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.
Today I'm sharing a low impact power walk workout from The Biggest Loser. There are 4 different walks on the DVD. this is Walk #2.
Light dumbbells (2-3 lbs.) are used to bring in some arm exercises to make it a total body workout. By the end of the 15 minutes, you will have walked approximately 1 mile. A warm up and cool down with stretch is included.
I've not posted a longer strength workout, so, here it is, and it comes from Bob Harper. It is a one hour strength workout for the entire body.
What I like about his workouts is that he always includes a warm up, cool down with stretch and modifications. He talks about form a lot, and that's a good thing.
You will need a set of dumbbells, a mat or carpeted area, your water bottle and maybe a towel to wipe that sweat off of your brow!
Today's workout comes from BeFit as part of the 30 Day Fat Burn series.
It is a 10 minute workout that takes you through 20 repetitions of 8 different strength exercises, followed by a 2 minute push made up of 4 cardio exercises.
There is no warm up or cool down provided, please do those on your own. You will need a set of dumbbells.
Today's workout comes from Melissa Bender. It is Day 17 of a 30 day challenge she is doing on her YouTube channel.
The workout is about 15 minutes long. No warm up or cool down/stretch are provided.
Here are a couple of modifications:
If the table top knee touch is too difficult, just alternate lifting up your legs and leave the arm movement out of it.
For the heel tap leg lifts, as soon as you feel your back arch, stop the legs. You really don't want to take your legs much past 45 degrees, more than this puts a lot of stress on your lower back.
This workout comes from the BeFit 30 Day Fat Burn program. It is called the Maximum HIIT Workout. It consists of alternating variations of jumping jacks with strength moves that provide your "rest" time.
Again, modify if you shouldn't jump. Do half or heel jacks or squats with the arm movements they are doing.
You will need a set of dumb bells. It is a 10 minute workout. If you have the time and the energy, do it twice.
Here's a list of the exercises you'll be performing (from YouTube):
Jumping Jacks
Bicep Curl
Cross Jacks
Shoulder Press
Leg Curls Jack
Squat Bounce
Push Jack
Pulsing Jump Lunges
Cheerleader Jack
Alternating Plank Ups
Rotational Jack
Pulsing Jump Lunges
Squat Jacks
Face Down Jacks
Please do a warm up and cool down/stretch on your own.
Today's workout comes from BeFit. It is part of a 30 Day Fat Burn program.
The first video is an introduction to the 30 Day Fat Burn program:
The second video is a 12 minute total body interval routine that alternates between strength and power exercises, each performed for 30 seconds and then 30 seconds rest.
You will need a set of dumbbells. The "warm up" they provide is NOT enough, please do a longer one on your own.
They do have someone showing modifications. The "power" moves are variations of the strength exercises done prior.
Yes, I missed another Monday post. Monday's are really busy for me, so I decided to make Monday about Motivation. I will post something motivational to start your week, along with the usual weekly challenge that I usually post directly to Facebook.
Since I post the Wild Workout on Wednesday, and Total Body on Thursday--you will get plenty of muscle work posts for the week.
Don't let this be an excuse for you to skip your workout on Mondays--there are plenty of past posts and videos on YouTube to choose from.
Enough about Monday, today is Tuesday, so that means core work. Today's video comes from FitnessBlender and includes upper body strength training as well.
It is about 28 minutes long and consists of 3 groups of 3 exercises that are performed for 45 seconds with 15 seconds rest in between. Each group is repeated twice.
You will need dumbbells, a bench, table, chair or step and a mat or carpeted area.
A warm up and cool down/stretch are both included.
From the website:
What if some of these exercises are too advanced for me? These exercises are easily modified in order to be more beginner friendly. For example, if the full staggered hand push up is too hard, you can do the same push up from your knees. If a pike push up is too hard for you at this point, switch it out for a simple overhead press with dumbbells. Move as slowly as you need to (you can do fewer reps than Daniel does in the video), and only lift as heavy of a weight that you can control through the entire range of the exercise.
Instead of a video, I thought I'd post a printable workout for you to take with you wherever you do your workout. It's a 3x3 format--three circuits of three exercises (10 reps each) that you repeat three times. You will need a set of dumbbells and a mat or carpeted area for the workout. It comes from PopSugar.
To save and print out the workout, right click the picture, click on save image as and save it to your computer. You can then open up the picture in whatever program you use and print it out from there.
Do a warm up first. Remember, you can always make a move low impact by eliminating the jump, but if you do that, then you have to make the move BIG and dynamic, but controlled.
FYI-- a Gate Swing is a jumping squat--jump the feet out wide landing low and jump the feet back in coming up tall. To modify this move, alternate taking big steps out to the side to make the squat position (shown in the photo) and then come back tall in the center.
If the Dumbbell Crossover Punch is too difficult, try eliminating the weights, or stay in the seated position throughout the exercise.
Happy Monday! I can't believe that today I am posting my, drum roll please......
!!!!!
That just seems crazy to me. Yet, when I think about it, it's about a year ago that I got certified as a personal trainer. Time flies.....anyway, on to today's workout.
Today's routine comes from jessicasmithtv and it focuses on the arms--although she includes exercises like squats and boat pose to give you some leg and core work as well.
She really doesn't do much of a warm up, so I suggest you do one on your own first. She does do a decent stretch at the end.
You will need a set of hand weights and a mat or carpeted area.
I posted the introductory Cardio Barre video a couple of weeks ago. This 38 minute workout is a bit more advanced. If you find it too advanced, go back and do the introductory video again.
Remember, pulsing and bouncing are not the same thing. Pulsing is controlled. Keep your core engaged throughout the workout. Many of these exercises are Pilates based and are meant to give long, lean muscles.
From the YouTube description:
Cardio Barre: Dancer's Body Workout is a full body-toning, 38-minute high-energy strength and cardio exercise routine that combines dance-inspired barre work and light weights with continual fat burning motion to sculpt lean muscle, strengthen the core, and boost your weight loss potential. This workout guides you through several basic result-driven moves that will activate the core, strengthen the back and challenge the abdominals to promote beautiful posture and improve balance.
You will need a barre or sturdy high back chair, a mat or carpeted area and set of light weights. You can do the workout barefoot or while wearing athletic shoes. A warm up and stretch are included, stretch more if you need to.
