Very Easy Exercise

Sitting in a wheelchair for long periods of time can cause annoying restlessness and be quite uncomfortable for those persons who are disabled. It’s important to keep the body moving and make exercise in your wheelchair a daily part of your fitness program, regardless of your disability.

Wheelchair exercise will help increase strength, flexibility, improve mobility, strengthen the heart and lungs, and help control weight.

Before any exercise session, it’s always a good idea to warm up, stretch and cool down for about ten minutes before and after workouts. Start slowly and work up to more weight and then to more challenging exercises. An upper body workout would include exercises for the arms, torso, neck, and shoulders.

Everyone, depending on the disability, has a unique situation, so consult with your doctor first to determine which exercises are better for you.

There are two basic types of wheelchair exercise that will be important to know for your workout — resistance training and strength training.

The first type of wheelchair exercise is resistance training. It uses large, stretchy rubber bands called resistance bands. Wrap the bands securely around a door, pole, arm of your wheelchair, or other stable object. Now pull the bands towards you or away from you to work your muscles. You can use the bands to do arm and leg extensions, shoulder rotations and pull downs.

The second type of wheelchair exercise is strength training. This is done by lifting free weights or dumbbells. If you don’t have free weights or dumbbells you can use cans of food. Look around. Weigh them if you can. Start with 1-2 pound weights and work up slowly Lift while you are watching TV if you like.

The benefits of strength training include the ability to perform daily activities, like pushing wheelchairs, carrying items and transferring. Many wheelchair users have an inefficient ‘push’ and strengthening the muscles involved will greatly help.

If resistance training or strength training is impossible for some reason or if you would like to supplement it, get a video or DVD that is especially for keeping fit and exercising while one is in a sitting position.

Remember to always keep a positive attitude. Use discipline to get into a regular exercise and fitness program you’ve created for yourself and continue to do it. Set goals and rewards for yourself. Don’t do anything you know you shouldn’t. Start slowly. Keep your eye on the end result. A good fitness and wheelchair exercise program, regardless of the disability, can significantly improve your health and increase mobility for you and others who are disabled.

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Helen Hecker
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/what-you-should-know-about-wheelchair-exercise-and-fitness-for-the-disabled-95442.html

Let’s face it, we all want to be in shape and catch someone’s eye. None of us like putting on our clothes and seeing our tummy hang over our jeans or our arms looking like a set of bat wings. With multi-joint exercises, you’ll be able to blast away fat at record speed, as well as get your chest, abs, shoulders, back and arms into the best shape they’ve ever been in your life.

When you want to find a way to build strength and fire up your metabolism to burn away all that fat, it is best that you concentrate your exercise routine on including exercises that deal with many joints at the same time. With a perfect foundation, you’ll be able to add lean muscle as well as burn fat. To do this, it is very important to know many single-joint and multi-joint exercises.

What exactly is the difference between single-joint and multi-joint exercises?

Single-joint exercises usually work and engage muscles that surround and focus on one moving joint. An example of this would be a bicep curl because it only moves the elbow joint. Multi-joint exercises are those that engage in rotation around many joints. Multi-joint exercises are said to stimulate how our body both works and plays. Many of our daily movements require multi-joint exercises.

This is precisely why we need to use multi-joint exercises, simply because they determine how our body works and moves. With daily activities, our bodies don’t just use one muscle or one joint at a time. Something as simple as walking is a multi-joint activity. Though walking isn’t complicated, it involves every joint and muscle in our lower extremities.

Why are multi-joint exercises important in a regular exercise routine?

1. Time efficiency. Multi-joint exercises are able to save you time that you have to spend in the gym working out. Because these exercises are able to allow you to engage in many muscles and joints all in the same exercise, you are able to work more of your body, decreasing the amount of time you have to spend.

2. High metabolic cost. That’s right! Doctors have even been able to prove that multi-joint exercises get our metabolism working 30 to 40 percent higher. As you work more muscles at the same time, you are able to burn more calories while your metabolism rates are high and pumping.

3. Helps to train our neuromuscular system. Having a steady and healthy neuromuscular system is able to improve our balance. Whether you plan on walking across the tightrope in the circus or just walking down the street, balance is important. Because multi-joint exercises use many muscles and joints at the same time, your body learns how to work together with the many parts that makes it.

4. They’re more fun. Who said working out couldn’t be fun? With multi-joint exercises, you are able to tone and shape your body while having fun with it. You don’t have to stick to the boring sit-ups or crunches. With multi-joint exercises, you can take pleasure in doing simple exercises while adding a little spice to them.

5. Variety, variety, variety. We all want to be able to have some sort of change in our lives. Start with your exercise program! If you incorporate multi-joint exercises into your routine, you are able to do many different types of exercises each day. Change and variety is good, especially if you want to have fun while getting into shape.

Here are some effective multi-joint exercises:

Squats: Squats, as dreaded and boring as they may be, help to build powerful and strong thighs and hips as well as toned a toned back, shoulders, arms, and chest.

Deadlifts: This exercise uses joints throughout the whole body. They are able to work both your lower and upper body muscles.

Leg Presses: These exercises are used to work the hamstrings, quads, and your glutes. With these, you’ll be able to have toned legs and a firm butt!

Front, Side or Reverse Lunges and Stepups: These exercises are able to work each and every leg muscle. These can get quite boring, so try doing all three types of lunges. A lunge requires you to drop your knee 90 degrees to the ground.

Bench Presses, Dips and Pushups: All of these exercises add muscle to the shoulders, back, and chest as well as the triceps. They are able to work most of your upper body muscles.

Overhead Presses: These exercises are great for working out your triceps and shoulders.

Pulldowns, Pullups, Barbell Rows, and Dumbbell Rows: As you do these exercises, your back and bicep muscles will grow. You are able to work out your back as well as your arms.

Upright Rows: Upright rows are great for exercising the shoulders as well as the upper back.

So when you really want to blast away fat and get your abs, chest, shoulders, back, and arms in their best shape ever then consider using multi-joint exercises.

Steve Hochman
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/blast-away-fat-and-get-your-abs-chest-shoulders-back-and-arms-in-their-best-shape-ever-using-multijoint-exercises-464294.html

The physical dedication and focus that are involved in a successful aerobics class is enhanced by having the right comfortable clothing to exercise in. Many have witnessed that a new touch of style has developed in conjunction with the new health conscious crowd. It may cost a little more to exercise in aerobics clothing made of premium materials but it can be well worth it in order to make your exercises more comfortable and doable. You could even make a goal oriented incentive program in which a predetermined number of successful workouts results in a reward of buying yourself new expensive aerobic clothing. This type of incentive may help you to more easily reach your exercise goals and move on to higher levels of fitness.

Comfort is the new key to workouts. If you have not done aerobic workouts you may not be aware of the role comfortable clothing plays in successful workouts. Aerobic exercise involves constant movements which may take a toll on your body if your clothing is not right.

Some clothing is actually approved for aerobics and can often be found in sporting good stores or on the internet. The first test in choosing aerobic clothing is to touch it to get a sense of how it may feel to you. This test is not meant to lessen internet shopping but in some cases first hand experience with the clothing may be your best guide in making a good purchase. Those with more clothing knowledge may have better internet shopping experiences. Remember overly cute or clever clothing designs may create problems for demanding workouts. You should take your workouts more slowly in new clothing to be sure it works for you. If you do a lot of flexibility exercises you should focus on soft stretchy material for your clothing.

If your clothing is expensive, stylish and uncomfortable you may soon grow tired of aerobic workouts. You should try to find a balance between comfortable and affordable clothing. A good source of clothing information could be your aerobics instructor. They have preferences for quality items and know where to get a bargain. Keep an open mind. If you have to pay a little extra it may provide lasting benefits you get from comfortable completions of your workouts. If the aerobic workout clothes help you to avoid exercise discomfort than you have achieved your goal.

The bridge for most people is the balance between clothing costs and clothing comfort. The right niche shopping can help you find the right gear at affordable prices. Also remember that you can get exercise incentives by buying yourself some higher priced clothing, especially if it offers exceptional comfort. This will help you to have something to show for the hard work you are putting into your exercise program for better health and a secure feeling of a longer life. Aerobic exercises can make you look and feel like a winner.

Jerry Cahill
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/you-can-get-great-aerobics-clothing-for-your-exercise-program-109620.html

If you haven’t tried doing your exercises on a swiss ball yet, you are in for a pleasant surprise.

The swiss ball, also known as an exercise or fitness ball, is not new to the exercise world, but has just recently been
popularized with tv commercials and fitness gurus telling you why you should use the ball. It has been used by those in the
physical therapy field for many years because of it’s effectiveness.

Basically the ball provides an unstable surface for your exercises. This brings into play your ab muscles, your leg muscles and your upper body. Your entire body comes into play to work to keep you from falling off the ball.

While you do a crunch, for instance, not only are you working your abs, you are also working your body’s core muscles. This increases the overall effectiveness of the exercise, meaning you get a more intensive exercise in less time.

In the example of the crunch, you also get about 20% more movement in the exercise on the ball than on the floor because you are able to go back further and get more of a stretch. There’s also less strain on your back.

You are not limited to the crunch. Almost any exercise that you currently do can be performed on the swiss ball. Do a pushup on the ball and your entire body quivers as you are not only performing the pushup, you are also working hard to keep the ball steady.

You can sit or lay on the ball, once you have become accustomed to it, and do your dumbbell training. While you are doing biceps curl, as an example, your legs and your core muscles are still being brought into play, helping you maintain your balance. As you do dumbbell flyes lying down, you get the same effect.

Doing your curls not only resulted in a workout for your biceps, but your abs and leg muscles received a workout as well.

Exercising on a swiss ball allows you to add a lot of variety to your exercise routine, making it more fun to exercise and more likely that you will not become bored and give up.

You’ll find new, fun ways to exercise. This is not one of those
products that comes onto the scene for a few months and then disappears. Go to almost any physical training facility and they will have a number of different sizes of balls.

The reason is simple. They work.

Pick up a anti-burst swiss ball. The cost is very reasonable. Try it in your next workout. You’ll be happy you did and you will notice the benefits almost immediately.

Bob Blick
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/start-using-the-swiss-ball-in-your-exercise-routine-today-123805.html

Have you been thinking of going on a diet and exercise program but every time it rolls around your head you automatically think of all your friends who have tried some of these programs but only lasted a few weeks on it?

The reason they have failed is because they set themselves up to fail. If you are going to be successful at diet and exercise you need to think it through throughly and then set your self up to win by knowing what’s going to happen and how it’s going to happen.

By doing this you will be ready for the changes in your life and will know what to expect. So here are the seven secrets to creating an effective diet and exercise program:

Step 1: Recognize the Importance of Diet and Exercise

This may sound simplistic but you need to recognize the importance of a good diet and exercise plan. If you’re just thinking about dieting and firming up…Forget it! You need to realize how vital diet and exercise routine is to your health.

You need to have a good reason to want to do the program. Ex.: You want to live a long time. You want time to enjoy your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

You might want to write a book or climb a mountain or cruise around in your motor home not knowing or caring where your next nights stop is going to be. The point is you need to have a reason to stop the neglect of your body. The alternative is looking at the bottom side of daisies and that is not very appealing.

The fact that you want to live a good healthy life has to sink in and be accepted by you and not just something you might want to try.

Step 2: Select a Diet and Exercise Program You Will Enjoy

There are all kind of diet and exercise programs out there. Most of them are pure junk! There are some very good ones though and at our web site we review some of the very best.

If you don’t like to cook then a lot of the programs are not for you. Trying to become a gourmet cook at the same time as going on the diet and exercise program will frustrate you and all those around you.

There are a couple of great programs that deliver tasty meals right to your doorstep so all you need to do is push the microwave button and you have a delicious nutritious meal.

Pick a type of exercise program that you enjoy. Picking something you don’t like to do is pure drudgery and you are too important to set your self up to fail.

The main thing is to get your body moving enough to raise your pulse above it’s resting rate. Here’s a partial list of activities that would do that:

Bicycling Jogging

Bowling Stair Climbing

Cross-country skiing Bicycling

Dancing Swimming

Gardening Tennis

Golfing Treadmill

Heavy house cleaning Walking briskly

Jazzercise Weight lifting

Kettlebells Hula-hooping

Try picking 4 or 5 of these activities and vary your routine. That way you won’t get bored by doing the same thing every time. Remember pick things you enjoy doing.

Step 3: Monitor Your Diet and Exercise Program Religiously

While you’re exercising, monitor your heart rate. In most gyms they have a machine to do this but it is just as easily done at home. Place your middle and index finger of one hand on your opposite wrist, or on the side of your neck just below the angle of your jaw. Beginning with zero count the number of heart beats for six seconds.

For your pulse rate add a 0 to this number. If you counted thirteen beats add a 0 and your pulse rare is 130.

To find your training rate subtract you age from 185. So if your age is 50 subtract 50 from 185 and your training rate would be 135.

Keep track of the weight you lose also. You will go through periods when you don’t see any results but don’t disparage, things are happening inside your body and will eventually show up on the scale.

Step 4: Do Your Diet and Exercise Program Often

“Bodies to Die For” are not built in a day but by sticking to your diet and exercise routine every day, one day at a time. Don’t worry about tomorrow it will take care of it’s self. Concentrate on today and do your thing. It won’t be long till you and all those around you will recognize the new you.

Step 5: Make it Exciting.

If you can find a workout and diet partner do it. Find a couple of people you know whom you would like to go walking with. By setting up a date to go walking you will certainly be more regular than if you rely on your own good intentions.

Try something different like hula-hooping. Get a couple of balanced hula-hoops, some good music to hoop to and get the body moving. Shake-it-up!

Step 6: Stay Excited

Stay excited and motivated. Read or page through some of the diet and fitness magazines, look at the pictures and imagine what you’re going to look like when you are all buffed up.

Set small realistic goals that are doable. Success breeds success. Write down your daily goals and check them off when you have accomplished them.

As I have said before don’t do the same thing every day. You will tire of the routine. Mix up your exercise routine the same as your diet. You wouldn’t want to eat the same thing day in and day out. Don’t do the same exercises every day.

Step 7: If in doubt Consult A Good Doctor

If you are over 40 or in bad physical shape you should consult a good Doctor. Exercise and diet change can be harmful if your heart is not able to take the increased demands on it.

Don’t allow yourself to use the Doctor visit as an excuse not to start your diet and exercise routine. Get up right now. Call a Good Doctor and make an appointment. Go to healthfood-guide.com and choose a diet and exercise program that’s right for you and you’re on day one of a very healthy and satisfying rest of your life.

Terry Schierer
http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/seven-secrets-to-creating-an-effective-diet-and-exercise-program-140435.html

Some people use aerobic exercise as a warm up exercise before they move on to their real workout such as lifting weights, using dumbbells and stuff like that. What they donâ??t realize is that doing these other exercises without combining it with some sort of aerobic exercise they will not be able to get the full benefits such as the muscle strength required to lift those dumbbells or other heavy weights. Lifting weights without using regular aerobic exercise may also affect the flexibility of your body. Aerobic exercises are usually geared to strengthen muscle and endurance and also improve flexibility for better body movement. Without these three important attributes you will not be able to benefit fully from any exercise program you chose.

In weight training which is basically a form of isotonic exercise (meaning same, strength, distance), the muscles are used to push up or pull the weights, whether they are dumbbells or barbells and can be adjusted to meet the required amount of weight that you may require and are easy to grip. Some forms of weight training exercises do not use isotonic exercises because the muscle force varies as the joint moves through the motion, but the force remains constant.

There are two basic types of exercises, strength training Exercises and aerobic exercises. Aerobic exercises increases your heart rate through rapid movement of large muscles. The two type of aerobic exercises are: Weight-bearing â?? such as walking jogging or skipping, this sort of exercise is where muscles will work against the force of gravity. The other is Non-weight-bearing â?? gravity is non existent in this type of exercise, these are exercises such as swimming or riding a bike. Strength training exercises are used mainly to increase the tone, power and efficiency of the muscles by toning isolated muscles against resistance.

When you compare different exercises with aerobic exercise you find that aerobic exercises offer a wider range of exercise to suit your specific needs, unlike other exercises that are basically designed for one particular purpose. Also aerobic exercises can be used in the treatment of a wide range of aliments such as heart problems, diabetes and arthritis to name a few. So to elaborate on the topic of aerobic exercises versus the rest, it would be fair to say that aerobic exercises stands out way in front of other exercises, and are practiced worldwide.

Anand R
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/aerobic-exercises-worth-doing-or-not-94915.html

Body21 Pilates Exercise Mats are studio quality made to be durable and soft for a comfortable and portable? workout surface anywhere it’s needed. They are perfect for Pilates exercise and give a soft touch and firm support for any floor exercise workouts.

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Tah-Dah! We’re proud to present the official stroller of Stroller Strides, the nationwide stroller exercise program founded by fitness expert Lisa Druxman. Based on the BOB Revolution stroller, it combines swivel-wheel maneuverability to this great way for moms-and dads-to stay in shape. To find out more about the Stroller Strides fitness program, please visit www.strollerstrides.com. Features: Stroller Strides Fitness Kit included: exercise bands and exercise manual inside a BOB handlebar console. Tough, welded frame, durable fabric, quality construction. It’s totally together, and built to stay that way. Front wheel swivels for unmatched maneuverablity in tight spaces and locks forward for reliable running over uneven surfaces. Fast, two-step fold-up design for stow-and-go portability. State-of-the-art suspension system for exceptionally smooth ride. Ultra padded seat reclines up to 70″ (from vertical): a 25″ increase over previous models Stroller weight: 32 lbs. Maximum capacity weight: 100 lbs.

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exercise routine at Barnes and Noble” />

Aerobics DVD – Nancy Marmorat: Daily Exercise Routine at Barnes and Noble

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