Bench dip exercise

Posted by on March 28, 2009 under Arm exercises, Exercise, fitness | Be the First to Comment

The Bench dip exercise is an exercise where you will just need yourself and a short table or bench that is almost knee level.  To start this exercise, you will need to sit on the bench.  Put your hands next to your hips and walk your legs forward.  Your heels of your hands will support your weight while your fingers will curl around the edge of the bench.  Make sure to hold in your stomach muscles tight and hold your body close to the bench.  The movement in the bench dip exercise is to lower the tailbone towards the ground using the arms.  The knees, elbows, and shoulders will be exercised as well.  When at the bottom of the movement, push into the bench to return to the starting position.  As you descend, make sure each time that your spine is descending parallel to the legs of the bench.

Bench dip exercise part 1 with Sarah

Bench dip exercise part 2 with Sarah

Quad stretch

Posted by on March 20, 2009 under stretches, stretching | Be the First to Comment

The Quad Stretch is best used to stretch out your quad muscle.  To do this stretch, you will want to lie on your side, and with your bottom arm hold your lowered leg toward the chest.  For the upper leg, hold the top of your foot, and pull your top leg slightly back and up.  The bottom leg and torso should stay still while doing this stretch.  It is important to pull in the abdomen, not use the arm too much for the stretch, and to use the leg more to do the stretch. After doing the stretch for the one leg, flip sides and do it for the other side.

Quad Stretch part 1 with Sarah

Quad Stretch part 2 with Sarah

The wall sit exercise

Posted by on March 19, 2009 under Core Exercises, Exercise, Leg and Thigh Exercises, fitness | Be the First to Comment

The wall sit exercise is sometimes considered a leg and hip exercise, and other times considered a core exercise.  In this particular pose, one sits with their back to vertical against the wall, their thighs parallel to the floor, and calves parallel with the wall.  It is important to remember that when doing this exercise, it is important to keep the abdominal muscles tight.  It is also important to tighten the buttocks for the duration of this exercise.  As for length of amount of time to do this exercise, my recommendation, and what I learned, is to start out for about 30 seconds with this particular exercise.  The next day that can be increased by another 15 seconds.  In future days the time can be increased until this exercise is too much.  The way I know what is exercise is finished, is that there is a steady burn developing in the thigh muscles.

The Wall Sit Exercise with Sarah

The plank exercise as part of your fitness program

Posted by on March 18, 2009 under Core Exercises, Exercise, fitness | Be the First to Comment

The plank can be a very useful part of a fitness program.  In the photo in this article, you can see the plank position, also known as the front plank position.  This is one of my favorite core exercises.  For this exercise, one lies facedown on the floor.  Arms will be folded under the body with face looking down at the floor.  Elbows will be by the side and feet will be on the toes.  The exercise done is to raise the torso into a horizontal position as if the body is a board.  Shoulder blades, back, and legs should all be straight.  This position stabilizes the body.  It is very important to tighten the buttocks when doing this exercise, and also to tighten the abdominal muscles.  If this is too much to do, this exercise can be done on the knees instead of the toes.  My choice is to do this exercise at first for 10 seconds, in future days for 20 seconds, after that for 30 seconds, and eventually up to one minute per session.

The plank exercise with Eric

Using the exercise bike for great cardio

Posted by on under Cardio Exercises, Exercise, fitness | Be the First to Comment

Bike Exercise for Fitness

Using the exercise bike for great cardio is a nice way to burn some calories.  In the photo here you can see a great example of an exercise bike at home.  For sure running, you cardio machines, and other various indoor and outdoor exercises can burn more calories than an exercise bike, but here are some plusses of an exercise bike: you can watch TV while on the bike, you can read while on the bike, if you have had upper body injuries the bike can be very helpful, and if you’re coming back from a leg injury, a bike can help you pace yourself as you heal.

From my training and experience, it is best to use an exercise bike for good general fitness at least every other day.  What I would do personally is to warm up for five minutes at a lower resistance and speed, and then for the next 25 minutes either slowly increase the resistance or set a program on the exercise bike to change as you go.  The exercise bike in this photo is an upright exercise bike, which I generally find to be easier on the body and more involved.  A recumbent exercise bike, which is the kind where you’re sitting further back, can be useful if you prefer that position. I do not find that it burns as many calories as an upright exercise bike.

Fat Free Yoga Total Tune-Up yoga DVD review

Posted by on March 1, 2009 under DVDs, dvd reviews, fitness, yoga | Be the First to Comment

Fat Free Yoga Total Tune-Up is a DVD featuring Ravi Singh and Ana Brett.  I thought this was a very good DVD, and pretty long for the money spent.  You will need to have some time on your hands to do these workouts, as they are not 10 minutes each.  The total time of this DVD runs 80 minutes.  This fat free yoga DVD is meant to help you change your body, energize, and improve your mood.  There are four segments on this DVD which can be done one at a time or altogether.  The first one is about warming up and opening up so that you can improve your flexibility and help your back.  The second section which is about firming and affirming, and is meant to help your stomach tighten and improve your digestive system.  The third section is about burning calories to increase the speed of your metabolism.  The fourth section which is titled raise yourself up, is meant to help your thyroid and decrease depression.  This is good if you want to stay more positive in life and work on  depression issues.

Perfect in Ten Stretch 10 Minute Workouts fitness DVD review

Posted by on under Exercise, fitness, stretching | Be the First to Comment

Perfect in Ten Stretch 10 Minute Workouts is a spectacular DVD that is designed to give you 10 minute stretches.  The instructor, Annette Fletcher, has a good mood and personality as she instructs in this DVD. This DVD has five workouts so that you can lower your stress and increase your flexibility.  There are many pieces of equipment that people often think that they need to purchase to stretch.  The same goes for working out.  Often people think they have to do everything or nothing, meaning in this case stretch for 30 minutes to really do well.  This DVD really helps with the fact that 10 minutes of stretching can be better than zero minutes of stretching.  No equipment is needed to use this DVD.  Anyone at any fitness level may be able to do parts or all of this DVD in any location.  Not only can stretching help flexibility, stress reduction, and mood, but it can also help your posture and burn calories!  One section of this DVD has stretches that are done standing, lying down, or leaning against your wall. The next section are less active where you can stretch even while sitting in a chair.  There’s a sports stretching section which will help you with various fitness activities.  If you want a deeper stretch there is also an intense stretching section.  Some stretches are active while others are passive.  The five segments on this DVD assure you that it will be an important part of your collection for quite awhile.

Yoga In Chairs for Beginners DVD review

Posted by on under fitness, yoga | Be the First to Comment

Yoga In Chairs for Beginners was pretty good for what it was designed to do.  My concern on this DVD is that someone may buy it who is ready for more active yoga that this.  I thought that this could be a good DVD for someone at any age, but really it is a very, very gentle introduction to yoga when you are sitting in a chair.  The yoga instructor in this DVD is Liz Franklin.  Although this DVD is meant to bring mobility to the whole body, I think it is more ideal as a starter DVD for someone who can only sit in a chair, with a plan that they would like to grow into using another yoga DVD eventually.

10 Minute Solution: Pilates DVD review

Posted by on under DVDs, Pilates, dvd reviews | Be the First to Comment

10 Minute Solution: Pilates is my favorite DVD so far for Pilates.  I think the idea of 10 minute workouts to target exactly what the person exercising wants is genius.  Not everyone has 45 minutes for a home workout, or an hour and a half to drive to the gym and back.  I have tested sessions with personal trainers, trips to the gym, and many other kinds of exercise.  It really all does end up depending on the person exercising.  If you can set 10 minutes a side to do one or more of the workouts on this DVD, you’re all set.  The workouts on this DVD are meant to get your whole body in shape.  This includes your abs, buns, thighs, and rest of your body.  You can gain flexibility, sculpting, and that famous Pilates burn from this DVD.  The instructor in this DVD, Lara Hudson, is well-known for her fitness DVDs.  The workouts featured on this DVD include Pilates for abs,  Pilates for buns and thighs, Pilates for sculpting, plus Pilates burn and Pilates for flexibility.  The bonus on this DVD helps you create a custom workout where you can program any of the five DVD segments that you choose.

Crunch - Candlelight Yoga DVD Review

Posted by on under DVDs, yoga | Be the First to Comment

Crunch - Candlelight Yoga is a great DVD.  If you want to get good exercise, stretching, breathing, flexibility, restoration, relaxation, and stress relief, this DVD will really help get you there.  This crunch workout is from crunch fitness.  The instructor, Sara Ivanhoe, is from Los Angeles and is a certified yoga teacher. In this yoga DVD you’ll find that the 30 minute set of yoga postures and poses help your body health, balance, and flexibility.  Although breathing and meditation are often part of yoga, this DVD keeps up the pace.  The instructor on this DVD is beautiful to watch, and really gives the owner of the DVD of their money’s worth.  This DVD not only includes the candlelight yoga workout, but a 15 minute bonus yoga workout for energizing as well.  We were impressed and so happy that crunch created such a professional environment for this video shoot and that the package that the owner of the DVD gets when they buy it is a worthwhile one.  Thanks crunch!