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Core Restore Program

Exercise #1:
Functional Breathing

To practice diaphragmatic breathing:

  1. Lie Face Up:

    • Lay face up with your knees bent.

  2. Hand Placement:

    • Place one hand on your stomach and one on your chest.

    • Take three to four regular breaths, noting which hand raises first.

  3. Identify Your Breathing Pattern:

    • If your chest hand raises first, you're likely a chest breather.

    • If your stomach hand raises first, you're likely using your diaphragm to breathe, which is ideal.

  4. Focus on Diaphragmatic Breathing:

    • Ensure you're not solely using your stomach muscles.

    • Imagine a band under your ribs; as you inhale, the band slides, and as you exhale, it rises.

    • Feel the movement around your ribs, including the back and sides, not just the belly.

  5. Check for Expansion:

    • Place your middle finger on the side portion of your hip and your thumb under your ribs to ensure expansion in those areas.

  6. Modifications if Unable to Feel Full Expansion:

    • Lay on your belly with your head resting on your arms.

    • Alternatively, lay on your side and focus on feeling the sides move and expand.

  7. Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing:

    • Helps reset the nervous system to the rest and digest state (parasympathetic state).

    • Take your time with these breaths to ensure a solid foundation.

Exercise #2:
Dead Bugs

To perform Dead Bugs exercise:

  1. Stage 1 - Static Position:

    • Lie on your back with bent knees, ensuring your lower back touches the floor.

    • Raise both legs with knees at 90 degrees and lift your arms up as if holding a big ball between your knees and arms.

    • Practice diaphragmatic breathing while holding this position.

    • Aim for 5 breaths without shaking before proceeding to stage 2.

  2. Stage 2 - Dynamic Motion:

    • Maintain the same starting position as stage 1.

    • Inhale deeply, then move one arm up while lowering the opposite leg simultaneously.

    • Tap the floor lightly with the lowered limb, then return to the starting position while exhaling.

    • Alternate sides and repeat the motion, aiming for 10 repetitions, 5 on each side.

    • If shaking or difficulty arises, modify by doing the motion halfway without tapping the floor.

Consistently practice both stages to strengthen core muscles and improve stability.

Exercise #3:
Dead Bug Progression

To progress through Dead Bug exercise:

  1. Stage 1 - Static Position:

    • Lie on your back with knees bent and close the gap between your lower back and the floor.

    • Raise both legs with knees at 90 degrees and lift your arms up as if holding a big ball.

    • Practice diaphragmatic breathing in this position.

    • If shaking or challenging, use a regression by resting your feet on a couch between repetitions.

    • Aim for 5 controlled breaths without shaking before advancing.

  2. Stage 2 - Dynamic Motion:

    • Maintain the stage 1 position.

    • Inhale deeply, then slowly move one arm up while lowering the opposite leg simultaneously.

    • Lightly tap the floor with the lowered limb and return to the starting position while exhaling and maintaining the expansion from the inhale.

    • Alternate sides and repeat the motion, aiming for 10 total repetitions, 5 on each side.

    • Modify by doing the motion halfway if shaking or difficulty arises.

Consistently practice both stages to improve core strength and stability, gradually increasing repetitions as you progress.

Exercise #4:
Seated Dead Bugs

To perform Seated Dead Bugs:

  1. Setup:

    • Sit on the edge of a chair, maintaining proper posture.

    • Place one hand on your back and one on your belly to ensure proper breathing.

  2. Breathing Technique:

    • Focus on maintaining deep expansile breathing throughout the exercise.

  3. Movement:

    • Inhale deeply as you lift one leg off the ground.

    • Exhale slowly and with control as you lower the leg back down.

    • Alternate legs and repeat the movement, resembling a marching motion.

  4. Posture:

    • Maintain a neutral posture throughout the exercise.

    • Avoid slouching, flaring ribs, or overextending the lower back.

  5. Repetitions:

    • Aim for 5-10 repetitions on each side to effectively engage the core muscles and enhance stability.

Exercise #5:
Rolling Second
Progression

To progress with Rolling Second:

  1. Starting Position:

    • Begin by lying on your back with knees bent, ensuring your lower back touches the floor.

    • Lift both legs with knees at 90 degrees and raise your arms up as if holding a big ball.

  2. Breathing and Movement:

    • Establish diaphragmatic breathing in this position.

    • Inhale deeply as you slowly roll onto your side in a controlled manner.

    • Keep your feet touching and your arms rounded when you reach your side.

    • Hugging a pillow can aid in stability.

    • Exhale slowly and steadily as you roll back to the midline onto your back.

    • Do exercise 10 times, 5 times on both sides.

    • If you feel like you have to build momentum to roll let us know at your next appointment.

Consistently practice this movement while focusing on controlled breathing to enhance core stability and control.

Exercise #6:
Sitting Up

To perform the Sit Up exercise:

  1. Initial Position:

    • Lie on your back with knees bent, ensuring your lower back touches the floor.

    • Lift both legs with knees at 90 degrees and raise your arms up as if holding a big ball.

  2. Breathing and Movement:

    • Establish diaphragmatic breathing in this position.

    • Inhale deeply as you slowly roll onto your side in a controlled manner.

    • Extend your top leg backward and place your top hand on the floor in front of you.

    • Push yourself up into a seated position, rounding your arms as if holding a ball.

    • Achieve the "shin box position" with one leg back and the other crossed in front, focusing on hip mobility.

    • Maintain the position while continuing to breathe.

    • Place the hand corresponding to the backward-pointing leg on the floor, then lay on your side while lifting your leg up with feet together.

    • Roll back to the starting position and repeat the sequence, alternating sides.

    • Do exercise 10 times, 5 times on both sides.

Consistently practicing this exercise enhances core strength, hip mobility, and stability.

Exercise #7:
Standing Up

To perform the Stand Up exercise:

  1. Starting Position:

    • Begin in the shin box position, with one leg positioned backward and the other leg crossed in front.

  2. Breathing and Mobility:

    • Take a few deep diaphragmatic breaths on one side, then switch sides.

    • Initially, you might rock back when switching sides, but this improves as muscles engage.

  3. Movement Execution:

    • Take a deep breath, engage the glutes, and hip hinge yourself up from the shin box position.

    • Lower yourself down, returning to the shin box position.

    • Perform 5-10 repetitions in a slow and controlled manner.

  4. Switch Sides:

    • Repeat the same sequence on the opposite side, performing 5-10 repetitions.

Consistently practicing this exercise enhances hip mobility, stability, and strength, especially when performed with slow and controlled movements.

Exercise #7:
Putting It All Together

To put all the movements together:

  1. Start Position - Breath Position:

    • Lie on your back with knees bent.

    • Establish diaphragmatic breathing.

  2. Dead Bug Position:

    • Raise both legs with knees at 90 degrees and lift arms up as if holding a big ball.

    • Maintain diaphragmatic breathing.

  3. Roll to Side:

    • Inhale and roll onto your side with feet touching and arms rounded.

  4. Seated Position - Shin Box:

    • Place top leg backward and top hand on the floor.

    • Push yourself up into a seated position, rounding arms as if holding a ball.

    • Move into the shin box position.

  5. Hip Hinge and Tabletop Position:

    • Take a deep breath, squeeze glutes, and hip hinge yourself up.

    • Lower hands to the floor into a tabletop position, legs at the back.

    • Bring one foot up beside one hand, then the opposite leg, ending in a squat position.

  6. Stand Up:

    • From the squat position, transition hands and feet to the ground in tabletop position.

    • Move into the shin box position, rolling to the sides using the top hand on the floor.

    • Roll up into the dead bug position.

Practice each movement smoothly and in a controlled manner to seamlessly flow through the entire sequence.

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