Spine
A little late to July but was inspired to write a little bit about the spine. The spine does so much for us, but we neglect it way too much. As the saying goes, “you don’t use it; you lose it!” We never think about working the spine until it is too late.
The spine is designed to move in different directions. Joseph Pilates said, “You are only as young as your spine is flexible.” If you can’t move your spine, the whole body is going to suffer. I could write a whole anatomy book regarding the spine, but that has already been done. Real quick, the spine is the “central axis of the body.” The spine supports the head, thorax and pelvis, plus, it supports the weight of the body and absorbs shock which helps protect the spinal cord.** Makes you think about your spine a little bit more. (Stop hunching over your phone to read this!)
Movements of the spine include:
Lateral flexion
Extension
Flexion
Rotation
All these movements help with so many daily activities such as unloading a dishwasher, turning around to see your child or pet in the car, picking something off the floor and reaching overhead for that cup in the cupboard. The great news is that a lot of the movements working the core are also going to translate to spine exercises such as ab curls like the 100s, side overs on the short box or some single arm work with rotation. With a healthy spine, you will discover that your core will be strong. When I stopped focusing only on the core and added more spinal movement to my personal practice I saw amazing results with my core strength and how they looked was a bonus too. Pilates makes sure that all the movements of the spine are included with all of your training. We can even work around if you have bulging discs, scoliosis, and/or arthritis. We provide programs that can help you with more mobility and strength or maybe you need more stabilization.
Here are some at home exercises to help strengthen and mobilize your spine.
Cat/Cow- flexion and extension
Ab curls- flexion
Swan/ Cobra- extension
Seated side stretch or Mermaid- lateral flexion
Seated Twist- rotation
Stability- Bird dog. Personal favorite because it works the front and back of the body.
Bonus: You can take a lot of these exercises to a standing position too. Start incorporating these little movements into your practice at the gym or home.
**Balanced Body Movement Principles p. 54