Last time, you learned about some benefits of warming up the body and this week I want to give you a few specific exercises that are key to preparing your body for whatever activity or workout you have planned.

Before you check out these exercises I have a quick awareness exercise for you to do right now.

Ready? Let’s do it!

Standing, close your eyes and think about your posture.

• Do you feel straight?
• Is your head too far forward or too far back?
• Are your shoulders rolling forward, making your collar bone narrow or do they feel more even so that your collar bone is nice and wide?
• Is your pelvis arched so that your navel is peeking down at the floor or is it tucked under creating a more flat position for the low back?

What’s the point of doing this you ask?

To create AWARENESS.

Awareness is key to making a strong connection between the mind and the body. If you don’t know or feel that you are not properly aligned then you can’t make a change.

Now let’s get into the specific type of warm-up that prepares you for all activities.

It’s best to focus on movement that is “dynamic” so that your joints, ligaments and muscles are ready to exercise. This means that you won’t hold positions for any length of time as you would when stretching. Each movement targets a specific area of the body to bring blood flow and mobility.

The goal of the warm-up is to focus on the quality of movement.

Mindlessly doing the movement will not provide you with the best warm-up results to prepare for exercise. It’s important for you to be “aware” of how you’re performing the movements and organizing the body in order to achieve your workout goals. In most of the warm-up movements you will create a fixed part of the body in order to mobilize another area. This allows for maximum results in the targeted area you want to focus on.

Taking a few minutes to properly warm-up before you exercise will give you better results.

Consistently thinking about how you’re executing the warm-up will create better awareness, which ultimately will lead to positive changes.

Check out my short video below for a few dynamic warm-up movements that will change your life!

???????? If you want to experience the entire warm-up 1st hand, strengthen your core and other areas of the body, work on flexibility and feel taller, then register for my LIVE virtual Pilates & ELDOA class by clicking this link.