A C.H.E.K Institute PublicationSan Diego, CA

Your personalized 4-step guide to

looking and feeling great from the inside out

by

Paul Chek

How to

E a t , M o v e and Be Hea l thy!

Excerpt from:

Reproduced with permission from the authorISBN-13: 978-1583870068

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Neck Side Flexion

•Sitwithgoodposture.

•Grasptheendof thebenchortheedgeof achairand lean awayuntil your shoulder is depressed.Makesuretomaintainanerectposture.

•Usetheoppositehandtogentlydrawyourheadawayfromtheanchoredshoulder.

• Inhaleandgentlypushyourheadintoyourhandforfiveseconds.

•Exhaleandimmediatelyleanfurtheraway,whiledepressingyourshoulder.Thengentlymoveyourheadandneckfurtherawayfromyourshoulder.

•Holdthestretchpositionforfiveseconds.

Neck Rotation

•Sitwithgoodposture.

•Rotateyourheadtooneside.

•Place the opposite hand on your cheek. Inhaleandgentlyrotateyourheadintoyourhandwhilekeepingthehandfirm.

•Lookinthedirectionthatyouareturning.

•Holdforfivesecondsandexhaleasyoulookbe-hindyouandrotateyourheadintothestretch.

StretcheS

Note:Manyof thestretchesbelowwilluseacontract-relaxmethod.Thethreebasicphasesof acontract-relaxstretchare:

1.Moveintoinitialstretch.Youshouldfeelthemusclesbeingstretched,butitshouldnotbeuncomfortable.

2.Contractthemusclebeingstretched.Useeitheryourhandorthefloortoprovideresistance.Useonlyalightforcewhenyoucontract.

3.Relax,movingimmediatelyintothestretchpositionafteryoureleasethecontraction.Youshouldfindthatyoucanmovefartherintothestretch.

Performingthisprocessthreetofivetimespermuscleeachsessionisoptimal.

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Levator Scapulae

•Reachonearmasfardownbetweenyourshoul-derbladesaspossible.

•Lookasfarasyoucomfortablycantotheoppo-siteside.

•Takeadeepbreathinandholdforfiveseconds.Asyouexhale,lookdownwardasfarasyoucom-fortablycantowardyourshoulder.

Neck Extensors

•Maintain an upright posture, either sitting orstanding, and let your head drop toward yourchest.

•Placeonehandonthebackof yourheadandoneonyourchin.

•Tuckyourchinandgentlystretchthebackof yourneckbydrawingyourheadtowardyourchest.

•Take a deep breath and lightly press your headintoyourhand,withoutlettingyourheadmove.

•Afterfiveseconds,relaxasyouexhaleandgentlymoveyourheadtowardyourchest.

Chest

Pec.major:(largerchestmuscle)•PlaceyourforearmonaSwissball.

•Keep your shoulders parallel to the ground anddropyourbodytowardthefloor.Whenyoureacha comfortable stretch, inhaleandpress the fore-armintotheballforfiveseconds.

•Exhaleandmoveimmediatelyintothestretch.

•There should be no pain felt in the shoulderjoint.

Pec.minor(smallermusclebeneaththepec.major,thathasatendencytogettight)•Place your shoulder on the ball insteadof yourforearm.

•Asyoudropyourupperbodydownward,allowyourshoulderbladetomovetowardyourspine.

• Inhale andpress your shoulder into the ball forfiveseconds.Exhaleandlowerintoanewstretchposition.Keepyourtorsoparalleltothefloor.

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Rhomboids (muscle between shoulder blades)

•Kneelinfrontof aSwissballandplaceyourel-bowontheball.

•Bringyourarmacrossyourbodyasitrestsontheball.

• Inhaleandpressintotheballwithyourelbowasyouattempttodrawyourshoulderbladetowardyour spine.Use your opposite hand tohold theballstill.

•Hold for five secondsand releaseasyouexhaleand move farther into the stretch, allowing theshoulder blade to move away from your spine.Useyouroppositearmtorolltheballacrossyourbody.

Scratch Stretch

•Standwithgoodposture,holdingatowelbehindyourbackasshowninthepicture.

•Usethebottomhandtopulldownwarduntilyoufeelacomfortablestretch.

•Holdthatpositionwithyourlowerarm.

• Inhale as you try to pull upwardwith your toparmagainstthefixedresistanceof thelowerarm.

•Holdthatcontractionforfiveseconds.Exhaleandpull downwith the lower arm to further stretchtheupperarm.

Trunk Rotation

•Lieonyourbackwithyourkneesbentandpoint-ingupattheceiling.

•Your lower legs should be relaxed. Place yourhandonyourthighwhilekeepingtheotherarmstretchedouttohelpyoustabilize.

•Slowlyletyourlegsrolltothatsideuntilyoufeelacomfortablestretchinyourlowerback.Inhaleandreducethesupportfromyourarmslightlytoactivateyourtrunkmuscles.

•Holdforfivesecondsandrepeattotheotherside.Continue to practice this stretch until you cancomfortablyplaceyourthighsontheground,oruntilyouarenolongerimprovingyourrangeof motion.

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Middle Back and Abdominals

Caution:If youexperiencedizzinesswhenlookingup toward the sky (for example, watching an air-plane flybyorwhenputting somethingaway inahighcupboard),youmayalsoexperiencedizzinesswhen performing this stretch. It is very importantthatyoustopthestretchimmediatelyif youfeelanyunusualsymptoms.If youdonothavesufficientspi-nalextension(backwardbending),youmaycompen-satebyover-extendingyourneck.Thismayresultinnausea,dizzinessorchangesinvision.Anyunusualsymptomsindicatetheneedtoseeyourdoctorforacompleteevaluationof yournecktoruleoutoc-clusionof thevertebralartery.Shouldyourneckbecleared as normal, you should have an ear, nose,throatspecialistassessyourinnerearfunction.

•Performthisstretchonanon-slipsurface.

•SitonaSwissball, thenwalkyour legsoutandrollbackwardsuntilyouarelyingovertheball.

•Extendyourarmsoveryourhead.Toincreasethestretch,slowlystraightenyourlegs.Holdforoneminute.

Obliques

•SitonaSwissballandcarefullyrolldowntheballandontoyourside.

•Youmayuseawalltoanchoryourfeet.

•Graspthewristof yourtophandasyourarmsareextendedoveryourhead.

•Gentlybeginrollingtheupperbodyforwardandthen backward while slightly tugging the upperarm downward. When your feel a tight area,inhaleandgentlyattempt to sidebendbackup,pullingagainstyourlowerarm.Youdon’tneedtoactuallymove,justactivatethemuscles.

•Relaxintoanewstretchpositionasyouexhale.

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Squat

•Standwithacomfortablestancenexttoastableobjectthatyoucanhangonto.

•Squatdownuntilyouarecompletelyrelaxed,let-tingall the tensionoutof yourbackand lettingyour torso rest between, but not supported by,yourthighs.

• If youcandothiswithouthangingontoanything,that’s great. If you are too tight in the ankles,knees,buttorlowback,youcanholdontoastableobjectsothatyoucancompletelyrelax.

•Gentlyrockbackandfourthbetweentheballsof thefeetandtheheelsforoneminute.

Lunge

•Assumealungeposition,makingsureyourfrontfootstaysinfrontof theknee.

•Drawyourbellybuttonintowardyourspineandtuck your tail under (this will flatten your lowback).(1)

•Begintomoveyourwholepelvisforward,keepingitsquaretothefront.(2)

•Toincreasethestretch,reachthearmonthetrail-inglegsideoveryourheadandbendyourtrunktotheside.(3)Rotatingyourpelvistowardthefrontlegwillalsoincreasethestretch.

Waiter’s Bow

•Standwithyourfeetparallelandclosetogether.

•Keepyourlegsstraightandstickyourbottomoutuntilyouhaveanarchinyourlowback.

•Bendforwardfromyourhipswhileholdingyourlow back arched until you feel a comfortablestretchonyourhamstrings.Tohelpyoumaintainthecorrectposition,youmay tapeyourbackasdescribedonfollowingpage.

•Holdfor20seconds.

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Hamstrings

•Lieonyourbackwithasmall,rolled-uptowelun-deryourbackatthebeltlinelevel.

•Thetowel,whencompressed,shouldbethewidthandthicknessof thefattestpartof yourhand.

•Grab one leg with both hands, just below theknee,andbringthebentlegupuntilthethighisperpendiculartothefloor.Extendyourtoesbacktowardyour shinandslowly straightenyour legwithout letting the thighmove inyourhandsorlettingyourbackcomeoff thefloor.

•Holdacomfortablestretchfor20seconds.

90/90 Hip Stretch

Special Note: If youaretightinthehips,youwillfind it hard to keep the lumbar curve during thisstretch.Tohelpmaintainthisposition,havesome-onerunastripof athletictapealongyourbackmus-cles,oneithersideof yourspine,fromthelevelof yourbottomribtothetopof yourpelviswhileyouare standingwithgooduprightposture,as seen inthepicture.Thismodificationisveryimportantforanyonewithahistoryof backpain,especiallylum-bardiscbulges,because itpreventsyoufromover-stretchingthelowerback.

•Sitonthefloorwithbothyourfrontandbacklegsbentto90-degrees.

•The angle at your groin should also be 90-de-grees.

•Placeyourhandonthegroundnexttoyourhip.

•Tipyourpelvisasthoughitwasabowlandyouweretryingtopourthecontentsoutoveryourbeltline. Imagine sticking your butt backwards, likeDonaldDuck.

•Youshouldhaveanincreasedcurvatureof yourlowerback.Keepthecurveinyourlowbackandyourchestandheadupasyoumoveforwardoverthefrontleg.

•Whenyoufeelacomfortablestretchinyourouterthighandhip,inhaleandpressthefrontkneeandanklefirmlyintothegroundforfiveseconds.Ex-haleandmovefartherforwardintothestretch.

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Groin

•Assumeakneelingpositionandspreadyourkneesasfaroutasyoucomfortablycan.

•Rockforward,breatheinandgentlysqueezeyourkneesintothegroundforfiveseconds.

•Exhaleandrelaxasyousinkforward.

•Rockbackwardandusethesamecontract/relaxprocedureforanyothertightareasyoufind.

Swiss Ball Quad Stretch

•Begininasprinter’sstartposition,withthefootandankleof thelegtobestretchedontheball.

•Slowlyriseupward.

•Youmayplaceonehandontheballoruseachairforsupport.

•Drawyourbellybuttonintowardyourspineandrollyourpelvisundersothatyourbackflattenstoincreasethestretch.

Calves

•Standontheedgeof astep.

•Dropyourheeltowardthefloorandoff thestep,keepingthelegstraightandtoesangledupward.(1)

•Hold for20 secondsandswitch sides.Then, re-peatwithabentlegoneachside.(2)

1

2

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McKenzie Press-up

•Lieonyourstomachwithyourhandsjustoutsidethe topsof yourshouldersas inapush-upposi-tion.

• Inhaledeeplyandbeginpressingyourupperbodyupwardoff thefloor,butmakesureyourhipsstayontheground.

•Asyoupushyourbodyupward,exhale,pretend-ingyouareblowingyourself upoff thefloor.

• Itisimportanttorelaxyourbuttocks,legsandspi-nalmuscles.

•Hold the top position until you need to take abreath.

• Inhaleasyouslowlyloweryourbodytothefloorandrepeat10times.

IT Band

•Standnexttoawallandstepforwardof yourin-sideleg(thisisthelegthatyouwillbestretching)asshown.

•Keepbothfeetflatonthefloor.

•Useyourinsidearmforsupportagainstthewallandplacetheotherhandonyourhip.

•Pressyourhipstraighttowardsthewallandslight-lydownwardasitmovestowardthewall.

•Youshouldfeelastretchontheoutsideof thelegclosesttothewallandinthehip.

• If youdonot feela full stretch,bringyourhipsforwardslightlyandrotateyourpelvistowardthefront.

• If youareperformingthestretchcorrectly,takingyour outside hand off the hip at any pointwilleliminate the stretch in thehip.You shouldnotfeelastretchinyourlowback.

•Holdfor20seconds.Stretcheachsideuptothreetimes.

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oNeckSideFlexion

o NeckRotation

o LevatorScapulae

o NeckExtensors

o Chest

Stretching teSt Sheet

o Rhomboids

o ScratchStretch

o TrunkRotation

o MiddleBackandAbdominals

o Obliques

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oSquat

oLunge

oWaiter’sBow

oHamstrings

o90/90HipStretch

oGroin

oSwissBallQuad Stretch

oCalves

oMcKenziePress-up

oITBand

A C.H.E.K Institute PublicationSan Diego, CA

Purchase this book atwww.chekinsitute.com

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ISBN-13: 978-1583870068

How to

Eat, Move and

Be Healthy!