How are you and your family measuring up? 

Children and Adolescents (aged 6–17)

• At least 60 minutes of mostly moderate- or vigorous-intensity physical activity every day.
• Muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activity on at least 3 days per week.

Adults (aged 18–64)

• Adults should do 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity

OR

·        75 Minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity

OR

·       an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity.

Aerobic activity should be performed in episodes of at least 10 minutes, preferably spread throughout the week.

 

Additional health benefits are provided by increasing:

·        to 5 hours (300 minutes) a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity

OR

·        2 hours and 30 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.

• muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups performed on 2 or more days per week.

Older Adults (aged 65 and older)

• Older adults should follow the adult guidelines. If this is not possible due to limiting chronic conditions, older adults should be as physically active as their abilities allow. They should avoid inactivity. Older adults should do exercises that maintain or improve balance if they are at risk of falling.

“An hour a day, get out and play.”

I think it caught my eye because it provided some direction and guidelines for parents on what is an appropriate amount of activity for our kids.

Also, I am very consistent in my efforts in getting my son outside to play everyday.  However, depending on our schedules or the weather, the time in active play varies.

Now I know the goal: an hour a day.

The website that accompanies this message is smallstep.gov.

This site provides resources and tips on how to add activity into your life.  Here is their list of over 100 ways to improve your health.

Pick one thing you can do today!

You can maintain strength and muscle mass by performing the following program 2 times a week.

Directions:

            Perform each exercise one-two time(s) (or one-two “set(s)”) 10-12 reps to failure.

            Do this program two times per week.

•  Chest:                           Push ups on knees or toes   (Tip: to add intensity, elevate feet on bench or stability ball)
• Quadriceps:                  Lunge                        
• Back:                           Lat Pull Down or Dumbbell Row
• Hamstring Curls:           Deadlift
• Shoulders:                    Overhead Shoulder Press
• Biceps:                         Standing Bicep Curls
• Triceps:                        Overhead Tricep Extension
• Gastroc. (Calves)         Heel Raises (link is a picture with machine, but you can do it holding a weight standing at the edge of stairs)
• Abdominals                  Lying Leg Raise (beginners: start with bent legs)

                                               Oblique Crunch

•    Lower Back                 Back Extension (perform very controlled)

Lifting Basics:

• Perform all movements with controll (at least 2 seconds into the exercise and 2-4 seconds out of the exercise)
• If you experience any pain, extreme fatigue, dizziness, or generally are not feeling well, stop exercising and notify your physician.

Enjoy the summer and see you in the fall with the same strength, muscle mass, and metabolism!

Let me offer a piece of advice that works for me.   

Don’t completely give up strength training (and losing all that you’ve gained over the fall, winter, and spring months).  Instead change your goal to maintaining muscle mass and strength. 

When your goal is simply to maintain, your expectations on your time and effort are less, and you will end the summer in nearly the same great shape that you started it in.  You can’t lose! To maintain strength:

• perform one set of an exercise to failure per muscle group.  Click here for a program.
• perform that routine 2 times per week.

 By maintaining strength (and muscle mass), you be sure to:

• keep your metabolism elevated all summer (rather than letting it drop)
• maintain muscle strength and bone mass
• keep joints, tendons, and ligaments strong and supple
• lessen joint (and arthritis pain)
• keep fat gain from creeping on

If not, it’s not you.  It’s your program. 

Conventional exercise physiology suggests that to build muscle, it is best to perform 8-12 repetitions using a weight that pushes the muscle to extreme fatigue (or even failure) within 8-12 repetitions. However, recent research suggests that building muscle is much more individualized.  

To build muscle, testosterone is essential.  Given that there are hormones, like cortisol that break down muscle tissue and negate testosterone’s positive effects, it is essential that you use a strength training protocol that creates a hormonal balance.  

Recent research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (March 2008) revealed that an individual’s testosterone release and, thus, muscle and strength increases in response to a strength training protocol is completely unique. 

Some subjects in the studies had greater testosterone release using a heavy weight, 5 repetitions, and 3 minutes of rest; while others experienced similar results with an endurance training program (lighter weight, 15 repetitions, and 1 minute of rest).   Four protocols in all were tested.  

What does this mean for you? 

Given that you are not in a research lab, here are 3 questions to find out if the program you are using is working for you. 

1.  How sore are you after a workout and for how long?  Some soreness is great, however soreness that is extra intense and lasting more than 3 days may signal an imbalance in the cortisol-to-testosterone ration, meaning results will suffer. 
2. Are your strength gains going up, down, or staying the same?  If the gains in strength are not being achieved, chances are this is not the ideal program for you. 
3. Are you experiencing any of these symptoms of lowered testosterone and elevated cortisol: drop in energy, cravings for sweets, dramatically increased hunger, irritability, restless sleep, and waking not feeling rested?  If so, experiment with a new training protocol. 

Good Luck!  And let me know your success story with experimenting with various protocols!  Happy Lifting!    

-         Sally Edwards, Ironwoman, creator of heart zones.

Conventional wisdom tells us that are bodies decline in function, and thus, our quality of life decreases with age.

This, however, is not true, especially for fit individuals.

Stiffness, tightness, loss of strength and many other qualities are attributed to aging, however, these are not “signs of aging”, rather they are signs of inactivity.

Our bodies are so efficient that they will not waste energy on staying strong, if we do not require our bodies to be strong for us during the day. 

Essentially, if the body is not continually challenged (through physical activity) it will decrease function (become weak) to conserve its energy, flexibility, strength, coordination and balance. 

As any athlete knows, the body adapts to the activity for which it is trained.  For what activity is your body trained? 

Are you trained for brisk walking, stretching, maybe even running and strength training?

or, are you trained for sitting?

The beauty of the body is that at no age are you too old to experience benefits of exercise.  Ninety-year olds have increased their strength, coordination, and balance. 

Improving your health through exercise doesn’t take going to the gym or even getting sweaty.  You can improve your health with 10 minutes of brisk walking 3 times a day. 

For ideas on how to incorporate 5 minutes of activity into your day, click here.

• Squatting.  Standing in front of a chair, touch your hips to a chair (as if you are going to sit in it) and then stand back up.
• Push-ups.
• Rope-less Jumping.  Just like when you a kid, but minus the rope.
• Side jumping (just like jump roping, but moving to your right and left)
• High marches in place (knees high and pumping arms)
• Lunges in place (stagger your feet forward and back.  Drop the back knee to the floor.  Return to the staggered stance).  Be sure to switch legs.
• Dance – however you’d like – there’s no audience!
• Heel Raises.  Simply raise up on toes.
• Band exercises

Any movement strengthens the body.  Just keep movin’!

Why?

Not only does it provide effective resistance and an endless array of exercises, but it is light weight and combact - perfect for the traveling fitness enthusiast.

What is it?

Resistance tubing is available in different strengths (varying thicknesses).  The thicker, the more resistance or “strength”. 

The strengths are indicated by the color.

Each company provides there own colors, but the company I would recommend is Power Systems.

Their resistances correspond to the following colors:

Yellow: Very Light

Green: Light

Red: Medium

Blue: Heavy

Black: Extra Heavy

What color should I use?

Given that they are each $5-$8, I would recommend purchasing:

• yellow, green, and red for the person new to strength training
• yellow, green, red, and blue for the intermediate strength trainer
• all colors for the super strong!

Each band comes with a sheet of exercises.

Or, print this sheet of exercises.  NOTE: I recommend that you purchase the bands with handles.  You will have to adapt the exercises from this sheet, since you will have handles. 

If you have any questions, feel free to pop me an email!

 Here are the facts. 

1.  Strength training will increase muscle, however, not to the extreme degree (unless, of course, you are planning on dedicating several hours a week to strength training).

2.  For each pound of muscle you add to your body, you will increase your metabolism.  This means, that you will be burning more energy (calories) all the time (i.e. in the shower, sleeping, watching TV…all the time).

3.  For women to drastically increase their lean muscle mass, they must not only strength train several hours a week, very intensely, but they must also have the proper nutrition to support the muscle repair.

Chances are the average fitness weight lifter is not doing either of those things.

The benefits of strength training are endless, consider these:

• higher metabolism
• increased bone density
• improved self-esteem
• improved blood sugar regulation
• and many more….

If you are unsure where to start with strength training, invest in a personal trainer.  You will learn skills you will use for a lifetime.

Here is also a great resource for getting started.

 Need to shake-up your cardio?  String the following moves together (after a 5 minute warm-up and repeat until 30-40 minutes is complete) or intersperse these moves into your cardio workout to increase intensity (not to mention, fun!). 

• Back Lunge – 30 times         
• Mountain climbers – 1 Min.In a push-up position, step one foot forward under the hips, then switch feet with a jump. 
• Side Squats with arms overhead  - 1 Min.Step wide to the left, squat down, bring feet together, push arms overhead, step to the right and repeat. 
• Jump Rope – 45 sec. (Rest 15 sec.) 
• Repeat 4 x’s Jump Squats and reach to ceiling – 10 timesSquat down and jump as high as possible with arms stretched to the ceiling. 
• Step Ups  - 2 Min.Step up and down on a platform or bench.  Switch lead leg at one minute. 
• Plank – 1 Min.On your elbows and toes or knees, hold position. Contract abdominal muscles. 
• Ball Squats – 3 MinWith stability ball against the wall, put the small of your back against the ball.  Move feet in front of you.  Lower hips until thighs are parallel to ground, keep weight in heels.  

NOTE: If you experience any pain, dizziness, or feel generally unwell, stop exercise immediately.   Avoid jumping exercises if you have any knee, hip, ankle, or feet conditions.