This is not recommended, but most of the time students will push their bodies and minds excessively because they put their grades first before their health. However, Ho encourages to still treat oneself with care through stretching (Ho 217). Clearly, Ho values the importance of not just health, but overall well-being. For she believes that stretching is the way to treat oneself because as the body relaxes, so does the mind too.
Also, a lot of students do sit for long periods of time to work on assignments. This in turn and with poor posture can cause low-back pain. To solve this and de-stress, I selected this move called the Spine Twist. "A: Sit comfortably on your bottom with your spine super tall, shoulders relaxed, crown of the head still enough to balance a tiara. Bring your arms out to the side like airplane wing" (220).
This definitely took away my stiffness on my lower back. For me, it was better than twisting my back using a chair because I got a longer stretch and felt relaxed. I would recommend doing this move after sitting a long time.
How do you de-stress?
Ho, Cassey. Cassey Ho's Hot Body Year-Round: The POP Pilates Plan to Get Slim, Eat Clean, and Live Happy Through Every Season. First ed. New York: Harmony, 2015. Print.
I'm a fan of Cassey Ho too!
ReplyDeleteI de-stress by stretching as well. I find this stretch really effective for the amount of time needed to execute it. The best stretch I know is commonly known in yoga and pilates as "the log" position; you just lie on the floor with your arms and legs (parallel to your torso) stretched as much as possible for about 30 seconds. After about 2 sets I feel much more relaxed and my mind seems clearer.
I look forward to your future posts!
Yay! Glad to meet another POPster! I'm always looking for new moves to try to de-stress as much as possible. I've done the log position you're talking about and I like moves that let me just lay on the floor. Thank you! I will try to make more posts soon.
DeleteP.S. I read your blog posts too and I love your pets. Good luck training them!
This is a great idea for stretching your back. I usually like to hold my knees with my arms and then roll on my back like an upside-down bug. It helps stretch everything out and helps relieve some back pain. Definitely need to try your exercise :)
ReplyDeleteOh that move! That's a favorite of mine because all I have to do is just be like a turtle that can't get on its legs. Such a simple move but it does relax the back nicely.
Deletethis is a really great idea to help with stress. Usually I'm a type of person to have a lot of stress when it comes to school, however now I know that if I stretch the way you did then all that stress can go away. I will try this when I'm feeling stress. Thank you (:
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I'm helping someone! I get a lot of stress too but I'm able to take all of that by stretching because I know that I'm giving care to myself.
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ReplyDeleteI didn't know that stretching can be a good solution to people who are really stressed or want to calm themselves and relax! Usually when I think of pilates, I think of it only being used for exercising or for working out, not for relieving stress and relaxing. When I'm stressed, I usually try to get my mind away from things that do stress me out and listen to music. I do stretch sometimes but I've never tried these exercises before as a solution to relax my body and mind. Learning about this new move for stretching, I think will give this move, the "Spine Twist", a try.
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