April 27, 2024

Your Fitness Team

December 30, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Form your Fitness Team

Getting fit takes effort, support and accountability. Form a fitness team by asking others to join you in your healthy living journey. Set a time to meet once a month, or even once a week. Share your top 3 fitness goals, as well as your specific plan how you’ll accomplish each. Ask for regular support of accountability via emails, texts or phone calls. As you work toward your goals together, you’ll be able to share your successes and problem-solve to overcome any obstacles that may come up. Having your team to report progress to will increase adherence and consistency, as well as keep motivation high. Your motivation will soar through encouraging your team members to keep going, stick with it and never give up on their fitness goals. Consider your fitness team as a healthy living mastermind group getting together for the common purpose of creating a healthy mind, body and heart. Who will you invite to join your fitness team?

 

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Push Ups for Strength

December 27, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Bench Pushups

Bench Pushups are a great exercise to challenge your upper body and your core. Using the bench is also an effective option to reduce tension on your neck and shoulders, and still reap the strength benefits of push ups. Begin with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Extend your legs so you are on your toes only, and hold your body straight. Bending from your elbows, slowly lower your chest toward the bench. Pause for one second to break momentum. Next, extend both arms and return to your starting position to complete one rep. Do ten reps.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When in doubt, walk it out!

December 21, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

When in doubt, walk it out!

No time? No equipment for a workout? Walk! Walking for fitness doesn’t require expensive equipment, proper clothing, a specific location or a baseline of fitness. Simply grab your keys, phone and go. Instead of focusing on a target pace, set a goal to walk at a sustained pace, of your choosing, for a specific time.  Begin with 5 minutes and build from there. Unsure of walking outdoors? Walking may be done indoors for safety and comfort via the grocery store, mall, hallway or even around your living room. Indoor walking provides restrooms and chairs as soon as they’re needed. And the benefits are the same! You’re strengthening your heart, lungs, muscles, balance and agility. Go fast, go slow, go long, go slow, go outdoors, go indoors… JUST GO!

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Abs in a Chair

December 14, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Seated Ab Exercise

Not all ab exercises involve a crunch on the floor. Target your abs in chair by performing this exercise super slow and controlled. This ab move strengthens your entire core, as well as your hip and thigh muscles. Form is important however, so be sure your posture is spot on. Begin seated on the front part of your chair with both feet flat on the floor. Sit up tall and place both arms across your chest. From your hips and keeping your back aligned, slowly lean back about 4-6 inches. Pause to break momentum, and then pulling your belly button in toward your spine, move your torso forward until you are sitting up straight again. Start with 10 slow and controlled reps. If you’d like a intermediate move, lean back, pause to un-weight your torso on the back of the chair for one second, then return to your starting position of sitting up tall.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise. This is not for those with low back injury concerns.

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Add Function to your Fitness with Stairs

December 13, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Get Functional with Stairs!

Stair climbing is one of the most functional exercises. Think of how many times you may step up or step down during the day. Stair climbing strengthens your heart and lungs, your muscles, your balance, your agility and coordination.  Start slow and easy after a proper walking or range of motion warm up of 8-10 minutes. Form is important when climbing stairs for exercise. Keep your upper body straight up, with your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips. Even though you’ll be looking down to insure safe stepping, focus on looking down with your eyes only rather than slouching your entire upper body forward and down. Ten stairs is a great repetition range to begin, followed by walking or marching in place to keep heart rate moderate during rest periods. Then, climb the next set of 10, and so on.  So whether you revisit the classic stair climber machine at your gym or find a flight of stairs in your community, consider adding function to your fitness with this exercise.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Your Fitness: Keep moving forward!

December 9, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Keep moving forward!

Moving forward, no matter how slowly, is better than standing still. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep moving forward. If can’t do 5 more reps, do 1 more rep. If you can’t do 10 more minutes of cardio, do 2 more minutes. Find a way,  an opportunity, a will, a motivation to muster up some grit and keep moving your fitness forward.

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , ,

Stretch Break!

December 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Arm Stretch

If you’ve been sitting at a computer for hours, it’s time for a stretch break. Stand up. Extend your right arm straight out in front of you with your arm parallel to the floor. Curl your fingers down and in. Hold for 10 seconds, then release. Next, extend your left arm straight out in front of you; curl your fingers down and in, then release.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

 

Filed Under: Your Fitness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,