A Perfect Exercise

Many years ago, I heard Jack LaLanne, the “Godfather of Fitness” say “if you only have time to do one exercise, do push ups.” Why? Because the simple push up is the single exercise that engages every muscle group in your body.  To perform a proper push up, you have to use your arms, chest, abs, hips and legs. It requires that you hold you body like a plank –with all your muscles flexed – balancing on your hands and the balls of your feet. The act of lifting and lowering your entire weight is challenging, even for someone who’s fit. The push up is the ultimate measurement of your fitness level.

An Enduring Measure of Fitness

Many people simply don’t have the upper body strength to do a push up, men and women alike. As our nation gains weight, arms are collapsing under the mass of our own bodies.  And, in the effort to lose weight, we concentrate more on aerobic exercise to burn calories and neglect strength training. As we age, the ability to do push ups in proper form and more than once is an important indicator of our ability to endure the rigors of growing old.

For instance, researchers who study the biomechanics of falling note that push ups can provide the strength and muscle memory to reach out and break a fall. If you’ve ever fallen forward, you know that you automatically reach out to catch yourself, ending in a move that is like a push up. Ideally, as your hands hit the ground, your wrists and arms absorb the impact and your elbows bend to reduce the force.  But without upper body strength, your elbows buckle, and you continue to fall until your head hits the ground.  And without muscle mass to help protect your bones, one or more may break!

Through the natural process of aging, we lose as much as 30 percent of our muscle mass between the ages of 20 and 70. Regular exercise that includes strength training can prevent that decline.  Women are at a particular disadvantage because we start off with about 20 percent less muscle than men.

Based on national averages, a 40-year-old woman should be able to do 16 push ups. A man the same age should be able to do 27. By the age of 60, the numbers drop to 17 for men and 6 for women.

The Proper Form

Properly performed push ups work the pectoral (chest) muscles, the triceps (back of the arms), biceps (fronts of the arm), the deltoids (shoulders), latissimus dorsi, rhomboids and trapezius (upper back), plus the forearms, wrists and hands. Additionally the abdominal muscles, lower back, glutes, hamstrings and calves are flexed  in order to stabilize the body.

• Begin on all fours – hands and knees – with your hands positioned directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
• Straighten your legs so that you are in a plank position with your back straight, your neck in line with your spine (chin slightly tucked), your tailbone tucked and abs tight. You should be in a straight line from the tip of your head to your heels, resting on the balls of your feet.
• Inhale and lower down until your arms are bent at a 90 degree angle (your chest should not touch the floor).
• Exhale and push up until your arms are almost straight. Keep your arms slightly bent to keep the chest muscles activated and the pressure off of your elbows.
• Keep the movements controlled and repeat as often as you’re able while holding your position properly.
• Perform some stretches to complete your workout.

(To see how your core muscles benefit from the push up, try performing one push up without holding your abs tight and your tail tucked. You’ll feel the difference immediately, most likely with discomfort in your lower back as it sags towards the floor.)

If the standard, floor-based push up is too difficult, don’t give up. There are lots of modifications that you can try. Start by standing about 3 feet away from a wall or countertop, place your hands against the surface in line with your shoulders, and press up and down. Eventually, as your strength increases, move to floor push ups on your knees. One great thing about push ups is that, performed daily, your strength increases quickly.  Set a goal for yourself.  If you can perform 10 reps today, make yourself do 11 tomorrow.

Push Up Perks.

• Push ups can be performed anywhere and require no equipment.
• They’ll tone your arms, shoulders, chest and upper back without adding bulk. (Sorry, guys, but if you want bulk, you have to lift weights.)
• There are a great variety of ways to perform push ups that will increase tone in different muscle groups, such as the triceps.
• Push ups increase shoulder strength and overall health of the shoulder joints.
• Push ups improve your reaction time by training your proprioceptive fibers (microscopic nerves responsible for keeping your body balanced) to respond more quickly.

At age 95, Jack LaLanne is still doing push ups as part of his 90-minute daily workout.  As he recently told a reporter for the New York Times, “I hate it … but I like the results. Exercise is something you’ve got to do the rest of your life.”

Natural Fitness is a company that takes conservation very seriously. Their products are made of natural, sustainable and recycled materials. The yoga mats are made from natural rubber; yoga blocks from cork and bamboo; yoga straps and mat bags from hemp; and the handles on their rubber resistance tubes are made from recycled plastic. The packaging for every product is made from recycled paper.  In addition, they have initiated the Zero Impact Program - for every Natural Fitness product sold, in some area of the planet a tree is planted where it’s most needed to help moderate the climate, improve air quality, conserve water and harbor wildlife. Past projects have included areas of Asia, Africa and the Americas. Even the Natural Fitness website is “green” — it’s completely powered by solar energy.

One of my favorite products made by Natural Fitness is the exercise ball.  They have two grades – one designed for use with most exercise programs that is burst resistant to 300 lbs, and one that is designed to withstand the most rigorous exercise regimens that is burst resistant to 600 lbs.

Natural Fitness exercise balls have slightly textured surfaces that provide grip and keep you from sliding. Most PVC products utilize plasticizers that contain phthalates to make the material soft and flexible. but phthalates have been proven to be harmful to the environment and pose health risks to humans.  Natural Fitness developed a non-toxic, phthalate-free plasticizer for its vinyl products. This makes the ball somewhat stiff at first, which is probably why the instructions say to inflate it to 80% of its recommended size, let it sit for 24 hours and then fill to its full volume. This gives the vinyl time to “rest” before inflating fully.

I found the included “fast pump” easy to use until I got to the last few centimeters. Then it seemed as if air was escaping through the pump every time I pulled the handle up. So I hauled out my handy-dandy rechargeable air compressor (that I keep in my car for emergencies) and finished filling the ball that way. I probably should have just used it from the start, but I wanted to test the hand pump.  A plug kit is included in the box, so you can use whatever method you want to inflate the ball. Just be careful not to over inflate it.

The textured surface isn’t sticky – animal hair and dirt don’t cling to the vinyl.  I noticed a bit of a smell at first, but it wasn’t offensive and does fade.

The Natural Fitness Exercise Ball comes with a DVD that includes a warm-up, workout and cool-down, with two workout levels – beginner and intermediate. An exercise chart is also included in the kit, along with the pump and plug kit, as mentioned earlier.

When shopping for your exercise ball, be sure to choose by size, not by color. If you’re 6’ tall and you choose the 55cm ball because you like its plum color, you’re going to be very disappointed when you sit on it and your knees are level with your chin!!  Generally, the 45cm ball is for heights 4’7” to 5’; 55cm for heights 5’1” – 5’7”; 65cm for heights 5’8” – 6’1”; and 75cm for heights 6’2” and over. When you sit on your ball, your knees should bend at a 90 degree angle.  If you have extremely long legs and are short-waisted, you may want to go up a size; if your legs are short and waist long, you may want to go down a size.

You can accomplish so much with an exercise ball – increase your core strength, flexibility, range of motion, balance and coordination; and it can be incorporated into any yoga, Pilates or strength-training routine.  Use your ball as a chair, and you can work your abs and burn a few extra calories while watching television or working at your desk. And remember, by purchasing the Natural Fitness exercise ball, you get to help the planet by planting a tree!

Have you noticed a new trend recently regarding the stability ball?  These wonderful fitness tools aren’t just being used in the gym — they’re now being used in offices and schools as replacements for standard chairs.

Grammar school teachers have been providing them for their classes. Because the students must frequently change positions to maintain balance, teachers find that they have improved alertness and concentration.  Experts say that the brain is stimulated by the use of the core muscles as the kids shift positions on the balls, causing them to be more focused.

Adults are also getting into the balancing act at the office.  Many have replaced their desk chairs with these exercise balls, getting a workout while at work.  In an article in courier-journal.com, Indiana University’s School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation kinesiology lecturer Kelly Jo Baute states that while sitting on a stability ball, the body is allowed to move more freely than when sitting in an office chair, which provides an opportunity to strengthen the postural muscles.  Additionally, the quadriceps and hamstring muscles are activated by working to keep the ball from rolling around.

According to Chard Garvey, a physical therapist with the Jeffersontown office of KORT (Kentucky Orthopedic Rehab Team), “bodies like movement.  The more people tend to move, as a general rule, the better they tend to feel versus sitting in a chair that you don’t have to use a lot of musculature to support yourself.”  (Carter, Darla. “Stability balls get a workout subbing as office desk chairs.” courier-journal.com • December 10, 2009)

If you‘re thinking about replacing your desk chair with a stability ball, make the change gradually over time.  Baute recommends an approach of about 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon.  And you may have to build up to that.  Also, be aware of your posture.  Because there is no back support, you may tire and begin to slouch.

Stability balls are known by many names, i.e. exercise ball, fitness ball, gym ball, yoga ball, Pilates ball and Swiss ball. They come in several sizes, so be sure to choose the size that allows your hips and knees to be at a 90 degree angle when your feet are on the floor.  (Don’t choose by color — they’re color-coded by size.)  Generally, if you are 4’11” to 5’4”, choose a 55 cm ball; 5’5” – 5’11”, choose a 65 cm ball; and over 6’, choose a 75 cm ball.  Also, be sure the ball you choose is burst resistant and is fully inflated so that it is firm.  If you have back problems, check with your doctor before attempting to make the switch.  And be careful … you could fall off!

If you’re in the market for a high quality stability ball, consider the Natural Fitness Burst Resistant Exercise Ball.  It provides a firm, comfortable surface, is burst resistant to 600 lbs. and is made of non-toxic, phthalate free, latex free composite vinyl.  Natural Fitness plants a tree for every one of its products sold. Their Zero Impact Program funds this important reforestation program in areas of the world most needing the benefits of agroforestry and with tree species chosen for the greatest impact to the local ecology and people.

If you are the least bit interested in getting in shape and looking fit and healthy, you’ve probably heard about the importance of having a strong “core.”  But what does a “core training” mean?  Well, let’s define it, understand its relevance, and then look at some of the great equipment available to help you develop and maintain it.

Your “core” is the midsection of your body from your groin to your shoulders.  It includes the pelvis, glutes, abs, back and chest muscles. These muscles work together to control movements, transfer energy, shift body weight and move in any direction.

Core strength distributes the stresses of weight bearing and protects your back. It’s these core muscle groups that work in harmony to transfer power from the legs to the upper body and vice versa. Every move you make starts from your core.   In order to be effective, core conditioning exercises need to target all these muscles.  A flat tummy or “six-pack” abs doesn’t mean you have a strong core. Strong abdominals without strength in the muscles in your back, hips and glutes won’t provide the benefits of core fitness:

• Good posture
• Greater balance and stability
• Improved body control
• Increased power output to your extremities – your shoulders, arms and legs
• Reduced risk of injury
• Decrease in, or prevention of, low back pain

The following is a list of products that you can use to develop and strengthen your core region.

1. An exercise mat.  Whether you’re performing the standard crunch, the bicycle, a reverse crunch, or any other floor exercise, a thick mat will protect your from a cold, hard floor and offer cushioning for your spine, elbows, hips and knees.
2. Exercise ball.  The exercise ball is known by many names, i.e., fitness ball, stability ball, balance ball, Swiss ball, yoga ball, etc.  By performing standard floor exercises on one of these balls, you’re increasing the level of difficulty by adding balance and leverage challenges and increasing your range of motion. You can even use them as chairs … get a workout while sitting at your desk or watching TV.
3. Foam Roller.  Increase the intensity of your mat work by performing ab exercises or chest presses while balancing on its unstable surface.
4. Stability or balance disc.  A very versatile piece of equipment.  I use this on my chair while sitting at my desk (I’m using one now).  It engages the core muscles that are normally at rest while sitting.  The disc can also be used to stand on – try it while doing squats or lunges; or sit on it while doing crunches.  Many of the exercises that you perform on a balance ball can be performed on the disc.  It allows for an increase in your range of motion but offers a little more stability and takes up less space.
5. The Ab Wheel.  This is an extremely effective piece of equipment when used properly.  It isn’t for beginners, though.  It requires both abdominal and back strength and a lot of control.
6. Balance Board or Core Board.  Different products, but same results.  Stand on it with one or both feet for balance training. Excellent for yoga, skiing, golf, martial arts, soccer and any other activity that requires good balance and lower body strength and agility.
7. Resistance Bands & Toning Tubes.  The use of bands and tubes create tension throughout every part of your exercises.  You recruit more muscle fibers to maintain good form and to keep your movements smooth.
8. Dumbbells and Workout Bars.  If you want to maximize your strength gains, you have to add resistance to your core exercise, especially once they become easy.  Adding strength training with weights to your workout challenges you to maintain good form and stability while building and toning your muscles.
9. Push Up Bar.  One of the best exercises you can perform for total body strength is a push up (just ask Jack LaLanne). Done properly, it is a compound exercise that uses muscles in the chest, shoulders, triceps, back, abs and even the legs. A push up bar provides a variation to the standard push up by increasing your range of motion while reducing stress on your wrists and forearms.
10. Pull Up Bar.  One of the most overlooked exercises for building upper body, back and core strength.  Add a pair of ab slings to work out the lower abs and hip flexors by hanging from the bar and trying to lift your knees.

Core stabilizing and strengthening exercises should be a part of every fitness program.  Core exercise equipment will help you reap the benefits of  a strong core:  you’ll stand straighter, look leaner, feel stronger and perform better.