What exercises do you recommend? (also, question about sit-ups)

[white belt]

Amanda,

Barring any serious health issues, I have some possibly useful info. The front pelvic girdle has a layered series of muscles under the abs. The most dominant being the Psoas (hip flexor) group. The Psoas attach at the femur (thigh bone) on one end and the Lumbar spine on the other. If those muscles are SHORT AND INFLEXIBLE as well as weak, your lumbar spine can be more easily injured due to limited range of the Psoas. Situps are fine, but you need to stretch those Psoas as well. The yoga pose "Cobra" is a good healthy way of doing this. The lunges mentioned earlier can also benefit in a different way. Try getting in a lunge position with the back legs knee on the ground. Use something like a chair or stretch bar to stabilize your balance for safety. Look upward a bit and try to gently dip into the knee lunge to gain an isolated stretch for one side of the front pelvic girdle. Switch sides and do the same. Also, look into body weight "good mornings" to help build Lumbar muscle integrity.

My students are all taught this following rule for spine and joint health. I call it the "Compass principle". Imagine any joint as a four sided compass. To keep that joint balanced and healthy with no abnormal travel or development, you MUST do the same amount of conditioning in ALL FOUR DIRECTIONS around that joint. This holds true for stretching, weights and dynamic aerobic activity. An example in stretching would be (N) quads, (S) hamstrings, (W) adductors (inner thigh), (E) iliotibial band or outer glutes. I am a TKD practicioner and we have very little in the way of muscle strains or joint problems when following the "Compass" and doing the equivalent amount of exercise in four directions around the joints and spine. Joint/muscle balance is prime for health and avoiding injuries.

Hope this is helpful!
white belt

 

[Kiz Bell]

I'm a big fan of the pushbike. Ditch your car, get a bike, and go everywhere on it - shopping, work, the laundrette. The longer rides with give you a good cardio workout, and I've found no better glute excercise than hauling your a$$ up a steep hill with a week's worth of groceries or all your washing. I hate excercise, and the best way for me to do it is to combine it with something else I absolutely have to do, and just get it over with. Pushies are good for both speed and endurance, just combine short fast sprints to the corner store to get milk with long rides to visit a friend on the other side of the city. Another good point about bikes is that they are much easier on the knees and hips than running or jogging. Gosh, I'm beginning to sound a bit like a sale's rep... I might leave off there.

You have to combine it with some upper work stuff too, but other people above have given you some good advice on this already.