- Today's class is going to leave you looser and stronger.

Hello there, I'm Cassy, and this is Quick Fit .

Did you know when muscles are tight, they're weak.

That's right, and when they're tight and weak, you're left feeling your age.

Well, with a little daily effort, you can feel young again and strong.

So let's get moving.

[upbeat music] Let's sit forward on your chair, no reclining, and we'll warm up with our hands on our hips and your feet fairly wide so you can do some nice, big circles right from your seat, like right from the bottom of your chair, okay.

And start your breathing.

Deep inhale, [inhales] long exhale.

Let's go the other way, stomach's in on the way back, okay, as you come around, pull your stomach in.

Good, and also take the opportunity to stretch your feet by removing your shoes.

One more time the other way.

Good, with some shoulder lifts, and lift and lift, stretching those ribs.

Your ribs are attached to your spine.

So let's keep them mobile too, and lift.

Elbows forward around that back, tuck your chin, sit up nice and tall, elbows back, arch your back.

Lift your chin as far as it feels comfortable.

One more time, rounding the back, elbows forward, and arch.

Okay, while you're here, walk your hands up just a little bit, as far as it feels good for you.

It'll help stretch that, those chest muscles and the front of your shoulders.

Reach back now and grab your chair.

Good, and let gravity pull you forward.

Stretching your shoulders, lengthening through your spine.

Let your head relax a moment, [exhales] turn and look one way and then the other.

Good.

All right, we'll come up, and now I'd like you to cross your, if you're mirroring me, this will be your left leg.

Cross your left leg over your right and of course, if that's too tight, you can cross at the ankles, but left over right, and now I'd like you to turn towards that hip [inhales] and push against the chair and lift that hip off the seat.

Let's take a hand and press across.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale.

[exhales] Again, elbow back and press, and let's do the other side.

So let the hips come down on the seat, cross the other way, and we'll reach towards this hip.

Okay, and we'll push into the seat so you can lift this hip, and now press with your front arm.

Sit up tall, pull that elbow back, [inhales] and one more time, push into the chair to lift that hip, pressing that arm across.

Very good, lift it up.

Very nice, hands on your hips again.

Widening those legs.

Good, and we'll arch the back again, and round.

Focus on the pelvis, getting some movement in the pelvis, in those ball and socket joints at the top of your thighs.

Good, elbows back, elbows forward.

Okay, nice, wide arms.

Widen those legs because I want you to reach really far.

Lift and over.

Good, come up.

[inhales] Lift and over, stomach's in, supporting that spine.

One more.

Let's go the other way, lift and over.

Lift.

[inhales] Keep those arms fairly high, stomach's in, and you can press your foot into the floor to help you get a little further out over.

Very good.

All right, let's extend your right leg, if you're mirroring me.

Twist a little in the seat just to free your hip from the chair.

Get the inside of that foot on the floor.

All right, and now I'd like you to tuck the tailbone under.

[exhales] Pull the belly in, and you'll feel a pull down the inside of your thigh.

All right, release, and one more time, tuck that tailbone under.

Good, and sit up.

Gonna do it again.

Tuck to the tailbone under, and sit up.

We'll switch sides.

Turn in your seat.

Get the inside of that foot on the floor, free your hip up.

Good, now tuck the tailbone under, press the foot into the floor, and up.

Good, tuck the tailbone under, maybe a little tip towards the foot if you have room to move.

Very good, all right.

That felt good.

Now sit up, nice, wide legs again, and I'd like you to reach two hands over towards your left knee and let's drop that shoulder.

Inhale, [inhales] and then exhale.

[exhales] Once again, sit forward on your chair.

You might even have to get some of this one hip off the seat a little more so that you can drop lower.

Widen the legs a little more.

Good.

Experiment, keep pushing the leg wide as you drop your shoulder.

And the other side.

I'm gonna to twist.

It releases my hip.

I can move a little bit more if I twist in my seat and get some of my butt more off the chair.

Two hands.

Don't let this leg fall in.

Drop the shoulder.

[exhales] Good.

Inhale, [inhales] exhale and look up towards the ceiling.

[exhales] Pay attention to this leg; don't let it fall in.

[inhales and exhales] Drop that shoulder and look up to the ceiling.

Halfway up, inhale big, [inhales] exhale for about four or five beats.

Nice, and come up.

All right, big arms, legs are still wide, and we'll take your right arm.

Reach towards your left foot and up, do that again.

Cross and open, cross and open.

Good, and remember, if you can't reach all the way down towards your foot, reaching halfway between your knee and your foot is fine.

As you loosen up, you'll find that you'll get further without forcing yourself.

And remember, we always work where it feels good, and you'll find yourself loosening up and going further without even having to really try.

Now this time, I'd like you to reach between your feet.

Inhale.

[inhales] A little further.

[exhales] Now remember, you're pushing your feet into the floor to keep you firmly seated in the chair.

Exhale, reach it, reach it, reach it, lengthening that spine and up.

[inhales] Other way.

Aim for the floor between your feet and go.

[exhales] Come up, inhale.

[inhales] Reach a little further this time, [exhales] and up.

[inhales] Reach a little further.

[exhales] Good.

All right, bigger arms yet.

One arm up, one arm down, and reach it further along the floor.

[exhales] Again, [inhales] one arm up, one arm down.

Try to look towards the ceiling and the other way.

Okay, try to keep your arms in line.

Reach it further.

Look to the ceiling and up.

[inhales and exhales] Very good.

We'll do one more twist, not quite so far.

How about in front of that right foot, okay?

Right arm in front of your right foot.

Bring that other arm over the head.

[exhales] That's a big one.

Nice, other way.

[inhales] Line that arm up with your leg.

Reach it out.

[exhales] Other arm comes along, pull in your stomach.

Exhale.

[exhales] Nice, big, strong move.

Terrific.

Good job, all right, an easy twist.

Remember, your behind is not glued in that chair.

You can shift in your seat, opening up this hip as you twist.

Let's go one more the other way, shifting in your seat to get a nice, nice, complete stretch.

That feels so good, all the way down to my toes.

All right; your body works as a unit.

So when one muscle is tight or weak, other muscles try to compensate.

So exercising your entire body with these gentle classes is meant to keep you balanced.

Come back to pbswisconsin.org/quickfit, where you'll find a full range of workouts for everything from your hands to your feet, designed to keep you living better longer, and until next time, keep on moving.

- 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.