Wellness Newsletter BMK Wellness Newsletter Nov

Wellness Newsletter ISSUE BI-MONTHLY JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS 29 November/December 2018 in this issue 5 exercises that will strengthen your back and reduce pain Our backs are made up of 140 overlapping muscles — most of which we’re under-utilizing sitting at our desks all day. by Tiffany Ayuda / Life by Daily Burn / Feb.22.2018 https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/5-exercises- will-strengthen-your-back-reduce-pain-ncna849911 5 Exercises To Strengthen Your Back P. 1 Key minerals to Help Control Blood Pressure P. 2 Insider’s Viewpoint: Expert Supermarket Advice P. 3 - Reducing Food Waste What’s in Season/The 15 Min Plank Workout P. 4 -Upcoming Events Repeat the following circuit three times through, resting for one minute in between rounds. Or, mix things up by adding these moves into your usual exercise rotation. 1. RENEGADE ROWS How to: Get into a high plank position with your hands shoulder-distance apart, shoulders stacked above wrists (a). Keeping hips square and core engaged, lift your right hand off the ground. Your right elbow should be tucked close to your rib cage (b). Bring your right arm back to the starting position and repeat with your left arm (c). Do 10-12 reps on each side (d). Pro tip: Repeat after us: Light as a feather, stiff as a board. Make sure to keep your hips stable and avoid shrugging your shoulders or moving your body to the side as you perform the row. 2. BENT-OVER REVERSE FLYS How to: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hinge forward at the hips. Arms should be at your sides, palms in, gaze forward (a). Engaging your back and shoulder muscles and keeping our chest up, raise your arms to form a “T” (parallel to the floor), with your elbows slightly bent. Be sure to squeeze your shoulder blades to fully engage the muscles (b). Bring your arms back down to the starting position (c). Repeat for 15 reps. Pro tip: Think about pinching the shoulder blades to- gether with each rep, while maintaining a long spine. Once you’ve nailed down the movement and can do the reps fair- ly effortlessly, grab a dumbbell in each hand. 3. SCAPULAR PUSH-UPS How to: Get into a high plank with your hands shoulder-distance apart. Keep your body in a straight line with your head in a neutral position (a). Imagining that there’s some- thing in between your shoulders on your upper back, pinch your shoulder blades, as you slowly lower your body halfway down the floor (b). Raise your body back up to the starting position (c). Repeat for 8-10 reps. Pro tip: If holding your high plank is too challenging, do a modified standing version by placing your hands flat on a wall in front of you, and walking your feet out to your comfort zone. (The further from the wall, the harder it will be.) 4. SUPERMANS How to: Lie face down on an exercise mat with your toes pointed down and your forehead on the floor. Keep your gaze in a neutral position (a). Bring your arms straight out in front of you with your palms on the floor (b). Engaging your back, glutes and hamstrings, lift your hands and feet a few inches off the ground (c). Repeat for ten reps, holding for three seconds each time. Pro tip: As you lift your arms and legs off of the floor, be sure to pull your shoulders down and back (our tendency is to scrunch them up to our ears). Inhale as you lift your body and exhale as you lower it. (Continued….Page 4)

Wellness Newsletter BMK Wellness Newsletter Nov - Dec 2018