Swimming in a pool, lake, or ocean is an excellent way to exercise without feeling like you’re melting in the heat. Plus, it’s a full-body workout that is gentle on the joints. Ironman and USA Triathlon coach Heather Casey shares two quick beginner workouts, one for the pool and one for open water. Before you get started, here are a few helpful tips from Casey:
• Keep water bottles nearby. Just because you don’t feel sweaty doesn’t mean you aren’t losing fluids. • Invest in some dark-lens or reflective goggles to help block the sun and the glare from the water. • Swimming in open water? Stay safe by bringing a partner. Warm up on dry land. Remain close to the shoreline, and even if you’re an experienced swimmer, breathe every other stroke. It’s easier to become breathless in open water. If you do, head back to shore at an easy pace.
These workouts burn approximately 367 calories (a 30-minute swim for a 150-pound person).
30-minute pool workout
Interval targets are set by a rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale of 1 to 10; 10 is the hardest.
The warm up: Go for a 100-yard swim at RPE of 4 to 5, then a 50-yard swim with kickboard at RPE of 5 to 6.
The workout:
• 25-yard swim at RPE of 4; 25-yard swim at RPE of 6 • 25-yard swim at RPE of 6; 25-yard swim at RPE of 4 • 50-yard swim at RPE of 4 • 50-yard swim at RPE of 6 • Repeat these four intervals • 100-yard swim at RPE of 4 (cooldown)
Dry land warm-up: Arm circles and shoulder shrugs on shore.
Swim warm-up: 8 minutes of 1-minute out-and-back intervals from the shore at RPE of 4.
The workout:
• 4-minute swim at RPE of 4 • 30 seconds treading water • 2-minute swim at RPE of 6 • 2-minute swim at RPE of 4 • 30 seconds treading water • 2-minute swim at RPE of 4 • 2-minute swim at RPE of 6 • 30 seconds treading water • 4-minute swim at RPE of 6 • 30 seconds treading water • 2 sets of 3-minute swims at RPE of 4, treading for 1 minute in between (cooldown)
One of the biggest factors in achieving your health goals is finding the motivation to work out and keep your fitness top of mind. When life gets busy, it’s easy to let fitness fall by the wayside and not make it a priority. But once you find ways to keep yourself motivated and develop healthy habits, it can become a lifestyle that will enable you to see results and improve your overall well-being. Still, even as a former professional beach volleyball player, and now a Fitbit ambassador, carving out time to exercise hasn’t always been easy. That’s why I’ve depended on these five tips to keep me motivated throughout the years.
Contents
1. Develop a workout structure
Scheduling out your workout helps you stick to it and leaves little room for opting out at the last minute. A flexible routine that gives too much choice will be the thing that you cut out of your schedule first. I personally like to write it down. If you treat your workout like an appointment, it will help you stay committed and develop habits over time, which will make it easier to continue building exercise into your routine. When you might feel tired or you’re not seeing dramatic results, a structure will help keep you going.
2. Figure out your favorite activities
Staying motivated is infinitely easier when you find something you love to do. Some people enjoy working out at a gym and lifting weights, while others might find more joy from running outside or practicing yoga. While it’s important to try and incorporate both strength training and cardio into your workouts, it’s equally important to determine which forms of exercise you love most, so staying active becomes less of a chore and more of a source of happiness.
3. Sport the right gear
It may seem like a minor factor, but having the right clothing and gear can work wonders when it comes to motivation. I love using a heart rate monitor — keeping an eye on my heart rate zones is a great way to maintain intensity and make real-time adjustments to ensure I’m hitting my goals. I also enjoy finding some cute tights or sneakers to help boost my mood. I think when you look good, you feel good, and will find that much more reason to get moving.
Finding a partner in crime to work out with is another great way of staying accountable. Making plans with someone else adds more of an obligation and makes it harder to consider taking the day off. That’s why my husband Laird and I make it a point to exercise together.
5. Make rest and recovery a priority
To stay motivated and get your best workout, you have to give your muscles and body a chance to recover. So don’t overdo it and be sure to get enough sleep, which is just as important for your health as exercise.
Gabrielle Reece is a world-renowned athlete, New York Times bestselling author, wife and mother. She’s a former professional beach volleyball player and was Nike’sfirst female spokesperson. She has a passion for healthy living and fitness, which has shaped her career and makes her a popular leader in the world of health and wellness.
When was the last time you jump roped? If it was as a kid during class recess, now’s a good time to get back into the rhythm of things. The jump rope is not only a fun workout to turn up the sweat, it’s also a key conditioning tool for athletes and boxers, like Laila Ali, to build endurance, coordination and agility.
And now, it’s the basis for the new interval-based total-body workout, The Rope, from celeb trainer Amanda Kloots. “The jump rope is one of the most underrated pieces of fitness equipment. When you’re jump roping, you’re engaging all the muscles in your body, including your heart,” Kloots says. “Each jump involves tightening your core, toning your arms and powering your legs.”
Whether you’re crunched for time or traveling (it packs light, too), just a few minutes of jump roping can leave you breathless. Kloots’s signature jump rope workout is divided into four sections: warm-up, coordination, stamina and sprints. But before you jump in, it’s important to have the right length rope. Check by standing on top of the jump rope hip-distance apart with both hands holding each end. Bring the jump rope handles toward your shoulders. If the rope goes beyond your shoulders, it’s too long, Kloots says. Now grab your rope and hop to it!
Contents
The 30-Minute HIIT Jump Rope Workout to Build Endurance
THE WARM-UP
First, it’s time to re-familiarize yourself with the basic jump. According to Kloots, proper jump rope technique starts with the feet together, shoulders pulled back and arms down by your sides with your hands the same distance away from your body. You’ll want to jump and land on the balls or midsoles of your feet (heels not touching the ground), catching at least one inch of hang time on each jump. Be sure to use your wrists to power the rope and not your elbows or shoulders. If you get tired, “Keep your shoulders over your hips, hips over your knees, and knees over your toes,” Kloots says.
Next, we layer on some footwork. The goal: improving agility and drawing a stronger connection between your body and brain. To keep you from getting tripped up, “I like to remind people of different ways to think of jumps to take the pressure off the fancy footwork. For instance, when you take your legs in and out of the jump rope, I’ll say outer thighs and inner thighs. It helps people focus on the muscle groups,” Kloots says. Cue up a three-minute song and you’ll hit approximately 360 jumps — with a whole bunch of strength and core work mixed in (sequence below). Do eight reps on each side and repeat for three rounds.
How to: Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart. Fold the jump rope in half twice so it’s shoulder-distance apart when you hold each end and lift it up overhead. Pull each end of the rope to create resistance in your arms (a). Engaging your core, crunch to your left side, while dynamically pressing the rope up overhead (b).
2. Single-Leg Forward Hinge
How to: Stand with your feet together. Lift your left leg up so your left knee is bent. Fold your jump rope in half and hold each end of the rope with your hands, pulling it tightly (a). Balancing your weight on your right leg, hinge your torso forward and bring the jump rope over your left knee to touch your shin (b). Bring the jump rope back overhead (c).
How to: Stand over the jump rope with your feet a little wider than hip-distance apart (a). When you take your next jump, land with your feet together (b). Take another jump and bring your feet back out so they’re a little wider than hip distance (c). This is one rep. Repeat for seven more reps (d).
Did you catch Cher’s performance at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night? Not only did she hit the stage in a sheer, bedazzled body suit looking incredible, she dropped a little humble-brag about how she stays in such great shape. “I can do a 5-minute plank, okay?” she told the audience.
Yep, 71-year-old Cher can plank longer than most people who are decades younger. This wasn’t the only time the pop icon showed off her devotion to working out and living a healthy, active life. For further proof that Cher is a super-strong badass, check out her top five #fitnessgoals moments throughout her career.
Cher came out with a book in 1991 called Forever Fit: The Lifetime Plan for Health, Fitness, and Beauty. The epic cover photo shows her in a knotted gray t-shirt with her black boot placed on a barbell. Besides workout advice, the book featured exercise and weight loss programs, nutrition tips, and her favorite skin-care products. If her current healthy glow is any indication, she knew what she was talking about.
When she wore Spandex for her step aerobics videos
In the early 1990s, Cher released a series of fitness videos called (what else?) CherFitness. The videos featured step routines, ab workouts, and dance cardio sessions, all accessorized with black leotards and Spandex. The beginning of this step routine clip offers some major motivation and truth bombs from Cher. Our favorite: “You don’t have to start off perfect, you just have to start.” Preach!
When she killed it while keeping up with Tina Turner
Okay, so this glittery 1970s dance duet isn’t exactly what we think of as a workout today. But it takes damn hard training and effort to do these moves as perfectly as Cher and Tina do—and in heels to boot. Watch and learn, legends at work!
When she was candid about working out 5 times a week
When Cher was 67, she gave HELLO! magazine a summary of how she stays in shape. “I exercise about five times a week because it’s something I’ve always done and I just enjoy it,” she said. “I don’t like meat and so most of things that I like are healthy for you, apart from desserts. I don’t do drugs and don’t drink very often. I try to play the age card with my trainer but she just doesn’t go for it. My farewell tour was one of the longest tours ever, and I think it would be a tour that would kill a 25-year-old girl now.” Props for not pretending she doesn’t work hard at it.
During at interview with E! Online in 2010, Cher spoke about how staying in shape is more difficult now that she’s older, but she’s passionate about trying new activities to keep things fresh and exciting. “You have to work twice as hard. You have to be in the gym all the time. But I like it. When I was young I was a tomboy. I played sports . . . and I’m learning to surf right now. I like that kind of stuff, thank God.”
Christopher Martinez became involved with Push-as-Rx � in order to become stronger. Being a part of a wrestling team from a young age, Christopher experienced injuries that lead him to begin training at Push-as-Rx and with the help of Danny Alvarado and the other trainers, the strengthening routines he practiced greatly improved his performance in wrestling. Christopher Martinez is encouraged to continue coming to Push-as-Rx �, a place he enjoys being a part of.
PUSH-as-Rx � is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs.� The�PUSH-as-Rx � System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are presented to our team. �Immediately,�we adjust our methods for our athletes in order to optimize performance.� This highly adaptive system with continual�dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics.��PUSH-as-Rx � offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.
Please Recommend Us: If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way please feel free to recommend us. Thank You.
Recommend: PUSH-as-Rx ��915-203-8122
Facebook: www.facebook.com/crossfitelpa…
PUSH-as-Rx: www.push4fitness.com/team/
Daniel Alvarado trains athletes to become possible champions but as part of his passion, he is aware that his athletes are constantly faced with victories and defeats. Daniel understands that life is full of ups and downs and he shares how important it is for everyone to take the time to focus on the positive aspects of life. Daniel Alvarado tells us that in order to be successful as an athlete, as a person, we have to stop dwelling in the negative, in the defeat, and have a positive state of mind. Not only will it change you, but the people all around you.
PUSH-as-Rx � is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs.� The�PUSH-as-Rx � System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are presented to our team. �Immediately,�we adjust our methods for our athletes in order to optimize performance.� This highly adaptive system with continual�dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics.��PUSH-as-Rx � offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.
Please Recommend Us: If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way please feel free to recommend us. Thank You.
Diana Ramirez, Daniel Alvarado’s sister, has been training alongside her brother to gain strength, conditioning, and fitness. As a physical therapist, Diana knows how important it is for her to be physically and mentally strong in order to perform well in her in any given situation. For Diana Ramirez, Push-as-Rx �� has given her the opportunity to become the best person she can be, both in body and mind.
PUSH-as-Rx ���is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs.� The�PUSH-as-Rx ���System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are presented to our team. �Immediately,�we adjust our methods for our athletes in order to optimize performance.� This highly adaptive system with continual�dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics.��PUSH-as-Rx ���offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.
Please Recommend Us: If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way please feel free to recommend us. Thank You.
Say “whiplash” and most of us immediately think about car accident. You are rear ended as you sit at a stop sign, and your head flies forwards, then backwards. It certainly does whip back and forth, so even though “whiplash” isn’t technically a medical term, it is a quite precise description of what occurs�and what can cause so much pain.
Doctors call whiplash a neck sprain or strain. Other technical medical terms related to whiplash are hyperflexion and hyperextension. When your neck whips back hyperextension is; hyperflexion is when it goes forwards.
Contents
What is Whiplash?
Every year, almost 2 million Americans are injured and suffer from whiplash. Plenty of those injuries do come from automobile accidents, but you will find different methods for getting whiplash. You can get whiplash from:
A sports injury
A fall
Being hit or shaken
Whiplash can take days, weeks, and even months to develop. You may think that you simply are all right after having fall, a car accident, or alternative first injury. Nevertheless, slowly, the typical symptoms (neck pain and stiffness, tightness in the shoulders, etc�you will find out more about the symptoms in this article) may grow.
Thus�even should you not have pain immediately following a neck injury, you should make an appointment to see your doctor. Whiplash may have long term effects on your spinal health, and in the long term, it could be associated with other spinal conditions like osteoarthritis (bone and joint pain) and premature disk degeneration (faster aging of the back).
Your neck is one of your most vulnerable places, when your body is involved in trauma. Whiplash, the hard and fast forward-backward motion of the neck, can cause pain that could last well after other injuries have healed. It helps you to be aware of the anatomy included to understand your neck is so sore.
Anatomy of the Cervical Spine
As the physician attempts to figure out just which portions of the spinal column have been affected, whiplash could be a complex investigation. And there are a lot of complex parts to your own cervical back�the specialized name for the neck. The cervical spine begins in the base of the skull. It contains seven small vertebrae (bones), which doctors tag C1 to C7 (the ‘C’ means cervical). The numbers 1 to 7 suggest the amount of the vertebrae. C1 is closest to the skull, while C7 is closest to the torso.
In between each vertebra are rough fibrous shock-absorbing pads called the intervertebral discs. Each disc is composed of a tire-like a gel and outer band -like interior substance. The outer band is called the annulus fibrosus; the interior part is known as the nucleus pulposus.
In addition to bones and disks, your cervical spine additionally contains the upper region of the spinal cord, eight nerve roots, an elaborate system of veins and arteries, 32 muscles for strength, and numerous ligaments. For this kind of tiny area, there is certainly a whole lot to your own neck. Meaning that there are a lot of parts that can be injured when you have whiplash.
Strength, Flexibiity and Mobility of the Neck
Remarkably, the cervical spine supports the entire weight of your head, which will be generally about 8 pounds� yet no other area of the spinal column has such freedom of movement. The cervical spine can move 180� of side to side movement: 90� of forward motion, 90� of backward movement, your face in virtually every direction, and virtually 120� of tilt to either shoulder.
Unfortunately, this flexibility makes the neck very prone to injury and pain, including whiplash. Those 15 pounds are drastically chucked frontwards afterward back� that’s one important reason to wear seatbelts correctly and use airbags whenever feasible.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
Additional Topics: Neck Pain and Auto Injury
After being involved in an automobile accident, the sheer force of the impact can often cause whiplash, a common type of neck injury resulting from the sudden, back-and-forth motion of the head against the body due to a car wreck, or other incident. Because of this, many of the complex structures found within the neck, including the spine, ligaments and muscles, can be stretched beyond their normal range, causing injury and painful symptoms.
When was the last time you jump roped? If it was as a kid during class recess, now�s a good time to get back into the rhythm of things. The jump rope is not only a fun workout to turn up the sweat, it�s also a key conditioning tool for athletes and boxers, like�Laila Ali, to build endurance, coordination and agility.
And now, it�s the basis for the new interval-based total-body workout, The Rope, from celeb trainer�Amanda Kloots. �The jump rope is one of the most underrated pieces of�fitness equipment. When you�re jump roping, you�re engaging all the muscles in your body, including your heart,� Kloots says. �Each jump involves tightening your�core, toning your arms and powering your legs.�
Whether you�re crunched for time or traveling (it packs light, too), just a few minutes of jump roping can leave you breathless. Kloots�s signature jump rope workout is divided into four sections: warm-up, coordination, stamina and sprints. But before you jump in, it�s important to have the right length rope. Check by standing on top of the jump rope hip-distance apart with both hands holding each end. Bring the jump rope handles toward your shoulders. If the rope goes beyond your shoulders, it�s too long, Kloots says. Now grab your rope and hop to it!
Contents
The 30-Minute HIIT Jump Rope Workout to Build Endurance
THE WARM-UP
First, it�s time to re-familiarize yourself with the basic jump. According to Kloots, proper jump rope technique starts with the feet together, shoulders pulled back and arms down by your sides with your hands the same distance away from your body. You�ll want to jump and land on the balls or midsoles of your feet (heels not touching the ground), catching at least one inch of hang time on each jump. Be sure to use your wrists to power the rope and not your elbows or shoulders. If you get tired, �Keep your shoulders over your hips, hips over your knees, and knees over your toes,� Kloots says.
Next, we layer on some footwork. The goal: improving agility and drawing a stronger connection between your body and brain. To keep you from getting tripped up, �I like to remind people of different ways to think of jumps to take the pressure off the fancy footwork. For instance, when you take your legs in and out of the jump rope, I�ll say outer�thighs�and inner thighs. It helps people focus on the muscle groups,� Kloots says. Cue up a three-minute song and you�ll hit approximately 360 jumps ��with a whole bunch of strength and core work mixed in (sequence below). Do eight reps on each side and repeat for three rounds.
How to:�Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart. Fold the jump rope in half twice so it�s shoulder-distance apart when you hold each end and lift it up overhead. Pull each end of the rope to create resistance in your arms�(a). Engaging your core, crunch to your left side, while dynamically pressing the rope up overhead�(b).
2.�Single-Leg Forward Hinge
How to:�Stand with your feet together. Lift your left leg up so your left knee is bent. Fold your jump rope in half and hold each end of the rope with your hands, pulling it tightly�(a). Balancing your weight on your right leg, hinge your torso forward and bring the jump rope over your left knee to touch your shin�(b). Bring the jump rope back overhead�(c).
�How to:�Stand over the jump rope with your feet a little wider than hip-distance apart�(a). When you take your next jump, land with your feet together�(b). Take another jump and bring your feet back out so they�re a little wider than hip distance�(c). This is one rep. Repeat for seven more reps�(d).
Daniel Alvarado, owner of Push-as-Rx � and trainer, expresses the importance of overcoming your own doubts. He portrays that many times we can be our own worst critics but we have to keep in mind that it’s not all about us, it’s about how many people will have an impact with what we do. Daniel tells us to overcome our doubts and stop judging ourselves because what’s important is that you are doing what others aren’t. Daniel Alvarado believes people shouldn’t focus on the negative, instead, we should focus on being successful.
PUSH-as-Rx � is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sport programs.� The�PUSH-as-Rx � System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under direct supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities are presented to our team. �Immediately,�we adjust our methods for our athletes in order to optimize performance.� This highly adaptive system with continual�dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate clear improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with greatly improved postural-torque mechanics.��PUSH-as-Rx � offers specialized extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.
Please Recommend Us: If you have enjoyed this video and/or we have helped you in any way please feel free to recommend us. Thank You.
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