Core-Condition.com » QUICK TIPS

Funny Post!-A Woman’s First Week at the Gym

Michelle — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:02:58 +0000

Check out this funny story about a Woman’s first week at the gym. I wonder if CORE Conditioning clients feel the same way??

A WOMAN’S WEEK AT THE GYM

Dear Diary,

For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear)purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY: Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess – a thinly built female, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!

Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!

TUESDAY: I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda’s rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!! It’s a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY: The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.

Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the h*** would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other s*** too.

THURSDAY: Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help being a half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny cow to find me. Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine — which I sank.

FRIDAY: I hate that cow Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don’t have any triceps! And if you don’t want dents in the floor, don’t hand me those stupid barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY: Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY: I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little rugrat***) will choose a gift for me that is fun like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!

Posture not so “perfect”?

Michelle — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:48:07 +0000

Do you find it painful or difficult to sit up straight? Do you spend many hours a day in slumped in front of a computer? and do you sometimes feel like your posture is starting to closely resemble the Hunchback of Notre Dame? If so, READ ON.

Poor upper body posture, also known as thoracic kyphosis, is normally caused by tight chest muscles and weak muscles in the upper and mid back. This condition is very common in people who have sedentary desk jobs and are slumped over a computer or paper work for the majority of the day. Not being aware of proper posture will commonly result in the shoulders rounding forward, the head poking further forward, and the curve in the thoracic spine will be enhanced causing that “hunchback” look. Overtime this poor posture will begin to strain the spine and it’s surrounding mucles and ligaments, making the back vulnerable to injury as well as back and neck pain.

HOW DO WE FIX THIS?

-Becoming more aware of you posture is the first step. To practice proper posture, sit up straight in a chair and roll your shoulders back and down as if you are squeezing a pencil between your shoulder blades. Next, tuck your chin in and back to relax your neck muscles. When looking at a side profile the ear should be in line with the shoulder. You should feel your neck relaxed, a small stretch across your chest, and the muscles between your shoulder blades engaged (squeezing the pencil).

-Stretch you chest muscles at least once per day, but the more the better. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times. See picture below:

-Even when using proper posture, sitting for prolonged periods of time will tire the back muscles. Try taking frequent breaks from sitting every hour to get up and walk around or stretch out.

Failing to plan is planning to fail!

Michelle — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:36:33 +0000

It doesn’t matter how hard or how often you workout, if you are still cruising through a drive-thru on the way home you are not going to see results. The key to getting into a healthier eating regimen is to be organized and plan your meals in advance. To avoid having to stop for fast food or giving in to your cravings, sit down and plan out your meals and snacks for the whole day or even plan all meals for the whole week. If you pre-plan your meals you wont have to contemplate each day what you are going to make for dinner, you will be less likely to stop at starbucks for a coffee and a high calorie muffin for breakfast, and those mid day sugar cravings can be curbed by your packed healthy snacks and not by the cookies and chips in the vending machine.

A great plan is to schedule your eating for the same times everyday, which should be about 6 times per day(smaller meals and snacks). Not only will you be training your metabolism to be burning calories constantly throughout the day, but you will also avoid losing energy near the end of the day because you are starving for dinner. When people do not add small snacks into their daily routine, normally by the time dinner comes around the stomach is screaming for food and you end up snacking while you are cooking dinner to avoid from passing out. This brings two problems, if you are that hungery you are more likely to overeat because you will probably eat faster and will not feel full until it’s to late; secondly if you are snacking while waiting for dinner that is just added calories you do not need to be ingesting right before a meal.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS:

-Try sitting down and planning out your meals for the week on a Sunday night and prepare your snacks for the next day, so even if you are rushed in the morning you will be prepared for the day.

-Try eating the same thing for breakfast every morning, it makes life easy and one less thing you have to think about. You can switch it up every week and try out new recipes to avoid boredeom.

-You should be eating every three to four hours in order to keep your metabolism burning calories and keep you body alert and energized.

REMEMBER….FAILING TO PLAN IS PLANNING TO FAIL

Plan out your eating just as you would prepare for anything else important in your life. It takes some exra time, but the benefits of being organized are endless!!

Get on track to fix your BACK

Michelle — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:06:58 +0000

Do you find yourself consistently suffering from low back pain and discomfort? If so, this tip may help you!

Low back pain can be caused by a number of different reasons, but postural imperfections normally play a large roll in producing pain in the low back. For example, weak core muscles/pelvic stabilizaion, inability to proper engage the core muscles, or muscular imbalances in the leg and hip muscles can all put increased strain on the muscles and structures in the low back, resulting in pain.

Although it is hard to prescribe specific exercises without a proper diagnosis, here are some stretches and exercises you can perform to begin to relieve strain in the low back:

1.) Supine hamstring stretch-lay on your back and pull one leg up in the air, trying to keep it straight, until you feel a pull in the back of your leg. Hold each leg for 25 to 30 seconds and perform 2 to 3 times on each side.

2.) Single knee to chest/double knee to chest stretch-similar to the stretch above, only bend the knee of the leg you are stretching and pull the knee to your chest. You will feel a stretch in your gluteal muscles and low back. After performing this stretch twice on each leg, pull both knees to your chest to feel a stretch in your low back. Hold each for 25 to 30 seconds.

3.) Pelvic Tilt-Learning how to properly engage your core muscles is important in reducing the strain on your low back. For this exercise lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tighten your abdominal muscles and push your low back into the floor, hold this contraction for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times. (see exercises-pelvic tilt)

4.) Bridge-This exercise will help strengthen your core and pelvic stabilizers. Begin by lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor (similar to the pelvic tilt position). Perform the pelvic tilt by contracting your abominals and pressing your back flat against the floor. Next, raise you body up, maintaining your pelvic tilt to properly use your core muscles, hold for approximatley 5 seconds at the top and then lower back down to the floor and release. You should feel this exercise in your core and in the back of your legs and gluts. Perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions.

Try performing these exercises 2 to 3 times per week to begin to relieve strain in your low back!!

A Helpful H20 Trick

Michelle — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:07:05 +0000

There are many health benefits associated with drinking water daily and most people don’t actually come close to drinking the required amount of water each day. The average person should be drinking at least 8 glasses of water each day; but people who live in warmer environments or work out will need more than this in order to replenish the water lost through perspiration and avoid dehydration. Also, drinking caffinated beverages will have a diuretic effect and increase your water requirement each day. Looking at your urine colour is a good indicator of your hydration level, if it is a light yellow colour you are most likely meeting your water demands.

THE TRICK:

An easy way to make sure you drink the adequate amount of water each day is to carry a water bottle with you at all times. Put elastic bands around the water bottle corresponding to the amount of bottles you need to drink each day. Each time you re-fill your water bottle throughout the day take an elastic band off. This will help keep you on track and make you more accountable for drinking the required amount each day!!

WATER IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND NORMAL BODY FUNCTION SO GET DRINKING!!!

Monitor your HEART RATE to get the most out of your workout

Michelle — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:26:29 +0000

Calculating your heart rate prior to and while working out will allow you to ensure you are working at the proper intensity throughout your workout. Having a calculated target heart rate in mind during your cardiovascular workouts will keep you focused on the task at hand and ensure you are getting the most out of your workout. Heart rate monitors are very helpful for providing constant feedback on your heart rate throughout the duration of your workout. Many heat rate monitors on the market have a calorie counting feature that will calculate the amount of calories you burn in each workout determined by your heart rate throughout your workout. If you are having a hard time pushing yourself hard enough or ensuring you burn enough calories per workout, try a heart rate monitor and set a goal, and don’t stop until it’s reached! If you do not have a heart rate monitor, try taking your pulse for 6 seconds, count how many times your heart beats, and then add a zero.

Here is an idea of how to calculate your target heart rate during your cardiovascular workouts:

Calculate you maximum heart rate with this formula:
- 220-your age=Heart Rate Max
Now that you have your maximum heart rate calculated, you want to multiply this number by a percentage depending on your training goals.
- Get healthy-If you are looking to improve your health, working at 50-60 percent of you maximum heart rate for 30 minutes at least 3 times per week can help decrease the risk of developing many chronic diseases.
- Lose weight-If you are looking to decrease body fat and lose weight you should be working at approximately 60-70 percent of your maximum heart rate. You should not be working at such an intense rate that you are not able to hold a conversation. Work at a consistent pace until you have reached personal your calorie burn goal.
- Improve Cardiovascular Endurance-If your goal is to increase your cardiovascular capacity and endurance you should be working at 70-80 percent of you maximum heart rate. This is also good for fat burning if you are already fairly fit and should be a much more intense workout.
- Advanced Conditioning-If you are already in very good shape and are training for a specific sport or event you should do some workouts around 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. This should not be done every day, as it is very intense and can also be a fat burning zone for those in great shape.