- Hello, I'm Cassy.

I suspect you're here because you like taking care of yourself.

You believe it makes a difference.

Here at Quick Fit , we also believe a little daily effort is like a daily vitamin or brushing your teeth.

It doesn't have to be long or difficult, but it does need consistency.

Join me now and together, we'll deal with that nagging low back pain that so many people experience.

[upbeat music] This workout will be especially beneficial to those who've been told they have an excessive low back arch or lordosis, also called an anterior pelvic tilt.

We'll be stretching those tight hip flexors that pull you into this position and strengthening the weak abs and glutes that aren't properly pulling your pelvis into correct alignment.

Let's start on your hands and knees; we'll do the child's pose.

And even if you can't get your hips as close to your heels as mine are, it doesn't matter.

Take a big inhale, exhale and walk your hands away.

Very good, and now let's come up, opening up the hips, big inhale, let those hips fall forward.

Let those shoulders come up by your ears.

We're gonna do what feels good, okay.

Inhale, [inhales] one more time.

Sit it back, opening up those knees, stretching the low back and stretching it the other way.

[inhales] Very good.

Let's come up now, but stay on your hands and knees.

Make a nice box between your wrist, shoulder, hips, and knee.

Now without rounding or arching that back, I want you to pull in your belly button, okay?

Use your fingers to make sure you're actually engaging those abdominals.

You'll be pulling it in and holding those muscles.

It takes a little while for the deepest ones to actually wake up and activate.

So hold, nice, long exhales.

Very good.

We're not rounding or arching the back.

We're just concentrating on these abs.

Pull it in, pull it in.

You might have to shift around a little bit so you can feel more abs engaging throughout the whole front wall there.

Hold it in.

All right, now come up because I'd like you to bring your left leg forward and place your hands on the floor, stretching those inner thighs.

[exhales] If this is super tight, you can come up a little bit, work your way back down, shifting forward and back.

Good, and come up so we can switch legs and ease yourself back down, [exhales] shifting [inhales and exhales] and breathing.

Don't forget, we don't wanna hold your breath.

All right, so let's keep this leg here now.

And I'd like you to tuck that tailbone and shift the hips forward slightly.

Come back out of it, do that again.

Inhale, [inhales] exhale.

Make sure you're squeezing your bottom before you push forward.

And if this is uncomfortable for your knees, grab a pillow and put it under your knee.

Good, a slight adjustment to this exercise.

Take your foot and rotate it under you a little more.

Tuck that tailbone and shift it forward.

Good job, let's switch legs.

Okay, bring it forward, good job.

Tuck the tailbone, slight push forward.

You can lean your torso back to accentuate the stretch.

[exhales] Exhale.

Good, one more.

Inhale, [inhales] tuck, push, exhale.

[exhales] It's a really strong pull.

So stop when it starts not feeling so wonderful.

You know, just at the beginning of the stretch, lots of breathing in and out.

That's all you need to do.

All right, rotate that leg so it's more under you.

The foot's more under you.

We'll do the same thing with the tuck.

Inhale, [inhales] press it forward.

[exhales] Feel that stretch, wonderful.

All right, let's lay back with your knees bent.

All right.

A little more practice activating our lower abs.

I want you to squeeze your bottom so you can feel your low back pressing into the floor.

Cross that ankle over your knee.

And the foot that's on the floor, I want you to push that into the floor and engage the abs.

Back's into the floor, butt squeezing, make sure your abs are engaging and pulling in.

We're holding this, it's a lot going on.

Your abs are working, your butt's tight, exhale.

Very good.

Okay, relax.

Do that again.

Press your foot and your back into the floor.

Feel the pelvis tilt, pull in the abs, feel everything engaging.

Terrific, now let's switch sides.

Cross, [inhales] press.

[exhales] Really helps once you find where you can find leverage, pushing your foot into the floor, pressing your ankle into your knee.

That's all leverage and it'll help you pull in your abs.

Good, press and hold.

[inhales and exhales] All right, good job, all right, two legs up in the air and let's practice pressing that low back once again, into the floor without any leverage.

Try not to swing, press the low back into the floor.

Ready, go, press.

Feel a slight hip tilt, do it again.

Pull the abs in.

Good, pull the abs in.

[inhales and exhales] Pull the abs in.

Good job.

All right, we'll do this again, but we'll use the chair.

All right, so... Let's get those heels onto the chair.

And the trick for this part is to not overly use the chair, but it's just there for a little bit of leverage because I know sometimes people have a really hard time figuring this out.

And this has been a really great way to help.

So I want you to squeeze your bottom, good.

Maybe a little bit of press with the heels.

We do not want your hips coming off the floor.

Back needs to be pressed into the floor, very good.

We're just holding this.

Make sure your abs are engaged.

You can tell by pushing at all those muscles just below your belly button.

Now you can relax it, maybe your low back will arch a little bit.

That's perfect, okay.

Inhale, [inhales] exhale, and squeeze the bottom.

A slight press of the heels into the chair.

Strengthening those weak abs, hold, continue to hold.

Good.

All right, let's work on some of the upper abs.

Extend a leg and I'd like you to reach and back.

Exhale, [exhales] reach and back.

You can support your head with one hand and back and reach and back.

Now remember, you can also use your foot for a little bit of leverage, extend and back.

Reach, pull the abs in, hold, reach a little further.

Good job, let's switch legs, okay.

Leg up in the air and go, and up.

[inhales and exhales] Reach and back.

Up, inhale, [inhales] exhale.

Inhale, exhale, hold, reach a little further.

Pulling the abs in, and down.

Good job, just rest here a moment.

[exhales] All right, from here, let's go into a bridge.

Just extend those legs right over the top of your seat and bring those hips up.

Hands at your sides, doing your best to line up your hips between your knees and your shoulders.

Just hold it here, squeezing your hind end.

[inhales and exhales] Don't forget to breathe nice and deep in, extra long exhales out.

[exhales] Good, we'll lower and lift.

Press those legs into the seat.

Press those hips up to the sky.

Now don't overarch your back.

We just want to be nice and in line with the knees and the shoulders.

Good, now without dropping your hips, I'd like you to bring your right knee up.

Okay, that leg up off the seat.

Bending that right knee.

[inhales and exhales] Very good, keep pressing and switch legs.

Bring the other knee up.

[inhales and exhales] Keep pressing.

If at any time you need a break, just count to three and join us again.

Okay, we'll be switching.

This time, you can bring the leg up, bent or extend.

Keep reaching, reaching, reaching, [exhales] and switch legs.

Reaching up with those hips, squeezing the hind end.

[inhales and exhales] Reach with that leg.

Very good.

I know this isn't easy, hang in there.

Almost done and bring it down.

Lower those hips and roll away from the chair.

[inhales and exhales] Good job, catch your breath.

Finish up here with some pointers.

So pull your abs in.

Have a nice box.

Shoulders are over your wrists.

Hips are over your knees.

Okay, so I'd like you to extend that left leg.

Okay, nice and in line with your hips, find your balance because we're going to lift up the opposite arm and reach it long.

Head is neutral.

Press that hand into the floor.

Lift that heel as high as your hip, stomach's in.

[inhales and exhales] Focus on one thing on the floor to help with your balance.

Very good, for five, four, these are the longest seconds.

Three, two, and down.

Good job, let's switch sides.

Reach the other leg, nice and long.

[inhales and exhales] Long neck, it doesn't mean you're arching your neck.

It's just nice and long, neutral with the rest of your spine.

Your head's not hanging down.

[inhales and exhales] Keep that leg high, extend through that shoulder.

Stomach in, breathe as heavy as you need to.

[inhales and exhales] Hang in there for five, four, three, two, and, and done.

[chuckles] Good job, all right.

Sit it back towards your heels.

We're going to round your spine.

In fact, get those toes under you to create a little space so that you can grab your shins and pull, releasing the stress in that lumbar region.

[inhales] Inhale, exhale.

[exhales] Very, very good.

Good job.

If you struggle with low back pain or sit a lot, you'll want to repeat this one a few times a week to strengthen your weak glutes and abs and stretch the overactive hip flexors.

I think you'll see a big difference in any chronic low back pain you may have.

Just come back here to pbswisconsin.org/quickfit, where aging well is possible, and we can do it together 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.