Time To Spring Into Fitness

If you haven’t already thought about it, warmer weather is coming. Soon we’ll have spring fever again, but we’ll also be self-conscious about the way we look. The thought of shorts, swim wear or anything that shows skin, sends us into a panic. Have no fear, sexier days are coming! You can still get the shape you want and lose some weight to show off the muscle tone you’ve been working on.


One way to ensure you’re meeting this goal, includes making sure your workouts support what you’re trying to accomplish. For toning exercise, you should work with weight that is light enough to be challenging for 12-15 repetitions versus building exercises which require challenging weight for 7-10 repetitions. Additionally, your fitness regimen should include cardiovascular exercise. These are activities like jogging, running, swimming or biking which raise your heart rate. During cardiovascular exercise, you should try to keep your heart-rate between 75% - 80% of your maximum heart rate for at least 30 minutes three times a week. See the chart for the formula to get you target training zone. Plug the numbers into this equation for each percentage to get your target range.

Target heart rate

[(220 – Your age) X % max HR]

You may be looking for a way to tighten and tone your buns and thighs for a sexier, defined look. An exercise that will help is the fitness ball butt and hamstring buster. For this exercise, you will need an exercise mat and a fitness ball. Follow these instructions:

1. Lie on the ground on your back with your feet on top of the ball

2. Raise your hips so you have a straight or slightly arched back

3. This is the start position

4. Pull your heels in toward your butt and bend your knees to 90 degrees

5. The ball will roll with your feet

6. Make sure to not bend at the hips

7. Hold for about a second

8. Roll back to the start position

9. Repeat for desired number of repetitions

Finally, with any exercise program, your results will be much better when you follow good diet principles. Try reducing the amount of fats and oils in your diet and make sure you’re eating frequently enough throughout the day. You should be eating 3-4 healthy meals and healthy snacks between meals. Reducing your portion sizes will help your body process the food more efficiently. Don’t forget to drink water. Try drinking 1-2 glasses of water with each meal.

Keep these tips in mind and you won’t have to be stressed about warmer weather this spring.







Richard Baugh, BS, CPT