Get Fit Quick Tip:

Plank!

Strengthen the many layers of your core musculature by adding Planks into your fitness routine.

From a prone position, place your forearms on the floor with your elbows directly below your shoulders. Tuck your toes under and lift your body up off of the floor so your body is parallel to the floor. Pull your shoulders down into your body. Pull your belly button up. Tuck your chin into your chest to maintain spinal alignment.

From the basic plank position, many options exist for progressions:

Alternate lifting your right foot, then your left foot up of the floor.

Lift and hold one leg up off the floor.

Perform a plank with your hands on the floor instead of your forearms.

*Always consult a physician before beginning exercise.

Plank for a strong core!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Circuit Train!

What’s one workout mode that can be done indoors or outdoors, with or without equipment, whether you’re a beginning or advanced exerciser? Circuit training! Circuit training means moving from one exercise to the next without rest.

Set up a circuit of exercises. Choose from 3 exercises to repeat, on up to 10 or 12 exercises to perform consecutively.

Choose your format. Circuit strength exercises only, or alternate strength exercises with cardiovascular exercise in a circuit format.

Circuits are limited only by your creativity. Use whatever is around you, with safety as primary concern. Tables, chairs, benches, trees, steps, wall can all be used to assist your exercises. For example, Wall Squats, Bench Pushups, Chair Tricep Dips.

*Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.

Circuit Training for Every Situation

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Jump Rope!

Jumping rope has total body fitness benefits all in one workout. You’ll strengthen your heart and your muscles. Jump ropes are economical and portable. Jumping rope is also useful for coordination and agility. Begin with ten to twenty seconds of jumping, followed by twenty seconds of rest, and build from there by adding ten seconds.

A few reminders:

Every workout should begin with an 8-10 minute warm up and conclude with a 10 minute cool down.

Wear proper athletic footwear.

Be mindful of jumping on a suitable surface.

Choose a jump rope length based on your height.

Proper postural alignment is important when performing high impact activity.

Adjust your jumping style and rhythm based on sustainable intensity. For higher intensity, jump the rope on every hop and turn of the rope. For lower intensity, jump the rope on every other hop and turn the rope slower.

Requires a base level of fitness. Jumping rope is high impact and high intensity and may not be suitable for beginning exercisers.

*Always consult your physician before beginning exercise.

High Intensity Jump Rope for Fitness

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Plan Ahead!

Healthy living does NOT take the weekend off! Keep motivation going by planning your weekend-fitness ahead of time.

Here’s how to keep your workouts (and motivation) happening on the weekends:

Invite friends. Invite friends to join in your workout. You’ll catch up on the week and as the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun!

Race. Racing is a great way to insure your workouts happen on the weekend. Competing side by side with thousands of new friends, the energy will feed your motivation for weeks and months to come.

Go early. Get up early and log your workout before the sun (and your family) rises. Morning workouts likely means fewer interruptions and distractions.

Include physical activity into your daily routine. If a structured workout is difficult, consider adding fitness bursts into your day. Walk the soccer field while your child plays, stand instead of sit, ride bikes instead of driving.

Keep Fitness Motivation Going…

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Get in the Moment!

Are you in the moment of your workout? Or are you preoccupied about what you have to accomplish later, worried about this and that, distracted by to-do lists? Stay present in the moment of your workout for better mental focus, and better physical results.

Here’s how to get in the moment of your workout:

Set workout mini-goals. Each workout should serve a purpose, and therefore have a goal. Every exercise you perform should be chosen for its desired outcome.

Stay present. Consider your workout as the time during your day where you don’t have to think about work, schedules or other commitments. Stay present in your workout by focusing only on the current rep, the current set.

Breathe through each rep. Every lift and every lowering phase of your rep, should include an inhale or an exhale. Focused and mindful breathing is an effective method to clear your mind of distractions.

Eliminate self-talk. Regardless of what your body is doing, often your mind is full of internal dialogue, conversations and opinions. Reduce the self-talk by counting out your pace for each rep.

Get in the Moment…of your Workout!

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Take a Break!

Taking regular fitness breaks during your day is healthy for your body and your mind. Commit to a goal of getting up, stretching or walking every 2 hours.

Here’s how to hold yourself accountable to fitness break-time:

Set your phone alarm to signal every 2 hours.

Perform at-your-desk stretches. For example:

Seated Hamstring Stretch: Sit forward in your chair. Extend your right leg straight out in front of you with your heel on the ground. Sit up tall and hold for 10-30 seconds, then release. Repeat with your left leg straight out in front of you.

Reach up and Over Stretch: Reach both arms straight up overhead. Lean to your right, then your left.

Walk the hallway. Get up and walk around your office, the hallway or around the building for ten minutes to increase circulation and decrease muscle tension.

Stand up and breathe. Simply stand up to ease lower body tension, and perform 3-5 deep breaths.

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

Do you need a fitness break?

Join #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat on Twitter and stay current on top gear, best exercise practices and keys to motivation. Together we solve challenges, share successes and provide accountability and encouragement along the way.

Mark your Calendar NOW:
Every Monday at 5pm(Pacific)/8pm(Eastern) #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat on Twitter.

It’s easy to join in: Simply log into your Twitter account. Enter #HealthyWayMag to follow the chat feed. Questions for discussion are posed as “Q1″ Question 1, “Q2″ Question 2 and so on. Reply to offer your tips, ideas and experiences by notating your answer as “A1″ to designated your answer to question 1,”A2″ to offer your thoughts on the second question and so on.

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ENERGIZE your Fitness!

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

Start your fitness TODAY! By Tera Busker