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.

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 Solution:Choose Strength:Activate Growth Hormone!

• We don’t need to look far to see the association of athletes with “banned substances”

such as steroids and growth-hormone supplements. Get Real! Activate YOUR OWN
NATURAL GROWTH HORMONE, with exercises.
Vitality springs from a positive mental attitude and vision, and daily habits that
create character. Emotional strength. Vision.Focus. Physical strength.
Do the following three to five days a week, for an enhanced sense of well being and physical
power:

Walk, bike, get on the elliptical or treadmill, or swim: a minimum of 15 minutes,or
optimally 30-45 minutes.
Lift weights that tire you out in 10 repetitions: Emphasize biceps curls, rows,
side-lying inner and outer leg lifts, squats, and heel raises. That is 6 exercises.
For your abdominal workout, I recommend small range of motion “curl ups” with an exhale
and pulling the navel in towards the spine as you curl up.The “Plank” yoga pose is also great for
abdominal toning.

GROWTH HORMONE is activated when we lift weights.The more intense the exercise intensity,
the more growth hormone is activated. GROWTH HORMONE release stimulates muscle growth, and the
breakdown of stored fat for energy .For safety and success, gradually dial up a weight lifting work-out
over a period of several weeks to be able to accurately stabilize and move the weight. Exercise counteracts the
tendency to weight gain and age-related strength decline.
A Free-Weight Workout, such as BenchFit, requires coordination and control-and you really can get results in
workout two times a week, but aim to workout 4-5x a week with weights.

Reference:
Wilmore, Jack, and Costgill, David, Physiology of Sport and Exercise, Human Kinetics, 1999

comments:

what is your favorite workout to kick up your energy?

Drop me a note

Maureen@BenchFit.com

BenchFit Spice:Elegant Strength

Does this title appeal to you? It piqued my interest this month, at the Idea Personal Trainers Convention in San Diego, so I attended a class. Here’s the scoop: Elegant Strength is a fun blend of Aerobics, Pilates, Yoga, and Strengthening Exercises created by June Kahn (www.junekahn.com), a popular Colorado based trainer. It’s fun to expand your horizons with new exercise moves, formatted in a safe, yet challenging session.The class I attended used a stepper as a support or prop on some of the moves, and the use of gliding discs, and a body bar, to create a unique workout. The warm up included gentle yoga and stretching, then it went into light aerobics, and then it began to blend and mix elements of strengthening, balance, stretching, and aerobics. And elements of Elegant Strength, I realized, I use already, for my home workouts, such as Downward Facing Dog, and Tree Pose, from Yoga Asanas (see www.yogalearningcenter.com). It feels right to me to “interrupt” a strength session with stretching, balance, and mini cardio sessions, as it keeps me engaged and connected creativly.

Could you create your own workout from different classes and techniques that you have experienced? Perhaps put some music on, and just start moving..if you are the creative type. Or check out some new DVDs or classes that pique your interest! I invite you to comment on new grooves you have recently discovered,

With Appreciation,

Maureen@BenchFit.com

BenchFit Tips

Regal posture and attention to breath control are two vital tips to help you feel your best. A king or queen sits erect, confidant. A yogi controls breath during movements, and to engage deep relaxation and rejuvenation.In our response to stress, posture hunches foreward ready for fight or flight, and breathing becomes shallow, restricted.Slumped posture and shallow breathing cause muscle tension and pain to build. Many people are not aware of their postural tension and restricted breathing, they just know that they hurt.To feel your best, every few hours during the day:1. Sit tall, breast bone up (the king or queen ). 2. Take a deep breath. 3. Release muscle tension as you slowly exhale. Engage an awareness of posture and breath as you go throughout the day. Place a reminder on your computer or at your desk to check your posture and breathing regularly during the day.
Do you have a favorite postural stretch or routine that you perform? Let us know!

With thanks, Maureen

www.benchfit.com

Maureen@benchfit.com

BenchFit Kegels : Core Activation

The term “the core” is frequently used now days, and it’s not just about tightening the abdominals during a workout! Medical researchers study muscle activation patterns during motions, and there is a basic trio of muscles that works together for optimum function to transmit force through the body.We develop our core muscles as babies with all the squirming and moving we do in preparation for walking.

The “core” includes the deep back (lumbar) , kegel (pelvic) muscles, and the deep abdominals. Knowing how to turn these muscles “on” and hold the stabilizing posture they promote is the subject of hours of Physical Therapy and Personal Training. Breath holding, overworking the abdominals in deep crunches, and lifting weights which cause posture to sway, all can counteract core training and force the body to use surface muscles that do not stabilize.

Here are some ABCs on Core Activation

Alignment: Sitting: Sit tall, posture erect, and take a relaxed breath deep into your abdomen. Your back can be positioned straight, or with a slight arch, whichever is comfortable for you.

Breathing: As you exhale, lightly tense your kegel muscles as if you are “stopping the flow” from your bladder, and also tense your deep abdominals by drawing your belly button (navel) into your spine as you exhale. It can be a lot to coordinate, and most people breath hold when it gets to the abdominals tensing. What’s the back doing during this exercise?If you maintain a tall, erect posture (no slouching !) your deep lumbar muscles are working to hold your spine in position.

Core Activation occurs when these three muscles brace and hold, and BenchFit teaches a light ball squeeze between the knees to help turn on the deep core muscles.The kegels are often the weakest link in the group, and require a concentration to recruit; the ball squeeze activates the inner thigh muscles which attatch adjacent to the kegels, and help the nerves fire to energize the kegels. Lifting, pushing, pulling, walking, and sports participation all require core bracing, and with training it can be learned and become automatic.

Diane Lee is a phenomenal Canadian Physical Therapist who has devoted her career to studying the core; for more detailed scientific information on the core, the pelvis, and the function of muscles during motion, visit http://dianelee.ca/articles/articles.

Does anyone have a core training experience to share? Women often need core training exercises more than men, due to looser pelvic ligaments, pregnancy, childbirth, and hormone changes, all of which can “turn off” the core.

Calorie Tips : your needs

What is your total daily amount of calories that you need? As our population shifts towards thicker waists and increasing levels of diabetes, it is vital to know what you need to “intake” for your calories, and rather then consuming by habit, develop a smart focus for eating.

Nutritionist’s suggest the following calorie ranges for women: Sedentary women need approximately 1600 calories a day. Moderately active women require approximately 1800 to 2000 calories a day, and those who are exercising and /or working at a heavy level per day may need up to 3000 calories. More specific, individual calorie prescriptions are based on your height weight, age, and activity level. Tracking caloric intake in a log or journal is the only real way to know your intake, and develop a sense for portion sizes and healthy food choices.

Motivation and discipline are the keys to smart calorie consumption, and if you are not on track, set a weight goal and begin to add healthy calorie consumption to your routine. What have you found works for you? There are many calorie tracking programs out there; lets find out who is using a successful format! Check out webmd for more information, www.webmd.com/diet/guide/estimate-calorie-requirement

thank you for checking in with us, and share your trials and successes on this topic ,

Maureen@benchfit.com