lifting the hips. Do eight to 12 repetitions.
Push-ups
Push-ups work the major muscle groups in the upper body. They can be done against a wall with your hands on a chair or on the floor with your knees up or down. According to the President’s Council on Fitness, push-ups are a good way to determine if upper body strength is good or poor.
When doing push-ups, keep your body in a straight line and do not drop the hips, which can occur if your arms are weak. If this happens, make the movement smaller and use good form. Make the movement bigger as your upper body gets stronger. Healthy adults should be able to do between 20 to 50 push-ups in a minute, depending on age and gender.
Lunges Lunges strengthen and tone the buttocks
and legs. Stand in a lunge position with the front knee aligned over the ankle. Keep the back heel up off the floor and the toes of both feet facing forward. Drop the back knee straight down, but do not lunge forward. It is important to keep the knee aligned over the ankle. Do wvst ateu .ed u /ex te ns i o n
eight to 12 repetitions and switch legs. Hold a weighted object to make the lunges harder. As part of family time, you can include your children (if they are able to perform) and husband/wife in these exercises. You can also make it interesting by including obstacle courses. Andrea Cespedes suggests in her article “List of Fun Exercises for Kids” to “set up an indoor or outdoor obstacle course. Indoors, line up a jump rope, a hula-hoop, a pillow, a ball and several cans or bottles. Have your child jump rope for 10 counts, swing the hoop for 30 seconds, jump over the pillow 10 times, dribble the ball for 30 seconds and weave through the cans. Ask them to repeat References it five to 10 times, then invite them to create their Caines, K. (2014, March 5). A List of own course.” If you prefer an outdoor environment for exercising, cold weather causes muscles to lose more heat and contract, resulting in tightness around the body. Therefore, joints get tighter, muscles lose their range of motion, and nerves can more easily be pinched (CNN, 2014). Make sure that you warm up a little longer to prevent damage. According to CNN (2014), a basic rule of thumb is to warm up for 10 minutes when the temperature is between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. For each 10-degree temperature drop below 35, extend your warm-up by five minutes. Some bodyweight exercises — like push-ups, dips, squats, lunges and bicycle crunches — are ideal for getting your blood flowing. Don’t let the fall and winter blues reduce your desire to be physically active this season, especially if you’re prone to indulge in high-calorie holiday treats. These simple and fun indoor and aroundthe-house exercises well keep you fit during the cold months while you’re waiting patiently for the spring thaw.
Go to our new blog at wvsuextension.com for videos of how to perform these exercises using the proper technique.
Workout Sessions To Do At Home. Retrieved 18 September, 2014, from Livestrong: www. livestrong.com Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, May 23). Facts about Physical Activity. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from www.cdc. gov/physicalactivity/data/ facts.html Cespedes, A. (2013, August 19). List of Fun Exercises For Kids. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from Livestrong: www.livestrong.com Dusen, A. V. (2008, February 27). Ten Reasons You’re a Couch Potato. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from Forbes: www. forbes.com Greviskes, A. (2014, February 7). Do your muscles hurt more when it’s cold outside? Retrieved September 18, 2014, from CNN Health: www.cnn.com Mendes, E. (2011, December 8). U.S. Health Habits Continue Sharp Winter Decline. Retrieved 18 September, 2014, from www.gallup. com/poll Newell, L. (2011, March 9). Best Home Workouts Without Equipment. Retrieved September 18, 2014, from Livestrong: www.livestrong.com
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