Feasting on rich, heavy food and drinking with friends and family can lead to some serious post-Thanksgiving bloat. While we may not feel like doing a full-on workout, the best thing we can do for our bodies over the holiday is to keep moving. Low-impact exercises are great for digestion and kicking your body out of full-belly sleep mode! Here are 5 Pilates Exercises to De-Bloat and Detox after Thanksgiving.
1. Open Leg Rocker– Massage the bowels and entire spine while tightening your abs. Balance on your tailbone as you hold onto your ankles with your legs straight and hips-distance apart. Keep your lower back rounded by pulling in your abdominals. Inhale as you roll back onto your shoulder blades and exhale to come back up on your tailbone. Do your best to roll evenly on both sides of your spine. If you have tight hamstrings, you may hold behind your calves or thighs and soften your knees. Repeat 5-10 times.
2. Teaser Twists– Sit up in a full teaser or “V” position on your tailbone, holding onto your ankles. Take your right hand and hold onto the left ankle while keeping your legs squeezing together. Simultaneously open your left arm to the side as you lower your right leg to the ground. Do your best to move the arm and leg at the same speed. Once you have reached your maximum twist position without disengaging the abs, return the leg and arm back up to center. Repeat on the other side, making sure to move slowly and with control. Do 3 on each side.
3. Straight Bridges– Stretch the front side of your body to create space in the intestines while strengthening the entire back side of your body. Sit with your legs straight in front of you and your hands on the ground behind your hips. Fingers are pointing towards your toes. Press into the palm of your hands as you squeeze your glutes to lift your hips off the ground. Open up your chest by squeezing the shoulder blades together. If you can get your hips high enough, press the soles of the feet onto the ground every time you rise. Roll back onto the heels when you lower your hips to the ground. Repeat 5 times.
4. Hip Circles– Trim your waist by working every part of your abdominals in this exercise. Lean back onto your elbows with your legs bent into your chest. Keep your chest elevated and do not sink into your shoulder blades. Squeeze your inner thighs and straighten your legs straight up into the air. Circle your legs clockwise, never allowing your them to lower more than 45 degrees from the ground. Return to center before starting a circle counterclockwise. This is one rep. Repeat 5 more times.
5. The Saw– A traditional Pilates exercise that will stretch your hamstrings, trim your waist, and get rid of toxins. Sit up with your legs a little wider than hip distance and arms straight out to your sides. Keep the legs engaged so the knees and toes are facing up. Inhale as you twist your torso off your hips to one side. Exhale as you “saw off” your pinky toe with your pinky finger. Make sure your opposite hip stays down and pulled back as you stretch forward. For a really deep cleansing breath, continue to exhale as you twist and reach for even longer as you’re down. Inhale to come back up to center and repeat to the other side. Do 3 on each side.
Try these exercises throughout the entire week to stay in shape and keep from feeling too bloated from all that good food!
Also by Crystal: This Pilates Ab Challenge Will Tighten Your Core in 10 Days
5 Stretches for a Good Night’s Sleep
Related: How to Exercise While on Vacation
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Video: Crystal Chin
