Posts Tagged ‘lunges’
Posted by terrepruitt on December 1, 2012
So today is the first day of the December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge. There are so many things you can do, you know that right? On the days I am teaching a Nia Class I will obviously get in 30 minutes of movement, but at this point, right off the bat, I don’t want to count that as my 30 minutes. I would count Nia as my 30 minutes if I am doing it as a student. Being a teacher and being a student are different, so I am going to count them differently. I will be back today to check in with my 30 minutes completed. But first some ideas on what you can do, yes? You can walk. Walking for 30 minutes is a great exercise. If you walk fast enough and get your heart rate up it can be an aerobic exercise. With your challenge you decide whether your 30 minutes will be aerobic or resistance training. You can also add to it. Moving for longer than 30 minutes. Just make certain you are moving (in an exercise-y type of way) for at least 30 minutes.
There are so many things you can do. I already mentioned walking. There is my ten minute workout. You can do that for 30 minutes consecutively or do three different 10 minute sessions. If you have a device that allows you to create playlist of music you can make up a great playlist and dance for 30 minutes. You could do 30 different exercises for a minute each. Some examples: squats, bicep curls, lunges, triceps kick backs, donkey kicks, push ups, inner thigh lifts, sit ups, triceps dips, frogs, hamstring kick backs, lateral flies, knee lifts, rows, reverse curls . . . . . . and 15 more.
The key is to get AT LEAST 30 minutes in. The thirty minute time length was originally brought up to help people STAY healthy. Many people need more than that to GET healthy in the first place. But we are just doing a challenge for the month of December to make sure we are moving EVERY DAY. With all that is going on during this season it is easy to skip the workout. So committing to 30 minutes EVERY DAY will help.
Keeping to a schedule helps a lot. Committing to a goal, also helps. We also know that sometimes things do come up and even though we have a schedule and made a commitment there might be a day where we just didn’t get the 3o minutes in. To help ensure you get it in I recommend doing it first thing in the morning. I know that when I put things off for later in the day sometimes they don’t get done. The things I do first thing always get done . . . . funny how that works huh? If you happen to miss a day, that is fine, just pick it right back up the next day.
Remember you don’t even have to comment about what you did, just comment that you DID move/exercise/workout for at least 30 minutes! So . . . . what do you think? Do you have a plan? Are you done with your 30 minutes?
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: 30 Minute Movement Challenge, 30 Minutes In December 2012, 30 minutes of exercise, dance exercise, Dance Workout, December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge, lunges, Nia, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Nia workout, running, squats | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 18, 2011
One of my favorite workouts DVD besides my Nia routines is a ten minute one. It might be considered an old one as it is from 2004, but I love it. They always sell these things as a “Don’t have time to exercise” type of thing, but doing only a ten minute workout all the time won’t get you far. As I have said before when I was sharing my little ten minute workout in June, it is good when that is all you have time for but only every once in a while, honestly more is needed to reach fitness and health goals. This DVD, done by Lara Hudson, has five ten minute workouts on it. It has capability built into the DVD that allows you to play one workout or pick more than one to make a longer workout and they will play right in a row. You don’t have to start one, do it, then manually start another. When you set up the workout you pick the order you want them to play in. You can even pick one workout twice so you can do it two times.
The five workouts are an ab workout, a buns and thighs workout, an arm workout, a cardio workout, and a flexibility workout. There are about 10 exercises per workout — even with the leg workout. The number of times you do each exercise varies from 4 to 12.
I’ve actually only done the cardio workout once or twice because I prefer to do Nia or Turbo Jam as my cardio. I also like to do more than 10 minutes of cardio, but it could be that all of these together would work for you.
Lara has an easy way about her. The instruction is clear and easy to follow. Some times in her instructions she ends the word in a high tone and it never fails to make me laugh. She is pleasant to work out to. She also is very good at reminding you throughout the video to concentrate on each movement. She often says, “Controoool.” in a way that encourages you to keep the movement controlled. Precision is another key to Pilates and she does a good job getting you to remember that, too.
In the ab workout there are various sit-ups and leg lifts. There are roll ups and roll overs. Lara is very clear with her instruction regarding breathing, which is very helpful. This workout is done lying down.
The leg workout is done on the floor also. It contains the usual leg lifts and bridges, and maybe some other exercises that are not so usual. This workout has you do a set of exercises for one leg, then switch to the other leg. Then there is another set you do for each leg. Even though the workout is only ten minutes the pacing is nice and you really are able to get through about 10 different exercises.
They call the arm workout “Sculpting Pilates”. It is bicep curls and triceps extensions. There is shoulder and back work in there too. There might be some exercises in each workout that are new to you, but nothing to drastic. For this workout the basic stance is the Pilates V, heels together with the feet forming a V. At times we separate the feet, but most of it is done standing in the V.
The cardio portion of this DVD is a series of planks, push ups, curls, dipping lunges, leg lifts, swimmers, and mermaids. As with all of the workouts the flow is nice and Lara keeps you moving reasonable pace. Also, as with all the workouts, she gets a stretch in there. It isn’t a long stretch but just enough to help you “reset” if you need to.
The flexibility one consists of the cat and the cow, and other stretches that really get pretty much every part of your body — all in ten minutes.
I think this is a GREAT little Pilates workout DVD. It could even be a nice way to start to doing Pilates. If you have never done Pilates this could give you an idea of what to expect if you were to go to a class. It could help you learn a bit of the concentration and breathing. I really like this DVD. I feel it is a great addition to any workout program. It allows you to do from 10 minutes to 50 minutes in the order you want.
Have you ever done Pilates?
Posted in Exercise and Working Out | Tagged: a buns and thighs workout, a cardio workout, ab workout, an arm workout, bridges, cardio workout, cat and the cow, center, concentration, control, flexibility workout, flow, full body stretch, leg lifts, lunges, Nia, Nia DVD, Nia exercise, Nia routine, Nia workout, Pilates, Pilates exercises, Pilates V, Pilates workout, planks, precision, sculpting exercises, sculpting workout, ten minute workout | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 30, 2011
So you have a list of ten exercises you can do ten times in ten minutes. You might be able to do the whole thing more than once. If not, you will be able to if you keep at it. Try doing the workout for ten days and see what happens. Also, there will be days that you can do it twice and then the next day maybe not. That is always ok. Everyday our bodies are different. If you do it you WILL see improvement. When an exercise gets to easy, try it fast or with more weight, or do more reps. The ten of ten in ten is really just to get you motivated to do more, help keep you exercising when you are really pressed for time, or add to something you are already doing. Yes, I have said these things at LEAST twice before, but I want people to understand I do not believe this is an all-emcompassing-this-is-all-I-have-to-do-for-the-rest-of-my-life-kind-of-workout. But the ten minute workout can work for everyone.
There are many modifications and variations that can be done with these exercises. Some modifications I have presented already in my Without a ball, a band, and a BOSU post. Here are some more.
(#1) Lunges – You can do walking lunges. Instead of bringing the leg you stepped out with back to “center”, bring your other leg out in a step. Keep going.
(#2) Bicep curls – You can do the curls at the same time you walk. Try it. You might be surprised at the different sensation you have. The walking adds an entirely different element.
(#3) Squats – You can try these with weights in both hands. If you have the band and the BOSU as with the original “gym” 🙂 design use that. Since you are already going to stand on the band on the BOSU, use the band while you do the squats.
(#4) Triceps kick backs – Standing on the ground with weights and just doing one arm at a time. If you can get through the workout twice then you can do ten one round and then ten the next. If you can’t do five then switch. Or you could always do ten and ten. Whatever works for YOU. Remember, this is YOUR workout. You have your own goals to accomplish.
(#5) Hamstring curls – Do one leg at a time.
(#6) Sit-ups – Do them on the rounded side of the BOSU or the stability ball.
(#7) Triceps extensions – Use the band or heavier weights
(#8) Push up – Put your feet on the BOSU and push up from the ground.
(#9) Bent over lateral raise – Cross the band holding the left end in your right hand and the right end in your left hand.
(#10) Stability ball pass – When your legs come up with the ball grab it and before rolling back down put it past your legs on one side then the other (or alternate on each pass), then roll down. Then when you come back up before you “give your legs the ball” put it past one side or both, then give the ball to your legs and roll down.
These modifications and variations aren’t necessarily more difficult or easier. They could be different for each and every one of you. The level of difficulty could be exactly the same but it is just something different to do. Or one day it could be easy and the next maybe not. I just know that for me, when I have more than ten minutes after doing my ten minutes I am ready to do more.
What about you? How does doing ten minutes of exercise make you feel?
Posted in Ten Minute Workout (Posts) | Tagged: bicep curls, hamstrings curls, lunges, push up bent over lateral raise, sit ups, squats, stability ball pass, ten minute exercise, ten minute workout, ten minutes of working out, triceps, triceps kick back | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 26, 2011
Oh wow! Last night we went to a mystery party. It was so fun. I really was just amazed at the craziness of the character and the twists and turns and just all that was going on. Since this is a public blog, I don’t want to tell too much because I never know who is reading this and if you were invited to a mystery party with this story line and you got all the details here that wouldn’t be fun. It was my first party like that and so I was a bit overwhelmed to say the least.
We were on a ship in the 1700’s and we all had goals to accomplish, with abilities, secrets, and information. Oh and we had “items too”. And EVERYONE was looking for something. It was hilarious. It was fun and I am telling you this because I was so involved in it I forgot to post a placeholder for anyone doing the Ten Minute Workout. But alas, it doesn’t look as if that was a problem.
I just did mine, but I am going to tell you I actually took out the lunges. Yes, yes, I know, one of the prime exercises to target the glutes, but it is my foot that I am trying to save. I have been practicing a Nia routine called Sexi. I am thinking about doing it this week and it has a lot of ball of foot. A LOT! So much so that I might wait until Wednesday to do it, so that I can do it once for my San Jose Nia Class and then once for my Los Gatos Nia Class. Then have a few days where I am not doing it. Then pick it up again the following week. One of my students requested it.
Which reminds me: YES, there is Nia in San Jose at 9 am on Monday, the Fourth of July. So come on over. Many people have that day off so join us. It will be fun. We will be doing Sexi! And Sexi is sexy and fun.
Even though I didn’t do lunges I did target my glutes with the ol’ donkey kick. But I added some weights to see how that worked. Remember those donkey kicks?
So what about you? Did you do the ten exercises? Did you do ten minutes of any exercise? That is a great start/addition/quickie. So let me know.
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: 4th of July, donkey kicks, Fourth of July, Los Gatos Nia, Los Gatos Nia Class, lunges, mystery dinner, mystery party, Nia class, Nia Class in San Jose, Nia Los Gatos, Nia routine, Nia San Jose, quikie, San Jose Nia, Sexi | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 23, 2011
Well, actually this is a workout place holder. Still keeping the faith that people will check in after doing the Ten Minute Workout.
I will. I will be back to let you know when I am done. Then I will post detail to the number nine exercise, the Bent Over Lateral Raise.
Have a fabulous morning.
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June 23, 2011 at 12:52 pm
It is much, much cooler in San Jose today. I like it much better. But I did do my ten minutes first. And now I am going to spend a good portion of the afternoon with Nia. I can’t decide whether to work on learning a new Nia Routine or brush up on one. One of the cool things about Nia is that the more you do a routine the more you can play with it. You can use flexibility, agility, mobility, strength, or stability (FAMSS) to infuse the workout and make it different every time.
I have notice that I can do that a bit with the ten minute workout too, because every time I do it I am different. Today I really, really, really, really concentrated on taking LONG steps in the lunges and I was able to confirm why I chose this exercise for the workout to target a specific muscle. I have also been experimenting with the way I hold the band for the triceps kick backs and bent over lateral raise. So even though I have been doing the same exercises I have been doing them a little different to work it in different ways. What about you?
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: agility exercises, bent over latteral raise, FAMSS, flexibility workout, lateral raise, lunges, mobility exercisest, Nia routine, Nia San Jose, San Jose Nia, stability exercises, strength exercises, ten minute exerciese, ten minute workout, Triceps kick backs | 1 Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 14, 2011
I am actually going to get to bed earlier tonight than I have been getting to bed. The plan is to get up a little earlier and do my Ten Minute Workout. I want to actually have it done before noon. Since I don’t have a Nia class on Tuesday I can get my ten (or twenty) ten in ten done in the morning. Not necessarily early morning just morning as in before noon. What about you?
Also, how are you doing with the ten? Are you getting through ten repetitions of all ten exercises?
Well, I shall return to actually check-in with my “I’m done!”
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June 14, 2011 at 9:46 am
Okey-dokey. I did my Ten Minute Workout. I am averaging at least twice through, but, as I’ve said before I am convinced it is because my lunges aren’t that long, BUT . . . . . they ARE lunges. Yay! I am getting on the ball of my right foot (while my left leg is forward) AND pushing off on it when the right leg is forward. I am working on distributing the weight through the entire width of my foot (ball of foot) and all five toes, because I sense that I am still putting the majority of the weight on the actually “ball” of my foot (metatarsal head).
So are you ready to give the ten a try? Remember we all have different goals so do what YOU can, not what I am saying I am doing. Let me know how it is going for you.
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: Ball of foot, long luges, lunges, metatarsal head, Nia, Nia class, Nia exercises, Nia workout, ten exercises, ten minute workout, ten reps of ten exercises in ten minutes, your body's way | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 4, 2011
We do lunges in Nia all the time. We call them the “bow stance”. Different Nia routines have different “lunges”. Sometimes we do them fast, sometimes slow. Sometimes the music allows us to do a deep lunge, sometimes it might just be a shallow or a high one. Lunges are great for the quadriceps and glutes. In my original design of my Ten Minute Workout I wanted the concentration to be in the glutes, so I decided to do a long lunge. A long lunge gets the backside more.
Holding weights down at your sides adds to the work your leg and butt muscles have to do. Standing up from the long step requires much more effort. As a reminder only step as far as will allow you to stand back up. Also be certain that in addition to being able to stand back up you are stable, so your legs are wide enough that you cannot be easily pushed over.
As you step out also remember that it is a controlled step. The foot that is stepping out should land softly and not in a stomp. These do not need to be done fast. When including this exercise in the ten minute workout I was thinking of a long controlled step. The movement is solid and fluid.
The foot that remains stationary ends up with the heel raised (completely vertical if you can get there), weight on the ball of the foot and toes. Since this is a long lunge, the stationary leg could end up with the knee almost on the ground or on the ground.
The idea is to step one leg out then back, then the other leg steps out then back. Alternate legs, each step out is “one”. There are other ways to do lunges, modifications that can be made, but for now, this is the explanation of the exercise chosen to be included in this ten minute workout. Eventually I will post some information on different ways to do the lunges.
What questions do you have about the long lunges?
Posted in Ten Minute Workout (Posts) | Tagged: Ball of foot, bow stace, butt exercises, butt muscles, deep lunge, glute exercise, glutes, leg exercies, leg muscles, long lunges, lunges, Nia, Nia routine, quadricep exercise, Quadriceps, quads, stable stance | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 4, 2011
I subbed a Nia Class this morning. Nia is a lot “about” the music. We dance to the music. Today while I was teaching I really just let the music take me and I danced. I didn’t hold back much because of my foot. I don’t put my weight on my right foot when I am in ball of foot position or bow stance, but I was DOING ball of foot (a GREAT step forward in my healing process). During the class once or twice I wobbled or missed a beat because my foot kind didn’t want to support me. At another point I realized I was on the EDGE of my right foot (another HUGE step forward in my healing process). I had enough time in which to think about that and while it seemed ok, I was glad when the music told me it was time to move again because it didn’t seem like I should be doing that for much longer. I really worked my foot this morning. I went all out in Nia class. That led me to not wanting to do my Ten Minute Workout. I was really dreading the lunges because I am not ready to put weight on my right foot in ball of foot position—-and that is what a lunge is!!!
I came upstairs to do it. Then I sat down at my computer, did an e-mail or two and I decided my foot really was too tired to do it. I logged onto my blog to post that I was skipping Terre’s Ten Ten in Ten today, but when I saw the picture of my “gym” I thought, “It is really only 10 minutes. And it is really just the first exercise that you are dreading. So . . . do it LESS. Even more “less” than you have been.” So . . . . I did it. It is obvious to me that I spend a lot of time in my long lunges — when I do them fully on a stable foot — because I thought that I was not going to make it two times through and when I looked at my timer I had plenty of time left and I was on the stability ball pass for the second time. When I do lunges little it takes me less time.
I did my little workout, how about you? What are you finding while you do these exercises?
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: 10 minute workout, Ball of foot, exercise, healing process, lunges, Nia, Nia Dance, Nia exercises, Nia Music, stability ball pass, teaching Nia, ten minute workout, workout | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 3, 2011
I have a Nia Class to teach today. I decided to do my Ten Minute Workout before I teach. I was mellow on my left step forward in my long lunges because my right foot is still learning to be strong again and so I didn’t want to push it before I teach. I am saving my bow stance for Nia class. But I got my Ten Ten in Ten in (I made it through twice). I left the equipment out in case I want to do it again when I get back.
How about you?
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: Bow Stance, exercise, exercise equipment, lunges, Nia, Nia exercises, Nia Teacher, teach Nia, ten minute workout, Terre’s Ten Ten in Ten, workout, workout equipment | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 31, 2011
There are a lot of 10 minute workouts. Ten minutes is really not a long time, it probably won’t get you to any lofty fitness goals, but that is where specificity comes in. If your goal is to run a marathon or bench press 200 pounds then 10 minutes of working out won’t get you there. You need to train specifically for specific goals. Ten minute workouts are good for other things. If you are really pressed for time and just need a quick fix. If you are new to exercising. If you are doing another form of working out and just want to add a little something more. If you are recovering from an injury. If you are just learning a new exercise. If you have ADD. 🙂 There are a lot of good reasons and ways to incorporate a ten minute workout into your day.
There are also different ways you can do a workout for ten minutes. Again, how you do it depends on why you are doing it. If you are pressed for time sometimes just getting through it is what you need to do. That ten minutes will just help you feel like you did something good for yourself even if the rest of the day is jammed packed with a lot of other stuff. If you are just starting an exercise program it could be that getting through ten minutes is all you can do . . . it depends on the workout. If you have a great program that you do, say cardio, like Nia, but you want to add in a little training with weights or additional stretching a 10 minute workout could be perfect. And if you are recovering from an injury it could be that 10 minutes is all that you can do safely. When learning a new exercise it could be that 10 minutes is all that your brain can take at a time. Again, it all depends on why you are doing it AND what you are doing.
Before I hurt my foot, I had come up with a little 10 minute workout I felt was a good way to get a quick workout all over. I designed it to be done with the workout tools and toys I have. I only did it a few times before I hurt my foot. Since I really was having to concentrate on teaching my classes, I pretty much stopped doing everything else. So now I am feeling that a ten minute workout would be great for me because of a few of the reasons I stated above.
The list/workout is what you see pictured here. It is nothing revolutionary it is just 10 exercises that you do 10 times each in 10 minutes. In my next regularly scheduled post (Thursday) I will explain the list. In subsequent regularly scheduled posts (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) I will give more detailed explanations of the exercises, modifications, and various things that come up related to this 10 minute workout. And everyday, I will post when I have done it. I will actually be doing some of the exercises in a modified fashion because of my foot. I have to modify my activity based on my teaching schedule and daily activity.
Anytime you want you to can do this list. Post in the comment that you did it too. Ask questions and I will either answer them in the comments or in a separate post. I think this is a great way for me to share some exercises with you. I hope you will join me in this 10 minute workout. Really 10 minutes isn’t that long. Ten exercises done 10 times each in 10 minutes. Ten Ten in Ten. You can do it. And you can let me know when you’ve done it. Ok? What do you say? Are you in?
Posted in Exercise and Working Out, Ten Minute Workout (Posts) | Tagged: 10 minute workout, bands, bent over lateral raises, biceps curls, BOSU, exercise, exercise program, fitness goals, hamstring curls, long lunges, lunges, modified activity, modified exercise, Nia, Nia exercise, Nia workout, push up, recovering from an injury, run a marathon, sit ups, specificity, squats, stability ball pass, stability ball sit up, ten minute workout, triceps, triceps extension, Triceps kick backs, workout | 4 Comments »
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