Excercises for people?

[sandi_84]

I'm looking for excercises for me when I'm not on a horse that will help my balance and improve my core muscles, what would you suggest?

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

Pilates especially classes done on a sports ball.

 

[Burnttoast]

Pilates, done properly (good instructor, small class)

 

[LiveryList]

I do Yoga once a week and have found this invaluable for helping me get fit after returning to riding- helped me lose a bit of weight as well lol

 

[highlandponygirl]

I also think dancing is good for helping balcance, posture, rythm and co-ordination.

 

[highlandponygirl]

Stupid computer!

 

[sandi_84]

Brilliant suggestions, I have a yoga dvd (used once ) and quite enjoyed it so may have to blow the dust off and give it a proper go. The only prob with joining classes is that there aren't that many available in my small area and those that are are extortionate! I'm really on a budget with my non-horse stuff so I can afford mr horse and equipment/vet fees/insurance/farrier etc etc etc so I really need stuff I can do at home for free or for very little cost
What do you all think?

 

[jenki13]

Dusting off that yoga dvd would probably be beneficial.

Also you can do exercises such as Planks, which build up core & ski-sits for leg endurance. Also squats, lunges, squat-thrusts can all help with maintaining muscle & balance - can all be done using your body-weight in your home.

You can also pick up yoga/pilates mats & fitness balls quite cheap that you can use. Sitting on a fitness ball / using it for planks is good for the core

 

[sandi_84]

Dusting off that yoga dvd would probably be beneficial.

Also you can do exercises such as Planks, which build up core & ski-sits for leg endurance. Also squats, lunges, squat-thrusts can all help with maintaining muscle & balance - can all be done using your body-weight in your home.

You can also pick up yoga/pilates mats & fitness balls quite cheap that you can use. Sitting on a fitness ball / using it for planks is good for the core

Awesome thank you! What are planks and ski-sits?

 

[Ladylina83]

Ditto Plank and leg raises, Dust off that yoga DVD and try and get to a class. The body is lazy it will try and cheat without you even realising !

Also just be more concious of that area around your core, ie when climbing the stairs - bending down, mucking out etc Engaging during these activities will strengthen the muscles and support your lower back !

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/470


http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/browse_categories/core

 

[sandi_84]

Ditto Plank and leg raises, Dust off that yoga DVD and try and get to a class. The body is lazy it will try and cheat without you even realising !

Also just be more concious of that area around your core, ie when climbing the stairs - bending down, mucking out etc Engaging during these activities will strengthen the muscles and support your lower back !

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/470


http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/browse_categories/core

Ok thank you very much, will start tomorrow!

 

[Ladylina83]

You Tube is also very helpful for short yoga sessions so if you have a spare 5 mins there is no excuse

 

[sandi_84]

You Tube is also very helpful for short yoga sessions so if you have a spare 5 mins there is no excuse

Ha ha true I could have started today but i'm soooo tired I wouldn't be able to pay attention properly rubbish excuse I know but I'll start tomorrow, it can be my new year resolution... "must do yoga excercises once a day!"

 

[olop]

If you go on you tube search for "yoga" or "pilates" on there & you will get loads of videos with simple workouts or more energic routines on there. There are all sorts of fitness videos on there & all for free, who needs all these stupid celeb workout DVDs that they bring out every Xmas

 

[Ladylina83]

Ha ha true I could have started today but i'm soooo tired I wouldn't be able to pay attention properly rubbish excuse I know but I'll start tomorrow, it can be my new year resolution... "must do yoga excercises once a day!"

ha ha don't worry ! I want to be a ruddy yoga teacher and even i struggle to find the motivation to practice every day

 

[Vetwrap]

One of the girls that I worked with does Pole Dancing as a fitness thing. She thought that would be excellent for horse riders...

thoughts?

I haven't got the time to go and do a fitness class myself (however much it would benefit me and the boys!) but I thought I would "throw it into the mix"!

 

[leskaneen]

Pilates is Fab-if you don t want to go to a class there s a channel on Sky(next to Horse and Country TV 281 I think)that has loads of programmes on Core stuff-I Sky + them(Sad,I know!!)

 

[debsey1]

What about riding bareback? Surely, this is good for balance and posture?

Just a thought

 

[dreamcometrue]

Pilates is all about core strength, posture, balance and keeping neutral hips and shoulders. It is brilliant for people who ride.

I have just started pilates classes and the instructor told me afterwards that I had really good body awareness and that it was probably due to riding horses! I suppose the two activities complement each other!

 

[jenki13]

What about riding bareback? Surely, this is good for balance and posture?

Just a thought

^^This is true but my problem with this would be trying to get on the horse in the 1st place as the mounting blocks aren't tall enough for me to swing my leg straight over

One of the girls that I worked with does Pole Dancing as a fitness thing. She thought that would be excellent for horse riders...

thoughts?

I think poledancing would be good for horse riders definitely- the strength of people that do it is great - lots of work in the core as well. Unfortunately it's not very widely done as far as I know & possibly expensive?