Renowned fitness expert and spokesperson for California Walnuts, Petra Kolber, shares her ideas for exercising at home and setting realistic goals.
For those unable to dedicate hours at a gym every day, what’s a good short exercise to do at home?
Walking is the perfect cardio exercise that can be done anywhere and has great health benefits. Even a quick 10-minute walk around the block will give you results.
For a multi-muscle one-stop shop exercise, I would recommend the exercise below. It targets both the lower and upper body, and also involves the core to help you balance:
Squat into Leg Extension with Biceps and Shoulders – Legs, Biceps Shoulders and Core
1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hold a weight in each hand
2. Bend your knees and lower yourself into a squat. At the same time, curl your hands up towards your shoulders (bicep curl). Be sure to keep your knees over your toes and abdominals engaged.
3. Press up onto one leg and lower hands by sides
4. Extend your leg in front of you (or to the floor if having a hard time balancing) and lift your arms diagonally out to the sides (shoulders)
Return to the squat position and repeat using the same leg (8-12 reps)
5. Then repeat using the opposite leg and do a bicep curl into an overhead press (8-12 reps)
What suggestions do you have for our readers that are hoping to slim down this summer?
Think of your body as the greatest gift you have and not as your enemy. Instead of setting a goal of “I want to lose 10 pounds by summer” shift the focus to “I want to be able to have enough energy to play with my children through their summer vacation.”
In addition, turn a goal from something that takes away from your life to something that adds to your life. Shift the focus on what foods you may need to remove from your diet, to adding nutritious foods and more water into your diet. In turn, you will have a sense of feeling satisfied and not have the ongoing hunger that can lead to bad food choices.