The summer holidays are in full swing – we should all be in the circus with the amount of juggling we do over the summer months…! If you are struggling to find time to fit in your classes or longer routines we’ve put together some easy to follow and super effective exercises if done regularly. It’s 10 minutes in the morning – keep strong, keep focussed and keep at it! Maybe get the children doing it too!
- Pelvic tilts, using your stomach area to make the movement, rather than your glutes.If you are stronger, move each vertebra slowly up into a bridge. For more challenge, lift alternate heels three times while in bridge before travelling back down
- Perform each tilt or bridge 5 times
- Abdominal curls, which involve only bringing your head and shoulders off the floor by a couple of inches, if you have no weakness in your neck. Move slowly through the curls
- Repeat 5-10 times
- Single leg knee floats, which engage the pelvic floor and stabilise the pelvis.These work by lying down with knees bent at 45 degrees, then lifting each slowly in turn to 90 degrees. Stronger clients can start with both legs at 90 degrees and straighten each to the floor in turn
- Perform each exercise 10 times
- Tricep dips, using the kitchen countertop or a windowsill! Stand around two feet away from the surface, making sure your arms and legs are straight. Bend your arms at the elbow, and tuck the elbows back into your waist. You should feel fatigue in the triceps after a short time and stretch your calves at the same time!
- Time yourself for one minute
- The dart, which is done lying on your front on the floor. Place your arms by your sides, palms facing the ceiling. Engage your core and lift your head, neck and the top of your upper body, whilst rotating your shoulder joints to their full range. You’ll finish with your palms to face the floor at the end of each exercise. Lower your body and de-rotate your shoulders.
- Repeat five times
- Carry out your preferred hamstring, glute and quad stretches, on each leg, holding each stretch for at least 30 seconds. More experienced clients can progressively increase the stretch for another 15 seconds – and remember to breathe!
- Hip rolls, lying on your back either with your feet together on the floor. If you have the strength, this can also be performed in ‘table top’, with legs raised at 45 degrees. Remember to take your head in the opposite direction from your legs
- Repeat three times in each direction
- Finish with a roll downfrom standing straight through to the floor and back again.If you have any back issues, roll down and up from a sitting position
- Do three of these and then that’s it!
Make sure you’re on a mat or a soft surface and support your head with a cushion. Please don’t continue with exercise if something just doesn’t ‘feel right’.
Our studio is open as usual over August – book here
