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Strike A Pose: Sun Salutation B

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 10:15:00 PDT

When you take an Ashtanga yoga class, it always begins with the opening chant, then 5 Sun Salutation As in a row, and then 5 Sun Salutation Bs. In other types of yoga, they usually do variations on these sun salutations, so parts of this series may look familiar to you.

Sun Salutation B has just a few more poses than Sun Salutation A. I love to do this as a way to warm up before a run or bike ride. It works the entire body slowly, so it gradually heats up your shoulders, back, hamstrings, core, calves, fingers, toes, and hips. After 5 of these Sun Salutations, my breath feels even, my mind feels calm, my muscles feel alive, and my body feels ready to do more intense poses.

Do you want to see what Sun Salutation B looks like? Then

Start at the front of your mat in Mountain pose, bringing your awareness inward, and following your breath. This is the pose you're in when you do the opening chant. It's a prep pose for Sun Salutation B.
Release your arms to the sides of the body. This is a variation of Mountain pose.
Inhale, bend your knees, drop your hips, lift your arms up overhead and gaze at your hands. This is called Fierce.
Exhale as you dive out and come into a Standing Forward Bend.
Inhale to look up and lengthen your spine.
As you exhale, step or jump back and come into 4 Limbed Staff pose.
Inhale as you scoop your chest forward into Upward Facing Dog pose.
Exhale into Downward Facing Dog.
As you inhale, step your right foot forward between your hands and come into Warrior 1
Exhale, release your arms down, step your right leg back and come into 4 Limbed Staff pose.
Inhale as you scoop your chest forward into Upward Facing Dog pose.
Exhale into Downward Facing Dog.
As you inhale, step your left foot forward between your hands and come into Warrior 1.
Exhale, release your arms down, step your left foot back and come into 4 Limbed Staff pose.
Inhale as you scoop your chest forward into Upward Facing Dog.
Exhale into Downward Facing Dog. Stay here for 5 complete slow breaths. Inhale...Exhale...1, Inhale...Exhale...2, etc.
After 5 breaths, on your next inhale, step or hop the feet forward between your hands.
Exhale into Standing Forward Bend.
Inhale as you bend your knees and come into Fierce.
Exhale your arms down. Sun Salutation B begins and ends with this pose. To do another one, inhale your arms up and continue through the entire sequence again. In an Ashtanga yoga class, they do it 5 times, but you can do Sun Salutation B as many times as you like.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Upward Facing Dog

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:44:43 PDT

Just about as common as Downward Facing Dog, Upward Facing Dog pose, or Up Dog as I like to call it, not only elongates and increases flexibility in your spine, but it's a great pose for opening your chest, throat, shoulders, and the front of your thighs. When doing this pose, try not to tense your glutes or crunch your lower back. If it hurts your wrists to have so much weight in your palms, make sure to activate your fingertips rather than putting all your weight into the heels of your palms.

Sanskrit Name: Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
English Translation: Upward Facing Dog Pose

Keep reading to find out how to get into Upward Facing Dog.

How a Determined Desiree Davila Won a Spot on the US Olympic Marathon Team

espnW — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:25:02 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from espnW here on FitSugar! This week's is an inspiring story about marathoner Desiree Davila, who will be representing the US in the Olympics for her first time. The following is an excerpt; read the entire story here.

By Bonnie D. Ford

At last January's Olympic trials in Houston, Texas, four top women had distanced themselves from the field: Desiree Davila, fellow favorites Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher, and Amy Hastings. Davila increased her tempo. Hastings dropped back. Davila forged on with Flanagan and Goucher, her five-foot-two, 98-pound frame dwarfed by her taller rivals. Then, with two miles to go, Flanagan kicked into a higher gear, and Davila was faced with another decision: should she try to match the surge and bid for the win, taking the chance that her cramping calves would betray her, or maintain her pace and protect her spot on the team?

Davila weighed the situation and decided not to risk it. Flanagan soloed to the line, and Davila secured her Olympic spot by finishing second, 17 seconds back, in 2:25:55. It was a tough, savvy race, and the latest evidence that Davila's gradual climb to the top is peaking at an ideal juncture.

After a largely anonymous high school and college career in the arid heat of Southern California and Arizona, she migrated to Michigan to join the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in 2005. The elite training environment in a harsher climate helped her transform herself into "a contender, not just someone who's on the line and might have a good day," as she put it.

The Lesson Learned From Second Place

Davila debuted at the marathon distance in Boston in 2007 and ran 2:44.56 in a raging northeaster. A year later on the same course, Davila thought she had progressed enough to make the Olympic team. At mile 21, running fourth, it looked as if she'd been right. But Davila, who hadn't hydrated and eaten enough before the race, ran out of gas and faded to 13th.

She was devastated. Fellow marathoner and friend Amy Hastings was there to comfort her, and so was sister Natalie Davila. "If I'm investing my money in someone right now, it's you," the older sister said. "You're going in the right direction - you're going up."

Read on for more of Desiree Davila's road to the Olympics after the break.

3 Leg Stretches Runners Should Do Daily

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:41:42 PDT

I don't think I've ever met a runner who doesn't suffer from tight hips, hamstrings, or a lower back. The receptive movements and strengthening aspect of running can cause tight muscles that need extra attention. Of course you should never skip the stretching session after a run, but here are three lower-body stretches you should do every day - even on the days you don't run.

Open Lizard

What it stretches: sides of the hips and hip flexors

How to do it:

Come into a lunge position with the right foot forward and the left leg extended behind you, toes relaxed. Make sure there's enough distance between your feet so your front knee is at a 90-degree angle. Lower your hands to the floor to the left of your right foot.
Keep your front foot where it is and slowly lower your right knee outward, so you're resting on the outside of your right flexed foot. Keep your arms straight, pressing your chest forward just like in Upward Facing Dog; this will help encourage your hips to lower, increasing the stretch.
Gaze forward and enjoy Open Lizard for 30 seconds and then switch sides.

Keep reading to find out how to do the above stretch and one more that will target your hamstrings.

7 Ways to Get Stronger Arms in Yoga Class

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:40:35 PDT

Practicing yoga is one of the best ways to relieve stress, but since you're holding yourself in challenging positions, it's also a killer workout for your upper body. Superstrong, sculpted arms not only look good in a strapless dress, but also enable you to do more advanced yoga poses. Here are some ways you can build a stronger upper body with yoga.

Practice, practice, practice: Taking a class once a week is better than nothing, but you'll really notice a difference in your upper body when you take three or more classes per week. Choose 90-minute classes, rather than 45- or 60-minute sessions.
Skip Child's Pose: While resting is important during a yoga class, if an instructor suggests coming into a relaxing child's pose and you don't feel you need it, stay in Downward Facing Dog to work your shoulders and upper back.
Link poses with vinyasas: If you've taken an Ashtanga or Vinyasa class, you're familiar with doing vinyasas, a series of poses (like a mini sun salutation) that involves jumping back from a seated position and coming into Four-Limbed Staff (similar to the bottom of a push-up), inhaling your chest forward into Upward Facing Dog and exhaling as you lift your hips coming into Downward Dog. Here's a video demonstrating how to do a vinyasa. Doing vinyasas between poses not only strengthens your upper body, but also makes your yoga practice more like a fluid dance, increasing the meditative feel.
Hold arm-strengthening poses longer: Five breaths are the standard when it comes to holding most yoga poses, but if your instructor has you do an arm-toning pose such as Beginner's Sage, Three-Legged Dog, or Full Wheel, stay in it for a few extra breaths to really feel the burn.

Keep reading for more arm-strengthening yoga class tips.

Don't Pop or Lock These: Mind Your Elbows

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:57:49 PST

Unless an instructor or trainer calls you out, most people don't pay attention to what's happening with their elbows. When straightening your elbows during weight-bearing exercises, have you noticed if you unintentionally hyperextend them? You'll know that you have hyperextended elbows if your joint extends beyond 180 degrees when completely straightened. Going to the hyperextended place means you're locking your elbows.

When you hyperextend your elbows, your joints take on the weight rather than your muscles. While this might seem easier or more comfortable in the moment, over time this over straightening wears down those joints and can cause a painful injury. When doing push-ups or other weight-bearing exercises like upward facing dog in yoga, keep a slight bend in your elbow, to prevent straightening them to your full capacity and into the locked zone. It might feel awkward at first, so watch yourself in the mirror to gauge when you should stop.

Are you ready to stop working your joints and start working your muscles? Here's a quick tip when completing a push-up: be sure to start with your hands out wide to the sides, so when your elbows are bent 90 degrees at the bottom of your push-up, they are over your wrists. If you can't support your full weight in this position, be sure to go down on your knees. That way, you can slowly lift yourself up rather than popping yourself up by using momentum and hyperextending your elbows!

3 Must-Do Yoga Poses For Tight Hips

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:06:42 PDT

Whether you suffer from tight hips because you run, sit at a desk all day, are pregnant, or were just born with oh-so-tight hips, here are three yoga poses you can do every day to increase flexibility and reduce tension in this commonly stiff area. Mix up the sequence each time you do it to keep your muscles guessing.

One of my favorite stretches after a run, Lizard will target your hips and hip flexors.

Begin in Downward Facing Dog. Step your right foot forward between your palms keeping your hands on the floor. Lower your left knee to the mat, and release your elbows to the floor as well. Either rest your hands on the ground or bring your hands together in prayer position.
Continue to squeeze your right knee toward your body and gaze forward to encourage your hips to lower toward the floor. After five breaths come back onto your hands. Tuck your left toes and step your right leg back. Take a vinyasa (exhale as you lower to Four-Limbed Staff, inhale to Upward Dog, then exhale to Down Dog), step your left foot forward, and repeat this pose on the left side.

I'm just getting started so keep reading for two more effective hip opening yoga poses.

Work Out With Beyoncé

Self — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 05:13:30 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Queen B released her fourth album - appropriately titled 4 - yesterday and, surprisingly, it's more slow-burning ballads than booty-shaking anthems. Still, the always-inspiring singer knows how to motivate us in the gym.

Beyonce, who has graced our cover no less than three times, has told us plenty about how she gets her bootylicious bod into shape. When she's gearing up for a tour (she killed it at England's Glastonbury Festival just this weekend), she works out five days a week with her trainer, and practices her choreography for nine hours a day, seven days a week--while wearing 5-inch stilettos. Her just-keep-going secret? The singer keeps a painting of an Oscar at the gym, so she's literally running towards her next goal. "I look at it, and I'm like OK, I have to stay in shape," she says. So download B's latest album, stick a picture of the chart-topper in your iPod case for extra motivation and hit the gym with this exclusive workout inspired by the singer.

Cardio
First, let's start with the cardio: for a quick, 15-minute warm-up that will get your heart pumping, kick off your jog with the Kelly Clarkson-channeling kiss-off "Best Thing I Never Had," followed by the percussion-driven "End of Time," the reggae-tinged, high-energy "Countdown" and, of course, B's new anthem, "Run The World (Girls)."

Get the rest of the workout after the break!

Class Act: Paddleboard Yoga

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:00:30 PDT

It's been remarkably hot here lately, and even though I'm used to doing yoga in a heated room, the 90-degree temps and humidity are starting to get to me. To combat the heat, I decided to check out a new three-class yoga series offered by my studio called Yoga and Paddleboarding. All I needed was some comfy clothes I didn't mind getting wet, and they offered a paddleboard I could borrow.

For the first class, I was a little disappointed that we only did yoga on the beach using a paddleboard as our mat, and we didn't make it into the water (until after the class ended to cool off). But it was important to focus on balancing poses to strengthen and center the body, so that we'd feel more stable on the board. For the second class, we started with about 20 minutes of dry land practice again, but then we paddled ourselves about 40 feet from the shore. The instructor showed us how to move slowly on our boards so we'd be able to practice some basic yoga moves like Downward Facing Dog, Upward Facing Dog, and Pigeon without falling into the water.

To hear more about Paddleboard Yoga keep reading

Summer Training Tips From Ironman Tyler Stewart

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:47:07 PDT

Training in the Summer seems like it should be easy. The season is synonymous with free time, and with longer days, fitting in a workout shouldn't be so hard. Yet I find it more difficult than during other seasons, and luckily Ironman Tyler Stewart understands my woes.

In a web event sponsored by Lunabar, Tyler summed up my problems: "Summer is a hard time to train. We all vacation a lot during Summer. It's hard to keep up with a routine when traveling. And when the weather is so nice you'd rather grab a beer with friends than train." Amen, sister! But as a professional triathlete, she's figured out some ways to take the pressure off and get motivated during summertime. Here are a few tips from Tyler:

Keep it short: Tyler recommends keeping your workouts short so you don't overwhelm yourself. As an Ironman triathlete, her long workouts are upwards of four hours - definitely a level above most of us - but short and sweet will get the work done.
Have a focus: Sign up for a Fall event to keep you motivated. Tyler is competing in the Hawaii Ironman this October, and having that race on her calendar helps keep her eyes on the prize.

There are three more great tips, so keep on reading.