April 27, 2024

How Creative Is Your Cardio?

Fit Body:

How creative is your cardio?

To qualify as cardiovascular exercise your movement must be continuous, moving many muscle groups at once, and sustained long enough to elevate your heart rate. What does this mean? Just about anything goes! Get creative by creating your own cardio. Look no farther than your own living room, backyard, local park, community track or walking path. Where can you step up and down? What can you use to hold and squat? On what hill can you jog repeats? What provides a unique balance or agility challenge? Look at your surroundings with an eye for fitness!

 

Strong Arms

Fit Body:

Lying Tricep Press for Strong Arms

Build strong arm muscles, shoulders and abs with the Lying Tricep Press exercise. Begin lying down. Hold one weight in each hand. Lift the weight over your head, keeping your elbows directly over your shoulders. Next, keeping your upper arms straight up and down, lower the weight to the side of your head about 3-4 inches.  Then keeping your upper arms still, push your arms to straight to complete one rep. Start with 10 reps.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Squat and Reach Exercise

Fit Body:

Squat and Reach Exercise

The squat is a functional exercise. A functional exercise means you perform the squat-motion many times throughout the day. This is the exact motion used to pick something up off the floor. Practice this motion with a Squat and Reach Exercise. Begin with your feet slightly wider than your hips. Bend your knees and hips, and sit back and down into a squat. Lower your body about six inches. Pause and reach your right hand forward and toward the floor, then return to standing to complete one rep. Repeat your squat and reach forward with your left hand, then return to standing. Do 10 reps total.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

At the Office Neck Stretch

Fit Body:

At the Office Neck Stretch

Tight neck and upper back muscles contribute to a forward-hunched posture. Take a break from sitting every hour and do this neck, shoulder and upper back stretch. Stand up tall. Inhale and pull your shoulders down and back. Exhale and drop your right ear toward your right shoulder. If comfortable, place your right hand on top of your right ear. Be sure you’re not pulling with your hand, but simply resting your hand. Then release. Next, inhale and pull your shoulders down and back again to set correct posture and alignment, and then exhale dropping your left ear toward your left shoulder.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.