June 5, 2026

Ask A Pro by Tera Busker

June 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Question: I want to workout with my spouse. What’s a workout we can do together? –Diane, Carlsbad California.

Answer: Working out with your spouse can be a fun way to spend time together and get a great workout all at the same time! First of all, find an activity that both you and your spouse will enjoy. Just because you like running on the treadmill, doesn’t mean that they will also find it entertaining. A great way to workout together is to do “partner exercises.” During partner exercises, you will challenge and encourage each other to do your best.
A few examples of partner exercises are:

Medicine Ball Squat Toss: Stand a few feet across from your partner. Toss the med ball to your partner. When they catch the ball, both of you squat at the same time. Repeat for 10-15 reps

Partner Pushup: Face each other in the pushup position. Do 1 pushup and when you are both in the “up” position of the pushup, reach towards your partner with opposite hands and high five each other. Repeat for 10-15 reps.

Horse and Plow Tow: Place a resistance band around your partner’s waist while you hold onto the handles. Have them face away from you and start running. They will be “towing” you as you follow behind them keeping resistance on the band. Once your partner had “towed” you for 50 feet, trade places. Try 4-6 sets of this exercise.

Mirror Exercises: Face your partner and have them pick an exercise for both of you to do together. Without them telling you what you are going to do, mirror their actions. This type of training keeps you “on your toes” and adds variety.

Tera Busker is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and owner of Fitness To Go, an exclusive In Home & Private Studio Personal Training Service based out of Roberts, WI. www.fitnesstogo.net

 

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5 Exercises to Beach-Ready! Written by Crystal Reia

June 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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5 Exercises to Beach-Ready
Written By Crystal Reia

Summer is upon us! Are you hiding behind a slouchy T-Shirt or are you rockin’ that new summer bathing suit?

Look and feel confident this summer with these 5 “Beach Ready” moves! To maximize your workout time try combining your exercises or do full body strength exercises to tone and trim. You do not need a lot of expensive gym equipment to look great! Get your sweat on at the park or in your own back yard! No excuses!

PLYO STEP-UPS (ON CHAIR OR PARK BENCH)
Muscles Worked: Lower body strength/cardio, Quads, Glutes, Core and Delts

Place your right foot on the bench or chair. Your thigh should be parallel to the ground and your hip at a 90 degree angle. This is your neutral position. Push yourself up and off the bench/chair jumping into the air, releasing your supporting leg off the ground, left knee coming up forward and land on the right foot on the bench/chair coming back to your neutral position. At the same time, use your arms, swinging them up and forward straight over your head with each jump. Keep core tight and engaged during the whole exercise.

*This move will tone and tighten your lower body while raising your heart rate up to burn calories! Try a set of 30 seconds on each side to begin.

INCHWORM VARIATION WITH SIDE PLANK TWIST
Muscles Worked: Full body strength/cardio, Arms, Core (Obliques) Shoulder stabilizers, Back

Crouch down, bending your knees and placing your hands on the ground. Crawl out to a full forward plank with your hands as fast as you can. Twist to side plank lifting your left arm/hand to the sky then place it back into forward plank. Repeat the twist to the right and return to your forward plank. Finish the inchworm by crawling your hands quickly back in towards your feet and stand up and jump into the air. Repeat the whole sequence.

*Another great full body move to strengthen your lower body, arms and core; not to mention kick your heart rate up a notch! Try a 60 Second Set.

SQUATS WITH MILITARY PRESS
Muscles Worked: Glutes, Quads, Delts

Starting position: With feet hip width apart, toes pointed forward, (try using 3 or 5 lbs weights) raise your arms with your elbows bent and your palms facing forward and your knuckles towards the sky; never bend your wrists, keep them straight. (Think 90 degree angles with your arms; shoulder to elbow horizontal, elbows pointing sideways; elbow to wrist is vertical)
Bend and squat down with all of your weight well into your heels leaving your arms still, stick your seat out as if you were going to almost sit down on a chair. As you come up out of the squat and stretch your knees give your seat muscles an extra squeeze as you stretch your arms overhead at the same time and bring your weights together (military press). Keep back straight and abs tight. (No arching in the lower back). Tight abs will help support your back.

HINT: You can also change this exercise and target your inner thigh muscles by changing the regular squat to a sumo squat. Starting position would be feet slightly wider than your hips with your toes pointed slightly outwards. Ensure your knees follow your toes as you bend into your squat.

*Combining your strength moves will help to lessen your workout time! Try a set of 12-15 reps.

TRICEP DIPS (ON CHAIR OR PARK BENCH)
Muscles Worked: Triceps Group

Sit on a bench or chair. Put your hands on the bench (hands tight into your seat) with fingers pointing forward grabbing the edge. Walk your feet a few steps forward releasing your seat from the bench. Bend your elbows so they are pointing straight back (all weight should be on the back of those arms) Stretch your elbows and return to your starting position.

*Wonderful for toning those arms! Try a set of 10-12.

ATOMIC PUSH-UP & PIKE/JACKKNIFE ON STABILITY BALL
Muscles Worked: Full Body strength, Chest, Back, Arms (Biceps) Shoulder Stabilizers, Core (Upper and Lower Abs)

ATOMIC PUSH-UP: Kneel on floor behind your stability ball and walk forward over top of the ball into a good forward plank position. (Beginners walk out so that your knees and lower thighs are still touching the ball) If you are more advanced, you may walk out a little further with more weight bearing into your arms. Ensure no arching in your lower back. Crunch both knees evenly into your chest and crunch your ab muscles. Return to your beginning plank position straightening both knees. Do 1 full push up, nose towards floor.

PIKE/JACKKNIFE: From the same plank position above, keep your knees straight rolling the ball towards your feet and draw your seat up into the air (making a triangle shape with your body)squeezing your lower abs. Return back to the original plank position after a good 1-2 second hold.

Repeat the sequence. 1 Atomic Push-Up, 1 Pike

*Try a set of 5-6 to start.

This article is written by Crystal Reia, PTS, PFS, OAS, Personal Trainer and Owner of Your Health-Your Choice, Kitchener, ON, Canada. www.yourhealth-yourchoice@live.ca, www.facebook.com/URHealth, Twitter: @URHealthURChoice.

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Summer Family Fitness Ideas by Mollie Millington

June 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Enjoy fitness with your entire family this summer, and enjoy the added bonus of improving your health. How is this possible? 

Set a good example for your kids. They are more likely to follow your example, rather than listen to your lecture. To set a healthy example means you need to be healthy! Join a tennis league, attend Jazzercise, or play on a community softball team. Although this may seem like one more activity to fit into your diary, tending to your own health and fitness simply has to become a priority. Exercise relieves stress, introduces you to new people, and makes you feel good when the endorphins start flowing. These benefits will affect your attitude at home and work in a positive way. 

Start a new family tradition of activity. Desingate a set time each week or month as family activity time. Take turns choosing what you’ll do. Consider going for a walk or bike ride every night after dinner. Or make Sundays the day you go exploring in the woods or along the lake. Enjoy the fresh air and use the time to catch up with everyone.  Regularly scheduling time with another family to get active will also make fitness fun for everyone!

Become involved with your child’s sport. If you’re already active in a sport together, make an effort to get off the sidelines and join in with your child or children more often. Practice together in the backyard or coach or manage their team. Purchasing tickets to see a professional game or local team provides a great opportunity to be active together. Helping your child learn more about the rules and see more competitive matches will help them improve as a player. 

Choosing to be fit can be difficult but it can also be fun when you do it as a family. Competition is motivating, whether it is for bragging rights, an ice cream cone, or a homemade trophy.  Winning and losing (graciously, of course) are also good moments to teach life lessons to your children. Being fit benefits everyone involved and creates memories that will last forever.

London-based personal trainer Mollie Millington is available for in-person and virtual training. She may be reached at www.ptmollie.com, as well as via @PTMollie on Twitter.

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5 Best Gym Exercises to Improve Posture by Julie Mulcahy

June 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Maintaining proper posture during daily activities is very important for reducing muscle fatigue, increasing energy and preventing back pain. Having strong postural muscles to support your spine can reduce the strain on your back from long durations of sitting at a desk.

Try the following 5 exercises to strengthen the middle and lower back muscles as well as neck and arms.
 

T and Y arm raises on Exercise Ball
Lay on your stomach over a large exercise ball. Your head and neck are off the ball in a neutral position. Toes should be touching the floor. For Y position, arms are overhead with thumbs up, like superman. For T position, arms are out to side like wings of an airplane.  Hold a weight in each hand. Raise arms to the horizontal. Keep your spine level. Do 3 sets 10 repetitions of each T and Y position. Use 0-5 pounds in each hand. 
 
Standing Upright Rows
Stand in squat position facing cable column pulley system. Hold one pulley in each hand with palms facing each other.  Pulleys should be adjusted to chest level. Contract abdominal muscles and squeeze shoulder blades together as you draw the pulleys toward you. Try 3 sets of 10 repetitions. 
 
Planks
Lie on your stomach and turn your toes under. Bend your elbows and support body weight on feet and forearms. Raise the middle section of your body to a level plank position. Your belly should be off the floor and not sagging so your spine stays straight.  Your bottom should not be higher than your head. Hold this position as long as possible while maintaining proper form, up to a minute. Don’t forget to breathe! An alternative position is to extend elbows and weight-bear through your hands. Do 2-3 sets. 
 
Lat Pull Machine
Adjust bench so that your feet are touching the floor and knees are under the pad and lean back slightly. Draw belly button in towards spine to tighten abdominal muscles. Pull lat bar toward your upper chest. Repeat 3 sets of 10 reps. 
 
Overhead Medicine Ball Raise
Lay on floor on your back with knees bent. Keep abdominal muscles contracted as your raise an 8-10 pound medicine ball or dumbbell over head with straight elbows.  Keep belly button pulled in tightly so your spine doesn’t lift off floor. Try 3 sets of 10.

Tip: If your muscles fatigue and you can’t maintain proper positioning do not continue that exercise. For postural exercises, quality is always better than quantity.

Julie Mulcahy M.P.T is a licensed Physical Therapist with over 19 years experience in sports medicine and orthopedics. Julie is also busy mom of 4 children and a marathon runner. She may be reached by email jam82296@hotmail.com or @PTrunningmomof4 on Twitter.

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Healthy Summer Smoothies

June 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This article is brought to you by Polka Dot Pond. They offer stainless steel popsicle molds http://tinyurl.com/7evg5ra ideal for a fun and plastic-free healthy way to enjoy homemade smoothies or blended juices. Create all natural blended fruit popsicles without the added sugar to enjoy after a nice long workout in the warm outdoors or out in the backyard with the kids. For those of us that are trying to shed a few extra pounds, pour some fruit infused water into your ice pop molds and enjoy a nice healthy, all natural, low calorie snack! Homemade ice pop molds are guaranteed BPA-free, phthalate-free and PVC free, as well as eliminating plastic wrapping waste from store bought versions. The Polka Dot Pond Shop https://www.polkadotpond.ca carries a variety of environmentally-friendly, safe and healthy stainless steel products. Check out all stainless steel items http://tinyurl.com/7tpwv3f at the POND. Save 15% off any stainless steel product on your next order with the code Steel15.

Healthy Summer Smoothies (Contributed by Experts from Precise Portions)

Summer season is sizzling hot, so a cool beverage is a welcome treat! Choose a nutritious, energizing and refreshing ice-cold smoothie. Save money and blend your own healthy summer smoothies at home.  Fruit smoothies are easy to make, as well as provide an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. So load-up the blender, hit the liquefy button and indulge yourself with one of these healthy treats.

Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cups ice
2 and 1/2 cups of fresh strawberries
1/2 cup of strawberry nectar
1 pitted peach
1 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt or unsweetened strawberry yogurt, if strawberry nectar is not available.

Directions:
Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Should be served quickly, and consumed before the ice starts to melt.

Blueberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of plain, low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup of washed, and stemmed blueberries
Add honey to taste
2 cups ice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender until consistency becomes smooth. Serve and enjoy!

Energizing Lemonade Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup of lemonade
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 cup of low-fat lemon yogurt
2 cups ice

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients in the blender until the puree flows smoothly. Serve and indulge!

Smoothies are popular for a reason: great taste and tons of health benefits. They are also among the easiest snacks to prepare. Smoothies are filling, without filling you up with a ton of calories. Add extra nutrients and create your own recipes by choosing fruits that are in season.

Contributed by experts from Precise Portions. Precise Portions provides every day easy portion control solutions – a dietitian designed portion control dinnerware (weight management system consists of plates, glasses, bowls, menu planning sheets, and more!). You can find more smoothies’ recipes on their site http://www.preciseportions.com/ as well as some more tips on healthy eating on their blog, http://www.blog.preciseportions.com/

 

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How to Increase your Happiness by Snowden McFall

May 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Increase Your Happiness with Three Easy Steps

Many people believe that when you get to a certain level of income or achievement, that you will be truly happy. However, research at Harvard University shows just the opposite. You need to be happy first, and then the success and accomplishment will come.

Why is this important and how does it work?

Americans are extremely stressed. 80% say they are burnt-out and 50% need help managing their stress according to the American Psychological Association. Stress is the antithesis of happiness, and dramatically decreases your likelihood of being happy or successful.

The latest research on happiness is that the most successful people are happy first. Our brains are actually predisposed to work at maximum creativity, resilience and effectiveness when we are in a state of relaxation and joy.

Here are three quick techniques for increasing your happiness:

Celebrate your successes- large and small. Create a victory wall to post your achievements of any level- articles that have been published about you, goals achieved, races you’ve run, charity work you participated in, family achievements, etc.

Find something to look forward to. It might be a weekend away, an upcoming conference, a vacation, or special time with friends. In one study, people who just thought about watching their favorite movie had an increase of 27% in endorphins (the ‘feel good’ hormone)- just from thinking about it. Every time something stressful occurs, think about what you are looking forward to and shift your state of mind. It works!

Look for evidence that what you do makes a difference. Believe that your actions, either directly or indirectly improve the quality of people’s lives with your product or service, through the loving way you raise your family, or the kindness you extend at your charity work. People who have a sense of purpose about their lives are much happier.
 

Snowden McFall, professional speaker, trainer and author, is the owner of Fired Up Keynote Speaking. She has written 5 books, including Fired Up!, which has sold  63,000+ copies, and her new book Stress Express! 15 Instant Stress Relievers. An expert on stress and motivation, appeared on 320 radio shows, CNN Financial News, The Home Shopping Network, Bloomberg Television, Success Magazine, Investors Business Daily, and foxnews.com. She was named National Women in Business Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Administration and was honored at the White House and Congress. She can be reached at www.firedupnow.com

 

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Ask a Pro by Tera Busker

May 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Question: What exactly is a fitness-plateau and what’s the best way to get off a fitness plateau? –Dan, Baltimore.

Answer: A fitness plateau happens when your body no longer continues to progress. It is a stall you experience in your weight loss, endurance or strength goal. A plateau can be very frustrating! It is more or less a way of your body saying “I’m bored with this routine.”

The best way to “jump” off a fitness plateau is to shake things up! It’s time to take your workouts to the next level. It’s time to try a new style of strength training or cardiovascular exercise, as well as to review your food intake.

To shake up your strength training routine: try circuit training during which you move from one exercise to the next without rest, or by adding in cardio intervals in between each strength training set. Using tabatas is also an effective method to jump start results again. Consider working in some heavy lifting to your routine. Also consider trying different body splits into your strength routine, for example upper body/lower body or working muscles according to their function, for example push/pull.

To freshen up your cardio: Try doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) or schedule one new fitness class each week like spin or dance class. Learning a new sport is also a great way to get off a fitness plateau. In addition to learning a new sport skill-set, you’ll meet new training partners. Doing so, allows you to feed off others energy and push yourself harder than you would when working out alone.

Don’t forget about your diet! Fitness is only one part of being healthy. To continue to make strides towards your goals, make sure your nutrition isn’t stalling as well. Eating the same thing everyday slows your metabolism and can also keep you from progressing. Try a recipe exchange with friends, host a cooking party to exchange meal ideas or sign up for a cooking class at your local community center. Go to your local farmers market to find foods that are “in season” and choose produce from all colors of the rainbow.

Tera Busker is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and owner of Fitness To Go, an exclusive In Home & Private Studio Personal Training Service based out of Roberts, WI. www.fitnesstogo.net

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Kick-Off Summer with Encouraging Words that Stick!

May 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Encouraging Words that Stick!

Kick off your summer by learning from Twitter leaders and fellow fitness enthusiasts as they offer their “the Best Health/Fitness Advice I ever received…” It’s funny how certain words someone shares with you stick. Why do they stick? Because they are true! Treasure the truth and advice that you’ve been given, which have stood the test of time in your life. And better yet pass the advice on to others that are struggling to find a way to add health and fitness into their daily life. Summer time brings with it the ideal opportunity to get healthy, together!

@SmashFit “EAT to get fit. I grew up when it was all about calories and restricting what you eat. Now I know you have to eat the right balance of nutrients to have the body you want. Food is the key to it all.”

@AnnTran_ “Take time to get outdoors and simply walk with nature, enjoying escape from the daily pressures of life.”

@TeamKnightFit “No matter how hard you workout/train, you can never ever out-train a poor diet.”

@CarrieWilkerson “Replace all beverages with water and go to bed 30 minutes earlier.”

@HealthHabits “Treat my body like a science experiment- test, evaluate and re-test.”

@LisaBraithwaite “You don’t have to push to extremes to get a good workout.”

@LeadToday “Eat less, move more!”

@DabneyPorte “Eat mini meals throughout the day to rev up metabolism.”

@tvfitcoach “Fitness improvements should be defined by the journey and positive life experiences you obtain by choosing to engage in exercise, and not by inches and pounds lost.”

@HPSelf “Take responsibility for my own health.”

@MargoDeGange “Modify.”

@themorningfresh “Trust my strength as a climber, and push myself as far as I can.”

@LifeCoachMary “Make every calorie count.”

@FitnessToGo “Always stay a little bit out of your comfort zone. The best results are made when you push your limits.”

@LoudFitness “Eat for performance. If YOU don’t eat to fuel, and recover properly you won’t have 100% success.”

@BobChoat “Focus on health and fitness, and then take consistent action towards it.”

@ZacharyFiorido “Remember that awesome feeling you get when you finish a workout.”

@MamaBritt “If having a hard time getting motivated to workout, hire a trainer or find an accountability partner.”

@CarlaYoung “Wear a pedometer because it serves as a constant reminder to do something every day.”

@Stretchfit “No one ever died in a pool of their own sweat. In other words, don’t be afraid to work hard.”

@MolliePT “Treat each moment as an opportunity to improve your situation, be it fitness (running for the bus), health (taking the stairs), or nutrition (using a free evening to make homemade dinner with leftovers for lunch.)

@bonniepfiester “Don’t eat in one sitting more than you are willing to burn off in one day.”

@RoyaleScuderi “Your body is like a fine-tooled machine, take care of it well, use it frequently and push it to the limit, but not so far that it will break.”

@LoriShemek “Just go do it!”

@endurancejer “The goal is to be the best you possible. The “why” is because you are grateful.”

@Gia “Always keep “spa water” in the refrigerator! (Thinly sliced cucumbers, lemon and oranges.)

@URHealthURChoic “Find an activity that you love! Something you are excited to do. You’ll give more effort and want to be there.”

@YourCoachNicole “Eat food that my body will recognize as FOOD.”

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Being Healthy Outdoors:Get Out of that Gym! By Steve W. Weiss

May 24, 2012 By 1 Comment

When people fail to reach their fitness goals, they always blame themselves when maybe what they should be blaming is their definition of  “workout.”  Being flexible with your definition of what a “workout” means, allows new experiences to enter your health and fitness world. Consider adding a non-workout, workout every once in awhile! Mixing up your approach to fitness will keep motivation fresh and your healthy living inspired!

I have never been more motivated in my life to be active.  There are reasons for this:

I don’t have any “fitness” goals.
Goal setting is crucial for anyone to succeed but let’s be honest; some goals are much more fun to reach than others. Instead of pushing my body to bench 255lbs, squatting 400lbs, run a mile in a certain amount of time on a treadmill or stay at a certain weight for example, I now set goals that sound more like, trying to finish a 5.12 rated rock climb (easiest is a 5.1 hardest is a 5.15a), V8 boulder problem (easiest is a V0 hardest is V15), hike in the backcountry & snowboard difficult chutes, or push through difficult road biking or mountain biking climbs. 

My goals have a physical purpose.
Having the general goal of staying healthy is challenging to reach because health is determined by perspective. Whereas, a hiking goal to hike every 14’er (a peak that is 14000ft) has a definitive beginning and end and being healthy, does not. Specific goals serve a purpose, they’re measurable.

It’s not just physical, it’s mental too.
Being healthy is not just about the physical. Being mentally healthy is just as important. How often do you see someone working out in a gym who looks like they’re in almost a brain-dead state, zoned out and just mind-numbingly bored? Instead of pushing your body but not your mind, why not do both! For example, rock climbing is a great way to push both your physical and mental limits. Rock climbing takes lots of physical strength and endurance, but it takes just as much mental strength to figure out the problems/routes. Think of the rock or climbing wall as a big puzzle.

Travel is my #1 motivator.
Travel is a great motivator to expanding your fitness. Because I climb, snowboard, bike, hike, etc I always am looking ahead to the next trip to do those things. I want to stay in shape so I can perform my best when traveling. Also, travel and new experiences brighten our lives, and gives us a good story to brag about to our friends.

So get active outside of the gym every once in awhile, get dirty, and get ready to be motivated and inspired!

Steve W. Weiss is an avid road tripper, adrenaline sport junkie, and social media nut based out of Utah. When he is not out climbing or snowboarding, he is blogging on his websites: TheMostEpicTrip.com, MountainEnthusiast.com, and SteveWWeiss.com. He also co-runs a twitter chat specifically for rock climbing called #ClimbChat every Tuesday at 7pm(MST). His main goals in life revolve around traveling the world for rock climbing and snowboarding, while doing other outdoor sports as well. It might just be easier to connect with him on twitter at @SteveWWeiss.

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Creating a Positive Exercise Experience by Zachary Fiorido

May 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

How often do you say to yourself “I’m too tired to finish this sprint” or “I don’t feel like doing that exercise” Chances are you have. We are only human. So, how do we get past those days when during your workout you just don’t want to do that extra rep or mile?

Here are 3 ways to creative positivity in your workout:

Become aware of your thought patterns. Are you even aware of when you begin the negative thought patterns that zap your energy and motivation during exercise? Stay present and learn your self-talk patterns to control your mental focus. Changing negative thoughts into positive actions is essential to a healthier lifestyle. Thinking positively changes your whole body. You walk taller, smile bigger and elude confidence you never thought you had. Positive thoughts create positive actions that help you live a positive lifestyle.

Change your words. Change your internal dialogue from “I don’t want to work out” to “I want to work out because it makes me feel good.” Or “I want to work out because it decreases my stress.” Adding a reason why you want to (not why you should be) forces your mind to focus on the benefits, what you’ll gain from working out. Benefits are positive. Allow yourself to say yes to a workout, and to better health!

Block Negativity. Block out all that negativity that comes to your mind when exercising. When the negative thoughts begin, have a mantra in place to repeat over and over again, until your negativity pattern is broken. For example, “You can do this!” Or “this is the last sprint, no problem.” Or “I’m not tired” also works. Blocking out negative thoughts is a way to push yourself to reach your goals.

Zachary Fiorido is a Fitness Expert, Film/TV Actor, Personal Trainer, Group X Instructor. Connect with Zachary via Facebook:  Facebook.com/ZacharyJFiorido

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