| While
it is great fun to play sports or exercise at a gym or pool it
isn’t always possible to get away from home, even for an
hour, to exercise. This should not be a stumbling block to our
goal of being fit and healthy. There are plenty of fun exercise
ideas that can be performed in your home. It is strongly advised
that you check with your health care professional before beginning
any new type of exercise program, your doctor or other professional
may also have advice on the type of exercise that would benefit
you most. Also remember to stretch and warm up before you begin
to prevent muscle strain.
Home
equipment. While not completely necessary there
are hundreds of types of home exercise equipment. From weight
sets to treadmills, from stationery bikes to power bands there
is equipment to suit every need, budget and taste. Internet access
makes shopping for and comparing home exercise equipment very
simple.
Aerobic
Exercise requires
little more than a pair of good shoes and a program to follow.
There are varied kinds of cardio workouts available. There are
many televised exercise programs, The
Lifetime Channel has a morning workout and many university
TV stations and PBS also carry exercise programs. Check your local
listings or call your cable provider. There are also dozens of
videotapes or DVD regimens available. One way to find out if you
like a specific workout before you purchase a video is to see
what is available at your local video rental store or public library.
Then you can try out several to find the best fit. If a tape or
DVD isn’t in your budget you can dance to any music with
a good rhythm. You need to get your heart rate elevated to your
minimum conditioning rate (see below for more information) for
at least 15 minutes. Mini trampolines were the rage in the 80's,
and can be found at yard or garage sales. New ones are available
at fitness equipment stores, and are a fun way to kick up cardio
training a notch.
Yoga
is an excellent way to quiet your mind, limber your body and energize
yourself. Yoga Journal
is an excellent site to investigate yoga. Yoga mats, blocks and
straps can actually be replaced by things you already have i.e.:
a folded blanket, a large book, a belt. It is important to use
guided practice to begin with so that you don’t strain anything!
Pilates is also great for conditioning Mari
Winsors site has great info on pilates training. Comfortable
clothing is important for these types of exercise.
Weight
Training is wonderful
for increasing strength and has been shown to be beneficial to
women in that it helps to increase lean muscle mass which helps
burn calories more efficiently and also helps to increase bone
density. It goes without saying that these are wonderful goals
for women of any age. You do need to start small, maybe with two
5 pound hand weights (dumbbells are great but you can use soup
cans, large rocks from your yard, or old phone books to start
out with). There are classes and videos for weight training as
well. Sport
Fitness Advisor has free advice and an online equipment store.
Strength
Training with power bands is a fairly inexpensive
way to get strong and not overwork joints which is important .
They are available in several sizes and strengths. Nefitco
offers reasonably priced bands and accessories along with guidelines.
Calisthenics
are a time honored tradition, push-ups, abdominal crunches,
lunges and other exercises are great for warming up prior to cardio
or weight training and can increase your heart rate enough to
provide conditioning.
Martial
Arts are another
excellent way to get and stay fit. They also help enormously with
discipline and self esteem.
Mothers with
children at home should get their children involved so that they
grow up understanding the importance of exercise. It can be a
great activity for the whole family or can be your stress relief
before the kids get up in the morning or after they are in bed
at night. Whichever you choose will be of great benefit to you
as well as your family. It can be so easy to exercise as a family-
take a walk everyday after dinner, around your block or to a nearby
park. Pop your young kids in the stroller for a morning stroll,
walk the older kids to school if you can. Be creative in finding
ways for your family to exercise- remember yard work counts!
There really
is no excuse for not keeping as fit as our health and circumstances
allow. Regular exercise can prevent so many health issues and
is recommended by physicians as one way to combat depression.
It can be very enjoyable when we find the program that works for
our own body, schedule and needs. We have ample reason to recognize
the care of our physical bodies as a spiritual obligation.
"There
is a close relationship between physical health and spiritual
development," Elder Delbert L. Stapley of the Quorum of
the Twelve counseled during October 1967 general conference.
"When one’s physical health is impaired by disobedience
to God’s eternal laws, spiritual development will also
suffer." (Improvement Era, Dec. 1967, p. 77.)
He commented
further: "We have the challenge; we ought now to concentrate
on developing and improving our present physical house, which
tabernacles a spirit child of God, and prepare it for eternal
glory." (Ibid., p. 75.)
No
Frills At Home Workout
-taken
from ivillage.com-
Twice
a week, do one set of 8-15 reps of each of these no-frills exercises.
Once you can breeze the routine without breaking a sweat or feeling
achy for a day or two afterwards, increase to two sets per exercise,
three times a week. You should see a difference in the form of
firmer, tighter muscles within six to eight weeks.
Squat
(Legs)-
1. Stand with your feet as wide as your hips, your weight
slightly back on your heels, and place your hands on your hips.
Pull your abdominals in and stand up tall with square shoulders
and a lifted chest.
2. Sit back
and down, as if you're sitting into a chair directly behind you.
Lower as far as you can without leaning your upper body more than
a few inches forward (this depends on your flexibility and your
build.) If you can bend your knees far enough so that your thighs
are parallel to the floor, don't go any farther than that, and
don't allow your knees to travel out in front of your toes. Once
you feel your upper body fold forward over your thighs, straighten
your legs and stand back up. Take care not to lock your knees
at the top of the movement.
Pull-overs
(Upper Back)
1. Place two or three large pillows on the floor. Lie
down on the pillows so that your entire head, back and shoulders
are resting on them. Pull your abs in gently so your lower back
doesn't arch up. Grasp a soup can in both hands and straighten
your arms upward so that the can is suspended directly over your
upper chest.
2. Lower the
can behind you until the bottom of it is level with the back of
your head. Straighten your arms.
Push-up
(Chest, Shoulders, Arms)
1. Lie on your stomach, bend your knees and cross your
ankles. Bend your elbows and place your palms on the floor a bit
to the side and in front of your shoulders. Straighten your arms
and lift your body so you're balanced on your palms and knees.
Tuck your chin a few inches toward your chest so your forehead
faces the floor. Tighten your abdominals.
2. Bend your
elbows and lower your entire body at once. Rather than trying
to touch your chest to the floor, lower only until your upper
arms are parallel to the floor. Push back up.
Lateral
Raise (Shoulders)
1. Hold a 12- or 16-ounce soup can in each hand and stand
up tall with your feet as wide as your hips. Bend your elbows
a little, turn your palms towards each other, and bring the cans
together in front of the tops of your thighs. Pull your abdominals
in and bend your knees slightly.
2. Lift your
arms in an arc up and out to the sides until the cans are just
below shoulder height. Slowly lower the cans back down.
Bench
Dips (Arms)
1. Sit on the edge of a chair with your legs together
and straight in front of you, toes pointing up. Keeping your elbows
relaxed, straighten your arms, place your hands about six inches
apart, and firmly grip the edges of the chair. Slide your butt
just off the front of the chair so that your upper body is pointing
straight down. Keep your abdominals pulled in and your head centered
between your shoulders.
2. Bend your
elbows and lower your body in a straight line. When your upper
arms are parallel to the floor, push yourself back up.
Basic
Crunch (Abs)
1. Lie on the floor with your feet hip width apart. Cradle
your head in your hands without lacing your fingers together and
with your elbows rounded slightly inward. Tilt your chin a small
way towards your chest and pull your abdominal muscles in.
2. Exhale
through your mouth as you curl your head, neck and shoulders up
off the floor. Hold at the top of the movement for a moment, then
inhale as you slowly lower down.
Back
Extension (Lower back)
1. Lie on your stomach with your forehead on the floor,
arms straight out in front of you, palms down and legs straight
out behind you. Pull your abs in, as if you're trying to create
a small space between your stomach and the floor.
2. Lift your
right arm and left leg about one inch off the floor and stretch
out as much as you can. Hold this position for five slow counts,
lower back down, and repeat the same move with your left arm and
right leg. Continue alternating sides until you've completed the
set.
|
Physical
Fitness, Sports, and Recreation Manual
- available at lds.org -
1. Find your
resting heart rate. Take your pulse for one minute before you
get up in the morning or after you have been at rest for two hours.
2. Determine
your maximum heart rate by the following formula: Subtract your
age from 220 if you’re 11 or older (210 if you’re
10 or younger).
3. Find your
recommended exercise heart rate by multiplying .6 times your maximum
heart rate minus your resting heart rate, then adding your resting
heart rate to the result. For example, if your maximum heart rate
is 180 and your resting heart rate is 70, the equation would be:
[(180-70) x .6] + 70 = 136.
To avoid putting
undue stress on the body, you should follow these procedures during
each exercise session:
First, warm
up with flexibility exercises;
Second, perform
exercises for strengthening and toning muscles;
Third, participate
in vigorous cardiovascular endurance activities for fifteen minutes
or more;
Fourth, "cool
down" by continuing your activity at a slower pace, allowing
the heart rate to decrease.
Each individual
in the family should begin slowly to find which exercises bring
the best results. No two people will be at the same fitness level,
and different individuals will progress at different rates. No
one should be expected to perform at someone else’s level.
Instead, each family member should be allowed to progress at a
level that builds fitness without robbing the physical activity
of enjoyment.
Easy
Calorie Burners
You Do Everyday
The
following is a list of the amount of calories you will burn while
performing daily tasks. (Note: All calorie counts are calculated
for a 150-pound person doing 30 minutes of activity. If you weigh
less than that, you will burn slightly fewer calories. If you
weigh more, you will burn slightly more calories):
- Playing
outside with kids (If yours are too big for this, borrow your
grandchildren or some of the neighbors!): 180
- Grocery
shopping while pushing a cart: 126
- Fixing
dinner: 90
- Washing
dishes: 75
- Doing
laundry: 210
- Walking
around the outside of the mall before you go in to shop: 150
- Surfing
the Internet: 60
- Gardening:
150
- Raking
leaves in your yard: 144
- Walking
the dog at a quick pace around the neighborhood: 147
- Climbing
the stairs at work (instead of taking the elevator): 306
- Light house
cleaning: 216
From
Empty Nest Moms
|
