My legs are killing me!

I woke up today and almost fell off my bed. OMG, I am so sore from my workout yesterday! Now those of you who know me are probably thinking I must have taught too much Zumba again. Wrong! I actually worked my legs yesterday at the gym. The reason I'm telling you this is because weights suck! I'm kidding, although my legs might think that I'm actually doing my legs a favor.

Yoga and Pilates will also help strengthen your legs. 

So often I here people tell me, "I hate doing legs," and believe me, I get it. But your legs make up a huge portion of your body. We do everything in our daily lives because we have legs. It's so important to strengthen your legs. Cardio does a decent job of keeping your legs conditioned but adding weights is not only going to make your legs stronger, but keep them toned.  We also want our bodies to look proportioned. We have all seen the guys with the killer upper body and chicken legs. Don't  we all want to rock the mini skirts? Right!?! Well, not me of course! Another great alternative to a leg workout is Yoga and Pilates.

 

I recommend stretching before and after a leg workout. Steaming also helps relieve some of the soreness the next day. Also, taking in larger amounts of protein after a leg workout may also help with the recovery process.

Here are a few samples of lower body stretching exercises that I like to do:

 

Hamstring Stretch

•   Sit on the ground with both legs straight out in front of you

•   Bend the left leg and place the sole of the left foot alongside the knee of the right leg

•   Allow the left leg to lie relaxed on the ground

•   Bend forward keeping the back straight

•   You will feel the stretch in the hamstring of the right leg

•   Repeat with the other leg

 

Quadriceps Stretch

•   Lie face down on the floor, resting your forehead on your right hand

•   Press your hips firmly into the floor and bring your left foot up towards your buttocks

•   Take hold of the left ankle with the left hand and ease the foot closer to your buttocks

•   Repeat with the right leg

•   You will feel the stretch along the front of the thigh

 

Hip and Thigh Stretch

•   Stand tall with your feet approximately two shoulder widths apart

•   Turn the feet and face to the right

•   Bend the right leg so that the right thigh is parallel with the ground and the right lower leg is vertical

•   Gradually lower the body

•   Keep your back straight and use your arms for balance

•   Feel the stretch along the front of the left thigh and the right hamstrings

•   Repeat by turning and facing to the left

 

Adductor Stretch

•   Stand tall with your feet approximately two shoulder widths apart

•   Bend the right leg and lower the body

•   Keep your back straight and use the arms to balance

•   You will feel the stretch in the left leg adductor

•   Repeat with the left leg

CONTROL

I can’t stress enough that people should take it slow, especially people who haven’t worked out in a while. There are so many options out there to get in shape. I get it, and as an instructor, believe me I want to try them all! I consider myself to be really fit, okay really really fit,  but even I can’t just jump into a new exercise program without taking it slow. A new program means there are different muscle being used so regardless of your fitness level, you will feel it in the morning. Ease yourself into the workout.

 

            I just started a new kind out workout which involved dancing on the sand. Sounds fun right? Well it is, but OMG is it hard! I was crippled the next day! Same basic moves I do in my indoor class but different conditions.  I warned my class but they didn’t listen. One person even got hurt. I titled this blog control, because that’s exactly what this person didn't exercise. It's so important to control those movements and not to go crazy like you're Superman or Wonder Woman! What do I mean by control, you ask. As a dancer, the first thing you learn in ballet, before you do anything difficult moves, is how to control your body. This happens to be one reason why the tights are worn.  Not my favorite.  To be honest, learning to dance was boring in the beginning because all we did was exercise in learning how to control our movements. I feel this is true in exercise to avoid injury.