Fighting Fit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kaPK4jtQUg

The Medicine Ball HIIT Workout

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While kettlebells may be all the rage and dumbbells never go out of fashion, its time to give some love to the no-frills medicine ball. Great for at-home workouts or at the gym, weighted med balls can target just about every muscle group, improve coordination, challenge core stability, and increase grip strength, too. You can balance on a medicine ball, press it, toss it, and use it to add resistance to squats and lunges. Add in the benefits of high-intensity interval training, and this HIIT workout really packs a punch. Ready to have a ball? Try this short but intense circuit from DailyBurn trainer Anja Garcia.

Medicine Ball HIIT Workout: Exercise How-Tos

1. Side Lunge and PressThis move is all about speed and power. Unleash your inner baller and press with force while pivoting your feet.
How to: (a) Start in a standing position, feet together, medicine ball held at the chest. Lunge the right leg to the right side (toes should land at a 45-degree angle) until the knee is nearly at a 90-degree angle. Simultaneously, bring the ball to the right foot, an inch or two from the ground, then drive from the right foot to return to standing. (b) Without pausing in the middle, pivot the feet while twisting the body to the left, and press the ball with speed and power to the left corner of the room. Make sure not to shrug the shoulders.

2. Lunge Reverse SwingStart with a lighter weight ball on this one (or even a dumbbell for a practice round) — no one wants a broken window or a massive hole in the wall.
How to: (a) Start in a standing position, holding the medicine ball in front of the belly. (b)Lunge the left leg forward until the leg forms a 90-degree angle. The toes should be facing forward, and the right knee can be slightly bent. With a slight arch in the back, swing the ball up to the sky (the end of the range of movement should be just behind the head) bending deeper into the lunge. Swing the ball back to its start position to return to standing.

3. Med Ball Push-UpsDon’t let those elbows flare! Get the most out of these deep push-ups by keeping the elbows in tight all the way through the movement.
How to: (a) Start in a plank position, one hand on the ground (arm fully extended), the other on a medicine ball with a slight bend in the elbow. The body should form a straight line from toe to crown of the head with a neutral spine (the butt shouldn’t dip or bow out to the ceiling). (b) Lower to a push-up position, elbows tucked into the side (at the end of the movement, both bent arms should be close to the body with the elbow pointing upward, the wrist inline with the chest). Press back to the initial plank position, then roll the ball to the other hand to complete a ball push-up on the other side.

4. Single Leg Butt LiftIf things feel too unstable, roll up a small towel and place it behind the ball.
How to: (a) Start on your back with the right knee bent, foot on the medicine ball. The other leg will be straight up in the air, foot flexed, hardly any bend in the knee. Arms should rest by the sides, palms down to the ground. (b) Push through the right heel to press the body into a bridge position, driving the left leg further toward the ceiling (still remaining as perpendicular to the floor as possible). The torso should be in a straight line at about a 30-degree angle. Lower the body back to the start position, without touching the butt back down to the ground.

5. Sit Up and SlamReally think about using your abs to move the medicine ball rather than the momentum of the arms.
How to: (a) Start by lying on your back, feet flat to the ground, less than a foot away from your butt. Reach the medicine ball overhead, without letting it rest on the ground. The arms can have a slight bend at the elbows. (b) Sit up, while keeping the ball overhead, then twist the torso to the left side (bringing the ball a few inches from the left knee). Swing the ball back up above the head, then lower the torso and arms back to the lying position (the ball still should not touch the ground between reps). Repeat on the other side.

6. Lunge Jump ChopTo modify, step into a standing position between each lunge and pause for just a moment before lunging with the opposition leg.
How to: (a) Start in a standing position then move into a lunge on the left leg (both legs should make a 90-degree angle). During the lunge, swing the medicine ball from its overhead position to the left side of the body, a few inches from the hip. (b) Swing the ball back to the ceiling while hopping into a right lunge — hop the right foot forward, the left foot back. Both feet should land at the same time. (c) During the hop, chop the medicine ball over to the right side of the body.

5 Ways You Can Exercise More Effectively All By Yourself

For many people exercise seems too daunting and too demanding of a task. There are numerous exercise programs to choose from, and many people don’t know which one is best for them. Getting started on an exercise program is a large enough challenge considering the busyness of your daily life. It’s easy to conjure up excuses for why you shouldn’t exercise today. Where is the time to exercise? You tell yourself you will start tomorrow, or the next day, or the next, etc.

Exercise doesn’t have to feel impossible. You are not expected to climb Mount Everest every time you work out. With the overwhelming amount of data available on the value of daily exercise to your health, both physically and mentally, exercise should be viewed with gratitude and positivity. Hopefully it can transform into something you look forward to, rather than something you dread.

Perhaps you prefer working out in a group setting. This is always desirable for many people because as a group you can endure mental and physical stress together, and help one another push through the work out. For many people this is not an option. So what do you do? Here I’ve outlined five ways for you to exercise more effectively by yourself. It doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you choose to perform. Implement these five simple steps into your routine and I believe you will witness wonderful results.

1. Set an exercise target or plan before you start

I don’t want to present the idea that you have to embark on a two or three month workout program and know exactly what you are going to do every day. If you prefer this kind of exercise regimen than go for it. I am proposing that for each day you exercise that you have a goal or plan of what you want to accomplish.

It could be as simple as walking up ten flights of stairs or using the treadmill for twenty minutes. It doesn’t have to be grandiose but having a target for your exercise will help keep you focused. You will be more likely to complete your daily workouts when you choose realistic and attainable targets.

2. Focus on quality and not quantity 

It took me a while to understand this one. There are a lot of people who go to the gym and spend two hours there. By the time they leave the gym they really haven’t accomplished much at all. It is not important that you spend a lot of time exercising but it is important that you spend quality time exercising!

Develop an exercise goal for the day so you can focus your workout without wasting unnecessary time. It will serve you better to spend thirty minutes at the gym lifting weights with a concrete plan of what lifts you are going to do and how much time you are going to rest in between each lift, than to wander aimlessly for a couple of hours. Spending more time at the gym doesn’t necessarily mean you exercised properly for the entire time you were there.

3. Challenge yourself with attainable exercise goals

Only you know your limits of how much you can push yourself. This is especially imperative when you are exercising alone. There is not going to be someone there yelling at you to push you.

You have to go into each workout telling yourself that you are going to get the most out of the workout. A walk through the neighborhood can be a great form of exercise especially if you are walking at a brisk pace.

With an exercise plan in place, along with a time limit in which to accomplish the workout, you are more likely to challenge yourself. If you go into a workout with no plan you are more likely to coast through the workout.

If your goal is to run one mile in fifteen minutes then you have a tangible goal of what you are trying to accomplish. Let’s say you finish the mile in thirteen minutes. Next time you can make a goal that you will run the mile in under thirteen minutes. This is how you challenge yourself.

It is not necessary for you to increase the intensity of each workout but when you feel you can do more, expand your limits. Not every exercise routine is going to be grueling and intense, but you have to be willing to test yourself if you want to experience positive results from exercising.

4. Concentrate on simple exercises, not complicated ones 

This phrase can be utilized in many facets of your life. It is especially beneficial when exercising. You don’t need a complex exercise plan in order to notice results. You need to set a target, focus on quality, and challenge yourself.

Swimming ten laps in the pool might be an accomplishment for you. All you are doing is swimming, nothing else, but achieving the goal of ten laps will leave you confident and readier to swim more in the next workout. Exercise doesn’t have to include lots of fancy equipment. This stuff may help but if you are just beginning to exercise, this kind of equipment can be intimidating.

Focus on simple exercises and then work your way up to more complicated routines as you get more comfortable and gain confidence in your capabilities. This is vitally important when exercising alone because often you will not be able to use the fancy equipment on your own.

5. Be consistent 

This is probably the most important aspect. You have to exercise regularly if you desire results. I am not saying that you have to exercise every day, although daily exercise has enormous advantages for your health. You have to exercise regularly, at least three or four times per week.

This can be quite challenging for many people because they start exercising and they get excited for the first few weeks. Then maybe the results aren’t exactly what they expected so they give up or they get busy at work and they start making excuses for why they can’t exercise. Stick with it!

Exercise can never be harmful unless it is done irresponsibly and too frequently. If you maintain an exercise regimen of three to five times a week, you are living a healthy lifestyle.

Exercising alone isn’t always easy but often it can be necessary. If exercising alone is your only option, then make sure you take advantage of the time you have. Utilie these steps to enjoy more productive and fulfilling exercise!

Featured photo credit: Man run at autumn morning. Healthy lifestyle concept via shutterstock.com

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/5-ways-you-can-exercise-more-effectively-all-yourself.html