Weight Loss without Worry

Last week I promised to share a workout you can do to build muscle using only your body weight as resistance and that workout is included at the bottom of this post.

But I know not everyone is super excited about strength training and muscle building so I wanted to let you know about an alternative you can use to work more muscles DURING your walk.

The technique is called Nordic Walking and the benefits are many

• -It burn 20-50% more calories than normal walking
• -It exercise 90% of YOUR muscles at the same time
• -It is Ideal for weight loss
• -It provides overall health benefits without the aches and pains
• -It is proven to Help Arthritis, Back Pain, Sciatica, Osteoporosis, Muscle Soreness and Heart Conditions
• -And it is FUN and EASY to learn!

If you are curious about this form of walking I recommend this site – Nordic Walking Made Easy

Now back to the Free Body Weight Only Workout

This is a routine you can add to your walking routine. It will not matter if you do it on the same day as your walk or on opposite days.

The workout is designed to build muscle which is what you want in order to make your body a more efficient fat burner. How? Well in plain speak, the more muscle you have the more calories your body burns during the day even when you are sitting on the couch.

Every pound of muscle requires about 50 calories just to sit on your body and when you contrast that to a pound of fat which requires less then 10 calories for you to lug around the clear advantage goes to building a body with more muscle.

Ready to begin? Great here is a workout you can do 2 to 3 times a week in addition to your walking routine or other aerobic exercise you enjoy in the Spring months.

BODY WEIGHT ONLY WORKOUT

Warm-up: Get your body moving by marching in place, briskly walking up and down stairs or jumping rope for 2 minutes.

Perform the following 5 Exercise Circuit with no rest in between exercises:

1. Body Weight Squats – 15 Repetitions
Pretend you are sitting in a chair by bending your knees and lowering down until knees are at 90 degrees (don’t go down as low if you have knee problems).

2. Body Weight Lunges –15 Repetitions each leg
Stand in a split stance, slowly lower into lunge (front and back legs are bent at 90 degrees)

3. Push-ups on Knees or Toes – 15 Repetitions

4. Superman Back Extensions -15 Repetitions
Lie face down on the floor with the legs extended and hands extended over head. Squeeze the lower back to lift the chest and legs off the floor in a straight line (like you are Superman).

5. Basketball Jumps -15 Repetitions
Begin in a squat position with feet together. Explode your body up extending your arms over head like you are shooting a basket, land in a low squat.

Repeat this 5 Exercises Circuit 2 or 3 times with a one minute rest between circuits.

Cool-down: Get your body cooling down by marching in place, walking up and down stairs or lightly jumping rope for 2 minutes.

Total Time including warm-up and cool-down approximately 20 minutes.

Stick with this routine for 8 weeks and if you are a beginner start slow and progressively add exercises or reps over a period of time and for anyone starting an exercise program be sure to get your doctor’s okay before starting these or any workout.

Let me know how you feel on this routine or how you like Nordic Walking. Your feedback helps me help you!