Family fitness: Challenge 3
By now you probably are a master of standing on one leg or walking on your toes, meaning that your core and your glutes are getting stronger. Let’s try now to make your spine more flexible.
CHALLENGE 3: TOUCH YOUR TOES
HOW:
· Bend forward with a rolling down movement to reach your feet
· Try to keep your legs extended, but if you feel discomfort relax the knees
· Do not force the movement, reach only as far as you can
· Have a ruler handy to measure how far your hands are from the floor
· Roll down 5 times slowly and check the distance from the floor, the first time and the last one, check if there is a difference
· For the challenge, keep the record of the last attempt and do it for 5 continuous days
PROGRESSION
Try going one inch further down or if you are very flexible, rest your hands on the floor
HOW LONG:
· Do not keep the position for too long; the goal is doing a fluent and slow movement
· Do it for 5 days to check your improvement
WHEN:
In the middle of your day, so that you are not very tight after a sleep night or a hard day full of activities.
KEY POINTS:
· Roll your spine down vertebra by vertebra, like peeling your spine off an imaginary wall
· Do not push too hard at the end
· Try to keep your weight on your toes rather than leaning back onto your heels
· If you feel discomfort on your lower back or hamstrings, relax your knees
· Breath out through the mouth as you roll down
MORE CHALLENGE?
Hold your legs and try to bring your face closer to your legs. Hold it for about 10 seconds.
BENEFITS
· Encourages spine mobility
· Stretches hamstrings and calves
· Helps to release lower back tension
· Assists with the correction of poor posture
BADGE AWARDED
The one who can go closer to the floor gets the badge: The BENDY
Check the other challenges of these series:
