The last time I wrote we learned that we can work out in smaller, 5 - 10 minute chunks throughout the day. In the morning, I described how to get started with a set of squats, stretching, and toe raises.
Let's talk about what you can do at lunchtime or right when you get home from work. Within 10 minutes, you can do several different types of pushups to get you pumped up. Now remember that exercise is scalable, to the types of push ups that you can comfortably do. If you can't do puhups on the floor, use the stairs, or a sturdy coffee table, or the wall.
The important things to remember are, keep your body straight. Tighten your butt cheeks (think of squeezing a quarter between your cheeks), and pull your abs tight. Look straight ahead. Don't drop your head to the surface - that shortens your range of motion. Slowly, with control, loser yourself to the surface and back up.
It is very important to concentrate. Get the "mind/body connection" going. Concentrate on the muscles in your arms and shoulders that are doing the work. Concentrate on keeping your butt and abs tight. Do as many as you can.
The great thing about push ups is that they are full body exercises. You are working your arms, chest, shoulders, and all of the supporting muscles in your core.
If you have some more time and want to mix it up a bit, try this: get in an inverted 'V' position with your hands on the floor, shoulder width apart, and your toes on the floor, shoulder width apart. You butt should be pointed towards the ceiling. In this case, your hands and feet are slightly closer together than in the normal pushup.
Now, keep your arms straight. The idea is to reverse your present position. Slowly drop your hips to the floor. Your shoulders and arms will move forward, and your head will point to the ceiling (look up). Now, concentrate on your shoulder mucsles; lift your butt back towards the ceiling while pushing your shoulders back to the original position. You should feel your shoulders working through the range of motion, and you should also be getting a great stretch at the top and bottom positions.
Author Jon Benson has a great many more suggestions on how to incorporate exercise and nutrition into your daily routine. He is a great motivator, as well. Check out his book, Fit Over 40.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
You Can Exercise Anytime Anywhere
I few days ago I told you that I would show you how to get a workout in in just a few minutes a day. For those of you who just don't have the time to get fit, listen up.
You don't have to have a big block of time to work out dureing the day. There are great benefits to breaking up your workout into 5 to 10 minute chunks, three times a day. You can do quick bursts of exercise anytime, anywhere.
First thing in the morning while you are waiting for your coffee to brew, do 50 squats. I have said before that exercise is scalable, so do the quantity that is good for you. If you are just starting out, go the the corner at your kitchen countertop. Face the cabinets and put both hands on the countertop edge, one hand on each of the right angle edges formed by the corner. Keeping your back straight, lower yourself as far as you can go and return to the standing position. Repeat as many times as you can.
If you want, you can follow this up with slow and easy stretching. As a hint, when you are stretching your legs, relax, and exhale. I have seen people hold their breath and force a stretch. That is a battle and nothing good can come from it. Relax! Exhale, and slowly stretch.
You can always mix this up, too. Add some toe raises. Stand facing a wall and put a short length of 2 x 4 parallel to the wall. If you don't have a 2 x 4, use your imagination. Put your old encyclopedias to work! Position your toes on the book or 2 x 4 so that your heals are lower than your toes. Use the wall for balance. With both feet, raise yourself up and down for as many reps as possible.
There! Inside ten minutes you got a good workout in. At lunch and dinner, even before bed, you can add other brief exercise sessions. I will have more on this tomorrow!
If you need some motivation to get started, Read Jon Benson's Fit Over 40.
You don't have to have a big block of time to work out dureing the day. There are great benefits to breaking up your workout into 5 to 10 minute chunks, three times a day. You can do quick bursts of exercise anytime, anywhere.
First thing in the morning while you are waiting for your coffee to brew, do 50 squats. I have said before that exercise is scalable, so do the quantity that is good for you. If you are just starting out, go the the corner at your kitchen countertop. Face the cabinets and put both hands on the countertop edge, one hand on each of the right angle edges formed by the corner. Keeping your back straight, lower yourself as far as you can go and return to the standing position. Repeat as many times as you can.
If you want, you can follow this up with slow and easy stretching. As a hint, when you are stretching your legs, relax, and exhale. I have seen people hold their breath and force a stretch. That is a battle and nothing good can come from it. Relax! Exhale, and slowly stretch.
You can always mix this up, too. Add some toe raises. Stand facing a wall and put a short length of 2 x 4 parallel to the wall. If you don't have a 2 x 4, use your imagination. Put your old encyclopedias to work! Position your toes on the book or 2 x 4 so that your heals are lower than your toes. Use the wall for balance. With both feet, raise yourself up and down for as many reps as possible.
There! Inside ten minutes you got a good workout in. At lunch and dinner, even before bed, you can add other brief exercise sessions. I will have more on this tomorrow!
If you need some motivation to get started, Read Jon Benson's Fit Over 40.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Pills Just Don't Cut It
I received a bunch of SPAM this morning. And typical of Monday mornings I received a bunch of diet related SPAM - a pill for this and a pill for that. One in particular was for Fucoslim flat stomach pill. I think that was the name - I delete stuff from my SPAM folder right away.
If you want to lose weight or reshape your body, a pill might work a little in the short term, but it is not going to solve your problem. The first thing you have to do is fix your head! You have to get inspired and motivated!
Are you having health problems? Is your extra weight causing you to have joint problems? I know a lot of people who are over weight who have terrible problems with their knees. What is the problem that you are trying to solve and how badly do you want to solve it?
Jon Benson writes about role modeling and how you can speed up your rate of progress by learning from those that have already achieved what you want to achieve.
This has worked well for me. I have read works from Jon Benson, Tom Venuto, Matt Furey, and Pavel Tsatsouline, and have applied their expertise into my workout and nutrition regimen. My progress has been much faster than if I left it to my own resources.
Now is the time to take action. Even if you are over 40, you can lose fat, build muscle, and drastically improve the quality of your life.
If you want to lose weight or reshape your body, a pill might work a little in the short term, but it is not going to solve your problem. The first thing you have to do is fix your head! You have to get inspired and motivated!
Are you having health problems? Is your extra weight causing you to have joint problems? I know a lot of people who are over weight who have terrible problems with their knees. What is the problem that you are trying to solve and how badly do you want to solve it?
Jon Benson writes about role modeling and how you can speed up your rate of progress by learning from those that have already achieved what you want to achieve.
This has worked well for me. I have read works from Jon Benson, Tom Venuto, Matt Furey, and Pavel Tsatsouline, and have applied their expertise into my workout and nutrition regimen. My progress has been much faster than if I left it to my own resources.
Now is the time to take action. Even if you are over 40, you can lose fat, build muscle, and drastically improve the quality of your life.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
TV Time
Yesterday I went out with my son to the local park to sled ride. We had a blast, except for the last run where we both landed in a hidden ditch. Eben got the wind knocked out of him and injured my lower back.
We both will be OK, but I spend the rest of the day flat on my back watching the NFL divisional playoffs on TV. I barely moved for 8 hours. I thought that I was going to tear my hair out! It dawned on me that there are people in this country that do that on a regular basis! What a waste of time!
How much time to you spend as a tube boob? Two hours a day? More? At two hours a day, that is nearly 15 hours a week. That is a part time job! Or, fitness squandered.
I have spent some time posting in some of the fitness forums and have seen some people complaining that they don't have enough time to work out. I wouldn't be surprised to see those same people addicted to "ER" or "Biggest Loser."
Are you one of those people who don't have any time in the day to get fit? Turn off the TV - I am sure that you can find plenty of time! If you refuse to give up "Lost", then how about multi-tasking? Here is a challenge. Do a single pushup evey minute while you are watching TV. At the end of the hour, you have done 60 pushups! There is a cumulative benefit to exercising this way. I don't think it is as good as getting a short high-intensity workout in, but it is a start.
In the next couple of days, I will show you some good ways to fit some intense workout into your day. You will have no excuses! In the mean time, find a fitness role model and get motivated!
We both will be OK, but I spend the rest of the day flat on my back watching the NFL divisional playoffs on TV. I barely moved for 8 hours. I thought that I was going to tear my hair out! It dawned on me that there are people in this country that do that on a regular basis! What a waste of time!
How much time to you spend as a tube boob? Two hours a day? More? At two hours a day, that is nearly 15 hours a week. That is a part time job! Or, fitness squandered.
I have spent some time posting in some of the fitness forums and have seen some people complaining that they don't have enough time to work out. I wouldn't be surprised to see those same people addicted to "ER" or "Biggest Loser."
Are you one of those people who don't have any time in the day to get fit? Turn off the TV - I am sure that you can find plenty of time! If you refuse to give up "Lost", then how about multi-tasking? Here is a challenge. Do a single pushup evey minute while you are watching TV. At the end of the hour, you have done 60 pushups! There is a cumulative benefit to exercising this way. I don't think it is as good as getting a short high-intensity workout in, but it is a start.
In the next couple of days, I will show you some good ways to fit some intense workout into your day. You will have no excuses! In the mean time, find a fitness role model and get motivated!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Gynecomastia - Man Boobs
This morning I saw a story about Dan Clark, "Nitro" from American Gladiator fame, who claims that using Steroids caused him to develop man boobs. Dan, a former defensive lineman for the LA Rams and later starred on the hit show American Gladiator, used Steroids for 20 years. The drug use caused him to start growing man boobs, or Breast-Chesticles, as they are sometimes called.
The scientific name is Gynecomastia, and it not only affects steroid users. Gynecomastia is just one of the symptoms of "andropause", or "male menopause." When you age your testosterone levels decline...and more than that the testosterone gets "weaker" due to an imbalance between it and estrogen.
When you combine that with our modernized "estrogen-rich" environment that Dr. Holly Lucille frequently lectures on, you have a problem.
Man boobs, or gynecomastia, is associated with a lack of sex drive and excess belly fat due to the estrogen. Even more serious, excess estrogen has been positively linked to prostate cancer.
To learn more, google or click Dr. Holly Lucille.
The scientific name is Gynecomastia, and it not only affects steroid users. Gynecomastia is just one of the symptoms of "andropause", or "male menopause." When you age your testosterone levels decline...and more than that the testosterone gets "weaker" due to an imbalance between it and estrogen.
When you combine that with our modernized "estrogen-rich" environment that Dr. Holly Lucille frequently lectures on, you have a problem.
Man boobs, or gynecomastia, is associated with a lack of sex drive and excess belly fat due to the estrogen. Even more serious, excess estrogen has been positively linked to prostate cancer.
To learn more, google or click Dr. Holly Lucille.
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