6 Weeks to Fitness for Absolute Beginners - Week 1

6 Weeks to Fitness for Absolute Beginners - Week 1

Welcome to week one of 6 Weeks to Fitness for Absolute Beginners. In this program, we'll focus on establishing an exercise routine ... 21:12

Welcome to week one of 6 Weeks to Fitness for Absolute Beginners. In this program, we'll focus on establishing an exercise routine with simple, straightforward workouts that progress slowly from week to week.

The workouts I provide are only suggestions and won't work for everyone, so please modify them as needed to fit your fitness level, schedule and preferences.

The following steps will help you prepare for your workouts:

1. If you have any injuries, illnesses or conditions, get your doctor's clearance to exercise.
2. Record your vital statistics if you want to track weight loss progress.
3. Prepare for your workouts. The cardio workouts are designed to be done on anycardio machine or outside. If machines aren't your thing substitute your own workouts (videos, classes, outdoor exercise, etc.) or choose something else you might enjoy.
4. Gather your equipment. For the strength workouts, you'll need a variety of equipment including dumbbells, an exercise ball, resistance bands, a medicine balland a mat. If you're new to strength training, familiarize yourself with the basicsand how to choose your weight. New workouts may cause soreness, so we'll start slow to keep that to a minimum, although some soreness is inevitable. If you can't get out of bed the next day, that's a sign you did too much and should modify the workouts the next time around.

Each week, you'll get an assignment to focus on one aspect of your program. This will help you learn more about your body, your mind and what you may need to improve. You'll also receive a weekly calendar of your workouts and a checklist to fill out at the end of each week.

Intensity is one of the most important aspects of your cardio workouts and learning how to monitor it can teach you how your body feels during different activities. There are a variety of ways to monitor intensity including:

• The Talk Test
• Monitoring Your Heart Rate
• A Combination of Heart Rate and Perceived Exertion

Your goal this week to focus on the intensity of your workouts. During each cardio workout, use one of the methods above to track how you feel and match your Perceived Exertion to the suggested levels. Most workouts will be at a moderate level, which means you're just out of your comfort zone (but not huffing and puffing). Pay attention to that this week to get a sense of your exercise intensity.

Day 1: Cardio, Strength and Stretch

Are you ready for your first workouts? It looks like you have a lot on your plate today, but these 3 workouts are short and simple and should take you about 35-45 minutes. You start with a basic 20-minute cardio workout followed by a short, total body strength routine.

10 Weeks to Health and Fitness for Seniors - Week 1

10 Weeks to Health and Fitness for Seniors - Week 1

Welcome to the first week of 10 Weeks to Health and Fitness for Seniors. This exercise program is perfect for you if you're just ge... 21:08

Welcome to the first week of 10 Weeks to Health and Fitness for Seniors. This exercise program is perfect for you if you're just getting started with cardio and strength training and want a simple, straightforward program that progresses slowly each week.

Each week you'll receive cardio, strength and flexibility workouts. The workouts are only suggestions and won't work for everyone, so please modify them as needed to fit your fitness level, schedule, and preferences.

You should also feel free to substitute the cardio workouts with your own if you have activities you already enjoy.

Are you ready? Let's get started!

Focus On: Preparing For Your Workouts

Your first step is to prepare for your workouts to make sure you have everything you need to get started:

1. If you have any injuries, illnesses or conditions, or if you're on medication, get your doctor's clearance to exercise.
2. Record your vital statistics if you want to track weight loss progress.
3. Prepare for your workouts. The cardio workouts are designed to be done on cardio machines or outside. Feel free to substitute your own workouts (videos, classes, outdoor exercise, etc.) or choose other activities if the cardio workouts aren't your thing.
4. Gather your equipment. For the strength workouts, you'll need: Various weighted dumbbells, an exercise ball, a chair and a mat. If you're new to strength training, familiarize yourself with the basics and how to choose your weight. New workouts may cause soreness, so we'll start slow to keep that to a minimum, although some soreness is inevitable. If you can't get out of bed the next day, that's a sign you did too much and should take an extra rest day and/or ease up on your workouts.

1. Get your mind ready by reminding yourself of all the benefits of exercise, especially for seniors.

Day 1: Cardio and Stretch

Your first workout this week is a 20-minute cardio workout followed by a short flexibility routine. The cardio workout keeps you at a moderate intensity and can be done on any machine or with any outdoor activity (walking, running, cycling, etc.).

If you already have cardio workouts you enjoy, feel free to substitute or find more cardio options here.

Workout 1: Basic Cardio
Type: Cardio
Length: 20 Minutes
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: Any cardio machine
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Workout 2: Basic Stretch
Type: Flexibility
Length: 5-10 Minutes
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: 2 chairs
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Day 2: Total Body Strength and Stretch

Today is your first strength training workout, a simple routine targeting the major muscles of the body. You'll do one set of each exercise, focusing on good form and using enough weight that you can only complete the suggested reps. That may take some practice, so go for a lighter weight if you're not sure. Be sure to skip any exercises that cause pain or discomfort.

Workout 1: Total Body Strength - Level 1
Type: Strength Training
Length: 10-15 Minutes
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: Various weighted dumbbells, an exercise ball, a chair and a mat.
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Workout 2: Total Body Stretch
Type: Flexibility
Length: 5-10 Minutes
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: A resistance band, chair, a ball and a mat
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Day 3: Active Rest

Today, you get a break from structured workouts, but you want this to be an active rest. That means moving around as much as you can with light activity such as:

• Cleaning
• Yard work
• Taking walks
• Stretching

How could you stay active today? Make a list and see how many things you can check off by the end of the day.

Day 4: Cardio and Stretch

Today you're doing the same cardio workout as Day 1, 20 minutes at a moderate intensity. As always, feel free to substitute activities if you have something different in mind.

Workout 1: Basic Cardio
Type: Cardio
Length: 20 Minutes​
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: Any cardio machine
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Workout 2: Basic Stretch
Type: Flexibility
Length: 5-10 Minutes
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: 2 chairs
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Day 5: Total Body Strength and Stretch

Today's workout should look familiar - The same total body strength as Day 2 as well as a total body stretch. For this workout, really pay attention to each rep and focus on the muscles you're working. How do the exercises feel? Are you starting to get a better handle on how much weight you need?

Workout 1: Total Body Strength - Level 1
Type: Strength Training
Length: 10-15 Minutes
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: Various weighted dumbbells, an exercise ball, a chair and a mat.
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Workout 2: Total Body Stretch
Type: Flexibility
Length: 5-10 Minutes
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: A resistance band, chair, a ball and a mat
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Day 6: Cardio and Stretch

Your last workout of the week is your 20-minute cardio routine, followed by flexibility exercises. Think about how your body feels as you go through this workout. Are you feeling energetic? Accomplished? More comfortable with exercise?

Workout 1: Basic Cardio
Type: Cardio
Length: 20 Minutes
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: Any cardio machine
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Workout 2: Basic Stretch
Type: Flexibility
Length: 5-10 Minutes​
Level: Beginner
Equipment Required: 2 chairs
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Weekly Round Up

Use this weekly calendar to keep track of your schedule and fill out this weekly checklist to track your progress. You can also use this Strength Training Log to track your exercises, weight, reps and sets.

High Intensity Circuit Training Definition - Learn About HICT

High Intensity Circuit Training Definition - Learn About HICT

High Intensity Circuit Training (HICT) is a method of training that involves combining both cardio and resistance training in the same ... 21:06

High Intensity Circuit Training (HICT) is a method of training that involves combining both cardio and resistance training in the same workout, alternating upper and lower body moves as well as high intensity and lower intensity exercises. The idea is a challenging, total body routine that offers better weight loss results in less time.

Why HICT?

The standard guidelines for exercise usually include two different kinds of workouts:Cardio for about 150 minutes a week and then a separate strength training workoutthat you do on alternate days.

While we know that's how much exercise we need to lose weight, most of us don't have that much time.

Of course, there are ways to combine strength and cardio in the same workout, but that still takes time and how well does it really work?. If you do cardio first, your strength training may suffer and vice versa.

So, is it effective if you combine the two in the same workout? That's something I've experimented with quite a bit in my circuit training workouts, but a recent study, "High Intensity Circuit Training Using Body Weight," published in the May/June 2013 issue of the ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal shows that circuit training, done at a high intensity, really works.

The HICT Workout

The study authors set up a HICT workout with the following parameters:

• 9-12 exercises that include a mix of cardio and body weight exercises. When choosing exercises, they looked for:
• Whole body, compound exercises
• Exercises that recruit the larger muscles of the body, such as the butt, chestand back
• Moves that can be easily modified for different fitness levels (e.g., pushups on the knees rather than traditional pushups)
• They alternated between muscle groups and intensity. For example, an upper body exercise (e.g., dips) was followed by a lower body exercise (e.g., lunges), while a high intensity exercise (e.g., burpees) was followed by a lower intensity exercise (e.g., knee lifts with a med ball). This allows some rest between muscle groups and energy systems so you can maintain good form and avoid bonking too quickly

• To maximize intensity, they had subjects do each exercise for about 15 to 20 reps or 30 seconds.
• For maximum efficiency, the rest between exercises was short, less than 15 seconds.
• The circuit they put together (listed below) was 7 minutes long and they recommended exercisers repeat the circuit up to 3 times for about a 20-minute workout.

Sample HICT Workout

Below is the workout the study authors put together, complete with 12 exercises that require no equipment, work all the muscles of the body and can be done just about anywhere. Do each exercise for 30 seconds, rest for 10 seconds in between and repeat 1-3, or more, times.

• Jumping jacks
• Wall sit
• Pushup
• Ball crunches
• Step ups
• Squats
• Dips
• Planks
• High knee jogs
• Lunges
• Pushups to side plank
• Side plank

This is just a sample and more advanced exercisers may want to increase the intensity by adding weight or trying more advanced exercises.

The Benefits of HICT

So, the real question is, does this type of workout actually work? They found a number of benefits of HICT including:

• It's a fast and efficient way to lose weight and burn body fat
• HICT also increases your afterburn or the amount of calories you burn after your workout
• These types of workouts may also target more belly fat
• HICT workouts are shorter and more time efficient
• They increase VO2max as well as your overall fitness

Precautions

The high intensity of this type of training coupled with the short rests demands more energy than traditional workouts. And, because you're moving quickly, you'll want to be very familiar with the exercises so that you have good form, even when you get tired. Try practicing the exercises with as much rest as you need and then shortening the rests as your fitness improves.

Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

"I just know that, as soon as I even  see  my mother's homemade apple pie, I will immediately gain 10 pounds." That's j... 21:01

"I just know that, as soon as I even see my mother's homemade apple pie, I will immediately gain 10 pounds." That's just one many comments I hear from clients over the holiday season, and it's no wonder. With the holiday parties, excessive eating and lack of exercise, it's easy to gain weight. It's also easy to keep the pounds off if you're creative with whatever workout time you can scrounge up. Circuit training is a great place to start and the perfect choice for quick holiday workouts

What Is Circuit Training?

Circuit training is great for busy exercisers because these types of workouts move quickly with no rest periods to slow you down. You can combine strength and cardio together or keep them separate, depending on your goals. The idea is to do each exercise one after the other for a certain period of time or number of reps. It makes for a fast workout that targets all of your muscle groups and helps you stay fit no matter how busy you are. To create your own workout, here are some guidelines:

1. Choose 6 to 10 different exercises. You have several options, including: a) alternating between strength training and cardio, b) sticking with just strength-training exercises, c) doing just cardio exercises, or d) doing some combination of all of the above. If you don't have time for separate cardio and strength workouts, combine both into the same workout to save the most time.

1. Don't rest between exercises. The point is to keep your heart pumping and your muscles warm, so move quickly from one exercise to another.
2. Write your exercises down. Plan your workout beforehand, so there are no pauses between moves.
3. Determine how long you want to do each exercise. Use either a time limit (i.e., 30 to 60 seconds) or a specified number of reps (i.e., 25 repetitions). You may need to practice your workout a few times before you get a sense of how much weight you need and how many reps to do. You'll want to get to the end of each set or exercise and feel as if you can't go for one more second.

1. Decide how many circuits you'll do. Beginners do one circuit and intermediate/advanced exercisers can do 2 to 3 more circuits.
2. Always warm up, cool down and stretch after your workout.

If you need some ideas, the workouts below will give you a place to start:

• Quick Circuit Workout is a 34-minute strength workout involving compound exercises.
• Strength and Power Circuit is a 10-minute routine alternating a strength move with a high impact cardio exercise. You can repeat the circuit for a longer workout.
• Beginner Circuit Workout alternates strength and cardio exercises and includes two different circuits for you to choose from.
• Fat-Burning Circuit includes challenging strength moves along with high-intensity cardio of your choice for an all-around workout.
• Advanced Cardio and Strength Circuit is a long, very challenging workout that includes high intensity cardio moves and tough, dynamic strength moves. This is a great choice for advanced exercisers who really want a challenge.
• More Workouts

Making the most of your exercise time, even if it's only a few minutes, is just one way to manage your weight this holiday season and still have some fun. Even if you don't have a large chunk of time to devote to exercise, you can still maintain your endurance and muscle mass with shorter workouts. It's easy to let your routine slide over the holidays, but a little preparation and some creative ways to work out will keep you on track and help you avoid holiday weight gain.