Your Diet Is A Stretch

You need to do a bit of warm up before your daily walk to increase the effectiveness of the exercise and reduce any stiffness that might come later. There are just a few to do to give you a great start.

Hamstrings (back of legs)

1. Sit on the edge of your bed with one leg up and the other on the floor and reach with both hands until you feel the stretch in the back of the leg.

Calf stretch

1. Stand at arms length away from a wall and lean against it.

2. Put one leg straight back and the other bent under you.

3. Keep your back straight and lean your hips forward.

4. Keep rear leg straight with your heel on the ground.

5. Repeat for other leg.

Side stretch

1. Stand with both arms over your head.

2. Lean to one side, then the other.

3. You can also leave your right arm at your side and bend to the right while reaching your left arm reaches overhead, then reverse.

Torso twist

1. Stand with both arms out to side with elbows slightly bent.

2. Feet should be at shoulder width or slightly wider.

3. Twist your torso to the right and then the left, alternating back and forth slowly.

Quadriceps (thigh)

1. While leaning against a wall, reach back with your left hand and grab your right ankle.

2. Pull your foot back and away from your butt.

3. Repeat for the other side.

It really won’t take you long to do these. It’s a good way to start your exercise or even just your day.

TODAY: DO YOUR WARM UP EXERCISES.

How Can You Tell If You Are Really Exercising?

Now you’re eating smaller portions, so the next goal is to exercise more. Okay, maybe the goal is to START exercising. Maybe the best way to think about it is to not call it exercising. Let’s just call it increasing your use of calories. Walking is the easiest. I know you’ve heard it before, and maybe you are already walking some. But the walking has got to be productive without overexerting you. The trick to knowing if it’s being productive is to speed your walk up till you know you are exerting yourself. This makes it self adjusting to your fitness level. When you start that will be a slower pace than when you are more toned. You can always gauge your exercise that way.

Warm up slow, push up to exertion, keep that pace for 10 minutes and ease off to cool down. Or do whatever length of time you can manage. Like the advertising slogan… “just do it!”

TODAY: WALK HARD FOR TEN MINUTES.

Time Change, Season Change, Routine Change

You’ve probably got all the clocks changed to Standard Time by now. You might feel like you’re getting up too early. So it’s a good time to change up your exercise routine. It’s the best way to prevent a weight loss plateau. You ought to change it every 4 to 6 weeks. It will also reduce your boredom and keep you going. Since the weather is changing too, it will give you another reason to look for an alternative. So decide on new exercises, a new route to walk, new places to go and a new attitude. Just get out there!

TODAY: PICK A NEW EXERCISE ROUTINE FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

A Micro Workout Is Better Than None

No time for a workout? I’m sure you have 30 seconds. Researchers have found that a measly half minute sprint on a stationary bike 4 to 6 times a week can fire up your cells to get more energy (glucose) from food. It will help keep diabetes away.  It’s not enough to really aid in your weight-loss. But it will really help your muscles, bones and even your mood.

You still need that half hour of walking a day, but these little sprints will really make you feel like you’re doing something good, and maybe inspire a few longer sessions too.

TODAY: DO A FEW HALF MINUTE SPRINTS ON AN EXERCISE BIKE, STEPPER OR JUST AN EXTRA FAST WALK.

Exercise Today Get Two Days Free

They have now found that the benefits of any aerobic exercise lasts for an amazing 72 hours! It turns out that studies show that it helps your glucose levels and gets your metabolism revved up for three full days. Don’t get it in your mind that you can just skip a couple of days. But it means that if your schedule only gives you three days a week to ride your bike, run,  fast walk, do a stepper, etc. you will be in much better shape but if you do more than that you’ll see more results. It also explains why on your day off you still feel better and feel better about yourself.

TODAY: WORK UP A SWEAT.

Slow+Fast+Slow+Fast = Faster Diet Results

The burst exercise plan seems to have a greater effect on my bike. That’s when you do short 30 second bursts every few minutes while you’re walking, riding a bike, using a stepper… whatever you’re doing to exert yourself. Studies have shown that it increases the overall effectiveness of your exercise and gives you more residual calorie burning. It’s sort of exercise kinetic energy. That is, you get the locomotive going faster and it takes longer for it to stop.

Of course you will notice it because you will have the satisfying pore cleansing sweat for a bit longer when you’re done.

TODAY: DO SOME BURSTS WHILE YOU EXERCISE. (WALK, RIDE OR WHATEVER)

Dust Off The Bike

Okay, I admit it. I had stopped riding my bike for a while. It was because of any number of convenient excuses. Not enough time, too cold, too hot, too wet… too lazy. I actually had to get spider webs off the tires, (I hate spiders.) before re-inflating them. It was simply a matter of motivation. I know I have to burn more calories. The bike works for me. I had grown to really look forward to the rides, especially longer ones on Saturday mornings. But for some reason I lost interest and it took mustering up energy again to get back in the saddle.

You may have a stepper, rider, weights, skates, or walking shoes that need to be dusted off. Now is as good a time as any to get going again.  Take it easy at first. Getting stiff will just give you an excuse to stop again. Then watch your endurance go up and your weight go down. You’ll remember how. It’s just like riding a bike.

TODAY: START A NEW, OLD EXERCISE ROUTINE.