Power Up Your Day

Written by Vera Tweed
Photos by doritthies.com

“In the morning, your body needs to realign,” says Cheryl Patella, director of the Biltmore Fitness Center in Coral Gables, Fla. To help you get going and have plenty of energy throughout the day, she designed a simple yet effective routine. “It challenges your muscles, stimulates blood flow to your spinal cord, gets fluid into your joints, and integrates your mind and body,” says Patella. These moves also help to develop good posture, which makes you look taller, slimmer and more confident. Do them right after you wake up.

	Step One Lie flat, letting your body conform to the floor; exhale and relax your rib cage. Draw your knees into your chest, widening your collarbone and pushing your shoulders into the floor as you press your thighs into your chest. With your hands on your knees, “walk” one knee toward you and the other one outward to a 90-degree angle to the floor, and then switch knees. Alternate sides for a total of 5 “walks” on each side.
	Step Two Lie flat on the floor with your knees bent and arms by your sides. Keeping your arms straight, lift them up and over your head, and then down to the floor until your hands touch the floor behind your head. Keep your body relaxed and aligned, as it was in Step 1. If your shoulders are too tight to let your arms go all the way down, hold cans of soup to help the muscles stretch. Hold that position for 10 seconds, breathing naturally, and then return to the starting point. Repeat 2 more times.