Stability Ball Workouts: Get a Great Ab Workout with a Stability Ball

The Stability Ball Exercises

What was it that Shakespeare said about “what’s in a name?” Although I am sure he did not have the stability ball in mind at the time he said that but the stability ball comes with many names such as: exercise ball, physio ball, Swiss balls, fit balls and Yoga exercise ball and perhaps more that we are not aware of. All of these names identify a large ball made of vinyl that is used to strengthen and stretch your body which will make the body more stable core and better balanced.

Jonathan Ross of the American council on Exercise 2006 personal trainer fo the year says that he considers the exercise ball an essential piece of equipment for fitness. Ross own Aion Fitness in Bowie, Maryland. He claims everyone should own and use an exercise ball because it is versatile and does not take up much room and does not cost much. In addition to his use of an exercise ball with his personal training clients Ross teaches a ball class in his studio.

Neal Pire, MA,FACSM, is the director of the Parisi Speed School in Fair Lawn, N.J. a training school for athletes that are age six and up. For traditional strength training working out with an exercise ball can provide balance. For a whole body exercise, use the exercise ball to do the bicep curl or squat. In doing so you are challenging your strength and many more of your muscles at one time.

Doing squats with an exercise ball requires you to prop the ball between your lower spine and a wall, then pressing slightly into the ball. Keep your hands at your sides or your hips and be sure your feet are hip width slightly in front of you. Bend your knees and hips then move slowly into a sitting position with knees over the ankles. The ball should be in contact with your back while you are moving.  Now return to the standing position while the ball is in contact with your back while you are moving.

Another fun exercise with the ball is as follows: get on your hands and knees and put the exercise ball under your abdomen. Lift and stretch you opposite arm and leg off the floor at the same time. Keeping our hips stable and while balancing on the ball reach from the center of your body. The exercise ball is fun to exercise with.

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Try a Step Aerobics DVD for a Great Home Workouts

Why not step into your dream body from the comfort of your own home with aerobics? Using a step aerobics workout dvd, you can get a safe and effective workout without leaving your house!

Step Aerobics DVDs – Cardio Workout in Your Living Room

By Steve E Robertson

One of the excuses I get a lot from people who don’t exercise is they say “I hate going to the gym, I feel out of place, out of shape and self conscious”. Or they would say “the gym is too expensive, I just can’t afford it”. Still other say, “the opening hours for the gym are not convenient for my busy schedule”.

These are all legitimate concerns by the way and deter many people from joining a gym. But I am here to tell you that there is a way for you to get the workout that you need, without having the above mentioned problems to deal with.

For most people the thought of walking into a gym for the first time, with all those “seasoned trainers, “complex equipment”, well tone bodies, fit looking people can be a scary and daunting thought. Wouldn’t you know it, this is the number one reason most people will give for not joining a gym. These people feel intimidated by others who they think are secretly laughing at there fitness level or appearance.

Most of the time this fear is unfounded and baseless, but this fact renders little comfort to those who “fear the gym”.

The worst thing to do would be to avoid exercising entirely, and use your “fear of the gym” as a mental pacifier. There is an answer for your woes, I highly recommend aerobics workout DVDs or tapes that you can pop into your DVD or video player right in the comforts of your own home and get just as good a workout as you would in a gym.

This is an excellent way to get your workout going, to shed some pounds and to get in shape. This is not a precursor to going to a gym, but rather an alternative. You no longer have to worry about any one watching you, or making fun of you, and you can go at your own pace. You can stop rewind the tape DVD as much as you want and not worry about holding up the aerobics class. It is like having your own personal fitness trainer right there with you in your living room.

Think of all the money you would save in gym membership fees if you workout at home. Aerobics DVDs are readily available and very cheap these days. You can get a generalized Aerobics workout DVD that will work your entire body or you can get specialized workout DVD that target a specific body area. These aerobics DVDs can be rotated to prevent boredom and mixing up your workout will ensure that you are constantly challenged as you move closer towards your fitness or weight loss goal.

Having your aerobics DVDs and workout tapes in your own home will allow you to workout on your schedule, when it’s most convenient for you. You no longer have to rely on your local gym’s opening hours to get your workout. Having said that it is important to stick with a regular accruing, set workout schedule, this will help you stay focus and less likely to slack off on your workouts routine.

If you are just starting out on your workout then you will need to choose a aerobics DVD that is not too advanced, start with one that has basic aerobics steps so you can follow along with relative ease, remember the more you do the better you will become and you can graduate to moderate and then to advance. You want to make sure that your workouts challenge you physically, that way your body will become more efficient at burning fat and you will be on your way to reaching your fitness goal.

Speaking of fitness goal, before you begin make sure to check with your doctor to ensure that it’s ok to start an exercise regiment. Once you get the all clear form your doctor, you must put together a workout schedule and plan. This is very important because you want to stay on track to reach your goals. Before you get started you should record things like you weight, the measurement of your arms, legs, waist, hip buttocks chest, also try to find out you BMI of body mass index and your fat % ratio. This will give you a starting point and as you progress through your workout you can record your improvements, this is a very big moral booster and motivational tool.

Make small achievable goals and record them in your journal as you reach them, once you reach your goal, it is time to set new goals and continue with your aerobics workout. It is a great idea to have a workout buddy or partner as you can help to hold each other accountable during your aerobics training routine.

Eventually you would want to incorporate simple weights into your aerobic workout routine as strength training is vital for over all health and fitness. Building and strengthening muscles and bones will prevent injuries during your workout and in your daily busy live in general, muscle burn more fat so build some muscles and this will improve your bodies ability to burn fat and maintain a healthy weight to height ratio.

So forget the fashion show and those bulky intimidating gym equipment, save your hard earn dollars and time by doing aerobics workout in the comforts of your own home.

Health and Fitness is not a Fad but a lifestyle,
Steve Robertson.

Steve Robertson is the owner of the website http://www.stepaerobicsdvds.com and is a health and fitness consultant and health blogger. Visit his site to review his top pick of aerobics dvds online and to find the best prices for workout videos.

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Dance Exercise DVDs: Dancing Your Way To Weight Loss DVD

Use Dance Exercise to Slim Down and Get Fit

There was a time when simple gymnasium exercises were all anyone thought of when they heard the word exercise. Then there came the aerobics classes at workout studios, resorts and spas. These were difficult and eventually got boring. Now the word exercise has taken on a new meaning. It now means a dance workout to the rhythms of such music as salsa, hip hop and other modern dance rhythms. Now you can dance the weight off with a great dance exercise dvd. Dancing your way to weight loss can be a bit strenuous but you can get the effect you want by putting on a good sweat.

• Julian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones is a series of dance moves for muscle toning. (55 min.)
• Petra Kolber: Boot Camp Boogie alternates basic dance moves to athletic exercises (64 min.)
• Jazzercise: Dancin’ Abs is a floor aerobics and toning dvd that blends toning with fast paced aerobics. (59 min.)
• Jari Love’s Get Extremely Ripped! 1000 Advanced tough aerobics and toning workout (81 min).

There have been many dance to lose weight dvds made. The five listed above are among the many that were chosen as the best. One other dance dvd that targets weight lost is Zumba. There are a series of Zumba dvd featuring Latin music as well as Latin dance steps that are done to these dvds. It’s an aid to not only losing weight but to learning to dance the latest Latin dances.

One other workout dance dvd to mention is 10 Minute Solution, Fat Blasting Dance Mix. Each dance segment in this DVD is ten minutes long and works on every part of the body. Three of the segments are on endurance and cardio training while two segments center on toning for the behind and the abs.

If you are serous about losing weight, but are bored with the usual aerobic exercises, and the usual exercise machines,  than turn to dancing your way to weight loss for a fun diversion. Dancing as an entertaining evening on a date is fun, but dancing your way to weight loss is even more fun as you are working on a goal you are trying to achieve and in doing so probably learning a few new dance steps.

There is nothing more exhilarating than a good workout and with a good nutritious meals regimen you are bound to lose weight and enjoy doing it.

Get in Shape like the Biggest Loser Contestants with the Biggest Loser Workout DVD

Workout Like the Biggest Loser Contestants and Jillian Michaels

With all of the talk about obesity in the United States today, we have all become weight loss conscious. Then our television sets got into the act when the program “The Biggest Loser” came on to show us it can be done. Each week they would show us a large person that, by the end of the show, lost a lot of weight with exercise and proper diet. Many of us were left wanting our own Biggest Loser workout and Jillian Michaels dvd. Now the program has instituted a series of Biggest Loser Workout DVDs for us to use their techniques at home.

There are a series of four DVDs and the first one is a beginner’s workout and the trainer is Bob who start of with very basic exercises and builds it up. Although you may not be able to do all of the moves required you learn enough to keep up and keep your body moving so that you will benefit from every exercise.

The second DVD is also with the trainer Bob and they are a bit tougher than the exercises of the first DVD. Accompanying Bob on this DVD is Kim. There are separate intense exercises centered on strength workouts for men and for women.

On the next two DVDs all of the trainers, Bob, Jillian and Kim are featured,  These DVDs are made to allow you to alternate between the Power Sculpt and the Cardio Max DVDs.

The Biggest Loser Boot Camp is an at home exercise workout DVD featuring Biggest Loser weight trainer Bob Harper. The DVD focuses on intervals of weight and cardio workouts. It is a six week program where the exerciser does a specific exercise routine every two weeks for six weeks. The six week program consists of the following:

• Weeks 1 – 2 Warm up and cool down exercises for thirty minutes
• Weeks 3 – 4 warm up exercises from Boot Camp 1 and Boot camp 2 and a cool down for a total of 45 minutes
• Weeks 5 – 6 warm ups from all three coot camp levels and the cool down for a total of 55 minutes.

For resistance, the DVD shows the use of a medicine ball, exercise tubes and dumbbells, but they are not really needed. Other resistance items can be used instead. This is a very effective calorie burning exercise DVD for the intermediate exerciser. You can make these exercises a little more difficult by using heavier weights.

Pilates DVD Basics: Six Principles in Pilates

Six Principles in Pilates

Whether you are working using the Pilates equipment or a mat, these six basic principles infuse each exercise with fullness and intention of expression:

• Centering. It brings the focal point to the center of the body. It is the powerhouse part between lower ribs and the pelvic bone. Actively, Pilate’s workouts are sourced from center.

• Concentration. Maximum value will be obtain if you bring full attention to the exercise and do it with full commitment.

• Control. The Pilates workout is done with overall muscular control. No body area is left from its own device.

• Precision. Sustained in each movement is awareness. There is a right placement, alignment comparative to other body areas, and trajectory for every area of the body.

• Breath. Using breath in the right way is an essential part of the Pilates exercise. Most of the Pilates exercise coordinates with the breath.

• Flow. Usually Pilates workout is done in flowing way. Grace, ease and fluidity are the main objective applied to all workouts. It attach all body flows and parts through body in an equal way. Using Pilate’s equipment can be the best mirrors of one’s flow.

The six principles of Pilates may look a bit abstract. However, the combination of these principles is the one responsible for grace, ease and balance that one can experience as a result of following the best Pilate DVDs. These are very useful for Pilates for beginners.

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