We listen to the experts – hop on the Stair Master and squat, squat squat. Trouble is, when the same exercise is repeated, a plateau occurs. Meaning our targeted muscle, or area of the body, has adapted and the results we saw at first are no longer happening! Never fear, though, because Health Like me is here to shed light on a few other exercises we can do to round out our favorite asset. And what's better is that all four of these can be done from the comfort of the living room floor without any equipment. 1. Plank Hip DipsAs the name so aptly describes, this easy exercise has us dip our hips from side to side while in a plank position. From the starting plank and feet together, raise up slightly on tip toes and twist your hip down without it touching the ground. Try and hold each side for about two seconds each. It's important to engage our core while doing this! 2. Fire HydrantsWhile we've previously discussed fire hydrants extremely briefly in the past, this section will dive more into this fun exercise! To start, get on all fours – knees and feet flat against the floor and aligned with hips, arms extended – while keeping the back straight. Then with your knee bent, raise it to the side as if a dog would when handling his business. Remember to squeeze your butt as the leg goes up. Want to give this workout some extra oomph? Do a pulse while the leg is up to the side! More specifically, this exercise targets the gluteus medius. This part of the booty gives it a nice round shape we all love and want. 3. Clamshells
4. Lying Hamstring CurlFinally we have the lying hamstring curl. This one is probably the easiest one on this list. This lazy girl exercise trims our hamstrings, aka back of the leg muscles, leading to a more defined derriere! While lying on your front and legs straight, slightly lift your head up with your hands underneath. Then, bend your knees while curling your legs up at the same time and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze your booty! Finish by lowering your legs back down in the starting position. Your hamstrings should be the only thing making any movement. Don't lift your shoulders back to meet your feet. For some added advantage, try these exercises with ankle weights! Now that we've added some variety to our glute workouts, we'll be filling out those bikini bottoms – and soon leggings sooner than we thought!
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![]() Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash It's officially the start of "it's way too hot outside for me to do anything" season in Texas. Unfortunately, this includes getting in a killer full-body workout that a jog or a run provides. Plus, heat exhaustion isn't fun for anyone. There are so many exercises we can do in the air-conditioned safety of our living rooms. But none accomplish the full impact of working out every important muscle group we have quite like running. Enter the jump rope! Including jump roping into our regular exercise routine boosts impressive advantages to our health. Keep reading on to find out four reasons why we should fall in love with this seemingly unassuming piece of exercise equipment! The Power of the Jump RopeJump roping allows us to get in that full-body workout without being outside or in a gym class. So, you're still getting a 1. wonderful cardio session to get your heart pumping! As your heart rate rises, it becomes easier (and safer) to reach the fat-burning zone.
Your legs get the most use out of all of our other body parts. Therefore, it's very important to strengthen muscles and bones so you won't be prone to injuries in that particular area. Jump roping does this by introducing your body to more stress than it's used to, especially in the ankle and calve area! 4. Incorporating a jump rope routine is a crazy effective way to burn calories! The full body workout of this exercise — arms to swing the rope, legs to make you jump, core to keep you balanced — burns an average 200 to 300 calories per 15 minutes. Jumping that long is tough even for the seasoned veteran, but the idea is to realize this exercise is pure goodness. Jumping rope in a stationary position actually burns more calories than jogging for 30 minutes. Your body needs to burn more fuel to create what is known as thermogenic energy. The fuel that is burned when you jump rope? Calories! Tricks of the Jump rope TradeIf you're starting off as a beginner, a light weight, plastic jump is a great way to go! So many are wonderfully priced, too. Once you build up your stamina, up the ante and graduate to a weighted jump rope. These can be found at any sporting good stores or even Five Below or Amazon if you're feeling budget-conscious. Just make sure to do some research on a quality rope for a proper and more effective workout! There are so many types of jump rope workouts with two most popular being the running in place, and rope jump ladder. These are the ones you see the majority of people doing. Do a Google search of types of jump rope exercises and you'll find so many options from beginner level to expert. To jump rope like a pro, always remember these tips for the most effective and safe workout:
With all of this fun information about what was once thought of as a kid's outdoor pastime, go forth and put it to good, healthy use. You and your wellness goals won't regret it! Skip to my lou...
Nothing beats consistently working out and seeing results! You're feeling confident and lighter. "This is easy!", you say. But then disaster strikes. You've hit the ever-dreadful plateau. It happens too often, and as a result, the workouts fizzle out and most likely stop all together. Unfortunately, plateaus are destined to happen the more you exercise. One solution? Challenge those same muscle groups that no longer seem to be gaining any gains with extra weight. The Value:These small and easy to find weights allow you to target and supercharge your lower body workouts. Walking, running, doing donkey kicks or jump squats, ankle weights seriously need to be a staple in your at-home workout equipment. And, they've come a long way since your mother's jazzercise classes or Jane Fonda VHS'.
If you're looking to build your endurance and stamina, ankle weights are the way to go. As your muscles grow stronger and work harder with the weights, your ability to workout longer and harder once the weights are off seems totally easier! Last, but certainly not least, they're pretty reasonably priced! The pair I got from Academy Sports + Outdoors cost me a measly $15. Now that Health Like Me has introduced you to your workout's new best friend, get ready to bring your A-game back to exercising from the safety of your living room!
Countdowns are the best, right? The countdown to Friday. The countdown to your next vacation. The one leading up to the next Marvel masterpiece! All amazing! But one countdown takes the cake for those of us who work out daily and adhere to a diet — the countdown to your official cheat meal! It's the time where calories, carbs, and/or sugar intake aren't counted. This day could not come any sooner! But before you dive into that entire pizza, here are a few tips on how to handle your future cheat meals. 1. Eat at a Table.Do not head to your couch, or God forbid, your bed! The chairs at tables allow for better posture, and therefore, better digestion. You're also more likely to just fall asleep on your couch or in bed after you've wrapped up some extra calories and fat. 2. Share!3. Have a Cheat Meal on a Workout Day.Inevitably, we have a day off from our workouts. Do not also make that the day your cheat meal occurs. It's a recipe for disaster! Working out energizes your metabolism, and you're going to need your metabolism working on all cylinders if a full plate of chicken parm is on the menu for your cheat meal. 4. Water + Protein.The age-old adage of having a glass of water before a meal also applies to eating the protein on your plate first! The water and protein will fill you up quicker and you'll be less likely to overindulge on whatever grain, pasta, or bread accompanies your meal. 5. Actually Enjoy Your Meal Choice!Remember while you should enjoy the hell out of your cheat meal, you should never overindulge. Do not completely ruin your week's worth of hard work.
Any people in your life who could use this information? Please share! Or simply leave any parting thoughts you'd like to share with me. Home Page photo: Photo by Ogo from Pexels Whether you're a pro or a newbie — like the precious little girl on the right — at hula hooping, it's good to know that this circular toy that made its way into America's hearts is also an impressive exercise device you've probably always had in your home! If you do know where yours is, grab it and get to swerving those hips while you read Health Like Me's post about how wonderful your health is about to become with your cheap, plastic, new best friend! Bursting With New LifeThe Hula-Hoop we know today began its long life back in 1958 in California. But, we can bet the wonderful generation of yore wouldn't have guessed what kind of benefits to their health they were inadvertently gaining like: 1. Balance -
2. Clarity of Mind - Because doing this fun workout requires you to only be focused on twirling the hoop around our waists to obtain the optimal results, you are forced to be alone with yourself and therefore your thoughts that sometimes take a back seat with all of the stimuli going on around us all of the time. 3. Flexibility - Much like Balance, hula hooping uses moves we don't realize sit stagnant possibly our whole lives. So get ready to move in ways that are expressly beautiful. And remember, Shakira said it best: 4. Relief for Depression and Addiction - 5. Self-Confidence -
6. Weight Loss and Toning - Research has shown that hula hooping burns 600 calories per hour! While I hope you don't hula hoop for an hour straight, you could break it up! Maybe only hula every time a commercial comes on or switch it up by hula-ing for 3 minutes, do 20 crunches and then a 45-minute wall sit. Regardless, you are doing you mid-section a favor just by picking up this oldie-but-goodie toy and doing what you can. All in all, the possibilities are endless and you truly won't be sorry with all the fun, health benefits I guarantee you'll have with this toy turned exercise masterpiece.
Until next time! We all like to challenge ourselves when it comes to getting in a Grade-A workout at the gym. Nobody wants to plateau. So, you branch out and find new things to incorporate into your workout routine. You're looking... "No, not that one. Done it before." "That looks painful." "Are you serious right now?! Who in their right mind....ooh, well hello. What's this?" Lo and behold; look what we have here! Just like its simple appearances, this workout product has a simple and easy name to remember name: weighted bar. Simple. Easy. But the amount of exercises you can exploit it for is limitless and well worth it. If you are at a gym that is lucky enough to carry a number of these weighted bars with various weights, count you blessings.
So, the next time you want a simple, but effective all purpose workout, look no further than a good, well balanced weight bar! Stay in control of your fitness goals because it's Health Like YOU!
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