Ray Vargas | ISOTONEX High Intensity Training http://rayvargas.posterous.com Serving the San Jose, CA area posterous.com Wed, 25 May 2011 20:17:00 -0700 How to Make Fitness Easy Everyday http://rayvargas.posterous.com/how-to-make-fitness-easy-everyday http://rayvargas.posterous.com/how-to-make-fitness-easy-everyday

Experts recommend working out 45 minutes or more for weight loss and fitness.  But if you’re like most people, you don’t always have a block of 30 to 60 minutes a day to devote exclusively to doing your workouts.

You can still exercise–you just need to sneak in activities in resourceful ways.  The idea is to keep moving.  If you find that talking to a fitness pal is best for you while you exercise, use your cell phone to keep in touch with your fitness buddy.  Is high intensity music a motivator for you?  Grab your iPod and turn it up!  Find whatever works for you and just move.  Park half a mile from the mall and walk.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Those little, itty-bitty things add up.

Every Stolen Moment Adds Up

In a landmark study conducted at the University of Virginia,exercise physiologist Glenn Gaesser, PhD, asked men and women to complete fifteen 10-minute exercise routines a week.   After just 21 days, the volunteers’ aerobic fitness was equal to that of people 10 to 15 years younger.  Their strength,muscular endurance, and flexibility were equal to those of people up to 20 years their junior.

How to make fitness an every day part of your life by Certified Personal Trainer Ray VargasIn yet another study, researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore found that for improving health and fitness in inactive adults, many short bursts of activity are as effective as longer, structured workouts.   “It would be useful for people to get out of the all-or-nothing mind-set that unless they exercise for 30 minutes, they’re wasting their time,” says Gaesser.

While not a replacement for a regular fitness routine, breaking exercise into small chunks on your over scheduled days is a great way to get the ball rolling towards making major lifestyle changes and also can also keep your confidence up.  Skipping exercise altogether is ‘de-motivational’–you feel depressed and guilty.  If you skip it, you tend to figure, ‘What’s the use? I can’t keep up with it anyway.’   Yet as long as you make some effort each day, that motivates you onward.  Success breeds success.”

Keep in mind, though, that short bursts of exercise are meant to supplement, not replace, your regular fitness routine.  Here’s a roundup of practical ways to work exercise into your day even when you “don’t have time to exercise.”   You don’t have to do them all in one day; select what works for you.

  • Travel with a jump rope in your car – this oldie but almighty goodie is a great way to burn extra calories quickly and takes up virtually zero space.  Start with jumping as long as you can until you break the pattern.  Rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute and repeat.  20 minutes of this routine can easily burn 200 calories if you give it full effort.
  • Use your boss as your accountability coach – Find an enjoyable route near your work and map the distance out in your car.  Walk or run the course during lunch hour and tally your total elapsed time. Then try to reduce the total time its takes to complete the pre-determined distance by 5 seconds each day.  If the boss is waiting for your return; you are likely to put a little extra hop in your step.
  • Play with your kids – if you watch little kids at play; you will notice they are always moving.  Jumping, running, hopping, dancing and smiling are part of their regular activities.  This is natural movement at its best.  Turn your family time into a calorie burning experience by mimicking and getting active with your family at playtime.

Ray Vargas, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

ISOTONEX High Intensity Training & Sports Nutrition

Serving the San Jose, CA area

Telephone: 408-506-2209

Schedule a consultation here

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Tue, 24 May 2011 08:38:00 -0700 Move It To Lose It http://rayvargas.posterous.com/move-it-to-lose-it http://rayvargas.posterous.com/move-it-to-lose-it

Let’s face it. We all want to be healthy.  We all want to be beautiful, inside and out.  We are also terrified of those high insurance premiums that are getting higher by the day.  So how do we get so healthy that we glow with vitality and a healthy, happy attitude?

Physical exercise is hugely beneficial because it helps maintain and improve your health from a variety of diseases and premature death.  It also makes you feel happier and increases your self esteem so that you are less likely to fall prey to worried about your health or your appearance.   Exercise has also been shown to make a person with an active lifestyle live longer than a person who doesn’t.

Hiring a personal fitness trainer is certainly an option to help you get your fitness levels where you want them, but you can also sneak in some healthy movements just be being more aware of how you move your body around all day long.  This is not a new idea, but just parking your car at the far end of the parking lot when you are going shopping at the mall can get some much needed walking in.  Or how about parking near a store that you have no intention of shopping in, but must pass through to get to the other side of the mall?  You can get very inventive with your movements once you begin to pay attention to just how efficient you are at saving yourself some steps!

The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises, and for this you will probably need a gym membership unless you have some great exercise equipment at home already.  You know the equipment that is currently being utilized as a clothes hanger?

I suggest you call your local gym and speak with a fitness professional about your health and weight concerns, find a solution that you can afford and that you are excited about doing and then get busy. And if you have significant health concerns, be certain to consult your doctor before beginning any strenuous exercise or weight loss regimen.

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Mon, 23 May 2011 19:53:00 -0700 Quick and Easy Home Workouts http://rayvargas.posterous.com/quick-and-easy-home-workouts http://rayvargas.posterous.com/quick-and-easy-home-workouts

If you are busy, not able to get up early morning or have no time to drive to the gym just follow this 20 minute home work out to help you build some momentum and get active.

This workout targets the whole body, improves cardiovascular efficiency and tones and strengthens the body:

  1. Jog in once place for three minutes.
  2. Jumping Jacks: 25 repeats. When landing, bend your knees slightly and land on the balls of your feet to reduce the impact on knee joints.  The goal should be to make no noise with your feet when landing.
  3. Crunches: 15 repeats. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent.  Place your hands behind your head with elbows pointing outwards.  Support your neck with your hands.  Keep your neck in a straight line with your spine.  Flex your waist to raise the upper torso from the mat.  Lower yourself until the back of your shoulders touches the mat.  This works your rectus abdominis.
  4. Hip Bridges: 10 repeats. Lie on your back.  With your hands at a 90 degree angle to the floor, lift your body off the floor to form a straight line, a sort of a bridge, from the shoulders to the knee.  The position should resemble a table … your hands and legs as the legs of the table and your upper body to your knees as the surface.  Hold this position for two seconds.  Squeeze your gluteus (butt muscles) and then lower yourself.  You are now working your lower back, hamstrings and gluteus.
  5. Steps Ups: 1 minute. You will need a stepper, bench or stool for this exercise.  Place 1 foot on the raised platform and power up through the heel of the raised foot until you are standing in a 1 leg balanced at top the platform.  Drop the back leg to start position and then switch the upper leg and repeat.  Alternate back and forth between both legs throughout the duration of the 1 mintue.  This quick exercise will work your hamstrings, gluteus and quads.
  6. Reverse Crunches: 15 repeats. Lie on your back with your hands on your sides.  Keep your knees bent.  Bring your knees towards your head, till your hips come slightly off the floor.  Hold this position for a second, and then lower your knees.  This exercise works your lower abs and obliques.
  7. Mountain Climbers: 1 minute. Start in a high push-up position and begin runinng in that position, supporting your upper body with the palms of your hands.  Keep your back straight.  The goal should be to keep your hips as still as possible while performing this drill.  You are working your triceps, deltoid muscles, gluteus, quads, hamstrings, and calves.
  8. Pushups: 15 repeats. You probably don’t need much direction for this one!  You are now working your triceps, deltoids and pectorals.  Can be preformed on the knees or in standard position – both are effective.
  9. Squat Thrusts: 1 minute. Stand straight.  Now, drop to a crouch position.  Immediately thrust your legs out straight behind on your toes, in push up position, now jump to pull legs back to the chest, in crouching position , then  stand up straight.  You are working your arms, chest and lower back.

Cool down by walking around, till your heart rate starts getting back to normal and make sure to take at least 5 minutes or so to stretch at the end.

1 minute rest is often needed in between sets, however if you feel fit enough you can shorten these breaks and cycle through this workout multiple times.

Proper form is always of the utmost importance to avoid injury.  Do not hold your breath  and always avoid jerky movements.  Remember to sip lots water during the workout.

Make it a great week everyone!

 

Ray Vargas, Certified Personal Fitness Trainer

ISOTONEX High Intensity Training & Sports Nutrition

Serving the San Jose, CA area

Telephone: 408-506-2209

Schedule a consultation here

 

 

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