Journeys Fitness
"...because life is not a destination."
                                                                             















































 




 

 


  

 
Workouts
**Always consult your doctor prior to starting
any diet and exercise program.**
brownie batter and cake batter

A Senior Moment...



 
  ***A drug-free competitive bodybuilder and 2005 winner of the prestigious WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation) Pro Card, Raphael Calzadilla is a veteran of the health-and-fitness industry. He specializes in a holistic approach to body transformation, nutrition programs and personal training. He earned his B.A. in communications from Southern Connecticut State University and is certified as a personal trainer with ACE and APEX. In addition, he successfully completed the RTS1 program based on biomechanics.

DUMBBELL SQUAT

    Starting Position:
  • Position feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.
  • Hold 2 light to moderate weight dumbells at your sides.
  • Your back should be straight and abs contracted.
   
    Movement:
  • Squat as if you are lowering yourself into a chair.
  • Slowly return to the starting position being careful not to
              lock your knees.

    Key Points:
  • Exhale while rising up.
  • Inhale while returning to the starting position.
  • Keep your eyes focused out in front of you.
  • Your knees should not extend beyond your toes.



The Sports Authority

The Best Medicine
By Sheree Crute, March & April 2008

Once upon a time mainstream doctors looked askance at alternative treatments, especially when it came to chronic diseases. Now, the medical establishment is embracing a new way to heal.

READ MORE...
 
Exercise for Seniors

Is it safe for me to exercise?

It is safe for most adults older than 65 years to exercise. Even patients with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis, can exercise safely. Many of these conditions are improved with exercise. If you are not sure if exercise is safe for you or if you are currently inactive, ask your doctor.

READ MORE...
Silverts.com

What is the Pilates Method of Exercise?
-By Marguerite Ogle, About.com
  Updated: December 1, 2007

Pilates is a form of exercise, developed by Joseph Pilates, which emphasizes the balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility, and awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement. Pilates is one of the most popular exercise systems in the country. It seems like everyone is either doing Pilates, or interested in starting a Pilates exercise program. Indeed, one of the best things about the Pilates method is that it works so well for a wide
range of people. Athletes and dancers love it, as do seniors, women rebounding from pregnancy, and people who at various stages of physical rehabilitation.
The top benefits doing of Pilates exercise that people report are that they become stronger, longer, leaner, and more able to do anything with grace and ease.

READ MORE...








Circuit Training Basics

What do you get when you cross an intense weight workout with an equally demanding cardio routine? Circuit training.

This is fast-paced weight training where you move from exercise to exercise -- sometimes running from one to another -- without taking a break.

Many exercises focus primarily on strengthening or cardiovascular activity, but circuit training combines both. You get to build up your muscles and your heart.

Instruction is typically offered in small groups. Each activity is brief, in some cases lasting as little as 15 seconds. Then you move right on to the next station, without resting so you keep burning calories and working your heart.

Activities range from weight machines to exercise bands to dumbbells to calisthenics. There may be several dozen stations, with a session lasting half an hour or so.

READ MORE...
EXERCISE of the MONTH


How Can I Prevent Another Hip Fracture?


To help prevent a hip fracture, you should:

  * Get regular physical activity to keep your bones
     and muscles strong.
   * Don't drink or smoke.
   * Eat and drink more products with calcium (for
     example: milk, cottage cheese, yogurt,
     sardines and broccoli) to keep your bones
     strong.
   * Take vitamin D each day, which helps your
     body absorb calcium. Your doctor can tell you
     how much vitamin D is safe for you.

READ MORE...
 


YOGA POSE OF THE MONTH
Downward-Facing Dog
(Adho Mukha Svanasana)

  Step by Step:

  • Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms, index fingers parallel or slightly turned out, and turn your toes under.

  • Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the pubis. Against this resistance, lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins.

  • Then with an exhalation, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor. Straighten your knees but be sure not to lock them. Firm the outer thighs and roll the upper thighs inward slightly. Narrow the front of the pelvis.

  • Firm the outer arms and press the bases of the index fingers actively into the floor. From these two points lift along your inner arms from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them and draw them toward the tailbone. Keep the head between the upper arms; don't let it hang.

  • Adho Mukha Svanasana is one of the poses in the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. It's also an excellent yoga asana all on its own. Stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Then bend your knees to the floor with an exhalation and rest in Child's Pose.

Find more poses online at Yoga Journal.com.