Slow and Steady, the Smart is Sexy Way

Photos by Evan Anderson

Good Morning my Smart is Sexy loves,

This week with spring being in the air I wanted to venture out and tackle our first fitness health post since, well, we all know… the hotter it gets the less we wear! Who are we kidding! Definitely not the Smart is Sexy crowd, so to kick start our bods into beach-side shape I’ve enlisted the help of one of our readers, Liz, a Penn State graduate herself who has been personal training for several years now in Los Angeles. With her background and expertise I wanted to highlight the foundation that makes for a smart workout – not only the basic BUT key positions that should be regularly incorporate into a workout but the importance of your mental approach to working out on a day by day basis. Read and see what Liz has got for you..
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Taking care of yourself both mentally and physically is smart…and sexy. Healthy is sexy, plain and simple. It is important to incorporate appropriate exercise with mindful eating habits in order to be the best version of yourself possible. Today we’re going to focus not only on the basic moves for that Smart is Sexy body but also on the mindset it takes to conquer that workout!

Your thoughts are very important to your workout. They can keep you motivated. On days when you find it difficult to get into the gym or to your workout, think about the reasons why you began your program in the first place. Hopefully your reasons and goals are deeply personal to you and not influenced by outside forces- that is one of the only ways you will stick to a program. Make it personal. It’s also important to find something you enjoy doing so that your program will be fun and enjoyable for you. 

No matter what program you pick, there are 4 basic elements to every workout: a warm up, cardio, resistance training, and a cool or stretch down. You don’t always have to do everything in this particular order but your workout should begin and end with a warm up and a cool down. So today I’d like to focus on a few basic multi-joint exercises that you can incorporate into any fitness routine anywhere that you are- from the gym to a hotel room. All of these exercises engage many different muscles allowing you to get more bang for your workout buck. Eventually you can build on these basic moves in order to make your workout more challenging.

Let’s start with some…

Squats

The ultimate full body move! Squats are famous for building a firm derriere but they also strengthen your leg muscles (quadriceps and hamstrings) as well as your abs (you use your core to help keep you stable while in the movement). There are so many different variations of the squat that you can do to help target very specific muscle groups but today I will focus on the basic squat.

Step your feet out about hip distance apart. Keep your hands clasped in front of your chest or on your hips – whatever works to keep you stable. Keep good posture- tuck your abs in while keeping both your head and chest up. Think as if you are going to sit into a chair and lower into position as far as you can letting your glutes lead the way- that is precisely where you should feel the movement. To protect your knees and prevent injury make sure that your knees don’t travel past your toes! 

Lunges

Lunges offer many of the same benefits as squats. They firm and tone your legs and tush. They are also a great stabilization exercise as it uses your core muscles to help you stay balanced.

Start with good posture. Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back and chin up. Keep your core and abs engaged. Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, not pushed out over your toes. Also ensure that your other knee isn’t touching the floor. Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up and step back into the starting position.

Push Ups

Push ups are another full body exercise that specifically engages your upper body (biceps, triceps, deltoids) and back as well as your abs and quadriceps. There are also many ways to modify them in order to make them either easier or harder.

Set your hands at just slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Palms flat and arms extended in full, supporting your body weight. Extend your legs back so that your feet are touching together (for some it might be easier for their feet to be at shoulder width apart). Be sure that your butt is not sticking up or sagging. Your abs and butt should be clenched in so that your body is in a perfect straight line. Now steadily lower your body to the ground by bending your elbow so that your arms form a 90 degree angle. Make sure that your elbows don’t go flailing. Your chin should be the first thing that touches the ground. Now use your momentum to propel your body back up into starting position.

Plank

The plank is one of my favorite moves. It primarily works the transverse abdomins but also engages your biceps, deltoids, quadriceps, and glutes. The transverse abdominis is the muscle that acts like a girdle helping you to cinch up your waist.

Start in a push up position but with your forearms on the ground and your hands clasped together just in front of you. Your body should make a straight light from your heels to your head. Curl your toes under and pull your belly button toward your spine. Squeeze your glutes and DON’T arch your back or lift your hips. You should start to feel the burn in your abs (and quadriceps) shortly. Hold this position for ten seconds eventually working your way up to one minute. If you’re really ambitious work your way up to five minutes!

When training (either a client or myself) and I start to feel like giving up, I think to myself: “If your body isn’t giving up, it’s your mind that is.” Much of fitness is really mind over matter. Sometimes your mind will give up before your body is ready. Remembering that if you are still able to move through the exercise, inspite of what the dialogue in your head might be suggesting, than you are able to keep going. Remember that.

So there you have it Smart is Sexy doves! I hope that this list provides you with a good workout foundation so that you can make better, smarter, and sexier fitness choices. By engaging more than one muscle group during an exercise you will burn more calories and reap greater benefits overall. These benefits will add up greater results overtime making you sexier mentally and physically.

Make it personal,

One workout at a time.

You can do it,

Smart is Sexy.

How often do you workout? Are you incorporating these positions in your workout already? Or ask Liz a workout question below!

Guest post by Elizabeth “Liz” Henderson, a Penn State University graduate and NASM certified personal trainer based in Los Angeles  specializing in women’s and pre-and-postnatal fitness. Liz enjoys exploring new workout techniques and learning as much as possible about diet and exercise and is passionate and excited about sharing her love of fitness with clients.

http://naturalfitnessblog.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @Liz_GetFit