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So far…..so good?

How has your fitness plan been working for you so far this year? What are we doing for May? To help your memory, I’ll take you back to some of the suggestions I made for you in lieu of my usual annual update of columns.

So far, we should have listed and identified our own dietary and physical activity weaknesses and constructed a plan of action considering these weaknesses. Our portion sizes should be smaller, some of us really miss that soda, and we have all been taking those 30 minute walks about three times a week. Right. Hopefully your dog is not the only one who has benefited so far.

This past April we were due to drop another vice like smoking, fast food or over consumption of alcohol while we stayed loyal to those walks. Now it is time to consider incorporating 20 to 30 minutes of resistance training at least once or twice a week….if you haven’t been doing so already.

This does not require all the equipment you find in a gym. It is amazing what benefits you can develop from a simple routine that includes some dumbbells and basic calisthenics.

Be sure to include all major muscle groups (chest, shoulders, back and legs) as well as the smaller ones (biceps and triceps of the arm).

You don’t have to overdo it either. Sometimes less equals more. Include one or two exercises for each muscle group. Completing two or three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise is sufficient for healthy maintenance of these muscles.

If you choose a weight that you cannot complete at least eight repetitions, it is too heavy. If you can complete more than 12, it is too light. Adjust (raise) your weights as your body adapts in strength.
This is the concept of overload. Muscles need to be challenged beyond what they are used to in order for gains in strength or size to take place. Ladies, don’t worry. Without a male’s testosterone, you will not develop ‘man muscles’.

Examples of some resistance exercises are as follows: chest – pushups or benchpress; back –pull ups, seated rows, lat pull-down, bent over rows; shoulders –shoulder (military) press, upright rows, side lateral raises; legs –squats, leg press, lunges; biceps –standing or seated curls; triceps –close hands push ups, cable extensions (pushdowns), dips. Along with some of these basics, never ignore the core.

Include some crunches, sit-ups, and leg raises to begin with. For those unfamiliar with these exercises and no funds for a trainer, the internet is a great place to plug in a few words and receive a picture description.

Don’t forget, next month I should start to run into a lot of you at some of the races we are due to enter come June…..remember? Right.

 

Jacqueline Smith is a certified personal fitness trainer and owner of The Right Condition and has additional certifications in Pilates, sports nutrition and group aerobics and is also certified through the Police Training Commission as a physical conditioning instructor.  To contact Jacqueline via email please use this link: fitness@newtownpress.com


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