3 At-Home Mat Pilates Exercises to Start your Day
Looking to add some movement to your morning routine? Flow through these three simple but effective at-home pilates mat exercises. Together they create more space in the spine and allow the legs to support the body comfortably. They’re perfect for those of us who spend an extended period of time at a desk staring at a screen and help to counteract “desk posture.”
Bridge
Lay on your back with legs bent, slightly more narrow than your hips and parallel.
Slowly start to lift your pelvis towards the ceiling, pressing evenly into both feet.
**Tip: Feel your hamstrings engage while both hips face the ceiling. Make sure the hamstrings are initiating the movement, with glutes kicking in towards the end of your pelvic lift.
Slowly lower the pelvis (keeping the hamstrings engaged!) until the pelvis is resting on the floor.
Extension
Lay facedown with your forehead resting on the back of your hands, legs are straight.
Inhale, floating the head off of your hands keeping your gaze down.
**Tip: When the head floats off of the hands, you want to feel the tiny muscles in the back of the neck engage, but not grip. One of my favorite pilates cues for this exercise is to imagine your head is filled with helium, continuing to float the head up.
As your head lifts, show off your collar bones and chest to the front.
Gently lower your head down. Check in with your body throughout to make sure the low back isn’t gripping or in discomfort. If the back feels tight, don’t lift the head as high and allow the legs to loosen.
Bird Dog
Begin in all fours. Make sure your hands are lined up with the shoulders and knees lined up with the hips.
Keeping the head in line with the spine, extend one arm forward at shoulder level.
Extend the opposite leg behind you, keeping it hip level. Reach through the middle finger, and back heel.
When the arm and leg are fully extended, take an inhale. On the exhale wrap the belly muscles together as if you’re using plastic wrap around your middle. Allow the glutes to not squeeze, but rather to spread which helps to prevent back discomfort.
Lower the arm and leg at the same time.
Repeat on the other side.