The Perks of Low Impact Exercise

 

One thing that I have learned from my collegiate soccer career, is the benefit of low impact exercise. That sounds kind of crazy right?!? Let me explain. Low impact exercise refers to any kind workout that does NOT require the impact of any joints on a concrete surface.  One foot remains on the ground at a given time. As an athlete I always wanted to push my body to become stronger and faster.  I didn't give much thought as to HOW doing this would affect me post career and into my older age.  I love to run and do basically any kind of high impact activities however it is not a secret that as healthy as these activities are for you, they do take a certain toll on your body.  Overtime, the repetitive impact trama on your joints can lead to arthritis, osteopenia and other joint problems. Our joints take the brunt of our workouts and it's important to not discount what they do for you.  So what can we do to protect our joints and make positive steps to workout out in a way that is not only healthy for us now but also in the future?

ANSWER:

 
Low Impact Machines                           Low Impact Activities
                Biking                                                                                          Pilates
             Swimming                                                                               Rock wall Climbing
               Rowing                                                                                           Yoga
            Stair master                                                                              Abdominal Exercises
              Elliptical                                                                                         Walking
          Weight lifting                                                                                  Rollerblading

Low impact exercise is a great option particularly for people who suffer or have suffered from knee, ankle, back, wrist or hip injuries.  By choosing a low impact exercise you are giving your injury more time to heal but still challenging your cardiovascular system and staying fit.  Minimizing the pounding on your joints is not only going to help you maintain strong, healthy joints but it will also protect your ability to be active for life. :)

Athletes who are engaged in high impact exercise their whole life may be very fit but also can be causing some long term damage on their joints.  That is why it is important to cross train in a way that relieves some of the pressure on your joints while still challenging yourself every training session.  Not only will you be protecting your body post career, but you will be lengthening the amount of your life that you can engage in high intensity exercise.

Everyone can benefit from incorporating low impact exercises into their weekly workout or training regimen!  Low impact is not only safe but if done correctly it can be a high calorie burning, strenuous & challenging workout !!

How to Make the MOST of your Workout

Getting the MOST Out of Your Workout

You promised yourself that 2015 was going to be "THE YEAR".  So you did what thousands of other ambitious fitness hopefuls did, you bought a gym membership.  You have completed what is arguably the most important step to reaching your fitness goal.  You put down some decent money, maybe bought some shiny new kicks and a flashy sports bra. AWESOME. You find yourself fairly comfortable with the gym equipment/atmosphere.  You are successfully completing 3 workouts a week at an hour long session, BUT you're still not seeing improvement towards your fitness goals.  You have made great sacrifices in your life (financial, social, physical) to put time towards reaching your goals so, understandably, you're upset.  You are frustrated and feel like abandoning this stupid fitness idea because you just can't give more than those 3 hours a week. WAIT.  

**** 3 times a week/1hr IS enough time in the gym to see physical improvement within 1-3 months.

So What's the problem?????

If you are eating healthy and you are maintaining a similar gym routine,  it may be time to double check HOW you are spending that hour in the gym.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Am I working out casually or working out with the intensity necessary to achieve your goal?  Am I breaking a sweat during my workout? Do I breathe heavy at times during the workout? Am I using my time to the fullest? Am I sore following my workouts? When was the last time I increased my repetitions or weights?

**If you're hesitating to answer some of these questions then maybe you already know what you need to do to improve.  If not, check my...

 Five Best Ways to Maximize Your Gym Time

** Don't rest excessively between workouts**

When you are constantly resting between sets, you are lowering your heart rate, therefore, burning less calories and wasting valuable time.  By jumping from one exercise to the next you are increasing your heart rate and challenging your cardiovascular system. You are now working your heart and blood vessels simultaneously with you muscles.

**Use Free weights instead of machines**

If you consider yourself an intermediate gym bug I recommend that you choose to use free weights over machines. WHY?  When you use free weights you are more likely to stand than sit which not only engages more stabilizing muscles but it also just gets you off your butt :)  Using free weights also allows your body a free range of motion and gives you a variety of ways to tone and sculpt.

**Stop playing with technology**

Every time you stop your workout to do something that is, well, irrelevant, you are cheating yourself of a quality workout.  If you are using a device to play music, great.  I recommend you make your workout list before hand and then LEAVE IT ALONE while you're at the gym.  Finishing one set does not award you 5 minutes of sitting looking for the next best song to pump you up. Unneccessary.  Also, unless you're using your phone for music, leave it in the lockerroom.  It's ONE hour, you will survive.  Lastly, if there is a TV on and in front of you only watch it if you know you can maintain enough concentration so your workout is not inhibited. This will not only help you get the most out of your time in the gym, but it will also help you build and maintain focus on your workout.

**Get CARDIO IN**

If you are going to the gym 2-3 times a week I highly recommend that you fit in a minimum of 15-20 minutes of cardio into your workout.  I can't stress the importance of balancing both weight lifting and cardiovascular workout.  If you are only doing one in the gym you are holding yourself back from not only physical gains but total body fitness.   Even if you are sore from your last workout it's still a good idea to do even a light bike workout will help break down that lactic acid and loosen you up.  You will also increase your calories burned at the end of your workout by making sure you don't skip the cardio. There are so many different cardio machines at the gym these days so it's a matter of picking one that is right for you! Work that heart and get that sweat rolling!

**Try Super Setting**

Super setting is a great way to maximize your time in the gym.  Super setting is doing two different workouts that are back to back without taking a break.  For example, you can do wall sits combined with plank holds.  You won't feel the need to take a rest as much because you are working two different muscle groups (quads & hamstrings vs. abs & back). Super setting also helps create additional lactic acid which, without getting in too much detail, helps boost fat loss hormones. Super setting is a great way to maximize time and stay focused on going after your fitness goal.

**You may think, "Ok, I just got a great one hour work out in", but in reality you only moved and challenged your body for a good 30 minutes or less.  I hope to challenge my readers to honestly think about how they are using their time in the gym and how they can make changes to reach their MAXIMIUM potential, even at 3 days a week!

IT'S All ABOUT THOSE ABS!

Let's Talk Abdominals!

I'm absolutely loving all the feed back I'm getting from my viewers and I'm super interested in what you all are eager to learn about.  An overwhelming amount of you all have said you want to know more about ABS.  So let's start at the beginning.  What muscles make up this sexilicious body part:

The Tranverse Abdominals

Internal Obliques

External Obliques

Rectus Abdomins

**All of these muscles are responsible for facilitating specific body movements which means, YES, it is ideal to do AB workouts that challenge ALL of them.  To get the overall strength and physical beauty that you want out of your ABS, this is key.  To find great workouts that work all of these muscles, just type it into Google and you will discover at least a couple thousand :)

MY TOP 3 TIPS:

#1.  Abdominals are born and become exceedingly beautiful in the KITCHEN.

AKA. Eating a CLEAN diet.

#2.  Consuming a lot of HIGH Sodium beverages or food will help you retain unneeded water.

AKA. Making you look bloated.

#3.When you do AB workouts mix up the pace.

AKA. This activates the muscle and challenges them in different ways.

Let me go back to #1 and what I believe is not only the most important key to shining AB muscles, but it's also the most overlooked.  I can't begin to stress the importance of eating clean, at least most the time.  If you truly want to have a visable six pack, it starts in the kitchen.  You can do AB workouts everyday, but my friends, IF YOU ARE INTAKING UNNECESSARY FATS AND CARBS YOUR 6 PACK WILL NOT SHOW.  You have a layer of intramuscular fat within your abs and if that layer is more pronounced than your AB muscles, you simply will not see your hard work from the gym.

* My Story *

I used to do soooo many AB workouts in college where I played soccer at the lovely Cleveland State University.  I never had as good of ABS as I have now and that is simply because I didn't understand how getting toned ABS was a result of not just doing the workouts, but eating clean. We all have AB muscles in us somewhere, some just have more intramuscular fat on top of them then others.  I personally don't have time to always go to the gym but if I'm doing the right stuff in the kitchen I can still see improvement.  This little tidbit is something I really didn't realize until I stopped being a super competitive athlete.  I realized that I can have great ABS without being a gym junkie too!!

I hope this helps you tackle any obstacles to obtaining those toned, solid ABS!!

*Look forward to another blog focusing on my TOP AB Exercises!*