During this year’s Super Bowl extravaganza (it’s not just a football game anymore), plan to be a bit more active. Spend the pregame time playing touch football outside.
Divide into two evenly matched teams. Have one person “hike” the ball to someone who can throw it to another team member. The defending team tries to catch the ball, or tags the receiver to end the play. It’s not very complicated, but it moves fast – and that’s the point! Break a sweat with some touch football before the game.
Snow and rain are not an excuse – wear appropriate clothing and enjoy the fresh air. (Seriously, there’s nothing like touch football in a couple of feet of snow – exercise plus fun!)
Having guests for the game? Invite them to dress for touch football. Don’t think you like football? Pretend you’re a Kennedy, and play with heart.
It doesn’t take hundreds of crunches to get rock-hard abs. By standing up straight (and sitting up straight) and pulling your abs in tight, you’ll give them a workout all day long. And we all know that 16 hours of holding your abs in is a lot more of a workout than 5 minutes of crunches.
The best solution is to do the crunches AND pull your abs in all day. Try it like this: When you sit and stand, imagine there’s a string attached to the top of your head pulling your whole body up. See how your hips automatically tuck under and your tummy sucks in? For comparison, slump down and see how your stomach pooches out. Lovely, eh? You know what to do – sit up straight! Use those abs!
It will take a while to train your body how to sit and stand correctly. But keep it up and soon it will become second nature. You’ll look younger, thinner, and have great abs!
If you’ve been gaining weight each year and blaming it all on getting older, well, sorry, but that’s not a very good excuse.
Yes, it’s true that as we age, changes in our hormones make gaining weight easier. In women, they can contribute to decreased muscle mass and energy, and increased belly fat and insulin resistance. But, ummm, those things are all within your control, just like they’ve always been.
The more we eat clean, live clean, and work out, the better our hormone balance will be, and the healthier our metabolisms will remain. Yep. That weight gain is still related to our lifestyle choices.
Keep exercising. Whether you like doing it is not the question here. You need to do it for your health. You know, so you can continue to enjoy your career, travel, kids and grandkids, hobbies, friends… life. Your body needs exercise like it needs air and water.
Eat whole foods, preferably foods that are not loaded with pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals. Whole foods (”the way they grow” as opposed to processed or packaged) help fight disease and balance hormone levels.
Stay vigilant about your health for as long as you live, and you’ll live longer to enjoy it!
There’s a certain elegance to the foxtrot and the waltz, and there’s nothing sexier than a good tango!
Besides the social benefits, ballroom dancing is a great workout. Just look at the contestants on Dancing With The Stars – they all get more fit and more lean through the season. You may want to take lessons first. It’s a fun way to reconnect with your partner (just think – dinner and dance lessons every week!), as well as get some exercise.
Besides, when you go out, you get to dress up! And when you get home, you get the extra payoff from that tango!
Don’t overthink your exercise and fitness routine.
Just Do It.(thanks, Nike)
If you stop and think about it, you will find 10,000 reasons for NOT doing it. There’s always something that needs to be cleaned, or a project you haven’t finished, or a kid who needs your attention. It will still be there for you to clean or finish or attend to when you’re done exercising.
Don’t think about it – just start, and 30 minutes later, you can get back to the rest of your life.
No matter how small your living space is, you need an area solely for exercise.
Your exercise space doesn’t need to be large. It can be the space you need for a yoga mat next to, or at the end of, your bed. It can be the space in front of your television, where you have a few square yards to follow a fitness video. It can be in front of your couch, because your hand weights are stored nicely under your couch.
A sudden urge to exercise will be long gone by the time you clear enough space in which to break a sweat. So keep a little floor space clear! Keep your equipment ready to go!
The problem is that clutter is very crafty and eventually infiltrates everywhere, especially your personal gym space. There are millions of Stairmasters and treadmills out there buried under piles of clothing and old books. Put your clothes away, and find a shelf for your books.
Take pride, put things aside, and never let clutter inside.
Most of the US has experienced lots of winter weather so far this season. Extra cold in the south, extreme cold in the north, snow where it’s not normal, and lots of snow over and over again where it’s not unusual, just… a lot. But fitness is not just for nice days.
Foul weather is no excuse for not working out. Use the weather to help you mix up your routine. Walk on a treadmill, take a spin on a stationary bike, jog on a mini-trampoline, jump rope, do some basic calisthenics, or drive to your local mall for an indoor power-walk! The most important thing is to find an indoor option – or two or three – that you enjoy.
When the weather clears and the season changes, you want to emerge fit and fabulous, not flabby! Keep it up no matter what the weather report says. Become your best!
Hips – not usually our favorite body part, and yet they are so very necessary to standing and to moving well. And you know we like to move-it, move-it here at Marilu.com.
There are three main muscle groups in your hips, and they each have their own job to keep you upright and moving.
Gluteals * The gluteals, or buttocks, are located on the back of the hips. This is the largest and strongest muscle set in the body, and its function is hip extension, or driving the upper legs backward. There are layers of gluteal muscles, and it’s important to build the deeper muscles as well as the ones that make your jeans look good. Activities that require this muscle group include walking, running, jumping, and climbing.
Adductors * The adductors are the muscles located throughout the inner thigh and are used during hip adduction, which means bringing your legs together. You want to make sure you lengthen as well as strengthen the adductors.
Iliopsoas * The iliopsoas, or hip flexors, is a collective term for the primary muscles on the front of your hips. The main function of the iliopsoas is hip flexion, which means bringing your knees to your chest. The iliopsoas is sometimes considered to belong to the abdominal muscle group.
In the next few days, plan a big family outing – one that involves a lot of movement. Promote it as a big event, invite the whole extended family, and make it an annual holiday tradition.
Try…
Ice skating
Skiing
Sledding
Hockey
Swimming
Basketball
Roller skating
Tennis
Note * Indoors or outdoors is your choice. Just make sure it’s something active.
Warm up before exercising. Marching in place for a couple of minutes works fine.
Have a set time of day to exercise that fits into your schedule. Try early morning, but if late night or after work is better for you, then stick with what works.
Incorporate weight training into your exercise regimen.
Get an exercise partner. Accountability leads to success.
Do something you like to do.
Vary your exercise routine. You really do like more than one kind of exercise.
Stay hydrated. Sip water before, during, and after you exercise.
Wear proper exercise attire. That includes the right bra, shoes, and socks.
Get a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day.
Walk whenever possible. Park in a far corner of the parking lot. Take the stairs.
