Wednesday 25 April 2012

30 - Minute Outdoor Exercise

Yes I know that it is getting colder outside, but there are no excuses. This will have you feeling and looking great in no time.

I will admit, the below exercises are tough. Do only what you can and if you cannot do the below, modify it for yourself. Just make sure that you are still working the same muscles as in the exercise given.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/outdoor-workouts

Simply taking your running routine out of the gym ups calorie burn by about 5 percent, thanks to wind and varied terrain. And fluctuating outdoor temps further increase the number of calories you torch by about 7 percent because your body has to work to keep your thermostat dialed in to 98.6 degrees. Not convinced? In 2007, researchers in England found that outdoor workouts are nature's Zoloft. When they compared the mental benefits of a 30-minute walk in the park with an indoor jaunt, 71 percent of the subjects who took it outside said they felt less tense afterward, while 72 percent of the indoor crew felt even more stressed.

A harder body and a brighter outlook? That's enough to make us ditch the fluorescents for the sun. So we asked fitness pros to craft some killer open-air workouts. The resulting 30-minute sweat sessions will get your blood pumping at any track, pool, park, or trail. Go on--get out there!

Playground Workout


Parks are filled with fitness equipment--swings, benches, and monkey bars. Here's how to use them to tone up
Move 01

SWING LUNGE

Back
wm-0806-park-swing-lunge.jpg
Next
Works glutes, hamstrings, and quads

Stand with your back about one giant step from a one- to two-foot-high swing. Reach back with your right foot and place your toes on the seat (A). With your arms at your sides, sink into a lunge until your left thigh is parallel to the ground (B). Slowly return to start. That's one rep. Do 10, then repeat on the other side.


Move 01

MONKEY-UPS

Back
wm-0806-park-monkey-ups.jpg
Next
Works biceps, core, and back

Jump up and grab a monkey bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing you. Hang from the bar with your arms straight, your knees slightly bent, and your ankles crossed (A). Pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar (B). Take three seconds to lower yourself. Do up to 10 reps.
 
Move 01

BENCH JUMP

Back
wm-0806-park-bench-jump.jpg
Next
Works core, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and heart

Begin by standing on a one to two-foot-high backless park bench with your knees slightly bent and your arms straight out in front of you at shoulder height (A). Jump down so you're straddling the bench (B). Jump back onto the bench, landing with your feet together. Continue jumping down and up as quickly as possible for 20 seconds.
 
Move 01

SWING PIKE PUSHUP

Back
wm-0806-park-swingpikepush.jpg
Next
Works shoulders, biceps, chest, core, and back

Get in plank position with the tops of your feet on the seat of a one to two-foot-high swing (A). Press your arms and feet down as you lift your hips toward the sky so your body is in a pike position (B). Lower your hips to the starting position, then immediately sink down into a pushup (C). That's one rep. Do 10.

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