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

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

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 FITT Dial:Intermediate Level

Weight lifting workouts can be dialed in from beginning to advanced depending upon your age, experience with weights, and whether or not you have a current baseline of fitness.The most common problem is that people lift too much too fast, and burn out. Younger exercisers, particularly men, go for the maximum they can lift, and often suffer the consequences of muscle and joint strains. So, are you ready for light toning, stepping in as a beginner, or, basic strengthening, or already at an advanced level,ready to build strength and power? The science of strength training consists of a framework for obtaining the optimum “dose”of exercise, and can be outlined as a FITT formula. FITT stands for frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise;

FITT Dial:Intermediate Level

An intermediate level exerciser has established a baseline of weight lifting and can hold good alignment and control during machine or free weight workouts, and the following is a sample intermediate level FITT Formula, for Strengthening

BenchFit Solution:Fitness and Time

Feeling time challenged? If not, you are on a vacation somewhere in a southern climate not undergoing a hurricane or tsunami !

Want to tighten up your body, and need a solution? If you are age 30 or older, your body is losing ten percent or more of strength , per decade. And you can’t just pop open a can of spinach and scarf it and buff up like Popeye, instantly.Fitting in “healthy exercise”, by working out with the optimum amount of weight, at the proper “dose”, can begin at only thirty minutes, twice a week. True!

You have to visualize yourself as you want to be, and engage.
Want results? Follow a progressive program guide for strengthening, from beginner to advanced levels. Note FITT Formulas posted under BenchFit workout topics, dial in your level, and expect gradual, empowering results.

The BenchFit DVDs and BenchFit Workout Book guide you through the exact alignment, with attention to energizing breath control and deep postural, core muscle bracing. A “feel-good” response to engaging in a safe but challenging workout will help you to seek return visits to the program: Positive reinforcement!

Beginners need to learn the precision motions for a safe, body balanced program. Intermediate to advanced exercisers can master a flowing, free weight workout with discipline and personal training formatting . BenchFit blends Pilates and progressive core control challenges. It was developed to provide an essential twenty to thirty minute program for the time stressed , and will produce vital bone strengthening, weight management, and functional fitness power for lifting, pushing, pulling, and overall feeling empowered. No Nonsense, optimum form, and including upper body, spine, core, and lower body movements.

Do you have a mini-workout that you get a kick out of? If so, was it created by you, or learned from a class, book or DVD? Let us know, and if it is adaptable to a workout Bench, we could post your picture on www.BenchFit.com, and you will help motivate and challenge others.

Thanks, Maureen

BenchFit FITT Formulas: The Turtle Track for Beginners

Working out without a plan is like a trip without a map, it can be carefree and fun,but also full of unexpected detours and roadblocks. FITT Formulas are guides,with entry points, keys to advance, and levels of challenge.

Working out smart involves progressive programming, and if you are old enough to read this, you have probably suffered minor or major damage at some point in your life from macho madness. The sad thing about really overdoing it with a workout can be a permanent avoidance of exercise, due to pain, fear, and loss of function. All too often our early P.E. experience can be tortuous, unless you are the lucky, gifted athlete who excelled through-out gym class.

FITT Formulas

F: Frequency: Times per week

I: Intensity: Determined by amount of weight lifted, and repetitions, and sets

T: Time: Total time for the Workout

T: Type of Exercise , such as strengthening with free weights