I totally thought we had another week to tweak, adjust and go deeper into our form and then I looked at the calendar.
Thanksgiving is THIS WEEK!
I’m realizing it’s early this year, but I feel like it came up on me out of no where.
So here’s the deal...we need to ramp things up. Like NOW! No messin’ around. Just pure unadulterated exercise form to function, so we can keep moving & still have FUN this holiday season.
You ready?
Say YES!
You got your feet wet last week with the break down of The Squat (click, if you missed it). Now I am going to go over two more moves.
The Push Up & The Tick Tock.
To get the most bang for your buck, we are focusing on the push up. But I am going to admit something to you...I hate push ups. I love them because they strengthen the upper body & core at the same time but they are NOT my favorite. Even though I consider my midsection pretty strong, my upper body historically has been my weak point. And this, my friend, is exactly why I (you...we) need to do the uncomfortable thing of working on things we don't excel at. So without further delay, I present...
The Push Up - version 1 on the knees / version 2 on the toes
Spread your fingers out & place your hands wide.
As the elbows flair out, lower your chest down to a challenging depth.
In the down position your elbows should line up directly over your wrists. If not, re-adjust for your next rep.
Pressing through the whole hand to come back up to your start position.
Do 10-15 reps. Rest for 60 second. Repeat for up to 3 sets.
In class I often see people dropping their heads, like they are bobbing for apples. Keep your vision on the floor about a foot in front of you and keep your neck in line with the rest of the spine.
For some more tweaks, check out the mindful thoughts below.
Be Mindful:
Think of a push up as a moving plank, therefore your abs should stay firm, without restricting your breath and your torso should move as one unit.
Shoulders away from the ears, by sliding the shoulder down and along the spine, keeping your heart open to your thumbs but the ribs continually drawing inward
The Tick Tock
Lie on your back with your arms out in a Wide V and feet off the floor, knees bent or legs extended.
Slowly move the legs on a diagonal to the right then back to center.
Repeat to the left.
Continue for a count of 16-20 reps.
When the legs are moving to each side, keep the opposite shoulder grounded. This may limit how far down the legs go but don’t fret. The goal is not to go as low as you can go but more to keep control of the legs and engage in the core as you bring the legs back to center.
More mindful tips below...
Be Mindful:
The legs can be bent at any angle. The bigger the angle or more extension in the legs, the more challenging the exercise will be.
I stated “slowly” above because you want to avoid momentum taking over. No one's saying to move like a 🐢 but simply stay engaged through each and every rep.
Keep Breathing! Ideally, inhale as the legs go out to the side & exhale as you bring them back to center. But don’t get hung up on it. Just Breathe...
Between The Squat, The Push-Up & The Tick Tock you now have a mini workout ready-to-go. Put them together, as a 3 set routine and you will have hit the whole body in minutes.
See, no need to skip a workout or reply no to any celebrations this season.
You really can have your cake and eat it too!
Love,
Janine
What’s Happening with JBird Fitness:
With the holiday week here you’ll need every opportunity available to save time and get things done. So your featured workout of the week is Precision: Total Body. 15 minutes to get a full body workout in and burn the calories before they fill your belly.
Members: click HERE to go directly to the video library.
Non-Members: click HERE & come play with us for FREE!
Class Schedule:
Calling All Bucks County Peeps, plus your family & friends visiting with you this upcoming week! With Thanksgiving on Thursday this year, my classes are going on as usual. So you have three opportunities to play with me in person and I would LOVE to have guests come see what we do for FUN! All are welcome :)
Mondays 10:00am-10:55am
Wednesdays 11:00am-11:55am
Saturdays 8:45am-9:30am