Healthy for Life
By Julie Asbach
HTF Columnist
Hello everybody and welcome to June! During the summer months we definitely don’t want to spend much time indoors. The health clubs are very quiet. For me, I like to take advantage of the situation. It is a great time to personal train people, especially for those who like a little more privacy when breaking a sweat. But, it’s also great to get outdoors to play and soak up all that vitamin D and fresh air! Plus, exercising can be done anywhere or anytime. When growing up, I remember saying all the time, “Mom, I’m bored, what’s there to do?” Well the options have expanded a great deal now, so let’s check out a few.
Consider these outdoor activities: bicycle riding, swimming, jogging, walking, hiking, water skiing, wind surfing, sea-dooing, paddle boating, kayaking, canoeing, volleyball, basketball, badminton, baseball, golfing, tennis, bocce ball, horseshoes, bean bags, playing catch, throwing a frisbee, soccer, tennis, rollerblading, and skate boarding.
Here are some other challenging outdoor exercises to work those muscles and get you sweaty and feeling good all over:
Lunges - These bad boys can be done just about anywhere and are very effective in working every leg muscle. Proper form is a must. Do not allow your knee to go past your foot. There are several ways to perform them:
Alternating Lunges – standing straight, lunge forward, then switch leg.
Rear Lunges - while standing in place, bringing your leg backward one at a time. Isolated lunges - standing on one leg doing 10 to 20 repetitions then repeating with other leg. Walking lunges - just keep moving forward while lunging.
Steps – They’re not just for stepping! You can walk or run up and down steps several times to get your heart rate going. Do two steps at a time while going upstairs. Perform lunges off the bottom steps, alternating or isolated, each leg.
Step-ups - These can be done on steps, stepping up a step or two and stepping back down repeatedly alternating your legs. You can get creative and find other ways to do these, all you need is an elevated surface such as a rock, a bench, or a piece of playground equipment. Make sure your knee doesn’t go past your foot. Keep your back straight and look forward.
Squats - You gotta love these! They are incredibly effective if done properly. They can be done in many variations depending on where your feet and legs are. Standing Squats – feet shoulderwidth apart, hands on hips or out to the side. Start going down towards the ground like you’re sitting on a chair. Watch out for the knees going too far over the feet. They can be performed Wide-Stance or Plie Squats (legs wide apart) or can be done one leg at a time.
Chin-ups - Test your strength with these puppies! Find something that will hold your weight, such as a low hanging tree branch, or a piece of equipment on the playground. Oh, the monkey bars are always great fun! Bring your body completely up until your chin is above your hands, they lower slowly back to the start, keeping by your body in control.
Push-Ups - Oh yeah, you have to do these! Find a clean surface, flat, or elevated. Make sure hands and arms are even with shoulders, lead with bending elbows, chest going down, stomach in and chin-up. Try doing them off the steps either with hands on steps, feet down or feet on steps and hands down. Do them off a bench, a rock or a wall. Get inventive people!
Really try to challenge yourself. Work the exercises up into sets such as 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions, or go for the gusto and try doing them once for up to 50 times! Be sure to have water with you or something with electrolytes to hydrate you. You need some nourishment about half an hour after exercising. Get those lean proteins and vegetables in your body! If the sun is too intense, you may want to find a shaded area, wear a hat or sunglasses, and a decent sunblock if you’re going to be out for an extended period of time. Remember: it is a good thing to sweat!!
If you have any health topics, health success stories or a family recipe for a health cure, please email me at juls11@peoplepc.com or drop it off at Hometown Focus. Thanks for your support
PS for Health:
Have you made any attempts to quit smoking today?
