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.
Do you like to dance? Whether it's at a club or in your living room, dancing is a great way to burn calories. Even if you have two left feet, as long as you keep moving your body, that is all that matters. I love to dance. I miss dancing to the oldies every weekend at Buffoon's--Rick and I did this when we were dating and first married--I never really left the dance floor all night. I don't think Rick misses it at all though :(
I took dance classes when I was middle school age. Did you know that Marilu Henner (she's currently on Celebrity Apprentice) was my dance teacher? She taught modern dance. I also learned some ballroom and boy/girl type dancing from her mom. Her brother and sister also taught. There was a studio set up in their garage and it cost $1.00 per class. It was so much fun.
I think this is why I prefer group exercise classes to working out by myself at home or at a club--If I do workout at home, I'll pick a video workout over a treadmill or stationery bike any time. I think it's also why I ALWAYS have to have music playing when I work out. It motivates me to work harder. I think about the beat and the lyrics more than how many reps I'm doing, or how much longer I have to go.
Today I'm sharing a quick, easy samba routine from Cheryl Burke of Dancing with the Stars. There are multiple other videos from some of the other pros from that show doing different styles of dance. The beauty of dancing like this is that no one has to see or know about it except you, so, shake that booty!!!
I want to make Fridays about giving information from legitimate sources. One of my go to sources is IdeaFit.com (Idea Health and Fitness Association). This is a site for fitness pros, but many of the articles can be viewed by anyone. While browsing I came across an article that I thought would be worth sharing. It is entitled 10 Exercise Myths
I think it's also worth addressing the two myths mentioned in the introduction paragraph. No pain, no gain-- I think most of us know that this is really bad advice. I think it was originally meant to be about the burning sensation and fatigue you get in your muscles when you work them--which is actually not a bad thing. In order to build muscle small tears are actually created in the muscle fibers causing some muscle soreness. When these tears are repaired by the body (which is why you should let the body rest for 24-48 hours between strength training workouts) the muscles get bigger and stronger. You never, however want to feel sharp pain in a muscle or joint while performing any exercise, or soreness for more than a day or two--this is a red flag for injury.
The other myth has to do with spot reducing. You cannot spot reduce, period. You will not get rid of your gut by doing hundreds and hundreds of sit ups. The only way to burn fat off the body is through burning calories. You can, however spot tone or spot strengthen. If you want stronger and/or more toned arms or legs you can achieve that through strength training. However, if there is a layer of fat on top of those muscles, that has to be burned off via some type of cardio work, which is why it's important to do a combo of both types of exercise. Bottom line, in order to lose weight and body fat, you have to burn more calories than you consume.
I'm sure I will be posting more articles from this source in the future. You can like them on facebook, or pin articles to pinterest if you are interested in reading/learning more.
Today I've chosen a total body circuit video that uses the first piece of fitness equipment that I am going to recommend--a resistance band. If you don't have one, they are relatively inexpensive. Please don't get it from a sporting goods store (those are overpriced). I've seen them at Walmart, Target, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Burlington Coat Factory, even Aldi just to name a few. They run anywhere from $4 - $8 tops. They usually come in more than 1 color or resistance--the higher the resistance, the higher the price. The thicker the tube, the harder the resistance. I recommend light to medium--you can always make it tighter by taking up more tube in your hand or taking your legs further apart if you are standing on it. If you get a light one and it gets way too easy, it's not that expensive to get the medium one. Some stores sell them in sets of 2 or 3, and some even have a video included (these both would be more expensive).
Resistance bands are great because you can vary the resistance as you are doing the exercise. For example, if you have two feet standing on the tube during arm work and it gets too hard, simply take one of your feet out to make the tube looser, or vice versa if you want to make an exercise harder. If you were using weights, you'd have to drop one weight to pick up another lighter or heavier one--that also means more equipment. Bands are also very portable. You can take it with you on your walk, or even on vacation.
The video I chose is a circuit or interval workout that alternates between strength and cardio segments. A step is used for the cardio work, but if you don't have one that's ok. You can use an actual step in your house, or just jump forward and back, or side to side, or do jumping jacks or jogs in place during the cardio portion.
One thing that is VERY important when working on a step is to make sure you come up onto the step with a full, flat foot. I do have to say that the guys in the video let their heels hang off the edge of the step a lot. This is bad for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it puts a lot of pressure on your calf muscles and your Achilles tendon which could cause injury. Second, it's easier--so it's cheating. You'll get a better cardio workout placing your full foot on the step. Remember you can modify--you don't have to jump, but then you'll have to make your movements bigger and more exaggerated to get your heart rate up during the cardio segments.
There is no real warm up on this video, so as usual march or jog in place, do some squats, shoulder rolls, etc. to warm up for 3 - 5 minutes first. Remember to stretch your legs--hamstrings and quads, lower back, upper back, chest and shoulders afterward holding each stretch 15-60 seconds. I have added a link to the stretch video that I posted last week on the right sidebar for quick reference.
