If you’ve hit an exercise slump, you might need some motivation to get you moving. Here’s a bit: Spring — and more time outdoors — soon will be here.
There’s no need to panic. It’s still possible to slim down in time, but it will take a heavy-duty commitment. That translates into eating healthful low-cal meals, doing cardio five days a week along with strength training for three days, and staying focused, said Cynthia Knapen, an Arlington, Texas, personal trainer accredited with the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Her advice: Find a workout you really enjoy and just do it. Running burns mega calories for those who regularly hit the road or treadmill. But it doesn’t help much if you can’t bring yourself to lace up your running shoes.
To jump-start an exercise routine, Knapen has come up with two of her favorite moves. They might stir up images of your high school gym class, but the addition of weights for one of them should speed up results. By the time warm weather arrives, you just might be able to fit into something sexy.
PUSH-UPS
What it works: Entire body. A Knapen favorite
What to remember: Suck in your stomach and don’t arch your back. Do as many as you can.
There are three ways to do this exercise, depending on how strong you are. Beginners should start on their knees. More advanced folks can go to their toes. Showoffs can use a chair to hold their feet.
1. Position yourself facedown with palms flat on the ground and a bit more than shoulder-width apart. Arms should be extended.
2. Lower upper body slowly, bending your arms, until your nose touches the ground. Keep your body straight.
3. Push back up to the starting position.
ARM SWINGS
What it works: Biceps, glutes
What you need: Weights
What to remember: Start by inhaling
1. With feet spread apart, lower yourself into a squat, holding weight with both hands in front of you. Arms are extended but relaxed at the elbow.
2. Squat down as low as possible, lowering weight almost to the floor.
3. Swing arms forward and then up over your head while squeezing your glutes, sucking in your stomach and rising to a standing position.
4. Return to starting position. Repeat 8 to 12 times. Do two to three sets.
BURNING CALORIES
To peel off the pounds, running is your best bet. But to get lasting results, it’s better to pick something you’ll stick with. To lose one pound, you must burn 3,500 more calories than you take in as food. Here’s a sampling of activities and the number of calories burned for a 135-pound person working out for 30 minutes:
%% Activity Calories burned
Walking 2 mph 85
Bowling 93
Water aerobics 122
Calisthenics (moderate) 138
Skateboarding 154
Walk/run play with kids 162
Swimming (moderate) 186
Jogging 215
Stationary bike (moderate) 215
Aerobics (high impact) 215
Boxing in ring 369
Running (10 mph) 551
[SOURCE: HEALTHSTATUS.COM] %%
