If you've been doing the same exercises for awhile, today is your day to shake things up. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take one of your usual strength training exercises and change it in a way that makes it more challenging. That change could involve any number of ideas such as:
· Do the move on one leg or with one arm
· Use a different type of resistance (maybe it's time to brave that strange looking cable machine)
· Do the movement on a BOSU, ball or other unstable surface
· Change your position - Take your feet wider or closer together. Stand on one leg for upper body moves or stagger your stance when you would normally stand with your feet together.
I've posted a few ideas below and you can find more ideas in The Basics of Exercise Progression, but be creative and see what you can come up with. Don't forget to come back and leave a comment to tell us how you challenged yourself today.
Challenge Yourself
If you usually do squats, try one-legged squats:
One-Legged Squat
With a ball supporting the back, lean against it and lift one foot off the floor (or keep the toe resting lightly on the floor) and lower into a one-legged squat, just a few inches down. Push through the heel and repeat for 10-16 reps and switch legs. Hold weights if desired.
If you usually do lateral raises, try this incline version:
Incline Lateral Raise
Lie with your left side resting on the ball, left knee on the floor for support and the right leg straight. Holding a medium weight in the left hand, lift the arm up to shoulder level, keeping the elbow slightly bent and the wrist straight. Lower back down and repeat for 1-3 sets of 8-16 reps on both sides.
If you usually do lunges, try a different version like sliding lunges:
Rest one foot on paper plate and bend the front knee while sliding the back foot into a lunge (Keep the front knee behind the toe). Press into the floor to slide back to starting position. Repeat 8-16 times. Switch legs and repeat, holding weights if desired.
Organic foods are becoming more popular due to concerns about pesticide use, synthetic fertilizer and herbicide residues in our food. Growing food organically is more work-intensive and so it is more expensive than non-organically grown food, but many people think that going organic is worth the extra price.
Not all foods that have the word organic on the label are completely free of bad stuff. If you want to buy organic foods, take some time to learn what the word organic means when you see in on a label. Read Organic Food Basics to learn more.
Question: What is the best way to teach a child how to ride a bike?
You might be surprised at the passionate opinions out there on the topic of how to ride a bike. There are articles and web sites devoted to bashing training wheels, calling them "worthless" and even "evil." There are also millions of kids who have used training wheels (also called "stabilizers") to learn how to ride a bike successfully.
Answer: The best learn-to-ride method depends on your child's interest and confidence level, her physical ability, and the environment where she'll be learning. Consider these popular methods for teaching a child how to ride a bike:
Ride a Bike with Training Wheels
Most starter bikes for kids come equipped with training wheels, which fit onto the bicycle's back wheel and help the rider balance. With this method, the child learns how to pedal and steer first, without having to worry about keeping the bike upright. Once he has mastered pedaling and steering, you can gradually raise the training wheels higher off the ground so that the bike is a little more unstable.
As your child gains confidence on this less balanced bike, eventually he will be ready to have the stabilizers removed all together. Sometimes it helps to have him practice on a grassy area, instead of pavement, so falls are less painful. And of course, your child should always wear a bike helmet, whether he is on a tricycle or a two-wheeler.
Ride an Undersized Bicycle
This method takes the opposite tack, teaching the child to balance before she learns to pedal or steer. You need a special learning bike called a balance bike. Or start with a regular bicycle, small enough (or with the seat lowered far enough) that your child's feet can easily touch the ground.
In this manner, she'll be able to control her own balance by putting her feet down when she feels unsteady. It's even better if you remove the pedals, to keep the focus exclusively on balance at first. Start your lessons on a slight downhill, so your child gets the feeling of moving forward while balancing.
After your child is comfortable with coasting downhill, reattach the pedals and have her try putting her feet on them while she rolls downhill. Eventually, she will master turning the pedals with her feet; then you can try having her ride on a flat surface. After a few practice sessions on flat ground, she may be ready for her seat to be raised to a more comfortable pedaling height, or to move up to a larger bike.
Ride While a Parent Pushes the Bike
If your child resists riding an undersized bike, or you don't have one available, you can try this old standby. Settle your child onto his bicycle, without training wheels, and hold him by the shoulders. Don't use the handlebars or seat; if you do, it subtly influences the child's balance and prevents him from learning the skill on his own.
As with the training-wheel method, use this strategy to help your child learn pedaling and steering without having to focus just yet on balance. Eventually, you can begin to let go and allow your child to balance on his own.
Tip: Don't let go without telling your child. If he falls at a time that he felt he would be safe, you lose his trust. Also, it's not safe for him to keep looking back over his shoulder to check on you.
The annual change from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time brings welcome sunlight into the early evening hours, however it can take a few days to get used to the disruption of your sleeping patterns. There are a few things you can with do with your diet do to ease the transition:
Go easy on the caffeine. A cup of coffee or two in the morning is fine, but consuming too much caffeine later in the day may make it difficult for you to sleep.
Don't skip breakfast. Even if you're groggy in the AM, you need to get some fuel in your body before going to work and school.
Avoid heavy foods or spicy foods. Or any foods you know that may cause heartburn, making it difficult for you to sleep.
Don't drink too much alcohol. Over-consumption of your favorite adult beverages may cause a very restless uncomfortable night.
Eat cherries. Not only are they rich in vitamins, cherries contain melatonin, a substance also found in the human body that helps regulate sleep. Eating fresh or dried cherries before you go to bed at night may help you sleep better.
Did you know that falling down is the leading cause of injury death in adults over age 65? Here are a few statistics about falling, courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control:
· Falls increase the risk of early death.
· Of people who fall, 20 to 30 percent suffer moderate to severe injuries including hip fractures and head injuries.
· Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries.
· After a fall, older adults develop a fear of falling, which can limit their enjoyment of life and sense of living independently.
Unfortunately, the frequency of preventable injuries among people age 65 and older--especially injuries caused by falling down--has increased dramatically over the past several years.
