| Welcome Home My Florida! |
| An Offering of Health! |
| I'm getting ready for a new ME! Lot's of changes are happening, and I'm excited at the renewed enthusiasm I have for getting back, once again, into shape. Not only to look better, but to feel better. Do you have a few inches you'd like to see disappear? Then read on. Some great tips, funny stories and creative workouts are coming your way. Share your story with us here at Welcome Home My Florida! |
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| MARCH 2008 |
CRUNCHES
Diary of a Woman Part II
Deborah Sheehy http://www.welcomehomemyflorida.com
This information comes from what I've learned over the years about workouts. I am not an expert... I'm just someone who's been there,
done that... Always see your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Proper methods will give you faster results and will benefit
your efforts so much more than random motion.
I highly recommend a personal trainer! They'll walk you through everything, push you when needed and make sure you're in proper
form. I have used trainers in the past and have never regretted it. You don't have to use them forever. Learn from them for 3 months...
then go out on your own. Next month I'll tell you a funny, informative story about my last trainer! You won't want to miss reading that one.
Stomach crunches are a great way to tone the stomach. But if you aren't doing them correctly, you won't get the results you want and
you could be doing more
harm than good! Great form & controlled movements are the
keys to any exercise!
Basic Crunch: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your
feet flat on the floor about shoulder with apart. Beginners
or those with neck problems can place a pillow under the
head and neck. Press your lower back firmly to the floor without
any arch at all during the entire movement.
Rest your head in your hands, keeping your neck and shoulders
relaxed. Keep your arms back, parallel to the floor and keep your
chin up as though you have an apple under it. Tighten your
abdominals to slowly lift your shoulders off the floor about 6
inches.
Exhale as you come up. Do not lift up using your arms! Use
those abs to lift your shoulders upward. Rocking motions are
NOT allowed and aren’t doing you a bit of good! Let your
muscles do the lifting.
Keep an eye on those arms… keeping them wide open and not using them to lift your body upwards. They are there to relax the neck
and head.
Slowly lower your shoulders back to the floor using those same ab muscles. Don’t be in a hurry! Make your muscles get you up and
hold you from flying straight back down to the floor. Focus on your form as you move through the crunch from start to finish. Starting out,
do one set of 10 for one week. Progress up to three sets of 10 to 12.
Controlled movements are the key to successful workouts as you’re using your muscles to do the work and not momentum which can
hurt you in the long run plus give you much slower results. To prove this… try walking slowly up a staircase, then try to run up a
staircase. It’s much less painful to run as you are using momentum to gain. When you walk up, you can feel the burn much quicker
because you are working the muscle to sustain the climb.
Next Month: Versions of ab workouts to benefit the neck, back and lower abdomen and the story of my last trainer... Moses.
Diary of a Woman Part II
Deborah Sheehy http://www.welcomehomemyflorida.com
This information comes from what I've learned over the years about workouts. I am not an expert... I'm just someone who's been there,
done that... Always see your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Proper methods will give you faster results and will benefit
your efforts so much more than random motion.
I highly recommend a personal trainer! They'll walk you through everything, push you when needed and make sure you're in proper
form. I have used trainers in the past and have never regretted it. You don't have to use them forever. Learn from them for 3 months...
then go out on your own. Next month I'll tell you a funny, informative story about my last trainer! You won't want to miss reading that one.
Stomach crunches are a great way to tone the stomach. But if you aren't doing them correctly, you won't get the results you want and
you could be doing more
harm than good! Great form & controlled movements are the
keys to any exercise!
Basic Crunch: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your
feet flat on the floor about shoulder with apart. Beginners
or those with neck problems can place a pillow under the
head and neck. Press your lower back firmly to the floor without
any arch at all during the entire movement.
Rest your head in your hands, keeping your neck and shoulders
relaxed. Keep your arms back, parallel to the floor and keep your
chin up as though you have an apple under it. Tighten your
abdominals to slowly lift your shoulders off the floor about 6
inches.
Exhale as you come up. Do not lift up using your arms! Use
those abs to lift your shoulders upward. Rocking motions are
NOT allowed and aren’t doing you a bit of good! Let your
muscles do the lifting.
Keep an eye on those arms… keeping them wide open and not using them to lift your body upwards. They are there to relax the neck
and head.
Slowly lower your shoulders back to the floor using those same ab muscles. Don’t be in a hurry! Make your muscles get you up and
hold you from flying straight back down to the floor. Focus on your form as you move through the crunch from start to finish. Starting out,
do one set of 10 for one week. Progress up to three sets of 10 to 12.
Controlled movements are the key to successful workouts as you’re using your muscles to do the work and not momentum which can
hurt you in the long run plus give you much slower results. To prove this… try walking slowly up a staircase, then try to run up a
staircase. It’s much less painful to run as you are using momentum to gain. When you walk up, you can feel the burn much quicker
because you are working the muscle to sustain the climb.
Next Month: Versions of ab workouts to benefit the neck, back and lower abdomen and the story of my last trainer... Moses.
| Denise Austin Have you ever heard of her? She's my favorite workout guru for beginners or for those of us who've let the mid section start bulging again. She has awesome DVD's that have 3, 10 minute workouts on abs... or legs, or for your fanny, and arms. When I first found her tapes, I bought them all and it kept my workouts fresh and always changing. If you've never tried following her, and your pretty new to (or are re-newing your) exercise routine, she's a great place to start! |
Get Fabulously Fit for Life!
Diary of a Woman Part I
Deborah Sheehy http://www.welcomehomemyflorida.com
In the next several issues of Welcome Home My Florida, we’re
going to be talking about fitness and how to be in the best
condition of your life! At the age of 39, I was a size 12 and
miserable. The sparkle of youth was hiding in my closet some
where underneath a pile of shoes. I’ve always enjoyed working
out… in as much as a person could, but would only do it for short
periods of time, resulting in an average size of a 10 and about
145 lbs. I’m 5’4”. The ‘experts’ say my goal weight is about 135.
When I turned 39, I had one of those wake up calls because
turning 40 was a BIG step for me. I did NOT want to be an
overweight, lazy 40 year old, so I decided to do something. I
absolutely love riding a bicycle so I got my bike checked out, primed
up and cleaned off and out the door I went. I started by traveling down a road that had a bike path and made a
goal of being out there for a minimum of 30 minutes every day. Within two weeks, it was an hour and I was
able to cover 12 miles! Six miles out and six miles back in an hour. Now to those of you who are true bike
riders, that may not seem like much, but for me it was a milestone in my life. Because I enjoyed it so much, I
did this six days a week for about a year without fail.
The results were wonderful! Bike riding allows you a second or two to relax when needed, and because I
was determined, even though it was painful now and then, it was all worth it. I would come back red faced,
breathing hard, yet able to hold a conversation and feeling GREAT! I lost weight and felt wonderful! I felt as
though I was accomplishing something for myself… to be the best I could be physically.
So to begin an adventure of your own into fitness, take these first few steps…
1. Find an activity you love
2. Set initial goals for the first week low and step it up for the second week eventually getting it to the
maximum time you want to spend.
3. Set a time limit for your exercise. Even at my peak, an hour to an hour and thirty minutes was my limit.
4. Set a specific time to exercise and stick to it. What worked for me is after ending the work day, I would eat
and then take a nap (no kids or husband to have to contend with) and at 7 pm out the door I’d go. No excuses.
5. Remember to stretch… and NOT at the beginning of your workout! Cold muscles don’t stretch well! Here’s
what I learned… I would put on video tape with a good 5 minute warm up, hop on my bike, travel 6 miles, get
off the bike and stretch and then finish my bike ride. Upon arriving back home, I’d stretch again. Total time
devoted was about an hour and twenty minutes. In my opinion, a perfect workout.
Diary of a Woman Part I
Deborah Sheehy http://www.welcomehomemyflorida.com
In the next several issues of Welcome Home My Florida, we’re
going to be talking about fitness and how to be in the best
condition of your life! At the age of 39, I was a size 12 and
miserable. The sparkle of youth was hiding in my closet some
where underneath a pile of shoes. I’ve always enjoyed working
out… in as much as a person could, but would only do it for short
periods of time, resulting in an average size of a 10 and about
145 lbs. I’m 5’4”. The ‘experts’ say my goal weight is about 135.
When I turned 39, I had one of those wake up calls because
turning 40 was a BIG step for me. I did NOT want to be an
overweight, lazy 40 year old, so I decided to do something. I
absolutely love riding a bicycle so I got my bike checked out, primed
up and cleaned off and out the door I went. I started by traveling down a road that had a bike path and made a
goal of being out there for a minimum of 30 minutes every day. Within two weeks, it was an hour and I was
able to cover 12 miles! Six miles out and six miles back in an hour. Now to those of you who are true bike
riders, that may not seem like much, but for me it was a milestone in my life. Because I enjoyed it so much, I
did this six days a week for about a year without fail.
The results were wonderful! Bike riding allows you a second or two to relax when needed, and because I
was determined, even though it was painful now and then, it was all worth it. I would come back red faced,
breathing hard, yet able to hold a conversation and feeling GREAT! I lost weight and felt wonderful! I felt as
though I was accomplishing something for myself… to be the best I could be physically.
So to begin an adventure of your own into fitness, take these first few steps…
1. Find an activity you love
2. Set initial goals for the first week low and step it up for the second week eventually getting it to the
maximum time you want to spend.
3. Set a time limit for your exercise. Even at my peak, an hour to an hour and thirty minutes was my limit.
4. Set a specific time to exercise and stick to it. What worked for me is after ending the work day, I would eat
and then take a nap (no kids or husband to have to contend with) and at 7 pm out the door I’d go. No excuses.
5. Remember to stretch… and NOT at the beginning of your workout! Cold muscles don’t stretch well! Here’s
what I learned… I would put on video tape with a good 5 minute warm up, hop on my bike, travel 6 miles, get
off the bike and stretch and then finish my bike ride. Upon arriving back home, I’d stretch again. Total time
devoted was about an hour and twenty minutes. In my opinion, a perfect workout.