Workout PlansWorkout plans for the average young adult:
Have you tried workout plans that just do not seem to work? Does it frustrate you that you cannot lose weight when you need or want to? These are some questions that we all can answer with a big yes! As a teenager in high school, I have been self-conscience about my body and have wanted to do something about it many times. I have tried to lose weight and it just did not work. I tried jogging, crunches, and sit-ups but who can stick with that boring plan? I need something that will keep me interested and that I can be determined about. Losing weight can be a very daunting task at times because it involves so many different requirements. One must exercise daily and eat healthy. This can be very difficult for some of us because these two phrases are easier said than done. Eating healthy plays an immense part in losing weight, so one must stop trying to get around it. There are also other obstacles that restrain us from losing weight. Jobs, school, children, and other activities can take away our time that is needed to exercise in order to lose weight. A few tips for losing weight and staying healthy: · Make yourself a schedule for workout times that you have during the week. · Try to give yourself at least one hour each day to exercise. · If exercising, bores you, buy an iPod or a radio and listen to some music to get your adrenaline pumping. · Choose different exercises to do every day of the week, and never stick to one boring plan all the time. · Try to make working out as fun as possible. Make sure you are doing something that you enjoy! If you have not noticed, most athletes are in terrific shape. This is because they get active and do something that they enjoy every day. In order for an average young adult to get into shape, one must find something that you love to do. Some examples of activities that may interest most people: · Walking a dog around the block · Dancing to a cd that is very up-beat · Riding a bicycle around the block · Shooting basketball at a local or home basketball goal · Walking around your house a few times everyday · Taking a long jog into town · Swimming in a pool or lake These are all very fun activities that burn calories. I have tried doing them all and I really enjoyed them. If you are really wanting some exercises that will help, then I have a few listed below. These exercises do not require a weight bench or unordinary items in one’s home. If you create a plan that includes these exercises, you are sure to burn calories every day. Exercises for the lower body! 1. Squats- these can be performed by putting your arms straight out, spreading your feet to shoulder width, and bending your legs until it seems as if you’re sitting in a chair. When you get that far, stand back up. Do about 2 reps of 10. These will definitely strengthen your legs and warm you up for other exercises. 2. Calf raises- calf raises can be completed by standing up and lifting yourself up on your feet until all of your weight is on the ball or front of your foot. Then let them back down. 2 reps of 25 will probably be needed. 3. Step ups- step ups are not hard exercises at all. Find a chair or wood box and put one foot on top of the box. When you’re ready, push yourself into the air with your other foot and prop on the foot on the box. Throw your knee up until it is near stomach or chest height. Then let it back down and bring the other foot down off of the box also. Repeat this exercise about 20 times on each leg. 4. Superman’s- these can be performed by lying on your stomach. Put your arms straight out in front of you like superman, then while keeping your legs completely straight, lift them into the air one at a time. Repeat these about 20 times for each leg. 5. Lunges- lunges can help a lot with building leg muscles. To complete these, you must have an open area. Stand up, put your hands on your hip or head, and step out almost as far as you can and bend your front knee. The back leg should remain straight and then bring that leg up beside the other when you stand up and repeat this with the opposite leg. About 20 of these should be completed for each leg. Tip: All of these exercises can be really fun if you have some music to jam out to! Exercises for the mid and upper body! 1. School bus stops- This exercise has a funny name but is really good for the abs. Do this by sitting down with your legs straight out in front of you. Lift your legs up to about 6 inches off of the ground and put your hands side by side in front of you. Go side to side with your hands and touch the floor on each side of you by twisting your mid-section. Continue to go side to side while touching the ground and holding your legs up. Act like you are making a stop on the school bus every time your hands hit the floor or ground. Try to make 2 rounds of 50 stops each. 2. Leg hold-ups- Leg hold ups are exercises that work you, midsection and legs. Lay flat on your back and put your hands underneath the bottom of your back in a triangle shape to support your back. Keep your legs straight and lift them up for 30 seconds at a time. Hold them at 6 inches above the ground. 3. Arm lifts- arm lifts are very simple. You can do these by lifting both arms high into the air. Gatorade bottles can be used to add weight. Add coins to the bottles to add a great amount of weight. Money can be saved by doing this too! Put the bottles in your hands and go up with them, touch them together over your head, and come back down with them. Repeat this exercise 20 times. 4. Arm curls- The same bottles can be used in this exercise as the arm lifts. Put hands straight down beside hips, slowly bring your lower arm up until your hands or the bottles touch your shoulders, but continue to keep hands beside your torso. Then, slowly bring them back down. Do 2 reps of 20. 5. Push-ups- There are many different types of push-ups, such as: girl pushups, boy pushups, triangle pushups, one arm pushups. The one I will be explaining is the boy push up. You can do this by lying on the ground or floor on his or her stomach. Then push yourself up in the air by propping on your hands, arms, and feet. When you get in “pushup position”, bend your elbows so your body gets lower to the floor. Then push yourself back up to the “pushup position”. Repeat this exercise 20 times. As I stated earlier, some of us have our jobs and school getting in the way of our workout times. There are some exercises that can be performed while sitting at a desk. - Scissors- while sitting at a desk, get on the edge of the seat and put legs straight out in front of the body under the desk. Then get one leg higher than the other and move each in opposite directions from left to right. While doing this, swap which leg is on top each time legs are in a V position. Repeat this as many times as wanted. - Butterflies- Butterflies can be completed by getting on the edge of the seat and putting legs out in front of the body. Then get the legs at equal height and make one leg go up and one go down. Make each go up and down at a constant speed. Repeat this as many times as wanted. Please do yourself a favor and get in shape! :) -Colleen Norred |
Healthy Choices
Today’s teenagers live busy lives juggling school, sports, and extracurricular activities and most do not take time to make healthy eating choices. After a long day of school, most teenagers grab a bag of potato chips and a soda for a snack. Other teenagers get home late after practice or other activities, including myself, and do not have time to sit down and eat a healthy meal. Thus, they resort to eating fast food. Even though we do not realize it, eating healthy now will affect our health in the future. A healthy diet is essential to preventing diseases, such as diabetes.
Snacks: One snack I would encourage most teenagers to try is frozen grapes. You can purchase seedless grapes at a local grocery store. Simply, pluck the grapes from a vine and place them in a zip-lock bag. Store the grapes in the freezer until they are frozen. Frozen grapes have a Popsicle-like texture and taste sweet. Beverages: Most teenagers enjoy beverages with an abundant amount of sugar and caffeine like sodas and energy drinks. The caffeine in these drinks can keep you up at night and the extra sugar is just extra calories. Healthier beverages to choose include 100% fruit and vegetable juices, sparkling water, and plain water. Sliced lemons and limes can add flavor to plain water. Also, you can purchase water flavorings such as lemonade, fruit punch, grape, and many more. Each packet contains 10-15 calories, which is not much compared to a can of coke that contains 140 calories. Healthy Breakfast: · Whole grain rolls, cereals or bagels. · Low-fat bran muffins · Skim Milk · Low-fat yogurt or cheeses · Fresh fruits and vegetables · 100% juice beverages with no added sugar Healthy Lunch and Dinner Recipes: Vegetable Soup Raid your pantry for vegetable cocktail and canned veggies and beans. They're all the ingredients you'll need for this simple tomato-based soup that takes less than 30 minutes to make. Ingredients 46 ounces tomato-vegetable juice cocktail 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers 2 (15 ounce) cans mixed vegetables, drained 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed Cooking Instructions 1. In a pot, mix together the tomato-vegetable juice, diced tomatoes, mixed vegetables, kidney beans and potatoes. 2. Simmer over medium low heat for at least 30 minutes. Nutrition Facts Servings per Recipe: 8 Amount Per Serving calories: 165cal total fat: 0.5g cholesterol: 0mg sodium: 1032mg carbohydrates: 33.7g fiber: 9.8g protein: 6.3g Servings: 8 Tuna Melts Ingredients 2 (6 ounce) cans tuna packed in water, drained 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, or to taste 1 teaspoon celery salt 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/3 cup chopped celery 1/3 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped yellow bell pepper 2 tablespoons butter 3 English muffins, split 6 slices American cheese 6 slices fresh tomato Cooking Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). 2. Flake the tuna into a medium bowl. Mix in the mayonnaise, celery salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir in celery, onion, and yellow bell pepper. 3. Butter English muffin halves, place them on a baking sheet, and bake 3 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Spoon tuna mixture onto each muffin half, and top each with a slice of cheese. Return to the oven, and continue baking until the cheese has melted, about 8 minutes. Remove, and top each with a tomato slice to serve. Nutrition Facts Servings per Recipe: 6 Amount Per Serving calories: 335cal total fat: 19.2g cholesterol: 58mg sodium: 871mg carbohydrates: 16.8g fiber: 0.7g protein: 23.7g I found these recipes at http://recipes.kaboose.com/lunch-recipes.html. There are many more quick and healthy meals there! Whichever recipe you try, be sure to make an extra serving the night before to take for lunch the next day! Alabama ranks second in the United States for obesity! Use this statistic for motivation and start eating heathy! -Jessica Jacobs |