My top five exercises for increasing fitness...No. 3
My top five exercises for increasing fitness...
Do you want to get fit with the least effort possible!? Well I’ll let you into a little secret, you do have to get pretty hot and sweaty if you are serious about getting fit, however there are some exercises that Personal Trainers know get results and these are the ones we pretty much use with every client. They come with variations so they can be harder or easier depending in your fitness level but basically these are the key exercises you should be doing to get fit and stay fit.
So far I have revealed my number one, the squat and my number two, the press up. This time I am focusing on posture. Good posture is so often overlooked in fitness programmes; it ranks right up at the top of the list when you are talking about good health. It is as important as eating right, exercising and getting a good night's sleep. Good posture is a way of doing things with more energy, less stress and fatigue. Without good posture, you can't really be physically fit. So my number three is the posture corrector.
Number Three – The Posture Corrector
How to do it
Lie face down on an exercise mat with your feet as close together as is comfortable
Your legs and feet remain on the mat at all times during the exercise.
Take a deep breath in as you pull your shoulder blades together to lift your chest slightly off the floor.
Breathe out as you lower back to the floor.
Concentrate on pinching your shoulder blades together and keeping your neck straight by focusing on a point on the floor.
What muscles does it work?
This is a great exercise to strengthen the back muscles and reposition round shoulders! Take care not to lift the chest too far away from the ground to avoid the effort creeping into the lower back area. Think of “picking up” the collar bones and the side of the shoulders so that they feel like they are a little higher than your arms and hands. This exercise primarily concentrates on the upper back muscles, the trapezius and Rhomboideus muscles.
How does it help increase fitness?
Posture is so important, good posture gives you the appearance of strong muscles because good posture means your bones are properly aligned and your muscles, joints and ligaments can work as nature intended. It means your vital organs are in the right position and can function at peak efficiency. Good posture helps contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system.
When should I do it?
You should be working on good posture daily by practicing Yoga or Pilates, if you want to add just one exercise to your resistance training routing this is the one to add, include three sets of six to eight slow reps to each of your workouts.
Our aim at Fit In Minutes is to provide you with daily exercise and nutrition solutions, to coach you towards individual success whatever that looks like to you so that you can feel fitter, healthier and know you have a way of fitting exercise into your life.
We look forward to helping you be the healthiest woman you can be, one step at a time.
Kirsty x
Fit in mind
Fit in body
Fit in your life
