Dear Fun and Fit: I just read one of your articles on Noozhawk.com, and I’d love to hear your suggestions on how to add 15 to 20 minutes of weight-training exercises at home three or four times a week using free weights, bands, etc. The more specific the better!
I do different types of cardio during the week, all outside here in beautiful Santa Barbara. I realize that at age 52 it’s more and more difficult to tone up and lose some fat and weight, just about five pounds. I do not belong to a gym and so would like to have the tools to do this at home so my metabolism can rev up and that flab can turn to leaner muscle. Many thanks.
— Alexandra, Santa Barbara
Alexandra: Let’s start with two wondertastic exercises you can do at home with no equipment where you could get lots of ROI (Rugburn On Impact) — squats and push-ups. The problem is that most people do these with poor, less-than-ideal, blackmail-photo-worthy form. Let’s just say that this is where trainers earn their money. But this site has some very specific total body and lunchtime exercises that will have you worshipping me so much that you’ll want to change your name to Alexandra, just to be like me! Hey, wait a minute!
Kymberly: Disclaimer — this is not my sister questioning herself. That could happen, mind you. But in this case, two Alexandras exist in one Web site. 2 Good + 2 Be = 4Gotten. Next to acknowledge is that reading our posts on Noozhawk will lighten your day. And maybe your body weight!
A: One of the all-time best workouts we’ve experienced that will kick-start your metabolism comes from Aileen Sheron. You might like to check out her tubing variable resistance DVD. Or get a motorcycle and pump it over your head a few times. Zoom, zoom.
K: Just get the darn DVD. You will have so many awesome (euphemism for “butt kicking”) exercises to choose from. And, no, we get no kickback from the Fun and Fit bump we just gave the DVD. (Aileen, if you are reading this — and you should, geewillikers! — send us free DVDs, will ya?!) Not too proud to beg.
Back to you, Alexandra No. 2: Also, perform ab exercises as part of your program. I love reverse curls as they activate the ab muscles from the bottom up, instead of the top down. No, that is not a suggestion of how to wear your sports bra when training or how to drive your convertible. Ab exercises involve the spine, which can flex and bend all over the place. So you can pull your hip bones toward your rib cage (bottom up), or you can pull your rib cage toward your hip bones (top down). Either way, the move is free, portable, available at home and important for your goals.
The one thing I would change in this video is to keep your legs parallel, not crossed at the ankle. I always suggest training to achieve symmetry and balance, so minimize the crossed feet. Maximize the name “Alexandra,” though, as it is a way cool name. Almost as cool as my name.
Readers: What is your all time fave home weight-training exercise, and why should we care?
— Identical twins and fitness pros Kymberly Williams-Evans and Alexandra Williams have been in the fitness industry since the first aerobics studio opened on the European continent. They teach, write, edit, emcee and present their programs worldwide on land, sea and airwaves. They co-write Fun and Fit: Q and A with K and A. You can currently find them in action leading classes in Santa Barbara and Goleta. Kymberly is the former faculty minor adviser at UCSB for its fitness instruction degree offered through the Department of Exercise & Sport Studies; Alexandra serves as an instructor and master teacher for the program. Fun and Fit answers real questions from real people, so please send your comments and questions to info@funandfit.org.