Summer Exercise Ideas

        Repetition is a word that can be useful and very boring. This word is useful in fitness to do the same exercise or weight lift activity multiple times to build up stamina and strength so that one becomes healthier.It also can be a very boring word doing the same routine over and over again.Therefore, the word variety is important to consider which  provides diversity to your fitness and weightlifting program. We found  a wonderful  variety of  summer exercises ideas that you can choose from to get away from the word repetition.

1. First, go outside and exercise! Get off the cardio machines and enjoy the fresh air. Have fun this summer with your cardio! Get off the machines, be creative and keep burning body fat. Get your doctor's clearance if you've been inactive for a while. The summer heat can be dangerous.

2. You still should set realistic goals for the summer such as restarting your active lifestyle, burning body fat (losing inches) or losing one to two pounds a week.

3. Start your summer exercise today with a 30-minute walk. Do this walk every day, somewhere, at some point (outdoors). You can break it up into three 10-minute walks if you want.

4. Get an exercise buddy to make it more fun.

5. Choose a 20-minute cardio routine or sport that you like such as biking, jogging, tennis, soccer, swimming, rock climbing, basketball, flag football, etc. Do this fun cardio three days a week.

6. Begin doing a 20-minute bodyweight strength exercise workout. You need to build muscle in order to burn fat and speed up your metabolism. Do your bodyweight exercise routine three days a week.

7. Schedule some fun activities each week such as a hike, bowling, water polo or a walk at the lake. If you do something like this more than once a week, that's even better. The purpose is to stay active with enjoyable activities.

8. Keep your jump rope with you at all times. Jump rope 10-15 minutes every day.

9. So, you think you can dance? Even if you can’t, dancing is fun and burns tons of calories. And, music makes exercise more fun!

10. If you like the water, try water skiing, wakeboarding or just swim.

11. Golf anyone? A round of golf is a great full body exercise.

12. Organize a weekly neighborhood volleyball or kickball game. Everybody likes volleyball/kickball and its easy and fun!

13. Try a charity walk or run. I did the March of Dimes 5K walk this year. You will feel good about helping others and your body gets the exercise.


14. Yardwork or gardening are great exercise options. Plus, you're getting something else done while exercising.

15. Start exercising or playing active games as a family. This is a great way to have fun and stay fit together.

16. Do full-body exercises with a medicine ball. Medicine ball exercises are naturally fun and demanding at the same time.

17. Play frisbee for 30 minutes with a partner. You'll be surprised how much you run, jump and throw.

18. Exercise during your kid's practices. Why sit around for one to two hours watching kids practice? Take advantage of the time and walk or jog.

19. Walk or bike to the store a few blocks away instead of driving.

20. Exercise at your hotel while on vacation.

So, it is important to have diversity this summer with all of the exercise options provided to you. We would like to thank Empowerher.com and Mark Dilworth for this useful article.If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email. 

Thank you for visiting! 

Joseph A. Jones  & The WellLife Team 

Outdoor Workout Guide

     Spring has arrived. It is a wonderful time of the year to get outside and exercise. These workouts  are invigorating and give us a chance to be with nature. Here are some exercises that you can do in the great outdoors without equipment using nature around you.

Walking Lunges -Click to view the video

Focus on proper technique. Make sure your knee does not go past your ankle.
Muscles Worked: Lower extremity, focus on quadriceps.
Starting Position
Start with your feet together. If you want to use dumbells, hold them in your hands with your palms facing your thighs.
Action
INHALE: Perform a lunge with one leg. Make sure that your knee is not past your ankle.
EXHALE:Instead of returning to the starting position, bring your other foot even with the one that just completed the lunge.
Tips
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FRONT KNEE DOES NOT GO PAST YOUR ANKLE. You may need to readjust by stepping out further. Hold onto a wall if you need to for balance


Decline Push Up on the Bench - Click to view the video
Find a park bench to do these on.
Muscles Worked: Pectorals, triceps, biceps, shoulders.
Starting Position: Place your hands shoulder-width apart on the bench. Bend your elbows and place your hands palm down on the floor beside your chest. Place your feet about an inch apart. Extend your elbows and hold yourself up on your toes. Make sure your back is in line with your lower legs. Stay as straight as possible.
Action: Slowly bend your elbows to lower your chest to the bench. Keep your back and legs as straight as possible. Stop just before your chest touches the bench.
Push back up to return to the starting position.


Tips:
1.     Exhale as your push up off the floor, inhale when you lower your chest down to the bench.
2.     Widen your hands to focus the exercise on your chest.
3.     Bring your hands closer together to focus the exercise on your triceps.
4.     Keep your head in the most comfortable position whether it is up or down.


Calf Raise – Click to view the video
Find a tree or a street sign to hold onto.
Muscles Worked: Calves
Starting Position
You will need a wall or a sturdy object to grab onto. Place both feet about 2-4 inches apart while holding on to the wall or sturdy object.
Action
INHALE: Stand as high as you can on your toes.
EXHALE:Return to the starting position.
Tips
Try to keep your legs as straight as possible. This will help tighten your lower extremity muscles and focus more of the resistance on your calves.


Side Seated Leg Lift – Click to view the video
Sit on a bench or in the grass.
Muscles Worked: Glutes, hamstrings.
Starting Position: Sit on the floor with one knee bent so that your foot is flat on the ground. Fully extend the opposite leg with your toes pointing up. Place your hands with your palms down for support.
Action: Raise the straight leg 4 to 6 inches off the ground. Move the leg to the side away from the leg that is bent. Go out to the side as far as possible.
Return the leg to the starting position. Repeat for the determined number of repetitions.
Repeat the exercise for the other side.


Tips:
1.     Keep the leg straight throughout the exercise.
2.     Keep the rest of your body as still as possible while doing a Side Seated Leg Lift.


Tricep Dips - Click to view the video
Use a bench for your Dips.
Muscles Worked: Triceps.
Starting Position: Sit on the side of the bench with your feet shoulder width apart. Place your palms to your side on the bench with your fingers facing the front. Let your fingers hang slightly off the edge of the bench so that they curl underneath the bench. Walk your feet out a few inches in front of you so that your glutes are no longer over the bench. Your knees should be at 90-degrees directly over your ankles.
Action: Bend your elbows and slowly lower your body to the ground. Stop when your elbows are at 90-degrees.
Push up on the bench with your hands and extend your arms to return to the starting position.


Tips:
1.     You may push off with your feet if you need assistance.
2.     To make the Triceps Dips more difficult, walk your feet out so that they are fully extended.              
3.     To further increase difficulty, place your feet on a chair or on another bench

Now, we can workout in the great outdoors without any equipment. Thank You to exercisemenu.com for this useful outdoor workout guide. The video links are a great learning tool to use. If you would like to contact us with any questions or feedback, you can reach us by email. 

Thank you for visiting! 

Joseph A. JonesWellLife Team