For those looking to overcome chronic back pain and stiffness, it's helpful to alternate between core-strengthening and spinal mobility exercises. This video provides examples of how to alternate between variations of these two types of exercises.
For more ideas on core-strengthening exercises, please see:
I hope that 2018 is off to a positive start for you and those you are closest to. I love the rollover to a new calendar year for the feelings of hope and energy that it tends to bring out in many of us.
For the past few years, we've made it a ritual to write letters to ourselves, to be opened on January 1st of the next year. I posted a photo of the sealed envelope that housed our letters from January 1st of 2017 and that we excitedly opened yesterday at my Instagram account:
I suppose you could call them mini mushroom omelettes, but enoki mushroom frittatas has a nice ring to it, no? However you choose to name this dish, know going in that it provides a wonderfully chewy texture that makes it natural to pair with rice or noodles. Read more
How to Foam Roll Your Lower Legs - Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Flexor Hallucis Longus, Tibialis Anterior, Peroneus Longus, Brevis, and Tertius, and Soles of Feet:
If doing full body weight dips or push-ups close to the ground aren't possible for your current circumstances but you are still curious about using gym rings to improve your upper body and core strength, you can do modified push-ups on your rings as you are leaning slightly forward. Read more
Doing push-ups with gymnastics rings is a challenging way to improve upper body strength while simultaneously improve core strength and balance.
Begin in a modified push-up position with your knees on the ground and your hands on gym rings.
At the top of the push-up position, with your arms straight, elbows locked, supinate your forearms, then allow your forearms to return to a natural position and lower yourself down to do a push-up. Read more
This is a simple full body mobility routine that you can do anywhere.
Begin by rolling your shoulders in small circles to warm up your scapulae.
Move to arm circles, forward and backward, to warm up your shoulder joints - aim to keep your trunk facing forward.
Take your neck through flexion, extension, right and left rotation, right and left lateral flexion, then slow full circles clockwise and counter-clockwise. Read more
After 21 years, we made the difficult decision to bring our catalogue to a close. To stay connected with Dr. Kim's writings, please feel free to subscribe for free here: Dr. Ben Kim on Substack. Sending best wishes and thanks to all.