Guest Spot: Redefining the Home Workout

I want to post something a little different today. Many of us want to be in shape and healthy but are intimidated by going to a gym (or find other excuses not to). This article gives tips on how to create a home workout program that really fits your needs and feels good! I know I sound like an infomercial--I'm not trying to. I mostly want to expand the topics addressed on this blog, get you to share it, and give a plug for Healthline, because they have really helpful articles on everything from depression to GI issues to camel-borne diseases.

So please enjoy!

(Disclaimer: I was sent this article in November 2013. Embarrassingly, I didn't get my butt in gear to post it until now.)

Healthline: https://www.facebook.com/healthlinenetworks

Replace that Gym Membership with an At-Home Program

 

It’s a breeze to design a home gym or program, and save a ton of money in the process. Working out doesn’t have to be expensive, nor does it require sophisticated equipment.  You might even be surprised that everything that will help you get in shape can be found right in your home.

 

Working out at home is certainly more convenient. Getting up and being able to work out right away without getting ready and driving to the gym is an enormous time saver.  Sometimes the routine of getting dressed in your workout gear and traveling to the gym can take an hour out of the day… and that doesn’t even include the workout itself.  Working out at home gets it done without even thinking about it. All you need is 30-minutes a day to fit in that everyday fitness session.

Aerobic Exercises

Before you do anything, you need a good pair of athletic shoes.  Jogging around the neighborhood in the morning is outstanding for your cardiovascular health, and is plenty for your daily exercise regimen.  If jogging isn’t your thing, a good jump rope is equally as challenging, and provides the same benefits as sprinting intervals. Swimming, walking and even using your stairs will also work.  Using the steps in your home, also called step training, will tone your leg muscles and give you some low impact aerobic exercise as well. If you don't have any stairs, just walk around the house several times. 5000 steps is 2.5 miles of walking.  And 10,000 steps….you guessed it...5 miles.

 

Equipment-Free Muscle Strengthening and Toning

 

In addition to cardiovascular exercises, strength training is key for optimal fitness, and once again, you can achieve this right in the comfort of your home without equipment. Squats are great for the buttocks and legs. You can do squats simply by sitting and standing up in reputation from a regular chair. As long as you’re able to do a few repetitions, you will be providing some benefit to your lower body and your core. Jumping Jacks really give you a good leg burn as well as providing some great cardio training.  Finally, leg lifts are outstanding for strengthening your quads and hamstrings. 

 

Crunches are the best exercise for building up and strengthening abdominal muscles. Do these so you begin to feel the stretching of the muscles. And if you want to add a little additional weight to your reps, locate some household items like milk gallons or soup cans.  These will provide you enough weight to tax those muscle fibers.

 

For the upper body, a staple exercise is the pushup. This exercise literally works every upper-body muscle from your torso to your arms, chest, back and shoulders. And even though this exercise might not be for everyone, varying methods of this exercise are easier and provide fantastic strength training.  For example, do pushups against a wall or on your knees, instead of keeping your legs straight. 

 

When to Use Equipment

 

If you really want to use equipment, you can buy a workout machine and station it in your living room or in the garage. You can get a lot of exercises from all-purpose machines like the Total Body Workout brand and the Nautilus brand.  These type of machines will do it all. A small set of dumbbells or a kettlebell are also nice to have for isolating those arm muscles and working your core, and an exercise ball can be helpful when you want to stretch, do ab workouts or even yoga.

Fitting in some daily exercise is crucial for your lasting wellness, and being able to do it at home is a huge time saver. You don’t need to go out and join a fitness club or buy expensive equipment. Use what you have in your house, and work out at home. 

 

If you want to invest in an all-purpose strength machines, there are plenty of people selling their used machines.  You can find a ton of these on eBay or Craigslist. Having a home gym is easy and convenient.  You’ll be more likely to keep up with fitness if you don’t have to spend a lot of time getting ready for it or traveling to it. Additionally, working out while being comfortable in your own home will provide you motivation to maintain a steady routine without quickly losing interest, or being intimidated by the gym.

 

 

 

David Novak is a syndicated newspaper columnist, appearing in newspapers, magazines, radio and TV around the world. His byline has appeared in several national publications including USA Today, Reader’s Digest and Newsweek. David is a specialist in the areas of  health, exercise, diet and wellness, and he is a regular contributing editor for Healthline. For more information, visit http://www.healthline.com/.

 

 

 

Beautiful Insomniacs

I had my TV on the other day while I was having lunch at home, and I heard this:

"Can't sleep? Don't let your skin show it." It was an ad for Estee Lauder's new Advanced Night Repair. I was shocked, although I guess I shouldn't have been.

If you can't sleep, there are bigger problems than how your skin will look in the morning. I happen to be quite experienced in this area. Lack of sleep, as we all know, is an indicator of one of several issues: stress, illness, anxiety, depression, and children. Those issues all call for help, whether from professional care providers or a close circle of friends and family. But women are being told to hide all that and put on a fresh face. We are told that beauty is more important than mental health.

Honestly, I have purchased night cream before. Not this particular one, but still--I have bought into this culture's emphasis on looking young and refreshed at all times. I'm not saying we can't take care of our skin and look our best when we go out and have to be confident enough to make our way in what has historically been a man's world. But I am saying that ad agencies and cosmetic companies cross the line when they push a product at the expense of a woman's well-being.

If you have insomnia, please place greater importance on seeking help than on looking good.

(http://learntoembracethestruggle.com/the-insomnia-war/)

Get Your Groove On...or something like that

Yes, I'm the girl taking pictures of herself in the mirror at the gym. I just get tired of stealing other people's photos off the Internet.

I just joined this little fitness center, and today was my second day using it. I went yesterday afternoon, thinking it would be empty.

Wrong.

Full of men lifting weights and talking trash to each other. And here comes little ol' me. I actually thought I was doing pretty well, holding my own and looking like I belonged there...until I slipped a bit on the treadmill. It was a little tiny slip, but I think I uttered some kind of surprised noise. Not sure. But I just kept on running. I don't even think my face stayed red for that long. An improvement for me, for sure.

So today I went in the morning (I just love my part-time work schedule). And I was the only one there! So I took advantage--taking photos of my bad self, putting the radio on and practicing my Zumba toning moves with free weights, that kind of thing. I know, none of you would ever do anything like that, alone or not.

As I was watching my bad self in the wall-sized mirror, I was struck by how funny it was that I had given so much thought to what I wore to the gym. I really, really want to look feminine at the gym. I don't want to go in there with a bandana and no earrings, just on the off chance that someone mistakes me for an adolescent boy. So I get my zebra print scarves out and do my makeup, all for an hour of getting stinky and falling off the treadmill.

Why? If I go to the gym and men look at me, I get really creeped out. The answer is that if I go to the gym and no one is there, I actually really enjoy watching myself in the mirror--if I look the part, that is. (By the way, I get my ideas of what a workout outfit should look like from MTV's The Grind workout videos from the 90s.) If I look like I could be on a workout video, I'm happy. I guess I imagine that if I practice enough, someday I can feel as good when there are people to watch me. I know, I'm so vain. I probably think this blog is about me...

At one point during my little workout, I laughed out loud. Here I was, watching my biceps flex (if I squinted and got really close to the mirror) and keeping an eye on the door--and I was convinced I really looked good. But I'm realistic enough to know that I actually looked a bit foolish. Cool at times, but mostly foolish.

But I think that's okay. As soon as someone comes in the door, I feel like a little girl who's out of her league. But by myself, I'm really something! The point, I think, of this whole post is that we need those moments where we can stand all alone in front of a mirrored wall and bust out some moves that boost our confidence--even if the moment only lasts until another person walks in.

No matter your body shape or size, you can feel good when you look in the mirror at a gym. You can. First of all, anyone looks good with a barbell in their hand or sitting on an exercise ball.



Secondly, you are at a gym! You should feel great about making that choice. And finally, I think we all have to have some degree of love for our bodies. We get what we get, and we don't throw a fit, as they say in preschool. It can be scary to look at yourself full on like that, but if you find yourself all alone with the freedom to take it in, just enjoy who you are when no one is watching. Laugh a little but keep on dancing. Or swiveling. Or whatever it is you're doing in front of that mirror. If a bald girl can feel good in front of a mirror, so can you.

30 Days of Redefining Beauty-Day 28

Radical acceptance.



I learned this concept in Mindfulness therapy. We did this exercise where we had to close our eyes and think of an event or situation that filled us with a lot of tension and stress. We had to think of something we were saying "No" to. No, I don't want to come home for Christmas. No, I don't want to go to work on Monday morning and face my obnoxious boss. No, I don't want to have the same fight about finances again.

Then our leader had us practice saying "Yes". And with that simple word, it was amazing what happened physically. Just saying the word "yes" relaxed my shoulders and released the breath I didn't realize I had been holding.

This therapy session was a couple years ago, but the idea of "radical acceptance" has stayed with me. It's the idea so eloquently expressed on bumper stickers: "S*** happens". Life is not going to be easy. The more I can accept the situations and circumstances I find myself in, without trying to fight my way out of them, the more peaceful and healthy I will feel.

This is not to say that I should lie down and take everything life throws at me. I have choices to make. But if I spend my energy saying "This shouldn't be happening to me" then I will have no energy left to make wise decisions.

Sara Groves has a song called "Starfish" which expresses the same idea: "Peaceful creature, come and be my teacher. / Flotsam, jetsam, swish and swirl, and you don't even care."

I don't think it conflicts with my Christian worldview to practice radical acceptance. I choose to (try to) follow the teachings of Jesus, and he says not to be anxious about circumstances (Matthew 6:25-34). The reason I can practice radical acceptance and say "yes" to my circumstances is because a)I know suffering is part of the human condition for now, b)I am usually not in control of my circumstances, only how I respond to them, and c)I profess to believe in a God who cares about my life and is ultimately taking care of me. That's pretty hopeful in the long term. Radical acceptance puts short-term problems into long-term perspective.

The word "yes" is beautiful, but not always easy to say. I'm thinking of it today because I am having a hard time with this alopecia today, and I am facing unwanted truths about a difficulty my daughter is going through.

Can you think of anything you have been inwardly saying "no" to? Would a radical "yes" set you free?