April 25, 2024

Small-Space Cardio

February 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Fit Body:

Small-Space or Stationary Cardio!

Not all cardio has to cover miles, use expensive equipment and take up lots of time, to contribute towards a healthier cardiovascular system. Stack stationary moves to power up your heart and lungs, burn calories and even reduce stress and muscle tension. For example:

Jumping Jacks.

Jump Rope.

Jog in place.

Plyometrics or hopping in various patterns.

Body Weight moves performed at a faster pace and in succession without a rest period.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

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Sore Feet?

March 3, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Stretch!

If you’re on your feet all day, try this simple Calf Stretch to ease sore feet.

Use a step or a curb, or on any stable platform that is about two inches off the floor. Place your right foot flat on the step, hold on for balance. Place the ball of your left foot on the step with your heel hanging off. Slowly drop your left heel, feeling a gentle stretch in the left calf.  Hold for ten to thirty seconds. Release the stretch. Repeat with your left foot flat on the step and your right heel hanging off.

 

*Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.

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Steady Fitness by Nicole Bryan

November 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Let’s face it, even with our best intentions some days unexpected barriers and deadlines arise in the way of our exercise. Instead of giving up on your exercise efforts entirely, perform the following Maintenance Moves to keep your fitness steady. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions of each exercise. Consult your physician before beginning exercise and perform moves at your own risk.

 

1.  Standing Squat- (strengthens the lower body) Begin in a standing posture.  Bend your legs as if you’re going to sit down. Sit back and keep your knees over your ankles. Stop when your hips are just above your knees and stand up tall again.

2.  Pushups- (strengthens the upper body) Position yourself on your knees or toes and hands. Pull your belly button up into your spine and keep your body straight. Bend your arms and lower your body to the floor. Stop when your elbows form right angles, and then return to the starting position.

3.  Standing Lunge- (strengthens the lower body) Stand with one foot about 36 inches in front of the other.  Keep your back heel up and bend the back knee toward the floor. Make sure your stance is long enough so when bending your back knee your front knee remains over your front ankle.  Extend your back knee and return to the starting position.

Some days our schedule and life-demands get the best of us, but don’t let that discourage your fitness efforts entirely. Not all exercise has to be structured to count, keep it steady and perform these 3 maintenance exercises. Prior to performing strength exercises complete 10 minutes of cardiovascular exercise such as walking or jogging and you’ll take care of your warm-up and heart/lung conditioning as well.

By Nicole Bryan. ACE, NASM and ACSM Certified Fitness Professional.

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Your Body, Exercise and the Gym by Brett Klika, C.S.C.S.

August 19, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Are you busy?  Do work, kids, and other life commitment prevent you from getting to the gym? You’re not alone. The good news is, man (and woman) didn’t have gyms and their sacred equipment for thousands of years and they managed to get in great shape.

We are surrounded with thousands of opportunities to exercise and move whether we are at home, at a park, or anywhere else life may take us.  Using only the most premium piece of exercise equipment ever created (our body-weight) we can get stronger, more fit, and energize our life.

Here are some whole-body exercises you can use right at home to create a leaner and happier you! Click on the exercise and you’ll find a YouTube video demonstrating each exercise.

1.  The Crab Crawl
This exercise is great for the triceps, shoulders, upper back, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.  Try doing three sets of three movements in each direction.

2.  Around the World Push-Ups
This exercise helps strengthen the muscles of the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.  Try doing a total of 10 push-ups.

3.  The Hungry Tiger
If you want strong hips, shoulders, triceps, and core, all while getting an aerobic workout the Hungry Tiger is an exercise you can do anywhere!  Try to complete three rotations clockwise around an open space, then three rotations counter clockwise.

4.  Get Ups
Getting up of the ground sounds like the most basic of human movements.  However, as your flexibility, strength, and mobility are challenged in this unique coordination intensive exercise you’ll burn calories and have a great time doing it. Try doing 10 each leg or 20 alternating.

5.  1-Legged Airplane
Want to challenge your balance while you build strong, lean, flexible hips and thighs?  1-Legged Airplanes can do the trick with no equipment needed!

To put together a fat burning workout using all five exercises right in your living room either do the recommended reps or time each exercise for 30-40 seconds with 10 seconds rest in between
Do the entire circuit 4 times.

Yes, you can get fit wherever you are!

Brett Klika C.S.C.S., author of “The Underground Workout Manual- Exercise and Fat Loss in the Real World” (www.undergroundworkoutmanual.com) is a world- renowned human performance specialist, motivational speaker, author, and educator. He uses this knowledge and experience to motivate individuals and audiences around the world through his writing, speaking, DVD’s, and free blog, www.brettklika.com.

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Commercials without a Break by Hope Epton

July 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Exercise has long been linked to reducing the risk of chronic conditions. So if it’s so good for us, why do people simply not have the time to workout? It’s more likely that it is not a priority, because 30 minutes a day doesn’t seem too much to dedicate to your overall health.

 

So where do you find the time? Simple. If you watch one hour of television, you have on average 20 minutes to workout during commercial breaks. While it’s recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) that you perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, this is certainly a good start.

 

The average television commercial is 30 seconds long, sometimes it can be a minute, and rarely longer. Having this in mind, you can perform a different exercise for each commercial, or a series of exercises throughout one commercial break.

 

Here is an example of a Commercial Break-Out. On average, there are about 4-5 commercial breaks in an hour of programming, so each round can be done per break, and repeated if there is time.

 

This sample workout requires no additional equipment: (Please consult your physician before beginning this or any exercise program.)

 

Round 1:

Plank for 30 seconds, 10 Pushups, 10 Mountain Climbers, and 10 Burpees

 

Round 2:

Plank for 30 seconds, Crunch time: 10 Regular, 10 Bicycle, and 10 Reverse Crunches

 

Round 3:

Plank for 30 seconds, 10 Front Lunges, 10 Squats, and 10 Reverse Lunges

 

Round 4:

Plank for 30 seconds, 10 Flutterkicks, 10 Vertical Leg Crunches, and 10 Heel Touches

 

Round 5:

Plank for 30 seconds, 10 Dips, 10 Back Extensions, and 10 Table Tops

 

Want more of a cardio challenge? Add 10 jumping jacks or jog in place for 30 seconds between each round.

 

If you have a stability ball, watch your favorite program sitting on the ball instead of the couch. You will burn extra calories and strengthen your core. If you have dumbbells or resistance bands you can incorporate an array of additional exercises into your regime.

Make your health a priority while enjoying your favorite television programs.

This article is written by Hope Epton. ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist. Follow Hope on her blog at http://SportyMom.me. Or via her facebook page http://facebook.com/SportyMomme, twitter, http://twitter.com/SportyMomme or pinterest, http://pinterest.com/SportyMomme

 

 

 

 

 

 

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