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Don’t train longer & harder over 50!

Day One…

Do you spend time each week taking care of your feet?

You’re probably not alone if you’ve said “ummmmm no!” But your hard-working feet do a tough job everyday….with not much rest time!

• Pushed into spongy training shoes where they get to sweat and strain.
• Then crammed into fabulous heels during the day.
• Then home to questionably fitted slippers or slip-ons!

Shoes give you ankle stability, comfort and support when you’re running or walking.  But constantly immobilising or constricting your foot and ankle in a shoe, restricts the natural movement of your foot.

Which means certain muscles weaken….leading to muscle imbalances and niggling injuries.  All over your body!

If you’ve been lucky enough to have an amazing reflexology session, you’ll understand how incredible you feel mentally and physically afterwards. There’s a lot to work on in those feet of yours…

• 28 bones
• 30 joints
• AND 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments

All those bones, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments in your foot work together to improve your posture and balance.  AND to help get you from A to B smoothly!

The trigger points that are in your feet, relate to all the different areas of your whole body. So releasing your feet daily has a big impact on how your body moves and feels for the next 24 hrs.

PLUS loss of oestrogen after 50, affects the elasticity of that thick band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the toes.  Causing the dreaded and painful Plantar Fasciitis!

If you’re dealing with pain and soreness in your body, there’s NO way you’re going to get results from your workouts.

So I hope you can see it’s NOT optional to ignore your feet over 50!  If you want to get the best out of your body and get strong, toned muscles, show them some love every day.  You’ll be ‘wowed’ about how much freer you feel and move!

Your FEET – The Foundation!

Ok…lets get started with the first video.  These videos are short & sweet with habits you can take on board now…

What you need:

Pilates ball…maybe!

Release The Tension In Your Feet…

Make sure you watch the above video first….

This is the age of achy feet!  Trust me I know ALL about it!  Your hormone levels (particularly oestrogen) affect the flexibility in your feet.  In particular the muscles at the bottom of your feet…..which annoyingly cause plantar fasciitis.  Urgh!  I’ve had so many issues with this and now feel like I’m the Plantar Fasciitis fixer!

I’ve recently added a Foot & Fascia Release Program to ZenStrength.  This program of foot relief exercises has worked brilliantly for me, so I wanted to share them with the current ‘Zen Women’.

Your feet house all the nerve endings for EVERY part of your body.  So if they’re not happy…..your body’s not going to be……and you’re not going to be!

Accept what’s happening…..then you can deal with it.  Watch this video and do this daily….

What you need:

Spiky Ball or Hard Massage Ball

Get Help From Your Yoga Mat…

If you’ve been following me for awhile you’ll know this one.  But have you done it yet?

I learnt this tip at an Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training I did many years ago.  I always loved Iyengar Yoga for the precision in movements.   And for the wise sense of props they used, for our stubborn western body structures!

This tip is so simple.  And will take you a few minutes to do.  So PLEASE do it!  It’ll make your training better and give you a deeper understanding of how to position your body correctly from your foundation…your FEET!

What you need:

Builders Measuring Tape

Permanent Marker

Day Two –

Don’t train longer & harder over 50!

Don’t feel like reading this?  Then scroll down and watch the video below…

The biggest muscle group in your body!

Your glutes (butt, derriere – whatever you like to call it) form part of your CORE muscles.  They play a big role in how you move, sit, stand and your posture.  AND whether or not you end up with lots of nagging knee, hip and back issues!

Genetics and ageing play a part in having ‘flat butt’ issues.  Your genes determine the general shape of your butt and ageing depletes the fullness and strength in it!

When you’re in your ‘child bearing years’ your oestrogen levels help you store fat in your butt.  Giving it a perky full appearance!  As you age the hormonal changes of menopause causes lower levels of oestrogen.  Which takes that lovely full strong, butt away!

There are 3 parts to your GLUTE muscle group…

• Gluteus maximus – the meaty part of your butt…at the back.
• Gluteus medius – the side muscles of your butt (higher up)…they have a fan-like shape.
• Gluteus minimus – the deepest and smallest of the muscles (slightly lower than the gluteus medius above) and similar in shape and function.

They all play an important role.  So it makes sense to target all 3 parts when you do glute work in your exercise routine.

We ALL sit too much! 

It’s the ‘staring at a screen’ world we live in.  Which probably won’t be changing anytime soon!  This endless sitting causes your hip flexor muscles (at the top and front of your leg) to tighten.   And your glute muscles to lengthen and weaken.  Giving you sleepy butt muscles!

Starting to slouch? Look to your glutes!  These 3 glute muscle groups work with your brain to give you the power to hold your body up, as gravity naturally tries to pull it the other way!

They’re the protectors of your hip joint. Without that protection your hip is in for a whole lot of achy, grinding times ahead!

They support your pelvis.  If they’re weak and not firing up your pelvic floor is affected.

So if you’ve got….

• a stiff sore lower back…
• niggling achy knees…
• pelvic floor issues…
• ongoing neck and shoulder tightness…

…look to your glutes!

But you don’t want these glute muscles ‘gripping’ all the time.  That just creates more tension in your body.  And this age is all about releasing the tension caused by our whacky hormone levels!

You want to train your glute muscles to ‘switch on & switch off’ as needed.  And it’s all about the way you exercise them and the movements you use.

Butt Booster Sequence!

Doing isolated repetitive exercises for each body part can get BORING!  Well it does for me.  I like flowing and moving in my exercise routine.  Lengthening my body whilst working on targeted muscle groups.  So you get the strengthening AND lengthening together in one workout!

Dynamic movements are the way to train to lengthen your muscles.  And get your muscles, particularly your glutes, switching on and off as needed.

Dynamic movements stop your joints from becoming sticky!   And keep your mind and body challenged in your workouts.  Try out this Butt Boosting flow routine…

What you need:

Broom handle or sturdy stick

Day Three –

Don’t train longer & harder over 50!

Today it’s all about…

Your Transverse Abdominus

(Your TA Muscle) 

The most important muscle in your core is your TA (Transverse Abdominus).  This flat-sheet type muscle runs behind your other abdominal muscles.  It adds strength and flexibility to your core & supports your spine.  So you can bend and twist with ease.

It’s THE most overlooked muscle in your abdominal wall!  When this TA muscle is strong it makes YOU strong!  All over!

Your other abdominal muscles all play a part but are somewhat aesthetic.  The TA is hidden but has a bigger impact.  If this muscle is weak…but your outer (more visual) abdominal muscles are strong…you’re in for a whole lot of back, postural and pelvic floor issues!

The TA has a direct connection to your pelvic floor.  If your TA muscle is strong and switching on and off as needed, your pelvic floor is happy.  And at this age who doesn’t want a happy pelvic floor!

Every muscle in your body is connected.  So look at your body as a whole.  A weakness in one area can easily have an effect on the complete opposite end of your body!

Lower Ab Check!

Training Tip:

Don’t use your butt muscles with this exercise.  Keep them relaxed.  So no lifting of your hips.  Make the effort come from the drawing up on your pelvic floor and the drawing down on your belly button.  And BREATHE!

Switch On Your Deep Ab Muscles!

This exercise gets into your DEEP ab muscle.  Your TA (Transverse Abdominus).  The most important muscle in your abdominal wall.  The one that helps support your spine and lengthen your posture.  This exercise and variations are fun!

Plus you can play around with this exercise while you watch telly!

What you need:

A fit-ball.  Don’t have one?  Watch this anyway….it might inspire you to get one!  OR you could try this at the gym.

And for the variation exercise…..a Dura-Disc.

If you spend a lot of time sitting at a desk…sit on your fit ball. For an hour or two a day.  No longer.  It’s the perfect way to get your deep abdominal muscles switching on and off as needed.  In effect training your body without knowing it!

Test Your Core Strength!

I’m not a fan of timing the ‘plank’ to test your core strength.  It teaches you to have your ab muscles pulled in and switched on for longer periods.  Which creates tension in the body.  And this is what we’re trying to avoid over 50!

These two variations are far more challenging.  Plus they teach you how to switch your core muscles on and off as needed.  So that you’re not in the ‘gripping’ phase all the time. 

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ZenStrength!

Ends 27th January!

A few minutes to let you know about ZenStrength and how it works!  I’m excited to share this body-shaping program with you!

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