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How does the SANDDUNE help with balance and strength?
Eagle’s Lost Focal Point!
The Original SANDDUNE™ simulates walking in loose sand at the beach. It challenges your body to find its center of gravity. The natural phenomenon of neuropaths being re-activated after lack of activity caused by injury, illness or sedentary lifestyle, causes your muscles to react to signals from your brain, which begins a process of strengthening those muscles which are necessary to restore and maintain good balance.
For example, people with strong balance can try this Spine Stretch exercise described below on the SANDDUNE to really build and challenge their balance. From there progress to positions like the Eagle pose in Yoga. Make sure you have someone present with you to spot if this is new for you. If not, have a barre or something sturdy and stable to assist you should you loose your balance – wall or sturdy chair for example. Make sure there are no sharp object around you.
- Center yourself on the SANDDUNE with a small ball if you like, weighted or not, in your hands, with arms bent so that the ball is at your neck just below your chin.
- Stand straight, tailbone tucked with bellybutton pulled back toward your spine so your core is engaged and active. Remember as you increase your flexibility you are increasing your core strength on this apparatus.
- Before you begin your roll down, pick a focal point on the floor to maintain your balance once your eyes meet the floor.
- Now, imagine peeling an orange, trying to keep the peel in one piece as you prepare to begin a roll down (similar to what is done when doing a spinal stretch forward on the floor). If you are not an orange lover, then think Slinky toy and their fluid motion.
- Tuck your chin close to your chest resting it on top of the ball in your hands as you begin to slowly drop your head onto the ball in your hands and start to descend into your stretch. SLOWLY is the key word here. Your eyes focal point should follow the movement of your head. Draw an arc with your eyes or close your eyes and watch your body’s movement in a mindful visual manner.
- As you roll down, your head, hands and the ball will come into line with your waist. This is when you begin to uncurl your arms, keeping them close to your body and drop the ball slowly as you stretch the ball toward your feet. As Martha Graham, the great American Dancer said, “When you extend your arm, it doesn’t stop at the end of your fingers.”
- When you reach your feet, mindfully relax for a count of what is comfortable for you if this is your first time so that you can understand your body’s adjustments to being on a moving surface. A count said out loud of 1001, 1002, 1003 is a great way to gauge what your body’s balance can handle. Another quote from Martha Graham put this into perspective. “First we have to believe, then we believe.” “The body never lies.”
- At the end of your count, roll back up to standing in the same slow, fluid manner that you descended to your feet.
- I like to do this 10 to 20 times unless I want a deep stretch and trying to tuck my fingers under the SANDDUNE™ to increase my stretch.
Eagle Focus Found on The SANDDUNE!
Ways for Healthy and Fit Heart, Lungs, and Muscles
Ways for Healthy and Fit Heart, Lungs,
and Muscles by Dr. Anil Agarwal Jain
http://tinyurl.com/pf7mhv3
How does the SANDDUNE help with balance and strength?
Eagle’s Lost Focal Point!
The SANDDUNE™ simulates walking in loose sand at the beach. It challenges your body to find its center of gravity. The natural phenomenon of neuropaths being re-activated after lack of activity caused by injury, illness or sedentary lifestyle, causes your muscles to react to signals from your brain, which begins a process of strengthening those muscles which are necessary to restore and maintain good balance.
For example, people with strong balance can try this Spine Stretch exercise described below on the SANDDUNE to really build and challenge their balance. From there progress to positions like the Eagle pose in Yoga. Make sure you have someone present with you to spot if this is new for you. If not, have a barre or something sturdy and stable to assist you should you loose your balance – wall or sturdy chair for example. Make sure there are no sharp object around you.
- Center yourself on the SANDDUNE with a small ball if you like, weighted or not, in your hands, with arms bent so that the ball is at your neck just below your chin.
- Stand straight, tailbone tucked with bellybutton pulled back toward your spine so your core is engaged and active. Remember as you increase your flexibility you are increasing your core strength on this apparatus.
- Before you begin your roll down, pick a focal point on the floor to maintain your balance once your eyes meet the floor.
- Now, imagine peeling an orange, trying to keep the peel in one piece as you prepare to begin a roll down similar to what is done when doing a seated spine stretch. If you are not an orange lover, then think Slinky toy and their fluid motion.
- Tuck your chin close to your chest resting it on top of the ball in your hands as you begin to slowly drop your head onto the ball in your hands and start to descend into your stretch. SLOWLY is the key word here. Your eyes focal point should follow the movement of your head.
- As you roll down, your head, hands and the ball will come into line with your waist. This is when you begin to uncurl your arms, keeping them close to your body and drop the ball slowly as you stretch the ball toward your feet. As Martha Graham, the great American Dancer said, “When you extend your arm, it doesn’t stop at the end of your fingers.”
- When you reach your feet, mindfully relax for a count of what is comfortable for you if this is your first time so that you can understand your body’s adjustments to being on a moving surface. A count said out loud of 1001, 1002, 1003 is a great way to gauge what your body’s balance can handle. Another quote from Martha Graham put this into perspective. “First we have to believe, then we believe.” “The body never lies.”
- At the end of your count, roll back up to standing in the same slow, fluid manner that you descended to your feet.
- I like to do this 10 to 20 times unless I want a deep stretch and am trying to tuck my fingers under the SANDDUNE to increase stretch.
Eagle Focus Found on The SANDDUNE!
Knee Pain Prevention
Martina Navratilova, AARP’s Fitness Ambassador, gives tips and suggestions about conditions and treatments for prevention of knee pain.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to follow her mini-workout to help you burn some calories, learn proper posture and work on your core.
Cardio Burst Workout
Cardio Work on the Original SANDDUNE™ for athlete or fitness buff.
To warm up – pad slowly for 1 minute. Do not get your heart rate up. When padding, your feet should barely come off of the pads.
- Run for 2 minutes as fast as you can.
- Pad slowly for 2 minutes
- Run for 30 seconds as hard as you can.
- Pad slowly for 2 minutes.
- Run for 30 seconds as hard as you can
- Finish with a 2 minute cool down.
- Step off the SANDDUNE and orient yourself on level ground. Walk around for a couple of minutes.
Do this workout 3 times a week. Within a two week period you should be able to realize a doubling of your cardiovascular capacity, and an increase in quad and core strength as well. This workout is equal to 3 hours of cardio work a week. Try this instead of your run, elliptical or stair stepper segment of your workout.
Squat Run position. Do not arch your back and only drop as low as is comfortable in the squat position.
Upright running position. Lift your knees as high as is comfortable.
Mindful Morning start #3
Once your rocking is complete become still.
- Begin to visualize your head and neck in line with your spine by imagining someone is running a string from the center of your head to the tip of your tailbone as the spine aligns itself.
- Place your arms a few inches from your side with your palms down and legs straight, your feet and knees in line with your hips. Wiggle your body around a bit, settle in and relax for a minute or two in a brief mindful meditation.
- Next, press the heel of one leg into the bed, keeping it straight. Feel your leg become tense and hold for 4 counts with the first press being light and subsequent presses done with quick release of the heel into the bed.
- Repeat this 4-6 times. Repeat with the other leg holding for a count of 4 and repeating this 4-6 times. As your body gets used to this, you might try increasing to 8-10 times…then 12-16 times. This increases circulation. Don’t push too hard in the beginning, as you may get a leg cramp!
Once finished, prepare to stand.
Mindful Morning start #2
Now that you have finished your initial body rolling, gently draw your knees to your chest, holding them together or slightly apart, whichever is comfortable, as best you can. Hold for a count of 30. Now, gently rock back and forth on your back. Do not roll over to your side like you did in the first warm up exercise. This movement is done on a flat back. Do this 6-10 times, more if you like. In a second variation, hold your knees and mimic a walking motion while you are doing the gentle rock described above with your head slightly elevated or flat. Your knees can be slightly apart or wide as is comfortable for you. You’ll feel this massage in your upper and middle back as well as the lower back while warming up the hip flexors.
I am physically active so why should I use the SANDDUNE™?
The Original SANDDUNE™ provides an additional platform for more effective warm-up and cool-down. Incorporate some of your stretches along with an easy jog to kick start the body’s engine. Try adding regular stationary exercises (ie…curls on the uphill slope) on the SANDDUNE™ for greater challenge because of the additional balance required. Golfers, who practice simulated strokes on the SANDDUNE™, report cutting strokes off their game because their bodies are more responsive. With consistent use, muscles are developed that you have been unaware of and were previously unengaged. This apparatus will help increase lean muscle mass. It is an easy workout perfect for a light day – add hand or ankle weights to increase the intensity of the workout if preferred.
For active people and athletes, cross training on the SANDDUNE™ translates into better coordination, more flexible joints/tendons, and responsive musculature. When beginning training or resuming working out after a self-imposed or injury-imposed layoff, the SANDDUNE™ helps reduces chances of injury and shortens recovery time as the sarcomeres (which are groups of muscle cells involved in the contraction and relaxations of muscles) are not so easily torn. It is the breakdown of the cells and muscle tissue that give us the inflammation and soreness we all love to hate. “No Pain, No Gain” as the old saying goes!
Muscles are usually stiff and sore a day or two after returning to activity because of damage to muscles fibers being stressed past their “normal or current” length from daily use. By the time you are into week #2 of becoming “Rocky”, additional sarcomeres have developed within the muscles, lending themselves to greater strength and protection of the muscles as they are being built up. Starting the workout regimen more prudently takes from the amount of “pain we gain” as we begin rolling toward fitness again. Remember that the SANDDUNE™ encourages proper use of the whole body in walking, running, golfing, dancing and sports.
Original SANDDUNE™ 