Monday, June 24, 2013

Tai Cheng Week 7 Eased on By

This was exercise?  It's starting to not be so tough to do any moves.  Yes, I'm still shaky in some positions but I'm still doing them.

The funny thing Dr. Cheng says with Neural Reboot 3 is, "It's posture, posture, posture, not pasta, pasta, pasta."  Some days I think, "Now he's making me hungry with all this pasta talk!" LOL

I managed to do the pike/plank in the regular version every day but I couldn't ninja back and forth.  My arms shake too much holding me up.  It still surprises me that I can even hold myself up this little bit since I have no upper body strength.

There's a new rolling kick in the Neural Reboot 3.  When I first saw it I thought that it'd be difficult but actually found it rather simple.  When I was showing my coworker it was a little awkward with my shoes on.  Something about the added weight of the shoes.

Your base foot is placed at a 45° angle on the floor.  Then you lift your other leg and put it in front of your knee with your toes dorsiflexed.  You almost look like these African bushmen (but your foot doesn't actually touch your knee).
 
 
While standing on one leg you "roll" the elevated leg around to the other side, lowering it to the ground.  Your feet end up about shoulder width apart and somehow stay at the 45° angle (at least mine do).  You then shift your weight on the foot that was just lowered and repeat this whole process back and forth a few times.
 
Dr. Cheng introduced the third area of foam rolling - the rotator cuff.  You lay on the floor with the roller in your armpit and your arm stretched out.  First you rock back and forth to hit the base of these muscles on your shoulder blade.  Then, while leaning back a little you roll up and down a few inches.  I don't actually feel much of anything doing this but I'm sure someone with rotator issues would.
 
The last 6 Tai Cheng moves seem to be the most complicated of them all.  There's even a little bit of a rolling kick.  Despite the complexity it doesn't feel difficult.
 
Motions are becoming more fluid.  I'm nowhere near as flexible as I was in high school but I'm getting there.  I don't think I'll ever do a back flip or any gymnastics as that's not my goal.  I just want to be healthy not an athlete.

9 comments :

  1. Is that not the greatest feeling when you realize you can do something physical that you otherwise thought you hadn't?! I love that feeling. It surprises me every time and makes me want to push myself harder.

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    1. I'm so ready to bump up my game and challenge myself once these 90 days are over.

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  2. Great progress Cassandra, congratulations. Its amazing how rewarding it is when we keep challenging ourselves. I've never tried Tai Cheng, some of what you described sounds like variations on yoga poses.

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    1. Yes, several times I thought I was doing yoga during the Neural Reboots.

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  3. That is awesome. You are making feel a tad guilty because I have been neglecting my walking of late. The fact that you have stayed with it and are now at a point that you're feeling good about what you have accomplish is way cool. Rock on... or should I say keep pushing.. :-) Susan Cooper

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    1. Maybe you can do a walking podcast....getting two things done at once. :)

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  5. Casi,
    I give you a lot of credit for sticking with it. It is definitely something I couldn't do. I do agility with dog and I have to say it is a push to run around the ring with her at my age, but the exercise and focus is wonderful.

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