Phase 1 of Les Mills Pump

by Jessica on May 2, 2012

I have completed my first four weeks of Les Mills Pump. After doing Insanity and some Turbo Fire I miss the cardio everyday, but enjoy the muscle burn! The music with weight lifting is a great bonus. The instructors are motivating, and keep the classes fun.

Pump Challenge is the first workout you do, and it is slow so that you can learn all the moves, and build a basic understanding of the program. You move on to Pump and Burn which is a little faster, but still slow enough to keep up while you continue to learn the moves and rhythm. I do get a kick out of the abdominal track on Pump and Burn, they chose Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy with an instructor from China! Always finding a reason to smile.

Mixed in with the two weight lifting workouts are a stretching disc, and core strength disc. Flow, is the stretching track, and it is an awesome change up. There is a stretching track at the end of each workout, but the dedicated stretch is a good break from the weights!  I actually love the stretch warm up track which is several moves that get you moving enough to breathe harder, but start the stretching process. Hardcore Abs, is a 15 minute intense abdominal workout.  With concentration on the core there are no weights used in this work out which provides a mix up.  I love the days that include Flow and Hardcore  Abs intense work out with a stretch and release just makes for an awesome day!

I my opinion Les Mills Pump is a program for any level.  You personally select the amount of weight that is right for you.  Just using the basic set up I have several choices ranging from just the bar up to 30 additional pounds on the bar.  More weights are available for advanced user, but I felt that the start up set will do fine for quite a while. So if you have tried Body Pump, but you want to work out at home give Les Mills Pump a try! I am really enjoying it as my first official weight lifting experience.

Are you interested in starting your own journey to improved health and fitness? Leave me a comment below, or stop by the Contact Us page to leave me a private message! I look forward to getting to know all of you, and watching you achieve your goals.

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Low-Impact Exercise For Building Fitness With A Cancer Diagnosis

by Jessica on April 4, 2012

We have a guest blogger today! David Haas is joining us from http://www.mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/david/. David  is a cancer support group and awareness program advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In addition to researching the many valuable programs available to our site’s visitors, David often blogs about programs and campaigns underway at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, as well as creative fitness ideas for those dealing with cancer, while creating relationships with similar organizations.

 

Starting an exercise program after a cancer diagnosis may seem daunting. However, truth is that low-impact exercise is the answer for those that cannot participate in intense routines. Those that are just starting cancer treatment may want to opt for something easier but also effective. Exercise builds a sense of well-being and increases quality of life. Starting a program will also help your body fight against the exhausting effects of chemotherapy.

Water Aerobics

Cancer medications can cause sore muscles, fatigue and a higher risk of fractures and water exercises are usually low impactful but still effective. Find a class and a pool to participate in. There are dozens of options, including water Zumba, water aerobics, treading water or even just swimming laps. You don’t need to feel left out of the fun activities because of your cancer diagnosis. Even waist-deep water reduces gravity by 50 percent. The deeper the water, the less you feel on your joints and muscles.

Pilates

Pilates focuses on strengthening the muscles, which is something that cancer patients generally need. If you have mesothelioma or even colon cancer, Pilates is an excellent choice because it consists of low impact yet still produces a great workout for your physical body. There are beginner classes that teach the basic moves so don’t feel that your lack of knowledge about the class should discourage you if you are new. Pilates is as effective as it is relaxing. It increases circulation, speeds up metabolism and works on even lengthening posture aside from strengthening muscles.

Yoga

Relaxing and meditative, yoga is the optimal choice for those going through cancer treatment because it increases flexibility and range of motion. These are two very important factors for staying healthy during cancer treatment. Yoga can be modified and is ideal for any person at any level of fitness because it takes little to no physical activity. It can be a wonderful outlet for someone suffering through a debilitating disease because it can get your mind off your prognosis and allow to perhaps find some ease and peace of mind.

Tips For Low-Impact Exercise

Even though low-impact exercise is safer for those with an illness, there are some things to adhere to when participating in classes. Proper shoes are always a must. Choose shoes based on your activity choice. Water shoes are great for water aerobics, and there are even shoes for Pilates.  Yoga blocks and resistance bands can be used to modify movements. This is true for all activities where you have to move your body in an unfamiliar manner.

How Low-Impact Helps

Easier exercise routines help the body gradually build up to more intense workouts. Muscles gain flexibility and joints become more responsive to difficult work. Low-impact exercise is great for those that are just too tired for anything else. Having cancer is a definite reason to keep moving because when nothing else can be done, the above exercise suggestions allow you to get in the movement necessary. Think of it as a survival tool and exercise can even improve your quality of life and help you to meet new people; low-impact exercise just means that you won’t be hurting yourself in the process. So what are you waiting for? Consult your doctor about a workout regimen that best suits you and your needs and get on the road to a healthier recovery and feeling more like yourself.

 

Thank you David for your insight into the benefits of low impact exercise while coping with cancer! Please leave us a comment below letting us know what you gained from the article!

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Rockin’ Body the work out!

March 9, 2012

I love trying out new work outs just so I can see what everyone else is trying out really. I stopped exercising at all for about 3 years, and gained lots of weight while I had 2 kids back to back.  No regrets it was the road I chose to take, and needed to go [...]

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Are your sleep habits hampering your weight loss efforts?

February 27, 2012
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The down low on sleep and weight loss.  Studies show that seven hours is the magical number of hours of sleep we need for maximum efficiency! There are three main hormones, and a protein affected by sleep that cause us to gain weight, or make it harder to lose weight while we deprive ourselves of [...]

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