Daily Routines 2.0

    I have not been able to exercise in a proper gym. My whole routine is off and I suspect yours is too. I need exercise to feel strong in my body and happy in my brain. I decided to be productive with my time during my daily self-care routines. I brush my teeth twice a day, for 2 full minutes. During this time, I do squats while brushing, 60 of them.  Do as many as you can and work up to your own goal. I devote this time to myself, it’s self care every day!  Remember when you squat avoid pushing your knees in front of your toes and avoid allowing your knees to cave in. Bring your butt back as if you are going to sit in a chair. Squeeze those glutes on the way up! Keep your back straight too.

    I also started planking after I pee, yes, I said PEE. I end up planking around 7-8 minutes in a day, doing 1-2 min intervals. I clearly drink a lot of water.  I do them on my forearms or with straight arms. Don’t forget when you plank, you want to tighten your entire core, including your glutes. Avoid having your butt in the air. Push through your arms to separate your scapulae (shoulder blades), but do not arch your back. You want a straight line from your head to buttocks down to your ankles. You want your hands/forearms shoulder-distance apart, forearms/elbow forming a right angle to the floor. Your shoulders should stack above your elbows or hands and not in front or behind them. Keep your head in line with your spine and eyes on the ground looking about 6” in front. To start planking, you may want to start in 10 second intervals and increase as tolerated. 

    While washing my face, I kegel! Pelvic floor muscle tone is very important. Doing kegels can help decrease urinary incontinence and make sex more enjoyable. Just be sure you are contracting the right muscles. You want to squeeze the muscles you would use to stop yourself from urinating. This is one exercise that you should not squeeze your glutes! To be sure you are squeezing the right muscles insert a finger into your vagina to see if they are the right muscles. If you are not sure or not comfortable checking yourself, ask your doctor to check for you. 

    It’s always a struggle to motivate to work out, having to do so at home is an even bigger struggle. So with this routine, I get 120 squats and ~7-8 minutes or more of planking each day. Plus 90 seconds of kegels! We must exercise all our muscles.  I call this my Brush + Squat & Pee + Plank & Face Wash + Kegel routine. You can do something else if squats or planks are not your thing, perhaps a wall sit, resistance bands, or calf raises while brushing your teeth. You can use a resistance band on your ankles too. Whatever you choose, be consistent. 1-2 minutes is doable. 

    We need to do what we can to take care of ourselves, it is the best way we can also take care of others. 

Be well! 

The information provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and is not to be used as medical advice.