Stretches With a Tennis Ball

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Stretching out your lower body after a run is an essential part of your workout routine.  And if it isn’t, then you should make it one!  It offers all sorts of benefits, such as the reduction of tightness in your largest muscle groups, relieving potential pains, correcting muscular imbalances and even improving overall technique.  I recently read a post from the British-based blogger “Fitness On Toast” that shared some specific, unique types of stretches that you can try, each one of which uses a tennis ball.  Take a look!  

Gluteus stretch: Lying on your back, bend your knees and place one foot across your thigh.  Then place a tennis ball under the side of your butt cheek with the leg bent resting on the other thigh.  Move the ball around until you find a sore spot, then hold that position for 5-20 seconds.  Once the tension releases, move the ball to another position.  

Calf stretch: Sit upright on the floor with your back straight.  Place your legs straight out in front of you, and sit with your back against the wall.  Place the ball under the calf, and hold each sore spot for 5-20 seconds before moving onto the next sore spot.  

IT-band stretch: Sit on a flat surface on the ground, placing the outside of your thigh on top of the ball.  Hold your thigh gently in place over the ball and apply a tolerable amount of pressure for roughly 5-20 seconds.  Once you feel that the tension has decreased, move the ball to a lower part of the IT-band (this is a narrow band of muscle running on the outside of the thigh).  Repeat this until tension has decreased.

Hip flexors stretch: Lie face down and place your tennis ball under the front of your hip.  Move the ball around until you find a sore spot, and once you do, hold the ball in that position for 5 to 20 seconds or until tension has decreased. 

Hip stretch: Like on the ground on one side, placing your head under some sort of support (foam box, stack of books, pillow, etc).  Place the ball on the side of your hip, and slowly lean into it until you’ve found a sore spot.  Hold it on the sore spot for a few seconds before moving to another spot.  

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Getting Into the Spring Spirit

Maria Haymandou’s latest blog post is here!

As the flip-flopping weather of February and March comes to an end in New York City, plenty of people around me are getting ready for real spring weather; it’s nice out, the cold dips are less severe and less frequent, and restaurants are bringing out their outdoor tables and chairs for brunches.  Spring is traditionally a time for renewal, a “fresh start” if you will.  You can finally start going outside for your workouts, and it’s a great feeling.  Yet sometimes shaking off that winter “sluggishness” can be a bit of a challenge. In that case, here are some ways to refresh yourself, taken from the blog “Fit Bottomed Girls”:

Deep clean: You’ve heard of “Spring cleaning”, before; while it’s never that fun, it’s also pretty satisfying once you’ve finished it.  Most of us spend a lot of our time indoors during the winter, which means our homes tend to get dirty.  This is the best time to get rid of the dust bunnies under your couch and help you enjoy the warm spring days.  

Purge everything: Piggybacking on the above point, winter holidays bring an abundance of goodies and knicknacks that we may not actually need.  Purging all of the forgotten stuff you don’t need any more will not just give you more room, but also mean that you have less to worry about, move or store.  If you’re having trouble figuring out what you want to get rid of, then ask yourself if something you’re holding onto brings you joy.  If the answer is “no”, then get rid of it.

Grow an herb garden: This might sound a bit cliché, but growing an herb garden is a great spring activity; it offers you an excuse to go outside, connect with nature and get some sun.  It also lets you cultivate spices that can really improve your cooking.  

Unplug: Most of us depend on technology for work, planning or keeping in touch with our high school friends, but often times that technology also serves as a major distraction.  Nonetheless, unplugging for at least

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