April 25, 2024

Progress your Ab Plank

June 23, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Side Plank

Lie on your right side on the floor. Place your right hand on the floor directly below your shoulder. Place the outside of your right foot on the floor, with both legs straight. Lift your body up off the floor and hold your body straight in a side plank position. Release by dropping your hips to the floor. Repeat with your left hand and left foot on the floor. Lift your body up and hold the side plank position. Begin with a ten second hold on each side. Breathe through each plank, hold your belly button in tight and maintain proper spinal alignment.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

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Start a Fitness Tradition

May 29, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Start a tradition… of fitness!

Pick one day or one special occasion and initiate a fitness tradition. Begin with friends and family, and then invite neighbors, coworkers, and others from there. Perhaps a 2 mile walk on a designated route or time, or a 4 mile bike ride to a special destination, or maybe a 2 mile hike to an inspiring look out or peak. Let your imagination go and see where it takes you!

To get started:

Designate the same day each year. Planning your fitness tradition to happen on a holiday, or particular day each year, allows others time to plan to take part.

Follow a designated mileage or duration. A set goal or miles or duration allows everyone to train and prepare for your tradition.

Include the FUN. Add music, fun costumes, special invited guests or snacks! The sky is the limit.

Choose a person or cause to honor with your tradition. Honoring a special cause or person gives the tradition value and purpose.

 

 

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Better Balance

April 27, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

One Leg Hold

Practice standing on one leg to improve balance and proprioception. Safety is most important when working on balance. All exercisers should begin holding on to a stable object for the entire set until confidence increases. Slowly decrease contact with stable object to build balance load. Once you’ve achieved a 10 second hold on each leg without holding on, you may be ready for progressions. Maintain proper posture, with your chin up and chest lifted. Here are a few progressions to get started:

Stand on one leg for 10 seconds. Increase time to 30 seconds.

Stand on one leg and place both arms across your chest.

Stand on one leg and swing both arms forward and back.

Stand on one leg and look side to side.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

 

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For Core and Cardio- Meet Mountain Climbers!

April 26, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Mountain Climbers!

If you’re looking for a multi-beneficial exercise to add into your routine, meet Mountain Climbers! With core and cardio benefits, mountain climbers challenge the stabilizing muscles of your abdominals as well as require many muscles to work together at the same time resulting in elevated heart rate. Begin with 10-20 repetitions, adjusting the technique to your desired intensity. Mountain climbers are for intermediate exercisers, without injury.

Here’s how to get started:

Begin in a plank position on the floor. Place your hands flat on the floor, directly below your shoulders. Place your toes on the floor, with your body straight and parallel to the floor. Maintaining proper spinal alignment, hop your right foot up toward your right hand, briefly touch your right foot (toes only) to the floor. Next at the same time, return your right foot to starting position and hop your left foot up toward your left hand, briefly touch your left foot to the floor, then return to your starting position. Repeat alternating until all reps are completed.

 

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

 

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Get Functional with Your Fitness

February 2, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Get Functional with Squats!

If your fitness goal is to complete your activities of daily living with greater ease and less effort, consider adding functional exercises like Squats into your workout routine.

Squats: An effective exercise that strengthens the entire muscle chain of your body. Although you’ll feel the lower body working the most, your internal stabilizing muscles are also working to maintain proper form, posture and control.

Here’s how to get started:

Consult a Fit Pro to learn proper form based on your ability. Every body is different, and therefore approach to a specific exercise may slightly differ as well.

Maintaining posture is paramount. Maintaining proper alignment is a prerequisite to performing an effective squat.

Master form before adding the load of weights. Adding load without controlling the motion increases risk of injury. Technique matters!

Choose free-weights if appropriate. Free weights require stabilization, instead of relying on the tracking of machine.

Progressions are endless. Varying the mode of the load creates an increased challenge for intermediate and advanced exercisers. For example utilize an exercise band, hold one or two dumbbells, incorporate a stability ball, stand on a balance disk, add a simultaneous upper body exercise, vary pace or vary the range of motion.

 

*Consult your doctor before beginning exercise.

 

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Start your fitness TODAY! By Tera Busker

October 13, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Fall has just started and winter is right around the corner, but is it too early to be preparing for your summer wardrobe?

Absolutely not! Shorts and swimsuit weather will be here again before you know it, so here are 4 great exercises to incorporate into your workout this winter to get you in a “shapely” shape for this summer. (Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.)

 

 

Tricep Dips
When you wave goodbye, does the underneath of your arm continue to wave even after you stop? To tone up your arms, give tricep dips a try.

Starting Position

Sit on the edge of a chair and wrap your hands over the front edge. Walk feet out slightly so your hips are out past the edge of the chair.

Action
Lower hips toward the floor until your elbows are bent to 90 degrees. Press up until your elbows are straight, but not locked. Work up to doing 15 reps and 3 sets of this exercise.

 

Clock Lunges
Clock lunges are guaranteed to tighten up your booty, slim the hips and give you well defined legs.

Starting Position

Imagine you are standing in the center of a clock. Straight in front of you is 12:00, to your right is 3:00, behind you is 6:00 and to your left is 9:00.

Action
Lunge with your right leg to each of the 12:00, 3:00 and 6:00 positions. Lunge with your left leg to each of the 6:00, 9:00 and 12:00 positions. Each time you lunge, make sure to return to the starting position before lunging to the next position.

Once you have completed each position, you have done 1 cycle. Work up to doing 5 cycles and 3 sets of this exercise.

 

Plank Up Downs

Plank Up Downs will tighten the entire core, strengthen the chest and give you definition in your shoulders.

Starting Position

Get into a pushup position (on knees or up on toes) with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders.

Action
Slowly drop down into a low plank position (on elbows) one side at a time and pushup yourself back up into the high plank. That is one rep. Work up to doing 10 reps and 3 sets.

 

HIIT
The best and most efficient way burn fat and torch calories  is through HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training. It’s a short workout that alternates between short blasts of high intensity work with bouts of lower intensity “recovery” periods in less than 30 minutes.

Action

Warm up for 5 minutes. For the next 10 to 20 minutes alternate between 30 seconds of very intense exercise (like running) and 90 seconds of lower intensity exercise (walking or complete rest).  Follow that up with a 5 minute cool down.

HIIT training is very difficult and should not be done more that 2-3 times a week and never 2 days in a row.

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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Beyond Crunches by Nicole Bryan

July 15, 2015 By Leave a Comment

A strong core is essential to functioning better during our day, and even more so to functioning pain-free during our day. Our core includes many muscles that overlap and intertwine through our mid-section. Sometimes we use our core muscles to prevent rotation. For example while carrying a suitcase in one hand and nothing in the other. In this situation, we’re using our core to keep us upright and centered. Other times we use our core musculature to rotate us to one side or bend to the side, forward or backwards.  For example, we use our core when bending to pick up an item off the floor. These are the muscles that help return us to our standing upright position. To effectively improve strength our core it’s important to move at many different angles. Here are a few non-crunch exercises to strengthen core muscles. The following exercises are for intermediate exercisers without injury concerns. Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

Floor Plank. Begin in a push up position on the floor; place your hands directly below your shoulders and lift your knees up off the floor. Hold your body straight. Hold for a count of 10 seconds.

Floor Side Plank. Lie on your right side on the floor. Place your forward flat on the floor, with your elbow directly below your shoulder. Lift your body up off the floor, holding the position with your right knee and right forearm. Slowly lower your hip and stop when your hip is about two inches off the floor. Repeat lifting and lowering your body up off the floor. Do ten times. Repeat lying on your left side.

Lie on your back on the floor. Hold your arms directly over your shoulders and your knees up directly over your hips. Extend your right arm overhead and your left leg out straight toward the floor about six inches. Return to the center. Now extend your left arm and your right leg about six inches. Repeat 10 times.

Sit on a Stability Ball. Place your arms across your chest, and lift and hold your right foot up off the floor. Count to 10. Repeat by holding your left foot up off the floor; count to 10.
Lie face down on a Stability Ball. Lying face down on a Stability Ball, pull your upper body up and extend your legs so your body is lined up almost parallel to the floor. Lift your right arm and your left foot up off the floor. Return to your starting position. Now lift your left arm and your right foot up off the floor. Repeat 10 times total.

Stand on a Wobble Board. Stand with both feet in the center of a Wobble Board for timed holds of ten to thirty seconds.

Toe Touches. Stand on your right foot only. Bend forward from your hips, keeping your back lined up, and touch your left foot. Return to your starting position. Do ten times. Change leg position to stand on your left foot only; bend forward and touch your right foot. Do ten times.

Think about all the different angles in which we move during the day.  Consider adding these angles into your workout to learn how to move properly and to strengthen those muscles. Enlist the aid of a Fitness Professional to outline appropriate exercises for you.

 

*Disclaimer: Result may vary from person to person.

 

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Relaxation in 3 by Nicole Bryan

January 26, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Night-Time Stretches for Relaxation

Next time you’re stressed out or can’t relax to sleep, try the following stretches for relaxation. Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds and continue breathing at your own relaxed pace throughout the stretches.  Perform each stretch two times. (Consult your physician before performing exercise. Discontinue stretching if painful)

 

 

1.    Inhale drawing a single knee towards your chest.  Exhale and release the leg to the floor.  Inhale while drawing the other leg into your chest.  Exhale and release the leg to the floor.

 

2.    Move into the crawl position (on your hands and knees) Inhale rounding your back up to the ceiling.  Exhale let your belly button fall to the floor.

 

3.    Inhale while in the crawl position; exhale sitting back on your heels and dropping your chest to the floor and reaching your arms forward.

 

Notice the breathing and movements work together. Focus on breathing in good clean air and releasing your tensions with your breath out. You may simply blank your mind or focus on your breathing. You’ll feel relaxed instantly!

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Express Holiday Workout by Tera Busker

December 3, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Getting fit doesn’t always happen in the gym. You can workout at home! Do each exercise back to back, only resting during the designated rest interval. Exercises are for intermediate exercisers, without injury. Perform exercises at your own risk.

Squat Jumps: 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest.

Pushups: 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest.

Skater Lunges: 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest.

Burpees: 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest.

Mountain Climbers: 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest.

Perform up to 4 rounds each.

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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Indoor Fitness Circuit by Tera Busker

August 26, 2014 By Leave a Comment

If you like to exercise in the open-air, then your “gym” time is totally dependent on the weather. Getting outdoors and taking in the sun on a beautiful day can make your workout enjoyable, but when the weather goes south, running in the rain while dodging puddles in squishy shoes is no fun. So what do you do when a rainy day forces you to forgo your alfresco sweat session and you don’t have the option to go to a gym?

Take your workout inside and use the best piece of equipment you have – your own body! Here is a fast and effective indoor workout that you can do without any fancy equipment. Perform the following exercises at your own risk. Please consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

Indoor Circuit

Beginners: Complete each exercise for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds before moving on to the next exercise
Intermediate: Complete each exercise for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds before moving on to the next exercise
Advanced: Complete each exercise for 50 seconds and rest for 10 seconds before moving on to the next exercise

Squats (Advanced: Jump Squats)
Pushups
Jumping Jacks
Plank
Alternating Reverse Lunges (Advanced: Jump Lunges)
Inchworm (Advanced: Add pushup)
Mountain Climbers
Alternating Side Lunges (Advanced: Skater Lunges)
Rest for 2 minutes. Repeat circuit 2 more times.

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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