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FocusOnFitness is a series of basic exercises you can do in your house, in the dorm or during a short break. Using the natural surrounding without having to find the right equipment, the best gym or the perfect time to do a little workout. Focus on Fitness is all about doing it when you can and hey, why not?
Maria Johnson, aka Girl Gone Blind, joins Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities Studio to Focus on Fitness and how you can incorporate little nuggets of exercise without throwing your schedule off and being able to work out within your own time and space.
In this episode, #4 of 7, of the Focus on Fitness series, Maria and Jeff introduce us to the Windmill. This is a full core exercise and is something you can use to get a good stretch to the legs, hips, back from a standing position or from a sitting position. By holding your arms straight out from side to side and reaching across towards your opposite toes. Then back again and repeat on the other side. Slow and steady goes a long way with this Windmill stretch and can become an exercise when done in repetition.
Check out some more Focus on Fitness episodes and if you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to let us know. You can find Maria on Twitter @Girl_Gone_Blind and follow her blog on the web at GirlGoneBlind.com.. You can find Jeff on Twitter @KnownAsJeff and check out more podcasts with a Blindness perspective on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com.
Core exercises: Why you should strengthen your core muscles
You know core exercises are good for you — but do you include core exercises in your fitness routine? Here’s why you should.
And remember:
Consult a physician before performing this or any exercise program.
This is especially important if you or your family have a history of high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes.
It is your responsibility to evaluate your own medical and physical condition,
and to determine whether to perform or adapt any of the exercises in this Focus on Fitness episode.
The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk.
If you start to feel any pain or discomfort while exercising, stop immediately and contact your doctor or health care professional.
thanks for listening.
Full Transcript Below
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Full Transcript
Speaker 1:
Be sure to consult a physician before performing this or any exercise program. This is especially important if you or your family has a history of high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes. It is your responsibility to evaluate your own medical or physical condition and to determine whether to perform or adapt any of the exercises in this Focus on Fitness episode. The use of any information provided in this Focus on Fitness episode is solely at your own risk. If you start to feel any pain or discomfort while exercising, stop immediately and contact your doctor or health care professional.
Speaker 2:
Focus on Fitness. Fitness. You didn’t even know you had a muscle there. Goals, man, goals. Love it.
Speaker 3:
15 seconds. You’re doing great.
Speaker 2:
A plank. You know, a plank is a full body exercise, and it’s a love/hate exercise actually.
Speaker 3:
Five, four, three, two, and rest.
Speaker 2:
It’s worth it.
Jeff Thompson:
Hey, Maria, how are you doing?
Maria:
I’m doing great, Jeff. How are you?
Jeff Thompson:
I’m doing good. Talking about stretching and a little bit of workout today.
Maria:
Yeah, we are. We’re going to incorporate a little stretch along with an exercise movement that is going to hit your core, but also, as you said, can act as a nice stretch, especially for the back.
Jeff Thompson:
Kind of like a windmill, right?
Maria:
Yes. I’ve heard it called a windmill. Maybe some other folks might have another name for it, but we’ll stick with windmill. The great thing about this, Jeff, is that you can do it standing or sitting, and I know we’re giving lots of options for folks who want to pick how they want to do these exercises we’ve been bringing on these podcasts. And I love it when you can modify an exercise, because then everyone has an option on a way they can do it.
Jeff Thompson:
The way I first learned it was we’d be at the track or something like that back in high school, and you’d be sitting there tightening up your shoes, and while you’re down there, your legs are spread apart. You’re sitting down and you reach with your right hand out to your left toe and then you come back and then you do the opposite. Your left hand to your right toe. Like you said, when you’re standing, it’s arms straight out and then you’re going to bend at the waist and reach down. Kind of a windmill shape. I can see where they get that name.
Maria:
Yeah, and you’re just going from right to left to right to left, kind of continuous movement, as slow as you want to. I don’t recommend going too fast, because you can pull something or you might get dizzy, especially standing.
Maria:
But starting off with maybe just the sitting version of it. You’re sitting in a chair or on the couch and your knees are bent and you tip at the waist. Like you said, Jeff, you take your right hand toward your left foot, your left hand towards your right foot, and you alternate: right, left, right, left.
Jeff Thompson:
But even when you’re just sitting in front of the TV, just spread the legs out a little bit and reach down towards that left foot with your right hand, and come back and sit straight up again, and then do it again to the right side. I’m tempted to do this right now, but I want to stay on the microphone.
Maria:
Yeah.
Jeff Thompson:
And even in the standing position, like I said before, it’s a nice stretching exercise from fingertip to toe. I like doing it, and then you can alternate it. And you told me about lifting your leg up and reaching that way.
Maria:
Yeah, if you’re sitting, when you go to reach your right hand to the left foot, well, instead, why don’t you bring your left foot up so that your leg is parallel to the floor, and twist and reach your right hand to your left foot. Now, you don’t have to touch it, obviously. Just aim for it. Put the leg down, lift up your right leg, take your left hand, reach towards your right foot. Again, put the leg down, and then simply alternate right and left, right and left. And obviously standing, that would be kind of difficult.
Maria:
Keep in mind that you don’t have to touch your toes. Okay? You don’t have to touch your toes if you can’t touch your toes. So don’t force that.
Jeff Thompson:
Is this from a standing position?
Maria:
It could be any position. Because some folks, even sitting, they can’t reach their toes, because they’re just not flexible enough.
Jeff Thompson:
So you’re just shortening up the distance for people to reach.
Maria:
Yeah.
Jeff Thompson:
Yeah.
Maria:
As I say in class, you’re aiming for that foot.
Jeff Thompson:
Ah.
Maria:
Just aim for it. Again, we want folks to be successful, right? So, some people just don’t have that flexibility. So you just want to aim for the foot. If you can touch it, fantastic. But if you can’t, again, just do the best that you can, not forcing it, because again, we don’t want any injuries, but you’re at least getting the twist in your waistline, which is working your core, and you’re getting some stretch in your back. Again, that’s either sitting or standing, but you don’t have to touch your toes. Just think in your mind that you’re just aiming towards it.
Jeff Thompson:
And that’s the modification that you’re talking about.
Maria:
Yeah. Yeah. We always want to throw in those modifications because kind of going back in a minute for a story, Jeff. So, kind of going back to when I first started getting into fitness, and I was not in the best shape, to put it lightly. When I was going to the gym, and this is before my vision loss, but there’s a point here, Jeff, so I’ll get to it. I would go to the gym and I would go to classes. The classes I was going to were great, but the instructors never gave modifications. And I remember feeling like the big loser in the back of the room because I couldn’t keep up with what everyone else was doing, because no one told me I could also do this or I could do that, or I didn’t have to do this that far. Whatever it was, I felt I had to keep up with the rest of the people who had been doing this class forever. And I was so discouraged. I think I went to two classes and went back, because I felt like I’m just too out of shape. I can’t do it.
Maria:
So, now as a fitness instructor, I’m constantly giving modifications, because no matter what shape or size or age someone is in, I want them to be able to do what they can and walk out of my class or complete your day feeling like you got something done, and you did it the best way you could, and you were successful at it. That’s what I always want my class to leave feeling. And that’s what I want the folks to have after listening to one of these episodes, is to take away that idea and do it the way they can do it the best, of course, safely, and feel good about it. And that’s what keeps people continuing. That’s what keeps people coming back or keep doing whatever their exercises are bringing into their daily routine, because if it’s too hard, they can’t do it, they’re not going to do it.
Jeff Thompson:
Yeah, modifications are the perfect way of doing something that you haven’t done for a long time or have never done, but you get to sample it, you get to try it. Whether you’re doing pushups from your knee position or from your toe position, or if you’re just doing crunches instead of a full sit up. I think crunches are just as good, and it is a modification of a setup.
Maria:
Yes, exactly. And we do emphasize those modifications in all of the things we’ve been talking about.
Jeff Thompson:
Yeah, we’ve talked about reaching the hands for the toes. If you’re just standing there with your feet underneath your shoulders straight forward, and if you bring your hands above your head, can you reach down and slowly touch your toes or touch your knees or something and then bring your arms back up. That’s another type of stretching that you can try right at home.
Jeff Thompson:
But make sure that you do have three feet all the way around you. I only have two feet. Three feet all the way around you, because you don’t want to be bringing your head down and hit a counter or a table. So always, when you’re doing exercising, move the ottoman, move the chairs, or get to an area … I have a rug in our living room, it’s wood floors, but the rug, that gives me a good feel where I am in the room ,so I can position myself before I start any exercise. I relocate myself just so I’m sure that I’m not going to swing down and catch something.
Maria:
Oh yeah, I’ve been there, done that. I have smacked my head on a chair, on an end of a table. I mean, because I just didn’t see it, obviously. And I do have an area in my house. I move the coffee table over just a smidge, and that gives me enough room on a wood floor.
Maria:
And the stretching part of this windmill can be so good on the back, the glutes, and the hamstrings. When you’re down towards that foot, again, you may just have your hands down above your knee or maybe more towards your shin, your calf. That stretch is really, really good. So it’s kind of a two for one with these windmills, is if you do them slowly, they are more of a stretch. But if you do them a little bit quicker, they become more of an exercise, a cardio exercise. Again, you can pick your in between anywhere in between there. If that works for you, then that’s what’s works for you. Not everyone is a pro and we don’t expect everyone to be a pro when they’re listening to this.
Jeff Thompson:
This is just to give you an idea. When we’re talking about a windmill or when we’re talking about a squat or a pushup or a sit-up of some sort, whatever it is, we’re just trying to paint a picture for you and give you an idea of what it is so you can possibly try it a couple of times to see if it fits your style of fitness that you want to work on, or exercise that you want to do, and then offer you modification so you might be able to try something.
Jeff Thompson:
But the main idea is get out and try something. And some of these terms that Maria of course is suggesting here, these names and terminal windmills and squats and Sumos and all this stuff, that is some of the language you’ll be hearing if you get a DVD or if you get a book or something, and they’re talking about it. We’re just trying to give you some ideas of stuff to try at home to enlighten you to some of the terminology that may be used at a club too.
Maria:
Absolutely, absolutely. Knowledge is power, and again, feeding folks little bits of information like we’re doing is giving folks knowledge to empower them to start moving. So, I’m hoping that’s what you’re doing out there. I hope you’re moving and you’ll feel better for it for sure.
Jeff Thompson:
For sure. Well, Maria, why don’t you tell the listeners where they can find Maria Johnson, a.k.a Girl Gone Blind on social network.
Maria:
Thanks, Jeff. As you said, I do write a blog, and my blog is called Girl Gone Blind, and you can find it at girlgoneblind.com. You can find me on Facebook at Girl Gone Blind and on Twitter at girl_gone_blind.
Speaker 1:
Be sure to consult a physician before performing this or any exercise program. The use of any information provided in this Focus on Fitness episode is solely at your own risk. If you start to feel any pain or discomfort while exercising, stop immediately and contact your doctor or health care professional.
Jeff Thompson:
Stay tuned for more episodes of Focus on Fitness, right here on Blind Abilities, and remember to enable the Blind Abilities skill on your Amazon device, just by saying, “Enable Blind Abilities.” And most importantly, thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed, and until next time, bye-bye.
[Music] [Transition noise] -When we share
-What we see
-Through each other’s eyes…
[Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]
…We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.
Jeff Thompson:
For more podcasts with the blindness perspective:
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Or send us an e-mail at:
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Thanks for listening.