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

Many times throughout your day, you have to reach outside your base and away from your center of gravity.

This requires a strong back and sides to support the weight of that reach.

Join me now, as we use your own body weight to challenge and condition these muscles all along your back and sides.

[gentle music] As we warm up, have a good, wide base with your feet, say about shoulder-width apart.

And take your shoes off so your feet can get a nice, big stretch.

All right, lift up with your arms.

[inhales] Big inhale now and hinge at your hips, exhale.

[exhales] Don't go very far; we want this to be a nice, easy warm-up.

Inhale, [inhales] exhale.

[exhales] Stretching those hamstrings.

Only getting lower by increments, little increments, so it feels absolutely wonderful.

[inhales] Exhale.

[exhales] You know, active lifestyles naturally burn more calories than sedentary ones.

But when you're in pain, I know you just naturally move less.

Less moving leads to weight gain, stiffness.

Less moving leads to more pain.

It's just really a circular problem.

So by working out with me, you're being intentional about your future, your current state of health, and your future health.

That's something to be proud of.

All right, good.

And up, two arms right up over your head.

[inhales] All right, so think about your spine, right about here and it's hinging.

All right, as we exhale, inhale, lifting long.

All right, now, let's go the other way.

Lift, [inhales and exhales] stomach's tight.

Make sure your hips are over your ankles, not over your toes, okay?

Don't be pushing forward like that.

And now let's get a little bigger.

So we're moving down the spine, a little wider legs.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale.

[exhales] And then let's go the other way.

Getting a little bit bigger, and a little lower down the spine.

Inhale.

[inhales] Now, some of you might not have your feet wide enough to make this move work, okay?

But you need a nice, wide base.

[inhales] All right, very good.

All right, nice, big arms.

And we're going to hinge at the waist again and twist.

Reach towards that foot, other way.

Legs are straight, big inhale, exhale.

And if you can't reach your feet yet, that's okay.

Reach for the knee, and as you warm up, you'll get lower.

Maybe it'll just take a few weeks, but you'll get there.

Okay, inhale, [inhales] exhale.

Flat back.

Legs are straight.

Now let's widen the feet a little bit and you can begin to bend the knee just ever so slightly.

Flat back, slight bend in the knee and twist.

Doesn't that feel good?

[inhales] All right, a little bit bigger knee bend, exhale.

Now your hips should move backwards instead of the knee going forward, okay?

Hips move back.

So the knee actually bends in the back side instead of the front side.

Okay, a couple more, a little faster.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

And take care that your knees aren't moving over your toes.

Okay, one more, last one.

And we'll come up.

Very good, shake that off.

Next, we'll do something that I call core angels.

So hinge at the hips, move your behind back.

Okay, so I'm gonna take a little moment.

I want you to take care that the knees aren't moving forward.

Push your weight through your heels, and you see how your hips move back.

So the bend in the knee is in the back of the knee.

Hands come back by your hips, pull the shoulders back.

Pull the shoulders up by the ears.

Now move 'em back.

Very good.

This is the position I want you to keep.

Shoulders down and back, pull in the stomach.

[inhales] Stomach has to support this low back.

Now even though I'm not moving anything, this is a challenge.

Let's bring this one arm up over the head.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale.

[exhales] Let's do the other arm.

Bring it around, stomach in.

Keep pulling it in, don't forget about that.

That works your abs at the same time.

Now if your hamstrings are getting overworked, overstressed, just take a step back.

Come up a little bit, all right?

[inhales] Two arms up over the head, pulling in that stomach.

Pull it in, pull it in the whole time.

Remember, that's that drawing in maneuver.

It's very good for those core muscles, those muscles that are attached to your spine and support your core.

Very good.

All right, let's take a little break for a moment.

Relax down towards the floor.

Roll up, very good.

Arms back again.

Sit your hips back.

One arm at a time, bring it around.

[inhales] Hold it here.

Now don't let the head sag down, okay?

But don't overarch it.

It should be in line with the rest of your spine.

Squeeze the back to lift the arms, squeeze.

Now switch arms, very good.

If you need to stand up or switch legs, by all means do so.

But make sure you join us after about three or four seconds or switching your legs.

Squeeze, inhale, exhale.

[exhales] Relaxing, releasing the tension.

And now a nice, wide stance, okay?

Your legs are stronger than you think.

So don't keep 'em too close and hurt your knees.

Have nice, wide legs, so that when you come down, your knees make it this nice bend here.

Your knee is right over your ankle.

All right, nice and wide and reach and reach.

Now straighten that right leg.

And I wanna see your chest, okay?

Your chest should be facing me and stretch.

The leg isn't going anywhere.

It's like there's a wall right here.

You're stretching through your thigh and your sides.

All right, reach and up.

Reach, press that foot into the floor.

Reach, keep your arms horizontal.

Don't let this shoulder come around.

Okay, reach, reach, reach, and other side.

So turn your toes.

Turn knees, lengthen this leg.

Face me with your chest, ready, and exhale.

Stretching through your thigh.

Okay, knee's not going anywhere.

Inhale, [inhales] exhale.

I know some of you need to take a look at that leg and see if it's moving out over your toes.

I only want you to move from your hips.

I can see some of you; I know it's happening.

Reach, whoops.

My shoulder started to turn, all right.

[exhales] Arms are horizontal.

One more, [inhales] exhale, good.

Now let's turn it all the way so both toes are facing your left if you're mirroring me, okay?

And don't have your feet one in front of the other.

Have a decent base, okay?

Have your feet a little wide, even though they're staggered.

Okay, backstroke, lean it forward, and up.

As you bend your knee, same thing.

It's going to stop traveling forward when it's above your ankle.

And to lean forward, you need to stretch through the back, and your glute, [exhales] your hamstring, your thigh.

All right, reach, one more.

[inhales] Exhale.

Reach it, reach it.

Can you go further?

[exhales] Go, good job.

All right, switch sides.

All right, so get that back leg down.

All right, find your stability and backstroke.

Exhale, lean it forward.

[exhales] A slight turn of your back foot will make it more comfortable for your knee.

And reach and reach, backstroke nice and big.

Lean it forward.

Big backstroke, lean it forward.

[inhales] Check that knee, be critical.

And up [inhales] and over.

Let's do a couple more.

As you feel more confident, you can lean out further.

Stomach's in.

And up, reach.

Exhale, [exhales] good, good job.

All right, come on up.

All right, finally, let's do some clock reaches.

These are super tough, but you can do it.

Okay, inhale, exhale.

Over towards, I don't know, is this 10 o'clock or 1 o'clock?

Exhale, you get the point.

Over, inhale, [inhales] exhale.

[exhales] Stretch it over.

Inhale, [inhales] maybe over.

[exhales] All right, let's go the other way.

Inhale, [inhales] exhale.

[exhales] Inhale.

[inhales and exhales] Blow, stomach's in tight.

One more, [inhales] and go.

[exhales] All right.

[laughing] You have like, no air left.

Good job everybody.

All right, gentle, rolling forward and back of your shoulders.

All right, those are not easy moves.

But if you're consistent with these classes, you'll soon notice more power when you're reaching and lifting throughout your day.

Decide right now what time you're going to come back and join me, so it doesn't get put off or skipped.

Then log in to pbswisconsin.org/quickfit, where I'll make sure you have the tools you need to age well, so you can live better, longer.

Because 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.