ELIMINATING EXCUSES | fitness

This week I will focus on stretching since it’s key for preparing your muscles to DO SOMETHIN’.

Again, another week has come and gone. Before you get too far into your weekend activities, remember to knock out your workout. Here’s an exciting stretch to add to your stretch/warmup routine: trunk twists. Start out seated on the floor with your legs straight ahead of you. Cross your right leg over your left with your right staying bent and the left, straight. Turn your torso to your right and place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Push off with your elbow to get more of a twist. You should feel this stretch in the muscles of your lower back, obliques, intercostals, abs and the outer part of your right thigh. Stretch to a comfortable point; don’t exceed your comfortable range of motion. Work both your left and right sides. This exercise can also be done with out crossing your legs. So starting with your right leg, bend it and keep your left straight (no leg crossing). Left elbow goes to the right side of the right knee. You know the rest . . .

Here are some general tips to help you gauge how long to stretch:
1) you should not be in pain.
2) you should feel light to medium tension in the area you are stretching.
3) slow movements are better than fast, jerking movements since slow motion is less likely to lead to an injury.
4) listen to your body. If something does not feel right, discontinue what you are doing.

Enjoy the weekend.

This week I will focus on stretching since it’s key for preparing your muscles to DO SOMETHIN’.

I have another winner for you today: butterflies. This stretch is for your inner thighs and can improve your flexibility too. Start out seated on the floor. Spread your legs apart and then bring them towards each other causing the bottom of your feet to touch. Pull your feet in towards you as close as possible without causing any pain. Grip your feet with your hands to keep your feet close to your body. Keep your back straight. By bringing your feet in towards your groin, you should feel a stretch in your inner things. To intensify that stretch, place your elbows on your thighs and press them down towards the floor. Hold the stretch for about 5 - 10 seconds and then let your legs relax for about 3 - 5 seconds. Repeat this stretch as many times as you need to feel ready for your workout.

Here are some general tips to help you gauge how long to stretch:
1) you should not be in pain.
2) you should feel light to medium tension in the area you are stretching.
3) slow movements are better than fast, jerking movements since slow motion is less likely to lead to an injury.
4) listen to your body. If something does not feel right, discontinue what you are doing.

You + eliminatingexcuses.com = DO SOMETHIN’!

This week I will focus on stretching since it’s key for preparing your muscles to DO SOMETHIN’.

Today, I’ve got a delightful calf stretch for you: simple and effective. Get on the floor in push-up position but arch your rear end upward so that your body forms a pyramid. Starting with your left foot; support your weight with the balls of your left foot. No weight should be on your right foot; cross it over your left foot. Push your left foot down towards the ground. You should feel the stretch in your left calf as your push down towards the floor. Remember to keep your left leg straight so that you do not minimize the effectiveness of this stretch. After stretching your left calf, stretch your right also. Again, I’ll leave it to you to decide how long to stretch. Here are some general tips to help you gauge how long to stretch:
1) you should not be in pain.
2) you should feel light to medium tension in the area you are stretching.
3) slow movements are better than fast, jerking movements since slow motion is less likely to lead to an injury.
4) listen to your body. If something does not feel right, discontinue what you are doing.

Exuse = eliminated. DO SOMETHIN’

This week I will focus on stretching since it’s key for preparing your muscles to DO SOMETHIN’ (for those not familar with DO SOMETHIN’, feel free to ask about it).

Here is an important stretch for the lower back and hamstrings. You may want to do this one before you run, bike, hike, exercise your legs, swim, dance, etc. Start out seated on the floor and spread your legs as far apart as you can comfortably. Look at your left leg; point your toes upward or curl them back towards you. Reach your arms out towards your left foot and lean your torso down towards your leg. Keep your back straight as you lean. If you arch your back, you risk injuring it. After you feel that you have gotten a good stretch in your lower back and hamstrings, lean down towards the floor in between your legs with your back straight. Reach towards your feet to see if you can grab them. Finally, lean towards your right leg in the same way that you leaned down to your left. Feel free to do these 3 stretches in any order that you like and to do multiple repetitions if you prefer that vs. holding the stretch for a particular amount of time. Your objective is to stretch properly in preparation for your workout. So make sure to do that. Ok, lean with it . . .

This week I will focus on stretching since it’s key for preparing your muscles to DO SOMETHIN’.

Here is a simple stretch for your lats that will help you prepare your muscles for a solid workout. This stretch can be done standing or seated; I am seated. Reach your right arm behind your head so that your right elbow is pointing up in the air. Place your left hand on your right elbow pushing your elbow downward. By pushing your elbow down, the latissimus dorsi on your right side is stretched. Lean to your left to emphasize the stretch. Hold it long enough to feel a good stretch. I recommend holding for at least 10 seconds, taking a short break and stretching the same lat again. Do any many reps of stretching as you need to warm-up; be careful not to overstretch. Remember to work both your right and left lat. For the left, reverse the position of your arms so that your left arm is behind your head and your right hand is pushing down on your left elbow. Lean to the right to emphasize the stretch. Man, that feels good. You know what to do . . .

Greetings all! I just wanted to take some time to thank all of you for supporting me the last 3.5 months. I appreciate all of your comments and questions. Please keep them coming. My objective is to provide quality content; so hearing from you will enable me to do that. And thanks again for the birthday shouts as well.

Eliminating Excuses has been nothing but fun so I will continue to DO SOMETHIN’!

Enjoy the weekend.

This week I want to answer some of the fitness and nutrition questions that I have received recently. Please continue to post your questions and comments; and I will get back to you.

Question:
What are some alternative exercises to bicycle crunches?

Anwer part 1:
Isolated crunches are an effective exercise for toning and strengthening the abs and a great choice for those of you looking for an alternative to bicycle crunches. Lay down on your back with your legs up and knees bent. Cross your right leg over your left knee. Take your left hand and place your fingertips on your left ear. For the crunch, bring your left shoulder and right knee together. If you can, lift the right side of your hips off the ground as you bring your knee and shoulder together. Lifting your hip should enable you to get a tighter crunch. However, if you have problems doing so, don’t worry about it. The desired motion in a complete crunch; so as long as you feel the crunch, you are fulfilling the objective. Inhale as you come back to your starting position and exhale as you crunch. After you’ve completed your target repitions on the left side, reverse your legs and your hand position and work the right side too.

Answer part 2:
DO SOMETHIN’!

This week I want to answer some of the fitness and nutrition questions that I have received recently. Please continue to post your questions and comments; and I will get back to you.

Question:
How can I work my glutes?

Answer part 1:
Glute kickbacks are an excellent exercise for toning the glutes and for burning fat and cellulite in that area. All you need is an open area for this exerise. Get on your hands and knees. Starting with your left leg, bring your left knee to your chest. Then kick your leg back and up in the air. You should feel your glutes working to support the weight of your leg as you kickback. As you kickback, make sure that you lift your leg up in the air; go as high as you can without causing discomfort. This lifting will increase the work done by your glute. Foot formation is not critical to the effectiveness of the exercise. With your feet, do what feels natural. The focus for this exercise is kicking back and upwards with your leg. Alternate between your left and right leg.

Pay attention to your breathing. Breathe in as you kickback so that you are taking in air as you expand your chest and abdomen. Exhale as you bring your leg to your chest (your chest and abdomen contract with this motion naturally forcing air out). Always make sure to establish a good breathing rhthym when you are exercising. Your oxgen demands increase when you exercise, so it is important to get sufficient air

Remember to stretch and warm-up before you exercise. Drink plenty of water.

Answer part 2:
DO SOMETHIN’!

This week I want to answer some of the fitness and nutrition questions that I have received recently. Please continue to post your questions and comments; and I will get back to you.

Question:
How can I work my calf muscles?

Answer part 1:
The standard calf raise is excellent for working your calves and simple to do: stand with your feet no more than about 9 inches apart and raise yourself to the balls of your feet. You should feel your calves doing the work to move your body up and down. As you come down, do not let your heels touch the ground; keep them no less than about 1/2 inch (13 mm) above the ground. By doing so, you keep tension on your calf muscles forcing them to work harder. To add variety to this exercise and to focus on different parts of the muscle, adjust the position of your feet.

To focus on the inside of your calves, put your heels together (or up to 2 inches/5 cm apart) and point your toes outward so that your feet form about a 90 degree angle. Now do your calf raises. If you spread your feet too wide, you might loose your balance.

To focus on the outside of your calves, reverse the position of your feet by putting you toes together (or up to 2 inches/5 cm apart) forming about a 90 degree angle with your feet. Now do your calf raises.

As always, stretch and warm-up before you exercise. Rememer to drink pleny of water.

Answer part 2:
DO SOMETHIN’!

This week I want to answer some of the fitness and nutrition questions that I have received recently. Please continue to post your questions and comments; and I will get back to you.

Question:
How do I eat healthy when traveling for business?

Answer part 1:
The first step is to make your nutrition part of the planning for your trip. Find out what kind and what quality of food is served at the location you will be working. Find out what restaurants and eating establishments are in the area (ask your colleagues that have traveled there and talk to individuals that work at the site). If you are going to another country, find out as much as you can about the native cuisine, the most common foods and the quality of the tap water/drinking water. With this information, you will know what to expect for food choices and be able to plan accordingly for your meals.

During your trip, I also recommend that you visit the grocery store. There, you can pick up some healthy snacks and breakfast items (nuts, yogurt, wheat bread, fruits, etc.); and some grocery stores have decent delicatessens and cafeterias where you can get a quality meal. Lastly, if you are in a hotel that has a kitchen, take advantage of it and make some easy, healthy meals from what you buy at the grocery store. For example, your dinner can consist of an oven baked sweet potato, mixed vegetables (from a frozen bag) and oven baked chicken (from the meat section or butcher). These tips might sound like a lot of effort; but I applied them during several 1-3 week long trips to Germany, and I found them to be useful and managable.

Answer part 2:
DO SOMETHIN’!