12 Days of Fitness

 

This is the BEST time of the year!  Unfortunately, we make it more than what it should be, and it becomes the busiest/craziest time of year!  Our schedules become so full and we hardly have time to breath let alone exercise. So, below I have made up a fun little workout called the 12 Days of Fitness. It's quick and meant to be done everyday for the next 12 days.  Just like the song, start with day 1 with exercise 1 and finish on day 12 with a circuit of 12 exercises.  Above all else, be sure to take the time to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior, Christ The Lord!

12 DAYS OF FITNESS

*Make sure with each exercise to pull your belly button into your spine (TVA Contraction) and contract you abs.



DAY 1 - 1 Minute Plank
You can hold on elbows and toes for 1 minute or to modify alternate between toes and knees (toes for 10 seconds and knees for 3 seconds).  Do not let your back sag and keep your belly button pulled into your spine (TVA contraction).

DAY 2 - 2 Minutes of Jumping Jacks

You never have to jump.  To modify, keep your arms moving and step one heel out and back in towards body, alternate between legs.

DAY 3 - 3 Sets of Abdominal Exercises (Reverse crunch, Basic crunch, Heel touch)   

Basic crunch - you want to keep your elbows out and rest hands on back of head.  Do not use your hands to help pull yourself up.  Instead, contract your abs, keep back in neutral position along with pelvis, and lift shoulder blades off the ground and up towards the ceiling. Keeping your neck straight and chin up. 

 












Heel touch - Arms at your sides, raise your shoulders slightly off the ground.  Using your abs rotate our right hand down to your right heel and then back.  Repeat on left side.
 












Reverse crunch - this is a very small movement so you want to contract your abs to lift the hips off the floor rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.  This is very hard to do so if you are starting out, the modified move is bringing the knees into the chest and using your abs to lift hips off the floor and using momentum is ok here. 

DAY 4 - 4 Burpees
With feet together, jump up in the air reaching hands up.  Land on slightly bent legs, put hands on ground just in front of your feet.  Keep your feet together and jump them back so you land in a push-up.  Jump your feet back in, under your body, and leap up into the air. Modify this by not jumping and stepping one foot back at a time into a push up position.

 DAY 5 - 5 Side Plank (each side)
Lie on your side with your right elbow and forearm on the ground.  Lift your hip off the ground keeping your body in a straight line, tightening your abs and glute muscles.  Hold 1 count and lower right hip back down to the ground for 1 count.  Modify this by bending knees, lift hip off ground pressing into elbow and knees.

DAY 6 - 6 Triceps Dips
Hands at your sides, palms facing down.  Bend elbows to lower your body down off the bench, keep legs straight for more of a challenge.  Extend arms to push your body back up until arms are straight.  To modify, bend your legs and use them for more support.

 













DAY 7 - 7 Mountain Climbers (each side)
Begin in a push up position on hands and toes.  Bring right knee in towards the chest with right foot off the ground.  Bring right foot back and down to starting position and bring left knee up towards chest.  To make this more of a cardio challenge you can pick up the tempo by running the knees in and back out.

DAY 8 - 8 Y Squats
Stand with feet hip width apart.  Squat with arms overhead (forming a "Y").  Keep your knees behind your toes and as you come up, press through your heels back to your starting position.

DAY 9 - 9 Push Ups
Place hands slightly wider than your shoulders.  Raise up onto your toes so you are balanced on your hands and toes.  Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe without sagging in the middle or arching your back.  Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and press back yourself back up to starting position.  You can modify by being on your knees during push up.

 DAY 10 - 10 Forward Lunges
                        (each side)
Stand with your feet about 6 inches apart from each other and your toes pointed forward.
Step forward with one leg and lower your body to 90 degrees with both knees.  Keep your weight in your heels and don't allow your knee to cross the plane of your toes.  Push up and back to the starting position.

DAY 11 - 11 Supermans
Lie face down on the floor with your arms stretched out above your head and your legs extended.  Lift your arms and legs off the floor as if you were superman flying.  Hold 3 seconds and then slowly lower your arms and legs back to the starting position and repeat.

 











DAY 12 - 12 Side Lunges (each side)
Stand upright with arms at your sides.  Step your right foot out to the side keeping toes of both feet pointing forward.  Bend your right leg to a 90 degree angle, squatting down.  Keep your left leg extended straight and your left foot flat on the ground.  Push your right foot off ground and back to center.  
                                











For more helpful fitness tips go to www.get2thecorefitness.com. 

*Be sure to check with your physician before starting any exercise program.

Don't Be A Stuffed Turkey

Postprandial lipemia, huh?.....Hang with me while I try and explain it.  It's the triglycerides (blood fat) response to a meal.  So, depending on how much fat or sugar is consumed in a meal, a person's triglycerides will rise for 2-6 hours after a meal.  These can rise anywhere from 120 to 300+ mg/dl and  even higher for those who have diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, or type 2 diabetes.  If the triglycerides are elevated above 250-300 mg/dl, there is diminished blood flow into the heart, a lowering of good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol), and it can cause the start of blockage in the blood vessels.

But don't worry......studies done by researchers like J.Q. Zhang, D. Malkova, and J. Gill, have proven that exercise anywhere from 1-12 hours BEFORE a fat-rich meal will reduce postprandial lipemia by 25 to 40%.  YES, any aerobic activity done for at least 45 minutes is proven to decrease triglycerides immediately after a session and remain lower for up to 48 hours after the activity.

So,  what does that mean for you and me?  With Thanksgiving almost here and so many enjoying a lot of food, there is no need to feel guilty for all the eating and feeling like a stuffed turkey.  Just plan on starting your day off with a Turkey Trot race, which will also help benefit others not so fortunate.  If you can't get out to a Turkey Trot, get a backyard football game going, or just get out there and walk briskly for at least 45 minutes.  Your body will thank you in more ways than one!

A great exercise to add to any workout is a jumping jack.  Do a 1 minute session of jumping jacks to spike your heart rate before you do a group of strength exercises.  It will help keep your heart rate elevated and continue a high-level of fat-burning.  You can also add them to your walk. Walk briskly for five minutes, do jumping jacks for one minute and return to walking.  Repeat this cycle throughout your walk.

 

Not sure what strength exercises to add to your workout?  Go to www.get2thecorefitness.com for a few ideas.

 

Traveling Workout

With my husband and I having 4 kids, two of which are in college playing sports, we do a lot of traveling to their games and matches which means over night stays in hotels.  Below is a workout that I love to do when I am away from my gym.  These are all exercises that you can do right in your hotel room without equipment.  I try and do 10 reps of each exercise without resting between exercises. Depending on your time and energy, you can do 3 sets of each exercise, 5 sets, 10 sets!  You decide. :-)

 

LUNGE WALK 

 

PUSH UP

 

TRICEPS DIP

 FRONT PLANK

 

SIDE PLANK

 

Fall Is In The Air

I love fall!  The days are crisp, sunny, and I find that this time of year  I get back on a better schedule and cross off a few things that have been on my to do list.  It is also a great time to get into a good exercise routine, focus on healthy eating and taking a little time for yourself before the crazy holidays begin. 

Speaking of healthy eating....... apples are a wonderful fruit that are so fresh this time year.  Whether eating them raw or cooked, they have a lot of health benefits.  A medium apple which is 1 cup has 4 grams of fiber and only 95 calories.  They are a good source of vitamin C which helps boost your immune system.  Because they are full of antioxidants and soluble fiber, they help lower the risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels.  Apples deliver an antioxidant called quercetin, which aids endurance by making oxygen more available to the lungs.  So, eating an apple before a workout may boost your exercise endurance.  In fact, eating "an apple a day" may very well keep the doctor away! 

 

Want to make homemade applesauce for your family without any added sugars? 

Applesauce

 

Quarter or half Macintosh, Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, and Melrose apples.  An even amount of each of them.

Put in a big pot with 1/2 cup of water in bottom of pan to keep the apples from scorching.

Cook on medium to medium high heat, covered. (15-25 minutes) 

Stir periodically to make sure the apples don't scorch.

When apples become soft, remove from heat.

Pour into a Victorio Food Strainer, crank and wahlah!

 

*If you do not have a Victorio Food Strainer, you will need to peel, cut, and core the apples before cooking.