SIT UP STRAIGHT! 8 EXERCISES TO STRETCH AND STRENGTHEN THE SHOULDERS AND BACK
Sitting at a desk, lifting heavy weights improperly, or neglecting to stretch the shoulders can take a huge toll on posture. Even if you think you’re sitting up straight, you may still be slouching your shoulders and upper back. Crunch trainer Tim Rich shows us some key stretches and exercises that you can do to strengthen your back and open up your shoulders.
The Posture Exercise Plan…
“Standing up straight is like drinking eight glasses of water a day: Nice if you can do it, but it’s not as though slouching will kill you, right? You’d be surprised. In a review of more than 100 studies, scientists from UCLA found that poor posture is associated with breathing problems, falls, depression, and decreased quality of life, all of which shave years off life expectancy.” - Oprah Magazine 2/2009
Your back and abdomen control your posture. “Even people who exercise regularly can have poor posture,” says Lesley Powell, director and founder of Movements Afoot, a Pilates wellness center in New York City. “But if you practice god posture, it will carry over to your workout.”
These exercises are borrow bits and pieces from yoga, pilates and dance. Hold each position for 3-5sec and rest for a few seconds between exercises. Then complete the circuit 2 more times for a total of three sets.
Random Fitness Study of the Day…
Just an hour of exercise changes your DNA to make you stronger and boost metabolism. Overall strength, shaping and toning your body requires consistency and time. However, physical effects of exercise are immediate.
Source:
“Now there is no excuse to avoid the gym: just one hour of exercise instantly changes your genes to boost the breakdown of fat.
Juleen Zierath and Romain Barrès at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues looked for epigenetic changes – the addition of a methyl group to genes – in muscle cells during strenuous exercise. To do so, the team collected biopsies from the thigh muscles of eight men who led relatively sedentary lives, both before and after an hour of exercise.
Several genes involved in fat metabolism that were methylated before the exercise lost their methyl group. Such demethylation allows genes to more easily make proteins, which suggests that more proteins involved in the breakdown of fat are being made after exercise, says Zierath.
The group was surprised to see these effects happen so quickly. They think calcium, produced in muscle cells during exercise, may be involved since subjecting the same biopsies to caffeine – which also increases calcium in muscles – caused the same demethylation.
Unfortunately, you would get caffeine intoxication before gaining the same effects from coffee as an hour-long workout, says Zierath.”
Journal reference: Cell Metabolism, DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2012.01.001
Do you want to have a home gym…
A lot of people do not have constant access to a gym 7 days a week. Schedules, gym membership or lack there of and just life overall doesn’t have to stop you from staying in good shape and being healthy. One way to stay fit is by getting a few pieces of equipment for a home gym. You need to focus of fit different components in order to do this effectively and efficiently: Strength, Power, Flexibility, Proprioception and Cardiovascular.
1. Adjustable dumbbells - one set of adjustable dumbbells can go along way as you become stronger. The take up a very limited amount of space as well .
2. Resistance Bands - these are a nice compliment to the dumbbells as they provide resistance through out an entire range of motion of any particular joint.
3. Kettle Bell - these are good tools to turn that strength into power (strength x speed), which you need for more athletic movements. Kettle bell swings train the explosive power of the hips without stressing the ankle, knees and spine. There are also a lot of interval protocols that can be used with kettle bells.
4. Stability Ball - it is good for balance and core training. It requires you to train and recruit stabilizing muscles within the body.
5. Treadmill or Bike - cardio is a key component to fitness. So if you can afford one of these, that would be an amazing way to stay fit and reach your goals.
Do you have any other equipment suggestions?
Essential Exercises for your lower body…
It is getting warmer by the week. So I know a lot of you are ready to get going in the gym for that summer body. Working out your lower body is key, and there are four moves that need to be mastered in order to tone, scalp and strengthen the lower half of your body. These five exercises can be done anywhere, which is good for those of you who don’t have a gym or what to do some extra work at home.
