Featured Move: Oblique Twist Situp

Now that you’ve mastered good technique for the basic sit-up, this second move will focus on the oblique abdominals, the muscles on both sides of your abdomen. Lie on a firm surface. Drop both knees to one side, place your hands behind your head, with your elbows out to the sides. Keep your chin slightly tilted…

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Featured Move: The Basic Sit-Up

This is the first of several demos of different varieties of sit-ups. When used together and done properly, they’ll help strengthen the core by working the many muscles from the abdominal to the pelvic region. The first is a modified sit-up which targets the rectus abdominus, the long muscles running vertically along your midline. Start by lying…

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Push-Ups: Upper Body and Core Strength Using Your Own Body Weight

Pushups are a great body weight exercise used to strengthen the upper body and improve core strength. The chest, arms, shoulders, back and neck are all involved. Select from the following 6 push up options to incorporate into your exercise routine! They are all demonstrated in the video above and the photos below. Wall Push…

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Exercising Outside the Box

A few weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to participate in a Hockey Moms hockey program. Believe it or not, there were no criteria for inclusion. I gave it some thought, and though I have only ever skated on figure skates (a long time ago I might add) and I’m not really a…

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Monitoring Cardiovascular Exercise Intensity

A fantastic way to ensure you are getting the greatest benefit from your cardio exercise is to use a heart rate monitor. If you are still working on building exercise into your life and developing a consistent routine, you most likely need not worry about cardio intensity. But for those exercisers who are focused on…

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The Beauty of Exercise – Rocky Mountain High

Fortunately for me, my daughter opted to go to Colorado to celebrate her college graduation, giving me the opportunity to visit there for the first time, as well. In Rocky Mountain National Park, ‘America’s Switzerland’, the natural beauty is breathtaking and the physical abilities of the residents is so impressive. Maybe it has to do…

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Water Exercise – For Memorial Day and Year Round

Perhaps you think of pool exercise as being only for skilled swimmers or for those needing rehab for a joint. Well, think again! Swimmer or not, water is a great medium for athletes to cross-train, those with joint or weight-bearing issues to exercise, and for everyone to have a fun time. As someone who spends…

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The ‘Great Eight’ Stretches for Runners, Hikers and Walkers

I believe in the 1/3-1/3-1/3 principle of fitness! Cardiovascular activities, muscular strengthening exercise and flexibility should each get one-third of your workout time. This rarely holds true, with the area of flexibility getting short-changed. For some, the rationale behind stretching isn’t strong enough to make it a priority. For others, exercise time is so limited…

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Is Your Exercise ‘Working’ For you? Fitness Series, Cardiovascular Part B

What a bummer it would be if all of the sweat, time and muscle soreness were for naught! On the heels of the Cross Fit article submitted by Rebecca Katz on Lady Docs Corner Café last month, a very important question is raised… “Is my exercise routine providing me with a benefit and making me…

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Surrounded by holiday treats? Let your exercise work for you – Fitness series part 2, Cardiovascular Part A

The holiday season can be a great time of year – vacations, gifts, family time… but not so great for the waistline. A healthy weight person gains about 1 pound and those already overweight can gain five pounds or more. Though less than the 7-10 pound gain previously believed to occur, the downside is that that…

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