New Year New Workout
January 31, 2017
Working to Get a Better Workout
New resolutions may arises from a invigorating night of champagne and fireworks. If you’re human or even an extraterrestrial you have probably attempted at keep your new year’s resolution, and don’t get me wrong some people are able to do that, but if you are forgetful like most of the population, you need some motivation. Now for clarification I am not a physician or a physical therapist, these are simply exercises that I use everyday. Also please always consult your doctor before trying out any sort of new exercise and health changes, this will help prevent injuries in the future.
One of the top new year’s resolution is to get fit and healthy and stay fit. The problem is daily tasks and time get in the way of staying fit. Then there are the TV gimmicks of varying exercise equipment, diets, diet supplements and random bands that look like they will snap at any second of the exercises that the models do. Well let’s get down to the knit and grit of workouts. The fact is, you need to push through the burn, make no excuses, and set up a schedule, eating right , and getting a restorative sleep. Now as a teenager this is hard, especially since according to the LA Times, teachers assign 3.5 hours of homework per night, and if you’re in extracurricular activities and sports, you may end up getting home around 5-7 pm and then your new homework schedule starts.
So why should we make time to workout during the day? Yes we have all heard that you should get out and stay active for 60 minutes a day, but with school in the way this leaves no time to get a good 60 minute workout/ exercise activity in. Exercise releases hormones called endorphins, endorphins are the feel good hormones you get after a simple run or minor amount of push ups, in some case studies endorphins have actually been known to improve focus in class and on homework, so why not do homework and exercise at the same time?
Since homework takes a long time to do, start with some simple core workouts and stretches, preferably ones that have you remain stationary. Begin with stretching. Stretching should be stationary, start with a simple quad stretch so grab your ankle and gently pull your leg up to your glutenous maximus ( AKA your butt) and hold for 10-20 seconds ,this will loosen the muscles in your quads, IT band and is a great hip stretch Next swing your arms up and around in a circle to loosen your shoulder and the muscles around there, then swing your arms in the opposite direction. If there are any other muscles that are tight or lack flexibility lay down on the ground flat, stretch your arms above your head and point your toes downward, and hold for as long as you can lifting your back off the ground, this will be a relaxing and full muscle stretch and will help loosen those tight muscles.
Next it’s time to begin the core workouts, now the key is to push through the burn and to now let the psychological voice say that ,”it’s to hard” extra burn means extra work. So for the home work aspects put your books on the ground in front of you and get ready to use that focus on your homework. Begin with a plank, you are wanting to be stiff like a plank ( Hints the name plank) the way to know if you’re doing it wrong is if your butt is in the air and your body is in the shape of a mountain, you won’t get the same muscle work. Planks can be hard so start yourself off with a 20 second plank and if you feel like you can go further push yourself to 30 seconds, and if you feel really up to the challenge bring yourself to the burning sensation of a full minute. And for athletes trying to get back into shape have your minimum be 1 minute and work your way up to 3 minute planks.
Next kick it up a notch and get into plank position, this one will be a little harder because you are gonna be working both your core and your legs. Start off by slowly moving one leg to your side still keeping it in a reasonable distance from the rest of your body, you don’t want your leg to be more than 45 degrees out away from your hip, then move your leg back it. Do this one leg at a time and do about 10-20 on each side until you get comfortable with the muscle memory. Repeat this on the same leg. And when finishing the plank go into a stretch, usually the best way to loosen up after a couple of planks, the cat stretch works best. Now if you don’t know how to do a cat stretch refer to the diagrams at the end of the article.
V sits are one of my personal favorites for getting in a good core work out, they flex and utilize all the abdominal muscles, and you can really feel the burn. Begin by finding a comfortable position on your butt and lower your body to an angle of 120 degrees, move your legs out then put your arms above your head , slowly do the same motion as a crunch. Start with 10 crunches and if your feel up for more keep going, pain is all a psychological game, so when you’re in pain figure out a way to get rid of it. So techniques are counting your fingers forward and backward or simply listen to music, music is one of the best ways considered to block off pain because your brain focuses on the music.
Another one of the best abdominal workouts is the Dead Bug. Now I know what you’re thinking, what kind of an exercise is called the “ Dead Bug” ? It must be easy. On the contrary this core position is a pain and progressive exercise. Begin by laying flat on your back. Move your legs up to a 90 degree angle and your arms pointed straight in the air. This requires a little more coordination, move your right arm down toward the ground, and at the same time move your left leg down toward the ground and do the same with the left and right leg . When you first start work on your form and then start your reps. Do 10 alternating dead bugs and then rest. Restart and repeat 3 times. If you feel this is too easy or too hard you can adjust the reps to fit your needs.
Now if you like Marvel or DC this pose is definitely for you, for fun you can even attach a cape. The Superman, is one of the most creative core positions I’ve ever done, one because it’s superman, and two it’s one of the most personalized core you can do. This one focuses on how far you think you can go. The super man begins with laying flat on the ground, and going into the famous flying position, so stick your hands out in front of you and lift your legs and body off the ground, only heighten your arms and legs till you feel the burn, and hold. Begin holding for 30 seconds, and if you want the challenge, kick it up and pull out that stopwatch and see how long you can go. This is god for busy teens because you can read whatever homework you have for the night.
Now sometimes you have to get back down to the nit and grit of the work out. Sit ups are some of the most controversial workout in the abdominal world. Some studies including this example from www.harvard.edu states that , “One reason is that sit–ups are hard on your back — they push your curved spine against the floor and work your hip flexors, the muscles that run from the thighs to the lumbar vertebrae in the lower back.” but other studies show that sit ups, although they focus on a small muscle group called the rectus abdomomis, and make for a good cardio work out. But because these are so controversial do some more research before making the decision to do them. For those of you who decide that you want to try this, there is the regular sit up. Lay down on your back flat, and bend your legs to a comfortable position and put your hands behind your back, start off slow and increase your reps. If your back starts to hurt stop and stretch a little, and leave off of the sit ups for a while.
For those who decided to stay away from the sit ups there are some alternate pieces that you can do to modify the sit up. Try laying on your black flat, have your hands behind your head and your legs up at a 90 degree angle and knees bent. Alternate your arms and legs by moving your right arm to your left leg, and left arm to right leg. Other modifications include the bicycle crunch and the curled crunch.
Core Workouts are key to good balance. For athletes this will increase improvement of balance, muscle build and stamina. For other scholarly students this will help you focus on studying and helping you stay tuned to the new years resolution.