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The big day is approaching and the parties have begun! Since I wasn’t invited to bask in the pregame revelry with 50 cent, Lil Jon, Pitbull or the Bunnies I figure the next best thing would be to honor the arrival of 2012’s biggest sports event with a workout. So, slowly back away from the 12 oz curls, uproot yourself from the La-Z-Boy and join me in paying a sweaty homage to the impending Super Weekend.
Ever feel like there’s not time to get in a hard workout? Feel like you just don’t have the equipment or time available? For 2012, I challenge you to take a good hard look at not only your exercise routine, but what actually you can accomplish in a day versus what you can’t. Whether it’s exercise or whether it’s life, we tend to not always be honest with ourselves. The fact is that only an honest perspective leads to sustainable change.
With that said, Friday Fitness is back in full swing and we’re starting you off with a good one! This workout you can do anywhere and anytime because it only requires your body and a fifteen minute window. Watch the video and post the total number of rounds you complete in fifteen minutes. Ready – Set – Go … No Excuses!!
15 Minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of:
Hat tip to our avid reader Katha Kissman for finding this one! Watch the vid and then read the commentary below.
Sure the point of the video was to show how exercise helps aging adults avoid disease. But, we already knew that! I think there was a more important lesson. The Tigerettes aren’t exercising, they are PLAYING! Exercise to me means drab elastic sweatpants, monotonous treadmill training and physical torture generally endured under solitary confinement. Let’s spend some time this upcoming weekend playing. Find a lonesome friend or loved one and kick, throw or shoot a ball. Hell, who needs a ball, you can tag, race, swim, jump or crawl to a calorie burn. But for God’s sake, stop sensationalizing exercise and start playing!
1 Hour, 20 minutes and 5 seconds is now the longest plank ever held. 54-year-old George Hood claimed his 5th Guinness World Record on December 7th in front of spectators in Aurora, a suburb just outside of Chicago. George, a personal trainer and former marine, also holds the record for jump roping, 13 hours, 12 minutes and 11 seconds.
A plank is a core exercise that recruits hundreds of muscles to hold the body just inches off the floor, not to be confused with the recent “planking” trend. To perform one you start by lying flat on your belly, then lift your chest up and position your elbows under your shoulders. Then, turn the soles of your feet perpendicular to the ground, lift your shins, thighs, hips, belly and chest off the ground holding your body in a rigid straight line from shoulders to ankles. The only thing touching the ground should be your hands, forearms, elbows and toes. It’s important that your hips don’t sink toward the ground or you may begin stressing your back.
So, What’s your longest plank? Get down on the ground, start the timer and let’s find out. Post your result in the comments section!
I’ll admit it, I went a little overboard on Thanksgiving Dinner. With the turkey, gravy, stuffing and sides I might have gobbled down the equivalent of two quarter pounders. But, fear not! It’s time to eradicate those pesky fat molecules heading straight to the hips and thighs! Grab a family member, pick one of the three activities below and get to work!
For the past 40 years, the standard heart rate zone guidelines had been based on studies conducted solely on men. Ohio State University Medical Center cardiologist Martha Gulati has found that women have a different exercise capacity that should be measured using a gender specific formula. A target heart rate zone can help you determine how hard you should be working during aerobic exercise.
Gulati’s study recruited 5,437 women in the Chicago area 30 and older and followed them for over 20 years. Her team conducted stress tests to find that women’s peak heart rates are generally a bit lower than men of the same age. So, she set out to create a more female-friendly equation. Granted the new equation requires a little more math than the previous autonomous model.
Here is a nice graphic courtesy of USA Today to help explain the new formula versus the standard guideline:
It’s that time of year—the time of year when you want to rush into your office and shut the door to keep the germs out; the time of year when you want to stand at least five feet from everyone you talk to; the time of year when you’d rather tap fists instead of shake hands to say hello. Instead of going to those extremes, we’ve got something else that can help you ward off disease… I’m talking about exercise! It is believed that moderate exercise and physical activity throughout the week can reduce the number of colds you get in a year.
You may already know that exercise helps prevent the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, but did you know it can also help you ward off the common cold? The answer is yes! According to the Harvard Medical School, a healthy lifestyle is the single best step you can take toward keeping your immune system strong and healthy. Regular exercise keeps your body strong, alert and ready for battle! According to the publication, exercise contributes directly by promoting good circulation, which allows the cells and substances of the immune system to move through the body freely and do their job efficiently.
So as the temperature begins to change and we enter cold & flu season, remember these healthy lifestyle practices to help you defend against the common cold:
Source: “How to Boost Your Immune System,” Harvard School of Medicine
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If you already follow us on Twitter then you know about the daily Metabo Meal and Thermal Walk reminders, but now we are excited to start a new series of Tweets. We’re calling it “Fit In Your Fitness”! Every day we will tweet a different way to Fit In Your Fitness throughout the day that may include doing calf raises at the gas pump or squats while waiting for something to heat up in the microwave. So make sure you’re following H3 on Twitter (HHHealth_H3) to receive Fit In Your Fitness ideas that will be starting next week!
Other reasons to follow us on Twitter:
Have you ever wondered if you’re running correctly? Today we’re back at it with another Friday Fitness and it’s time to open your eyes to the proper way to run. Over my years at H3, I have personally encountered many guests enthused and excited to train and run their first 5K. I have also seen countless plantar fasciitis, chondromalacia, and shin splint over-use injuries.
Jeff Ford and Kelly Hillyer manning the H3 table at Relay For Life
Yesterday, Hilton Head Health stopped by the Relay For Life event at Honey Horn. It was so moving to see so many people and businesses dedicating their time and resources for a such great cause. Relay For Life benefits the American Cancer Society, and as many of you know through your participation in our Devin’s Dash Memorial 5K, Hilton Head Health is also a supporter of the American Cancer Society. During the event, H3 handed out registration forms for Devin’s Dash, walked around meeting cancer survivors and their caretakers, and performed our Sun Salutation routine. This was my first volunteer event on Hilton Head Island and it surely will not be my last.
Now that I am an official resident of the island, I have been inspired to start getting more involved. There are so many benefits to volunteering in your community. Not only do you get to meet people and feel a since of pride in knowing that you’re doing something good, volunteering could also be great form of exercise. Try contacting your local Boys and Girls Club and volunteer to shoot some hoops or even host a field day. I’m planning to accompany Jeff Ford and Amber Shadwick when they visit the Hilton Head chapter of Boys and Girls Club to do a little cardio boxing with the kids. Registering for races is another great way to support the community while also incorporating fitness into your volunteerism. There are many online sites like www.active.com, that make it easy for you to find a race near you. So now that the weather’s nice, there are no excuses! Get out and volunteer! You may find that you will get a whole lot out of giving.
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