Fitness tip # 1 – Split it up

Instead of spending one hour to the gym, do six 10-minute workout sessions throughout the day. Try some slow stretches, leg crunches or lunges when you get up in the morning, during short breaks at work or while you are watching your favourite show at T.V.

Fitness tip # 2 – Walk yourself

Take a quick watch around the neighborhood before breakfast or after dinner. Even small increments of daily activity can burn body fat. Walking not only tones your hips, legs and lower back muscles, but also keeps you energized throughout the day.

Fitness tip # 3 – Do a jumping jack with skipping rope

Borrow a skipping rope and start jumping. You will be loosing as much as 70 to 110 calories in only 10 minutes.

Fitness tip # 4 – Drink a lot of water

Dehydration will hinder your aerobic performance, so no amount of working out is going to help if you are not drinking enough fluid. Water helps you burn calories and digest fat, and most importantly, it detoxifies you system.

Fitness tip # 5 – Fire the maid

Studies suggest that women today are more overweight and less fit that women in the 50’s. That’s because we depend more on electronic appliances then doing work ourselves. Simple daily chores burn a large amount of calories. In fact, vacuuming for an hour burns 90 calories, gardening will kill 150 calories and cooking can actually burn up to 160 calories!

Fitness tip # 6 – Get outdoors

In your leisure times, opt for activities that excite you. Go to the park, walk the dog, plan picnics or do something more adventurous like hiking, rock-climbing paddle boating or scuba diving.

Fitness tip # 7 – Work it off

Do some exercises at work too. Next time you find yourself picking up the phone to call a colleague, walk down to her office instead. Or if you are in the mood for a cup of coffee, go out and get it yourself.

Fitness tip # 8 – Become the delivery person

Forget internet shopping and ordering in. If you feel like grabbing a sandwich, walk to a nearest cafe instead of ordering on the phone. Similarly, if you need books or DVD’s, walk down to the store and get whatever you need.

Fitness tip # 9 – Hide the remote

Don’t be a channel-flicking couch potato. Ask someone to hide the remote so that whenever you need to use it, you’ll have to go dig it out. Better yet, if you are spending more then half an hour parked in front of T.V., use a treadmill or  stationary bike while you are at it.

Fitness tip # 10 – Use the stairs

If you are at work or at shopping mall, avoid taking the elevator. Opt for the stairs. Climbing up the stairs adds strength to your leg muscles and gives you a cardiovascular workout. Climbing down the stairs builds strength in the quadriceps and hamstrings. To burn over 200 calories at once, run up and down a flight of stairs as fast as you can. Two at a time if you are particularly brave. Do this everyday in five-minute sessions.

Fitness tip # 11 – Make it family time

Try to get your spouse and your kids to work out with you. Play catch or frisbee with your kids, make fake microphones and dance to some music, or even run alongside your children as they learn to ride a bike. In fact, a recent study in Canada suggests that if you are active, your children are 6-times more likely to be active too.

Fitness tip # 12 – Learn the alphabet

For flexible ankles, trace the alphabet with your toes. Do this with both feet, one after the other. This is something that can be done anywhere – while waiting for someone, working on your computer or lying down on the couch.

Fitness tip # 13 – Pick up the pace

Whatever you’re doing do it faster. So if you’re washing clothes, folding clothes, vacuuming the house or washing the car, speed it up just a notch. Just don’t try it when slicing vegetables!

Fitness tip # 14 – Meet up with friends while doing exercise

Instead of catching up over a cup of coffee, do it while playing tennis, taking aerobics lessons or learning salsa. Meet a couple of friends a few times a week and combine socializing with exercise.

Fitness tip # 15 – Tone your legs

If you spend a lot of time sitting and working, you can try some leg exercises. Stretch out your toes forward and out slowly, away from your body, till you begin to feel a slight tension. Hold your position like that for half a minute. You could also try tightening your buttocks, rolling your neck 20-times in each direction, extending your arms over your head as much as possible and stretching or flexing your feet and ankles.

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Although It’s best to learn about exercise safety from a pro, you should also use common sense and avoid exercises that aren’t right for your fitness level. Listen to your body and when in doubt, back off. You can always increase your intensity during your next workout.

Top 8 Unsafe or Dangerous Exercise Habits

1)Working Through Pain

Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Ignoring this message and pushing on is the fastest way to get a serious or chronic injury. Although it seems obvious to stop if you feel pain, many athletes exercise with pain. Don’t. If you feel pain, stop what you are doing and rest.

2) Not Resting

Any exercise routine that lacks rest days is potentially unsafe. A large number of sports injuries are the result of overuse. These injuries occur from simply doing too much exercise. To avoid overuse injuries, balance rest days with exercise to allow the body to recover from the stress of training. 

3) Doing Only One Type of Exercise

Doing the same exercise day after day may help you become very skilled at a sport, but it is another way to end up with an overuse injury. Stressing the same muscle groups and performing the same movement patterns repeatedly can put a tremendous amount of strain on muscles, tendons and ligaments, causing irritation, inflammation and even stress fractures. Even if you successfully avoid an overuse injury, you may end up with muscle imbalance, weakness, tightness and alignment problems. To avoid these problems, vary your exercise training routine. Do a variety of different types of exercise and cross train.

4) Performing Uncontrolled or Sloppy Movements

Sloppy or uncontrolled movements occur for a variety of reasons, including fatigue, lack of appropriate skill, going too fast, and a lack of attention. When you are exercising, it’s essential to be in control of your body. Sloppy execution or poor control is a set-up for injury. Even the safest exercise can become unsafe when done in an uncontrolled manner.

5) Forcing Unnatural Joint Movement

Any unnatural joint movements put you at high risk for an injury. Unnatural movements are typically caused by using a machine that isn’t designed for your specific body shape or size and forces your joints to move in a way that doesn’t follow your normal range of motion. One exercise that forces an unnatural joint movement is the behind the neck lat pulldown. This exercise works against the structural design of the shoulder joint. It puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuff muscles and forces the shoulders to rotate externally, a position vulnerable to dislocation. Additionally, you are forced to drop the head forward to the chest during the movement, which causes additional neck strain. Instead of this unnatural and dangerous exercise, consider lat pulldowns to the front, which work with the body’s natural range of motion.

6) Doing Too Much Too Soon

Gradually increasing both the time and intensity of exercise is the ideal way to allow the body to adapt, grow stronger and become more fit. However, pushing your body beyond its ability to adapt will result in illness or injury. Many beginners find this out the hard way. They go out too hard, too fast and too furious and end up sore, injured and hating exercise. Even elite athletes can fall into this trap by thinking that if they are extremely fit in one sport, they can do anything. Not so. No matter what level of ability they have in another sport, athletes can get injured if they attempt to perform an exercise that is beyond their fitness level for that particular exercise. Remember to be realistic when assessing your ability and skill level.

7) Using Poor Form or Technique

When you are new to exercise or learning a new routine, it’s important to learn how to do the movements properly. Most people should get some professional coaching at the beginning of a new sport to learn the fundamentals and develop good habits. If meeting with a professional coach, trainer or instructor is not possible, at least take a look at some books or videos about sports technique and exercise form. Keep in mind that we are all unique and some movements may be better-suited to your abilities or biomechanics. An instructor can help you modify exercises to fit your unique needs.

8 ) Lifting Too Much

Any weight training exercise that is done with weights that are too heavy for you is risky. It’s that simple. If you can’t maintain proper form while lifting, the weights are too heavy for you.

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The weather was unbelievably nice in November; I remember 7-8 years ago it snowed here in New York in October, now it’s so nice that you don’t even have to wear a jacket on somedays.

Since we have construction going on in the house I can’t exercise on Wii and I miss it terribly. I’m not a person that can go outside for a walk on cold days; I wish I could be more determined.

When we went to overseas I saw exercising equipment in the parks, it kind of looked weird but also nice since you don’t have to pay to use them; they are available in almost all the parks. If there were such thing here would you use them?

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One of the best ways to look and feel better is to engage in some form of cardiovascular exercise each day. Studies continue to support the health benefits that are gained by increasing the heart rate for thirty minutes at least three times per week.

Recent studies have shown that more intense cardiovascular exercise such as running or walking rapidly uphill may have additional health benefits over a leisurely walk around the block, but any cardiovascular exercise is better than none at all.

Unfortunately, some people choose not to exercise because they don’t have the time or money to join a gym. The truth is it can be just as simple and more convenient to do cardio at home. Cardiovascular exercise requires a minimum of equipment, just a strong dedication to improving your health. Here are some ideas on how to do cardio at home:

Get a jump rope.

One of the simplest and least expensive ways to do cardio at home is to invest in an inexpensive jump rope. Even if you haven’t jumped a rope since childhood, you can still get a good workout using only this simple piece of equipment. The key is to start slowly and gradually increase the pace as you become more accustomed to the mechanics of jumping rope.

Always jump on a wood or carpeted surface, never concrete, which could increase the risk of shin splints. Start by jumping rope for ten minutes gradually increasing the time as you become more proficient until you can jump at a moderate pace for thirty minutes. This will not only give you an excellent cardiovascular workout but will also tone your lower body while increasing lower body strength and endurance. Since this is a high impact form of exercise, always check with your doctor before starting this type of program and take it slow at first.

Put your DVD player to work.

There are an infinite variety of exercise DVD’s that will give you a challenging cardiovascular workout. To do cardio at home, you can choose from step aerobics DVD’s, dance DVD’s, and interval training workouts that alternate strength training exercises and cardiovascular moves such as jumping jacks and plyometrics. To prevent boredom, invest in a variety of DVD’s led by different instructors and you’ll have a fresh, new workout each day of the week. Some good instructors to consider are Kathy Smith, Denise Austin, and Cathe Friedrich.

Dance to the music.

Who says doing cardio at home can’t be fun? Getting a heart thumping workout can be as simple as turning on some fast paced music and dancing at a challenging pace for thirty minutes. What could be simpler and more enjoyable?

Take it outside.

When the weather is beautiful, nothing beats a brisk walk or jog in the open air for thirty to forty minutes. Not only will you be doing good things for your heart, you’ll be clearing your mind and enjoying the sweet smells of nature. Change your route on a regular basis and you’ll never go bored.

As you can see, doing cardio at home doesn’t require fancy equipment or complicated routines. Sometimes simpler is better when it comes to exercise.

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1. Step Aerobics …

Calories Burnt: 800 cal/hr

This mainly targets your legs, hips and bum, which are often the areas that women most want to tone. Doing an hour a day, split into two half an hour sessions, will ensure that you see results within 2 weeks.

If you aren’t sure how to do these, check out 10 Most Effective Ab Exercises.

Another very similar exercise is bench presses, which go very well in sets with step aerobics. It’s really hard to do to start with, so make sure you’re doing them right or you’ll see no results!

2. Bicycling …

Calories Burnt: 500 – 1000 cal/hr

Depending on how fast you go, this can be a real calorie burner. Riding outside is always enjoyable, but if you’re a little more time restricted, invest in a good quality exercise bike and enjoy it while you’re watching tv.
3. Swimming …

Calories Burnt: 800 cals/hr

Doing lengths up and down the pool for an hour will burn off 800 calories, and also tone almost all of your body. Stay motivated by giving yourself half an hour extra to make use of the Jacuzzi when you’ve finished!
4. Racquetball …

Calories Burnt: 800 cals/hr

The side to side running involved in this is a great cardio workout, and will also help to tone your thighs and legs.
5. Elliptical Burner …

Calories Burnt: 600 cals/hr

This is brilliant cardio, and also helps to build strong muscles, as well as toning the stomach. It might be a little boring, so split your session into ten minute bursts and do them throughout the day, and you might try listening to some upbeat music.

6. Rowing …

Calories Burnt: 500 – 600 cals/hr

Rowing is a brilliant way to tone your arms, and is also very good fun. Get involved with the local rowing club and you’ll get to try it for free, or simply use the rowing machine at the gym. As well as building arm muscle, you’ll also burn calories and get an incredible workout.

7. Walking …

Calories Burnt: 360 cals/hr

The easiest exercise, brisk walking is a great cardio workout and will also help to tone legs, stomach and hips. Sprinting, walking across hills or walking uphill will add to the amount of calories burnt, and walking tends to be very easy to fit into daily life.

8. Dancing …

Calories Burnt: 600/800 cal/hr

This targets all over your body, and is an excellent work out. Put a music channel on and dance around, as well as burning calories this might be a great stress reliever! Just make sure you stay active, and try and keep going for at least an hour!

9. Exercise DVDs …

Calories Burnt: 300/500 cals/hr

While these come under a lot of different headings, some exercise DVDs do actually help you to lose weight

and tone up. Find a high energy one, and try and do it once a day. As well as burning calories and toning up, you’ll also feel much fitter.

10. Horse Riding …

Calories Burnt: 200-600 cal/hr

This one may be slightly harder to arrange, but going horse riding once a week is one of the best ways to stay fit, healthy

and enjoy nature. The view from up there is so amazing, you won’t notice that you’re toning your bum, abs and thighs, and burning calories while you are at it! You’d be surprised at how cheap it can be to arrange a session once a weekend, and if your feeling extra fit you could even cycle to the stables!

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1. Walk Fido every day. Dog owners walk more than people without dogs. Not surprisingly, they also tend to be healthier, with less body fat, according to a new study from the University of California, San Diego. But not every pooch “parent” takes advantage of these exercise opportunities. And those who don’t walk their four-legged friends don’t get the health perks. If you don’t own a dog, offer to take the neighbor’s dog for a walk, or join your neighbor in his or her daily jaunt.
2. Volunteer at a local animal shelter to walk a pooch several times a week. Most shelters will let you participate with a little bit of training. Have a favorite breed? You can find rescue centers for labs, retrievers, even Schnoodles (Schnauzer/poodle mixes) by asking at your local humane society, animal shelter, or veterinary hospital. You can also try searching online by typing in the name of the breed, “rescue center,” and your town.

3. Sweep and weed your sidewalk once a week. Making a habit of keeping a tidy path in front of your house will make it more inviting to others, give you a chance to say hello to your fellow citizens while you’re weeding — and burn off 100 calories in just 20 minutes of vigorous work.

4. Stroll to your neighborhood mailbox. Instead of leaving outgoing mail in your home mailbox, walk your bill, magazine subscription, or birthday card to the government mailbox a few blocks away, or even to the post office if it’s within a mile or so from your home. Not only will you benefit from the blood-sugar-stabilizing activity, your check will be safer than it would be sitting in front of your house.

5. Return misdelivered mail to its rightful home on foot. It happens to everyone: You get a letter that should have gone to the house one or two blocks over. Instead of marking it “wrong address” and clipping it to your mailbox, look at the post as an opportunity to get a few minutes of activity, some fresh air, and a chance to meet a neighbor. 6. Take your newspaper on a daily walk. When you step outside for your morning paper, take the opportunity to go around your block one time. The fresh morning air will help wake you up — sans caffeine — and you’ll start your day off right with a few extra steps. You’ll knock off five minutes of exercise from your 30-minutes-a-day goal before you even sit down to have breakfast.

7. Take advantage of your sidewalk. It’s there, it’s free, and all you need is a good pair of walking shoes to use it. Begin gradually, with a 15- to 20-minute walk. Start strolling slowly for about three to five minutes, then pick up your pace for 10 minutes and cool down for another three to five minutes. Each week, add two to three minutes to the faster portion of your walk. Within a few weeks, you’ll be up to walking briskly for 30 minutes most days a week.

8. Try out a pair of walking poles. You’ll burn far more calories on your neighborhood walks with these poles, which you use like a cross-country skier. Called fitness trekking or Nordic walking, walking with these poles can boost your calorie burn 20 to 50 percent over regular strolling because the poles recruit the muscles in your upper body. Poles can also be helpful if you need a little extra stability or want to take some impact off of your legs. Follow the instructions that come with the poles. You might also be able to find a lesson through your local health club, community center, or YMCA. You can order poles and get instructional tips at www.exerstrider.com or www.nordicwalking.com.

9. Say your ABCs out loud. When you’re out walking for exercise, your pace shouldn’t be so tough that you’re gasping for air, or so easy that you can babble nonstop to your exercise buddy without breaking a sweat. If you’re by yourself, recite the alphabet. If it’s no problem, pick up your pace. If you start huffing by the letter F, slow down.

10. Rate your exercise intensity. Another good rule of thumb: On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being running as fast as you can, and 1 being sitting on the couch, you want to aim for about a 6 or 7. At that intensity, you should be breathing harder than normal but still able to carry on a simple conversation.

11. Clip on a pedometer in the morning. The little gadget will keep track of how many steps you take that day — and subtly encourage you to take even more. Try to take 500 additional steps each week, aiming -­ ultimately for as many as 10,000 steps a day. In case you’re curious, 1,000 steps equal one-half mile.

12. Keep a step log. It takes approximately six months for a new behavior to become habit. To help you lock in your walking habit, write down your steps after you take off your pedometer every night. Recording your progress helps you stay focused.

13. Crummy weather? Take a mall walk. Check your mall to see if they offer a mall-walking program or early morning hours for walkers. If it doesn’t, you can still get there first thing in the morning — hours before the teens get out of bed — do a few laps, and then treat yourself to a skim milk latte. Invite a friend along, and agree to do one quick lap for some harder exercise, and then one moderate lap for a little bit of window shopping — then repeat, one fast lap/one relaxed, on the upper level.

14. Promote your own mall-walking program. If your mall doesn’t have a walking program, consider talking to the mall management. Some malls don’t want to be responsible for possible injuries, and if this is the case, suggest that the staff develop a consent form that walkers must sign before joining the program. If you have friends, neighbors, and coworkers who want to mall walk, ask them to call the public relations department of the mall to express their interest. You may even want to volunteer your time to get the program under way.

15. Formalize your new walking club. Arrange to convene at a local coffee shop following your first or second walk. Hand out name tags and have a sign-in sheet for everyone to list their names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses so you can contact them about future walks. Next discuss how often you’ll walk, when and where to meet, what to do in case of bad weather, the speed of the walk, and the distance you’ll cover. If you have a large group, consider breaking into smaller groups based on fitness level, availability, or other factors.

16. Look for ways to motivate the group. You might choose a name for your walking crew, order shirts, have a monthly potluck (healthy of course), enter a walking event with a cause, or set goals to increase the length of your walks or your walking pace. Share the responsibility by asking each member to lead some of the walks and have them plan the route.

17. Use your car to clock errands you could do on foot. Put a sticky note on your dashboard that says “Clock a route” to remind you to check the mileage on all the places you typically go in a day. Is the library a mile away? How about the ATM? Many people don’t realize how many errands could be done on foot with a little planning, says Mark Fenton, world-renowned environmental walking coach.

18. Grab binoculars and go bird watching. You can pick up a beginning birding book at a local bookstore. Look for one that includes birds in your region. It’s a great way to enjoy nature and connect with wildlife right in your own community. Observing the beauty of birds and discussing them with friends, neighbors, or your children can be a fun and stimulating experience. Interacting with nature tends to slow the heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and help people relax.

19. Put a “Could I walk or ride my bike?” sticky note on your front door. Having a prompt (like the famous string around the finger) in plain view will cue you to ask yourself if you really need to hop in your car to take the books back to the library, pick up a prescription, or visit a friend. Post a second note on your dash that says “Could I walk halfway?” so you’ll be encouraged to park a few blocks from whatever errand you’re running.

20. Go on a village scavenger hunt. Whether you have kids, grandkids, nieces, or nephews, this activity never fails: Jot a list that includes items such as five red cars, three houses with yellow daisies, two cats, four stop signs, and so on. After you’ve compiled several “treasures” for the kids to find, head out around the neighborhood until you’ve found all the items on the list. You can make several lists and have friendly competitions. The first one to complete the list wins.

21. Make after-dinner walks a regular habit. Instead of collapsing in front of the TiVo, create a tradition of post-meal strolls with a partner. If you have young kids, you can play games to keep the little ones entertained. Remember the Alphabet Game during long family car trips? You can play it while walking. Look for signs, bumper stickers, and personalized license plates on cars, and watch for words that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Once you’ve found one letter, move on to the next.

22. Make a list of five active things you can do in your community. Hang the list on your fridge, and when you’re out of ideas for an active weekend activity, look to your list. For example, you could bike to a local park for a picnic, hoof it to the library, or plan to meet friends at a halfway location to which you can both walk.

23. Have a monthly trash patrol day. Grab a shopping bag and head out around your block for 20 minutes. Rope in a few neighbors to join you. Every time you have to bend to pick up an article, turn the move into a squat: Extend your buttocks behind you and pretend you’re about to sit in an invisible chair until your upper legs are almost parallel to the ground. You’ll build leg muscles and sculpt your rear view. Building muscle helps the body become more insulin sensitive, and it boosts your metabolism.

24. Lace up walking shoes for active living every day. You may think that any old shoe is fine, but footwear designed for walking will encourage you to move more and will decrease your risk of injury. A good shoe should be flexible in the ball of the foot, but not in the arch. (A shoe that bends in the arch can put strain on tendons in the feet.) The heel should be cushioned (because that’s where your foot strikes) and also rounded to encourage an easy and speedy heel-toe motion. It’s best to visit a local, independently owned running store. Whether you have low or high arches, the salespeople in a competent technical fitness store will watch you walk barefoot and help you choose the features you need.

25. Burn calories at the little ones’ soccer games. Instead of taking your folding chair and a crossword puzzle, wear comfortable shoes and take a jaunt around the field during soccer or baseball games when your child isn’t playing. You can still cheer while in motion. Or take your walk before the game starts, when the kids are warming up. Remember, physical activity enhances the action of insulin (the hormone that lowers your blood sugar), which often results in better blood sugar control.

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I’d like to write about the 10 most effective ab exercises for anyone who needs, these moves are selected by the American Council on Exercise’s study to determine the most effective ab exercises.

While ab exercises won’t spot reduce fat from the belly, strong abs are important for keeping your body healthy and protecting your spine.

1) The Bicycle exercise is the best move to target the rectus abdominis (i.e., the ’six pack’) and the obliques (the waist), according to a study done by the American Council on Exercise. To do this exercise correctly:

1. Lie face up on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without pulling on the neck.
3. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.
4. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
5. Continue alternating sides in a ‘pedaling’ motion for 12-16 reps.

2) The captain’s chair leg raise is the second most effective move for the rectus abdominis as well as the obliques. You can do a variety of exercises on the captain’s chair, which is a rack with padded arms that allows your legs to hang free and can be found in most health clubs and gyms. The key to keeping this move safe and effective is, first, to avoid swinging the legs or using momentum to bring the legs up. Second, keeping the knees bent will help you focus more on the abdominals and less on the hip flexors. To do it right:

1. Stand on chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.
2. Press your back against the pad and contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest.
3. Don’t arch the back or swing the legs up.
4. Slowly lower back down and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

3) The exercise ball is an excellent tool to strengthen the abs and comes out number three for working the rectus abdominis. To do it right: 1. Lie face-up with the ball resting under your mid/lower back.
2. Cross your arms over the chest or place them behind your head.
3. Contract your abs to lift your torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips.
4. As you curl up, keep the ball stable (i.e., you shouldn’t roll).
5. Lower back down, getting a stretch in the abs, and repeat for 12-16 reps.

4) The vertical leg crunch is another effective move for the rectus abdominis and the obliques. To do it right: 1. Lie face up on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed.
2. Contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet.
3. Keep the legs in a fixed position and imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine at the top of the movement.
4. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.

5) The Torso Track is a tough exercise because it can hurt your back if you’re not careful.

1. Grip the handles of the Torso Track and pull the abs in without holding your breath (as though bracing them).
2. Exhale and glide forward as far as you comfortably can. If you collapse in the middle and feel it in your back, you’ve gone too far.
3. Contract the abs to pull your body back.
4. Add tension by using more tension chords.

6) Long arm crunch; This move, ranked 6th in the ACE study, emphasizes the upper part of the abs. To do it right: 1. Lie on a mat and extend the arms straight out behind the head with hands clasped, keeping the arms next to the ears.
2. Contract the abs and lift the shoulder blades off the floor.
3. Keep the arms straight and avoid straining the neck. If you feel neck pain, take one hand behind the head while keeping the other arm extended.
4. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.

7) Reverse Crunch: It may seem like the reverse crunch is for the lower abs but, remember, the rectus abdominis is one long muscle, so you can’t separate upper from lower. To do this move right: 1. Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest until they’re bent to 90 degrees, with feet together or crossed.
3. Contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling.
4. Lower and repeat for 12-16 reps.
5. It’s a very small movement, so try to use your abs to lift your hips rather than swinging your legs and creating momentum.

Full Reverse Crunch; In a full verticul crunch, you really work the abs by involving both the upper and lower body. To do it right: 1. Lie on your back and extend the legs up towards the ceiling.
2. Place hands behind your head (lightly cupping it) and contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor.
3. At the same time, press the heels towards the ceiling, creating a ‘u’ shape with the torso.
4. Lower down and repeat for 12-16 reps.

9)The Ab Rocker (or roller) is number 9 for targeting the rectus abdominis. To do it right:

1. Sit on the Ab Rocker and grab the bars in each hand.
2. Contract the abs and rock forward, originating the movement from the abs rather than using momentum.
3. Release and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.
4. Go slowly to reduce momentum. Try to focus on the abs rather than pushing with the arms.

10) The plank exercise ranked number 10 in the ACE study and is a great way to build endurance in both the abs and back, as well as stabilizer muscles. To do it right: 1. Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor.
2. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows.
3. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.
4. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air.
5. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps.

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I went to Kohl’s today but they had only one pair of my size and it was pure white, I wanted to see other colours as well so tomorrow I’m going to Skecher’s to buy. As I wear them I’ll let you know how it feels and if it’ real of what they say.

What is Skechers Shape-Ups?

Shape Ups from SKECHERS are designed to get you fit while you walk, work, shop, and more. Shape Ups have as much a place in your life as your boots, sandals, and dress casuals, and can retrain your muscles, helping you walk with a positive impact. Used properly, Shape Ups change the way you approach your daily activities. Used regularly, Shape Ups will enhance the way you feel and look; muscles get toned, calories are burned and your posture improves.

Shape Ups are designed to:

• Promote weight loss
• Strengthen the back
• Firm calf and buttock muscles
• Reduce cellulite and tone your thighs
• Increase cardiovascular health
• Improve posture
• Reduce stress on knee and ankle joints

Three Reasons You Need Shape Ups:

1. Stronger You
Shape Ups are designed to help you tone your muscles – from your back and abdomen to your buttocks and calves.

2. Healthier You
Shape Ups will help you lose weight and improve your circulation, creating a healthier you!

3. Easy Exercise Routine
Wear your Shape Ups everywhere and anywhere you walk (or stand), and your body will feel the benefits.

Three Reasons You Want Them:

1. In Style
Look good while getting fit. There’s no reason to ruin your outfit with unattractive footwear that’s a fashion don’t! In your Shape Ups, your style will still be right on as you power through your everyday life.

2. Portable Power
Shape Ups are the ideal fitness equipment for the on-the-go, busy lifestyle. Wear them to and from the office, pack them in your suitcase, or keep them in your car for shopping trips. They are portable power in a small package.

3. A Brand You Trust
There’s a lot to be said about familiarity and credibility. When buying SKECHERS, you know you are getting style and quality at a reasonable price. We’re a company you’ve trusted for more than 15 years.

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We sit with one leg extended and the other curled in comfortably and lean forward using our lower back.

A common mistake is to bend your body forward over the leg. The idea is to keep our back straight.

With this exercise hamstring muscles work.

Repeat this with the other leg…

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