Focus on Balance

The key to sticking to a fitness routine is finding one you enjoy.

This week our focus is balance.

Front Lunge to Balance

Start

1.     Stand with your feet hip-width apart and step forward with one leg into a wide stance (about 2-3 feet apart).

Movement

1.     Keeping your core tight, descend so that your back knee almost touches the floor. At the bottom of the movement, the front thigh should be parallel to the floor and the back knee should point toward the floor.  Both legs basically form 90 degree angles. Make sure your front knee does not extend beyond your toes.

2.     Push back up to a single leg balance.

3.     Repeat for one minute then switch legs.

Side Lunge to Balance

Start

1. Stand with your feet pointed straight ahead, placed shoulder-width

apart.

2. Lift your chest, tuck-in your chin and place your hands on your

hips.

Movement

3. Contract your glutes and lunge sideways with one leg.

4. Keep the lunge foot straight with the knee bent and directly in line

with the foot.

5. Your opposite leg should remain straight with the foot staying flat on the ground.

6. Push off your bent leg into a balanced standing position.

7. Repeat one minute to the right; then one minute to the left.

Single Leg Balance

Start
1. Stand tall with feet straight and shoulder-width apart.
2. Lift chest and push shoulders back.
Movement
1. Draw-in belly button and squeeze butt muscles.
2. Balance on one leg and lift other directly beside it with foot flexed and hip bent at 90 degree angle.
3. Hold balance position for 30 seconds; then repeat on other leg. 

Have fun and be healthy!

Carol

Five More Minutes of Fun!

The key to the challenges is to do whatever you can, whenever you can.

So, here are five more minutes of fun for you. Add them to the other moves, do them separately, or pick and choose from both sets to create your own circuit.

Marching Canoe

Start

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands clasped in front of you at about chest level.

Movement

1. Begin marching in place, stepping high. (If you don’t want to march, stand with your feet apart like in the graphic.)

2. Keep your body facing forward and bring your hands down to your left hip and then over to your right hip like you are "paddling." After each “stroke,” your hands should be back in front of your chest.

3. Continue for one minute.

Double Arm Reach

Start

1. Stand with your feet 3 feet apart and hands clasped.

Movement

1. Contract your abs and perform a plie keeping your hands toward the floor.

2. As you push up, raise your arms to the right.

3. Next, lower your hands with another plié.

4. Push up again, lifting your hands to the left.

5. Continue to alternate sides for one minute.

Side Imprint

Start

1. Stand with your shoulders in line with your hips and raise your right arm.

Movement

1. Shift onto your left leg and rotate your right leg at the hip, turning your toes out.

2. Crunch your right elbow and right knee together, pinching your waist.

3. Return to start and continue doing your right side for one minute.

4. Repeat on the left side for one minute.

Wall Sit

Start

1. Stand in front of a wall (about 2 feet in front of it) and lean against it.

Movement
1. Slide down until your knees are at a 90-degree angle and hold, keeping the abs contracted for 30 seconds.
2. Come back to start and repeat one more time.

Have fun and be healthy,

Carol

Five Minutes of Fun!

 To get fit, you only have to give away one thing…your excuses.

Your first exercise challenge: squats, arm circles, standing bicycle crunches.  And the good news is, you’ll be done in five minutes!

Squat

Start
1. Stand with feet straight and shoulder-width apart, knees bent - hands in front of you, on hips or behind ears.
Movement

1.     Slowly bend your knees and lower your body, as if you are putting your butt into a chair.  Your feet stay pointed straight ahead, heels on the floor and don’t allow your knees to go past your toes

2.     Keep chest up; squeeze butt muscles and press through heels to return to start; fully extend legs.

3.     Repeat for one minute.

Arm Circles

Start

1.     Stand up straight and extend your arms at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock.

2.     Open your palms and face them toward the floor.

Movement

1.     Move your arms clockwise in a small circle motion while keeping them as straight as possible. After 30 seconds, repeat the motion counter-clockwise for 30 seconds.

2.     Reposition your arms so both arms are straight above your head; palms facing each other. Move your arms in a big circle, extending your hands past your hips.  After 3o seconds, repeat the opposite direction for 30 seconds.

Standing Bicycle Crunch

Start

1. Stand with your feet spaced at hip width. 

2. Place your left hand on your left hip and extend your right hand above your head just a little outside your ear.

Movement

1. Bring your left knee up toward your chest while bending your right elbow down toward your waist.

2. Have elbow and knee meet and then return to the starting position.

3. Continue moving the same arm and leg for one minute, then switch to the other side.

Repeat the circuit daily.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Have fun and be healthy,

Carol

The Twelfth Day Is Here!

We're going retro for the 12th day!  Good old fashioned jumping jacks
-- no explanation needed.  However, if you don't like to jump or
jumping bothers your knees/feet/bladder (!), you may walk through the
sequence -- arms up, right leg out, return to start, arms up, left leg
out, return to start (that counts as one).

Have fun!

On the twelfth day of Christmas my trainer said to me

twelve jumping jacks

eleven prisoner squats

ten front lunges

nine side lunges

eight side iso-abs

seven quad arm leg raises

six superman poses

five puuuush-ups

four sets (4/5) of bicycle crunches

three sets (3/10) of vertical leg crunches

two sets (2/12) of floor bridges

and a plank held for thirty seconds please!

Hope all is calm, all is bright and you sleep in heavenly peace knowing
you've done your exercises!



Carol

Already Eleven!

You are on the final stretch!  Of course then we'll begin repeating
the sequence ... and having some fun with a few other ideas....?!

A friend of mine is worried that if she got great abs for Christmas,
what would she do for a New Year's resolution?  No need to fret.  I'll
think of something!

So...

On the eleventh day of Christmas my trainer said to me

eleven prisoner squats

ten front lunges

nine side lunges

eight side iso-abs

seven quad arm leg raises

six superman poses

five puuuush-ups

four sets (4/5) of bicycle crunches

three sets (3/10) of vertical leg crunches

two sets (2/12) of floor bridges

and a plank held for thirty seconds please!

Prisoner Squats
Start
1. Stand with feet straight and shoulder-width apart, knees bent, hands
behind ears.
Movement
2. Squat, bending knees and keeping feet straight.  Knees do not extend
beyond toes.
3. Keep chest up; squeeze butt muscles and press through heels to
return to start, fully extend legs.  

Hark!  Is there an angel singing?

Hark the Herald Angels sing, look how good that girl's abs are....

Rejoice!

Carol

It's Day Ten

One of my friends was hoping the Grinch stole days 10-12.  No such luck!

She's a mean one, Mrs. Grinch.  Oops, wrong song.

Here we go...

On the tenth day of Christmas my trainer said to me

ten front lunges

nine side lunges

eight side iso-abs

seven quad arm leg raises

six superman poses

five puuuush-ups

four sets (4/5) of bicycle crunches

three sets (3/10) of vertical leg crunches

two sets (2/12) of floor bridges

and a plank held for thirty seconds please!

Front lunge to balance

Start
1.  Stand with your feet pointed straight ahead and placed
shoulder-width apart.
2.  Lift your chest, tuck in your chin and place your hands on your
hips.
Movement
3.  Contract your glutes and lunge forward.  Bend your front and back
knees 90-degrees with your front foot placed flat on the ground and
your back heel lifted.
4.  Push off the heel of your front foot, straighten your leg and lift
your opposite leg until your hip and knee are flexed 90-degrees.
5.  Hold for a few seconds and then return to the starting position.
6.  Repeat 10 times on each leg.

That's all from Whoville!

Carol

On the ninth day

Balance is very important as we get older and since you've been working
your core quite hard, it's time to change our focus a little.

Be sure to sing along!

On the ninth day of Christmas my trainer said to me

nine side lunges

eight side iso-abs

seven quad arm leg raises

six superman poses

five puuuush-ups

four sets (4/5) of bicycle crunches

three sets (3/10) of vertical leg crunches

two sets (2/12) of floor bridges

and a plank held for thirty seconds please!

Side Lunge to Balance

Start
1. Stand with your feet pointed straight ahead, placed shoulder-width
apart.
2. Lift your chest, tuck-in your chin and place your hands on your
hips.
Movement
3. Contract your glutes and lunge sideways with one leg.
4. Keep the lunge foot straight with the knee bent and directly in line
with the foot.
5. Your opposite leg should remain straight with the foot staying flat
on the ground.
6. Push off your bent leg into a balanced standing position.
7. Repeat eight times to the right, then eight times to the left.

Comet and Cupid (and Carol) commend your efforts!