I'm Getting Too Old To Work Out and I'm Getting Fat

Is this you?  Is the scale in your bathroom creeping up?  Are you a plumper version of your old self?  AND/OR.....do you have injuries/pain which are keeping you from being able to workout the way you used to?

Ok, well....you're not alone.  I promise.  I hear it all the time.  I have a suggestion for you.

Find 10 different movements that you can do pain free.  Here are some suggestions:

Push Ups
Lunges
Squats
Step-Ups
Jumping Jacks
Jumping Rope
Jumping w/o the rope
Box Jumps
Running
Elliptical Machine
Stair Climber
Exercise Bike
Bike
Burpees
Box Dips
Wall Push Ups
Push Up Position Shoulder Taps
Calf Raises
Planks
Sit-Ups
Bird Dogs (cross crawl)
-there's an endless list of exercises that could be included

This is a version of step ups....most people can perform these pain free

-Pick One Each day
-It has to be a pain free exercise

Now do the exercise for 30 seconds, as many repetitions as you can.

Now rest for 30 seconds.

30 seconds on, 30 second off.  Go for 6 minutes.  Work your way up to 10 minutes.  Even 12 minutes.

Get your heart rate up.  Count how many reps you perform in each 30 second segment.  Attempt to match or top that in the next segment.

This is called High Intensity Interval Training.  There are many forms of it, this is just one option.  You can google "High Intensity Interval Training" and come up with thousands of options.

It's the most effective form of burning fat and maintaining muscle available.

Push Up Taps: Tap your hand to the opposite shoulder and switch.

I highly recommend this if your age 10, age 70, or any age in between.  Just don't do it if it hurts, select a simpler exercise.  Don't let pain or injury or age stop you.  Keep moving!

If you have any questions about any of these please email me at drscotthoar@gmail.com.  To schedule a personal appointment in Boca Raton, Fl dial my office at 561.997.8898.  To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com

You're doing those Lunges wrong.....

Lunges are one of the greatest exercises going.  They strengthen the hips, glutes, quads, and core.  They can be performed as a a cardio based exercise or with added weight as a strength training exercise.  There are many variation to keep you interested.  Here are a few tips for what mistakes I see when people perform lunges.

Common Lunge Mistakes:

1.  The toe is the first body part to hit the ground.
-this places far too much stress on the knee

2.  You lean forward with your spine
-typically this occurs because of either tight hip flexors or weakness of the quads

3.  Your knees go beyond your toe
-knee killer for sure

4.  Your knee collapses inward
-although this is a bit exaggerated, I'd say 9/10 lunges involve the knees collapsing too far in like this

Advanced Lunge Variations:

1.  Walking lunges
2.  In place lunges

3.  Reverse lunges

4.  Star Lunges
-a fantastic exercise for hip stability (yes that means you runners with IT Band syndrome)

5.  Unipolar weight lunges
-a great way to incorporate core into the lunge

6.  Overhead lunges
-making this a whole body exercise

If you have any pain during lunges or have questions and are in need of a movement assessment, contact my office at 561.997.8898 or email me at drscotthoar@gmail.com.  To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com