Warm weather is here and being a typical female are you ready for short sleeved dresses, tops, shorts or even a bathing suit. This month I am going to give you a few simple exercises to help you tighten up your muscles and lose some body fat. Over the years I have found that when you are pushed for time that these three basic exercises the push up, squat, and abdominals work!

Hopefully you are already eating healthy with portion sizing your nutritional intake. I am also hoping that you are getting in some form of aerobic activity. At least 30 minutes 5 times a week. If you are looking to still lose a few pounds increase your aerobic activity to
45-60 minutes 5-6 days each week.

AEROBIC

For this next section I recommend a heart rate monitor. Do not go over your maximum heart rate. Each individual is different and you must do what is best for you or what your physician recommends. Every monitor comes with a booklet or guide on how to get you started. (Each booklet will guide you to what your heart rate should be at 75%, 80%, and 85%.)

Another way to burn more calories is to take what ever aerobic activity you are currently performing at and increase your heart rate slightly higher than you currently work. Start out with 15 seconds of an increased rate and then take it back down to where you were. (example: if your heart rate was at 80% your increase will go up to 85% for 15 seconds and then back down to 80% for 2-3 minutes.) By taking your heart rate up and down every few minutes you will burn more calories. Slowly increase your 15 seconds to 1 minute then 2 minutes.

UPPER BODY

To tighten up the upper body the best exercise is pushups. For those of you who have never performed a pushup start off easily and off of a wall. If you go to youtube and look up isobreathing there is a segment on wall push ups. If you feel you are more advanced then perform them on your knees.

BODY POSITIONING is everything to execute the best pushup to really work your muscles. Remember to move slowly and efficiently not how fast can you whip out 20 pushups. There is also a snippet on youtube with me demonstrating an easy version on my knees and a more advanced version.

If you are ready for even more intensity then you need to be up on your toes and hands. Lie flat on your belly. Your hands are palms down on the floor between shoulder and chest height. Your legs are further apart than hip distance to start with, curl your toes under your body so it is just your toes touching the floor and lift your body up. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR BOTTOM TO SAG. That will place too much stress on your lower back. Hold in your abdominals that will also help to protect your lower back. Slowly allow your elbows to bend and lower your body to the floor and pushup back to your starting position. If that is still too easy for you then place your feet right next to each other. (When the legs are spread further than hip distance the pushup will be easier. With your feet closer together the more difficult the push up will be.)


LOWER BODY

Over the years I have found that the squat is the best exercise for the lower body working lots of muscle groups. You can perform the squat even if you have bad knees if you modify the movement. Start with your legs slightly further than hip distance apart. Make sure that you have a chair behind you and that the chair is secured and will not slip on the floor. As you bend your knees slightly make sure that your back side is looking for the chair, (Stick out your backside) this way your knees will not go past your toes. Keep your chest elevated. You do not need to bend your knees a lot to get the muscles working. Do not allow your backside to go lower than your knees. The emphasis of working the muscles is on the way up. Push up through the heals of your feet without literally lifting your toes off the ground. Slowly feel your backing engaging and the back of you upper legs or the hamstring group. Take this move extremely slow and work your muscles. (I do have a snippet on youtube (under isobreathing) about body positioning for the squat)

ABDOMINALS

I have found over the years that by using the isobreathing breath you can work your abdominals all day long if you chose to and obtain great results. Otherwise it is hit the floor and crunch which I hate and have found that too many individuals are working their necks versus abdominals. I have found the plank (see below) more effective on working abdominals. Lie on your belly and bend your elbows so your elbows are under your shoulder. Curl your toes under your feet and lift up your body. Make sure that your elbows are directly under your shoulders and not out to the sides. (Too much strain on the shoulder joint). See how long you can hold this position while breathing. Do not allow your hips to angle toward the floor. Too much stress on your lower back. I do have a snippet on youtube under isobreathing for those of you that are visual.

Ellen Miller is a Fitness Practitioner/personal trainer and the originator of the IsoBreathing program. She has been teaching lifestyle changes for almost 30 years. Sign up for her newsletter at www.isobreathing.com. Her email address is Ellen@isobreathing.com and she does answer all emails herself.

***Always consult your physician or health care provider before beginning any nutrition or exercise program.