30-Minute Holiday Workout

7 Exercises to Work Your Whole Body!

-- By Nicole Nichols, Fitness Instructor

Think you have no time to fit in fitness on this holiday? Think again! These seven exercises can be done almost anywhere, and you don't need any equipment at all—just a chair. By quickly progressing from one exercise to the next, you'll keep you heart rate up and speed through three full sets of each exercise in about 30 minutes flat.

If you don't have 30 minutes in the morning or evening, then keep this list of exercises with you. Steal a few minutes where you can—your body will still benefit, even if you split up your workout throughout the day.

30-Minute Holiday Workout
Aim for 15 repetitions of each exercise, then move to the next exercise. Repeat the series two more times.

Squats 15 reps Stand with your feet wider than shoulders, toes pointed forward. Inhale and bend your knees to slowly lower your body as if sitting back into a chair. Keep your weight in your heels and your back as upright as possible. Make sure your knees don’t cross the plane of your toes. Exhale and straighten legs back up to the starting position to complete one rep.
Forward Lunges 15 reps Stand with your feet about 6 inches apart, toes pointed forward. Inhale and step forward with one leg and lower your body to 90 degrees at both knees. Your weight on your heels and your knees should not cross the plane of your toes. Exhale to push up to the starting position to complete one rep. Repeat all reps on one leg, then switch to complete one set.
Calf Raises with Chair 15 reps Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, lightly holding on to a chair for balance. Exhale and lift your heels to rise up onto balls of feet. Inhale and slowly return to start position to complete one rep.
Triceps Dips with Bent Knees 15 reps Sit tall on the edge of a sturdy chair or step and wrap your fingertips over the front edge. Place feet on the floor in front of you with knees bent. Lift hips and butt upward and slightly forward, balancing your weight evenly between your heels and your hands. Inhale and bend elbows about 90 degrees to lower your body toward the floor. Exhale and press up until elbows are straight, but not locked to complete one rep.
Modified Pushups 15 reps Come down to hands and knees, with hands about shoulder-width apart and knees in line with hips. Keep your abdomen tight and your spine in a neutral position. Inhale and bend your elbows and lower your body towards the floor. Exhale and push up so that your arms are straight, making sure your elbows aren’t completely locked to complete one rep.
Swimming 15 reps Lie facedown, arms and legs outstretched, head in line with spine. Exhale and lift left arm and right leg off floor. Inhale and lower. Repeat on the opposite side to complete one rep.
Bicycle Crunches 15 reps Lie on your back, hands behind ears, legs extended. Exhale and crunch up, twisting your body so that your left elbow reaches towards your right knee. Inhale as you transition and switch sides/legs. Repeat on opposite side to complete one rep.

Source : www.sparkpeople.com

Most people believe that all exercises are good, safe and effective. After all, it's all exercise, and that has to count for something, doesn't it?

The truth is that some of the machines in gyms aren't safe at all (especially for people who have common muscle, joint, and health problems). Certain exercises require a bit more know-how than the average person possesses. And other exercises are downright wastes of your time.

But before we examine some of the most controversial exercises, I want to make it clear that every exercise on this list isn't always unsafe or ineffective for everyone. What you should do—or avoid—depends on your goals, fitness level, health history, workout schedule, and other personal issues. An article like this can't replace your own efforts to identify your goals and needs. That requires you to do some research on your own, talk to your medical professional about any pain or physical limitations you have, and learn how to exercise with proper form and technique.

So what makes an exercise risky? Here are a few red flags to look out for:

• Any unusual or “unnatural” movement pattern in the exercise
• Any movement that causes pain or discomfort in any way
• Any movement that enhances muscular imbalances that are already present
• Any movement that requires joint flexibility that is above and beyond your range of motion
• Any exercise with risks of injury that outweigh the potential benefit of the exercise itself

That said, the following exercises pose high risks and are generally considered contraindicated (if not controversial) by reputable fitness organizations and experts.

Think Twice Before Trying These 5 Moves

1. Behind-the-Head Lat Pulldowns
In the “old days,” people were actually taught to pull the bar behind their heads when doing a lat pulldown exercise—and many people still do that today. Bad idea. The problem? Only people with extremely flexible shoulder joints can do this behind-the-head movement safely, and even they have to be very careful about not hitting the back of their necks with the bar. In addition, almost anyone who spends their days deskbound is likely to have rounded shoulders or poor posture—a symptom of poor shoulder flexibility (among other things), making this exercise a no-no.

The Alternative: You can still work your lats without the risk of behind-the-head pulldowns by pulling the bar down in front of you. Sit with your spine straight, abs pulled in, and then lean your torso back slightly, keeping your spine straight. Pull the bar down towards your chest, but not below your collar bone.

2. Squats or Leg Presses with Deep Knee Bends
Whether you’re doing basic squats on your own or using a leg press machine, it can be very dangerous to bend your knees too deeply. The Problem? When your knees bend too deeply, your spine cannot maintain proper alignment. When that happens, the pelvis tilts and the lower back begins to take over, increasing the risk of strain to your lower back muscles or damage to spinal discs. In addition, bending your knees too deeply can injure or damage your knees, especially if you have knee problems.

The Alternatives: Squats and leg presses are generally safe and effective when done properly. But you should never bend your knees or hips more than 90 degrees during these exercises. Here's an example of proper form when doing a leg press machine, but this can apply to squats with a barbell, and the sled machine, too.

3. Seated Leg Extensions
This is a very popular exercise for targeting the muscles on the front of your thighs (quadriceps). The Problem? This exercise poses major risks to the knees. Lifting heavy weights in this position (with all the resistance focused at your ankles), is not what the knee was designed to do. If you have any kind of knee problem, or use a too much resistance during this exercise, you can easily run into big trouble.

The Alternatives: Simple squats and lunges, with or without added weight, will work your thigh muscles naturally, safely and effectively. If you want to expand on these exercises (to develop explosive force for sports like soccer, basketball, or volleyball, for example), try sport-specific plyometrics. If you can’t do lunges and squats because you lack the leg strength, start with simple ball squats or modified "mini" lunges, and only lower yourself part way, gradually increasing your range of motion as you get stronger.

4. Inner and Outer Thigh Machine Exercises
These machines are pretty popular in most gyms. Both involve sitting with your knees bent in front of you. The adduction machine is designed to target the muscles of the inner thighs, and the abduction machine helps target the outer thigh muscles. The Problem? Using your inner and outer thighs to lift weight while in a seated position puts you at risk of straining these relatively small muscles and aggravating lower back and hip problems. In addition, your inner and outer thigh muscles are designed to support movement, not to be prime movers like they are in these types of exercises.

The Alternatives: The best way to target these muscles safely is with body weight exercises, such as standing adduction, standing abduction, lying adduction and abduction exercises, Pilates exercises, or similar movements that use resistance bands or the cable cross machines. Always start with a weight you know you can handle, and add resistance gradually.

5. Upright Rows
In this exercise, you stand holding a barbell or weight in the center, with hands close together, and bring your hands up under your chin. The Problem? Upright rows are controversial because the movement can compress the nerves in the shoulder area, impinging the shoulder.

The Alternatives: Instead of standing to perform an upright row, try bent-over rows, bending forward 90 degrees at the hip, holding weight down beneath your shoulders with hands slightly more than shoulder width apart, then lift weight straight up towards your chest until elbows and shoulders form a straight line. You can also try front or lateral shoulder raises, using a modest weight, so that you don’t need to lean back or use momentum for assistance.

Source : www.sparkpeople.com