- This is Quick Fit , and I'm your host, Cassy Vieth.

I consider today's class a bit more advanced as far as balance goes because we'll be performing dynamic movements while on one leg.

Balancing while moving challenges your balance, as it causes your deep core muscles to activate.

Stronger core muscles improve your balance.

That's a lot of value for your time, so let's get right at it.

[upbeat music] We'll begin with a nice, stable base, working without shoes.

If you have too much fear yet to work without a chair nearby, take that as the clear sign you need to gain more confidence by taking my beginning classes first.

All right, hands on your hips.

Like I said, a nice, wide base with your feet and we'll just start with some easy hip circles to warm up.

Don't forget your breathing.

Nice, slow inhales, [inhales] nice long exhales.

And remember, as you do the hip circles, it's the hips that are moving around the base of your feet.

It's not the shoulders moving around the base of your hips.

Now let's go the other way.

As your hips come forward and you lean the shoulders back, feel those abs engage.

All right, pull them in.

[inhales] Feel them tighten.

Good.

Few more, inhale [inhales] and exhale.

All right, soft knees.

Let's do a little tail tuck, making like a letter C with your spine.

We're not leaning forward as much as it appears.

We're rounding the spine.

Okay, tuck your chin.

Enjoy that stretch all the way down your spine.

Lift that right shoulder up.

[inhales and exhales] Pull the belly in.

Left shoulder up.

All right, we'll come up out of that.

Now pull the pelvis back.

Stick the chest out.

So we're doing the opposite.

Shoulders back, stomach's in.

Let's do it one more time.

Tuck the tailbone under, nice and smooth, and tailbone back, all right.

Now, one more time, rounding the back, tucking the pelvis, squeeze the bottom.

[inhales] Reach your right arm across.

Deepening that stretch, opening the ribs.

[exhales] Big inhale as we switch sides.

[inhales] Exhale.

[exhales] Reach it back.

You should feel that stretch all the way down from the back of your shoulder to the back of your hip.

All right, and come up.

Good job.

[inhales] All right, we'll get down one more time.

I love this outfielder position.

Sort of like you're in the right field.

Like I used to be, hoping nobody would hit the ball towards me.

And the other way, lean on those legs and let your back arch.

One more time, this is like the yoga cat and cow.

[exhales] Good, let the shoulders come up by your ears.

All right, let's get into the balance part.

I'd like you to mirror me.

So this would be your right leg we're going to be balancing on first.

And I'd like you to lift your other leg, slow as you need to, stabilizing, and your hand's going to resist.

As you do this, you'll feel your stomach muscles, your abs muscles engage.

Pull them in so you can lift that knee into your hand.

[inhales] Good, all right, catch your balance.

Pause.

If you feel like you've got to put that leg down, try not to.

And now squeeze your butt and press your heel against an imaginary object behind you, focusing just right on one object to help you keep your balance.

Good job.

[inhales] Slow movements.

[exhales] If you're struggling, make this figure four.

[inhales] Don't hold your breath, breathe.

And now try to lift that knee up to the side.

Try to have nice, pretty lines.

Don't hold your breath.

[exhales] We'll do it one more time.

The faster you move, the harder it's gonna be.

So go slow as you need to.

Okay.

Your standing leg is getting tired.

All those joints are having to communicate with your brain.

They're quickly sending messages up to your brain, your brain's interpreting.

And then sending the jobs back down to your muscles, telling them to stabilize you.

[inhales] So go as slow as you need to to allow that communication to occur.

I know my ankle and knee are feeling it.

They're really having to fire off all those muscles to stabilize me.

All right, that's two times.

[inhales] Thank goodness, switch legs, all right.

Shake that out a little bit.

That leg, that calf started to burn, didn't it?

All right.

Let's stable.

Let's bring that leg up in front.

Resist with the arms.

Feel your abs engage, [inhales] breathe.

[exhales] All right, lift and we'll press it to the back.

Find one thing to focus on.

Try to have a nice posture all at the same time.

Figure four.

All right, out to the side.

And you know, maybe you started out really good, but all of a sudden, now you're really struggling.

So as you get tired and your brain gets tired, it'll be harder, but you'll get further in this class every time you repeat it.

[exhales] All right, lift, press that heel back, squeeze the butt.

[inhales and exhales] Okay, figure four.

Every time you move, it gives you more of a challenge.

And then, ready, and see if we can lift that knee up to the side.

[laughing] I need to do this class a few more times.

All right.

And slowly, don't put that foot down until you wanna put it down.

All right, good job.

[clapping] Got through it.

Now let's stretch.

We're not quite done though.

Stretch those legs out.

[exhales] Catch your breath.

[inhales] A few more things, all right, one more time.

I'd like you to mirror me.

I'd like you to take your left leg and reach it to the back and twist towards your other leg.

Now we'll do that three more times fluidly with the knee lift, okay?

So reach it back, twist, lift, go as slow as you need to to be in control of this movement.

Don't put your leg back just because you're losing your balance.

One more time.

[inhales] Good job, next side, you ready?

Inhale.

[inhales] We'll do the first one slow, [exhales] reach it back.

Twist towards your front leg, then a knee to the front.

All right, nice and fluid.

Reach it back and up.

Reach it back and up.

Reach it back and up.

Good job.

All right, switching legs again.

You'll balance on your right leg, we're going to do some airplanes.

Arms nice and wide.

Start with the other leg behind you.

[inhales] And as you hinge forward at the hips, not your low back, your hips, let that back leg slowly come off the floor.

And you know what?

A centimeter off the floor is off the floor.

You do not have to lift that leg all the way up to hip height, unless it naturally goes there because you feel stable.

[inhales] Do not force it, 'cause if you force it and end up putting your foot down, you're not really giving your brain time.

So go as slow as you need to.

First grade, then second grade and third grade, just like that.

Progress systematically.

If you push it too fast, you'll get frustrated.

All right, come back up.

[inhales] And now put the foot down.

Good job.

[exhales] One more time, out.

[inhales] Extend that right foot behind you now.

When you're stable, start hinging forward at the hips.

Focus on one thing on the floor.

When your ankle, knee, and hip of your standing leg feel stable, the leg and back will lift.

Okay, stomach's in, [inhales] focus on the floor.

Focus on your breathing.

[exhales and inhales] You're probably getting tired.

And that's understandable.

Now we'll slowly stand up.

Don't put that foot down till you feel stable.

Good job, all right, one more move.

Hang in there guys, you're doing so good.

Balance on your right leg, and we're going to go to the side.

We're going to do a hydrant.

Slowly lifting that knee out to the side.

And as you feel stable, lean the torso over.

[exhales] Hang in there.

Focus on one thing.

[inhales and exhales] Stomach's tight.

And back down.

All right.

Next side, last side, almost done.

[inhales and exhales] You guys are doing great.

All right, get that knee up.

You can start leaning over.

And don't feel rushed.

If there's something you wanna work at, you know, you can always hit pause, work on that move.

Come back to the rest of the class again after.

All right, slowly.

I'm not gonna put my foot down until I feel stable.

Okay.

[laughing] I hope you found this class fun and challenging.

And if you found some of the last moves just too hard, then be encouraged.

You've found some weaknesses, and you can set some measurable goals to reach towards.

In fact, a few weeks of focused training will probably find you performing this entire class easily.

And you know where to find me again, right here at pbswisconsin.org/quickfit, where together, we'll work on improving your strength, reducing your pain, and keeping you fit for all the things you want to do.

See you soon.

- Announcer: Funding for Quick Fit with Cassy is provided by Greg and Carol Griffin, founders of ElderSpan Management, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.