Quick Upper Body Workout

Here's a quick workout that you can do without any exercise equipment.

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Push-Ups -- Whether you do full push-ups or need to modify them at first, use the best form that you can.  See the Push-ups photo diagram below for some helpful hints and tips.  

• Harder -- Ace Fitness Exercise Library -- Push-up
• Easier -- ACE Fitness Exercise Library -- Bent-Knee Push-ups

ACE (The American Council on Exercise) is an extremely reputable source for safe and reliable fitness information.  If you are unsure of how to execute an exercise, ACE has a great library of exercises with excellent step-by-step explanations and photos.

Plank -- The 1st position of your push-up is also the straight arm plank.  After completing your 30 Push-Ups, hold in your plank position for 30 seconds.  The Plank will work your core muscles.  Be sure to keep your butt down, your abs tucked up tight, don't let your back sag and don't forget to breath.  If you cannot hold the straight arm plank with good form for the number for seconds required, try starting with the Front Plank from the link below.  This plank is done on your elbows and forearms instead of your hands.

• Harder - Straight Arm Plank
• Easier -- Ace Fitness Exercise Library -- Front Plank
• Want more options? Here's an interesting article about the progression of the plank to easiest to hardest with lots of options in between: Plank Progressions for Killer Abs

Bench Dips -- Sit on the side of a bench with your palms on the bench, beside your hips.  If you don't have a bench , the edge of a dry bath tub, sturdy chair or coffee table will work too.  Your legs should be straight out in front of you, heels on the floor, toes up. Straighten your arms so your butt lifts off the bench. Bend your elbows 90° as you lower your butt toward the floor. Pause, and then push back up to the starting position. Move up and down in a smooth and controlled motion as bench dips can place stress on your shoulders. Concentrate on using your arms to to lift your body (not your legs).  After each set of dips, hold in the lowest position of the dip for the allotted time. See photo 2 below.

• Harder: The straighter your legs are the harder the exercise will be.  
• Easier: If you cannot complete the exercise with your legs straight, try bending your knees.  The exercise will be easiest with your knees bent at a 90° angle, feet flat on the floor directly below your knees. 

1. 

Photo Source: Sportize Me

2. 

Photo Source: Sportize Me

Now you're ready to try it! 
Let me know how it goes for you! 

Quick Upper Body Workout 
No Equipment Needed 
30 Push-ups, Plank for 30 seconds
20 Push-ups, Plank for 20 seconds
10 Push-ups, Plank for 10 seconds
30 Bench Dips, Hold for 30 seconds
20 Bench Dips, Hold for 20 seconds
10 Bench Dips, Hold for 10 seconds

Think Twice

. . . before you pop that candy into your mouth!  With Easter fast approaching, you're probably already tempted by all that Easter candy. It's everywhere!  But think twice before you pop even one little piece into your mouth!  The vast majority of people when asked to estimate their caloric intake (how many calories they ate) versus how many calories they burned off through physical exertion missed by nearly 50% on both, underestimating the calories they were taking in by about 50% and overestimating the calories they burned from exercise or physical activity by almost 50%.  

Here's an example to help give you some perspective: The average person has to walk the full length of a football field to burn off the calories in just ONE M&M. On average there are 50-55 M&M's in a small bag.  Unless you are planning to spend your day parading up a down a football field, those extra calories are going to end up stored as fat some place where you don't want them.  Treat yourself to a small bag of M&Ms or it's caloric equivalent in peanut butter eggs, chocolate bunny ears, jelly beans, peeps, etc everyday and you could gain an extra 24 pounds this year!!!

50 Ways To Burn 100 Calories

Only 26 More to Go!

Did you know that you have to burn off and/or cut your caloric intake by 3500 calories to lose one pound? That means if you'd like to lose one pound a week you have to work on reducing your intake or burning off 500 calories a day.  This can be accomplished by eating sensibly and doing 30-45 minute cardiovascular workout or you could try some of these amusing methods recommended by Women's Health. Do any five of these to burn an extra 500 calories a day:

1. Slather on lip balm 765 times.
2. Relive the '80s: Lip-synch George Michael's "Faith" 16 times.
3. DVR an episode of "30 Rock" and watch it commercial free.(Laughing for 10 minutes straight can burn 40 calories -- no joke.)
4. Watch a documentary like "Food Inc.," "The Cove" or "An Inconvenient Truth." (Serious stuff doesn't scorch as many calories.)
5. Wiggle while you watch TV for 40 minutes: Fidgeters burn up to 350 more calories a day than couch potatoes.
6. Get off your butt 33 times to change the channel.
7. Use the remote to channel surf for 68 minutes.
8. Surf for real for 34 minutes.
9. Fly a kite for 20 minutes.
10. Play beach volleyball for 13 minutes.
11. Bounce a volleyball on your knee 600 times.
12. Spend 17 minutes wrestling a beach ball away from your boyfriend.
13. Carry a cooler stocked with three bottles of water, a six-pack, four PB&Js, two oranges, a bag of tortilla chips and 12 servings of salsa for 22 minutes.
14. Find the perfect teeny-weeny polka-dot bikini: Try on 16 suits (one every three minutes).
15. Polka for real for 23 minutes.
16. Do the horizontal polka missionary style for one hour and seven minutes.
17. Spice things up with 35 minutes of foreplay and 45 minutes of sex in different positions.
18. Ride him like a cowgirl for 26 minutes (straddling requires more calorie-burning leg work).
19. Swing a lasso over your head 375 times.
20. Milk a cow for 34 minutes.
21. Shear three sheep (six minutes per sheep).
22. Fish for 41 minutes.
23. Make like a fish and swim at a leisurely pace for 17 minutes.
24. Do 250 breaststrokes (about 10 minutes).
25. Indulge your inner dork and do 27 underwater handstands.
26. Dog-paddle for 17 minutes.
27. Walk a toy poodle for 41 minutes (at 2 miles per hour).
28. Let a Great Dane walk you for 13 minutes (5 mph).
29. Learn to "walk the dog": Yo-yo for 25 minutes.
30. Alternate between cat pose, cow pose and downward dog 13 times, holding each for 30 seconds.
31. Walk up 33 flights of stairs.
32. Strap on four-inch stilettos and you only have to climb up 25 flights.
33. Hit the stair climber for 11 minutes.
34. Push a grocery cart for 45 minutes.
35. Put a 42-pound 4-year-old in the cart's child seat and push it for half an hour.
36. Opt for self-checkout: Wait in line for seven minutes, ring yourself up for another 10, bag your own grub and load up the car.
37. Carry five grocery bags from the car to the kitchen and put the food away, take out the trash, wash the dishes, and wipe down the kitchen counter.
38. Eat chili for a couple of days: Research shows that chili peppers boost your metabolic rate, burning 50 more calories a day.
39. Chew calorie-free gum for nine hours.
40. Wash, halve and seed two acorn squash, then watch them bake for 30 minutes.
41. Play squash for eight minutes.
42. Play "Chopsticks" on the piano incessantly for 41 minutes.
43. Eat four meals with chopsticks instead of a fork: Slowing down can help you consume about 25 fewer calories per meal.
44. Lift and lower a soy sauce bottle 170 times with your right hand and a wok 170 times with your left.
45. Take a leisurely walk in the park for 51 minutes.
46. Walk backward in the park for 43 minutes.
47. Walk with hiking poles for 22 minutes -- you'll burn 20 percent more calories.
48. Pole-vault for 17 minutes.
49. Sing the "Grease" original soundtrack from start to finish.
50. Degrease by scrubbing in the shower for 15 minutes, then spend seven minutes shaving, three minutes toweling off, four minutes moisturizing, and 20 minutes blow-drying and styling your hair.

Source: Women's Health

3 Ball Push-ups!

Pretty impressive, huh? I love the stability ball for all the training options it provides and for how awesome it is for core training.  However, I've seen many a client roll right off the ball on his or her first attempt at ball push-ups, so I think I may not need to invest in two more stability balls for my gym just yet!

Get Outside, Get Moving and Get Happy!

For years, I've been telling my clients to get outside and walk, even if it's just for five or ten minutes during a break at work or after dinner. Getting outside to exercise lifts your spirits and re-energizes you! You get fresh air and you get your heart and lungs pumping! Now there is scientific research to support that advice! From BBC News:

Just five minutes of exercise in a "green space" such as a park can boost mental health, researchers claim. There is growing evidence that combining activities such as walking or cycling with nature boosts well-being.

In the latest analysis, UK researchers looked at evidence from 1,250 people in 10 studies and found fast improvements in mood and self-esteem.The study in the Environmental Science and Technology journal suggested the strongest impact was on young people.

The research looked at many different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail. The biggest effect was seen within just five minutes [and an even] bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water - such as a lake or river.

Tip #9 -- Cardio! Cardio! Cardio!

Cardiovascular exercise does more for the health and physical appearance of the human body than any other form of exercise. You will never be able to see your tight, toned muscles, if they are lying under a layer of fat. In general, people who want to lose weight should workout cardiovascular for 20-40 minutes 4-6 times each week. There are countless options for cardiovascular exercise including walking, hiking, jogging, running, biking, swimming, elliptical cross training, dancing, aerobics classes, step aerobics, cardio kickboxing, etc. Learn how much and what type of cardio is right for you. Then refer to Tip #1, and do it consistently and persistently!

Tip #8 -- Keep an Eye on Your Heart Rate

When doing aerobic or cardiovascular exercise, keeping your heart rate inside your target heart rate zone will help you burn calories most efficiently and optimize the benefits for your heart and lungs. Dropping below your target heart rate will not burn nearly as many fat calories, and going above your target heart rate may lead to muscle breakdown. Most modern treadmills, bikes, and elliptical cross trainers have heart rate monitors built in for easy tracking. Other options include purchasing a personal heart rate monitor (see www.polarusa.com or your local sporting goods store) or manually taking your pulse (count the number of beats for 6 seconds then multiply by 10 to get your heart rate).