Spandex or Not: Mini Mat Series - Quick Work Out To Try on Vacation

Everyone tends to go on vacation this time of year. Try a few Pilates exercises to spice up your holiday work out. Maybe use this to help center yourself during the craziness of Thanksgiving. I hope this helps!

Start Position:

Lay on your back, knees bent feet flat, hands by your sides palms up.

Breathe deep, in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Do a body scan and let each part of your body get heavy. First the head, widen the collar, the upper back, mid back, lower back, the bum and all the way through to the tips of your toes.

Pelvic Rocking: Bum stays heavy on the mat throughout this exercise.

Start by imprinting your back, flatten it onto the mat by tucking your tail and pointing your pubic bone upwards. Your waist band should get heavy.

Then let your waist band come off the mat by rocking your pubic bone down towards the mat, slightly arching the back.

Start to engage your abdominals to make these movements even smaller. Only arch to the point where the ribs maintain a connection, and draw your belly button in to flatten your back.

Find a neutral place between these two extremes where you don't feel like you are arching your back and you don't feel like you are forcing your back onto the mat.

Remember this position for the rest of class.

First Exercise

Toe Taps:

Let the collar bone widen on the mat and reach your finger tips towards your heels.
Exhale one knee into table top.

There are two bony landmarks called your ASIS otherwise known as our hip bones. It is important to keep these in perfect alignment throughout the exercise.

Keeping the same degree of knee bend inhale as you lower the knee towards the mat while maintaining your neutral. It is okay not to actually touch the floor. Try to maintain a flat back throughout this exercise, drawing the belly button in and up and keeping the ribcage closed. 6-8 reps
For an added challenge, continue another 4-6 reps by curling up the head neck and shoulders**

Repeat Other side.

**Proper Abdominal Curl:

Hands behind the head, head heavy in the hands. Start the movement by drawing your lowest abdominals away from your t-shirt
Now let your ribs slide towards your hips maintaining a neutral pelvis
Let the head and shoulders follow, the chin stays in line with your collar, head pushing back into your hands and hands pushing into your head. Eyes gaze on your knees.

Marching

Exhale both knees into table top
Keeping the inner thighs engaged, let one leg drop down to the mat maintaining a flat back and the 90 degree angle with your knee.
Exhale to pull the knee back to table top.
Repeat with an abdominal curl

Hundreds:

Bring Both knees to table top and arms straight to the sky by your chest

Engage your arm-pits like you have $100 bill under each one (this will activate your transverse abdominals).
Press your palms to the mat as you perform a proper abdominal curl (belly button up and in then slide the ribs to the hips)

Maintain everything else stable while your arms pump vigorously, like you are splashing water. Continue to engage your abdominals. (For an added challenge extend the legs long)
Inhale for 5 counts and exhale for 5 counts. Each exhale keep scooping the lowest abdominals away from your t-shirt. On the inhale keep the belly button drawing in. Try to breathe in through the sides of your body.

Roll Backs:

Start with the knees bent and the hands grabbing onto the backs of your knees.
Firm the butt and grow through the crown of the head

Tuck your tail and slide your ribs towards your hips into a C curve. Make sure to bring your head with you, keeping it in between your shoulders:

Head Positioning right:

Head Position wrong:

Keeping the head between the shoulders, start lowering your lower back onto the mat by walking down your legs one hand at a time. Continue to hollow your abs each position.
Peel your spine off the mat one vertebra at a time.
Tuck your chin to initiate the motion, but maintain proper neck alignment by leading with your chest and keeping your chin in line with your collar bone.

All 4's Leg Work

First, find your flat back with a cat/cow stretch. Similar to Pelvic rocking. Go through the extremes to find your neutral.

Cat:

Cow:

Neutral

Now, maintaining this neutral, extend your right leg back, toe touching the mat and your left arm out, tapping the mat in front of you. The mat is your assistant in making sure you maintain your neutral.

On an exhale, lift both arm and leg straight up keeping the toe pointed towards the floor. Continue for 6-8 reps maintaining your neutral. Try not to arch your back as you extend up.
Keep your legs extended.

Without rounding your back, draw your knee and elbow together across your body. It's okay if these do not touch.

Take a break in rest pose. Sit down towards your heels and reach your arms forward.

Standing Saw

Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart.
Extend both arms out at 180 degrees.

Twisting only from the rib cage, look at your back hand (palm is up). Make sure to pull the hip forward that you are twisting towards.

Keep your hips squared and your arms long. Maintain your connection with your back hand as you draw your abs in and up and bend over reaching your front pinky finger to the opposite pinky toe.