The 50's are a sandwich generation of fitness; we don't want to work out like we did 15, 10 or even 5 years ago, yet we aren't ready for the "senior" classes either. I'm revamping this blog to be a blend of health and fitness tips that I hope all of you "fiftysomethings" will find helpful.
***I am not a doctor or nutritionist.
Please consult your physician before performing any exercises or following any tips shown on this blog.
Remember, listen to your body and go only as far as it wants to go. Don't force your body into any pose that isn't comfortable. Keep in mind that she is very flexible. Since she flows from one pose to another, you might want to watch the video through first so you can become familiar with what is coming next.
The second video is called Routine for a Deep Sleep.
They can be done separately or together, in either order. If this is all you are doing, it would be a good idea to warm up your body just a bit before starting.
Researchers from the City of Eugene’s FitCity Wellness Center in Oregon recruited 21 mostly active adults to participate in a HIIT group exercise program three times per week for 10 weeks. Each class included a brief warm-up and then body weight exercises following a two-to-one work-to-rest ratio. The average class lasted just over 27 minutes, and participants were encouraged to take minibreaks outside the structured rest periods if necessary.
At the end of the study, participants showed reductions in body weight, body fat percentage and body mass index. There was a slight increase in fat-free mass. The group also experienced reductions in circumference measurements of the upper arms, chest, waist, hips and calves. Thigh measurements changed very little.
Next is a video that is linked at the end of this article entitled The HIIT Study (I couldn't get the video to load directly)
As I've stated before, the benefits to this type of training are many. However, doing only this type of workout could be over-stressful to the body. Make sure to take rest days and do lower level intensity, longer workouts in between these shorter, more intense ones.
Now, you may or may not know about the controversy surrounding the "punishment" Jillian Michaels received for breaking the rules and giving her team caffeine supplements on the Biggest Loser--well, she did and was reprimanded for it.
While I don't agree with what she did, I more so disagree with the punishment itself-- that it was the team that really received the punishment--a 4 pound disadvantage on the scale and not her. Thankfully that disadvantage didn't matter--her team would have lost the weigh-in regardless.
I think she should have been fined, or something--she was, however, ridiculed on national television....In the end, she did not state what she did was wrong, nor did she apologize for what she did. She was only sorry that her actions were taken out on her team.
The best thing about it was that Ruben Studdard got to return after being eliminated the week before.
While I am a coffee drinker and don't find anything wrong with consuming caffeine myself, I don't believe it's any trainers place to give their trainees supplements of any kind--we are not doctors.
Regardless of what happened, she still has some great workouts. This is the first video I'm re-posting. It's a great total body interval workout called 30 Day Shred.
All you need a set of dumbbells and a mat or carpeted area.
Today's video comes from Jessicasmithtv. It is a 30 minute kickboxing circuit training workout that alternates between cardio and strength training segments.
You will need a set of lighter dumbbells. The reps done are high, so lighter is better.
As always, her cuing is spot on. Please remember to pay attention to your joints--no snapping of the elbows during punches or the knees during kicks.
As usual on Tuesday, I am posting a workout focusing on trunk and core work. However, today, in addition to the core muscle work, I'm also posting a 6 minute jump rope workout from Melissa Bender to help burn any fat that is covering those abdominal muscles.
This is an intense 6 minutes. She does 6 different types of jumps for 30 seconds each with no rest in between and repeats the sequence. Take a 15 second or more break in between if you need to. Just pause the video while you catch your breath.
There is no warm up--you can jog in place or do easy jumps for 3 minutes or so to get your body warmed up. If you don't have an actual rope, or the space to use one, just pretend you are using one, keeping your elbows tucked into your sides--tight and controlled.
Your core work comes from Cassey Ho on the Livestrong Woman Channel. It is entitled the Abtacular Pilates Workout.
On the roll up, I suggest that you keep the arms extended. If you do put your hands behind your head, make sure to keep your elbows back.
She uses optional dumbbells for one of the exercises--I'd suggest doing it without until you are strong enough to add them in. Don't forget to stretch the legs, arms (they both got work while jumping), abs and back afterward!
Today's video is another one from the 30 Day Butt Lift series from BeFit. It is Workout number 6 and is yoga inspired.
She does various versions of the yoga pose Warrior III to really target your glutes. If you have a hard time balancing, go ahead and put your toe down in between lifts, or have a chair handy to hold on to. She also does some Pilates inspired legwork that also targets this area.
But first, Quick Tip #4 (which should be tip #1) on how to get a butt lift without surgery. I agree with everything she says except one thing. Longer, slower workouts are important to do as well. If you are only doing short, high intensity workouts, you are more prone to injury--especially if you are doing plyometrics. Slow and steady workouts a couple of times a week will help protect your joints while still burning fat and calories.
There is no warm up or cool down/stretch. Please do those on your own. The workout is about 10 minutes long.
Had a super busy weekend--too busy to post yesterday. I'll post a bonus stretch at the end.
Today I'm going to share an incredibly yummy recipe that I made for dessert last week for my mom's birthday party. I did get a small cake surrounded by cupcakes, but since I'm not eating grains, I decided to make this so I could indulge in dessert as well!
It is based on this recipe from Things My Belly Likes, but I changed it from Bailey's Cheesecake Bites to Kahlua Cheesecake Bites (that was the only substitution I made to the recipe posted) and added a layer of chocolate ganache to the top. Oh my goodness, were they good!!! They are completely grain free. Click on the link below for the cheesecake recipe.
For the chocolate ganache, I warmed up a 1/2 cup of canned coconut milk until it started to bubble--you could sub with any other type of milk you'd like. In a glass bowl I had 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips and a tablespoon of butter. I poured the warm milk over the chocolate and butter and whisked until smooth. I then refrigerated this for about 20 minutes so that it would thicken up a bit, but still be pourable. I poured this over the top of the cooled cheesecake (I made the cheesecake the day before) and smoothed it out. I then put it back in the fridge to set--it's beautifully smooth and glossy. Another option is to put the ganache into a pastry bag and then leave it in the fridge a bit longer until it's thick enough to pipe onto the cake in patterns--a criss-cross diamond grid, stars or swirls, whatever you like.
Here's what mine looked like:
Mine did crack as it cooled, but with the ganache topping, you couldn't tell. I think I'm going to make Rumchata bites next! I have some eggnog and pumpkin flavored cream liquors as well--I think they'll make for some tasty experiments as well!
Here's the bonus stretch video to make up for yesterday: Stretches for Low Back and Sciatica Pain
