This is something in T-Tapp that really can’t be focused on too much!<\/p>\n
As we focus on different aspects of form, it’s easy to lose something we previously had down.\u00a0 Kind of like those “get the plates spinning” shows I used to see!\u00a0 About the time you get them all spinning, this one starts to wobble–fix it, another one wobbles, fix that….well, you get the picture, right?!\u00a0 \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
I recently shared how on my video upload to my mentor, I noticed my own shoulder\/hip alignment was off–many times over!\u00a0 That is part of “curling the core” and “ribs up”!<\/p>\n
When you are “lifting ribs”, you are lifting your breastbone to the ceiling–which puts your shoulders back in alignment with your hips.\u00a0 Do this in front of\u00a0a mirror to check on it.\u00a0\u00a0 I have two mirrors in our main bath–one over the double sink that shows down to my mid-thigh, and a decorative mirror that looks like a window on the side wall.\u00a0\u00a0 So when I am doing a move–plies, for instance–I can see my front and side views.\u00a0\u00a0 I can see right away whether I pitched forward at the “bottom” of the plie, and I can see if my arms are straight up or “cheerleader arms”!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mirrors can be great, but so can videos!\u00a0 You don’t have to be a trainer-in-training or even sending a video in for a trainer to review to benefit from taping yourself!\u00a0 You can be your own critic—watch the video, and especially watch when your shoulders shift forward out of alignment.\u00a0 And if that doesn’t “seem” to be happening, watch your bosom—I saw how when I lost the “lifted ribs” my bosom shifted down a bit.\u00a0 It can be so imperceptible, but just being aware of it can really help you in your workouts!<\/p>\n
For now, along with learning to teach it, I’m trying hard to focus on ribs up and curling my core.\u00a0 Just lifting your ribs gets the ribcage out of the abdominal area, making more room for the organs and keeping them from pushing out into a poochy tummy!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ribs up doesn’t just apply to workouts!\u00a0\u00a0 Sitting at the computer (um…yeah! I can see you!\u00a0 \ud83d\ude00 ), driving, walking, standing….if you focus hard on shoulder\/hip alignment during your workout, but the rest of the day slouch, you’re basically sabotaging your good efforts!\u00a0 At first it’s hard–retraining those muscles to hold your posture–but in the end it is worth it!<\/p>\n
How effective is this, really?<\/p>\n
Well, I’ve been teaching 2 classes a week for about 3 weeks now.\u00a0\u00a0 I do 1-3 workouts the rest of the week on my own (or with my daughters).\u00a0 I’ve tried to be mindful of this in my workouts\/classes, and I’m also seeking to focus on it throughout the day (sometimes very successfully, sometimes…not so much!).<\/p>\n
I can tell my “muffin” is getting much smaller, and I am doing basically no floorwork!\u00a0 I do the Organs in Place (OIP), Half Frogs and Elevators about 5 times a week, but that is it!\u00a0 So I know the “ribs up” is really helping!<\/p>\n
Why not make that your focus this week?\u00a0 During your workouts, in front of a mirror while doing a few troublesome moves, throughout your day….think “ribs up” and lift your breastbone to the ceiling–and see if it doesn’t make a difference!<\/p>\n
You may notice a difference in your tummy….or thighs….or even arms!\u00a0 Yes, keeping that shoulder\/hip alignment is THAT important!<\/p>\n
So give it a try, and keep an eye on the results!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be sure to share in a comment if you start noticing good things happening!\u00a0 (Or even if you have questions!)<\/p>\n
Happy Tappin’!<\/p>\n
P.S.\u00a0 If any of you have particular topics or questions you’d like to see addressed, feel free to comment or e-mail me, and I can address them in future T-Tapp Tuesdays!\u00a0 (Or, Workout Wednesdays! \ud83d\ude09 )<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This is something in T-Tapp that really can’t be focused on too much! As we focus on different aspects of form, it’s easy to lose something we previously had down.\u00a0 Kind of like those “get the plates spinning” shows I used to see!\u00a0 About the time you get them all spinning, this one starts to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-783055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-t-tapp"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=783055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783055\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=783055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=783055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=783055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}