Joyfully Fit - Home Workout

The American College of Sports
Medicine, (ACSM), together with
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention agree that “every US
adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.” An example of moderate activity would be brisk walking over uneven terrain, 3 times daily for 10 to 15 minutes each. A perimeter to guide your degree of exertion would be the level of intensity that feels somewhat hard, but you do not have to pause for breath in the middle of sentences.

When you cannot talk easily, the exercise has become high intensity. That’s fine for brief intervals, especially if you’re trying to build cardiorespiratory strength and endurance. If you are over 40 and have not exercised regularly in years it would be a good idea to consult a physician before starting a strenuous exercise program.
JAMA 273:402 1995.

ACSM advises that strength training be an
integral part of an adult fitness program.
8 to 10 exercises to condition the major
muscle groups at least 2 days per week is
the recommended minimum. A postural
assessment is very beneficial (see Reasons
to Hire a Personal Trainer) before beginning
a weight lifting program so you can address
and correct the postural distortions common to
most adults in our society due to the prevailing
sedentary lifestyle.

To tone and trim the body it is recommended
to lift light weights that you can maintain
in good form for 20 to 30 repetitions. To
increase muscle size, lift the amount of weight
that you can perform 8 to 12 repetitions
without compromising form.

If you have never lifted weights before and
you want to increase your muscle mass, it
would be advisable to gradually get your
muscles used to the stress by using weights
that you can maintain proper form for 15 or more repetitions at first. Also be sure to not swing the weights around. Control the movement, using for example, 2 seconds to contract the muscle and 4 seconds to extend it. Moving eights fast involves momentum, decreases effectiveness, compromises form (a safety factor), and greatly increases the possibility of injury.


It’s a good idea to spend at least 30 minutes a couple times a week stretching the major muscle groups to prevent the development of the limitations of age-related stiffness and the resulting deformations (bent over posture, shuffling gait, etc).

Try doing some exercises every time you watch TV or a movie. It’s a great combo.

A 5 minute warm-up will get your blood flowing, raise your energy level, and prepare your muscles for exertion.

Jumping Jacks

Raise your arms every time you jump your feet out, then bring them down to your sides as you jump your feet together. Do 10.

Knees & Toes

Touch knees, then reach down to as low as you can easily go and touch your shins, ankles, or toes. Then reach all the way up. Repeat 10 times.

Alternate Hand-Toe Touch

Stand with feet wide apart and arms out at sides. Reach toward left foot with right hand, come back up. Do the same on opposite side. 10 each side.

Elbow-Knee Touch

Stand with feet a little apart, arms out with fingers touching shoulders. Lift left knee as you bring right elbow to touch it. Repeat on other side. Alternate, doing 10 times on each side.

Knee Pull-Ins

Place one foot about 2 feet in back of the other one, arms extended out in front. Pull in with your arms as you lift the rear knee forward. 10 times on each side.

Football Hustle

Bend upper body slightly forward, knees slightly bent, arms bent at elbows. Go up and down with feet in small stationary steps as fast as possible for 15 to 30 seconds.

Opposite Leg Raises

Sit on the floor leaning back on your forearms. Raise one leg up as high as possible on a count of 4 without bending the knee. Then lower it while raising the other leg. Keep raising and lowering 5 times for each leg without letting the heels come in contact with the floor. If you feel a strain on your lower back, place your hands under your butt to give your back more support. Repeat with a count of 2; then 5 timeseach leg with a 1 second tempo. If this exercise is too difficult, make it easier by leaving one leg on the floor while you lift the other one up and down to a count of 4, 8 times. Then switch sides. Now do 8 each side to a count of 2; repeat with a 1 second tempo.

Opposite Arm-Leg Raise

Get in the table position on hands and knees, hands under shoulders and knees under hips. Slowly extend your right arm and left leg straight out. Hold for 2 seconds, lower. Repeat with opposite arm and leg. Do each side 8 or more times. When this becomes too easy you can try it with ankle weights, gradually increasing the weight, up to 10lbs.

Bent leg tip-over

Here is an exercise that doesn't require any weights and it's very effective for balance, core, and lower body. While standing, bend one leg 90 degrees at the knee. Without locking out the knee of the standing leg, slowly bend forward from the hip, keeping the back straight. Hold the arm that's above your standing leg straight out to the side and reach for the floor (but don't touch it ) with your other hand. Slowly come back up. Repeat. Try and do 8 to 12 of these. Now do the other side.

When this becomes relatively easy, up the ante by not bending the inactive leg so it extends straight out behind when you bend over. When you can manage this easily, hold a weight, say 8 lbs, in your hand on the side of the inactive leg. This will really work your legs and butt.

It's important to do some core work that incorporates the rest of the body so that the neural networks are established connecting the core with the legs, etc. Otherwise, your crunched-strong abs don't kick in that well when you need them in daily living.

This exercise was adapted from one I saw in Kathy Kaehler's book, Celebrity Workouts. She calls it T-Pose Butt Shaper. I have 2 of her books and I really like the way she does a lot of very effective stuff with minimal equipment.

Knee Raise with Side & Back Reach

First, draw in your belly button to activate your core muscles. Then raise one leg with bent knee until it forms a 90 degree angle. Now straighten it out.

Lower the leg and extend it to the side without letting the foot touch the floor.

Now bring it in and extend it out behind you. Bring foot to floor next to your other foot. Repeat progression with the other foot. Do each side 5 times.

Push-ups

If you don’t have a regulation Reebok step, don’t worry. The coffee table or any other low furniture will do as well.

Place your hands on the step or furniture slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull in your belly button, make your body straight from shoulders to knees, and lower yourself until your arms are at right angles. Then push back up, keeping your back rigid.

Here are a few ways you can make it harder:

When you get to the bottom, push up slightly and then lower 4 times before pushing back up to the starting position.
Do it flat on the floor. The more elevation you provide for the upper body, the easier it is to push up.
Do regular pushups from the toes instead of the knees, almost touching your nose to the floor before each push.
When you can do more than 15 of #3, try raising your feet. If your feet are elevated, don’t lower yourself below where your upper arms are parallel to the floor so your shoulder joint is not stressed.

You can make your own weights and save money by filling shampoo bottles, water bottles, milk jugs etc with sand.

One-Arm Row

Put one knee on a bench or a chair and lean over so your back is parallel to the floor. Place your hand on the bench. Holding a weight in the hand next to your standing leg, bring it up alongside your body, keeping your arm close in. Raise the weight until it’s level with your side. Then lower and repeat.

Shoulder Press

Bend your knees slightly, pull in your belly button, and push the weights from next to your shoulders all the way up, without locking out your elbows at the top. Lower and repeat until fatigue.

Bicep Curl

Bend the knees slightly and pull in your belly button. Curl the weight from fully extended arms up and toward your shoulders. Don’t hunch up your shoulders or let your elbows swing forward as you lift.

This muscle is located on the back side of your upper arm, a weak area for most women.

Triceps Press

Holding a weight in one hand, bend your knees slightly and pull your belly button in. Raise your arm so that the elbow is pointing straight up along the side of your head. (If you let it fall a little over to the side, the effectiveness of the exercise will be reduced.) Raise the weight all the way up to almost locking out the elbow and lower. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions. Now do the other arm.

It’s helpful to do this exercise in front of a mirror so you can spot when your arm is becoming less vertical and correct it.

You can get rid of all that cellulite and have a shapely rear, no matter what your age, with proper weight management and appropriate exercise.

Lunges

Pull your belly button in and take a large step with either foot. Bend both knees so that the back knee comes down toward the floor. Take care that your front knee does not extend past the ankles. The legs should form 2 right angles.

Now push up with the heel of your front foot, straightening both legs. Repeat. When one side becomes fatigued, switch legs.

The farther you can lower your rear knee toward the floor, (without touching it), the more strenuous the exercise will be. If you can only lower it halfway down, (or less), don’t give up. Just do what you can and it will get a little easier each time.

When these become too easy you can try doing them while holding weights, gradually increasing the weight. Also, elevating your rear leg by putting your foot on a low bench will increase the difficulty.