Challenge #5: Tighten and Tone

Week Five: February 1, 2010

Challenge: Tighten and Tone

We made it through January! And with a new month in mind, comes a new challenge, with a little more work!  Our body is made up of a number of muscles, ranging in size, length and strength.  When we spend the time to strengthen our muscles, we don’t only improve our posture and physique, but we also improve our metabolism!  The stronger your muscles are (through weight and strength conditioning), the more calories you will burn while working out or at rest! 

There’s no better way to start than to get moving with a focus on the largest muscles of the body: Your quadriceps and gluteus muscles (legs and buttocks).  The best way to increase the strength here: SQUATS!  Your challenge this week: to squat every other day (you get a day of rest in between). Changing up the way you move through your squats will keep you moving, and interested in what’s next.

One more piece of advice: Remember what muscles you’re working (legs and buttocks), so you know WHERE you should be feeling the work, and always keep your core muscles engaged!! (re-visit challenge 3 if you need to freshen up on this).  It is very common to push weight into your knees the first times you complete a squat….stay away from this.

To help you get the right form, complete chair squats the first day.  Standing up in front of your chair, feet outside your hips, sit your butt back towards the seat, using leg control as you do so.  Just before you touch that seat, engage the gluteus muscles and drive through your heels to get yourself back up to a standing position.  You can try a wall squat on your next day of squats, keeping your back long and strong against a wall while you sit deep (remember to have your feet away from the wall so you can see your toes beyond your knees).  Need a little more? Try combining a squat with an overhead press on your next shot, and finally if you’re really up for a challenge, aim for a squat with an added side kick on your fourth day!

How long? Dedicate 3-5 minutes every other day for these exercises.  Remember, we’re building strength, improving our stamina and increasing your metabolism, while keeping the exercises exciting and challenging!  Don’t forget to keep getting your steps in, and crunching your abdominal muscles stronger, while paying attention to good nutrition to provide your body with the proper energy it needs!!