Functional training is the science of training the body to meet the specific demands of life and sports, and differs significantly from traditional strength training.
The goal of functional training is to train or retrain muscles to work properly (¡°function¡±) through the use of specialized exercises. Functional training is based on the premise that you only improve what you've specifically trained, and that - since muscle form dictates the role and function of each muscle ¨C a muscle must be trained the way it is designed to function. Functional training differs significantly from traditional strength training, which develops strength and builds muscle through the isolation of specific muscle groups. While adequate for building muscle, traditional strength training will not train the body to meet the specific demands of life and sports because it does not reproduce real life conditions.
Use a ball as a chair.
The exercise ball, or Swiss ball, is a dynamic tool that can provide many health benefits when used as a chair. Envision your basic office chair as a cast, or a brace: it keeps your body static, so your core muscles ¨C which are the basis for your posture - become weakened. Moreover, this static sitting position does not allow you to maintain a good relationship with gravity, so that your body ¡°sinks¡± over time, causing you to slouch and sit in awkward positions to relieve the pressure on your spine. The ball as chair, though, is an active surface, and sitting actively leads to improved posture, core strength and body awareness. The dynamic motions created by sitting on a ball helps relieve the pressure of gravity, and the freedom of movement afforded by sitting on a ball allows your spine to find its optimal posture. You¡¯ll make minute adjustments to your position while you sit on the ball, and these help improve circulation, which helps keep inter-vertebral discs healthy. Moreover, the instability of the ball and the lack of a backrest encourage the use of stabilizer muscles in our core, and increased core strength translates to better posture.
Use a wobble board as a footrest.
Using a footrest is another important piece of the puzzle in maintaining good health in the workplace. The advantage of using an adjustable wobble board as a footrest is that it provides an elevated platform on which to rest the legs and alleviate pressure from the back of the leg. The mobility of the wobble board also helps to eliminate stiffness from the joints and muscles in our legs. The wobble board can be more than a footrest, too: stand on it while talking on the phone. This will add an active component to your day and also enhance your balance and proprioception.
Sit on a Swiss ball instead of a chair to work your core while you¡¯re at work or watching TV.
Sitting on an exercise ball creates the opportunity for ¡°active sitting.¡± Active sitting will occur naturally as you subconsciously adjust your core muscles to find and maintain the best possible position for your body. Using a Swiss ball as a chair, therefore, will strengthen the core muscles, improve posture, and increase resistance to injury and repetitive strain.
For the safest workout, start with exercises geared toward pregnant women, and keep in mind some safety tips.
As with any pregnancy exercise, talk to your doctor before you begin Pilates or continue with it if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. If you are a beginner, start with an entry-level class or video, and make sure your instructor knows you are pregnant so she can offer exercise modifications. If you are using a video, try one that states it is appropriate for pregnancy. A few physiological notes about your body during pregnancy, and considerations that they require: lying on your back can cut off the oxygen supply to the baby, especially as the baby grows and takes up more space in your abdomen. Therefore, avoid moves performed in the supine position during your second and third trimesters. Also, your ligaments will loosen during pregnancy, so keep your movements controlled and move within a comfortable range of motion. Finally, do not hold your breath, and never do any exercise that causes dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, or pain.