- Thank you for making the choice to join me for another self-care class.

I'm Cassy, and this is Quick Fit , your place to take action that creates change in how you feel.

Most of us don't think about our hands until they hurt.

But why is that?

Let's take care of them today.

Are you ready?

Good.

[upbeat music] You can work today standing or sitting, but since we already sit way too much, let's just stand.

Sitting for long periods of time is exhausting and considered a repetitive movement that leads to injury.

So let's just stand if you can.

Let's start by splaying both of your hands.

Getting the fingers as wide as you can away from one another and extending the fingers thoroughly.

Like, we don't want them flexed, let's extend.

We're gonna hold this for about a minute with some breathing, deep inhale, [inhales] deep exhale.

[exhales] At the same time, you can slowly flex and extend your wrists.

Not forgetting to keep stretching.

Stretches that are held for longer periods of time allow those safety mechanisms to relax, and then you'll get more lengthening through the muscle fibers, okay?

So just keep going for a little bit.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale.

[exhales] Good job.

Keep it going.

All right, now let's just make some fists and start drawing some circles.

Relieving those muscles in your forearms that were already starting to get a little tired.

Your muscles in your forearms are the ones that control the ones in your fingers, all right?

Circle and circle.

All right, you have these eight carpal bones in your wrists, right in here.

And they just look like a box of rocks.

It's amazing how each one of them is designed so differently, but they each have a purpose and they fit together.

It's crazy.

All right, press your hands together.

Now, we're going to press your fingers against one another, like isometrics.

So start your thumbs and press them together as hard as you can.

We're not pressing the other ones.

We're just starting with the thumbs.

Press, press, press.

Pointer finger, press them.

Maybe you'll notice one is stronger than the other.

And middle finger, press, press.

At the same time, ask yourself about your posture.

Are you jutting your head forward?

Pull it back.

Pull your stomach in.

Ring finger.

You can squeeze your hind end, but keep your hips over your ankles.

And now your pinkies, press, press.

I don't feel like I have much strength in my pinkies.

Maybe you're finding the same thing.

That'll get better with practice.

Okay, let's just pull down your fingers.

We're not making a fist.

We're just pulling the fingers down, touching the tips of your fingers to the pads at the top of your palm.

You can also do the thumbs.

And we'll hold it here, big inhale, exhale.

[exhales] I know some of you are maybe only getting this far, but the longer you hold it and breathe, [inhales] you'll get a little bit more movement.

[exhales] Now, remember what I was saying about the muscles in your forearms?

Those are the muscles that control your fingers, but you don't have any muscles in your fingers.

Just this part, only tendons and ligaments.

The muscles in your forearms get thinner and thinner until they're tendons and ligaments, and then that's all that's working your fingers, it's just interesting.

Okay, now let's extend your arms and your fingers.

Good, now, let's move the thumb, first finger, middle finger, ring, pinky.

I'll start counting, one, two, three, four, five.

Again, we'll start getting a little faster.

One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

And just start mixing it up and going as fast as you can.

[inhales] Good, breathing.

Checking on your posture.

Okay, thumb, one, two, three.

Pinky, thumb, pointer, middle, ring, pinky.

All right, and lower.

All right, relax that a moment.

A couple fist circles.

Make those claw hands again and let's reach it out.

Okay, nice and long, I'd like you to squeeze open.

Squeeze open.

Squeeze open, squeeze open.

Squeeze open, hold it for two, three, four.

Squeeze open, two, three, four.

Squeeze open, two, three, four.

Just the fingers, okay?

Making that claw, claw fingers.

And a little lower.

Good, you can let the wrist bend.

And up.

My forearms are getting tired.

Good, and out, let's try to keep the wrists bent like this.

Squeeze open, two, three, four, squeeze open.

Bend that wrist, squeeze open, two, three, four.

Good job, all right, reach under and grab your thumb.

Opening that palm, you're still reaching and stretching with your fingers this way and gently pulling down on the thumb this way.

And opening it up this direction too.

Okay, hold that, [inhales] breathe.

Enjoy that stretch to your palm, and we'll do it the other way.

So hold your palm up, other hand comes under.

Pulls your thumb open, and grab that meaty part and pull it down.

And your fingers continue to stretch down towards the floor as well.

Hold that here.

Maybe bend the wrist.

Find what feels good.

Good, and shake that off.

Let's make some thumb circles.

We can do both at the same time, I think.

Just make the circles as big as you can.

You have eight muscles in your palms here that move the thumb.

And only people can do this.

There you go, keep going.

All right, now, use that thumb to pull your index finger down.

And at the same time, the others need to stretch up as straight as possible.

Middle finger, stretch the others up.

Ring finger, [inhales] wiggle them.

And pinky.

I like the way this one feels in particular.

Maybe stretch, close and stretch.

Good job, all right, extend your wrists.

And now we're going to kind of pulse.

Pulse down, three, four, five.

How's your posture?

Is your head and neck above your shoulders?

Hips are lined up above your ankles.

And now up, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Stomach's pulled in, spine is tall.

And draw your elbows by your sides, and we'll just do a very unusual move that we don't go around trying very often.

And if you have to just do one hand at a time and focus, that's okay.

Kind of a karate chop.

So maybe you have to put your arm on a table and then you can get a little bit better control.

That's the move.

Do about 10 each.

Do the other one, so I'm even.

And we'll finish with just a few onion chops to relax all those muscles that we were just working.

What I love about Quick Fit being online is that you can rewatch a video as often as you like.

So if you found this class helpful, then repeat it a few times a week by coming back here to pbswisconsin.org/quickfit, where we'll keep your hands in good shape along with the rest of your body.

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.