- I once read in an old history book about schoolchildren using benches without backs so they wouldn't develop lazy backs.

Hello, I'm Cassy Vieth, and while I enjoy history, I also love simple routines that'll keep you strong, loose, and pain-free.

We'll be loosening the spine in today's routine, which we all need.

So let's get moving.

[upbeat music] Sitting for hours at a time is particularly hard on the mid and lower body, but if you have no other choice, use it as an opportunity to strengthen those spine muscles.

Just forget that chair back is there by sitting tall, pulling in your abdominals, and squeezing those shoulder blades together.

Also pay attention to where your head and neck is positioned.

Is your chin jutting forward?

Pull it back in.

Reaching it up.

Completely extend through your elbow, and if you can't go up over your head with your arms straight, then do it a little lower, doing your best to straighten that elbow completely.

Pull it back.

One more, the other side.

Reach up and open that armpit.

Now, we'll roll it down.

[inhales] Big exhale.

Count to six while you blow all that air out, [exhales] letting gravity stretch your back.

Tuck that chin.

Pull your stomach in as we roll it up slowly.

A nice, big inhale.

[inhales] Good, open that chest, and then we'll put the hands on the top of your thighs, and we'll do a standing cat and cow.

So arch that spine, tuck your chin, making a big curved spine from your tailbone to the top of your head, and now arch it the other way.

Put your weight down through your legs.

Let your head and shoulders come up and your tailbone come up.

Do that one more time.

Rounding.

[exhales] I call this rounding.

[inhales] You can even do a little pull on the back of your legs to help deepen the stretch.

Elbows falling forward [inhales] and now the opposite, okay?

Pressing down through your legs, let your shoulders come up by your ears.

Tailbone come up and a big sway in your back.

All right now, standing up, and we'll do a nice, easy twist.

Keep your feet and knees where they are.

[inhales and exhales] Go the other way.

So we're not going very far.

Now this time, you can let your heel lift, let the leg twist, [exhales] and as you move, take a big inhale, [inhales] preparing for the end of your range and then exhale.

[exhales] Good, that feels good.

Let's do one more, involving the legs, the hips, the spine, and now our legs are getting wider so we can start bending and reaching deeper.

[exhales] Good.

Reach [exhales] and twist and reach.

Coming up now.

Doing some easy backstrokes.

Lead with that elbow.

[inhales] Nice and fluid.

Stomach's in, spine is tall.

Breathe it in, blow it out.

[exhales] Lazy and fluid.

And now, reaching forward as if someone's pulling on your front arm, and reaching back.

Someone's pulling in the opposite direction.

Lift through your spine as if you're on a hook.

Okay?

[exhales] And switching and twisting, one arm forward, one arm back as if your arms are on a wall and they're being pulled in two different directions, lift.

Isn't that nice?

Keep reaching, [inhales] lifting.

Stomach's in, long neck, and release.

Very good.

Grab your chair.

All right, we're going to just walk it back.

We're going to stretch that back.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale.

[exhales] Good.

Lengthening from your fingertips to your tailbone.

When it gets tight, pause.

Deep inhale, exhale.

[exhales] Think about opening up the armpits.

Elbows are straight.

We're actually stretching that upper back.

Come partway out.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale.

Push away from the chair to open up the shoulders [exhales] and shift left and right.

[inhales and exhales] Sink into that one hip, left hip.

Sink into that right hip.

Good, and tuck that chin, and we'll roll up, coming up to a standing position.

Let's turn that chair.

Okay, so have the chair back in your right hand and get your leg, your outside leg, the one that's closest to the front of the seat up on top, and then hop that standing leg back, and we'll start some easy lunges over the top of the chair.

[inhales] I don't want you to end up over the chair.

So you have to move your back leg back, and try to let your weight sink straight down; don't let that knee travel.

Just sink straight down.

Good.

Now, let's get your opposite hand down on the chair.

And reach, good.

[inhales and exhales] Switching hands.

So now it's your same side.

Foot and hand are on the chair, and reach the other one straight up to the ceiling.

[inhales and exhales] And just enjoy that.

Maybe shift a little bit forward and back.

And come out of that, and we'll switch legs.

All right, getting your inside leg or the leg that's closest to the chair back.

Hop that other one back.

Sinking down.

[exhales] Stretching your inner thigh.

[inhales] Good.

[exhales] Making sure you're not landing on the other side.

Hips down, hips up.

[inhales] All right, opposite hand and foot are on the chair.

[inhales] Make sure you're stable and reach up with the other hand to the ceiling.

[exhales] Shifting if you've got room to move, and then let's bring that other hand down.

Take your time.

Be nice and stable.

[exhales] Reaching up.

Good, take your time.

[inhales] And bring that back down, and just get that chair out of your way.

Nice, reach up.

[inhales] Good.

Now, we're going to hinge right from the hips.

That means we're not gonna round our shoulders forward.

We're gonna fold in half right from the hips.

Straight legs, flat back.

Arms are straight out from your shoulders.

Take a big inhale and I'd like you to twist.

So one arm goes up, one arm goes down, and you're probably tight, so we'll come out of that and just go the other way.

[inhales] Big inhale, exhale.

[exhales] Maybe you will only get a little bit into that twist.

That's all right; I'm tight too when we first start.

[inhales] And twist the other way, and then when you're at your limit, exhale [exhales] and reach along the floor.

Stretching those hamstrings.

Come up out of it.

[inhales] Big inhale, exhale.

When you're at your limit to twist, do that breathing again.

Inhale, [inhales] exhale.

[exhales] Reach further along the floor, stretching those hamstrings, and then two arms down.

Pull your belly in.

Slight bend of the knees.

Tuck that chin and we'll roll it up slowly.

Beautiful, shoulders back.

Good.

Hands on your hips.

Let's tuck that tailbone under.

Remember, we have soft knees as we do this.

Think of a dog tucking its tail between its legs, and while I look like I'm bent over, I'm actually just rounded by tucking my chin.

Making like a big letter C with my spine.

Elbows forward.

Pulling in the belly.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale, enjoy it, [exhales] and then we'll do the opposite.

So you have to pull your pelvis back.

Stick the chest out.

Elbows back.

Those feel good.

Just do one more of each of those.

Briefly tuck [inhales] and arch.

Wonderful.

I hope that did the trick to loosen you up, but that's only half the work.

Now you need to strengthen so that having great posture is normal, not work.

Find some great back strengthening workouts right here at pbswisconsin.org/quickfit, where helping you live better, longer is my mission.

Plan tomorrow's workout right now, and I look forward to seeing you then.

- 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.