Workout 1 (PDF)

Playground Boot Camp

Flexibility...Stretch The Pecs

Lower Body Flexibility

Shaping Your Core

Working Out at Work

First of all, remember we agreed that exercise is non optional, yes? Yes!!

As a trainer and coach, I hear every excuse there is for not exercising, but my goal is to help you see how more activity can fit into your life. That’s right, and not only that, you probably have more opportunities to be more active right where you are with what you are already doing.

Another problem we come up against is … Working people that don't think they have time to work out...

“I’m so busy in the office, I can hardly leave my desk.”

I call this… Working out at work!

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"working out at work "

When I’m not out coaching my time working is spent at the computer answering emails, researching and writing. Now, for those of you who don’t know me, I was the kid whose mother always said, ”sit still… stop fidgeting…” yep, you know the one…Well, not much has changed. I just am not a sitter! I go 90 miles an hour from the minute my feet hit the floor, until I do sit at night. Then my eyes close and the old head nods off!

So sitting and I have issues!! Ok, well here I am in front of the computer with tons of work to do, but the longer I sit, the more lethargic I get. And not only that, but after putting in a full day coaching, I have children at home that need some attention, meals to cook and a life to live and no time to go to the gym after work.

The only thing I could think of was to play a game with myself… wanna play?

Well, the very first thing I did was to replace my chair with a swiss ball.  You see when we sit on a chair, our spine is compressed and has to hold the body up, but when we sit on the swiss ball, it is our muscles that support us so our core and lower body are engaged the whole time, and if we start to slouch we quickly will recover and straighten up.

Not only that…. But a fidgeter can fidget all they want on the ball! I can roll, move side to side, forward and back, I can bounce, stretch my back over the ball, lay forward on it, recline in a semi crunch position and do my core work as well! Cool… I know, huh? And it really doesn’t matter what your coworkers think! They are curious and might even get a ball for themselves when they see how good you are looking and how much fun you are having. I can do all of this while I am still at my desk AND can still be working on my computer!

Next, I decided  to come up with a full workout so that by the end of the work day… my workout would be done!

This is so much fun… let’s get started!

Fortunately I have a long hallway to the rest room and a set of stairs. So on the return trip let’s go up and down the stairs several times,  we’ll start with 5… that’s it. Now  we can squeeze in 25 lunges … each leg that is… good job.. don’t forget to breathe! That felt good didn’t it? Get a drink.

How cool is that? We just got our heart rate up and worked our lower body and had some practice with balancing. Now, how long did that take? 2 or maybe 3 minutes. Back at the desk you feel energized, your brain is thinking clearer and guess what?? The work is still there waiting for you, it didn’t get up and leave and nothing fell apart because you took 2 minutes for yourself.

Oh, you couldn’t do that? Well, never fear! You can do those lunges right there at your desk . Let’s add chair squats with pulses… the pulses kill. We’ll throw in some standing leg lifts- back and side and we’ll finish with calf raises! How long did each set take?? Maybe 30 seconds? Do these 3 times a day and you’ve got your workout in.

Oh, one more thing…Did I forget to tell you that while you are doing all this you can still be at your computer???

Onward to the upper body… this is really fun and helps to release the tension from your shoulders , neck and back. So grab your set of hand weights. I have a set 5 lb‘ers here. They are easy to move around and if I need a heavier weight, I just put them both in one hand.

While on your ball, or a chair if you prefer, you can easily do shoulder presses, lateral raises, overhead tricep presses, bicep curls, chest flys and now stand up for upright rows!! Oh, don’t forget side twists and chair push offs for the core.

See how easy and fun?? I don’t care how much work is on your desk or how busy you think you are … You do have time to do this and you will feel so much better and be more productive than before!

Check out my new

 Working Out At Work

full body workout plan!

Making it fit

So, see how lifestyle fitness can fit into your life?  Remember the puzzle? That’s right… let’s work together to fit the pieces of fitness into your life.

Just a note for you morning people… I do try to get up at least an hour before everyone else to visit with Dad and get a short workout in… you can do that too!!!

And you night owls… just flip that around and stay up later than everyone else for your workout time!!

If your thing is going to the gym, boot camps, spinning, aerobics, yoga or pilates classes then that’s what will fit into your puzzle.

Remember, whatever is fun, enjoyable and works for you to stay strong and active is the right answer!

Should!!!

Ok, there is something we need to discuss.

One week when I would ask my clients about their activity I kept noticing so many of them would answer with, “ not as much as I should.”  Pretty soon, I was getting a bit upset that this little word could come in and cause such problems… guilt, shame.. not meeting the mark. Why, who did should think he was?? He had no definitive boundaries, no goals or set plans or limits, but he had the nerve to come into someone’s life and weigh them down with guilt, all because they should do more?? Huh!! I think not!!

How much more should you do? What should you do? Can you define the  should? Well, usually… no!! There is no well, yes, 100 more situps or 50 more pushups… it’s just an ambiguious “should”!

So, I say throw that should away!

Define your goal, make your plan, map it out—make it measurable, realistic, doable, enjoyable and something that will bring success and satisfaction.

Get started today! Contact us.

The information contained on Alive, fit & Free is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, or replace medical care, but only for educational and informational purposes only. Please consult your health care provider before implementing any of the suggestions contained herein. Alive, Fit & Free, and it's contributing authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any of the information or suggestions presented on this site.