Why is it Important to Build A Fit, Flexible, & Healthy Body?
Is your New Year’s Resolution to become healthier? Sleep earlier? Exercise more? Become more flexible?
If any of those are one of your main goals for the new year, I have you covered. I promised many of you that I will do a new and more detailed exercise video, and I was finally able to make time to edit and upload it as my 1st video of 2012. :) I worked especially hard on this one not to displease my viewers who waited for it for a long time. For those of you who already watched the video, thank you! I was really excited to see all the positive feedback, and am glad it was helpful.<3
So speaking of New Year’s Resolutions, one of mine is to sleep earlier. When I have dance all day and dance again the following day, I can fall right asleep. But on a day off, even if I tell myself I’m definitely going to sleep at 12am, I end up staying awake until 3am or even 4, 5am editing, replying to messages, surfing the internet, etc. because all the other days, I am dancing from morning to night. If you are the type of person who has trouble falling asleep, it’s simple—exercise! There are tons of products out there to “help you to relax and sleep well.” But why spend the extra money if you can do something easy and healthy for your body at home that will also allow you to fall asleep right away?
This video will show you easy-to-follow and challenging exercises that will help burn those calories, as well as stretches that will improve your flexibility, make you relax, and let your body sleep well at the end of the day. :)
Why is exercising and stretching daily so important?
Exercising every day will improve your circulation and help your body to use oxygen better. It will also increase energy level so you can do more activities without becoming tired or short of breath. Although ballet dancers make it look very light and graceful when dancing on the stage, they are very powerful, and professional ballet classes require a ton of stamina. Exercise can also improve balance, strengthen bones, increase endurance, help you reach a healthy weight, make you feel healthy, and boost your self-esteem. I truly believe beauty comes from within, and doing good things for your body will make you look and feel better. Workouts can even help to reduce stress, anxiety, tension, and depression.
You may think “I don’t need to exercise that much. I walk a lot… and I’m still young.” But what about later? Cardiovascular disease (heart disease) is one of the most dangerous diseases you can get when you’re older. When your arteries start to stiffen, it puts you at a greater risk of developing the disease. One way to help prevent that is to stretch. Studies showed that people who were less flexible (ex: unable to reach to or beyond their toes in the sit-and-stretch test) are more likely to have higher systolic blood pressure. Becoming more flexible will significantly improve the flexibility of the carotid artery, which carries oxygen-rich blood to the brain. If that is blocked, it can cause ischemic stroke.
Stretching will also improve the range of motion of your joints. If you dance or do any kind of sport, this is why stretching is so crucial. Like I showed in the video, it’s important to warm up your body with light activity first. Then, you can do your workout exercises, and save the biggest stretches for last. When you do the stretches, be sure you are gentle. Once you have gotten more comfortable in being in a stretch position, then you can go further, but never push yourself too much.
Whichever ballet studio or company I went to, I was always the most flexible one and people told me I was so “lucky.” But actually, I was not born with my flexibility. I worked for it—every single day. I even have a photo that my mom took of me the first day I finally got the splits. (If I can find the photo, I will share it with you in a future video.) This time’s video was geared more towards workouts so I didn’t do too much stretching, but I will do a video just on stretching in the future for those of you who requested it. :) I just wanted to tell you that it is possible if you can be hard on yourself. I actually teach children ballet, too, and a girl who came into my class in October was very far from her splits… but she is a very hardworking girl, and finally got them 2 weeks ago. It reminded me of when I first started dancing, and I was super happy for her. :)
Exercising and stretching for just 5 minutes truly makes a difference. Not only will it help to keep you fit, but will make you feel better and give you cardiovascular benefits. I hope that you will try out some of the exercises and stretches with me in the video, and if you have any questions, leave them in the comments below! If you have video requests or other comments, please let me know as well. Phew~ end of a super long post! I have to wake up at 5am tomorrow for performances. ><; Going to sleep now. Happy exercising!<3
xo Melodee
Hello Melodee!
I love your videos and I started doing your exercises every morning, but with university it’s hard to get the time to do it every morning before classes.
Anyway, I wanted to congratulate you on your videos, because they truly helpful and original! Different from many others out there. I loved your cooking video too. :)
And I have a question that I don’t know if you can answer it, but still. x) When I go to the gym the first thing I do is walk for about 5 min and then I start running and my normal workout. Do you think I should stretch before exercising, or in this case the 5 min walk can already warm up the muscles?
Thank you so much! :)
And hope you had a nice visit to Japan. (I’m going there in March!)
Cláudia from Portugal
エクササイズビデオとっても為になりました。
日本語お上手ですね。話すことも書くことも！
ユーチューブでお見かけしてから大ファンです。
これからも楽しみにしてますね(^-^)
Thank u for sharing your exercises rotines. I currently work at night shift and it was difficult to go to the gym or do cardio exercies in daily bases. so I was struggling to find the best work-out for myself…:(
But your exercises r very simple and easy to follow! :)
どうもありがとう！
Hi Melodee~Love your videos, I’m currently trying out ur exercises,I have done ballet before and this reminds me so much of ballet exercises. Just want to ask, have you tried DHC product before, I mean skincare~If you have, how do you think about DHC’s products? I’m thinking of trying the fruit series of DHC~~^_^
hi Melodee! I watched the older version of this video and I did some of the exercises. The morning after, my tummy hurt, what can i do to stop the pain?
Hi, Fiona! I’m sorry for the delayed reply, I was unable to write you while I was in Japan since I only had internet connection on my phone. Tummy hurt as in soreness, or like a stomachache? If it’s soreness, then it’s good! It means you really used and worked the muscles you’ve never used/haven’t used in a long time. You can think of it as a very positive sign :) It will go away in 2~3 days without doing anything. One advice though is, if you did a lot of crunches, be sure to do some exercises like stretching out the back or arching the back to even it out. Hope this helps! :)
Thank you, Melodee, for sharing about all the benefits of exercise in your well written blog post. I didn’t really know that working out helps to build elasticity in the arteries while reducing blood pressure, and thus considerably lowers the risk of having a stroke. My brother actually did have a life-threatening stroke almost four years ago. If his wife hadn’t been by his side when it happened he probably wouldn’t have made it. It’s hard to say what caused the clot to form in his artery, but he has always worked very hard and lack of exercise certainly may have been a contributing factor.
In reading your blog, I’m really thinking now that exercise should probably go into that category of being a life-long resolution for everyone. I’ve noticed how it does give you more energy as well and help you perform better in all of life’s activities. That will be one of my resolutions for sure, and part of that will be the continuing goal to run a kilometer for each thousand subscribers you get on YT ☺ I’m also resolving this year to pay off a student loan (scheduled for next month), run in a 10K, buy an iMac, stop falling asleep in front of the t.v. so many times, read a few books, serve at church and perhaps resume flying lessons.
I like your resolution and think it is a really good one. Despite the habits of some great artisans of the past a la Picasso, it is probably generally best to follow the advice given in this timely quote I happened to see yesterday:
Think in the morning, act in the noon, eat in the evening, and sleep in the night.”
–William Blake,
British poet and painter
In any case, whatever sleep schedule you have been on lately, in viewing this recent exercise video, it really appears that you have managed to capture ample amounts of beauty-rest along the way.
Please keep blogging when you have time. It’s a joy to follow along and be part of your magnificent and beautifully designed website. I’ve experimented only lightly with designing a site for myself in the past and know that it is not easy even with the tools available today. Your site looks terrific and is a wonderful compliment to your other media creations. It’s a privilege as always to be in your audience!
Thank you so much for your comment, Keith!
I am so sorry to hear that about your brother… :( but I am truly glad that he made it with the help and love of his family, and I hope that he is in a much healthier condition now.
Yes, exercising should definitely be a life-long resolution. People who live long lives are usually the ones who are very active and move their bodies everyday, starting from the morning. Omg, you run a kilometer for each thousand subscribers I get? >< That is so so touching… You are such an inspiration to me, too, to be having all these various set goals and working really hard towards them. “Stop falling in front of the TV so many times” made me laugh. :)
Thank you always for telling me such good quotes and leaving me very sweet comments. You really motivate me to work harder towards my goals. I am honored to have you as my friend and follower as well. :) I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Hi melodee,
I really love all your videos, especially this one about ballet exercises. Actually I was a dancer like you (not really cause I was much less professional) but now I’m a student in astronomy. Like anybody in science, I have to stay all day long with my computer and I got a vertebrae problem. So I’m really scared of getting hurt while doing these exercises,but maybe that’s just what I need to do… I don’t know… Can you give me some suggestions?
Thank you very much and Happy New Year to you!
Liliana in Paris
Hi Liliana!
Thank you so much for the comment. :) <3
Wow, that's wonderful you used to dance and am not studying astronomy! A lot of professional ballet dancers actually have scoliosis because we are always bending our backs, and even if we do both sides for all combinations at the barre and center, we usually end up doing the right more than the left or working harder on one side more than the other. :( I'm not a doctor or anything so I unfortunately don't have advice that would be perfect, but I would say that you should definitely take more breaks in between when you're at the computer if possible. The worst thing you can do for your back is sitting (especially slouched) for a long period of time, and also while standing, too. Vertebrae problems also come from carrying a heavy bag always on one side of the shoulder. If you haven't seen my other exercise video, I did this "roly-poly" exercise where you gently roll on your back. Do those kind of exercises first, and I would say not to do too many sets of what I showed in this video because I don't want you to do anything that may be too much on your back. Think of it as stretching it out more and releasing rather than workouts. Also, do some very slow rolling up exercises. Stand up, roll all the way down, and gently come up, feeling as if you're stacking up one vertebrae at a time all the way up the spine, and finally your head should be the last thing to come up. This is something we dancers always do everyday at barre as you may know, and it will really help your back. I hope this will help even a bit! ><
Hi Melodee,
Thank you so much for all your advices!! I will try them soon!! Hope to see your new videos on youtube, especially about japanese cooking! I really really love that!!
Thanks again!!
Have a nice week!
Liliana
Guess what, My New Years Resolution was to felx. my body up and exercise more. I didn`t really have time to actually do it last year. But, after watching the video it seemed much more easier and fun than i had expected!(^^)
Thank you for the post and ill let you know if i get a healthy body in the future
Good luck!
Awesome! That’s great to hear. :)
I hope you will follow along in the video and get more stronger and flexible to accomplish your New Year’s Resolution!
This is an excellent post and your exercise video is well thought and super helpful to many of us who needed to incorporate workout routine into our daily lives. I think a lot of people do not have the motivation to exercise after a tiring day at work, school, etc. and when they are not motivated, the thought of adding daily exercise into their lives may seem overwhelming.
However, your video not only showed how simple and fun exercises can be, but you also emphasized the importance of taking care of our bodies in return for good health! One of my resolutions for this year is to work out more and you really inspired me to fulfill this. I’ve never been very athletic growing up and am never super flexible, but like you said, you’re not naturally flexible. It takes hard work. If I’m going to work hard on what I do in my life right now, I can definitely work hard on gaining flexibility as well. And I totally agree with you that stretches are good for the body because I remember the rigorous aerobic exercises I did in college really helped my back, neck, shoulders, and abs gain strength. I slept so much better every night.
In terms of sleeping really late, I used to have that problem too. I sometimes end up watching YT videos, dramas, or just browsing online for random stuff. I learned to stay away from the TV or internet before I go to sleep because if I find something entertaining, I will delay going to bed.
Anyways, good luck on your shows! Waking up at 5am does not sound fun especially when it’s pitch dark outside…my brain tells me to stay in bed. Lol. Thank you for your long post and as always, I enjoy your videos and posts!
Take care,
Karen :)
Thank you so much for the comment and e-mail, Karen! The shows all went very well, too. :) <3
I'm glad this post and video helped motivate a lot of my viewers to exercise more often! I figured if I made a video that consisted of nice workouts and exercises for about 5 minutes, many of them could follow along and eventually see the changes in their bodies. A week after I uploaded this video, I saw a Japanese TV Show, and the episode was about stretching and how it can affect your future. >< After watching it, I felt even more glad I was able to send this important message of taking care of your health and body to all of my viewers. :)
Thank you so much for such a detailed post, Melodee-chan!!(^_^) I really appreciate the time and effort you put into all of your videos and blog posts. I have learned so much from you, and you really inspire me to work harder!!! Arigatoh gozaimasu!!
I would like to ask you to do an updated skincare routine bcoz your skin is so beautiful, too!!(*0*)
I’m sure many people want to see it :D :D Good luck on your shows!!
Thank you for your sweet words, Kat!
Yes, I will definitely do an updated skincare routine that would be much better and detailed than my previous one sometime soon! Please look forward to it :) <3
That was a good read Melodee. I thought I was bad going to bed at 2 am every night (have to get up at seven). But, you are a super night owl. LOL. JK. I think that is a great idea to go to bed earlier. I will try it myself, I just have to stop staying at the gym until midnight, LOL.
On your vids, do you actually plan them out ahead of time on paper? Kind of like a story board of how the video will play out. Or do you just have an image in your mind of what you want in the vid and kind of wing it from there? I am asking because your vids always seem to be well thought out.
Anyways, have a great week and be sure to get to bed early tonite. :)
Thank you, Kevin!
Yes, I’m a super night owl for sure (;_;) It’s funny though because I am pretty energetic throughout the day, even with very few hours of sleep. Wow, I can’t believe you workout at the gym until midnight!
For videos, I briefly think about what I will do in the video, and just wing it. I don’t plan them out fully because I don’t want it to sound too script-like. For this exercise video, however, I did write down what I wanted to mention to make sure I was able to include all of my tips and good/wrong ways of doing each workout. Maybe one day I’ll do a “how I make my videos” video lol. I actually come up with my dance choreography off the top of my head while filming, too! I just film tons and tons so I have a lot to work with. Improvising is always fun and challenging :) hehe