Last Day Of Exercises.

Hi Guys,

Today is the last day of exercises for a while.

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To begin with sit down on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you.

Lean back onto your hands with the fingers pointing towards your toes and the hands in line with your shoulders.

Now lift you bottom of the floor so that your body is in a straight line from your head to your toes.

Make sure that you do let your bottom drop.

You have to engage your core muscles to keep it in a straight line with your body.

From this position turn your feet to one side and reach with your arm to the opposite side of your body.

Make sure that the arm that is not moving stays straight and in a locked position.

Then go back to the start position and do the same movement but with the other arm.

I have provided a video to show you how to this correctly.

It does not include the reaching movement.

That is only for those who can hold the reverse plank for at least 30 seconds.

Click Here

Speak to you again,

Stephen Hart

You will have to get off your butt today!!!

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to show you how to do the standing knee cross  crunch.

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This is a very easy exercise to do.

Standing up makes it more challenging because you have to use other muscles in your core to maintain your balance. 

You can do this exercise at a speed that suits you.

You should start off slowly until you have got the form perfected before you start to speed up the movement.

Do not go too fast however, always make sure that you are using excellent form. 

Let us look at how to perform this exercise.

• Stand with your shoulders in line with your hips, and extend your left arm up and your right leg to the side, toes pointed. 

• Lower your left elbow and raise your right knee, crunching them together on a diagonal line. Return to the starting position. 

 

• That's one rep. Do 12 to 15 on each side.

This is a nice and simple  exercise but it strengthens your core and improves your breathing. 

I have provided a video in case you are unsure about your form. 

Standing Knee Cross Crunch

I will be back tomorrow for the last of this mini series about how to strengthen your core.

Regards

Stephen Hart

Let Us Look At Some More Core Exercises.

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to look at some more exercises you can do for your core.

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 Today it is the turn of the side plank.

Let us have a look at how it is performed.

• Lie on your left side with your left forearm on the floor perpendicular to your body and your right hand resting on your side. 
• Stack your legs and hips and pull your bellybutton in towards your spine. 
• Raise your body up by straightening and lengthening the waist so that you are balanced on your left forearm and the bottom of your left foot. 
• Hold that position for a slow count of 10. 
• Repeat to the other side.

 As you get stronger, you can hold the position longer. 

I have provided a video of how to do this exercise with a few variations you can try.

Side Plank Video

Speak to you again tomorrow.

Regards,

Stephen Hart

Core Exercises

Hi Guys,

Time for some more exercises for you.

I hope you have had a good weekend.

This week I will be concentrating on your core.

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 For those of you who do not know,  the core is basically your mid-section.

It helps with all sorts of movements. 

It also helps to balance your body.

When you twist, bend or stretch, the muscles in your core come into play.

It is therefore very important to have a strong core to prevent you from pulling your muscles and getting injuries. 

Today I will be looking at the number 1 exercise for the core.

It is called the plank.

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 Let us look at how to perform the plank.

• Get in the pushup position, only put your forearms on the ground instead of your hands. Your elbows should line up directly underneath your shoulders. Toes on the ground.
• Squeeze your glutes and tighten your abdominals.
• Keep a neutral neck and spine.
• Create a straight, strong line from head to toes – a plank, if you will.
• Hold that position.

That is it. 

There are no movements to perform when you are in the plank position.

The key here is to tense all the muscles in your core.

Do NOT let your belly sag.

You can do this exercise while you are watching the television so long as you do not need to raise your head to see the television.

I would recommend that to begin with you hold this position for about 20 seconds on your first and try and increase your time by an extra 10 seconds a day.

 

Do three sets of this exercise with a break of around three minutes between sets.

 

Chances are you will ache the next day because you are using muscles you do not normally use.

 

Give it a go and see how you get on.

Tomorrow I will be back with some more core exercises.

 

If you want to see a video of how to perform the plank just click the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz0oFaVGuh4

Speak to tomorrow.

Stephen Hart

More About Home Exercises

Hi Guys,

Today is the last day of your simple home exercises.

Next week will require a bit more effort.

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Exercising is easy but it does take a bit of concentration at first. 

When you first try a new exercise you have to make sure you are doing it correctly.

Once you have learned the technique it will become second nature, but you have to master it first. 

It is just like learning to walk.

At first it seemed difficult but now you can do it without thinking about it.

Let us look at some other home exercises you can do.

Do simple things like making the bed.

That requires all sorts of muscles to work together.

It works the arms and legs as well as the core. 

Generally people have a weak core because they are sitting around for long periods of time.

Next week we will be looking at some core exercises.

These will strengthen your core, make your posture better and have a slimming effect on your body.

Having a strong core also helps your digestive system.

I will be back after to bank holiday weekend, so make sure you are ready.

Regards,

Stephen Hart

Exercise At Home

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to talk about simple exercises you can do at home.

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I have some bad news for you.

You cannot get away from exercise just by staying at home.

You can do all sorts of exercises in your own home.

Let us have a look at some of these exercises. 

An exercise does not mean you have to get hot and sweaty.

 You can do simple exercises that can help you firm your body.

You can do simple exercises while you are doing the washing up for instance.

As you are standing at the sink spend some time squeezing your buttocks.

You need to squeeze your buttocks for a count of ten and then rest for ten seconds.

 Do this all the time that you are doing the washing up.

This will help you get a firmer looking bottom.

Another exercise you could do is to try lifting one of you legs off the floor.

This helps to tone and strengthen your hamstrings.

It also helps to strengthen your core because you need to use other muscles to help maintain your balance. 

You could do calf raises to shape and tone your calfs.

To do these just go on tip toes and hold for around ten seconds.

As you get better at it you could try doing it whilst standing on one leg.

This makes it more difficult and involves more of your core muscles. 

These are just a few simple exercise you can try.

Tomorrow I will be looking at some slightly  more strenuous exercises.

Speak to you tomorrow.

Stephen Hart. 

More Exercise To Help You Lose Weight.

Hi Guys,

Today I am going to be looking at more easy exercises to lose weight.

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There are many fun ways that you can do exercises to tone your body.

For example, if you have a small child you can use them as a weight.

Every time you lift and play with your child you are having fun, bonding and exercising.

If you do not live too far from where you work, why not walk to work?

If you have friends that live nearby ask them if they would like to walk to work with you.

When you have someone to walk and chat with it will not seem as if you are exercising.

If you do walk to work, do not make it into a casual stroll, the faster you walk the more calories you will burn up.

Try and get your heart and lungs working.

Try and walk whenever you can.

Get out of the habit of using your car.

It will improve your health and your wallet.

Petrol prices are not cheap these days. 

If you have children why not walk them to school?

If necessary get up earlier and make time for it.

People these days are getting very lazy which is why there is an obesity epidemic in the western world.

People are just not doing enough exercise.

Tomorrow I will be looking at exercises that you can do at home.

Regards,

Stephen Hart