Skyler Meine

Where To Start

The first question I ask myself when starting an exercise program with a client is how can I keep this person healthy. Injury will stop the best exercise program dead in its tracks. To prevent injury, each muscle and joint needs to be moving correctly. In order to ensure this is happening, I use foam rolling and active stretching to improve the quality and function of my clients’ muscles and joints.

Foam rolling is nothing more than self massage. Foam rolling targets trigger points or areas where the muscle fascia has become thick, tough or knotted. These areas, if not treated, can potentially create dysfunction and eventually injury. By rolling out each muscle group with a foam roller, especially targeting tight or painful areas, you can start improving the muscle fascia and prevent injury. (more…)

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Let’s keep it simple today.

Burning more calories than you take in sometimes requires exercise.  Exercise is important to achieving your IdealShape because it helps you maintain or increase muscle.  Muscle burns calories.

Exercise isn’t about just burning calories. Exercise provides the flexibility and strength needed to perform the everyday activities you love.

Stretching is an important part of the exercise program my clients perform.  Active stretching (a new term for some of you) is something I have been using for years with amazing results.  It uses exercises that are designed to stretch the muscle and strengthen it through that new range of motion you are creating by stretching.

These active stretches are body weight exercises and can be challenging.  Don’t worry, your body will adapt very quickly because it is your body weight that is providing the resistance. I have started clients who were over 400 pounds with these stretches and this was all they did during their workouts until they mastered them.

Here is the video to watch the stretches. Make sure to follow along.

By the way that is my voice and our fitness model Kit Zeigle doing the exercises.

Try out the Active Stretching and let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

active stretching, flexibility, IdealShape, muscle