Lower body toner for two

Posted by mturcotte in resistance training

This Valentine’s Day workout side by side with your sweetheart. In addition to getting fit and having fun, exercising together will build muscle while enhancing communication. Squats are a classic lower body toner. There are several versions of the partners’ squats. You can do them back to back, as you would a wall squat/wall sit. Or try partner assisted bodyweight squats:

Stand facing your partner at approximately arm’s length away. With your feet facing forward, slightly greater than shoulder-width apart, grasp your partner’s forearms. Begin to squat toward the floor at the same time; shifting your hips backward and downward. Maintain a firm grasp as you bend at the knees lowering your body until your thighs are parallel or almost parallel to the floor and your torso begins to pull toward your partner. Hold this position for a few seconds. Make sure you don’t extend your knees past your toes. Imagine there is a chair behind you. Return to a standing position by squeezing your buttocks and pushing through your heels. Repeat. To make it more difficult, try one-leg squats.

Pose of the week: side plank

Posted by mturcotte in yoga

The side plank or sage tree is a balancing yoga pose that targets your shoulder and arm muscles. This pose involves supporting your body weight using the strength of one arm at a time. Concentrate on pushing away from the floor with the supporting arm, positioned directly under your shoulder, while extending your opposite arm toward the ceiling. Avoid allowing your torso to sag toward the floor and keep your legs straight, forming a “T-shape.” You will find that you are simultaneously toning your oblique muscles as you hold this position. For the modified version, balance on the knee closest to the floor.
Photo: © Moshimochi | Dreamstime.com

Strawberries: Not Just Vitamin C

Posted by mturcotte in food facts, fruits and vegetables

A 1-cup serving of whole strawberries offers more vitamin C than an orange–81 mg, or more than 130 percent of the Recommended Daily Value for this nutrient, which is important for keeping your immune system strong. Strawberries are also rich in a class of phytonutrients (health-promoting compounds found in plant foods) known as phenols. The main phenols in strawberries are anthocyanins and ellagitannins. They are responsible for the red color of this berry and act as powerful antioxidants that help protect your body’s cells from damage from free radicals, or charged oxygen-like particles, according to the American Cancer Society. The phenols are anti-inflammatory because they reduce the activity of a pro-inflammatory enzyme in the human body known as cyclo-oxygenase, or COX. COX is involved in inflammation related to asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.