Odd thing about me: When my brother and I were little, we came up with a game called “punch ea
Odd thing about me: When my brother and I were little, we came up with a game called “punch each other in the stomach.” This has been on and off going since then. My ex and I used to play, too, but only when I egged him on enough. I wanted to be tough and kick ass and in my heart knew I could bet him up If I REALLY wanted to, but all my attempts at going on one on, ended up with him picking me up, spinning me around in the air and lying me down on the ground like I was an ant. I knew, though, after playing years of “punch me”, this was one game I was totally prepared for. So, at a friends drunken evening pool party barbecue, he and I commenced full body contact wrestling, ending with “punch me in the stomach.” After about four or five rounds, (everyone by then was standing around drinking and watching, I asked him if he was pulling his punch. He said he was putting around half into it. I told him, I have strong abs, go ahead and give it to me. And he did what all guys would do, looked around, shrugged his shoulders like what the hell and punched me full on in the stomach. Let me mention he was probably a hundred pounds heavier than me and almost a foot taller than me. What does this equal? A very bad idea. Aside from having the wind knocked out of me, I suspected a couple bruised/fractured ribs. For over a month, it was painful to breath, laugh, cough, lay on my side and no one could hug me either cause it hurt to be squeezed. What did I learn from this? Work out harder. Don’t drink so much. It makes stupid ideas seem reasonable and fun. sarahbethyoga: Brace your abs as if someone were going to hit you in the belly. Maintain this engagement throughout your yoga practice for a healthy core and back. You’ll really feel powerful and it helps to understand the transitions and pose alignment when you’re moving from a strong core. Otherwise, if you’re core is weak or not engaged you end up overusing your arms and legs, which could result in injury. So feel your core, engage your core. Try doing this off the mat too. Lately, I’ve been working on ab definition, so I’ll remind myself when I’m driving, walking, shopping, sitting on my computer etc. to engage my core. I feel stronger and tighter! It’s also a great way to ground yourself into the present moment. :) -- source link