],"content":[{"title":"Increasing the intensity of walking workouts","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>After your walking workouts begin showing results and you start losing weight, you&#8217;ll find yourself motivated to try to do more, and that&#8217;s great. You can safely increase the intensity of your workouts with just a few simple adjustments.</p>\n<h2>Increase your daily steps</h2>\n<p>A calorie burned is a calorie burned, no matter how you do it. By simply walking a few extra steps today than you did yesterday, you will burn a few more calories, helping you on your path to weight-loss success. The more steps you can fit in each day, the better.</p>\n<p class=\"Tip\">To help increase your steps, purchase a pedometer and wear it from the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed. Do this for three days to figure out how many steps, on average, you walk each day. Then aim to walk an additional 500 steps each day for a week. Once this goal is easily achieved, aim to add on another 500 steps each day.</p>\n<p>Keep doing this until you can walk 10,000 steps or more each day. Although it sounds simple, these steps really add up in a big way.</p>\n<h2>Increase your walking speed</h2>\n<p>Going for a daily walk is a great way to boost your health along with your weight-loss efforts. The longer you walk, the more calories you burn, which can help to promote faster weight loss.</p>\n<p>But maybe you have a tight schedule and can only walk for a short period of time each day. Not to worry! By increasing your speed when walking, you can cover a greater distance in the same period of time. This technique allows you to burn more calories per minute, which means you&#8217;ll achieve a faster rate of weight loss without having to increase the amount of time you spend exercising each day.</p>\n<h2>Increase your incline</h2>\n<p>Walking daily is a great form of exercise, but if you walk in the same way day after day, your body will become accustomed to your walk. This means that your muscles won’t have to work as hard to help you walk at the same speed or for the same distance. And when muscles aren’t challenged, you burn fewer calories and lose less weight. To prevent this problem, mixing up the way you walk is vital.</p>\n<p class=\"Tip\">One way to do this is by added an incline to your walk. If you walk outdoors, aim to walk uphill for part or all of your walk. If you walk indoors, add stairs or an incline on a treadmill to your walk to increase the intensity of your workout.</p>\n<p>When you walk on an incline, the muscles in your lower body along with your core have to work harder to propel you uphill. This extra work not only increases the amount of calories you burn each minute as you walk, but it also helps to tone and tighten muscles as well.</p>\n"},{"title":"Making walking part of your lifestyle","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Setting aside time each day to take a walk is a great start to losing weight and improving your health. But research has found individuals who set aside time to actually <i>workout</i> may end up being less active at the end of the day than their peers who lead an active lifestyle but don’t schedule in structured workouts.</p>\n<p>For the individuals who schedule workouts, the activity becomes a chore, and they find it hard to stay on track, especially if they are inactive for much of the day. If, however, you use walking as a way to stay active all day long, you don&#8217;t need to schedule chores to manage your weight and maintain your fitness.</p>\n<p class=\"Tip\">So to be as active as possible, make sure you incorporate walking as part of your lifestyle. Here are some ideas that can help:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Take the opportunity to fit in additional steps throughout the day whenever possible.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Stand and walk while talking on the phone.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Park in the furthest parking spot instead of the closest.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Take the stairs instead of the elevator.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Although all of these ideas seem simple, when you do them day after day, in combination with a structured walking workout, you can quickly and easily achieve your weight-loss goals and also keep the weight off for good.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-05-02T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207543},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:49:09+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-14T20:18:17+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:37+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34038"},"slug":"body-mind-spirit","categoryId":34038},{"name":"Physical Health & Well-Being","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34095"},"slug":"physical-health-well-being","categoryId":34095},{"name":"Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34166"},"slug":"exercise-movement","categoryId":34166},{"name":"General Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34379"},"slug":"general-exercise-movement","categoryId":34379}],"title":"Core Strength For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"core strength for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"core-strength-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to train your core with everyday objects to get better posture and stability and reduce back pain.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"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.","description":"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.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9251,"name":"LaReine Chabut","slug":"lareine-chabut","description":" <p>Larry Payne and Georg Feuerstein are the authors of Yoga All-In-One For Dummies, published by Wiley. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9251"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34379,"title":"General Exercise & Movement","slug":"general-exercise-movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34379"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":208848,"title":"Fitness For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"fitness-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/208848"}},{"articleId":206646,"title":"How to Do Chair Squats","slug":"how-to-do-chair-squats","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/206646"}},{"articleId":203282,"title":"How to Use the MyFitnessPal Food Diary","slug":"how-to-use-the-myfitnesspal-food-diary","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/203282"}},{"articleId":202264,"title":"How to Get Your Kids Out and Exercising","slug":"how-to-get-your-kids-out-and-exercising","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/202264"}},{"articleId":199846,"title":"Mastering Gym Etiquette","slug":"mastering-gym-etiquette","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/199846"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;general-exercise-movement&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b39c03f1\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;body-mind-spirit&quot;,&quot;physical-health-well-being&quot;,&quot;exercise-movement&quot;,&quot;general-exercise-movement&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b39c0ca2\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":164298,"title":"9 Ways to Train Your Core","slug":"9-ways-to-train-your-core","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/164298"}},{"articleId":164264,"title":"7 Household Items You Can Use to Improve Core Strength","slug":"7-household-items-you-can-use-to-improve-core-strength","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/164264"}}],"content":[{"title":"9 ways to train your core","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Here are nine fast and fun ways to shore up your core. You can do these exercises outdoors or with a partner to make them more interesting and fun.</p>\n<h2>Sit on an exercise ball</h2>\n<p>Here&#8217;s an amazing exercise you can do with your exercise ball without even trying. You won&#8217;t even break a sweat: Sit on your exercise ball instead of in your office chair for just one hour a day and you&#8217;ll get tighter abs and a stronger back. Just by sitting up straight and sucking in your tummy, you improve your core strength and your balance at the same time. To keep from falling off the ball, you have to keep your feet flat on the floor and pull your abs in tight. Because the ball is round, you can&#8217;t just plop yourself into it any old way like you can in a chair. You&#8217;re forced to strengthen your core.</p>\n<h2>Crunch with an exercise ball</h2>\n<p>Here&#8217;s an easy yet effective crunch: Grab an exercise ball and lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place the ball between your ankles and bring your upper body to your lower body, or bring your knees to your elbows. This crunch works both your upper and lower abs and is much easier to do than a conventional ball sit-up.</p>\n<h2>Do your cardio</h2>\n<p>The best prevention against tummy fat is to stay low in body fat. Doing 60 minutes of cardio exercise at least three times a week helps you maintain a low percentage of body fat, which in turn helps your six-pack peek through.</p>\n<p>Jumping rope for 5 to 10 minutes at a time does the trick (ever see a boxer with belly fat?) and also helps keep your joints flexible.</p>\n<p>Other great forms of cardio are running sprints, doing jumping jacks, or performing other activities that get your heart rate elevated and can be done consistently for at least 30 minutes. In fact, if a full 60 minutes, three days a week just doesn&#8217;t leave you enough time — try to work in 30 minutes of cardio a day, five days a week; you&#8217;ll get the same results.</p>\n<h2>Take a walk</h2>\n<p>If you want to banish belly fat and strengthen your core, but you hate rigorous exercise, take a walk every night after dinner. Walking is the best form of exercise for getting rid of belly fat and training your core (and you&#8217;ll enjoy your neighborhood at the same time). When you take long strides, you work all the muscles that support your stomach, back, and pelvis. Walking is easy, and you only need to do it 30 minutes a day, five days a week.</p>\n<h2>Ride a bike</h2>\n<p>When you&#8217;re cycling, you use your legs and your abdominals and back muscles to push the pedals. Perfect for core training! And you get the benefit of a cardio workout, which helps reduce belly fat.</p>\n<h2>Do a plank</h2>\n<p>The plank exercise is one of the best core-strengthening exercise. The plank position requires you to pull in your abs while you stay lifted in a push-up position with your glutes squeezed together and your back straight.</p>\n<p>The plank energizes your entire body. It&#8217;s used in all yoga sun salutations and other poses. It is also a Pilates-based exercise to help strengthen the core of the body. So next time you&#8217;re short on time, roll out of bed, drop down to the floor, and plank it!</p>\n<h2>Stretch</h2>\n<p>Any exercise that lengthens your core engages the muscles through stretching. Dancers tend to look long and lean because they have great posture. They achieve this by having strong abdominal and back muscles. It all works hand in hand — strong abs, strong back, and good posture. It&#8217;s all good!</p>\n<h2>Suck it in</h2>\n<p>In many cases, people just aren&#8217;t in the habit of pulling in their tummies and sucking it in! To suck in your stomach, pretend you&#8217;re tightening a belt around your waist as you&#8217;re standing or sitting tall throughout the day. This technique gives you a visual reminder and helps you keep your stomach muscles tight.</p>\n<h2>Twist it</h2>\n<p>Twisting your core helps define your waist by working the <i>obliques</i> muscles along your waist. Any exercise that twists your upper body requires strong abs and back muscles. Sports that use a twisting motion include golf and baseball. In both of them, you have to twist to hit the ball. Both sports engage the core and help develop the kind of strength you need to be a good player.</p>\n"},{"title":"7 household items you can use to improve core strength","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Your home is full of core-strengthening aids. What follows are seven common items you can use in your fitness routine. Now you <i>really</i> have no excuse not to stretch.</p>\n<h2>A chair</h2>\n<p>A chair can be a very useful and effective prop for exercising. To do a seated sit-up, sit in a chair and extend your arms out in front of you. Now rise to a standing position. Notice how you&#8217;re forced to use your core. Pause before sitting back down. Repeat 10 to 15 times. Don&#8217;t use a chair with wheels.</p>\n<h2>A beam or rafter</h2>\n<p>Just like in the movie <i>Rocky</i><i>,</i> you can hang from an open beam in your house or garage to do a pull-up. At first you&#8217;ll probably only be able to hold yourself up for a few seconds, but as your grip gets stronger, you&#8217;ll be able to chin-up or pull yourself up to really feel the strength in your core increasing.</p>\n<h2>A desk</h2>\n<p>Your desk can be an excellent prop for exercising. When you need to take a break from sitting in front of the computer, you don&#8217;t have to go very far to move some different muscles. Here&#8217;s how to do desk lunges:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Stand in front of your desk an arm&#8217;s length away and place both hands on top.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Lean into a lunge position so your right knee bends and your left leg is extended behind you.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Drop your left knee slowly to the floor as you tighten your stomach muscles to hold your body weight stable.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Inhale deeply as you press back up to a standing position, using your abs and back to keep you standing tall. Switch legs and repeat.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<h2>A doorway</h2>\n<p>A doorway is a great exercise prop because it&#8217;s both stable and large enough to have many different applications. Try this shoulder stretch:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Grab onto the molding over the top of the door with your fingertips.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Bend your knees slightly, but keep your feet on the floor until you feel a stretch in your abdominals and back muscles.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Grab onto the sides of the doorway and bend forward as if you were going to touch your toes.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<h2>Stairs</h2>\n<p>If you have stairs in your house, use them. When you&#8217;re done, stretch out your feet and legs with the following exercise:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Stand on the bottom step with only the ball (front) of your right foot pressed down as your left foot remains beside it. Inhale deeply.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Make sure you hold on to a railing or something stable to prevent you from falling.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">As you exhale, slowly lower your heel until you feel a comfortable stretch in your calf.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Hold the stretch for 10 to 15 seconds.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Try to gently drop your heel a little lower until you feel a deeper stretch in your calf.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Repeat the stretch on your other leg.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n<p class=\"Tip\">An excellent variation to help you stretch your calf more deeply is to slightly bend the knee of the leg you&#8217;re stretching. You should feel a difference at the base of your calf.</p>\n<h2>A wall</h2>\n<p>You can use a wall to support any stretch. It&#8217;s smooth and wide and because a wall is adjacent to the floor, you have two firm, stable sources of support. You can do push-ups using the wall, too. The exercise is easier when you use the wall, but it&#8217;s just as effective at toning your core, and it&#8217;s especially good for strengthening your back.</p>\n<h2>A book</h2>\n<p>Sit on a big book to lift your hips off the floor just enough to take away some of the stress and strain of a tight lower back. When you don&#8217;t feel that strain anymore, you can stretch forward to grasp your toes and focus on pulling your belly button to your spine without rounding your back.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Solve","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-14T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207910},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T23:04:28+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-14T19:07:12+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:37+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34038"},"slug":"body-mind-spirit","categoryId":34038},{"name":"Physical Health & Well-Being","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34095"},"slug":"physical-health-well-being","categoryId":34095},{"name":"Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34166"},"slug":"exercise-movement","categoryId":34166},{"name":"General Exercise & Movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34379"},"slug":"general-exercise-movement","categoryId":34379}],"title":"How to Get Your Kids Out and Exercising","strippedTitle":"how to get your kids out and exercising","slug":"how-to-get-your-kids-out-and-exercising","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Discover some fun ways to incorporate physical activity into your child's (and the whole family's) daily life.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"<p class=\"ReviewDate\">Upping your child's physical activity helps develop coordination and self-confidence. Diet and exercise habits that start now are more likely to follow your child into adulthood. Get the whole family involved in physical activity.</p>\r\n<p class=\"Remember\">Some activities may be difficult if your child is larger. Their size may make movement difficult, which, in turn can make them feel embarrassed, despite your best efforts. One of the reasons many adults don’t like to exercise is because as children they were made to work out as a form of discipline. But you can keep exercise fun. Studies show that the exercise habits made in youth are the habits you’re most likely to keep as you become an adult. Try some of these ideas.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Take walks together after dinner.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Plan nature walks, hikes, and canoe trips for the whole family.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Encourage your child to join school or community athletic programs — but only if they enjoy the activity. If it’s not fun, the child won’t do it, and it won’t engender lifelong habits. Volunteer to coach or, at the very least, go to games and practice sessions.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Take up sports that the whole family can do, such as inline skating, cross-country or downhill skiing, and backpacking.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Measure your steps on a fitness app or smart fitness device. It’s a tangible way to promote and encourage physical activity.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Get a rope and start jumping. Stage a family tournament.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Encourage children to ride bikes and swim at an early age, and show them how. Dust off your bike, too; put on your suit and get into the pool with your kids.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Turn off the TV. Better yet, unplug it. And limit phone and video game time.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Ask your child what they liked best about doing a favorite activity. You may be surprised to find out that you’re the draw. Exercise can provide a focused opportunity for conversation between the two of you.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"<p class=\"ReviewDate\">Upping your child's physical activity helps develop coordination and self-confidence. Diet and exercise habits that start now are more likely to follow your child into adulthood. Get the whole family involved in physical activity.</p>\r\n<p class=\"Remember\">Some activities may be difficult if your child is larger. Their size may make movement difficult, which, in turn can make them feel embarrassed, despite your best efforts. One of the reasons many adults don’t like to exercise is because as children they were made to work out as a form of discipline. But you can keep exercise fun. Studies show that the exercise habits made in youth are the habits you’re most likely to keep as you become an adult. Try some of these ideas.</p>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Take walks together after dinner.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Plan nature walks, hikes, and canoe trips for the whole family.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Encourage your child to join school or community athletic programs — but only if they enjoy the activity. If it’s not fun, the child won’t do it, and it won’t engender lifelong habits. Volunteer to coach or, at the very least, go to games and practice sessions.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Take up sports that the whole family can do, such as inline skating, cross-country or downhill skiing, and backpacking.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Measure your steps on a fitness app or smart fitness device. It’s a tangible way to promote and encourage physical activity.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Get a rope and start jumping. Stage a family tournament.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Encourage children to ride bikes and swim at an early age, and show them how. Dust off your bike, too; put on your suit and get into the pool with your kids.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Turn off the TV. Better yet, unplug it. And limit phone and video game time.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Ask your child what they liked best about doing a favorite activity. You may be surprised to find out that you’re the draw. Exercise can provide a focused opportunity for conversation between the two of you.</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9579,"name":"Jane Kirby","slug":"jane-kirby","description":" Jane Kirby, RD is a registered dietitian and member of the American Dietetic Association. She is the food and nutrition editor of <i>Real Simple</i> magazine and owner of The Vermont Cooking School, Inc<small><sup>TM</sup></small>&#160;in Charlotte, Vermont. Jane is the former editor of <i>Eating Well</i> magazine and the food and nuitrition editor for <i>Glamour</i>. She served on the dietetics staff of the Massachusettes General Hospital in Boston, where she&#160; completed graduate work in nutrition. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Marymount College.<br /> <p>The American Dietetic Association is the world&#8217;s largest group of nutrition and health professionals. As an advocate of the profession, the ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health, and well-being.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9579"}},{"authorId":9580,"name":"The American Dietetic Association (ADA)","slug":"the-american-dietetic-association","description":"The American Dietetic Association is the world’s largest group of nutrition and health professionals. The ADA serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health, and well-being.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9580"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34379,"title":"General Exercise & Movement","slug":"general-exercise-movement","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34379"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":208848,"title":"Fitness For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"fitness-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["body-mind-spirit","physical-health-well-being","exercise-movement","general-exercise-movement"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/208848"}},{"articleId":207910,"title":"Core Strength For Dummies Cheat 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Exercise & Movement Articles

Hold still while you read these articles on cardio, strength training, yoga, and (almost) every other fitness activity known to man. Then get moving!

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Yoga Yoga For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-08-2023

Yoga is an ancient practice that still provides numerous benefits today to the people who practice it regularly. Some people are scared off by certain myths they’ve heard about Yoga, but in truth, there’s no reason why anyone can’t and shouldn’t practice it. If you’re new to Yoga, finding a class and a teacher that fits your needs is crucial. After that, you need to make sure you’re doing all you can to make your Yoga practice as successful and beneficial as it can be.

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Pilates Stretching the Spine with Pilates

Article / Updated 02-27-2023

If you've ever watched a cat, be it a house cat or a jaguar, you may have been intrigued by the cat's incredible agility and resilience. How does a cat jump from high places and land with little impact? How can a cat fit into spaces that seem way too small for it? How does a cat balance on the slimmest edge with the greatest of ease? Pilates might not give you the answer to these questions, but if you want to be more like a cat and gain the flexibility, grace, balance, and strength of a cat, Pilates is the way to go. Myth has it that Joe Pilates was obsessed with the movement of animals and used them as models when developing exercises. The following exercises use the cat as a model and are meant to stretch the spine. You may notice that the word sexy comes up in this article. Face it — having a flexible spine is sexy, and certain movements of the spine are downright sexy! These stretching exercises are not considered part of classic Pilates, but they're great for everyone. This is where you can get a little creative. Add in these exercises at any point during your day or during your workout when you feel you need to stretch out your spine. If you wake up in the morning with a stiff back or neck, spend a couple minutes doing one or two of the cat stretches. Basic Cat (beginning level) The Basic Cat is one of the gentlest and simplest ways to stretch out the back. You see cats making this movement in the morning when they wake, and you can do it too! Getting set To begin, get on all fours. Align your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Allow your back to assume its natural position, in Neutral Spine (See image a below). The exercise Inhale: Arch your back slightly, allowing your head to rise and your butt to stick up and out (See image b below). Exhale: Pull your navel in toward your spine and squeeze your butt. You begin with a Lumbar C Curve, meaning that your lower back is curved like a C, then continue rounding into the upper back. Finally, allow the head to slowly drop forward. At this point, your whole spine should be making a C shape (See image c below). Your back should be rounded to the greatest extent possible. Push your arms into the mat for extra resistance while stretching the upper back. Keep your abdominals and rib cage pulled in. Think of using this pulling action to stretch through your whole spine. Think of pulling your tail between your legs and rounding your back into a Halloween kitty pose. Inhale: Return to Neutral Spine, then go further into the arch, sticking your tail and head upward. Complete four repetitions. Dos and don'ts Do go for the fullest stretch in each direction. Don't hunch your shoulders. Let them relax down away from your ears. Sexy Cat The Sexy Cat is a modification of the Basic Cat and requires a bit more coordination. Because you spiral the hips and spine, this stretch is three-dimensional and loosens up more areas of tightness than the Basic Cat. Start by doing one Basic Cat to get the flow of the spine arching and contracting. Then add a spiral in one direction with your hips, and in the opposite direction with your head and neck. Imagine the tailbone inscribing a full circle on the wall behind you in one direction, and the crown of your head inscribing a full circle on the wall in front of you in the other direction Complete four repetitions and then reverse the direction of the spiral for four more repetitions.

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Pilates Easing Your Back Pain with Pilates

Article / Updated 02-27-2023

Most of the Pilates mat exercises strengthen the muscles necessary to properly support the spine and bring an awareness about what proper posture actually is. It's not enough just to do Pilates mat exercises; if you want to improve your posture and heal your back pain, you must incorporate Pilates into your daily life. You must translate the Neutral Spine, the feeling of length, and the Abdominal Scoop into your desk job. If you can incorporate the deeper Pilates concepts into your daily life, you'll notice changes immediately — in your back pain, in your posture, and in your sense of well-being. Most back pain is due to faulty posture — the posture in which you probably spend most of your days. Do you sit at a desk and stare straight ahead? Unfortunately, most people do, and they find it very difficult to sit up with proper posture for eight hours at a time. It becomes a vicious cycle: First you sit for long periods of time in a way that doesn't properly support the spine (generally, in a slightly hunched-over position). Then you lose strength in your postural muscles by not using them day after day, and then you can't sit up properly even if you wanted to because you've lost strength! What to do? Well, guess what? Pilates! Understanding the common causes of lower back pain Again, most back pain is a result of bad posture when sitting, standing, or walking. The main things to remember to prevent bad posture are to sit and stand up tall, keep your belly pulled in, and keep your shoulder blades pulling down your back. When you find your correct posture, you should feel the ease it creates in your whole back. You may need to slowly work up to sitting properly for long periods of time. Even your postural muscles need to get in shape. But the more awareness you have, the better you will feel. If you stand a lot, think of keeping your knees soft; don't lock them. Try to keep even weight on both legs. Keep your belly pulled in. But bad posture isn't the only culprit. A sedentary lifestyle is also often to blame. Let's face it: People just weren't meant to sit at a computer monitor for eight hours a day — or to sit on a chair at all, for that matter. Sitting isn't easy on your back. If you think about it, when you sit in a chair, the back muscles have to work all the time to keep you upright. Your legs are not able to help out at all. Furthermore, staying in one position doesn't promote good circulation and muscle tone. Break up your work day by getting up regularly from your chair and stretching out, going for a walk, or doing a Pilates series, if you can. Avoiding loaded flexion Most construction workers have terrible backs by the time they're 40, because they spend much of their day bending over and lifting up heavy objects. Even if you maintain perfect alignment when lifting, you can't avoid loading the spine in flexion if you're installing a floor, say, or doing much of anything below the waist. Flexion is the rounding forward of the spine when standing or sitting, or what your spine does when rolling up in a sit up. Loaded means . . . well, loaded. An example of loading the spine in flexion is the Rolling Down the Wall exercise if you have free weights in your hands. As you roll forward, the weight of your head, body, and the free weights is dropping down. The muscles and ligaments of the back are supporting that weight. Another example of loaded flexion is the Hip-Up exercise. As you lift your hips, the weight of the butt and legs is now on your back. If you roll back too far, the weight of your whole body will be on your neck. The neck is especially vulnerable to having too much load because it is made up of small, fragile vertebrae that are not meant to hold up anything but your head when standing. When you get very strong in your core, your spine can support more weight without being traumatized. Flexion is the movement of the spine that most damages the structures of the spine; especially the intervertebral discs and the ligaments of the back. If you feel uncomfortable when doing flexion exercises; don't do them! Instead, do all the exercises that don't bother your back, and come back to the others when you have more strength. To avoid loaded flexion, use proper body mechanics when bending over and lifting: Keep a Neutral Spine. You can just think of keeping the spine straight. Don't round the back forward (flexion) Bend your knees; and if you're lifting something, use your leg muscles not your back! Keep your Abdominal Scoop by pulling your navel in toward your spine. Doing so helps support the back. Being your own guide A well-known doctor named Robin McKenzie wrote a book called Treat Your Own Back, which revolutionized the way the rehabilitation profession viewed back pain. Basically, the book describes a program where you experiment and find out what movements exacerbate your back pain, and what movements and positions alleviate your back pain. Then you do the things that make you feel better. It sounds so fabulously simple and it works. You can follow the same principles when doing Pilates. When trying a new exercise, see if the movement makes your back pain worse or better. Use this information to heal yourself. For instance, if you find that flexion (rounding the spine forward), like in Spine Stretch Forward, makes your back feel great, then you can proceed with all the flexion exercises with a fair bit of confidence. In that case, exercises that do the opposite movement, extension (arching the back), as in the Rising Swan, may make your back hurt. If this is so, avoid all exercises that extend the back. The act of twisting may be the source of the problem, or it could be twisting in just one direction. Take note of what hurts and apply this information to your workout. When you're in pain, you must be very mindful when trying out new exercises. Talk to your doctor first to make sure you don't have any serious injury, and then go to a trained Pilates instructor if you are worried about hurting yourself.

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Pilates Pilates For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 12-19-2022

Pilates has become one of the most popular fitness systems in the world. The Pilates method works to strengthen the center, lengthen the spine, build muscle tone and increase body awareness and flexibility. This Cheat Sheet summarizes what you need to get started in Pilates and includes lists of exercises, from fundamental to advanced.

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Yoga Chair Yoga For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 10-21-2022

Most people think of yoga as something you do exclusively on a mat. But using chairs as props has been part of yoga for many years. You can experience so much of what yoga has to offer right from your chair without any other equipment.

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General Exercise & Movement What Is CrossFit?

Article / Updated 07-28-2022

CrossFit, in its simplest definition, is a fitness routine that personal trainer Greg Glassman developed over several years in the mid- to late-1990s. CrossFit is designed to improve your overall physical abilities, including your endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, coordination, balance, and more. But CrossFit is also a few more things — it's an exercise philosophy, a competitive sport, a corporation, and a community. You can't find a CrossFit class in just any gym you step into, CrossFit is offered only by gyms that undergo special certification by CrossFit, Inc. to become CrossFit-affiliated. CrossFit workouts typically include a combination of elements from other exercise styles, including high-intensity interval training, gymnastics, weightlifting, calisthenics, powerlifting, and strongman competitions. The "CrossFit community" is a key part of the overall philosophy of CrossFit — members of the same class typically become close by sharing fitness goals with one another, pushing each other to break personal records and overcome fitness plateaus, and praising each other for reaching milestones. CrossFit is a scalable workout that's accessible to everyone. The stereotype about a CrossFit class is that it's full of the kind of chest-pounding, lifelong athletes who scale mountains or jog from St. Louis to Albuquerque just for fun. In reality, that same class may have a 60-year-old grandmother who's just completed the first pull up of her life. The intensity of each exercise can be customized to suit the lifestyle and fitness level of every class member. Many CrossFit trainers (often called coaches) see themselves as part of a new movement in fitness that rejects some longstanding and conventional fitness wisdom. For example, a regular personal trainer may have you repeat a movement with a dumbbell 10 or 15 times, but a CrossFit Coach could ask you to keep going to exhaustion — until you simply can't perform the movement again. Most CrossFit coaches also encourage their students to follow CrossFit, Inc.'s nutrition recommendations, including a Paleo diet. The structure of CrossFit To become a CrossFit affiliate, a gym's personal trainers must complete a standard two-day course and a variety of additional seminars on topics like gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, endurance training, kettlebells, self-defense, rowing, and more. Once this training is complete, CrossFit, Inc. licenses the CrossFit name to the gym for an annual fee and certifies the trainers. Each CrossFit gym is then free to develop its own exercise classes and pricing. What a CrossFit workout looks like A typical CrossFit workout will involve various equipment from other workouts, including Barbells Dumbbells Kettlebells Gymnastic rings Jump ropes Medicine balls Resistance bands Rowing machines Squat machines Abdominal mats Pull up bars Additionally, a CrossFit class may incorporate some less conventional fitness equipment, including Ropes, for climbing Boxes, for performing jumps Tractor tires, for flipping Each class is led by a certified CrossFit instructor, called a coach, and the gym is called a Box (CrossFit has its own language). CrossFit classes usually last one hour and include a warm up, a skill session, an explanation and example of the Workout of the Day (WOD, in CrossFit lingo), and the actual workout. Some of the exercises you can expect to do in a CrossFit class include Push ups Pull ups Squats, with and without a barbell Bench press Deadlifts Farmer's carry, where you pick up some heavy object and walk with it as far as you can Box jumps, where stand in front of a secured box or platform, jump onto the box, and immediately back down to the floor Back extension Toes-to-bar, where you hang from an overhead bar (or pull up bar) and bring your toes up to touch the bar Kettlebell swing

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Cardio Running Your Way to Fitness

Article / Updated 05-06-2022

Like walking, running provides a fitness workout that you can take with you anywhere. You can work up a great sweat, burn lots of calories, and your muscles feel invigorated after you finish. You don’t need a rack on your car or a suitcase full of equipment; you just open the door and go. No single type of exercise is better than all the rest. It’s merely a question of what’s best for you. Many runners develop frequent, chronic injuries. Many people have joints that simply will not tolerate all that pounding. If you’re not built to run, don’t argue with your body. You can get in great condition in other ways. And if you’re a beginner, hold off on running until you’ve built up stamina and strength. Running the right way Runners have a habit of looking directly at the ground, almost as if they can’t bear to see what’s coming next. Keeping your head down throws your upper-body posture off-kilter and can lead to upper-back and neck pain. Lift your head and focus your eyes straight ahead. Relax your shoulders, keep your chest lifted, and pull your abdominal muscles in tightly. Don’t overarch your back and stick your butt out; that’s one of the main reasons runners get back and hip pain. Keep your arms close to your body, and swing them forward and back rather than across your body. Don’t clench your fists. Pretend you’re holding a butterfly in each hand; you don’t want your butterflies to escape, but you don’t want to crush them, either. Lift your front knee and extend your back leg. Don’t shuffle along like you’re wearing cement boots. Land heel first and roll through the entire length of your foot. Push off from the balls of your feet instead of running flat-footed and pounding off your heels. Otherwise, your feet and legs are going to cry uncle long before your cardiovascular system does. If you experience pain in your ankles, knees, or lower back, stop running for a while. If you don’t, you could end up having to sit on the sidelines for months. Running tips for rookies These tips help you get fit and avoid injury. Start by alternating periods of walking with periods of running. For example, try two minutes of walking and one minute of running. Gradually decrease your walking intervals until you can run continuously for 20 minutes. If you have the inclination, you can build from there. Of course, sticking with a walk-run routine is fine; you’re less likely to injure yourself that way. Vary your pace. Different paces work your heart, lungs, and legs in different ways. Always run against traffic when running on the shoulder of a road. This allows you to see oncoming cars and dive for the side of the road, if necessary. If you’re running on steeply banked (angled away from the center line) country roads and the road is flat, you can run in the middle of the road to save wear and tear on your legs. But as you head up or down hills, get as far over on the shoulder (that is, away from the road) as possible to avoid speeding cars mowing you down. Consider carrying a lightweight cell phone for emergencies. Don’t increase your mileage by more than 10 percent a week. If you run 5 miles a week and want to increase, aim to do 5 1/2 miles the following week. Jumping from 5 miles to 6 miles doesn’t sound like a big deal, but studies show that if you increase your mileage more than 10 percent, you set yourself up for injury.

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Running & Walking Walking the Weight Off For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-02-2022

It may sound too good to be true, but losing weight doesn’t have to be complicated. One of the simplest ways to lose weight is by just walking, something you already do each and every day. Anyone can do it, almost anywhere, and at any time. Just get up and start putting one foot in front of the other, and you are well on your way to achieving your weight-loss goals.

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General Exercise & Movement Core Strength For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-14-2022

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.

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General Exercise & Movement How to Get Your Kids Out and Exercising

Article / Updated 04-14-2022

Upping your child's physical activity helps develop coordination and self-confidence. Diet and exercise habits that start now are more likely to follow your child into adulthood. Get the whole family involved in physical activity. Some activities may be difficult if your child is larger. Their size may make movement difficult, which, in turn can make them feel embarrassed, despite your best efforts. One of the reasons many adults don’t like to exercise is because as children they were made to work out as a form of discipline. But you can keep exercise fun. Studies show that the exercise habits made in youth are the habits you’re most likely to keep as you become an adult. Try some of these ideas. Take walks together after dinner. Plan nature walks, hikes, and canoe trips for the whole family. Encourage your child to join school or community athletic programs — but only if they enjoy the activity. If it’s not fun, the child won’t do it, and it won’t engender lifelong habits. Volunteer to coach or, at the very least, go to games and practice sessions. Take up sports that the whole family can do, such as inline skating, cross-country or downhill skiing, and backpacking. Measure your steps on a fitness app or smart fitness device. It’s a tangible way to promote and encourage physical activity. Get a rope and start jumping. Stage a family tournament. Encourage children to ride bikes and swim at an early age, and show them how. Dust off your bike, too; put on your suit and get into the pool with your kids. Turn off the TV. Better yet, unplug it. And limit phone and video game time. Ask your child what they liked best about doing a favorite activity. You may be surprised to find out that you’re the draw. Exercise can provide a focused opportunity for conversation between the two of you.

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