Today I would like to share 3 hot health and fitness tips surrounding Hydration, Plantar Fascia, and Pelvic Floor Strength. These 3 tips can help your body burn fat easier, achieve better mechanics and mobility, and greatly improve your core strength. Although these tips might seem small, implementing these tips will help your FULL body.
1. Ensure your cells are hydrated before your workouts
Myself and many other coaches who understand the body place a high importance on hydration. There is a reason for this.
Water is required by the body to carry out various processes called such as digestion, nutrient transport to brain (brain fog anyone?), cleansing, burning fat, hormone production, bile formation, muscle repair, energy restoration, and collagen regeneration to name a few.
When the body is dehydrated, or doesn’t have available water, the organs will adjust their efficiency to ration water resources.
In an ideal world, we would be so in-tune with our hydration levels and be drinking the HIGHEST QUALITY water.
When your body is actually hydrated efficiently and effectively, that means your organs are going to start working for themselves.
Highly recommend these 2 links to educate yourself on water quality.
Kangen water absorption: https://youtu.be/JCWIM1L9MrI
Products: https://azzie84.yourbodyiswater.info/en_CA/products
My other blogs on Hydration:
How much Water Should You Drink: https://www.activekinetix.com/how-much-water-should-i-drink/
What if I don’t Drink Enough Water: https://www.activekinetix.com/dehydration-symptoms-what-if-i-dont-drink-enough-water/
What if I Do Drink Enough Water: https://www.activekinetix.com/dehydration-symptoms-drink-enough-water/
2. Use your feet.
When you’re going up/down stairs, walking, doing step-ups, squats, lunges, standing in the kitchen, I highly recommend to be barefoot. Feel your feet on the ground. Ground them in.
The more contact and awareness your Plantar Fascia has with the floor, the more the body senses support and stability. This means the rest of the Fascial network can reduce tension.
Foot work is transformational. Over the past 4 months, I have been working on restructuring my feet, strengthening my arches, and mobilizing the mid foot, and it has upped my mobility from a 7/10 to a 8-8.5. Here are the stretches I started doing 3-4 times a week for 5-8 mins.
Here are other resources for feet:
Big toe stretch: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUY_CPMFKJj/
Toe stretches and exercises: https://youtu.be/BFfLOu5g0Y0
How to Walk with a Proper Gait Cycle: https://youtu.be/quwcNSP4H9o
How to Choose the Right Shoe: https://youtu.be/a3-YpOgomTI
3. ‘Pull up your marbles’
If you’ve worked with me, you may have heard me say “pull up your marbles.” This is in reference to your pelvic floor. When the Pelvic floor is weak, the body senses instability, and hence tightens up the structures around the hips, pelvic floor, and low back.
Ideally the deep core muscles are strong and stable enough to support the pelvis during movement. The most effective way to create long-term core stability is by engaging ALL the muscles and fibres that make up the deep core.
Because pelvic floor work is so much more than kegels, I have guided pelvic floor meditations in the Optimal Health Membership. Engaging all the layers of the pelvic floor is essential to create long-term adherence to an exercise program without injuries.
While you are exercising this week – draw awareness to the bottom of your pelvic bowl – Women and Men. The pelvic floor is the base of your pyramid. Start remember it’s there and start building it up.
Learn how to use your Pelvic Floor properly: See my Pelvic Floor Meditation on YoutTube https://youtu.be/PqFbFvbLPN0?t=37
In closing, the tips for this week were specially selected for you. Most of my readers have been on their health and fitness journey in one way or another, for a long time. These tips are meant to optimize your body so you can see results from working out smarter and supporting your body, and engaging fascial layers and muscles that are often addressed.
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you
Asma
Asma Kassam, BHK, CSNA, CFST
Kinesiologist, Personal Trainer, mobility coach, Certified Nutrition Advisor, Fascial Stretch Therapist, Health & Fitness coach, Animal Flow instructor, and Women’s Health advocate
Active Kinetix Fitness & Rehabilitation
Vancouver & Dubai
See my Women’s Health & Fitness blog: akfitnessandhealth.com/blog
For bite-sized guidance, tips and tricks, and follow along videos to help you align and balance your body, see Optimal Health Membership
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