Working out can be an unwanted, tumultuous task. Throw in warming-up before your fitness routine, and working out goes from being tumultuous to downright hostile. And in order to avoid this hostility, many choose to to avoid warming up completely, hoping to get in the fitness routine as quickly as possible to leave as quickly as possible. But with this avoidance comes injury, and with injury comes yet another week out of your fitness routine.
Why is warming up so important?
The purpose of a warm-up is to gently prepare your body for the upcoming exercise routine. This means increasing your heart rate and blood circulation gradually, and loosening the joints to increase blood flow throughout the body. In other words, warming-up can decrease the risk of avoidable fitness injuries, which are mostly the result of tight muscles.
So, before you push your luck and choose to avoid yet another warm up, check out the these ten dynamic stretches to prepare yourself for just about any routine that may come your way.
Leg Swings
Brace yourself against a wall or the back of a chair by holding one arm out to the side at shoulder height. Make sure your feet are directly under the hips; then, swing the inside leg forward and backward. Once you get comfortable, gradually increase your range of motion, until your leg swings as high as it can, comfortably. Make sure to alternate between legs, and keep the swinging of your legs controlled. Repeat this exercise for 15-20 seconds a leg.
Arms Circles
With your feet shoulder-width apart, extend your arms parallel to the floor. Then, circle your arms forward in a controlled-motion. Throughout the stretch, gradually increase the motion of the exercise, making the circle bigger until the stretch reaches your triceps. Make sure to keep the exercise controlled; if you rotate too rapidly or wide, you can cause injury. After you have stretched fully in one direction, reverse the exercise for 10-15 seconds.
Walking Lunge with Overhead Reach
With your feet shoulder-width apart, step one foot backward while lowering your hips so the front knee bends to 90 degrees and the back knee grazes the floor. Make sure your knee does not go over your foot, this will prevent unnecessary knee injuries. While in position, extend your hands towards the ceiling and rotate your torso toward the front leg. Hold the stretch for five seconds, then return to the starting position. Complete two sets of ten, for each leg.
Alternating Side Lunges
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With your feet directly underneath your hips, step your right foot wide to the side, going into a lunge. Make sure that your knees do not go beyond your right toe, this can create knee injuries otherwise. Keep your chest lifted and your weight on your heels, instead of your toes. This can be avoided by sitting into the lunge.
Next, push into your right foot to return to the original standing position. Then, lunge sideways to the left, repeating the same movement to complete in one rep. Complete two sets of ten on each side.
Inchworm
With your feet hip-width apart, move forward, reaching for your toes. From there, moderately walk your body into a plank. Once you're in a planking position, drop your hips down and look up. Afterwards, moderately inch yourself back into the position of touching your toes, then, stand up. Repeat this process eight to ten times. Hold position in planking position if resting is necessary. Complete two sets of ten.
Arm Swings
Arm swings are great dynamic stretches that effortlessly engage the muscles in the upper body. In an upright position, stand in a shoulder-width position and place your arms alongside your hips. Slightly push your chest and hips out to ensure a flat back position. Lift your arms to shoulder height, cross your arms over the front of your body, then quickly bring them back as far as you can. Repeat in a side to side, back and forth movement, for two sets of ten.
Side-Tilt
While standing with your feet hip-width apart and arms resting at your sides, gently tilt your head toward your right shoulder. Try to touch your right ear to your shoulder, without lifting your shoulder. Stop when you feel the stretch, and hold the stretch for five to ten seconds. Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise on the left side for one set of ten.
Hand Clasped Behind Body Stretch
Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Clasp your hands behind your back and anchor your shoulder blades downward and lift your chest to feel it open and stretch. While stretching, maintain a neutral spin, stand up straight with eyes lifted up, and a tight core. Hold the stretch for five to ten seconds. Repeat for one set of ten. For a better stretch, bend down completely, turning the face into your legs, while your hand extends beyond your head.
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- Aerobic exercise: How to warm up and cool down - Mayo Clinic ›
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- How to warm up before exercise - YouTube ›
- Do You Really Need to Warm Up Before Exercise? | Fitness | US News ›
- 5-Minute Warm Up for At-Home Workouts - YouTube ›
- The Best 5-Minute Warm-Up to Do Before a Strength Workout | SELF ›
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In a xoNecoleexclusive, the iconic actress opens up about embracing this season of her life, new projects, and overall being a “bad motherfucker.” Gabrielle reveals that she was 37 years old when she was diagnosed with perimenopause and is still going through it at 51 years old. Mayo Clinic says perimenopause “refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years.”
“I haven't crossed over the next phase just yet, but I think part of it is when you hear any form of menopause, you automatically think of your mother or grandmother. It feels like an old-person thing, but for me, I was 37 and like not understanding what that really meant for me. And I don't think we focus so much on the word menopause without understanding that perimenopause is just the time before menopause,” she tells us.
Gabrielle Union
Photo by Brian Thomas
"But you can experience a lot of the same things during that period that people talk about, that they experienced during menopause. So you could get a hot flash, you could get the weight gain, the hair loss, depression, anxiety, like all of it, mental health challenges, all of that can come, you know, at any stage of the menopausal journey and like for me, I've been in perimenopause like 13, 14 years. When you know, most doctors are like, ‘Oh, but it's usually about ten years, and I'm like, ‘Uhh, I’m still going (laughs).’”
Conversations about perimenopause, fibroids, and all the things that are associated with women’s bodies have often been considered taboo and thus not discussed publicly. However, times are changing, and thanks to the Gabrielle’s and the Tia Mowry’s, more women are having an authentic discourse about women’s health. These open discussions lead to the creation of more safe spaces and support for one another.
“I want to be in community with folks. I don't ever want to feel like I'm on an island about anything. So, if I can help create community where we are lacking, I want to be a part of that,” she says. “So, it's like there's no harm in talking about it. You know what I mean? Like, I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change. I'm just getting better and stronger and more intelligent, more wise, more patient, more compassionate, more empathetic. All of that is very, very welcomed, and none of it should be scary.”
The Being Mary Jane star hasn’t been shy about her stance on therapy. If you don’t know, here’s a hint: she’s all for it, and she encourages others to try it as well. She likens therapy to dating by suggesting that you keep looking for the right therapist to match your needs. Two other essential keys to her growth are radical transparency and radical acceptance (though she admits she is still working on the latter).
"I was a bad motherfucker before perimenopause. I’m a bad motherfucker now, and I'll be a bad motherfucker after menopause. Know what I’m saying? None of that has to change. How I’m a bad motherfucker, I welcome that part of the change."
Gabrielle Union and Kaavia Union-Wade
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images
“I hope that a.) you recognize that you're not alone. Seek out help and know that it's okay to be honest about what the hell is happening in your life. That's the only way that you know you can get help, and that's also the only other way that people know that you are in need if there's something going on,” she says, “because we have all these big, very wild, high expectations of people, but if they don't know what they're actually dealing with, they're always going to be failing, and you will always be disappointed. So how about just tell the truth, be transparent, and let people know where you are. So they can be of service, they can be compassionate.”
Gabrielle’s transparency is what makes her so relatable, and has so many people root for her. Whether through her TV and film projects, her memoirs, or her social media, the actress has a knack for making you feel like she’s your homegirl. Scrolling through her Instagram, you see the special moments with her family, exciting new business ventures, and jaw-dropping fashion moments. Throughout her life and career, we’ve seen her evolve in a multitude of ways. From producing films to starting a haircare line to marriage and motherhood, her journey is a story of courage and triumph. And right now, in this season, she’s asking, “What’s next?”
“This is a season of discovery and change. In a billion ways,” says the NAACP Image Award winner. “The notion of like, ‘Oh, so and so changed. They got brand new.’ I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
"I want you to be brand new. I want me to be brand new. I want us to be always constantly growing, evolving. Having more clarity, moving with different purpose, like, and all of that is for me very, very welcomed."
She continues, “So I'm just trying to figure out what's next. You know what I mean? I'm jumping into what's next. I'm excited going into what's next and new. I'm just sort of embracing all of what life has to offer.”
Look out for Gabrielle in the upcoming indie film Riff Raff, which is a crime comedy starring her and Jennifer Coolidge, and she will also produce The Idea of You, which stars Anne Hathaway.
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Feature image by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images
