Home Exercise Routines

This workout will combine quick bursts of cardio to get your heart rate up in the right target zone (to find out what this zone is for you check this article out on calculating your target heartrate and then incorporate strength moves to get you lean and toned.  The best part is you can do this routine virtually anywhere, even while catching up on your favorite TV shows!

Jog in place for 5 minutes—it’s always best to warm-up into any routine

15 push-ups—drop on the floor and pump these out without a break

15 chair dips—keeping the momentum, place your hands on a stationary chair or chair step and extend your feet in front of you; lower yourself until your arms are bent at the elbow at 90 degrees and parallel to the floor, and then raise yourself back up until your arms are straight

Jump rope for 5 minutes—if you don’t have a rope, just jump in place keeping your heart pumping

Home Exercise Alternatives

30 lunges—hands on hips and feet together, extend your right leg and drop into a deep lunge until your left knee is almost touching the floor and then push yourself back to the starting position and repeat with your left leg in front. Do 15 on each leg for a total of 30 lunges

15 bicep curls—grabbing either 5 or 10 pound weights, or you can get creative and use filled water bottles or even canned goods; as long as you feel the burn my the last few

Stair stepping for 5 minutes—finding either a step or raised surface alternate stepping your feet one at a time up onto the stair and then down; you will stay in the same place, but with one foot on the stair and the other under you as you quickly switch the positions of your feet

15 squats—squat down low and work to keep your weight balanced on your heels

Home Exercises

15 upright rows—grabbing your weights or water bottles stand with your feet shoulder width apart and arms hanging in front of your hips; pull your arms upward in front of your torso until your upper arms are at shoulder height and bent at the elbow.  Lower your arms and repeat.

Scissor step for 5 minutes—place your hands and feet on the floor and bend at the waist so that your bottom is toward the ceiling.  Alternate hopping your right foot forward and then switch positions so that your left leg jumps forward as your right goes back

30 second plank—placing yourself in the push-up position, hold yourself up concentrating on pulling your abs in and keeping your back straight

30 crunches

5 minutes sideways hops—facing forward with your feet together jump first to the right and then the left; keep yourself working and sweating!

15 side arm raises—with a weight in each hand and your arms at your side, keep your arms straight and lift them until they are shoulder height and parallel with the ground.  Lower your arms and repeat.

30 front punches—with the same weights alternate punching one arm in front of you and then the other for a total of 15 punches on each side.

5 minutes running in place—gradually work yourself into a cool-down

You’ve just done a perfect total body workout while getting your pulse moving and lungs working.  The strength moves will help build muscle and the combined cardio will help you torch calories, and the best part is you didn’t have to spend a penny!

By Caitlin Chock

'The Pistol' - One Legged Squat

Before Getting Started

The one legged squat is a lot like a regular two legged squat except that you are standing on only one leg. I’m sure that seems pretty obvious, but my point in stating that fact is to remind you that the same elements that make for good form during a regular squat must still be considered. Maintaining good posture, keeping your knee (on the squatting leg) from tracking forward in front of your toes, and achieving parallel depth are all essential components of any safe, effective squat–regardless of if you’re using one or both legs.

One Legged Squat

If you are going to be working towards single leg squats, there are a few prerequisites that you ought to have out of the way to ensure a solid foundation. You should be able to perform a proper two legged squat with resistance that is equal to your body weight (ladies this goes for you too!), or if you aren’t into going for one rep maxes, you should be comfortable squatting at least 65% of your body weight for multiple reps. Additionally, you should ensure that your form while doing these is safe by having a qualified supervisor watch you and look for any red flags. For example, if your heels come off the ground while you do your squats then you are probably not ready to try a single leg squat yet.   Also keep in mind that while one legged squats are great for building your legs, but they also require a ton of core strength.

Bottom Up and Top Down

Now that we’ve gotten that taken care of, there are a few ways to approach training your body to do a one-legger. One method is to start from the bottom up. While sitting down on a bench, lift one foot off the ground. Lean forward and use the heel of your other foot to push into the floor while squeezing your abs tight, puffing your chest out, and reaching your arms out in front. Once you get to the top, try to lower yourself slowly and repeat. You will likely lose control during the lowering phase and wind up plopping down onto the bench at the bottom. That’s fine for now. In time your control will improve to the point where you no longer need to sit on the bench.

Another One-Legged Squat

Another method to employ while practicing towards doing a one legged squat is to practice from the top down. Stand on a bench, a bit off to the side with one foot hanging off the edge. Squat down so that one leg drops below the level of the bench. Make sure you stick out your hips and butt, and lean forward a bit–otherwise your balance will be off. If you are having a hard time balancing with this, hold onto something to guide you. A resista-band that is securely in place or a cable machine balanced with a full weight stack are great options. A broom handle works well too if you are doing these at home. If you have a training partner, have them assist you by either holding your hand or standing right by you so that you can grab them if you lose your balance. This is an exercise that I will literally hold my client’s hand through the first time they try it!

Other Variations

In time you can progress to doing them on your own. Then you can try coming down off the bench. When you’re standing on the ground, you’ll reach your other leg farther out in the air and hold it as close to parallel with the ground as you can. This is commonly referred to as a pistol squat. A lot of people find holding the other leg out to be the real challenge of performing a solid pistol.

Another variation is to perform them with your secondary leg crossed over the squatting leg. This gives extra stability and is sometimes easier for beginners. However, for those of us with tight hips, this position adds a flexibility challenge that isn’t a concern with the pistol squat. Each variation will be a unique experience on your journey, and a unique challenge to you as an individual. As always, experiment with as many variations as you can. And of course, don’t just sit there reading this–get out there and live it!

There are some great Yoga shows in the mornings. In Australia, men everywhere tuned in at 6am to watch Gloria and the girls on Mats outside the Opera House. In the US, there are a tonne of Live Exercise Programs that radiate over Networks at all hours of the day and night.

TV Yoga

The problem? You can’t rely on TV for fitness.

Yes that’s right! While it’s tempting to sit in front of the television and put on your favorite exercise program, you might be forgetting one very simple thing that make the television an incredibly ineffective device for exercise…It’s addictive. Shocking I know. But in all seriousness, how can anyone be expected to exercise effectively if their only motivation for performing the exercises is doing them in-sync with a program on television.

More TV Yoga

Grow up! TV is not the answer. You don’t need someone to do the exercises in front of you. Learn them once, remember them and get outside to exercise as hard and as fast as you can. one other problem associated with exercise programs on television is that they change so regularly. Times, hosts, programs, they can all be different from day to day. Exercising to TV program offers no stability and no motivation. Two things that are essential to maintaining a healthy exercise regime.

Get off the couch, changing channels won’t help you!

By Tim Howard

Beach Yoga for Seniors

Yoga is one of the best forms of exercise for an elderly person’s health. Yoga focuses on the body, mind, and spirit. It cultivates a state of overall health and well-being. Certain Yoga techniques work to normalize blood pressure, balance the nervous system, strengthen core muscles, decrease stress, stimulate blood circulation, regulate breathing, and aid with sleep. Yoga is part exercise and part meditation. Practicing yoga on a regular basis can strengthen your body, relax your mind, and provide inner peace.

Yoga for Seniors

Trying to find a yoga class that’s right for you can seem daunting. Hatha, Iyengar, Anusara- what do these all mean? If you are an elderly person, you may think that joining a beginner’s class is best. However, even beginner’s classes can be fast paced, and the instructor may not have experience teaching seniors. The best class for a senior to take is a “Yoga for Seniors” class or “Ageless Yoga”. These types of yoga classes are specifically designed for seniors and persons with decreased mobility. The instructors will have experience working with seniors, and will be able to tailor the class to an elderly person’s needs.

What can you expect from a yoga class designed for seniors? The instructor will most likely check in with each student to find out what their issues are. You will be reminded to breathe and to rest in “child’s pose” as needed. If you need help with the poses, props and support from the instructor will be available. The pace of the class will typically be slower than the pace in other styles of yoga because students may need extra time getting in and out of poses. However, with time and patience, most students will be able to do a variation on most poses.

Seniors Yoga

Older people can sometimes be very strong, flexible, and fit, so you can expect the class to be diverse. Yoga for older people is also about building community. The diversity of students in the classes can be inspiring and helpful, and can lead to new friendships.

Any yoga instructor practices what they teach because yoga is a lifestyle, not just a class they teach a couple times a week. As such, your yoga instructor will be glad to answer any questions or concerns you might have. If you are unsure about taking a yoga class, you can always talk to an instructor beforehand so that they can give you any additional information you might need.

By Jasmine-June Cabanaw

Starting Interval Training

The best way to start adding interval training into your routing is to pick an activity: running, biking, and using an elliptical are excellent choices, but you can even use a rowing machine, stair stepper, or swim.  Start by doing a warm-up of 5-10 minutes at a relaxed pace, what you would generally do your routine at; on a scale of 1 to 10 your effort should feel like a 7 or 8.  Then, do one minute almost as hard as you can (an effort of 9) by upping the pace.  Follow this by a two minute recovery at an effort level of 6 or 7, and then repeat the cycle and follow it with a short cool-down.  Start with adding a few intervals and then work your way up to doing a total of 10 minutes of hard efforts.

Tough Interval Training

Play around with different types of intervals, by changing the times of your hard efforts and recovery paces.  You can do shorter sprints of 30 seconds hard with one minute recovery, or do two or three minutes hard and then recover.  You can further mix it up by varying the resistance or incline along with the pace.  Intervals are excellent tools to add to your training routine; you can do them up to three times a week, but be sure to rest or do a steady, recovery cardio workout at least a day between sessions.  Soon you will notice that the days you do your steady cardio, they will be feeling easier and you will be encouraged by improvement in your interval days as well!

By: Caitlin Chock, Home Fitness Guru

Never discount the importance of support when exercising and dieting. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people is one thing, going to the gym and exercising, eating right and staying focused are others. But telling your family that you’re trying to lose weight and feel healthy will give you a great support network that you might not have even considered! Best of all, you’re virtually guaranteed to get honest advice from your family. Whereas friends will sometimes be inclined to boost your ego, families have a habit of being obsessively honest. Let them help you by being your harshest critic.

Family Exercising

Be strong. sometimes you won’t hear exactly what you want to from your family. But keep in mind that if they’re critical it’s because they’re doing the right thing by you. Be sure to pick family members to tell that will give you honest feedback. And have a thick skin about it. Remember, you asked for help! Don’t be offended if you receive criticism.

Family Exercise

And remember…The family that plays together stays together. There’s every chance that telling your nearest and dearest that you’re trying to lose weight will encourage them too. You could even end up exercising and eating right as a whole family. Take walks and runs together or join sporting teams that are community and family based. Lots of these exist if you know where to look. Or join sporting clubs that have junior, men’s and women’s teams within them. That way you can play a sport together and watch each other play as well. Make a day of it and start enjoying your weekend as a group.

By Tim Howard

This should be a no-brainer and yet so few people do it. They’ll try to act the part and go to the gym along or grab their resistance bands and just workout at home alone. But that’s not how you’re going to get fit and healthy!

Find An Exercise Support Group

Working out at home can be great fun and it’s an excellent way to save on gym memberships and what not. But if you are going to exercise at home, be sure that someone else know. Have support, we all need it. There’s plenty out there on the web and if you are embarrassed about your weight, don’t worry! That’s the whole idea of a support group.

Your support group will likely meet once a month or fortnight, there’s a real comradery there. Don’t know where to find one? Fat Blasters and PeetTrainer are good places to start. Other people are out there for moral support. Never forget that.

But also remember that this is a group, a community. You’re only as strong and as motivated as the person next to you. So be sure to give as much encouragement as you get. Be positive and drive everyone to do better. Having someone alongside you will be some of the best motivation you can possible get.  So start sooner rather than later!!

By Tim Howard