Very frequently these days, I am working with clients around the world or all over the U.S.
I encourage everyone to find ways of exercising literally every day.
One of the best ways to make exercise a regular habit is to find ways you can exercise at home, on your own, without needing fancy gym equipment.
I put together this simple home strength training workout for my clients who can’t work out with me in person and for all of you readers who are keeping up with the latest information about fitness, nutrition and natural healing. I will be posting a NEW home exercise every day for the next eight days.
That way, you can learn and practice each exercise and as you get each exercise under your belt, you can add in another one.
Here’s your first exercise:
Four Step Down Dog Pushup
Step 1. Down Dog
Place your hands and feet shoulder width apart.
Lift your tailbone to the ceiling as you pull your belly to your spine.
Make sure your wrist creases are straight and your fingers are all the way spread.
Hold four breaths.
Step 2: Plank
Place your shoulders over your wrists.
Lift your belly button to your spine.
Push back through your feels and feel the length of your spine.
Hold four breaths.
Step 3: Eccentric Pushup
Somehow, someway, lower yourself slowly to the ground for four breaths.
The slower the better. Even if you have to drop to your knees and then lower slowly, give yourself permission to work through the tough spots.
Even if you don’t feel quite strong, do your best.
Keep the belly pulled to your spine.
Keep your elbows by your side.
Keep pressing back through your heels.
Step 4: Up Dog
Slowly lift up into up dog. Even though there are several ways to practice Up Dog, make this version about stretching your spine.
Roll your shoulders back.
Stretch your spine while keeping your legs relaxed.
Lift and spread your chest. Slide the shoulder blades towards the waist.
Hold four breaths.
Recovery Stretch: Wide Leg Extended Child
After you have completed your repetitions of your Down Dog Pushup – even if you can only do one repetition to start with – give yourself permission to do this fabulous recovery stretch.
Bring your knees wide to stretch your groin.
Bring your spine into neutral to relax your back.
Stretch your arms straight out in front of you to open your shoulders.
Breathe! It’s great to hold this for about a minute, allowing your heart rate to return to normal.
Whew! That may have been challenging. Start with one repetition of your Down Dog Pushup and build up to being able to do 10 repetitions in a row.
Tomorrow I will teach you another exercise you can do at home with no equipment. Although this routine requires no equipment, you may find it easier if you have a yoga mat, a towel or a cushy rug such as you will find in many living rooms or hotel rooms.
What’s so great about this exercise:
1. Build your strength! Strength training is essential if you want to stay young and healthy. You don’t need to go to the gym or work out on machines – you can use your own body weight.
2. Stretch your spine. This exercise helps to reverse the contraction that occurs when people sit around too much.
3. Build your core strength. Plank is one of the best exercises in the world for integrating your core – getting your ab muscles and back muscles to work together. If you don’t believe me, do this for a month and see if you aren’t developing something close to resembling a six pack!
4. Raise your heart rate. If your heart isn’t pumping after doing even one repetition of this exercise, send me an email!
5. Work out your whole body. I’ll be teaching you other time-efficient exercises like this one that work many muscle groups together. These kinds of exercises are very grounding and integrating, getting the top of the body working with the bottom of the body, the back with the front and your brain connected into your body.
6. Because you don’t need any equipment, you can do this simple exercise any time anywhere. You can teach it to your kids to do it with you. You can practice like I do with your dog cheering you on! Even taking 5 to 10 minutes to develop your strength will give you big payoffs in terms of your metabolic rate, the way you feel and the way you look.
7. Weight loss and healthy weight maintenance happens when we make a commitment to ourselves to exercise regularly – and that means – in my definition – literally every day. You can achieve total fitness very easily by practicing these and the other seven simple exercises I am going to be teaching you.