Since today is July 2nd I want to wish a belated Happy Canada Day to my Canadian readers as well as a Happy 4th of July weekend to my American friends.  Since the holiday is upon us I thought I’d just share a couple quick things from this week.

1.  About a week ago Mike Reinold wrote an interesting post about using the cobra yoga pose to reverse the effects of common postural issues.

He even created this little chart to demonstrate the application and usefulness.

While the majority of the comments revolved around the effects of this pose on the lower back (which may be forced into hyperextension if the hip flexors are excessively tight), I was also thinking about the ankles.  Despite the fact that our ankles tend to be dorsiflexed to some degree while seated, I would argue that tight/short muscles on the front side of the lower limb aren’t really that common compared to the calves.  Since most people tend to sleep with their feet slightly plantar flexed and often our feet are pointed when sitting in other positions, perhaps extending the ankles to relieve the effects of posture at the ankle joint isn’t warranted.

2.  My friend Aaron Schwenzfeier posted the following video on his blog this week and I couldn’t help but hope that my daugther will be more inspired by women like Emily Azevedo (bobsledding athlete) than some of the anorexic media driven nonsense that exists today.  Only once strong, fit, and confident women become the norm in the media will young girls be able to grow up without the expectation to be unhealthy and wafer thin.

3.  And finally, if the above video didn’t leave you impressed, please view the following video posted by my friend Sam Leahey.  This is the newest and best way to develop your body into a fat burning machine.  Enjoy!