You don’t need to be the hulk to lift

I, for one, would never consider myself strong, but I had the desire to tone my arms a few months ago. I didn’t even know where to begin because I had no clue how to use any of the equipment at the gym and I refused to ask for help because I was embarrassed.

One of my friends is a gym addict so I asked her what her secret to her toned arms was and she told me light weightlifting. I was shocked at how someone was able to achieve nice arms with small weightlifting.

She gave me insight to her arm routine at the gym and it is a routine that can be done at home with a few weights. I’d advise getting 2 7.5 pound weights, 2 10 pound weights, and 2 12.5, 15, or 17.5 pound weights to begin. You can even begin with 5 pound weights if that is more comfortable for you.

Here are some ideas for small arm exercises with the recommended weight:

Recommendation: 10lbs

Recommendation: 10lbs

Recommendation: 2 7.5 lb or one 15 lb

Recommendation: 7.5 lbs

Recommendation: 15 lbs

*Recommendations are for the beginner/intermediate level

An important component of fitness and the FITT Principle is intensity. In weightlifting, intensity refers to the number of reps made and amount of weight you lift. Reps are the number of repetitions of an exercise within each set. The typical number of reps is between 8 and 12 and the number of sets is normally 3 or 4 and there is a small rest period between each set. You don’t want to perform too many reps as it could wear out your muscles.

Performing small arm exercises with dumbbells a few times a week can work to tone your arms in a short amount of time. The weight of the dumbbells can be changed over time as one becomes stronger. Dumbbells can be found at your local gym or you can buy your own online at Amazon or SPRI.

For more exercises, search “Small arm weight workout” on google and you will surely find more 🙂

Zumba!

In my opinion, there is nothing better than dancing and jamming out to loud music. But there is only so much space for me to do that in my room until I knock something over. Zumba is a great way to channel that inner energy and have a really enjoyable time.

The concept of Zumba comes from having an instructor lead a series of dances or dance moves to the beat of energetic music. There are many different types of dance incorporated into Zumba including hip hop, tango, salsa, samba, mambo and other styles reminiscent of South American cultures.  

Zumba was first founded by Alberto Perez, a Colombian choreographer, in the 1990s. There is no history behind the name “Zumba” so it was decided upon for the brand name. Since the program is trademarked, all the instructors are licensed by Zumba Fitness, LLC.

15 million people around the world in 180 different countries have taken advantage of this program. Many local gyms and community centers offer Zumba classes, but if you don’t want to get a gym membership, you can also do it at home!

If you search on YouTube one of your favorite upbeat songs with “Zumba” after it, you will probably be able to find a Zumba dance to the song. If not, just search “Zumba Workout” and click on one that looks the most fun to you. 

To get yourself burning the 500-1000 calories burned in a normal Zumba class, find Zumba videos on YouTube where you can follow the moves of the instructor for about an hour. The moves don’t need to be performed perfectly; however, they do need to be performed at the highest energy and effort to reap the benefits.

Zumba, in my opinion, is one of the most enjoyable forms of physical activity since the music is playing loud and there is so much focus on following the instructor, you almost forget you are exercising.

For more information about Zumba classes in your area or about Zumba in general click here.

*If you are looking for an extra Zumba challenge, see if your area offers water Zumba classes at a local pool. The resistance of the water makes it more difficult, but it’s a nice way to get exercise and cool off during the hot summers.

Hula Hooping doesn’t end when you’re 10

In 2012, I received a weighted hula hoop for Christmas. I was confused as to why my mom spent money to buy me a hula hoop that was weighed about 3 pounds when I had grown out of the hula hooping phase.

But I wasn’t going to let a present go to waste so I began using it often. I would hula hoop in my family room while watching TV or reading a book or even do it while playing the violin. It is a subtle form of exercise that is perfect for people like me who enjoy multitasking and creating the greatest efficiency.

After I had been hula hooping for a while everyday, I started to see results. My waist was dramatically decreasing in size. As I was only 12 years old, I wasn’t looking to trim my waist; it just happened.

Hula hooping is a full aerobic, abdominal workout that burns about 7 calories each minute. It works to tone the abdominal muscles such as the obliques; however, to view actual results, experts recommend hula hooping for a least 10 minutes at a time.

10 minutes can seem like a long amount of time to be hula hooping consistently, but if you’re watching your favorite TV show while hula hooping, it won’t be so bad. At the beginning, it takes a lot of concentration and experimenting with the motion to get the hang of it.

One tip I’ll give is to make the hip circles to get the hoop around smaller, but not too small. The smaller the movements made, the easier it’ll be to keep up the hula hoop. It’s as if you are training the hula hoop to move by itself with only small adjustments by you. However, some movement of the hips is needed to work the muscles.

To get an even greater workout, consider incorporating lunges and squats into your exercises. Doing front lunges and side squats while hula hooping engages the legs and works the abdominal.

If hula hooping around the waist is challenging, consider hula hooping around your arm while doing lunges to engage both the arms and legs.

Weighted hula hoops can be purchased at places like Target for $25-$30 and the use of them will make the product worthy of buying.

For more information regarding hula hooping, refer to:

http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/benefits-exercising-abs-hulahoop-1845.html