ELIMINATING EXCUSES | fitness

My passion for health and fitness stems from my belief that good health and fitness better equips one for conquering challenges throughout the journey of fulfilling one’s purpose in life. So my objective is to share information that I believe will aid you in your journey. On my blog, you will not find profanity or any material/information that is contrary to my objective.

In addition to having my videos on my blog, my videos also appear on youtube; and there are a few on jumpcut and revver. My facebook and myspace pages also link back to this blog. Unfortunately, there appear to be sites that are showing my videos/content without my permission. If you come across my videos or links to my blog on any site other than my blog or the 4 other sites I mentioned, please know that it is possible that the site may be displaying my content without my permission; and please inform me by posting a comment on my blog with a link to the site. I have come across at least one site that is displaying my video without my persmission, and this site is doing it in a distasteful manner. I apologize if you experience or have experienced any such encounters. Know that I am working on a solution.

Please be mindful of this message that I am sharing with you. Eliminating Excuses is all about DO SOMETHIN’ and only about DO SOMETHIN’ and I want to make that clear.

Thank you.

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend. For those in the US, I hope you had a relaxing memorial day weekend.

Today we’re going to work the serratus muscles with an exercise called a serratus press. This exercise will develop more tone, definition and strength in your serratus muscles. As always, if you experience any pain or discomfort, I recommend that you do not do this exercise. You will need some weight for this exercise and a bench. I recommend that you use a dumbell for your weight. Lay your shoulders on the bench and extend your body outward. Bend your legs at yours knees so that you are also supporting your body weight with your feet. Space your feet about 12 - 24 inches (30 - 61 cm) apart. Flex your abs to straighten your lower back and to prevent it for arching. For a brief moment, rest your dumbell on your chest and wrap your hands around one end of the dumbell. Lift your arms up and move them and the weight behind your head. Go as far back as your can without causing any discomfort and without allowing your back to arch; but don’t allow the weight to touch the floor. Bring the weight back over your head and to your chest without allowing the weight to rest on your chest. Be careful with the weight so that you don’t hit yourself in the head or the face. Go for it. DO SOMETHIN’!

Today, I want to revisit the exercise that I posted on March 19, 2007: oblique crunches. We did this exercise standing and balanced our weight on one leg as we did the exercise. Some of you commented that this version of the exercise was not as manageable as you would have liked. So I am posting seated oblique crunches today to offer an alternative to the standing oblique crunches. Seated oblique crunches are just as effective at working the obliques as the standing version: 1) Grab a chair and take a seat. Sit up straight. Good posture/form is critical for every exercise we do. 2) Let’s start on the left side. Move your left shoulder down towards your left hip at the same time that you bring your left hip up toward your left shoulder. 3) Work both the right and left side. This exercise will make you feel IRIE! You know what time it is: DO SOMETHIN’!

Let’s work those abs. Here’s another great exercise for working both the upper and lower abs: bicycle crunches. Ready? Assume crunch position. Bring your right elbow to your left knee. I say elbow but imagine that you are bringing your right shoulder and left knee together; that’s the motion we are going for here. Now work your other side: bring your left elbow (think left shoulder) and right knee together. Remember to bring your knee toward your elbow/shoulder. If you don’t, you won’t work the lower abs. Don’t speed through these. Take your time and feel the crunch. Feels good, right? Ok . . . DO SOMETHIN’!

Alright folks, while we work on that “8″ pack, we can’t ignore the obliques. Here’s an exercise that will help give your obliques more definition and tone. Let’s start from a standing position and work one side at a time. To work your obliques on the right side, balance your weight on your left leg by slightly bending your left knee. Then tilt your head and torso to the right and bring your right leg up towards your right side. You should feel this in your obliques while you improve your balance (an added benefit of this exercise). Work both the left and right side. Got it? So, you have no excuse to not exercise now. DO SOMETHIN’!