Tuesday’s Tip

If you are looking for a good Yoga DVD you should check out the following: 

Christine Felstead’s Yoga for Runners.

I bought this DVD about two weeks ago and have tried it a few times.  I really liked the stretches and poses that she walks you through.  I felt a huge difference as I was doing the poses.  When I started I couldn’t get my heels down during a Downward Dog pose but by the end of the DVD I was having no problems getting the heels down.  I felt two inches taller and my legs just felt so stretched out.  The next day I could tell that I probably pushed the poses to far, but by going through the DVD again I got everything stretched back out again. 

Probably one of my favorite poses from the DVD is the Pigeon or Bird of Paradise pose which is another hip opener pose.  Check out this link for more information on this pose.

This blog site has a lot of great info on the pose as well.

I just did a quick search on Amazon and noticed there is also an intermediate level Yoga for Runners DVD.  That might be on my shopping list for later on in the year.  Right now I got quite a few DVDs in my rotation that I am putting to good use as I try to rack up points for my Fitness Challenge.

QOTD:  Do you have a favorite yoga pose?

Tuesday’s Tip

Today is just a short little tip and reminder.  TAKE YOUR VITAMINS!!  I always notice quite a difference in myself when I take or don’t take my daily vitamins.  I am forgetful and hate taking any kind of medicine or pills.  But I’ve found a few things that work for me.

Eating right and meeting all the daily requirements of nutrients is of course most important.  But sometimes you can’t get all your body needs from your usual food intake.  A multivitamin can help – if you are taking the right vitamin for you.  Again, I am not a health care professional so please do your research, talk to other people and most importantly talk to your doctor to find out what multivitamin would be best for you.

Right now I am just taking a multivitamin for women and a few extra supplements like vitamin C, and E. But I found that I have to take all of them with food otherwise my tummy gets a little upset.  I have discovered the gummy vitamins for adults. (YUM!!) They are a lot easier to remember since they taste like candy and I don’t have to take them with food. So sometimes I switch back and forth.

My iron levels are low if I am not taking vitamins, which tends to make me feel run down rather quickly.  That is usually the key for me to remember my vitamins.  I also notice a difference in my hair, skin and nails when I take my vitamins regularly.  There are lots of great advantages of taking vitamins and as with everything a downside can always be found too.  But I tend to think that vitamins are good for you.  Nowadays there are some many different kinds and companies are doing lots to help customers find and take the right vitamins.

Stop on over to visit Fancy Nancy, at Living the Dream.  She has a great post about Vitamins, specifically the new Centrum ProNutrients line.  Plus you take a survey from Centrum to find out what you are missing in your diet and can enter her giveaway to win products from Centrum.  The giveaway ends tomorrow!

QOTD:  How do you remember to take your vitamins?  What supplements have you found are good for runners?

Tuesday’s Tip

Here’s my first attempt at what I hope is my weekly Tuesday’s Tip post.  Each Tuesday I hope to give you a tip for fitness, running, stretching, or eating healthy that I’ve learned along my journey.  I’ve been getting back into doing my Pilates and there is one stretch that I absolutely love.  So today’s Tuesday Tip is the Hip Flexor Stretch

Your hip flexors are attached to the front of the pelvis and work to bring your femur up towards your torso.  Of course, this muscle is used a lot in running.  I notice that my hip flexor is extremely tight and have had issues in the past where my pelvis has been out of alignment due to the tightness.  To avoid the tightness and prevent injury try the following stretch.

Start in a standing position and step into a deep lunge.  Keep your front knee at a 90 degree angle – making sure your knee does not go beyond your ankle.  Rest your back leg onto the floor and flatten the back foot.  Take time to get your balance.  Reach your arm straight above your head and breathe into the stretch as you reach up to the ceiling opening the front of the hip joint.  Tighten your abs and gently shift body forward until you feel the stretch in front of your hip.  Hold for 30 seconds and relax.  Switch and repeat with your other leg.

Here are some pictures and a link to a video demonstrating the stretch that I found on Google and YouTube.  (Since I’m not quite comfortable taking my own pictures or video demonstrating the stretch just yet.) 

I’m not a doctor or professional, so please be cautious when attempting this stretch.  I’m just sharing a a quick stretch that I often forget about in hopes that I can remind others who might have forgotten and find it helpful too.