HomeGymBenchFitBlog.com

Worried about financial stability at home and worldwide?Are you looking for new budget friendly solutions? And are you trainable, coachable, and motivated? Here is a profile of an easy home workout:You need to workout at your “level”, with a “dose” three times a week. Lift weights, do some cardio, and stretch a little.When you see the *, think:where can I get this? Often family members or friends have equipment they do not use;check out your local Craigs List for low cost items, or scope out garage sales too,

SAMPLE Workout:plan about 45 minutes for this.

Cardio:March in Place with gradually higher arm and leg lifts, 3 minutes. Jumping jacks 30 reps.”Step” on a step, or stepper*, 3 minutes.(Even add disco or hip hop moves if you want)

Weights*:Use those that fatigue you in 10-12 reps

With arm weights:Lying down: Bench Press, Pec Flys, Lat Pull Downs

With arm weights,Seated:Incline Rows, Overhead Press.   Standing:Squats, Heel Raises

Cardio Again:March, Step, and and Jumping Jacks, 6 minutes, or, hop on a stationary bike* or treadmill*.

Calisthenics time; 30 Sit Ups, 30-seconds Plank, and then 20 hip bridges.

You’re done! not really, just kidding-most people skip stretching, which is the “cool-down” and relaxation

phase:I’ll post some pictures of these soon, they are my favorites

Yoga ress up, downward dog

Hip:Piriformis stretches.

Neck and Back;Rotations.

If you have a gym routine that is stale, try out the above, and add music for spice.If you already work out, You can blend weights and core work with routines like this: Modified Pilates “100″ with ball squeeze and lat pull…(see pictures below) and then bridges advancing to single leg bridges.

You must hold your back stable…

One legged bridge: hold your back stable still….

These are BenchFit Level II workouts. Create your space and plan and and consistency will make it work,

Power On! Tell me about your HOME FITNESS SOLUTIONS, with thanks

www.BenchFit.com

Maureen@BenchFit.com

Home Fitness/Time Management

Do you have 20 minutes? Or 10? If you are working full time, AND have kids, and/or school commitments, your time is be maxed out.A 10 minute walk can be a life-saver-it reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke.Add a 20 minute weight workout, and you’ll stave off METABOLIC SYNDROME, the triad of abdominal fat, high blood pressure and cholesterol, that lead to DIABETES. Exercise of course burns calories, which leads to body-sculpting with a narrower waist, and toned arms and legs.Look to http://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/ for a multitude of free calorie burning and fitness tips.

Create a time and place in your home to workout, and gather:

A. Upper body free weights that you can lift 8-12 reps until you feel fatigue, and

B.Ankle cuff weights, kind of retro but they work great and cost little.

Start with 1 set for each major muscle group.

Add some calisthenics using your body weight.

Sample:Lying Down: Bench Press, Hip Bridges, Sit Ups

Side Lying: Top Leg Lift. (Don’t let your trunk wobble).see pic

Prone(medical term for face down!): Plank, Push Ups(Girlie style or manly-however you can perform and hold your gut from hanging!).Hamstring Curls.

Seated, leaning forward at the hip yet holding back straight: Rows.see pic. Looks easy but most people round their back and don’t engage the back muscles…

Sit to Stand:Squats. Drop weight back into heels to engage gluts as you  descend from standing to squat position.

Make it fun-with music, and a yoga mat or weight bench in a color you like.

If you have a pain problem that prevents you from working out, and you are female, find a Physical Therapist near you with http://www.womenshealthapta.org.Look back on other posts for Personal Training FITT Formulas,to safely guide your progression of exercises.Be BenchFit.

Best of luck,

Maureen

Maureen@BenchFit.com

BenchFit Workout and Tapas:The Hip!

BenchFit Workout Tapas*: The Hip!

Hips hurt a lot-in Physical Therapy I have to figure out WHY,  and as a Personal Trainer I have to make sure workouts are balanced, and painfree. We spend too much time with hips folded at a 90 degree bend; chairs, driving, couch potatoing.Spell check doesn’t like that last word but you KNOW what I mean.Often the side and back of the hip are weak: Glut Max and Medius, and the hip needs to be “balanced” by strengthening the Gluts. Here is a tip: This is a small motion but it tires rapidly.

Lie on your side, with your spine straight-don’t arch your back too much or pike your hips forward…hold the top hand to feel the bone in the front of the pelvis. As you raise and lower your knee, the pelvis should not sway. Lifting the top knee isolates and works the glut medius. 2 sets of 10 are a good baseline performance, 3-4x a week.Add this to other exercises to strengthen gluts, such as hip bridges, to counteract the “folded hip posture” and maintain hip balance.

*BenchFit Tapas are bite sized exercise tips to add to and expand on your current routine. The BenchFit Workout is a 20 minute routine that the “tapas” can add to.

BenchFit classes are available at: www.Comprehensivetherapy.com  and outdoors-locally in San Diego, send a contact form in at www.BenchFit.com for information.

Power On!

Maureen

Any ideas to share on this topic? Let us know how you are doing with the “tapas”,

and solutions you have found for hip discomfort.

(Pain that lasts should be medically checked-see you health care provider for information and screening.)

BenchFit Workout and Tapas:Abdominals

Tapas Tip*: Abdominals

We all need abdominal exercises, but who wants to look like a question mark after workouts? Traditional abdominal exercises can leave your back aching, and your head and neck hunched forward towards your knees. And don’t we get enough bending forward with sitting, computer work, driving, and daily living?

So for a new spin on abdominal exercise, try these “roll backs”, which will engage your abdominals along with your back, as you slowly lower back, and then presto! pull back up to starting! What is you “point of no return” where you can’t pull back up?Go to the edge, pull up, repeat, and if you do this every other day, soon you’ll have control of the motion from start to finish. Move in the comfort range of your spine and hips. Keep shoulders pulled down and abdominals engaged and breathe as you move.

*Tapas are small dishes served in spain as an “appetizer”, accompanying a beverage. Here the term is used for mini exercise offerings, that can be linked together to add to other movements to expand your exercise “menu”.The BenchFit Workout coaches a 20 minute, 6-position Home Exercise program for strengthening primarily, and is available in DVD and book format, Levels I and II.It is desirable to exercise in little bits, such as the Tapas, throughout the day, if you can’t fit in one 30 to 60 minute session.

Power On!

Let me know how you do with this!

Maureen

BenchFit Workout and Tapas

Have you sampled Tapas? Tapas are little bites of food you can enjoy with beverages, and my best recollection is an entire meal in Barcelona, Spain, which was served as an endless array of appetizer sized plates with sauteed mushrooms, shrimp and garlic, crostini, cheese, grilled squash-and many more dishes,the delight was in the variety. We seek variety to engage our senses, and become stale with repetition. And so it goes with exercises! The 20 minute BenchFit Workout airs on TV in San Diego, 9:30 am,ch 19 and 24, T and Thurs ams, starting August 11-and the truth is  I always “mix in” a few other elements-like Tapas-when leading classes to keep it fresh.

So I offer some BenchFit Tapas-Mini Exercises that you can sprinkle into your day with variety and spice. Here is a lengthening-postural stretch, that de-compresses

the front of the hip and lifts the rib cage. I chose the seaside shot to encourage outdoor exercise, and easy breathing, with great fresh air. You can perform this with a park bench, or if indoors, on an arm of a couch or bed. Try holding it 5-10+ seconds per side, and perform 2 reps on your tighter side. Check in for our summer Tapas tips.

Power On!

Maureen

Fitness Classes at www.comprehensivetherapy.com  and also outdoors, centrally located in San Diego.

Be BenchFit

What defines fitness? It is tested and ranked by age, and tests vary from schools to the fire/police force and the military. YOU KNOW if you are “strong”, it is a feeling and a confidence based on performance ability.If you are a female age 30-50 your ability to do push ups can be ranked from poor strength(less than 8 push ups)  to excellent (greater than 25 to 27).Partial curl ups rank fair for women ages 30-49 if you can only do 6 to 11, excellent if you can zip through 25.Who cares? Cringing at a memory of the presidents fitness test on a hard gym floor? Declining function in people over age 50 is highly correlated with strength loss. Lose Muscle, lose power and function.

Aside from competive tests, the fact is we lose 5-8% of our strength per decade. Lift weights and Be Fit; BenchFit fitness entails holding free weights with control and form
in a series of 20 motions, all of which can counteract aging.

Of course your ability to successfully lift weights depends on your exposure to appropriate fitness training, your natural genetics and body type, and your ability for self care with discipline and training. BenchFit focuses on the health benefits of exercise vs vanity, and therefore coaches an intro, intermediate and advanced level for safety and sustainability.

Engage in a workout safe for your level, at the gym or home, and a safe rule to follow is to increase reps for a several sessions (eg 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps each) before you increase weights.When you go up in weights, initially lower your reps to get use to the new level.You can use your body weight too, such as push ups and curl ups…to build strength,Let me know your success stories, and questions,

Power On!

Maureen

Maureen@BenchFit.com

Weight Loss Now or Not/BenchFit

It takes a mindset, a plan, a process, and support to lose weight, or perhaps a better term

is release weight…as we all know about lost and found stories. There are so

many “quickie” plans out there-but anyone study psych ,or the keys to adopting

healthy new behaviors? Whatever is desired for RELEASING WEIGHT starts

in the heart and mind but is simply diffused by HABITS. There is a point where

habits derail us, detour us, and the tight clothes and belly bulge remains, in

frustration. Ask your self this; Do you really REALLY RRRREEEAAALLLYYYY

want to release weight? Then you need a plan, including some detective work,

and you need the mindset of a champion: see yourself how you wish to be, as if

you are that, now. Part of the PLAN to release weight needs to be a certain satisfaction

in your cells, and your taste buds too, and most often this involves eating more often,

of greater QUALITY FOOD.Cheesecake is an occasional treat, but you may lose some interest

in it if you are already satisfied with a regular intake of delightful eating.

For me, I was reading a new Personal Training Journal in 2004, and a

lightbulb went on-I realized I hadn’t been paying attention to food, and

had been inadvertently starving myself by skipping meals and then having HYPERPHAGIA

(new word:uncontrolled appetite or hunger) at dinner.A common story. So here is the

suggestion: look at what you want to accomplish. Gather Info, there is TONS of free help!

The hard part: changing behavior: not really hard if you swap bad habits for good ones,

gradually. Slowly. Journal and track your progress and feelings. Find a coach or mentor.

Eat more Quality, more often, and of course you’ve heard “drink more water”, but we often eat

more when we are thirsty. Exercise, including aerobic and weight lifting, burns those sneaky calories,

and helps the process of leaning out be accompanied by a sense of confidence and power.

Next post; I’ll key you in on an MD recommended plan.

Do you have a plan you recomend for others? Let us know, Gracias,

Cheers, Maureen@BenchFit.com

http://www.BenchFit.com

BenchFit Lotus: Creating Fitness with Joy

Create Fitness with Joy.

Register a “gratitude list” for your body, soul and health.Give thanks for all your body parts, and if “judgement” enters your thoughts, just let it come and go, like a butterfly passing.It is remarkable to meditate upon thankfulness for toes and feet, and knees and hips that move us where we want to go. (My Physical Therapy work places me with those with challenges, some in wheelchairs, or needing other forms of help. Don’t take walking and moving for granted, nor the ability to “feel” from head to toe!)You may sit with your eyes closed as you process through the gratitude list, and if you can feel some sunshine on you as you do this that is great. Or if indoors, face the direction of the sun.

Visualize yourself enjoying moving, with dance, or walking in a garden, or warming your muscles with weight lifting if you choose too.See yourself with a strong heart and full breath, and embrace that vision. Create a color for your workout, perhaps blue for water, green for hiking, or orange for fire and energy. Reflect on the color you choose.Is your workout in black and white? Choose a color, or a few, for different workout moods you may want to create.

 

Outdoor Fitness

My family loves the kayaks that are “sit upons” for the ease of gliding along on a calm lake. The sparkle of the sun on the purple-blue-silver waves is a delight to the eyes. The pine scented mountain air, and the chance to play with the winds push or pull along the excursion, make for a “all senses engaged” workout, with rest and relaxation when arms tire.

This is a blue and green workout. It can have 5 sensory stars; *touch-feel,the kayak rocking along the water, the tension in the arms and trunk as you paddle.  *sight,the lake and trees and sky   *sound:loons!   *scent:water and pine      *flavor:the lake water has a mineral-rich, clean flavor.  (Sometimes I chew on pine needles-just one!).

The water lilies are found during the kayak, and they may be few, or ample, with closed tight buds on a cool overcast day, or open and bobbing in the waves and suns warmth.It is winter now, New Years Eve,as I write this summer infused post. Our fitness seasons can be under ice for a while, like the water lilies currently frozen under the northern ice.Or closed buds, waiting for the sunrise.

The lotus has so many petals, and we have so many paths we can take. Author Saundra Pelletier writes in her book “Saddle up your own White Horse” that we can be Victims, Flatliners, or Deliberate Creators, in life. Create your workout, with color, sensory engagement and joy. 

My hands and feet are cold from sitting stagnant while typing; I will now go make a fire and lift weights as I watch the flames; this will be an orange-red workout.

Let me hear from you; are you a current flatliner, or creator? What color is your workout? How many senses do you engage for your fitness?

Power On!

Maureen

www.BenchFit.com

BenchFit Fitness:Re-wind

Lets look back on where you are “at” with your fitness: Answer please: You are

A. In need of re-booting, renewing your “program”. You HAD something working in the past.

B.In a good groove.You have a workout, and enjoy it, regularly.

C. Off the Fitness Map-currently.Never was really on a routine you enjoyed.

If you answered  A or C, here are some tips for you. (Congratulations if you are in a groove, answer B.!)

Re-wind;It is great to”rewind-re-boot” to add variety and challenge to your routine. Inventory what you like to do,and write your goals for the next 1 to 3 to 6…and even 12 months.The goals are the WHY, the aspiriations that can fuel your inspiration to stick to a plan.Goals clarify purpose and create passion.In a broader sense, goals are the targets you seek, to create a different “YOU”.

SAMPLE GOALS

1.Feel Energetic upon waking, rated “level 1:exhausted, 5:ok, level “10″ at the top of your game.

2.Reduce Waist Size by______inches by ________month:1________month:3 ______

month:6_____month:12

3.Lift________# with Biceps, __________#with Squats, with Free Weights

4.Become Comfortable with a Yoga Routine to do for 30 minutes, three times a week.

5.Increase Back and Leg Flexibility.

These Goals vary from describing energy level, to waist size, to strength, to fitness learning(yoga),to flexibility.The more personal, and in line with your own desires your goals are, the more you will be motivated to acheive them. Writing them down and having a plan in place will help you be successful.Engage a trainer to help you achieve your goals: a few sessions may help jump-start those who had prior success. 

If you are off the Fitness Map and never really had a routine that you enjoyed, check out prior BenchFit postings such as the Turtle Track, Fitt Formulas, Kegel-core activation,and Choose strength-Activate Growth Hormone, to give you ideas.We are in an age of obsessive fitness with people pushing truck tires and doing bootcamps that may lead to burn out and injury-and as a Physical Therapist I see the injuries from wacky workouts…so, choose wisely. Discomfort can persist 3 days after a new workout, but if you are habitually in pain after fitness sessions you are either lifting or exerting too much, with improper form, and on a path for injury. Log onto Health Pulse Vitals on the BenchFit website to receive tips and formulas for safe , sustainable fitness.Click on the BenchFit Logo to see all posts.

Send me your goals-and fill me in on any new workouts you have discovered that are re-booting /rewinding your fitness,

In Health,

Maureen

Maureen@BenchFit.com

Female Fitness:Enjoy the Journey

I’m dealing with the current STRESS of modern living by choosing to drive slower, savor each moment,

and breathe with attention and focus as I exercise. If you google Female Fitness you find mostly vanity and

female-fitness models. Where is the intuitive and mind-body side of the Woman who Works Out? Mind you,

there is nothing wrong with looking great from regular exercise, but I see too many people killing

themselveswith exercise that creates injury and stress, all the while focused on what size waist they will

attain, or how great they will feel when they reach XYZ pounds. Here is an important question: When you are

exercising, are you looking forward to when it is finished, and multitasking as you exercise?

I just had a friend who died of a brain tumor at age 48, and it was lovely to meet someone at her memorial

service from a dance class she had enjoyed , as long as she could,… even to make it there to watch the other

dancers.It was standing room only at her service.I share this, not to be morbid, but to help you exercise and

move with passion and intent, and joy and gratitude, for each moment. Jon Kabat Zinn, in his book “Full

Catastrophe Living” reports that when elders are surveyed about their life experiences , they wish they had

“enjoyed the moments more”.

You have an exercise personality that is unique to you. You may be a racer, a competitor, a trekker, a

mind-body enthusiast, or another sort. You may like solo, or social workouts, and indoors, or outdoors.

Make sure your workout is fitting your personality, for an optimum exercise experience. I am a trekker,

nature lover, mind-body enthusiast, and sometimes a racer too. So I have multiple fitness recipes that

depend on my mood. Slow, medium tempo, and fast weight lifting workouts. Speedy bike rides. Slow yoga.

Breath-walking, with skipping, hopping and running mixed in.Female Fitness can follow the male-created

gym model, if that suits you. Strength training on indoor equipment produces benefits. Consider your fitness

personality, and blend and add new exercises that help you savor the moment.Add color and music to your

workout for spice.

What is your reflection on “female fitness?”.

What is your workout personality?

Thanks for commenting,

Maureen@BenchFit.com

ps if you are a blogger lets get some more posts up on Female Fitness, beyond the “models”.

send me your posts please!