Med Ball Partner Exercises

Using a medicine ball with a partner has many benefits: it engages the core and upper body at once; it can be used for sport-specific training; it can simulate, and improve your endurance for, day-to-day activities; it’s easy to do from home; and it’s fun.

You can perform endless exercises with a medicine ball. For beginners, the ball is not as intimidating as using weights or machines. The ball is a great way to work out your core and prevent injuries by strengthening connective tissue. Exercising with a medicine ball forces your body to move in dynamic ways. Use a five-pound ball if you are a beginner, or a 10-pound ball if you are more advanced.

Try all of these exercises with a partner (or on your own):

Sit-up and pass: Sit on the floor approximately five feet away from your partner. Move into a position to perform sit-ups, with your knees bent and feet on the floor, and your back on the floor as well. Whoever starts with the medicine ball should hold it (in both hands) overhead, and slightly elevated above the floor. Begin a sit-up and throw the ball to your partner at the “peak” of your abdominal contraction. Get your partner to repeat the exercise; do 10 or 15 repetitions each. If you’re doing this solo, try throwing the ball against a wall.

Back-to-back rotations: Sit on the floor with your partner; your backs should be approximately one foot apart. Hold onto the medicine ball in front of your chest, with your elbows bent. Rotate your trunk to the right and pass the medicine ball to your partner, who will do the same. Try switching directions after 10 repetitions, so you work both sides of your core equally. If you’re doing this solo, do the same movements but hang on to the medicine ball throughout.

Hot ball throws: Stand approximately six feet away from your partner (or a wall if you’re doing this solo). Hold the medicine ball at chest level, with your palms facing outwards and the fingers of both hands almost touching. Push the medicine ball away from your body, throwing it to your partner with as much force as you think they can handle. Get your partner to throw it back to you. You can both do this 10 times. Do this again by holding the medicine ball elevated behind your head, in both hands. Bring your hands forward and throw the ball to your partner when it is directly overhead.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Don’t Forget Your Feet

Our feet withstand incredible amounts of force during exercise, but unless they’re in pain, the feet are easily neglected.

Not all fitness buffs focus on their feet when their real focus is on upping cardio endurance or making the biceps bigger. This is unfortunate, because a proper pair of shoes prevents damage to the feet that could cause chronic pain and difficulty when exercising.

Consider these four aspects of shoe selection:

Wear Pattern

If you have an old pair of running shoes hanging around, you can inspect them to learn about your personal biomechanics. (If you don’t have old shoes, an alternative is to inspect the prints you leave after walking around with wet feet.) If the old shoes are worn on the inside, near your arch, this means you pronate your feet. If they are worn on the outside, this means you under-pronate your feet. If you fit into the former, you’ll need a stability shoe with lots of medial support. If you fit into the latter—or somewhere between the two categories—neutral shoes will do the trick. High arches require neutral shoes with added cushioning.

Type

Shoe companies aren’t trying to make more money by offering multiple types of exercise shoes; running shoes really are designed for running, and cross trainers really are for—you guessed it—cross training. Running feet hit the ground in a heel-to-toe pattern, for instance; running shoes are designed with extra support where it’s needed, so the force of weight transfer from the body to the feet is properly absorbed and dispersed. Cross-training shoes are designed to provide proper foot support for gym workouts, aerobics and shorter durations of running.

Fit

Having the right shoe type means nothing if you don’t have the right fit; an improper fitting shoe will not provide the support needed. You might also have to sacrifice the exact style of shoe you want to ensure the best possible fit. When looking at a pair of shoes, try on three sizes—your regular size, one size up and one down—and don’t rush to make a purchase. Give yourself a minute or two to see if your feet feel neutral in the shoe; the feet should not roll to either side when you walk. Shoes should be snug around the middle of the feet and have one-half to three-quarters of a thumb width between your toes and the toe-end of the shoe.

Replacement

Old, worn out shoes stop giving proper foot support. Replace your workout shoes every eight to 12 months—eight if you exercise daily and 12 if you exercise less frequently. Runners can also know when to replace their shoes based on distance—a great reason for keeping a running log. Runners need new shoes every 400 to 600 miles (or 650 to 970 kilometres). Bottom line: don’t forget your feet!

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Five Resolution Mistakes Not To Make

1.    Avoid dramatic dietary changes.  Before you make any changes to your diet ask yourself if you can realistically maintain the change for a period of years rather than just a few months.  If you lose weight fast you are usually going to gain it back fast, and that is when the dreaded yo-yo epidemic starts.  To be successful in the long term, it is essential to make changes that you can live with.  For instance, reduce your food portions, or limit your fat intake.  You can also get good results by eliminating “nibbling” between meals and preparing healthy snacks.

2.    Do not place too much emphasis on the scale.  A body-fat measurement will tell you how much of your bodyweight is fat compared to muscle.  This is important because muscle weighs more than fat; so trusting the reading on your scale could be misleading.

3.    Do not do two hours of cardio per day!  Cardiovascular exercise is great because it helps to burn off extra calories and also helps to strengthen the heart; however, excessive amounts can cause you to burn out.  A balanced cardiovascular program can be achieved by performing 20-45 minutes of cardio 3-5 times each week.

4.    Do not rely on meal replacement supplements.  There are many great supplements out there; however, they are best used to replace the occasional meal if you get too busy, or to help supplement an already balanced diet.  Planning your meals ahead of time can help to reduce your reliance on supplements.  It is also important to focus on eating less refined foods because many vitamins and minerals are stripped during processing.

5.    Do not leave out the strengthening component.  To achieve the best results it is important to perform a balanced strengthening routing three times each week.  After the age of thirty we lose approximately a half a pound of muscle per year.  Muscle is the body’s most efficient calorie burner.  The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn while at rest!

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Get Your Workouts Back On Track

It is difficult to maintain a workout regimen without interruption.  Life sometimes interferes; you might get sick or have to take a long business trip, or perhaps you just have a lot of parties to attend and give up on your health kick for a while. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get right back into it. There are a few different things you need to do to successfully get your fitness routine back on track.

1.) Get the first workout out of the way.

Getting back into your fitness routine for the first time after an absence is always the most difficult step. You simply have to force yourself back into the gym, into a yoga or aerobics class, or possibly on a hike or other activity. Rather than thinking about the big picture, you need to focus on the first workout as something independent of your entire fitness program. Just put on your runners and get out there. Then worry about the rest after that.

2.) Take care of any nagging injuries.

An injury often keeps us out of the gym. It is important that you see your physician and determine the severity of the injury, then proceed with your fitness regimen accordingly. You can continue to work on the areas of your body that are not affected by injury while you’re healing.

3.) Set a realistic workout schedule.

It is fantastic to be ambitious and hope to attend the gym every day, five times weekly or even three or four times a week, but if it has been a long time since you maintained a regular workout schedule, it may be best to start small and work up to something ideal. Commit to twice-weekly workouts initially, and make one of them something fun that you’ll look forward to. It will become progressively easier to attend the gym more often.

4.) Develop a gym and home workout.

There will certainly be days when you find it almost impossible to get to the gym, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still work out. There are many functional exercises that can be performed at home, or even at the playground down the street. Get creative, and make time for exercise no matter what the environment. You can purchase dumbbells and a mat and perform many of the exercises you’ve learned in the gym in the comfort of your home.

5.) Take the approach, “Every little bit counts.”

Don’t be discouraged if you only manage to fit 20 minutes of exercise into your day; that amount of activity is better than none at all. Be proud of yourself for making time for exercise at all, rather than beating yourself up about it not being enough. If your busy schedule does not permit a one-hour-daily gym routine, simply walk to and from work, or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Your body will thank you, and you are on the way to a healthier lifestyle.
Remember to focus on why it is important to include exercise in your lifestyle and not on how much or to what intensity you are executing it, and take it one step at a time. Sometimes it is the smallest steps that take us the furthest in the long run.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Keeping on track in the New Year

If every New Year’s resolution were easy to follow, it probably wouldn’t have become a resolution to begin with. Keep that in mind if you are struggling with your own, and try these five steps:

1. Understand the importance of situations in dictating behavior. People who pride themselves on their superior willpower and seem to epitomize self-control probably have no more willpower than you do. Their trick—almost always—is avoiding situations that cause temptation. These temptations might be to eat, to smoke, to be sedentary or to procrastinate. When directly confronted with temptation, the best of us give in. Most psychologists agree this is because of brain pathways that are hard-wired to make us react in a predictable fashion to certain situations. To succeed in controlling your behaviour, you should first try to control your environment. Avoid situations that confront you with temptation.

2. Make your goals health-oriented, rather than appearance-oriented. Weight loss is an exceedinglycommon New Year’s resolution. You’ll have more success losing weight and keeping it off if you focus on losing weight to become healthier, and not more physically attractive. A focus on health leads to positive lifestyle changes that can make weight loss permanent—not temporary. Quick and easy weight loss following crash diets almost never lasts.

3. Make incremental goals. It can be daunting to think about a lofty goal like losing 25 pounds of fat orgaining 15 pounds of muscle before summertime. It’s less intimidating to think about losing four pounds in a month, though. Write down a series of short-term goals and monitor your success over the course of several months or a year. Hiring a personal trainer who can measure your body-fat and let you know how you’re doing week-by-week also helps you stay on track.

4. Don’t be discouraged by failure. Many health and fitness goals are not achievable unless accompanied by permanent lifestyle changes, like eating a healthy diet. Much like trying to quit smoking, trying to make lifestyle changes can take multiple attempts. If you slip up and eat poorly for a length of time, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Forget about it, move on and get back on track. If you tell yourself you’ve failed, you’ve essentially made an excuse to stop working towards your goals.

5. Small changes can make big differences. While it is hard to make long-lasting lifestyle changes, don’t forget many small changes you can make that have huge impacts on your fitness and well-being. For instance, keep pre-cut vegetables around for whenever you have a craving to snack. Instead of juice or soda, drink water with a slice of lemon in it. Walk as often as you can—get off the bus a stop early or park a few blocks from where you need to go. Combined, these small changes, which are easy to make, can be transformational.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Christmas Gifts For Your Health

Giving gifts that promote good health is a thoughtful way to show that you care. Here are some ideas for both the body and mind:

For the body:

The balance-ball chair: You’ve likely heard about the core-stabilizing benefits of sitting on an exercise ball in lieu of a chair. A few companies have taken the next logical step and combined the stability ball with a chair base—making the ball less awkward to sit on and not able to roll away. Some have a detachable ball that can be used separately for exercises. Search for “balance-ball chair” online to find this product. This will set you back somewhere between $ 80 and $ 120 CAD.

Resistance bands: These are elastic bands that can be used for an almost unlimited number of exercises. There is a wealth of online information about how to exercise with resistance bands, which are fun to use and help improve coordination and balance. Not only are they cheap—$ 20 CAD or less—they take up little space compared to other exercise gear kept at home and can easily be stuffed into a purse or suitcase.

A one-month gym membership: Signing up can be the hardest part of going to the gym. Many gyms offer one-month “trial” memberships that are a great gift for people who are afraid to take this first step. Since it’s a short commitment, it seems less daunting than a yearly contract. Even better, get one for yourself and one for your giftee; becoming fit is easier with the support of a friend or loved one. Prices can vary greatly but most gyms have specials for the start of the year.

For the mind:

An MP3 player with an armband: Finding motivation to exercise is tough, especially in the winter. If you want to help motivate someone you love, help him or her get into a great mood—with music. Two-gigabyte MP3 players can cost as little as $ 30 CAD and hold approximately 500 songs. You can double the capacity for around $ 80 CAD. An armband—this will eliminate the hassle of having a player unattached to the body during a workout—can cost as little as $ 10 CAD.

A sun lamp: Sun lamps emit the full spectrum of light you get from the sun. Using one in the dark days of winter has proven benefits for the body, such as increased Vitamin D production and a reduction in stress or mild depression. These effects can help someone stay happy and active all year. Staying active is also proven to reduce stress and depression. A small, desktop sun lamp can cost as little as $ 70 CAD, while a large one can be several hundred dollars.

An inspiring book: Don’t forget the joy of simple pleasures—like time alone to get lost in a good book. The chaos of the holidays can leave us mentally drained and in need of time out. If someone you love leads an unusually busy life, giving a book to him or her is a reminder that they deserve quiet time. Most bookstores have entire sections dedicated to health or fitness-related reads that can uplift spirits during the dreariest season.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Forget About New Year’s Resolutions for 2010 - Start Now!

If you want to make sure you don’t gain two pant sizes over the holidays, try adhering to a fitness-related resolution before your grandmother rolls out her famous buttertarts, and not a month after. Start your resolutions early.

It’s far easier to get something done if you are motivated by positive feelings rather than by guilt and a sense of failure or loss of control. This principle applies to many of our goals in life, including goals to lose weight or become more active and healthy.

Indeed, some psychologists have found that those positively motivated towards succeeding yield better results than those motivated by anxiety and the fear of failure. If you gain weight over the holidays and meanwhile assure yourself you can turn it all around come January, you’re starting off on the wrong foot. Don’t let yourself get to this point. Know that you can succeed in achieving your goals by starting today.

Try capitalizing on the festivity and excitement of the holiday season to gain motivation to be active. Engage in seasonal sports before rewarding yourself—in moderation—with holiday goodies like hot chocolate. If you have the money, you could try snowboarding or skiing. A cheaper alternative is to take your children or friends out ice-skating at a local recreational centre. Even more simple, go for a walk around the neighbourhood and check out the holiday lights and decorations, or enjoy some freshly-fallen snow.

As far as diet goes, avoid eating baked goods or sugary foods on an empty stomach. Save them for dessert, if possible, when you have already eaten a full meal and feel satisfied. Are you hosting an event this holiday season? Include healthy alternatives to holiday treats on your menu, like vegetable trays with low-fat dips.

A key to staying positive—which in turn helps you achieve your goals—is to know how to promote good mental health. Again, focus on the positive aspects of the holiday season, like time with family and an opportunity to be giving. Allow yourself to enjoy life; make time for laughter. Many studies have suggested that laughter has numerous health benefits. A 2006 article in Nursing magazine describes what laughter can do for our bodies: it reduces stress-hormone levels, it increases our blood circulation and respiration levels, and it actually makes our immune systems work better.

The cliche “new year’s resolution” doesn’t work for many people, as they tend to use the remaining weeks of the year for unrestrained indulgence. Resolutions, though, do work. Let’s say your goal is to walk from one end of the country to the other. Would you start by spending one month swimming across the ocean in the opposite direction of the shore? Not likely. So, if your goal is to become healthy, fit or slim for the upcoming year, why spend the month of December slacking and eating to your heart’s desire? You will be more likely to fail. Instead, think about starting your new year’s resolution today.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Twitter Your Way to a Fitter Body

Usually, when you think of measuring your fitness with technology, you think of hospital machines and scary tests.

This isn’t always the case. The combination of fun, fitness-savvy technologies—there’s the Wii Fit or the myriad iPod fitness apps—is a recent phenomena. The former can take you through an interactive exercise routine and monitor your weight, body mass index and fitness level. The latter is somewhat less interactive—but it can go with you anywhere, in your pocket. Both are great for beginners or those who need some external motivation to stay active. They’re also great for techies.

With the iPhone or the iPod touch, you can download programs—known as “apps”, short for applications—that can provide you with a fitness routine, monitor your daily activity level, help you maintain, gain or lose weight,  give you fitness advice, show you how to perform a stretch or exercise, help you eat healthful foods, and more.

Apple boasts a program on its website, called iWorkout, that has 101 workout videos and many of the features already mentioned. This app can be downloaded for $ 2.99 CAD, or—if you already went broke buying the iPhone—you can get a lite version for free. The free version  includes a pedometer and metronomes to assist with timing exercise repetitions.

If you’re looking for more than a basic pedometer, there is StepTrak Lite. (Also free.) This program counts walking and running steps separately, and also totals the minutes of moderate and vigorous exercise the user gets. You reset the counter whenever you’d like. You can adjust the sensitivity of the device, and adjust the “classification bias”, which ensures the program properly differentiates between walking and running. Not interactive enough for you? StepTrak Lite is also connected to Twitter. You can log on when you’re using the app, and send Tweets about how many steps you’re taking towards your fitness goals.

Another great, free application is called Lose It! When you open it up, you have to enter your weight (be honest), height, age, and weight loss goals. The program tells you how many calories you require every day to reach your goal by a certain time—you decide how quickly or slowly you want to lose the weight—and allows you to log the food you eat and the exercise you get. There is an extensive list of searchable foods to chose from, and an easy-to-use scrolling menu to enter the quantity you ate. You can also keep track of “nutrient preferences”, and the program will tell you how much sodium, fiber, protein, etc. you are consuming. When you’ve lost the weight, you can keep using the program to maintain your new figure.

These are only a few of seemingly endless health & fitness apps you can download. From free to a few bucks per app, there will be something out there to motivate just about anyone.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Walking Your Dog is Good Exercise

Having a dog can be like having a personal trainer.

Well—one who can’t talk or show you how to do a reverse dumbbell fly on a stability ball. But they are motivating!

According to a 2008 study published in the American Journal of Public Health, dog owners—only 23 percent of whom take their canines for a stroll at least five times each week—are 57 to 77 percent more likely to get enough exercise. Another 2008 study, published in Preventative Medicine, found dog owners who take time to walk with their dogs may average 150 additional minutes of exercise every week.

One-hundred-and-fifty minutes of exercise a week—or 21 minutes a day—can have a huge impact on your fitness level. Dog owners who spend this time walking at a brisk pace will burn 14 300 extra calories in a year. That’s four pounds—just from walking the dog. Owners who run with their pets—based on the rate of calories burned during strenuous exercise—will burn an extra 52 000 calories each year. That’s nearly 15 pounds.

Getting your kids to walk or jog with the family dog is also a great way to encourage fitness in children. Especially for parents whose children would rather play video games than a game of soccer, regular dog walking can play a role in preventing a sedentary lifestyle. It can also imbue kids with a sense of responsibility.

Before regularly exercising with your pet, some considerations need to be made. The website of the Partnership for Animal Welfare, an American non-profit, details what dog owners should have in mind.

Just as it’s a good idea for people to consult their doctor prior to beginning a new exercise routine, dog owners should consult their veterinarians before starting canines on an exercise plan. Some breeds are not suitable for strenuous exercise—think short-nosed bulldogs or pugs—as they can have trouble breathing.

If you are already in great shape, don’t assume your dog is. Gradually increase your dog’s endurance. Dogs have a tendency to keep up with their owners, even to the point of overexertion. Try to avoid exercising midday, as dogs can both get heatstroke and burn their paws on hot pavement. Never bike or rollerblade with your dog on a leash—both you and your dog can easily be injured in a fall or misstep.

Exercising with your pet is a fun alternative to the treadmill. It’s easy to incorporate into your daily routine—especially if you live in an apartment and don’t have a backyard—and improves the fitness and health of you and your dog.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Preventing Nagging Golf Injuries - Part 2

This is the second of our two part series designed to prevent those nagging golf injuries. Last week we outlined the basics of flexibility and cardiovascular exercise. This week we are introducing essential strengthening exercises that will provide you with the stability, balance and strength you need to remain injury free this golf season. Before you start, be sure to perform a 5-10 minute warm up and follow the exercises outlined last week.

1. Dumbbell Presses With a Stability Ball

The stability ball is a great addition to your golf workout because as you perform your strengthening exercises the trunk musculature is simultaneously working to balance and stabilize the body. Exercising with a stability ball also demands concentration, which is important when playing a game requiring mental focus, such as golf.

To begin this exercise lie flat with your back on a stability ball and your knees bent at right angles and your feet flat on the floor. Start by holding one dumbbell in each hand with the dumbbells positioned beside your shoulders and slightly above your body. Press the dumbbells up above your chest until your arms are almost straight, bringing them together at the top. Slowly return to the starting position. Use a weight that allows you to perform three sets of 10-15 repetitions. You can take a 20-60 second break between each set depending on your comfort level.

2. Rubber Band Rotator Cuff

This exercise is designed to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder, which helps stabilize the shoulder joint to prevent shoulder injuries and provide a more consistent golf swing.

Standing with good posture, hold your rubber band a little narrower than shoulder width with your elbows beside your waist at approximately a 90-degree angle. Keep your elbows stationary and slowly rotate your hands outward as far as you can. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat for three sets of 10-20 repetitions depending on your comfort level. The exercise should be felt deep in your shoulders. You can take a 20-60 second break between each set.

3. Oblique Abdominal Crunches

If you have a nagging lower back injury, strengthening your abdominals can help to reduce the discomfort you feel when golfing. Strengthening your abdominals can also help to stabilize your trunk muscles helping to keep your body in proper alignment.

Start this exercise by lying flat with your back on the floor. Bend your left leg and place your right ankle on your left knee. Once you are in this position cross your arms over your chest or place your arms beside your head for greater difficulty. Slowly contract your abdominal muscles to raise your shoulder blades off the floor bringing your left shoulder towards your right knee. Make sure to keep your head in line with your body and do not tense your neck or press your chin to your chest. (Hint: keeping your eyes on a spot high on the wall may help you maintain the right position.) You should feel your stomach area, not your neck or lower back. Briefly hold this position then slowly lower yourself back down to the floor. Do 10-12 repetitions to each knee and repeat three times. You can take a 20-60 second break between each set depending on your comfort level.

As the weather improves and you head out onto the golf course remembering these exercises and stretches can help reduce ongoing pain, decrease the chances of new injuries and help your game.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

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