Fitness Move of the Week: Burpees (Toddler Optional)

Feel like you're struggling to get everything done: parenting, work, spending time with friends and fitting in your exercise routine? Let me share a fun time-saving trick my husband and I use to scratch two of these things off our daily to-do list: We include our 18-month-old son in our workouts.

While your little one might not get the form correct (that's no excuse for you!), he or she will enjoy being included in your routine. And you'll likely find something to smile about while you engage in your sweat session. For instance, here's my son Reid trying to imitate his dad as he does burpees, an explosive, push-up-like move that offers some cardio benefits (meaning you burn calories), improves balance, increases flexibility and delivers a full-body workout. (To learn how to do the move properly, check out the instructions or the second video demonstration below.)

• Begin in a full pushup position, up on your toes, with your hands spread shoulder-width apart. Be sure you form a straight line from your toes through your butt and shoulders. Keep your head in a neutral position.

• Do a pushup; lower your body and chest, going as low as you can without touching the ground. Push back up to starting position.

• Jump both feet toward your hands simultaneously, landing as close to the middle of your hands as possible.

• Explode up from the ground, jumping as high as you can with your hands reaching toward the ceiling.

• Land from the jump and go into a deep squat, placing your hands on either side of your feet.

• Jump your feet backward to a full pushup position.

• Repeat. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions or do as many as you can (as quickly as you can) for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Fitness Move of the Week: Step Squat Jump

Even though the days are getting longer, with the kids out of school and weekends flying by, it seems that there's even less time to exercise than there was in the midst of winter. The best way to overcome this barrier is to combine moves that challenge your cardiovascular system (heart and lungs), burns calories and also offer some intense strength training benefits at the same time. 

The Step Squat Jump is one of these moves. It can be done anywhere, anytime, with a stair, a stool or even a curb, which makes it the ultimate go-to exercise when you're in a time crunch. This exercise works not only the quadriceps muscle (which is the largest muscle group in the body, located on the front of your thigh) but also your calves, glutes, hips, abdomen, shoulders, upper back and chest as you use your entire body to propel yourself as high as you can with each jump. To learn how to do it, watch the video demonstration or read the directions below.

• Begin standing parallel to a step. Place one foot up on the step—the higher the step, the more challenging the move—the other on the ground. Let your hands hang comfortably at your side.

• Bend at your hips and knees to perform a squat; your legs will be at different heights.

• Explode straight up into the air using your arms to help propel you toward the sky. Really push off of the leg on the step to get momentum. (The leg that's on the step is the leg that's working the hardest, although both legs are getting a great workout.) 

• Come back down, immediately going into a squat. Repeat 10 to 12 times on each side.

Fitness Move of the Week: Thrusters

Combining two exercises into one doesn't just cut down on time—it also increases the intensity of your workout, which can help you push past a plateau. For example, the thruster, a combo of the squat and the shoulder press, offers serious strength and cardio benefits. It works your upper and lower leg muscles and the muscles in your shoulders, back and neck. Plus, you get a small aerobic boost; the multi-muscle move requires more oxygen to be delivered throughout the body, as opposed to a move that targets a single area, causing the heart to beat faster to meet your body's increased demand. You'll probably notice your breath picks up when you do this move—yet you won't be able to do it for long periods of time because fatigue will set into your arms and legs, which is why this is still considered a strength move. Check out the video demonstration below or read on to find out how to do it.



• Start by picking up a weight in each hand. Lift the weights up to your shoulders with your palms facing your ears

• Slowly squat down as though you're sitting in a chair. Keep your weight on your heels so your knees don't extend over your toes. Stop when your knees are at a 90-degree angle.

• Slowly stand back up and as you do, press the weights overhead, toward the ceiling. As you extend—remember, don't lock your elbows—slowly rotate your arms so your palms face forward. (A slow, controlled rotation activates nerve impulses and muscle contractions in a variety of directions.)

• Rotate your arms back so your palms face your ears again as you lower the weights back down to shoulder height and squat down again.

• Repeat 12 to 15 times.

The Rookie Diaries: Kranking it Up with a New Fitness Trend!

Kranking. It sounds like what a toddler does when he's tired, or like the latest craze in German club dancing. But it's actually a relatively new fitness trend that can best be described as spinning for the arms. It grew out of the physical therapy realm (it's a great way for someone with a lower body or back injury to get some cardio as they recover), and it's more than just a gimmick. In fact, Kranking or Krankcycling—which was popularized by the same man who created Spinning (Johnny G)—just got some serious credence for being a bona-fide workout. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently released the results of a study showing that participants who Krankcycled sitting down for 30 minutes burned 269 calories and got their heart rate up enough to get a cardio benefit for 90 percent of workout (researchers estimate that you'd burn closer to 400 calories in an actual Krankcycle class, because you'd be standing up during part of the workout).

I was intrigued by the study, the idea of getting a cardio workout while my feet stayed planted on the ground, and motivated by an image of me sporting Michelle Obama's toned arms, so I met with ACE spokesman and certified trainer Chris McGrath, who took me through a Krankcycle workout at the Reebok Sports Club in New York. Check out the video below as Chris operates the Krankcycle and describe the myriad benefits—arm conditioning, core strength, increased heart rate, even balance and improved posture.

 

To get started, Chris first had me sit down on the bench—which is removable for wheelchair access—and he adjusted the arm wheels for my height and set the resistance at a low level (you can increase or decrease the resistance for a harder or lighter workout). Then he got on his Krankcycle, just a few feet from mine, "cranked" up the music and we started to Krank. First, we spun our arms in tandem, the left and right arms both turning the same direction at the same speed; then we reversed the spin; then he had me spin my arms in opposite directions, which took a little more coordination and focus.

We were barely two minutes into the workout when I felt sweat break out on my brow. I was surprised at how hard my heart was pumping when the only things moving were my arms! Chris then had me stand up and that's when it truly became a full-body workout. Placing the right foot slightly in front of the left (or vice-versa), gives you better leverage so you can increase the intensity. I also found that trying to keep my core facing forward with my feet in this position really engaged my ab muscles. I can see how you could tone your abs without doing a single crunch! If I keep this up, I could challenge our First Lady to an arm wrestling contest and have a fighting chance!

The beauty of Krankcycling—especially when you're standing while doing it—is that it's a "reflexive" exercise. "This means that your whole body is accounted for, your whole body is engaged, and that's how you want to feel and move in real life," Chris explains. When you engage your core properly while exercising—whether it's in Krankcycling, Pilates or lifting weights—your body learns to do it automatically, or "reflexively," even when you're not working out. (Hint: An easy way to engage the core? Just practice perfect posture!)

One important note, however: Krankcycling doesn't replace arm weights. "Just as cycling doesn't replace resistance training for your lower body, you shouldn't stop using traditional weights for your arms," says Chris. Krankcycling definitely tones, increases strength, and ups endurance, but you still need to "pump iron” to keep your whole upper body in tip-top shape.

Want to try it yourself? Log on to the Krankcycle website for a list of gyms across the country that offer Kranking. Keep in mind that cardio is all about getting your heart rate up, and you don't have to jog on a treadmill to make that happen. Kranking, fast walking, lifting, rowing—anything that gets your blood pumping and leaves you a bit breathless is a good thing.

Thanks so much to Chris McGrath—who is also the owner of Movement First (a personal training organization in New York City)—and to ACE and Reebok Sports Club New York for their participation in this blog!

Rookie Diaries: A Fun Way to Jump Start Your Fitness

Last Thursday, at Crunch gym in Union Square, I had the kind of workout my inner eight-year-old would find "radical!" (That's how hip third graders talked when I was a kid.) It's called Boing with Kangoo, and it's like doing old-school aerobics wearing 21st-century boots with springs. The trick isn't balancing; balancing is the easy part, at least while you're in motion (it's harder to balance standing still). The work—and the fun!—is in the bounce and in getting height while you do the moves. Because each boot weighs a couple pounds, you're essentially strength training as you're doing cardio, so it's really a two-for-one workout, and the kind my body sorely (emphasis on sorely) needed.

I can't remember the last time I sweat so much, and I swear my heart rate shot up to Mach 10. I consider myself to be in decent shape, but I had no idea how much more potential there was for me to push myself to the limit, especially when the charmingly persuasive instructor (I'm talking to you, Mario!) won't let you sit it out during the sped-up Lady GaGa portion of the routine. I also had no idea how tall and svelte a pair of Kangoo Jump boots can make you feel and look. (Warning: Taking them off will make you feel short and dumpy for a little while.)

Want to see how it's done? Mario Greene, the aforementioned, totally cut Kangoo superstar and teacher of Crunch's NYC Boing with Kangoo classes did a demo just for the Best Life blog. Check out the video below to watch him bounce and hear about the fitness benefits: Core strength, posture, aerobic capacity, muscle tone, and more.

 

Boing Kangoo is a growing trend: Crunch fitness gyms in New York and Miami offer the classes, and free-form groups are popping up (no pun intended) across the country. Aficionados actually jog outdoors in them! You can log on to Kangoo Jumps to check out their events page and see if there's a meet-up in your area, or to order the boots and bounce on your own.

Regardless of whether you can find Kangoo classes in your area, I would encourage anyone to sign up for a different-from-the-norm fitness class at least once a month or so, even if you're not a class person. Here's why: Our muscles become used to our routine workouts, and once they adapt, they're not working as hard. Trying a new sport or class will keep things interesting, work different muscles (or work the same muscles in different ways) and take you to the next level. Exercise should never feel too easy—if it does, it's not really exercise anymore, and it's time to switch things up.

Thanks to Crunch fitness and Mario Greene for injecting some fun and fitness into my week and reminding me what it feels like to really work it!

Michelle's Training Update: Finding The Balance

Yesterday I went to the gym and had a great workout. I did a 30 minutes on the stair climber, and performed 10 strength training lifts.

Then today, I went to a yoga class. I felt amazing as I left the studio, but it was a different kind of post-workout glow—not the same feeling as after yesterday's cardio step workout and strength session.

I thought about the difference between the two and this is what I discovered. The gym allows me freedom to go whenever I want, I can choose between a number of pieces of cardio equipment as well a variety of strength training exercises. On the other hand, the yoga studio gives me an opportunity to let my mind relax, and I don't have to think about what I want to do next as my yoga instructor will tell me. 

In yoga, as I'm working on stretching muscles (that I forgot I had and definitely didn't know were so tight!), my focus is redirected. I concentrate on myself versus the world outside. I leave both places—the yoga studio and the gym—feeling tired, uplifted, stronger and overall happier than when I first walked in the door.

I am so excited that yoga is a part of workout routine now because allowing a new practice into my life allows me to work not only on myself physically, but also mentally and spiritually in a variety of ways.

I'm excited to see the results as I continue to workout in the gym as well as attend yoga classes. I feel there is a lot I can learn from my friends who are "yogis" as well as "gym rats." I am learning a combination of both practices will work best for me.  

I think that is what a lot of the articles, advice, and community boards on www.thebestlife.com are all about: It's an opporutnity to see what others think or to read about their experiences before you jump in and try somehting else. While I value other's opinions, ultimately what works for me is the best form of exercise.