- Welcome back to Quick Fit .

I'm Cassy Vieth.

Congratulate yourself for taking action towards better health.

Personal discipline isn't always easy, but these classes are.

In fact, today's simple routine, while fairly brief, is very effective for improving stability in the low back.

So let's get right at it.

[bright music] We'll begin on our hands and knees.

So if you'd like a pillow underneath your knees, go ahead and grab one now.

And we'll be activating the muscle chains that make an X down the back of your body and cross at the low back.

So let's get on our hands and knees and start with the vacuum.

The vacuum, there's a not a lot going on, you're simply pulling up your abdominals, as much of those muscles from your ribs down to between your hip bones.

And if you're not sure if they're active or pulling up, you can just press into them with your fingers.

Pressing into the floor, pull up those abs, hold them there, don't release them, [inhales] and continue to take an inventory.

You're pressing into the floor, nice, long neck, shoulders are pressed down, abs are pulled up.

Don't forget to breathe, but every time you breathe, chances are you'll loosen the abs a little bit.

So you gotta remember to pull them up.

[inhales and exhales] So this hold, there's not a lot that seems like is going on, but it is.

Your deep core muscles are being activated and they just take a little bit of time.

This is something you can easily practice during commercials while you're watching TV, while you're riding along in the car.

So continue to pull up, take that inventory.

You're not rounding your back, okay, it's a neutral spine.

Abs are just pulled up tight and you're holding them, okay?

[inhales] Inhale, exhale, good.

Now don't loosen the abs, but I'd like you to extend that left leg right out the back, about hip height, and then prepare by slowly lifting and extending that right arm.

If you need to start with your hand on the floor and then slowly lift it up, that's just fine.

Try to have a fairly neutral spine.

Don't try to lift your face up too much; neutral neck.

So we're activating half of that X I told you about.

These are actually called regions of interdependence.

So the muscles from your right hand, down your back, they cross at the low back, going into that left glute and down that left leg.

Keep pulling up your abs.

[inhales and exhales] These muscles work together in a chain, especially if you can imagine while you're walking, okay.

Hold it here; a few more seconds.

Then slowly bring the elbow to the knee, slow as you can, slow as you need to so that you don't have to put your foot or your hand down.

[exhales] Reach, tight abs, pull it in.

One more, extend, and last one.

Nice, long reach.

Reach further with that arm, further back with that leg and slowly put them down.

We'll switch sides.

[inhales] Nice, big inhale, exhale.

Extend that right leg.

You can keep the toes down if you need to.

Extend that left arm and then as you get more confidence, more stable, stronger, you can lift that back leg up.

All right, fairly neutral neck.

Extend through the arm, reach with the leg, pull up those abs, don't forget about that.

Keep reaching, pressing that straight arm into the floor.

Few more seconds and then we'll bring that elbow to knee.

Let's do four, slow as you need to go.

Three.

Don't forget to breathe, pull in your abs.

Nice, pretty lines, two.

All right, last one.

Big extension, don't give up yet.

And down.

Nice.

All right, let's sit on your behind and we'll do a little bit for the abs by just simply rolling back.

All right, squeeze your bottom.

Roll back to just before you feel like you're going to fall all the way down.

I don't want you to do that, so.

Rope climb up.

Good, and roll it back.

Pull the abs in, squeeze your bottom, roll back, rope climb.

Breathe as heavy as you need to, nothing wrong with that.

Exhale, roll it back.

[exhales] Rope climb.

Good, roll it back.

Can you go a little further this time?

Rope climb, one hand in front of the other.

And back.

[exhales] Five, four, three, two, hold it.

Rope, rope, rope, and rope.

Good job, all right, this time, let's roll it back.

Abs nice and tight, extend that leg.

[inhales and exhales] Good, reach and reach, so try to lift the leg and move the torso.

Five, four, three, two, last one.

And roll it back, other leg.

Reach, hang in there.

If you need a break, count to three and join us again.

Let's do four, three, two, last one, good job.

And we'll stretch it and we'll just do those suitcases again, okay?

Roll it back, extend that leg, five, four, three, two, last one.

Switch legs for five, four, three, two, and done.

Good job; sit up nice and tall.

You can pull on your legs a little bit to arch that spine as much as you can, stretching those abs, and then let's swing around onto your side.

If you're mirroring me, you'll be on your left elbow, and make sure your shoulder is not by your ear.

Press that elbow into the floor.

Sit up nice and tall.

[inhales and exhales] All right, extend that top leg.

Let's do a nice, long reach overhead.

How far can you reach with those toes, lengthening through your hip?

How far over the head can you reach with that arm?

Good, let's bring that elbow to knee, reach it over.

Extend as far as you can and squeeze the side.

Reach and squeeze.

[inhales and exhales] Good.

If the abdominal workout got you a little out of breath, take your time to do nice, slow, long inhales and exhales now.

Okay, one more, okay?

We'll switch sides, reach, reach, reach, and squeeze.

Good job; swing it around to the other side.

We wanna be even.

Let's get that elbow right under your shoulder.

Take a big breath and extend that leg, reach over the head.

Reach a little further with that leg, a little further with that arm, and elbow to knee.

Reach and over.

[exhales and inhales] Extend, squeeze the side, extend and squeeze.

Three, reach it, two, last one, and squeeze.

Good job.

Roll over onto your back and we'll do a little bit for the inner thighs and legs.

Roll down as slow and careful as you can, legs in the air.

Now pull in your abs to press the low back into the floor and you'll get a little lift of the hips.

And that's what we're aiming for because we wanna work on those lower abdominals.

So just a little press of the low back into the floor, lifting up the hips.

Now try not to do a wild swing with the legs for momentum.

Just lift the low hips.

All right, press the low back.

Couple more, lift, pull it in.

Make sure you're not pushing your belly button up.

You're pulling it in; lift and lift.

All right, go ahead and bend those knees and we'll drop the knees over to one side.

And then lift them up, do that little hip lift at the top, and work the legs over to the other side.

Little hip lift and over, hip lift and over.

Let's do about six, five.

[exhales] Blow.

Pull the abs in.

Last one.

Good job, everybody.

Extend those legs up.

Okay, and we'll work on the inner thighs a little bit.

So open the legs, cross at the top, open and cross.

Open, cross.

Hold them open at the side, little circles.

You can flex your feet.

Controlled circles.

And then bring those feet together at the top and make like a frog.

So open the knees, put the bottom of the feet together, extend.

Keep it going.

So five, four, three, two, last one.

Let's do those adductors again.

So you'll open and cross, open and cross, flex your feet, control it.

Come back quick.

Out, cross, out and cross.

Hold it open now.

Little circles, nice and controlled.

We're not throwing the legs around.

You've got your abs nice and tight.

[inhales] Five, four, three, two, and bring the bottoms of the feet together and closer to you as you let the knees open.

Okay, like a frog, extend, open, extend.

So five, four, almost done, three, two, and one, good job.

Put your hands behind your knees and we'll kick up to a nice seated position to stretch.

Just lift that spine.

Big inhale, [inhales] pull on your shins to pull yourself forward in a long, long exhale.

Very good.

And that's it.

You're stronger now than when we started.

Remember to put your workout first in your busy life and your days will be less stressful.

I'll see you tomorrow, right here at pbswisconsin.org/quickfit.

In fact, schedule tomorrow's workout right now so it doesn't get skipped.

And remember, life is movement.

- 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.