Friday, April 27, 2012

Exercise of the Day: Rotational Cable Pull

By including twisting movements into your workouts, especially when you are working your core, you engage multiple muscle groups, improve your balance, and enhance your functional strength. You also burn and sculpt your abs in a highly efficient manner, so go try this move today!!



1-Adjust the cable to its lowest setting and stand facing the cable.

2-Go down into a lunge, your left leg forward, and grasp the handle with your right hand, keeping your arm extended.

3-Without bending your arm, activate your core and twist out of the lunge, so you rotate a full 90 degree angle to your right, and come into a standing position, bringing the handle to your right hip.

4-Slowly and with control, resist the cable as your rotate back to your left, returning into your starting position of a lunge, facing the cable. This completes one repetition.

Do 12-15 repetitions on each side.

ENJOY!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Exercise of the Day: Tricep Dip and Reach

Today we're working our arms, core, and balance, by doing the Tricep Dip and Reach. This workout can be done just about anywhere, using a step, a plyometric box, a chair, steps, etc......so no excuses!!!



1-Sit in front of an exercise step and place your wrists on the edge of the step so your fingers point straight down to the floor. You want your hands shoulder width apart.

2-Bring yourself into a hover position, pressing into your wrists, your elbows bent, using your triceps to support your weight as your glutes hover a few inches over the floor. Press your heels into the floor and raise your toes to activate the back of your legs. This is your starting and end position for the exercise.

3-As you take an exhalation, push through your triceps and raise your torso straight up, straightening your elbows. As you raise up, extend your left arm straight in front of you as you lift your right heel off the floor. Hold this balance pose for a count of 2.

4-Return your left wrist to the step and your right heel to the floor as you sink your body back into the hover position.

5-Push through your triceps again to raise your torso and straighten your elbows, this time extending your right arm in front of you and lifting your left heel off the floor. Hold for a count of 2.

6-Return your right wrist to the step and your left heel to the floor as you sink your body back into the hover position. This completes one repetition.

Do as many repetitions as you can until you can no longer perform the exercise using good form.


ENJOY!!!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Exercise of the Day: Upright Rows

Strengthening your shoulders and arms is extremely important for daily activities, not just for looking good in those tank tops and short sleeve shirts that are emerging out of everyone's wardrobes! A great way to tone up your upper body is by performing an upright row. Upright rows can be performed with barbells, dumbbells, and with cables, so whether in a gym, at home, or on the row, it can be included into your workout.







1-Stand a few inches behind a barbell. Be sure that the barbell has enough weight that you can perform 8 reps in proper form, but cannot exceed 12 reps. We're lifting heavy to get the best possible toning and burn effect in your muscles.

2-Bend in your knees and come down and grasp the dumbbell with an overhand grip. Make sure that your hands only a few inches apart. Press through your heels and return to a standing position, the barbell resting in front of your pelvis.

3-Activate your shoulders and upper back and begin to lift the barbell straight upwards, your hands raising towards your chin. Pause for a count of 2.

4-Slowly and with control, lower the barbell back down to in front of your waist.

Do up to 12 reps at this weight. Rest for 1 to 2 minutes. Do 2 more sets.

Want a total body workout? Add in a sumo squat with each repetition. When you lower the barbell down from your chin, bend at your knees and lower the barbell all the way down to the ground. Press through your heels and stand back up, bringing the barbell back to your chin.



ENJOY!!!

Yoga Pose of the Day: Runner's Lunge

This morning during the Kathie Lee and Hoda hour of the Today show, there was a segment called "High Heel Yoga," detailing good stretches for your hip flexors, calves, achilles tendon, and the rest of your legs. The segment is funny enough just to watch Willie Geist do yoga, but the stretches are nothing to laugh at, and everyone should include them in their daily routine, especially after a long day of being on your feet.

Here's the link to the segment: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29054368/ns/today-kathie_lee_and_hoda/#47174153

I'll go over the Runner's Lunge, or Ardha Mandalasana. This is a great stretch for your hip flexors, groins, and your calves, and you can incorporate it into your dynamic stretches before you exercise as well as afterwards.


1-Start in Standing Forward Bend, or Uttanasana.

2-Begin to bend your knees and take a deep inhalation as you step your left foot back and place it at the edge of your mat. You know that you have placed your left foot in the right place if your right knee is directly over your right ankle, forming a 90 degree angle.

4-As you exhale, lay your torso across your right leg, creating length through your spine and pushing through your left ankle to create length in your left leg. Keep your pelvis in line, your hips even.

5-As you straighten your left leg and lift your left thigh to the ceiling, sink into your right leg. Push your left heel down to the floor. You may look forward, or, if your neck feels strain, look towards the ground.

6-Hold the pose for five deep breaths.

7-On your next exhalation, step your right leg back to your left foot and come into Downward Dog. Take a deep inhalation.

8-On your next exhalation, step your left leg forward and repeat the lunge, this time with your left leg forward and your right leg extended back.

9-After you have completed your five breaths with your left leg forward, step your right leg forward, coming back to Standing Forwards Bend, and then come up into Mountain Pose.

NAMASTE!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Exercise of the Day: Sumo Squats

Time to get those glutes burning and lifted! One of my favorite exercises to work the glutes and your inner thighs is doing any version of a sumo squat. Because of the exaggerated way that you space your legs, you hit your inner thighs and your glutes in a more specific manner than you do when doing a standard squat.



1-To get into position, place your feet well-past shoulder width apart. The perfect spacing of your feet is when you go down into the squat, you can lower your thighs to being parallel to the floor and your knees are directly above your ankles. You want your toes pointing at almost 180 degrees, or straight away from your body. The positioning of your toes is imperative for the direct use of your inner thighs rather than your quadriceps.

2-Begin with your feet spread in their sumo position, your torso straight and active, and your legs holding you up in a standing position.

3-Lower your torso straight down until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Hold for a count of 2.

4-Creating as much resistance in your muscles as you can, squeeze your glutes and inner thighs to raise you back into an standing position. This is one rep.

5-Repeat the sumo squat for 1 minute.

One of the best things about the sumo squat is that there are many variations of the exercise. For example, you can try doing the squat with your heels raised, you can lower yourself down into the squat and then walk forward and backward for 1 minute, and you can do plyometric sumo squat jumps.

Make the exercise your own and have fun with it as you tone up your legs and glutes, just in time for summer!

ENJOY!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Tip of the Day: Running Etiquette

Back from vacation! I promise I'll get right back to daily exercises, yoga poses, and recipes, but for now enjoy this article on Running Etiquette. It's always nice to run well with others!

http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/road-running-etiquette

Road-Running Etiquette  // runners on the road c Corbis

ENJOY!!