Robin's One Stop Fitness

Resistance bands are an excellent alternative to lifting weights to firm and build muscle. Resistance bands can be used just about anywhere, at home, at the gym or at work. Resistance training with equipment like resistance bands causes the muscles to contract. Repeated contraction and relaxation builds muscle tissue and strengthens the joints. Resistance bands are available in a variety of resistances from light resistance to extremely firm resistance. Resistance bands are also inexpensive when compared to free weights and other exercise equipment. They can be attached to a door jam with a door mount or securely attached to a wall with a resistance band wall mount. Resistance bands are also available in a loop design for use with the legs and arms. Be sure that your band is securely attached to a door or to a wall mount before you exercise. Unsecured bands can slip and snap back, which can cause injury. Always inspect your bands for weak areas or tears. Don’t use a band that has nicks and tears since it could break and hurt you or hurt someone standing nearby. 

To work the hips and buttocks, do some hip adduction exercises. Stand perpendicular to a wall mount or a doorway where the resistance band is attached. Wrap the band around your ankle. Spread your feet apart until there is slight resistance on the band. Make sure you have your balance or place your hand on a sturdy chair for balance. Pull the band across the front of your body with your leg stretched straight out. Pull as far as you can until you feel the muscles of your hips and thighs stretch. Repeat this exercise 10 times with each leg for a firmer butt and thighs. 

The butt stretch resistance band exercise will firm and tone your buttocks as well as slim and tighten up your abdominal muscles. Loop an ankle resistance band around both of your ankles and get on your hands and knees on the floor. Stretch our body out until your weight is supported by your hands and your toes. Slowly lift one leg straight up toward the ceiling, pulling the band as far up as you can. Hold the stretch and then relax. Repeat this exercise 10 times with each leg for tight firm buns and a strong core. 

Photo Credit: Ayelie CC-BY-2.0

If you watch even a couple of hours of television each day, you’ve probably seen the commercials touting high fructose corn syrup as a natural substitute for cane sugar. High-fructose corn syrup has been used to sweeten foods and drinks in the USA for about 40 years. It’s cheaper than processed cane sugar. In the decades since high-fructose corn sugar was introduced to the American diet, obesity rates have skyrocketed. Robert H. Lustig, MD describes obesity as a global public health crisis. High-fructose corn syrup has been linked to a number of diseases including heart and liver disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. What can you do to reduce the amount of sugar, including high-fructose corn syrup, that you consume? 

Choose foods and drinks without added sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup. Fruits and berries are naturally sweet and don’t require additional sweeteners. In addition to containing natural sugars, fruits and berries are loaded with beneficial antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Skip the granulated sugar on your cold cereal and slice up some strawberries, a banana or add some blueberries to your cereal. Stir in a handful of raspberries or slice up a banana for your low-fat yogurt. Choose whole grain, unsweetened cereals instead of sweetened cereals. Honey is a natural sweetener. Use honey to sweeten your baked foods, hot cereals like oatmeal and tea drinks. 

Dumbbells aren’t just for biceps and triceps curls! You can use your dumbbells to help tone and strengthen your back muscles while strengthening your arms and chest. Dumbbell rowing exercises strengthen the muscles of the upper back, shoulder and help improve joint flexibility for a greater range of motion in the shoulder area. If you have a rotator cuff injury, see your doctor before attempting dumbbell rowing exercises. 

A one arm dumbbell rowing exercise is performed by holding a 2 pound or 5 pound dumbbell in your left hand and kneeling on a bench with your right knee. Support your upper body by placing your right palm on the bench in front of  your knee. Plant your left foot firmly on the floor. Hold the dumbbell in an over-hand grasp with your palm pointed toward your body. Keep your arm close to your body and pull your elbow up and back. Hold for 2 seconds and then lower the dumbbell back down. Try to keep your back straight during this exercise and don’t forget to breathe. Exhale on the lift and inhale on the lowering of the dumbbell. Do 20 repetitions on each side. 

Strength training improves your muscle tone and supports bone health. People who engage in regular strength training, especially isometric strength training exercises, can improve bone density and prevent their risk of diseases like osteoporosis. Strong muscles help to stabilize the joints to prevent injury and increases endurance. You can perform strength training exercises with free weights, dumbbells and barbells, weight machines or your own body weight. For most people, 30 minutes of weight training three times each week is enough to build strong muscle, maintain lean muscle mass and stay strong. Don’t stop your flexibility and aerobic exercise, though. You still need to get a good cardio workout every day. 

Most people think about barbells, dumbbells and weight machines when they hear the words strength training. Working out with weights is one way to build muscle strength. If you have never lifted weights or used a weight machine before, join a gym that provides professional fitness trainers to oversee and instruct your weight lifting exercises. Proper form is essential to safely lift weights and avoid injury. Don’t try to lift 150 pounds on your first effort. Start slowly and gradually build up to more weight. As your muscles increase in strength, increase the number of repetitions or add a few pounds of extra weight. Strength train all your muscles using a weight machine. Many weight machines can train your legs, back, arms and core. 

Resistance bands are an inexpensive and easy way to increase muscle strength. Resistance bands are available in a variety of resistances from easy to stretch to very difficult to pull. You can use resistance bands at home using a band mount or a door mount. Do seek the advice and help of a qualified fitness trainer the first time you use resistance bands. Like lifting free weights or using a weight machine, form is critical to avoid injury and build muscle. 

The easiest way to strength train is to use your own body weight. You need no equipment to perform push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, squats, planks and lunges. Body weight exercises can be done at home or in the gym. Start your body weight strength training by doing 10 repetitions of each: push-ups, crunches, squats and lunges. Gradually increase the number of repetitions as your muscles grow stronger. As with all other forms of exercise, proper form is important to avoid injury and ensure the effectiveness of the exercise. A fitness trainer can help you develop a body weight strength training program just for you. 

Exercise can’t hurt you, can it? If you don’t do it right or you overdo it, yes it can hurt you. Exercise injury can be painful and delay reaching your fitness goals. Always keep safety in mind when exercising. Before trying a new exercise, make sure you know how to perform the exercise to avoid injury. If an exercise move hurts, then you are doing it wrong. Exercise should not cause pain. A fitness trainer can instruct you about how to do exercises the correct way so that you avoid injury and pain. 

Start your exercise routine slowly and work up to a more strenuous level of exercise. Warm up before exercise and stretch your muscles before you begin. Warming up will prepare your muscles and joints for exercise, which can help reduce the risk of a sprain or torn muscle. Stop exercising immediately if you feel pain. Muscle soreness is common following intense exercise of trying a new exercise, but pain during exercise or soreness that does not subside in a couple of days after exercise may indicate an injury. Overuse injuries result from doing too much exercise for one or two muscle groups. Tennis elbow, for example, results from over-using the muscles in the arm, which can lead to inflammation and soreness. Spot training too frequently can lead to over-use injury. Train a different muscle group every day if you are lifting weights. Alternate running with swimming or bicycling to help avoid over-use injury. 

Remember to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Dehydration occurs when you lose more water by sweating than you drink. Avoid strenuous exercise outdoors when the weather is hot. Strenuous exercise outdoors during how weather can increase your risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Cold weather outdoor exercise has it risks as well. You can experience exercise-induced asthma, even if you’ve never had asthma before. Vigorous exercise outdoors during cold weather can cause a bout of exercise-induced asthma. The symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest. Symptoms begin within a few minutes after exercise and can last for up to 30 minutes. 

If you are staying in a hotel, try to eat in your room once each day, but don’t order room service. Bring some breakfast foods that travel well, such as instant oatmeal, whole grain cereal or cereal bars and some dried fruits. Find a local grocery store and bring some fresh fruits, whole grain crackers and small portions of low-fat cheeses to your room for a mid-morning or late afternoon snack. 

Watch your portions when ordering food in restaurants. Order vegetables and fruits with every meal. A side salad with a low-fat salad dressing or no salad dressing is a great way to start your meal. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, and especially right before eating a meal. Water helps you feel fuller so you avoid over-eating and it helps facilitate digestion. Watch out for the condiments, however. Salad dressing, ketchup and barbecue sauces can be very high in calories, fats, sugar and sodium. When given a choice between ordering from the menu or hitting the all-you-can-eat buffet, order from the menu. It’s easy to over-eat when there are so many tasty dishes to choose from. If you do select the buffet, start with salad with low-fat dressing and water. Select steamed or grilled vegetables and avoid the cream sauces and the butter. Choose lean meats or seafood, if available.