Most working adults spend the majority of their time sitting at a desk, often for eight hours or more, with few or no breaks. This sedentary behavior, along with poor eating habits, significantly increases the risk of heart disease – our nation’s No. 1killer.
Promoting exercise at the office is a great solution and a benefit to employers and individuals alike. “Lack of time” is often used as the primary excuse for dropping or avoiding a fitness routine, and studies show unhealthy employees contribute less and cost companies more.
A Solution to Get America Moving
The Start! Walking programs is a movement to get all Americans walking in an effort to fight heart disease and stroke. Although any individual can do this on their own, it is even more beneficial to get management and heads of the company to get involved. I encourage Corporate America to sign up to reenergize their employees into an active and healthy workforce.
How it Works
We love this program because it’s so easy! Companies can enroll their organization by using a personal trainer or wellness manager, set up local walking routes, promote lunch-time exercising to their employees and organize walking teams. You can make it a big production or keep it simple and it is easy to implement whether you’re a small mom-and-pop or a large-scale business.
Using a trainer or manager, individuals can map walking routes, track daily activity and dietary intake, calculate mileage and report on calories burned. In addition, they can view and print weekly summaries of progress.
How to Start!
Creating a wellness environment can help lower healthcare costs, increase productivity, enhance morale and protect a company’s greatest asset – their employees. So, spread the word and let your company know by encouraging them to do their part and helping not only themselves, but their employees as well.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Dumbbell Front Squat
This exercise targets the butt, hips, and thighs....a trouble area for most women.
Step 1
Starting Position: Stand with your feet slighter wider than hip-width, facing outward or turned slightly outwards while holding a dumbbell in each hand by your sides, with palms facing inwards. Depress and retract your scapulae (pull shoulders down and back).
Step 2
Stiffen your core and abdominal muscles (“bracing”) to stabilize your spine. Curl the dumbbells to a starting position where they rest on the front edge of your shoulders or just in front of your shoulders. Hold your chest up and out, tilt your head slightly up, and shift your weight over your heels.
Step 3
Downward Phase: Start the downward phase by first shifting your hips backwards then downwards to create a hinge-like movement at your knees. As you lower your hips the knees will then start to shift forward slowly, but try to control the amount of forward translation (movement) of the tibia (shinbone). Attempt to keep your back flat.
Step 4
Continue to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel or almost parallel with the floor, or until your heels begin to lift off the floor, or until your torso begins to round or flex forward. Monitor your feet, ankles and knees, ensuring that the feet don't move, the ankles do not collapse in or out and the knees remain aligned over the second toe.
Step 5
Lowered Position: From the front, the knees should continue to remain aligned over the second toe and body weight should be evenly distributed over both feet. From the side, the position of the tibia (shinbone) and torso should be parallel with each other and the low back should appear flat or showing the beginning of some rounding.
Step 6
Upward Phase: While maintaining your back, chest and head-up position, exhale and extend the hips and knees by pushing your feet into the floor through your heels. The hips and torso need to rise together while keeping the heels flat on the floor and knees aligned over the second toe. Continue extending until you reach your starting position.
Tip:
Technique is very important in this lift. The tendency is to hold the tibia (shinbone) too vertical which forces you to lean your torso too far forward. Using a mirror for feedback, shift your tibia forward while keeping your heels on the floor, then bring your torso upright back (moving it more upright), but do so from the hips and not through the low back. Squeeze your abdominals to help prevent excess arching in the back with this correction.
Step 1
Starting Position: Stand with your feet slighter wider than hip-width, facing outward or turned slightly outwards while holding a dumbbell in each hand by your sides, with palms facing inwards. Depress and retract your scapulae (pull shoulders down and back).
Step 2
Stiffen your core and abdominal muscles (“bracing”) to stabilize your spine. Curl the dumbbells to a starting position where they rest on the front edge of your shoulders or just in front of your shoulders. Hold your chest up and out, tilt your head slightly up, and shift your weight over your heels.
Step 3
Downward Phase: Start the downward phase by first shifting your hips backwards then downwards to create a hinge-like movement at your knees. As you lower your hips the knees will then start to shift forward slowly, but try to control the amount of forward translation (movement) of the tibia (shinbone). Attempt to keep your back flat.
Step 4
Continue to lower yourself until your thighs are parallel or almost parallel with the floor, or until your heels begin to lift off the floor, or until your torso begins to round or flex forward. Monitor your feet, ankles and knees, ensuring that the feet don't move, the ankles do not collapse in or out and the knees remain aligned over the second toe.
Step 5
Lowered Position: From the front, the knees should continue to remain aligned over the second toe and body weight should be evenly distributed over both feet. From the side, the position of the tibia (shinbone) and torso should be parallel with each other and the low back should appear flat or showing the beginning of some rounding.
Step 6
Upward Phase: While maintaining your back, chest and head-up position, exhale and extend the hips and knees by pushing your feet into the floor through your heels. The hips and torso need to rise together while keeping the heels flat on the floor and knees aligned over the second toe. Continue extending until you reach your starting position.
Tip:
Technique is very important in this lift. The tendency is to hold the tibia (shinbone) too vertical which forces you to lean your torso too far forward. Using a mirror for feedback, shift your tibia forward while keeping your heels on the floor, then bring your torso upright back (moving it more upright), but do so from the hips and not through the low back. Squeeze your abdominals to help prevent excess arching in the back with this correction.
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