Fitness Tip #11 of #31 Park In The Furthest Parking Spot From The Entrance

Sometimes making simple daily changes adds up to huge gains in our health. Our daily activities account for 15-30% of our energy expenditure each day. Plus by increasing or daily expenditure our resting metabolic rate (energy we expend during rest) increases as well. The goal with this Tip is to maximize every opportunity to increase our daily expenditure.

Sitting in a car is resting, walking is not. So pull into the parking lot, find the first open spot, park in it and start walking.

But what if you’re late? RUN, it isn’t going to kill you! Just kidding. Play a little game with this tip. Pay attention to the cars that pull into the same parking lot in front of and behind you. See how much ahead of or behind you they are when you get into the store/or work/bank whatever. I bet you’ll get there about the same time. If not RUN, it isn’t going to kill you.

Or you can look into some time management resources so that you arrive in time to walk a little extra distance. Wouldn’t you rather be a little late and be super healthy and fit? Another rhetorical question.

Of course you would!

Now park as far away as possible and get to walking..

31 Days To A Much Improved You – Tip #9 Add These Four Core Exercises

Plank

Bridge

Bridge

The Bridge is a great core exercise. It helps to strengthen the hamstrings, gluteals, and all of the muscles that support the lower spine and pelvis. This picture shows the end position of the bridge. To start you want to lye flat on the ground, bend your knees to about 90 degrees. Then press through your heels and lift your hips toward the ceiling. The goal is to lift your hips high enough so that there is a straight line through your knees, hips and shoulders. Hold for 30-60 seconds and repeat 3 times.

 

 

 

 

 

Plank

Plank 

The Plank is a core exercise that is rooted in Yoga. It helps to strengthen all the muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis as well as the shoulder. Start by lying flat on the ground. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulder and your feet should be together with your weight on your toes. Lift your hips up so that only your toes and elbows (forearms too) are on the ground. Lift your hips until there is a straight line through your shoulders, hips, knees and ankles.  The weight of your body should be directly over your elbows and toes. You should avoid pressing forward on your elbows or backward on your toes. Also avoid “A-framing” (hips too high) or “Sagging” (hips too low). Hold this position for as long as you can. Repeat 3 times.

 

 

 

 

Pointer

Pointer 

This is called a pointer because when you perform it you look like a pointer dog. Start on your hands and knees with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Lift your right hand and left knee one inch of the ground. Hole this position while attempting to avoid any movement in the rest of your body. Take 4 seconds to slowly extend both your arm and leg simultaneously. Then take 4 seconds to return them to the start position (with out touching your hand and knee to the ground). Do 8-12 Repetitions on each side.

 

 

 

 

 

Boat Pose

Boat Pose 

The Boat Pose is also rooted in Yoga. I typically call this Coccyx Balance, because your coccyx bone is your tailbone. Balance on your tailbone lift your feet so that your shins are parallel to the ground. Your arms should be by your side, also parallel to the ground. Lift your sternum (breast bone), so that your spine is flat. Hold as long as you can. Repeat 3 times.

 

 

 

 

 

Add theses four core exercises to your daily routing. Do them everyday. Watch the video below to learn more about how to perform these exercises correctly. I’ll be back tomorrow with Tip #10

 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Djq1SjwlW0[/youtube]

Fitness Tip #8 of #31 Eliminate The Excuses

Congratulations! We’ve completed the first week Of “31 Days To A Much Healthier you”. At this point you should be doing all of the following each and every day: walking an hour, drinking a gallon of water, doing your 4 introductory stretches, as well as journaling your experiences. How’s it going? OK, rhetorical question, I know you’re rocking it and already beginning to notice some benefits!

But the truth is a vast majority of people quit their new exercise or diet programs during the first week. I don’t want you to be that person. I want you to succeed! One of the biggest obstacles you’ll faceis the idea that a diet or workout program is temporary. You have those ideas because that is how the fitness and diet industries promote their programs. You see it all the time, things like, “lose 15 pounds in 15 days” or “Sign up today for our 21 day fat burning miracle workout”. The fact is those programs work great, for some. They work for the people who are selling them to you! They make billions of dollars every year selling them, but they don’t work for you. In fact they set you up for failure, so that you can come back again and buy their next program.

I think I was very clear when I introduced this 31 Day program not to look at day 31 as the end of the journey. But instead you should look at day 32 as the start of you being empowered with tons of new information and habits you can use for the rest of your life. You’ll need to make changes in your daily behavior if you want to make changes in your life. Anything short of that simply won’t work. That may not sound as fun and exciting as all the other programs out there. But it’s the truth! And those other programs are ripping you off!!!

So when you’re faced with the task of actually changing your behavior, is your first reaction to resist that change? Are you uncomfortable with making changes and doing things differently than you have in the past? Does it seem overwhelming and unachievable? If you have any of these feelings or thoughts, the first thing you are going to do is come up with excuses why it won’t work for you.

Excuses will get in the way of accomplishing anything, every time.

As soon as you have those thoughts or feelings, squash them! Stop them immediately, and find solutions instead. Now this will be a process for you, part of the journey. It’s ok that you have these thoughts and feelings. The goal for you is to be able to recognize them and begin to change the way you are thinking. As soon as you recognize that you’re making an excuse, start to find the solutions.

Sometimes it will be very easy. If you’re saying to yourself that you’re too tired to workout, just go workout anyways, you’ll feel better. Now if you’re too tired because you stayed up late (watching TV, playing video games, or on FaceBook).You simply need to reprioritize, put your health ahead of those things and go to sleep earlier.

See how easy this is?

Ok, here’s the deal, from now on NO MORE EXCUSES, ONLY SOLUTIONS! Get to it…

See you again tomorrow…

31 Days To A Much Improved You Fitness Tip #5 Add These Four Stretches To Your Daily Routine

Finish Position For Lying Hamstring Stretch

Lying Hamstring Stretch

Lying Hamstring Stretch - Start

Start Position For Lying Hamstring Stretch

Finish Position For Lying Hamstring Stretch

In the start position you want to lye flat on your back with your left leg relaxed on the ground. Grab behind your right knee with both hands and pull your knee toward your chest. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. After 30-60 seconds straighten  your right leg, grab your calf and pull your leg toward your body. You’ll feel a stretch in your hamstring (the back of your leg). Hold for 30-60 seconds. Repeat with your left leg. Do 2-3 stretches for each leg.

[Read more…]

Fitness Tip #3 of #31 Journal Every Day

As you make these daily changes I’d like you to begin to document your experiences in a daily journal. By doing so you’ll be able to look back on these 31 day and gain a clearer understanding regarding which fitness tips were simple for you and where your challenges lie. Journaling is a good problem solving tool and helps to provide valuable self-knowledge. Spend some time each day documenting the food you eat, the activities you’re engaged in and what your feelings and emotions are with those experiences. Select a convienent method to document your journey, one that is easy for you to get to each day. Whether it’s a store bought journal, a blank piece of paper, a notebook, a word document, or an app on your iPhone: select whatever will work best for you.

Here are ways the Journaling will help you this month and beyond.

It’s Flexible and Easy

Journaling has no rules. You can use your own style and processing methods. It’s fine to be a little messy and have typos and poor writing. It can be applied to clarify anysituation in your life It doesn’t take much time to slow down, pay attention and listen to yourself.

Stress Reduction
Journaling help you to increase your focus by allowing time to analyze your thoughts. It can help to release pent-up thoughts and emotions and bring stability by allowing you to process situations in an appropriate way.

Healing
Journaling can help you to strengthen your sense of yourself by revealing and tracking patterns and cycles in your life. It allows you to act as your own counselor and integrate the highs and lows in your life. It is always honest, trusting, non-judgmental

Know Yourself
By recording your past you’ll begin to clarify your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. You’ll learn how you think, learn and create. As you shift to the observer, recorder, counselor you’ll begin to identify an awareness of your beliefs and options so you can change them. You’ll develop confidence and self knowledge and you’ll feel better about yourself.

Personal Growth
Journaling helps to measure and track what is important to you. It will allow you to integrate life’s experiences and learning’s and start the sorting and grouping process. This self expression will plant the seeds to create more results in your life and enable you to live life to the fullest

Problem Solving
When you journal you develop new perspectives that will bring things together and help make decisions a whole lot easier.
 
Captures Your Life Story
Journaling allows you to look back on your life experiences and recall with clarity, what was going on in your life at that specific time. What you were thinking, feeling andexperiences. When you capture you’re story, your left with something concrete to leave for the next generation.

Now grab a piece of paper and get to it! Enjoy and I’ll be back tomorrow…

Fitness Tip #2 of #31 Take A One Hour Walk

Moderate physical activities will yield tremendous physical benefits. Those benefits include decreased risk of heart disease and certain cancers. Improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The increase in physical activity will result increase energy (caloric) expenditure which will help to decrease your body fat percentage. Your metabolism will improve not only during exercise but also for a short period after activity. Improvements in aerobic capacity will help to make all of your activities of daily living easier, resulting in more energy throughout the day.

Here’s the deal…

Take a one hour walk today and every single day for the next 30 days. Push yourself a little. Select a pace that increases your breathing to the point that you’d be able to carry on a conversation, but you’d be unable to sing. Here are some modifications. If you can’t walk for 60 straight minutes, break it up into two 30 minute walks or four 15 minute walks. Or walk as long as you can and add 1-2 minutes each day. If you aren’t certain that you can  walk for 60 minutes please walk laps around your block (or a couple blocks), do not attempt to walk away from your home for 30 minutes only to find you can’t make it back. I’m not coming to get you!

 If you already do cardiovascular exercise of any type simply add a 60 minute walk on the days that you don’t participate in more vigorous exercise.

 If you can do vigorous aerobic activity for 60 minutes every day, then you already appreciate all the benefits of cardiovascular fitness. Rock On!

              Here is a short list of more benefits of Cardiovascular/Aerobic Exercise

1. Instant feel-good. You will feel invigorated for hours after training
2. Train your heart. The heart is a muscle and cardio is its strength training
3. Increased endurance and stamina. Get through your day without a cat-nap.
4. Increased confidence right away!
5. Healthy lungs
6. Increases metabolism for up to 24 hours
7. Improves immune system. Being sick less equals more days to work out!
8. Reduces stress
9. Improves circulation. You will be less sore after weight training
10. Sleep better
11. Relief from depression and anxiety
12. Reduced risk of some cancers
13. Reduced risk of heart disease
14. Lower blood pressure
15. Lowers cholesterol
16.. Live longer

Enjoy your walk! See you tomorrow for Fitness Tip #3

Fitness Seminars

Exersise

My live, in-person seminars will give you all the tools you’ll need for ultimate success.

More information on my fitness seminars is coming soon…

Fitness Equipment Reviews

Equipment Reviews

Do you want to know what fitness and exercise equipment works best?

Fitness Equipment Reviews are coming soon…

Abdominal And Core Training

Abdominal and Core

Abdominal and Core Training have been around since the development of structured exercise programs. Ab exercises are nothing new they’ve been around forever. But the term Core Training has become very popular in the last ten years.

Abdominal and Core training is the foundation to your success. Here’s why…

To help explain the importance of Ab and Core Training it’s important to first understand what your Abs and Core are.

Abdominals

Abs are simple, they are your four Abdominal muscles

  1. Transverse abdominal
  2. Internal Obliques
  3. External Obliques
  4. Rectus Abdominis (six pack muscle)

The Core is open to a bit more interpretation.

The most common interpretation of the Core is to divide it into an inner and outer unit. The inner unit being the muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis (this includes the transverse abdominis). It’s accurate to define this as a “unit” because this group of muscles has an single nerve input. Therefore the muscles that make up the inner unit all contract simultaneously to stabilize the spine and pelvis.

The outer unit is the Abdominal muscles that move the spine (listed above).

In General, this definition of the Core is the most widely used and accepted in the fitness industry. And I can almost agree with it. Except the “outer unit” really isn’t a unit the way the inner unit is. The “outer unit” has multiple nerve inputs and we can consciously decide how to move our spine. The different movements that we’re capable of, engage a different combination of muscles (so it’s not really a unit).

Other definitions of the core also include the muscles that stabilize and move both the shoulder complex and hips. The muscles that stabilize and move the spine, pelvis, hip and shoulders make up the majority of our muscles and a huge majority of movement we are capable of.

If you look at the general definition of Core; “The central, innermost, or most essential part of anything“. Then including the hips and shoulders makes absolutely no sense.
So here is my definition.

Core

The Core is made up of the muscles that stabilize the spine and pelvis. This fits the definition of core, they are the innermost muscles. It is also essential to focus on developing Core strength when beginning a workout routine, as well as maintaining core function throughout your training program and life.

When functioning properly the muscles of the core contract a fraction of a second before your intended movement begins. This contraction is subconscious and serves one purpose. Your Core contracts to stabilize and support your spine and pelvis before movement to protect your spine from injury.

If your Core doesn’t contract prior to movement or if you don’t have adequate strength in your Core muscle, then you are increasing your risk of injury with every movement
When developing your Core and Abs program it’s important to begin with Core exercises. You should first develop adequate core strength then progress to adding abdominal strengthening exercises.

For examples of some Core and Abdominal exercises please visit my “Photo Gallery” page.

Flexibility

Flexibility

Flexibility is an important component of every fitness program.

Flexibility Programs can be performed everyday. With Resistance Training, you should always take a day off between training muscle groups. And with Cardiovascular Exercise,  you should plan on one or two days of rest each week.

Adding a Flexibility or Stretching element to your fitness program will improve your results in many ways. That’s because there are many benefits to improving your Flexibility, including;

  1. Relaxation of Stress and Tension
  2. Muscular Relaxation
  3. Self-Discipline
  4. Body Fitness, Posture, and Symmetry
  5. Relief of Low Back Pain
  6. Relief of Muscular Cramps
  7. Relief of Muscular Soreness
  8. Injury Prevention
  9. Enjoyment and Pleasure
  10. Union of the Body, Mind and Spirit

There are several common Stretching Techniques that you can utilize to improve and achieve optimal Flexibility.

The first (and most obvious) is Self Stretching.  This is the easiest way to get started, and that’s because you are always available to stretch yourself. Plus you are always with you. So you can Self Stretch any place, at home, the gym, hotel room, etc.  There are  three general sub-categories of Self Stretching.

  1. Static Stretching
  2. Ballistic Stretching
  3. Dynamic Stretching

 

Static Stretch – With a Static Stretch you will move into the stretch and once you feel the stretch, hold that position. Typically the stretch is held for a relatively long period of time (20-60 seconds). To get the most out of Static Stretching you should exhale into the stretch and relax as much a possible. You’ll also notice that after 20-40 seconds the sensation of the stretch will decrease. When that happens you should move into the stretch a little bit more and hold that “new” position for an additional 20-30 seconds.

There are several benefits of Self, Static Stretching. It is convenient. You can do it anytime, and anywhere. It feels good and is very relaxing. And it is very safe.

The downside of Self, Static Stretching is that the improvements that you will experience during the workout are often times transitory. Meaning that you’ll notice an improvement in your range of motion during the workout, but those gains are quickly lost. It’s common to be right back where you started at the beginning of your next stretching workout. While you can improve your flexibility over time, the process with Self, Static Stretching is very slow and will require a lot of patience.

Ballistic Stretching– Ballistic Stretching is also a Self Stretching technique. Its different from Static Stretching in that you will bounce in and out of the stretch at the end of your range of motion.

There is one benefit to Ballistic Stretching. If you are about to perform an activity that requires quick, explosive movements, then ballistic stretching can be used as part of the warm up to prepare you body for that activity.

But there are several downsides to ballistic stretching. There is a risk of bouncing too far into a stretch. This could result in a muscle strain. Which can lead to pain and soreness. Also repeatedly over stretching and straining muscles can lead to damage and scar tissue. Scar tissue, unlike muscle tissue is not elastic (it doesn’t stretch), therefore over the long term you could experience a reduction in range of motion/flexibility. Also there is a nervous system protective mechanism that will cause your muscle to contract if they are rapidly over stretched. This contraction’s purpose is to prevent a muscle pull. By performing ballistic stretches you can trigger this response. If you do, a contracted muscle is more tense than a relaxed muscle, thus you limit your ability to stretch it.

If you plan on integrating Ballistic Stretching into your program, make sure that you are fully warmed up and stretched out. Then perform the ballistic stretches prior to your event (game/practice). Also your ballistic stretches should replicate the activity that you’re going to be performing.

Dynamic Stretching– The final type of Self Stretch is a Dynamic Stretch. With Dynamic Stretching you will move into and out of stretches. But unlike Ballistic Stretching you won’t bounce at the end of the stretch. Instead you’ll move slower and through your entire range of motion into and out of the stretch. These movement are more complex than typical stretches. Think along the line of a flow Yoga class, Tai Chi, or a dancer warming up. These type of movements have been merging into athletics so you might be familiar with some of them.

There are a ton of benefits to Dynamic Stretching. First of all it takes strength to move into and out of the stretches. As you develop an increased range of motion you’ll simultaneously be developing strength in that new found range of motion. That is the key to maintaining flexibility and seeing rapid improvements. It is safe. You can easily replicate the movement patterns of your upcoming activity. You’re body temperature will stay elevated. Being properly warmed up is vital to an effective Flexibility workout.

The only downside to Dynamic Flexibility is that the movements can be complex. It’s easy for people to perform them incorrectly. So you’ll need to take some time and learn how to do the stretches the correct way.

The Second Type of Stretch is an Assisted Stretch

Assisted Stretches utilize a partner to help you achieve a greater stretch. No matter how much you know about Flexibility, a stretching partner will always be able to generate a deeper stretches than attempting to stretch on your own. The obstacle is that you are dependent upon some one else. That person may not always be available.

The three general sub-categories of Assisted Stretching are;

  1. Passive
  2. Active Assist
  3. PNF

Passive Stretch– With a Partner Assisted, Passive Stretch the stretchee should relax as much as possible. The stretch partner will move the stretchee into all of the stretches. Once a full stretch is achieved the Partner will hold that position for a specific period of time. This time is similar to the Self Static Stretching (20-60 seconds).

The benefits of Passive Stretching is that it is very safe. You can experience a deeper stretch than you’re able to on your own. It can be done anywhere.

The only downside is that you are dependant on someone else to assist you who may not always be available. And progress can be quite slow, like the Self Static stretch. It may feel like you’re starting at the same level at the beginning of each workout.

Active Assist– Active Assist is similar to Passive except the Stretchee is engaged in the process. For an Active Assist stretch, the stretchee will move into the stretch (using the opposing muscle group) as far a possible. At that point the assistant will push the stretchee into a deeper stretch. This type of stretch takes advantage of a physiological response in the body called Reciprocal Inhibition. Reciprocal Inhibition can be somewhat difficult to understand. But just know this. In order for your body to move, muscles must contract. To perform a specific movement you have to contract specific muscles, also the muscles that perform the opposite of your desired movement must relax. Those relaxed muscles are neurologically inhibited.

That inhibition results in a deeper stretch. The Active Assist stretch begins to utilized some of the principles of the final type of stretch PNF.

The benefits of the Partner Active Assist Stretch is that you’ll experience deeper stretching and improved results compared to Static and Passive Stretching.

The downside is that you’re still dependant upon a partner.

PNF– PNF stands for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation. Proprioception is subconscious awareness of your body in time and space. Try this. Extend your right arm out to your side then close your eyes. Slowly bend your elbow and bring your finger in toward your nose. Stop just before you touch your nose. Now open your eyes. Your finger got pretty close to your nose with out touching it, didn’t it? That is because you have proprioceptors (sensory nerves) in every joint in your body, including your elbow. You had a sense of the angle of your elbow and the position of your finger even though you couldn’t see them. That’s proprioception.

So in PNF Stretching the assistant takes advantage of our knowledge of how the nervous system and proprioceptors work. There are several techniques available within the realm of PNF Stretching.  Including;

  1. Repeated Contractions
  2. Rhythmic Initiation
  3. Slow Reversal
  4. Slow Reversal-Hold
  5. Rhythmic Stabilization
  6. Contract-Relax
  7. Hold-Relax
  8. Slow Reversal-Hold-Relax
  9. Agonistic Reversal

The benefit of PNF is that it is very effective at increasing Flexibility within a workout session. It also results in rapid flexibility improvements over time. It has been studied extensively and it is very effective. In addition to improvements in Flexibility it also helps improve strength and joint stability. In my opinion Dynamic Self Stretch and Partner Assisted PNF are the way to go.

Now for the downside of PNF. If you’re interested in improving your flexibility, but you’ve decided to go to school and pursue a career in something other than fitness you are probably unsure about how to implement PNF into your workouts. That’s because it’s complicated. You have to have an extensive background in exercise science and specific training in the administration of PNF stretching techniques. That is a huge downside. You can’t just grab your spouse or a friend and head out to the gym and do PNF stretching.

If you’re serious about your Flexibility and you want to incorporate PNF into your routine, then you should seek out a professional in your area for help. It will be worth it. Otherwise stick to the other techniques I’ve addressed in this post. But do add a Flexibility component to your routine. You’ll feel great and your body will thank you.

For more information about Flexibility Click Here

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