Rachel Larson

Three Simple Ways to Do Crow Pose

Rachel Larson · August 7, 2023 ·

Crow pose can be both inspirational and somewhat intimidating. If you didn’t grow up in tumbling or gymnastics, the idea of balancing on your forearms with your head hovering off the ground can cause some hesitation. Instead of sitting it out and watching from the sidelines, try out these three modifications.

Click here for our free 2-minute step-by-step video to walk you through it or watch the video on YouTube HERE.

The Hover:
Instead of going for the full balance, why not set it up and lean into it, without lifting the feet off the ground. This option will challenge your arm and shoulder muscles, increase hip flexibility and core activation – all without the worry of dropping onto your head or falling into a somersault.
One-legged Hover:
Take it one step further and pick ONE foot off the ground. Oof Da, that is getting tough! This is a great option to do for a few classes to build upper body strength before trying to lift both feet.
Crow with the yoga block:
Here is where it gets fun. Grab a few yoga blocks and place them out in front of you where you anticipate your head would touch down if you tipped forward. Use two yoga blocks to cover more ground until you have a better idea of where to place the block.. I’ve seen people place the yoga block too close and end up missing the block, and somersaulting forward due to the miss!
Now when you pick both feet off the ground and transfer the weight to your arms, if you lose balance and begin to tip forward, you can gently set you head down on the yoga block. Easy breezy.

And just like that- you are doing a crow pose. Click here to try a yoga restore class with crow pose. Bring these tips and tricks along with you and let’s do this!

Questions? Email us at info@theflostate.com.

Desk Job? Improve Your Health in 5 Minutes Today!

Rachel Larson · August 7, 2023 ·

We know that sitting for most of the workday is bad for our bodies, but what do we do when this is part of our job? Is there a way to “offset” the effects of sitting?

What is optimal?

According to Columbia University researchers Duran et al., 2023, walking 5 minutes for every 30 minutes of sitting is the optimal dose of movement to improve blood sugar regulation, mood, fatigue and blood pressure. Five different movement patterns were tested and the dose of 5 minutes of walking for every 20-30 minutes produced the greatest positive effect physiologically and mentally in participants.
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Can I “store up” my minutes and walk 80 minutes at the end of the day?

Although a long walk is great for our health, the point is that even small doses of movement have big effects! Ideally, we would break up the workday and add movement between meetings. This study tested participants actually getting up every 30 minutes to move for 5 minutes. This means that instead of “saving up” our 5 minute walking times to apply at the end of the workday, we should get up during the workday to walk and move.
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How do I apply this? It seems a little daunting…

This may seem like a daunting task, but with planning and intention, we can make this happen! Here’s how:

Start small

If you sit all day and don’t currently walk or exercise to break up the day, you can start by setting a timer once per day to get up and walk for 5 minutes. Arrange your schedule so this actually happens.
Alternatively, get up each hour for 1 minute and walk around. You can fit that in, right? Yes- you can! Even 1 minute of movement every 60 minutes has been shown to improve blood pressure.

Decide that this matters

You can improve your health by moving more frequently and strategically each day. You work so you can enjoy your life and have the things you need. News flash- you will need your health to enjoy your life! So, get moving. Decide that it matters and do it.

Check in with yourself daily

How close did you get to moving 5 minutes every 30 minutes? Write down each time you get up to move during the day. How many check marks do you have at the end of each day? Set a goal to maintain or improve everyday.
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Movement does matter! What you do each day consistently, even small things, add up to big results over time.

Exercise for brain health

Rachel Larson · August 3, 2023 ·

Everyone knows that exercise is good for humans. But, did you know that exercise is one of the most effective ways to maintain brain health?

Why is improving brain health important?

5.8M people in the United States over the age of 65 have dementia. 80% are 75 or older. Two thirds of them are women (Alzheimer’s Association, 2020).
By 2050, a projected 13.8M people aged 75 and older will have dementia. (Alzheimer’s Association, 2020)

Incorporating exercise into daily routines is a foundational strategy to maintain brain health and improve quality of life with higher levels of energy, strength and brain function. The best results happen when we combine cardiovascular, strength and mind-body exercise (cognitively challenging) exercise into our weekly routines. This is good news for Flostate members – we are already doing this! You just have to show up for class (or planfully use the on-demand library).

Here are some benefits to each form of exercise:

Why do Cardio?

According to the work of John Ratey, in Spark, increasing heart rate to 60-70% of maximum heart rate for even 10 minutes positively changes the brain. 35 minutes increases cognitive flexibility and executive function. This means faster thinking and better decisions!

Strength Training Perks:

Strength training builds not only muscles, but bones. A stronger and more active body means healthier mitochondria and faster metabolism. The boost in circulation and healthy cells enhances your brain health.

Yoga/Pilates and MindBody Fitness:

Practicing balance, connecting with one’s abilities, and challenging the mind and body to move in multiple patterns while learning new skills is critical to brain health. Increasing body awareness, strength, focus, and balance all lead to a great sense of confidence, increase neuroplasticity (flexibility and growth of the brain). It also reduces the incidence of falls and fear of falling.

Your weekly exercise recommendation:

Strength Train: 2 times per Week.

Join Alice’s live Dumbbell Essentials class or grab other strength training classes from our on-demand library.

Cardio: 2-5 Sessions per Week.

Need a jolt of higher level thinking? Do some cardio before your next important presentation. Even 8-15 minutes makes a difference. Challenge yourself to 25 minutes at least 2 days a week. Try our live Cardio Core with Arm Tone Blast or sample other cardiio classes from our ono-demand library.

Yoga/Mindbody: 2 Sessions per Week.

Try our signature Yoga Restore Flo or Balanced Body Method class live or on-demand. Any class that requires you to be breathing, and thinking carefully about your body movement while challenging your balance and concentration is key.

Questions? Reach out to Rachel at info@theflostate.com. See you in class!

Glute exercises to relieve low back pain

Rachel Larson · August 3, 2023 ·

The Link Between Low Back Pain and Your Glutes

Why low back pain?

Low back pain plagues 80% of Americans at some point in their lives and can originate from a variety of factors and conditions. Today’s focus is on glute activation to help relieve low back pain.

How your glutes play a role in low back pain

Your gluteal muscles are meant to work synergistically with other muscles to stabilize your femurs when you stand, extend and externally rotate your hips. Sometimes these “other muscles” can take over and lead to weakened and/or shortened glutes. This imbalance of strength and muscle activation can lead to low back pain. This pain happens when the low back becomes overly mobile as a result of the glutes not properly stabilizing the femur. For instance, when you are walking or running, the femur can internally rotate, causing a drop in the pelvis (Trendelenburg gait) which pulls on the lumbar spine.

3 Quick Ways to Assess Your Glute Function

How do you know if your glutes are firing adequately? Try these three assessments for clues. Grab a friend or family member to watch you move and help you see subtle clues more clearly. Better yet, sign up for your full Virtual Assessment with Curated Class Prescription. See the end of the article for details.*

Posture alignment test: Take off your shoes. Stand sideways with your feet together. Bend your arms and put your wrist on the side of your high hip bone (Iliac crest). Lay your hand flat and fingers straight down the side of your thigh. Note where your longest finger lines up. It should be at the level of your greater trochanter- the bump on the side of your upper thigh. Now look to see where that bone is lining up with your outer ankle bone- your lateral malleolus. With optimal posture, those bony landmarks should line up. If your greater trochanter is in front of your lateral malleolus (your lateral ankle bone) you may have weaker or shortened glutes.

Do some squats and see what happens to your knees: With shoes off, widen your feet to hip width apart. Reach your hands directly in front of your shoulders with elbows straight. Sit back into a squat and watch what your knees do. Did they rotate out or inward? This can be subtle, so watch carefully. And, try to not overly control your movement to make your knees stay straight. We are trying to understand what your body does when you are not thinking about your movement. If your knees move inward, you may have weaker or shorter glutes.
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Try a single leg squat: With shoes off, place your hands on your hips and lift one foot off the ground and bring the knee to hip height. Watching the knee of the leg you are standing on carefully, try to squat down a little. This is going to be a small range of motion compared to your regular squats and that is okay.

Again, watch what your knee does. Did it rotate out or inward? This can be subtle, so watch carefully. And, try to not overly control your movement to make your knees stay straight. If your knees move inward, you may have weaker or shorter glutes.

My glutes may be weak or shortened, now what?

Weaker or shortened glutes are not the end of the world, but if you sometimes experience low back pain or want to avoid low back pain, improving your glute strength and function will help. Try to incorporate more lower body strengthening exercises such as squats, lunges or hip thrusts into your routine. Try 2 sets of 12 reps, 3x per week.

Release Muscle Tension with Myofascial Stretching

Rachel Larson · August 3, 2023 ·

Myofascial stretching helps release tension in the body which in turn helps reduce pain and helps you move better. In this article you’ll learn about: 1) What fascia is and why it is important, 2) What can happen when it gets too tight in certain areas, 3) How fascial stretches differ from standard stretches. 4) How myo stretches help release constricted areas.

What is fascia and why is it important?

You can think of fascia as a webbing and support structure for every part of your body and cells including muscles, joints, bones and nerves. It provides shape and structure to the body – it literally holds us together!

Fascia is a key element of every kind of physical training we do:

• Strength training

• Agility and speed work

• Flexibility

• Coordination

• Recovery

It surrounds and penetrates all of the structures of the body to:

• Create structure

• Transfer force

• Allow fluidity between structures

But what happens when fascia gets too tight or unhealthy?

Fascia can get constricted, shortened or tight due to injury, trauma, inflammation or chronically poor posture. These constricted areas can put extra tension on muscles, nerves,bones and joints – altering function and movement. This often leads to pain, movement limitations, and malalignment of joints and imbalances in muscles.

How are myofascial stretches different from standard stretches?

Myofascial stretches are three dimensional. The body is positioned using all three planes of motion (sagittal, transverse, frontal planes).
Myofascial stretches require strength. Every stretch has a muscle contraction component. For example, if we are trying to stretch out hamstrings, we contract the quadriceps.
These stretches require concentration. These are active stretches that require thought and focus. You can think of them as a form of mediation!
Finally, true myofascial stretches are held 90-120 seconds. Much longer than your typical 20-30 second hold.

How we incorporate stretching into Flostate classes:

We have myo stretches included into the Yoga Restore Flo, Foam Roll and Lengthen, and Intensive Stretching classes. The stretches are woven into class and blended with more traditional yoga poses and stretches, creating a unique blend of movements designed to improve your range of motion, decrease aches and pains and leave you feeling more physically ready for anything. Try out one of our Flostate yoga restore classes and feel the difference!

Contact Rachel at Flostate to learn more about how you can increase your joint health, improve your mobility, strength, balance and reduce pain at info@theflostate.com.

Rachel Larson

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