Yep, you know them, you love them, you can't live without them. The ever popular crunch and push-up. I know what you're thinking, these are simple exercises, give me something better! But there are so many variations that you can do that will work so many different areas at the same time! And if you're not able to do the variations or more extreme exercises, these are a great place to start.
Basic crunches are done with you lying on your back, knees bent, your feet on the floor, and your hands behind your head. Many people will do crunches and put too much strain on their neck which, in turn, puts too much pressure on your spine and back. To do them correctly, don't curl in as you crunch up. Instead, pull with your chin. Act as if you are trying to get your chin to touch the ceiling. Doing so helps to keep you from pulling at your neck and keeps your upper torso more aligned. Try it! You'll notice the difference immediately!
Want something a little more intense than the basic crunch? Try one of these:
Bicycle Crunches - Lying on your back, with your hands behind your head, bend your legs to make a right angle. As you crunch up, bring your right elbow to meet your left knee. Return to start. Next, bring your left elbow to meet your right knee. Return to start. Repeat in this fashion in sets of 1 minute.
Pike Crunch - Lie on your back, with your legs straight out in front of you and your arms at your side. Exhale as you bring your legs up to a 45 degree angle, keeping your legs straight. At the same time, crunch up and extend your arms toward your feet. Return to start and repeat.
Push-ups are something where technique is constantly being criticized, and the appropriate way to perform changes from one trainer to the next. But here are some basics that you need to understand about the push-up.
Push-ups are done by lying face down on the ground with your legs together. Place your hands, palm down, out to the sides of your chest, and position them so they are directly under your elbows. With your arms straight and resting on the balls of your feet, keep your back straight as you lower your body to the ground until your arms create a 90 degree angle (right angle) at the elbows. Return to start and repeat.
Need something a little more difficult than the basic push-up? Try one of these:
Plyo Push-Ups - Performed almost in the same manner as the basic push-up with one exception. Instead of merely pushing your body back up into the start position, push yourself up with an explosive burst, lifting your hands off the floor and clapping them together before landing back in the push-up position. Repeat.
Traveling Push-Ups - Start as you would a basic push-up. Thinking of your head and arms as being at 12 o'clock, and your feet being at 6 o'clock, perform a regular push-up. When you get back to start, bring your left hand to meet your right hand, and move your body (NOT YOUR FEET!) to the 2 o'clock position. Do a push-up. Return to 12 o'clock. Do a push-up. Now, bring your right hand to meet your left hand and move your body to the 10 o'clock position. Do a push-up. Return to 12 o'clock. Repeat this pattern: 12 o'clock, 2 o'clock, 12 o'clock, 10 o'clock. Continue for a pre-determined number of reps or time limit.
Is a regular push-up too much for you to start with? It was for me, too! Try this!
Wall Push-Up - Stand approximately 2-3 feet away from a wall. With your feet together, position your hands on the wall so they are to the sides of your chest, and your hands are directly under your elbows. Putting all your weight to your arms and balls of your feet, lower yourself toward the wall until your arms make a right angle at the elbows. Return to start and repeat.
Simple exercises with different variations. Now, no matter where you go, you can always try out something new and get a different burn than just the basic crunch and push-up!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Jillian Michaels' New Book!!
You know her as TV's Toughest Trainer. You've watched on NBC's The Biggest Loser. You've probably also heard about her revolutionary way of losing weight through circuit training. Yes, before I became the obsessed fan that I am, I had heard and watched all of that, too.
What I DIDN'T know, was that Jillian Michaels, at a very young age, dealt with being obese, too. She was overweight, her parents were divorced, and she was depressed. She fought back and found ways to lose the weight, and researched the way to do it correctly. She has sat down with the world's best doctors in every branch of medicine, to find out the best ways to treat your body. She makes it easy. She has done all the research for you, and she's laid it out in her past books like Master Your Metabolism.
I'm sure you're probably thinking, "Sure! And just because she's on tv and saying all this mumbo jumbo, I should believe her, too?"NO!! Not because she's on tv. Not because she's rich. And, most definitely, NOT because I am encouraging you to!
Many of us that read this site are here for one reason. To lose weight. Being healthy is always the second thing that comes to someone's mind when they are overweight. I know it. I've been there. I look at myself in the mirror and I think, "Wow!! How did I get this big? What can I do to get this fat off me YESTERDAY?!" What we sometimes fail to realize is that what took years and years to put on, will not come off with one magic pill in 6-8 weeks. PERIOD! There is nothing out there, short of liposuction, that will cut that fat right off your body! Whether you want to admit it or not, you worked to get that fat where it is. You opened your mouth, you lifted the food to it, and you ate it. No one forced you to do it. The good thing is, YOU CAN MAKE IT GO AWAY, TOO!!!
The efforts have to be made by you. The changes need to be made by you. The want and desire to be healthy and lose the weight you need/want to lose has to come from YOU!! You can't lose weight for anyone else but yourself. Until you realize that YOU want it for YOU, attempts will fail. And that's because you will eventually revert to your old ways and habits. But if you truly want to change, to be healthier, to lose weight, and you want it for you and you alone, you can move mountains!
We've all heard of those fad diets and magic pills. Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Quick Trim, Hydroxycut, Trim Spa, the list goes on. I will admit, I've tried them. Pretty much all of them. I did whatever it took to get rid of the extra weight. I didn't care about the ingredients, I didn't care about the toxins. I wanted the weight gone, and I wanted it gone NOW!! But, just as you would expect, the weight that was lost, was all gained back. Sometimes, extra weight found its way to me as well. But why? The pills obviously helped me to lose the weight, right? Quick fixes are not permanent solutions. They are just that. A quick fix. Not to mention harmful for so many reasons, those pills were nothing but a quick hope to reverse the years of binge eating and weight gain. There is only one way to do this the right way. Yes, diet and exercise are key. But pay attention, this is the secret...
LOSING WEIGHT IS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE.
Surprised? You shouldn't be! I'm sure I've said this before, and I'm sure you've heard it before. Make healthier choices, eat healthier foods, get an appropriate amount of exercise.
One of the books that truly made me a fan of Jillian Michaels was her book Master Your Metabolism. It is a HUGE eye opener into the world of food, and what you are doing to your body. Laying out everything in the factual, point blank, brutally honest mentality that we've come to know and love about Jillian, her books really make you stop and think when you go to grab a "quick something to eat."
Jillian's new book, Unlimited, isn't what her other books have been, where she explores and shares all the ins and outs of eating healthier and what kind of exercise to do. Unlimited is a motivational piece of art! And I've only read the first 10 pages! In stores April 5th, Unlimited helps you to reach those dreams that others laugh at and knock down on a daily basis. It is a book of encouragement, that walks you through making your dreams come true. Regardless of the dream that rests in your head at this very moment. She helps you find what you truly want, and then pushes you to make it happen.
Change is inevitable. And when change takes place you have two options: change with it, or stay the same. Change is not something that we should be afraid of, it is something that we should embrace.
Take the time to read these ten pages, and make the choice yourself. You are here because you want to change. I am sharing this with you to help you move toward that change that you want to see.
Click HERE to read the first ten pages of Jillian Michaels' book Unlimited. In stores and online April 5, 2011.
What I DIDN'T know, was that Jillian Michaels, at a very young age, dealt with being obese, too. She was overweight, her parents were divorced, and she was depressed. She fought back and found ways to lose the weight, and researched the way to do it correctly. She has sat down with the world's best doctors in every branch of medicine, to find out the best ways to treat your body. She makes it easy. She has done all the research for you, and she's laid it out in her past books like Master Your Metabolism.
I'm sure you're probably thinking, "Sure! And just because she's on tv and saying all this mumbo jumbo, I should believe her, too?"NO!! Not because she's on tv. Not because she's rich. And, most definitely, NOT because I am encouraging you to!
Many of us that read this site are here for one reason. To lose weight. Being healthy is always the second thing that comes to someone's mind when they are overweight. I know it. I've been there. I look at myself in the mirror and I think, "Wow!! How did I get this big? What can I do to get this fat off me YESTERDAY?!" What we sometimes fail to realize is that what took years and years to put on, will not come off with one magic pill in 6-8 weeks. PERIOD! There is nothing out there, short of liposuction, that will cut that fat right off your body! Whether you want to admit it or not, you worked to get that fat where it is. You opened your mouth, you lifted the food to it, and you ate it. No one forced you to do it. The good thing is, YOU CAN MAKE IT GO AWAY, TOO!!!
The efforts have to be made by you. The changes need to be made by you. The want and desire to be healthy and lose the weight you need/want to lose has to come from YOU!! You can't lose weight for anyone else but yourself. Until you realize that YOU want it for YOU, attempts will fail. And that's because you will eventually revert to your old ways and habits. But if you truly want to change, to be healthier, to lose weight, and you want it for you and you alone, you can move mountains!
We've all heard of those fad diets and magic pills. Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Quick Trim, Hydroxycut, Trim Spa, the list goes on. I will admit, I've tried them. Pretty much all of them. I did whatever it took to get rid of the extra weight. I didn't care about the ingredients, I didn't care about the toxins. I wanted the weight gone, and I wanted it gone NOW!! But, just as you would expect, the weight that was lost, was all gained back. Sometimes, extra weight found its way to me as well. But why? The pills obviously helped me to lose the weight, right? Quick fixes are not permanent solutions. They are just that. A quick fix. Not to mention harmful for so many reasons, those pills were nothing but a quick hope to reverse the years of binge eating and weight gain. There is only one way to do this the right way. Yes, diet and exercise are key. But pay attention, this is the secret...
LOSING WEIGHT IS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE.
Surprised? You shouldn't be! I'm sure I've said this before, and I'm sure you've heard it before. Make healthier choices, eat healthier foods, get an appropriate amount of exercise.
One of the books that truly made me a fan of Jillian Michaels was her book Master Your Metabolism. It is a HUGE eye opener into the world of food, and what you are doing to your body. Laying out everything in the factual, point blank, brutally honest mentality that we've come to know and love about Jillian, her books really make you stop and think when you go to grab a "quick something to eat."
Jillian's new book, Unlimited, isn't what her other books have been, where she explores and shares all the ins and outs of eating healthier and what kind of exercise to do. Unlimited is a motivational piece of art! And I've only read the first 10 pages! In stores April 5th, Unlimited helps you to reach those dreams that others laugh at and knock down on a daily basis. It is a book of encouragement, that walks you through making your dreams come true. Regardless of the dream that rests in your head at this very moment. She helps you find what you truly want, and then pushes you to make it happen.
Change is inevitable. And when change takes place you have two options: change with it, or stay the same. Change is not something that we should be afraid of, it is something that we should embrace.
Take the time to read these ten pages, and make the choice yourself. You are here because you want to change. I am sharing this with you to help you move toward that change that you want to see.
Click HERE to read the first ten pages of Jillian Michaels' book Unlimited. In stores and online April 5, 2011.
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