Here are 5 top fitness tips to help you at home or the gym.
1. Choose a schedule you can do. For example, 2 or 3 times a week is fine if that is all you can do.
2. Eating a good diet, not dieting, is as good as working out.
3. Drink water rather than sweet drinks.
4. Cardio is as important as strength training.
5. Walks can be great too. For example, walking the dog or taking a hike can be done instead of going to the gym.
Yoga can be a wonderful part of fitness and stretching. Downward facing dog is one of our favorite exercises to stretch out many muscle groups and tone the body. Watch the video below to learn downward facing dog.
I’ve tested Shiatsu with excellent results when used as part of a fitness program. It works on muscle issues and healing, healing of disease, stretching muscles and joints, and improving energy patterns. Shiatsu once or twice a week in between workouts helps sore muscles to heal faster, circulation to improve, and tense parts of the body that have been worked out too hard to relax.
Shiatsu in Japanese comes from shi for finger, and atsu for pressure. Shiatsu hands on therapy is great as either part of a fitness or rehabilitation program as it is regulated as a licensed medical therapy in Japan by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In shiatsu, stretching and pressure are the most important components. A shiatsu practitioner uses their elbows, feet, palms, fingers, thumbs, knees, and knuckles to target accupucture points on meridians to increase energy flow, help blocked or unbalanced energy, and strengthen the muscles, joints, and organs. Shiatsu is meant to address the physical to the spiritual in the body.
I have found that Thai Massage can be an incredible component to a fitness program as it is almost more similar to yoga than a massage. Thai Massage is unique in that it involves various stretching movements as well as deep tissue massage. I’d personally call it assisted yoga. Thai massage can assist in a rehabilitation program. No oil is used, clothes remain on, and it is usually done on the floor on a padded mat or cushions.
The most important thing to note when using Thai Massage for fitness is that you will need a talented person to do the massage each time. The person doing the massage will stretch muscles, use acupressure, compress muscles, mobilize joints, move blood throughout your muscles and joins, and relax tired muscles. The massage therapist uses his or her legs, knees, hands, and feet to move the body into a series of stretches. It is more rigorous and energizing than most kinds of massage. This helps muscles repair and heal faster.
Originally, Thai Massage was done by monks as part of Thai medicine. This kind of massage originated in India and was based on Ayurveda and Yoga. It was brought to Thailand more than 2500 years and is practiced quite a lot in Thailand as well as throughout the world.
When using Thai Massage for a fitness program, I feel it is one component. It is used to stretch, circulate blood, and heal muscles and joints. This means the next exercise workout can be done with optimal results since muscles have been given such assistance in repairing and lengthening. Search for thai massage on Amazon.com.
The Lateral raise exercise started out by standing facing forward, away from the wall. In each hand I would suggest a dumbell of 2-5 pounds in weight. Feet should be together, hands at the sides, elbows and knees slightly bent. Palms of hands should face the body. The movement for this exercise is to raise hands/arms until parallel to the floor at the sides of the body. It should be as if there is a straight line through the arms. Hold for two seconds and then lower the arms. This exercise can be done for 5 reps the first time. A good goal would be to eventually increase to 12 reps. Over time, it could be ideal to reach two to three sets of twelve.
For the overhead press exercise, I’d suggest starting out sitting on a chair or exercise ball. Facing forward, dumbells can be held just above shoulder level. Palms can face forward. To do this movement, shoulder and arm muscles can be used to extend the arms directly upward above the shoulders. It is good to start with no more than 8 reps and progress to 12 eventually, and then a number of sets.
TheDumbell Kickback Exercise is done by starting out with a bench or table. Rest the right arm and right knee on the surface. The right arm should hang directly below to the bench, straight. The left arm should hold a dumbell, folded in towards the chest. The right calf is 90 degrees to the thigh of that leg. The left leg is almost straight. The movement for this exercise is to extend and straighten the left arm directly up and back to be parallel with the torso, using the arm muscles. After doing 10 of these exercises, flip to do this exercise for the other side. When ready in future weeks, increase number of sets to two or three. This is a terrific arm exercise.
The towel fly exercise is a terrific exercise for the chest muscles. To do this exercise, start out in a push up position where arms are straight and hands are more than a shoulder width apart below the body on a towel. The towel should be tight between the arms under the body. The movement for this exercise is to use the chest muscles to bring the arms together. Following that, use the chest muscles again to push the arms apart. This exercise is best done on a slippery floor so the towel can easily slide. I would suggest 5 reps of this exercise the first time. In future weeks, increase to 10 reps, and then increase to two or three sets of this great chest exercise when possible.
The Crossover crunch core exercise starts out with the student on their back. This is a terrific exercise for the abs. Hands are folded behind the head with elbows open. Left leg is bent and folded over the knee of the right leg. That folded leg calf is at a 90 degree angle to the thigh. The right foot is on the ground, below shoulder width. The motion for this core exercise is to bring the right arm and shoulder across the body, flexing the torso, towards the left knee. Meanwhile, the left elbow stays in contact with the ground. Exhale while moving towards the knee, and inhale while lowering. Do 10 of these, holding each for one second. Then switch sides and do this exercise with left foot on the ground, right leg on the knee of the left, and bringing the left arm and shoulder through in the crunch.
The Calf Raise Leg and Hip Exercise id done by standing vertically. Lean against the wall with the left arm and stand on the right foot. Tuck the left foot behind the right foot. Lift the body with the toes and arch of your foot so that the body moves directly upward. This movement can be held for 2 seconds per raise and done 5 times. In future sessions, this can be increased by one or two times as comfortable. After you are done with the one leg, repeat the exercise for the other.
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