Your exercise tip – are you wanting strong, lean abdominals?
To kick off 2017 and your exercise, here is a simple abdominal routine (called a rolling plank routine) to strengthen all the major torso muscles and, as a bonus, help give you tight bum muscles.
Start with a side plank for 20 seconds, then roll into a front plank for 10 seconds, onto a side plank for 20 seconds, then back into a front plank for another 10 seconds. Repeat this twice through (two side planks on each side and four front planks). As you complete this, ensure the top/upper leg on the side plank is forward of the lower leg (to strengthen the bum muscles).
As you become stronger, increase the repeats too three then four side planks, and increase the time until you are able to do 40 seconds on the side plank and 20 seconds on each front plank.
Your health tip – do you have grains or seeds in your diet?
One of the areas that Australians do not enough of is seeds and wholegrains. These can be everything from sesame seeds to rices and pasta to couscous (crushed wheat). Seeds and wholegrains are a great source of dietary fibre, carbohydrates, vitamins like B and E, and some fats (healthier types)
Most adults need to have four to six serves per day to maintain a healthy diet, with Australians (on average) consuming two or three. Examples of one serve are one slice of grain bread, ½ a cup of rice or porridge. To maintain good digestion (from the fibre) and sustainable energy for the body (through the carbohydrates), use the less processed varieties. https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/grain-cereal-foods-mostly-wholegrain-and-or-high-cereal-fibre
Exercise of the week
This week we are looking at a pushing exercise called the incline press. This exercise is a good one to target the back of the upper arms (triceps), shoulders (deltoids) and the chest muscles (pectoralis major). Tips for this exercise are:
- Have yourself centred on the bar (if you are using one). Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up.
- If you are using the smith machine or a bar, try and have the bar come down to armpit height on the chest, not up towards the neck. This can take any excess pressure off the shoulder joint.
- Keep an even pace throughout, not letting it bounce of the chest, and
- If it hurts or is uncomfortable – stop.
Your life tip
This year, give the best birthday gift to family and friends. Give them some time with you.
This week’s wise words
“Only put off to tomorrow, those things that you are willing to die having left undone.”
Pablo Picasso
Have a great week and keep healthy in 2017. David