Stretching is to exercise as dessert is to dinner.  It’s the icing on the cake.  It’s the feel-good part of both exercise and dinner.    After a great workout, be sure you are stretching every muscle that you worked.  This is one of the best stretches for the tricpes, the back part of your upper arm.  Place arm up and behind your head, as shown below, and slightly push the elbow back with your other hand.  Stretch and breathe into the movement.  Take your time.  Hold the stretch from 30 seconds to 1.5 minutes.  When you feel like you can’t go any further, take a deep breath and stretch just an inch more.  Toned tricpes look gorgeous in a cute summer dress or bikini.  Lose the giggle and get your arms looking hot.

Still waiting on the weight loss?  Turn up the weight loss mechanism within and hit the free weights.  Studies have proven that lifting weighs accelerates weight loss as opposed to an all cardio/aerobic workout routine.  Make sure you are strength training every other day.  Push those 2 and 3 pound dumbbells to the side and start lifting heavier.  Branch out into double digit pounds…10, 12, 15, even 20 pound weights!  Use the 20-pounders for areas like chest presses or one armed rows for your back.  Get used to heavier weights and keep increasing the weights as you get stronger.  Not only does strength training accelerate weight loss, but it also gives you defined muscle tone and a sexy body! 

According to recent study at the University of Valencia in Spain, resistance bands are about as effective as strength machines.   After toning twice a week for 10 weeks, exercisers using the resistance bands achieved the same body benefits as those using machines.  

The good news is that you can purchase resistance bands for under $5.00 a piece, for all those Resessionista Diva exercisers out there!

   This is what strength training does for you…it gives you amazing, well-defined muscles.  So many women shy away from strength training/weight training, fearing they’ll develop body builder-type arms.  The reality is, women who are body builders not only train to extremes and discipline themselves religiously in their diet, but many also take additional supplements and drugs to achieve a female body builder physique. 

Exercises, such as lateral lifts, biceps curls, and triceps extensions with weights, are what’s needed to achieve the kind of muscles that our First Lady has.  She’s gorgeous and healthy.   It’s a beautiful look.  The only way to achieve such lean muscle definition is to use resistance (weights or bands.) 

Don’t reach for the 3 pound weights unless you are just starting out.  Challenge yourself.  You can lift a lot more than you think you can.  Biceps and triceps are load-bearing muscles, they can take the challenge. 

Try these three exercises to achieve arms like our First Lady. 

      Lateral raises

       Biceps curl.

       Triceps extensions.

   Resistance bands…get to know them.  Admittedly, they were a tough sell for me at first as well.  I mean, how much of a workout can these elastic straps give you?  Turns out…they can give you an excellent workout.  The great thing about them is that you really concentrate on your moves, really focus on each muscle, and you can control the resistance for a great workout.    They are also excellent for deep stretching.  These resistance bands come in different widths, the thicker being the most resistance and the thin bands being great for stretching and beginners.  I keep several at my desk and several in our lab for on-the-spot stretching and strengthening. 

The up side:  Not only are they inexpensive, they are on sale today at Amazon.   Check them out  here

As you well know, I’m into fitness.  This, too, is one of my things.  My preference for instructors has changed over time.  I’ve grown to love really tough instructors that push and push and push you.  I’ll try any fitness routine out there, still dying to try gravity-defying yoga, but I continue to love a handful of favorites. 

   Kathy Smith:  Kathy is an old-school favorite.  She’s tough and pushes you hard.  She also has some great choreography that make the workouts fun and even more challenging.  She also comes out with new routines all the time, and each one is better than the one before. 

   Billy Blanks:  Teaches hard core calisthenics like a drill sargent.  No mercy.  Whatsoever.  You are tired and drained at the end of this workout.  However, you are tight and fit the next day.  Amazing results.  Hard work, but amazing results.

   David Weck:  David Weck is the creator of the Bosu Ball (Bosu stands for both sides up/both sides utilized.)  If you haven’t played around on a Bosu ball, you are in for a real workout treat.  You fight to keep your balance, and that works all those small and large muscles, giving you a great lower body and core workout.  There are also exercises for upper body and abs.  If you can get your hands on a David Weck DVD, you’re in for a treat.  Try not to get too side tracked….he’s super good-looking.   I’ve had a Bosu ball for about four years now, and my glutes and thighs are so happy about that fact.

  Yoga Booty Ballet:  Okay, stay with me here.  Sounds crazy, but it works.  These routines combine cardio/strength/yoga into one workout.  And we are talking heart rates in the 170s, so these ladies mean business.  I always get a great workout with these DVDs.  You’ll wake up the next day feeling like a truck ran over your mid section….and that’s exactly what you’re looking for.  That feeling leads to results!

  Bodies In Motion with Gilad Janklowicz:  My boy Gilad is such a staple in the fitness industry.  I’ve been working out with him since 1989.   He has the physique of a god.  Amazing!  He’s also one that will push and push and push you into exhaustion.  You can call him the postman because he delivers!  You can watch (and record) him daily on Fit TV.   I love his New Bodies In Motion workout.  It’s a compilation of many different routines he has done, all rolled into one fab workout. 

And remember, you can try all of these for free at your local library.   Grab a handful of workout DVDs and see who you like. 

Wondering if Pilates works? You better believe it! Pilates came as a complete surprise to me. I thought I was far too advanced for Pilates with my usual grind being strictly cardio and strength training. Quite frankly, I thought Pilates was too easy for me. It didn’t look like it hurt, for lack of a better word, enough to make a difference. It didn’t look intense enough. That’s what I thought before I tried it.

It takes one Pilates workout to “get it.” The next day, when I felt like I was ran over by a Mack truck…. I got it. I was feeling muscles in my back and core that I had forgotten about. My legs felt like strings of limp spaghetti when I walked down the stairs. I lifted my arms to fix my hair and noticed all these shoulder and arm muscles that I hadn’t noticed before. My ribs literally ached when I was laughing from reading Michael K.’s blog, Dlisted.

My entire body had felt thoroughly stretched. You know the feeling you get when you’ve been at your desk all day and then stand up to stretch? It feels so good. That’s exactly how Pilates feels for your whole body. I didn’t believe it until I tried it. And as far as it not being challenging enough, I was shocked at how much Pilates did challenge my body, and every body part, i.e., neck, shoulders, arms, forearms, wrists, hands, fingers, the entire core, hip flexors, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, ankles, feet, and toes. You’ll feel every one of those body parts the day after Pilates. It feels fantastic!

Oh, the pain will subside. Your muscles will get used to the stretching and the results will be better posture. You’ll have a leaner body. You’ll sit up straighter. You’ll sleep better at night. And, adding Pilates to your strength and cardio fitness routines only enhances your overall performance. I’ve learned, the holy trinity of fitness is strength, cardio, and stretching (Pilates or yoga.)

So, if you think Pilates isn’t intense enough for your routine….well, it takes just one time to get the big picture. Grab a Pilates DVD from the library for a trial run. Every single friend I’ve told to just try it once, has gotten “it” the same way I did. Then, you too, will crave that “just ran over by a Mack truck” feeling. You’ll experience, first-hand, elements of the Pain/Pleasure Principal. It’s an odd feeling to crave, to be sure, but you will. So try it just once. You can thank me later!  

 Try The Firm’s Pilates programs, they’re fantastic!