Health, Fitness and Wellness

Do you ever feel like it is such a hassle to get your gym bag, get into your car, find parking at the gym and then still feel motivated to work out hard? Well, here are some fun quick exercises that you can do in your own back yard without equipment that will really get your blood pumping!

1) Warm it up with 20 jumping jacks, 10 high knees, 10 forward leg kicks, 10 side leg kicks and 30 butt kickers.

2) Drop down to the ground and do a Hover by holding yourself up with your weight on your forearms and your knees if you want a challenge pop up to your toes and hold this for as long as you can to get the core warmed up.

3) Lay flat on your stomach and do 10-20 superman back extensions to get your low back feeling strong.

3) Since you are down there do 10-20 full or modified push-ups. If you want to add a little balance to the push up when you are at the top rotate so you are only holding your body up with one hand while the other is reaching to the sky.

4) Stand up and crank out 20-30 squats at a medium pace.

5) Step it forward and do some alternating lunges for about 15 on each side.

6) Lets keep your upper body working and do 10 burpies by quickly hopping out to a push up position and then quickly hopping your legs back in to get back up to a standing position.

7) Drop it back down to the ground putting your weight on your hands and knees then lift and extend your opposite arm and leg, be sure to hold it for about 5 seconds so you can feel your balance being challenged.

8) To work your rotation muscles of the spine stay on your hands and knees, bring one arm up so your finger tips are back behind the ear, from there rotate your elbow up to the sky. Do 10 on each side.

9) Flip over to your back, bend your knees so that your feet are pretty close to your glutes and lift your hips up unto the air. This is called a bridge. Be sure to keep your abs tight your glutes tight and your knees strait down from your hips.

10) Stand up on to one leg, from here very slowly reach down and touch the groud with your finger tips. Try to balance the whole time on one leg. If you need a little extra help use your other toes to help balance... like a kick stand.

Then,Stand up take a jog around the yard and repeat these exercises until you feel like you have worked hard enough!

There are a lot of people who truly do not enjoy exercise, can you believe it you are not alone! If you feel this way I would highly recommend investing in a Personal Trainer. It is wonderful way to be held accountable, will help you develop great exercise and nutrition habits and can really help you find that motivation that you are lacking! A Trainer can help you safely develop a program that will truly fit your personal needs and exercise capabilities.

The going rate for a trainer is about $75/ hour and most one-on-one facilities will allow you to split it up into 30 minute sessions. There is no limit to how much or how little you meet with your Trainer. Make sure that your Trainer is qualified with a degree in the field. There are a lot of small private training facilities that are very inviting and might just be what you are needing!

Always remember... if you don't like the facility or your Trainer you will be less likely to achieve your fitness goals. Shop around and find a place that feels good, where the people make you want to come back. It is your money!

It has been proven that people who exercise have greater success if they plan it out. Take a moment to write out your exercise schedule for the week. What are you going to do? For how long? At what time of the day? Make an appointment with yourself! Trust me you are worth it!

I have been a personal trainer for many years and I have found that there are many ways to add health, fitness and wellness to your life. The first thing that you need to do is to rethink your attitude towards your health. I always hear people talking about all of the activities that they can't do. Stop! Take a moment to ask yourself what you CAN do... I am pretty sure that you can think of a few things! This is your life and your body, don't you think that it is time to start to have a little fun?