Health-Hack.com

Michelle Koen’s Dinner Table Workout

December 18th, 2007

Guest poster Michelle Koen of our sister site Healthy Helpings TV offers these tips on dining room fitness!

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All that holiday food is tempting, so go on, enjoy it, but remember, if you’re going to keep up your healthy lifestyle you have to exercise too.
Getting to the gym can be tricky with all your holiday commitments and I can only imagine what being knee deep in snow does to you motivation!

When I don’t have time to go to the gym or get on my bike, I make my own circuit workout. Today I was being a bit creative and came up with a full body workout that I can do at my dining room table!

The table and chair workout:
Perform these exercises in quick succession to make a circuit.
You’ll need:
2 sturdy chairs
1 sturdy table

Warm-up for a few minutes before performing this workout. Either jog on the spot, jump rope or climb stairs if you have them.

Step ups onto a chair.
Make sure your chair isn’t going to move. Carpeted floors work best but placing the back of the chair against a wall helps on wooden floors. Alternate legs until you have done 10-15 steps on each leg.

Chair Tricep Dips (to combat turkey wings): Stand with your back to the chair, as if your were going to sit down but about 1.5ft further way. With your palms facing behind you place your hands on the front of the seat. Lower your body, keeping your back straight until your elbows are pointing backwards and bent at 90º. Pushing using your hands (not your feet) raise your body to a straight armed position and repeat up to 15 times or until failure.

Chair Glute-crunches: Lie on the floor facing the seat of the chair with your knees bent, so that your feet are slightly under the chair. Straighten on leg and place it on the chair. Push through the heel of the foot which is on the floor and squeeze your buttocks, raising your hips off the ground. Slowly lower your body and repeat 10-15 times for each leg. You can add an adominal crunch or crunch twist at the end of the movement for added ab work.

Table chinups: Lie underneath the table with your head and shoulders protruding, so that your shoulderblades line up with the end of the table, legs straight. Grip the tabletop, palms facing up. Squeeze your shoulder-blades together and pull your chest towards the underside of the table until your chin is touching the edge of the table. Keep your body in a plank. Slowly lower your body to the starting position and repeat. If this is too hard bring your feet in and bend your knees slightly, keep your body straight.

Bulgarian split squats: Stand in front of a chair (as if about to sit). Take on large step forward and place the toe of your rear foot on the chair. Keeping your body upright and chest high lower your body towards the floor until your front leg is bent at 90º. Make sure your front knee does not pass your toe and that you are not twisting your body. Squeeze your buttocks and push through your heel to help raise your body to a starting position. Repeat 10–15 times for each leg.

Chair shoulder press: Place 2 chairs, seats facing each other, 2-3ft apart. Place your body in between them with your palms on the edges of the seats, fingers pointing towards your body gripping the edge of the seat. Extend your legs infront of you either fully or slightly bent for an easier version. Slowly lower your body towards the floor until your arms are bent at 90 degrees. Keep your shoulders back and body tall and upright. Push through your palms to raise your body slowly to a starting position. Repeat 10–12 times.

Sit down, stand up… and up: Start by sitting in a chair with good posture. Try to stand up without using your hands, squeezing the abs and buttocks to help raise your body. Push through the heels. Once you are standing, transfer the weight to the front of your feet and raise up onto the balls of your feet, hold for 10 seconds and slowly lower to flat feet and then to hovering just above the seat, hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10–15 times.

To increase the calories burnt during the workout include an active recovery of jogging or skipping on the spot for a minute between each exercise. The circuit should take about 7 minutes to complete, perform it up to 5 times. To increase the intensity of these exercises do them wearing a backpack with something heavy in it, sacks of flour and sugar are ideal.

Don’t forget the other most important exercise these holidays: The put down and push away: Put down your fork and push away the plate when you’re full.

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Entry Filed under: Fitness, General Health