The set of Indian practices called yoga contains a large number of exercises to improve physical condition. In addition, asanas can relieve a bad mood and change a person’s psychological state. Their especially well-known varieties have long “migrated” from special complexes to ordinary types of gymnastic warm-ups. These include the “Butterfly” exercise, the systematic implementation of which allows you to strengthen the thigh muscles, improve blood supply to the pelvic organs, and teach you to maintain correct posture.
What is butterfly pose and why do it?
Butterfly pose is an exercise in which a person sits on the floor, bends the knees completely, rotates the hips outward, and draws the heels closer to the pelvis. In yoga, this position is called Baddha Konasana, or bound angle pose.
Butterfly pose. Photo: Alexander Starostin
First of all, this asana stretches the body. Kaminoff, E. Matthews. Yoga anatomy adducts the muscles and increases the range of motion of the hips.
According to research1. J. B. Ellison, S. J. Rose, S. A. Sahrmann. Patterns of hip range rotation of motion: a comparison between healthy subjects and patients with low back pain / Physical therapy 2. LR Van Dillen, NJ Bloom, SP Gombatto. Hip rotation range of motion in people with and without low back pain who participate in rotation‑related sports / Physical therapy in sport, lack of mobility of the hip joints increases the risk of lower back pain, so the butterfly pose can be used to prevent back problems.
Moreover, in this asana the L. are activated. Kaminoff, E. Matthews. Yoga anatomy of the pelvic floor muscles, which support and influence internal organs1. Kegel exercises for men: Understand the benefits / Mayo Clinic, 2. Kegel exercises: A how‑to guide for women / Mayo Clinic on sexual function in both men and women.
Products for diet
When choosing foods for a diet, you can take a specific menu, but not everyone likes certain foods, so everyone creates a diet for themselves individually. For clarity, we will select a number from one to four for all components in the products. And let’s look at how many servings of which foods you can eat per day. The number 4 will be protein, 3 – dietary fiber, 2 – carbohydrates, 1 – fats.
To calculate your own nutrition, correctly selected products are important. Let's calculate them as follows: you are allowed to eat four servings of protein every day. This category will include: chicken breast, lean fish, eggs, cottage cheese and seafood. Three servings of vegetables or fruits are allowed. This subgroup will include:
- apples, bananas, grapefruits and cucumbers;
- two servings of complex carbohydrates taken from cereals;
- one serving of fats taken from nuts, seeds and fish oils.
These products need to be distributed throughout the day, and then losing weight can be quite tasty.
Fitness diet recipes
Let's look at the basic recipes:
- Cream soup with ginger. To prepare, take one onion and 5 cm of ginger (grated), fry in a frying pan in olive oil. At the same time, cook three cups of vegetable broth. Pour the broth into the roast, add the juice of one orange. Simmer everything together for a quarter of an hour and puree using a blender. Add the finished soup with herbs. Every athlete should discover this recipe.
- Meat with cheese in the oven. A very tasty dish. Take 300 g of meat tenderloin and fry in oil. Cut one eggplant into circles and place on top of the meat. Place a tomato cut into circles and cover with shavings of cheese. Place in the oven. After fifteen minutes you can serve.
- The right pasta for weight loss. Chop 100 g of tomatoes and chop one clove of garlic. Place the mixture in a frying pan with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. At the same time, cook durum pasta. Combine everything together and sprinkle lemon zest on top. The pasta is ready. Harmless and tasty.
- Chicken fillet and broccoli. Cut 160 g chicken fillet, 100 g broccoli and 220 g cauliflower, separate the florets and place in a frying pan with a little water. Add previously chopped breast. Simmer under a closed lid in a frying pan for about half an hour.
- Chicken breast with tomatoes. Take three chicken breasts, wash and dry with napkins. Cut each one so that a pocket is formed, add salt and pepper. At the same time, cut three tomatoes into circles and basil - a few leaves. Place the basil and tomato on the fillet on opposite sides of the pocket. Top with another piece of fillet. Grease the open “pocket” in the fillet with olive oil. Fry in a frying pan in olive oil. The breast is ready.
- Carrot cake. Any sports person realizes that this is a great recipe for losing weight. Peel two medium carrots and grate them on a fine grater. Sift one glass of flour. Add five tablespoons of bran to the flour, four tablespoons of skim milk powder, add a pinch of salt, sugar and half a teaspoon each of cinnamon and vanillin, as well as a pinch of soda. Pour boiling water over three tablespoons of raisins and drain. Beat one egg and add to it a teaspoon of vegetable oil and half a glass of kefir. Add two tablespoons of cottage cheese and cooked carrots. Combine all ingredients, mix well. Bake for about forty minutes.
How to do butterfly pose correctly
Sit on the floor, straighten your back, stretch your legs in front of you. Then, one at a time, bend your knees and bring your feet closer to your groin. Bring your heels together and press the outside of your feet toward the floor.
Allow your hips to drop under their own weight. If they don’t lie on the floor, it’s okay.
Grasp your feet with your hands and turn them so that the arches point upward.
Make sure your body weight is distributed between your sit bones without moving forward or backward. Tighten your stomach, straighten and lower your shoulders. Point your chest forward and tuck your chin, stretching the back of your neck. Look down.
Breathe deeply and evenly. Allow your knees to fall to the floor under their own weight, but do not try to force it so as not to injure the muscles and ligaments.
Useful tips and tricks to improve efficiency
For the exercise to be effective, you should learn to relax your thigh muscles when performing it. This is rarely possible for beginners, but with experience it becomes habitual. Classes are not suitable for people who have problems with the hip or knee joints. If you have problems with the spine, you should first consult with a specialist. The “Butterfly” should be performed slowly, gradually increasing the pace and increasing the time of practice.
If at the initial stage of training it is difficult to keep your back straight, it is recommended to sit close to the wall and lean against it. You can bend slightly, first towards the right thigh, then towards the center, completing the exercise by bending towards the left knee. Breathing while performing the exercise should be deep and even.
With a good stretch, you can lean forward, touching your head to the floor. This way, performing the Butterfly is much more difficult than in normal mode. This method is suitable for trained people.
To increase the effectiveness of gymnastics, you can combine the Butterfly with other exercises. A regularly performed complex that trains various muscle groups will allow you to get a toned, healthy figure, improve flexibility and mobility at any age, get rid of excess weight, and be charged with a good mood for the whole day. The main thing is to follow the recommendations of specialists and the correct technique, as well as listen to your own feelings.
For maximum effectiveness of the exercise, you should learn to relax your muscles.
Breathing should be deep and even
The asana should be performed slowly, gradually increasing the pace and increasing the time of practice.
How else can you do butterfly pose?
There are several variations of this pose that will help you work different areas of your hips and deepen the stretch.
With the body tilted forward
If you are comfortable in the butterfly pose - your hips rest freely on the floor and you do not experience discomfort or pain - try a variation with the body tilted forward. In addition to the adductors, it will also stretch the back extensors.
To begin, spend at least five breathing cycles in the butterfly pose without bending, then bend at the hips and lean forward.
As you bend over, you will feel the stretching of your thigh muscles increase. Find a point where the sensations do not cause pain, linger there and breathe calmly and deeply, allowing the body to sink lower.
Spend 5-8 breathing cycles in the pose, then smoothly lift your body to a straight position, use your hands to bring your hips together and stretch your legs forward.
With feet placed further away from the pelvis
Depending on how close the feet are to the groin, they stretch. Kaminoff, E. Matthews. Yoga anatomy different muscles responsible for external rotation of the hip.
To work all areas of the adductor muscles, as well as stretch the buttocks, move your feet about 15-30 cm from the pelvis.
One at a time, extend your arms forward and place your fingers on the floor, cupping your hands. Tuck your chin, lower your gaze, and spend six breathing cycles in this pose.
With hands under knees
This variation is suitable for people with good flexibility and no problems with joints and spine. It will help to better stretch your back and deepen the stretch of your hips.
Sit in butterfly pose with your feet about 6 inches from your groin. Lean forward, place your hands under your knees and grab your feet, clasping your fingers.
Stretch your back, point your chest forward, and then exhale and lower yourself, pressing your legs to the floor with your shoulders. Place your forehead or chin on your feet and hold the position for six breaths.
Diet and training regimen
Combining proper nutrition and exercise is quite a difficult task. Success in achieving your goal depends on your diet and exercise routine. Therefore, it is worth motivating yourself in this. After you wake up, you should drink a glass of water and have breakfast 15-30 minutes later. Breakfast should be the heaviest of all subsequent meals.
In addition, a morning meal is the best way to convert nutrients into energy rather than fat. If there is no feeling of hunger in the morning, you should reduce your evening meal, so that you will have an appetite in the morning.
Before going directly to the gym or other physical activity, you should eat no later than two hours in advance, especially foods made from protein foods, which include meat, legumes, and dairy products. You should also remember that after playing sports you should not eat for at least two hours, and you are only allowed to drink water.
Eating carbohydrates is an essential component of fitness recipes and proper and healthy nutrition. Carbohydrates are simple and complex. To avoid gaining weight, you should start consuming exclusively complex carbohydrates. They can be found in cereals and legumes, in pasta, but only in hard varieties.
The listed products contain glucose in addition to carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are very harmful to your figure, because they are found in sweets, flour products and carbonated drinks, and they cause weight gain and a thinner figure.
What to consider when performing the pose
In order not to harm yourself, it is worth considering two important points.
Feet should be pressed to the floor
If you don't have enough mobility in your hip joints, turning your feet out and rotating your shins outward can destabilize your hips. Kaminoff, E. Matthews. Anatomy of yoga ligaments of the knee joint and harm them.
To protect them, press the outer edge of your feet more firmly toward the floor. This activates the peroneal muscles and stabilizes the ligaments, taking pressure off the joints.
You need to stretch forward with your stomach
It is important that it is the stomach that strives towards the legs, and not the head. If you tilt it too far, the chest and abdominal cavity will be L. Kaminoff, E. Matthews. The anatomy of yoga is compressed, so you will have difficulty breathing.
Therefore, if tight muscles prevent you from bending over properly, stop at the point where you can keep your chest open and breathe freely.
Benefits for men
Despite the fact that this asana (pose) is considered feminine, the exercise will also be incredibly useful for men. First of all, it improves blood circulation in the pelvic organs, which is the main way to prevent prostatitis (as well as for treatment). Performing the pose and improving blood circulation also improves sexual function.
From a sports point of view, doing the butterfly exercise is worth doing for the following reasons:
- Muscle stretching, which is necessary during strength training (prevents gradual shortening of muscles).
- Improved blood circulation.
- Exercise is good for the abdomen, improving muscle tone (in the lower part).
- Stretching the quadriceps is an effective prevention of pelvic rotation (a popular problem among some athletes and people with an inactive lifestyle).
- Increased mobility in the hip and knee joints, which allows you to better perform some strength elements.
How often to do butterfly pose
You can do the butterfly pose every day, alternating different variations - with your feet close to the pelvis or a little further, with or without an inclination. Hold the position for 30 seconds, or 6-8 breaths. Repeat 2-4 times if necessary.
If you want to quickly increase the mobility of your hip joints, combine the butterfly pose with other asanas. For example, standing bend with legs wide apart, pigeon pose, sitting angle pose and other stretching exercises for the muscles of the hips and buttocks.
Recommendations
It is optimal to perform approaches not by the number of swings, but by time. Beginners should start with 30 seconds per set, gradually working up to a minute per set. After this, the intensity should be increased (large amplitude or accelerated swings).
Basic recommendations:
- The legs should be relaxed (this is difficult for beginners, so it is necessary to additionally focus on this condition).
- The feet should always be pressed as close to the groin as possible.
- The back should be extremely straight, especially when bending the body forward.
- The butterfly can be made both as a complex and separately. This is an autonomous and universal movement (optimally combined with poses for stretching the back and shoulder girdle).
- After completing the approach, straighten your legs and move them to normalize blood circulation.
Sample menu for the week
Breakfast week should be varied. What options can you choose:
- First day. Combine yogurt, always low-fat, with fruit, and you can add nuts.
- Breakfast on the second day. Oatmeal or muesli with seeds. Season with low-fat milk.
- Breakfast on the third day. Low-fat yogurt plus oatmeal.
- Breakfast on the fourth day. Low-fat cottage cheese, seasoned with jam, sour cream and sugar.
- Breakfast on the fifth day. Yogurt with berries.
- Breakfast on the sixth day. Yogurt smoothie with oatmeal and banana. Prepare using a blender as follows: mix oatmeal and banana seasoned with yoghurt in a blender and add a little milk, a spoonful of honey and a pinch of cinnamon.
- Breakfast on the seventh day. Yogurt with fruit.
Lunches and dinners can be alternated from the above menu. Low-fat soup, vegetable broths and lean chicken are good options for lunch.
Butterfly knife tricks for beginners
The balisong knife, better known in our area as a “butterfly”, was created and used for its intended purpose in the Philippines, but in our country it is used to perform various turns and tricks. To learn butterfly knife tricks you need patience, training and basic knowledge.
Opening and closing the knife
The knife in its classic form appeared on the Philippine islands. The Asian version of the appearance of the knife is similar to an ancient legend. This story dates back to the 8th century, it was then that Filipino sailors seemed to come up with such knives. One part of the handle symbolized the sky, the second part the earth, and the blade the surface of the water. Fishermen passed on their knives to their children and grandchildren. This version is refuted by scientists who have not found a single ancient knife of a similar design.
The very first thing you need to do before starting training is to cover the blade with adhesive tape to prevent injuries and damage.
So, for a normal training process you will need:
- butterfly knife;
- step-by-step instructions (training video);
- adhesive plaster.
Opening and closing is the simplest and most basic element; only after it has been mastered perfectly can you move on to the next trick. To deftly open the knife, you need to turn its safe handle towards you. All fingers, with the exception of the thumb, should be on the dangerous side.
- With a sharp movement, turn the balisong so that your index finger holds the safe handle on the right, and all the rest remain the same.
- After this, you should lower the lower part of the knife so that it is in a free position.
- Raise your hand up and move it forward, thus placing the lower part of the knife on it, and the blade, on the contrary, down. In the next motion, grasp the safety handle from below, keeping your thumb slightly higher.
- Next, you need to sharply raise your hand and remove your thumb, after which the handles will connect.
- To close the butterfly knife, turn the blade away from you. Together with him, throw the dangerous handle behind your index finger.
- Lower the blade down, holding the second handle at your sides. And then, with a sharp movement, return them back.
Benefits of Kegel exercises for incontinence
The muscle fibers of the pelvic floor form a kind of hammock at the base of the pelvis. Their task is to fix and strengthen bone tissue, hold the bladder, urethra, intestines, uterus and maintain their functionality. The weakening of these muscles is associated with various reasons. This could be overweight, genetics, persistent constipation, menopause, excessive exercise and much more.
Whatever the reason for weak muscles, Kegels for women are specially designed to strengthen them. The only condition is regularity and correct execution. You need to do the exercises until the pelvic muscles learn to reflexively contract in response to increased intra-abdominal pressure. This reflex will prevent involuntary leakage of urine.
So, it is advisable to do Kegel exercises for urinary incontinence in women if:
- urine is released when coughing or sneezing, laughing and physical activity, as well as during intimate relationships;
- when playing sports you have to wear urological pads;
- muscles weakened after pregnancy and childbirth;
- I am unable to hold urine when there is an urgent urge.
In these situations, Kegel exercises will help strengthen the muscles of the genitourinary organs, and the problem will be solved quickly and effectively.
Kegel exercises for pregnant and postpartum women
Pregnancy and childbirth are a difficult process for the body, during which the condition of the muscles in the pelvis plays a big role. Weak tone of other muscles of the body, although it can cause discomfort, is not so dangerous. Weakened pelvic muscles are fraught with painful, protracted labor, as well as decreased libido, prolapse and prolapse of the uterus, and urinary incontinence. Often women experience urine leakage, both during pregnancy (the fetus puts pressure on the bladder) and after childbirth. The second option awaits those who have poor muscle function. Therefore, doctors recommend training them in advance, monitoring their condition during pregnancy and maintaining muscle tone after childbirth.
While carrying a child, thanks to Kegel exercises for urinary incontinence, a woman's tissue elasticity increases, venous congestion decreases, joint mobility improves, intestinal function improves, and the risk of involuntary urine loss decreases. Kegel exercises to strengthen muscles are also important for the process of childbirth itself, since their condition directly affects the maintenance of pregnancy and recovery in the postpartum period.
It is convenient that the training can be carried out at home - Kegel exercises for women do not require a special room and exercise machine and can be performed at any time. You need to exercise before and after childbirth, since muscle elasticity is always needed. Before the baby is born, this will help him to be born, and after that it will speed up the healing of ruptures and prevent organ prolapse. Even after a cesarean section, exercise is beneficial because muscle tone in pregnant women is reduced due to gravity.
