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Arlington
personal trainer Cynthia Knapen demonstrates an arm
swing with 10-pound weights in each hand.
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If you've hit
an exercise slump, you might need some motivation to get you
moving. Here's a bit: Spring break is less than a month
away.
There's no
need to panic. It's still possible to slim down in time for
spring break, but it will take a heavy-duty commitment. That
translates into eating healthful low-cal meals, doing cardio
five days a week along with strength training for three
days, and staying focused, said Cynthia Knapen, an
Arlington, Texas, personal trainer accredited with the
National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Her advice:
Find a workout you really enjoy and just do it. Running
burns mega calories for those who regularly hit the road or
treadmill. But it doesn't help much if you can't bring
yourself to lace up your running shoes.
To jump-start
an exercise routine, Knapen has come up with two of her
favorite moves. They might stir up images of your high
school gym class, but the addition of weights for one of
them should speed up results. By the time spring break
arrives, you just might be able to fit into your bikini.
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PUSH-UPS
What it
works: Entire body. A Knapen favorite.
What to
remember: Suck in your stomach and don't arch your back. Do
as many as you can.
There are
three ways to do this exercise, depending on how strong you
are. Beginners should start on their knees, as shown. More
advanced folks can go to their toes. Showoffs can use a
chair to hold their feet.
1. Position
yourself facedown with palms flat on the ground and a bit
more than shoulder width apart. Arms should be extended.
2. Lower
upper body slowly, bending your arms, until your nose
touches the ground. Keep your body straight.
3. Push back
up to the starting position.
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ARM SWINGS
What it
works: Biceps
What you
need: Weights
What to
remember: Start by inhaling
1. With feet
spread apart, lower yourself into a squat, holding weight
with both hands in front of you. Arms are extended but
relaxed at the elbow.
2. Squat down
as low as possible, lowering weight almost to the floor.
3. Swing arms
forward and then up over your head while squeezing your
glutes, sucking in your stomach and rising to a standing
position.
4. Return to
starting position. Repeat 8-12 times. Do 2-3 sets.
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ONLINE HELP
www.fitness.com
This Web site
is packed with free exercises to get you in shape by spring
break.
Just plug in
the body part you want to target, then add where you want to
exercise (the gym versus at home) and what kind of activity
you prefer (cardio versus weight training). One more click,
and suddenly your computer screen turns into a kind of
mini-gym, with a fitness pro showing you exercises that
work.
There are
also low-cal recipes, fitness tips and a body-mass
calculator.
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BURNING
CALORIES
To peel off
the pounds, running is your best bet. But to get lasting
results, it's better to pick something you'll stick with. To
lose one pound, you must burn 3,500 more calories than you
take in as food.
Here's a
sampling of activities and the number of calories burned for
a 135-pound person working out for 30 minutes:
Activity ...
Calories burned
Walking 2 mph
... 85
Bowling ...
93
Water
aerobics ... 122
Calisthenics
(moderate) ... 138
Skateboarding
... 154
Walk/run play
with kids ... 162
Swimming
(moderate) ... 186
Jogging ...
215
Stationary
bike (moderate) ... 215
Aerobics
(high impact) ... 215
Boxing in
ring ... 369
Running (10
mph) ... 551
For more
activities and to get results based on your weight, go to
www.healthstatus.com
Source:
www.healthstatus.com