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By Lynn Difley
My granddaughter adores anything teeny tiny. She favors
her teeny tiny animals and dolls, wants her food cut into teeny
tiny pieces and will only agree to a teeny tiny nap. Her love of
teeny tiny got me to thinking about the things we can do, the small,
almost insignificant moves we can make that contribute to our all
over health. Making these small changes are often more successful
than a lifestyle makeover, which can fall by the wayside from the
sheer weight of its rules. Often, making a tiny change, incorporating
it into our daily lives, and then adopting another small change
can have wide ranging effects on our health and fitness.
I’d like to share one such small move. Now this move is so
small you probably won’t even see it, and I doubt whether anyone
else will either. It’s a very small move but with profound
effects. I promise if you adopt this practice, and practice faithfully
you and your friends will all see the changes in your appearance
in a short while. You will feel better too, as this move takes the
strain off your spine, which can lead to backache, hip and back
pains and a general feeling of malaise caused by poor posture.
Our teeny tiny move is also a subtle move, and you will have to
practice a bit to get it right. That’s ok, I know you are up
to it, and will be more than willing to invest time and energy once
you experience its beneficial results.
I call this move a belly contraction, or belly button to the backbone.
What it entails is pulling as much of your stomach in, making it
as tight as possible, and leaving it tucked and tidy during other
activities.
Let’s practice the move on the floor first, as it’s easier
to see and feel. Lie on a padded surface, feet flat on the floor,
knees up in the air, shoulder width apart. Pull the top of your
head away from your body and press your back into the mat. You should
be aware of the mat surface in your shoulder blades, mid back, lower
back and hips. Now take a deep breath, leaving everything else motionless,
and pull your stomach in. Contract all the muscles below the belt
you can find. So you can’t pull them all in, tightening the
muscles is all I ask at this point.
Our teeny tiny move involves only the abdominal muscles. It is not
a pelvic tilt, which is another useful exercise, but is limited
to only the abdominal muscles. Your back, hips, thighs, and head
should remain still, the only thing you move is your belly. I like
to imagine I am pulling my belly button back into my spine. Now
that’s a slender waist. Pull the stomach muscles tight, hold
and release 10 times. Once you feel you have the move mastered,
try the belly contraction while you maintain breathing. Inhale deeply,
pull the abdominals in, hold them in and exhale, inhale 5 times.
This requires that you breathe high up into the rib cage and diaphragm,
a kind of sideways breathing. Good, this is another good skill for
you to master. Put your hand on your belly so you can see if it
is tight and contracted, pulled in as you breathe.
Once you have mastered the belly contraction while lying, we can
practice it in a sitting position. Choose a straight back chair,
or one that has a solid support for your back, and brings your knees
to a 90-degree angle. First align your body, make your back long
and lifted, shoulders back and pressed down, head centered and aligned,
gaze straight ahead. Now inhale and pull your belly tight, pull
it right into the chair back. Release and repeat 10 times. Each
time you contract the belly, try to engage as many muscles in the
midsection as you can. Remember, no cheating, the rest of the body
does not move. Imagine you are keeping your belly away from your
shirt by pulling it in and away. Once you have the move down, you
can practice it while breathing. Inhale, pull the belly tight, exhale,
inhale, keeping the abdominal muscles contracted and see if you
can keep it tight for 5 full breaths.
Now how about the grand finale, standing abdominal contractions?
If you can do it lying down, and sitting, you can do it standing,
moving around, lifting etc, right? Stand in good alignment, feet
shoulder width apart back lifted tall, head centered, shoulders
back and down. Now for the belly contraction. Inhale; tighten the
belly in, contracting all the muscles you can locate. Imagine someone
is just about to let fly with a punch to your gut. Get it as tight
as you can before that blow hits. Practice tightening for 10 times,
inhale, exhale tighten and contract, inhale relax. Now for the greatest
act of all- Inhale, contract the belly and hold it in tight while
you breathe, exhale, inhale, exhale inhale 5 times. Relax and do
it again. Remember, nothing else should move, only the group of
muscles in your abdominal section.
You should practice this move, in all three positions frequently.
At first you’ll have to remind yourself. You can use a cue,
when you hear a dog bark, or phone ring, or kid shout, something
that happens a lot in your life. Each time you hear your cue, belly
contraction.
If you practice this belly contraction when moving about your daily
activities, you will be doing your back a big favor. Tight abdominals
protect the entire spinal column and give you the support and strength
you need when bending or lifting. If you sit a lot, practice the
belly contraction to keep your spine from sagging down onto the
tailbone, a cause of back spasm and pain. You can practice this
move any time, any place, and I promise if you do, you will not
only feel much better, you will look slimmer. What more could anyone
ask of a teeny tiny move?
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