Today, millions of Americans will be watching television, specifically, the Super Bowl XLV, commercial breaks included! Multi-task while you enjoy today's ads, not by running upstairs for a beer, but by performing effective toning exercises; five for your upper body and five for your lower body. You'll need a stability ball and a set of light to medium dumbbells, 5 to 8 lbs. for women and 8 to 12 lbs. for men. Pre-game, warm up for five minutes by marching in place or running up and down a flight of stairs a few times. During each commercial break, perform 10 to 12 repetitions and two to three sets of each exercise, alternating upper and lower body, in the order suggested. At each break, proceed to the next exercise listed and so on until you have finished all five from both categories. Finish with a relaxing stretch.
Upper Body:
#1: Stability ball push-ups. roll out on the ball face-down. The further you roll out, the more difficult the exercise. Keep your body in a straight line and tuck in your abdominal muscles. Bending your arms at the elbows, lower your face to the floor and push back up to the starting position. Repeat. After 10 to 12 repetitions, move on to lower body exercise #1.
#2: Prone rear deltoid fly: facing down on the stability ball, position it under your lower chest. Splay legs out for support, balancing on your toes or the balls of your feet. Grab a set of light to medium dumbbells. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift your arms out to the side. Look up but try to keep your head in line with your neck. Lower and repeat. Move on to lower body exercise #2.
#3: Seated shoulder press: sit on the stability ball with a medium-sized dumbbell in each hand. Start with elbows bent at a 90-degree angle, palms facing forward. Press the dumbbells upward until the arms are almost straight. Don't lock your elbows. Lower and repeat. After completing, proceed to lower body exercise #3.
#4: Triceps dip: place a chair against the wall. Sit on the chair and place your hands, palms-down, on the edge of the seat. Slide off the seat, keeping your arms straight, shoulders pressed down, supporting your weight with your arms. Keep your knees bent. Using the strength of back of your arms, lower to a 90-degree angle and press through your hands back to the starting position. After finishing a set, move onto lower body exercise #4.
#5: Bicep curls: you can do these seated, on the stability ball or standing, knees slightly bent, feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing up. Using the front of your arm, curl the dumbbell toward your chest, slowly return to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 12 repetitions. If you can do this with ease, use a set of heavier dumbbells. Next up... lower body exercise #5.
#1: Plank alternating leg lifts: from a push-up position, with the stability ball placed under your shins, arms straight and aligned underneath your shoulders, abdominals tucked in, attempt to lift one leg toward the ceiling. Hold and try to lift 1/2 inch higher. Keep your body weight distributed between the opposite leg and arms. Lower and repeat with the other leg. Complete 12 repetitions per side.
#2: Side leg lifts: start on your knees with the stability ball tucked in at one side. Lean sideways to a 45-degree angle, toward the stability ball, keeping it close to your body, wrapping your arm around it for support. Place your opposite hand on your hip, elbow out, and straighten the opposing leg out to the side, straight with a flexed foot. Lift that leg up to hip height. You'll feel this in the outer thigh. Lower and repeat. Do this on the other side.
#3: Wall squats: standing with your back to a wall, place your stability ball behind you, between your mid-back and the wall. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart far enough in front of you so that, when you lower your body into a squat, your knees do not extend beyond your toes. You may hold dumbbells in your hands to make this exercise more difficult. The stability ball will roll upward. Concentrate on lowering your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
#4: Wall lunges: start in the same position as you did for the wall squats. Instead of a squat position, perform lunges, one side at a time, stabilizing your back foot against the wall behind you. As with the squats, your front knee should not extend beyond your front toe. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions on each side.
#5: Straight leg bridge: this exercise targets the back of the leg or hamstrings and buttocks. Lie on your back and rest your feet on the stability ball, legs straight. Tuck in your abdominal muscles. Push down through your heels, squeeze your buttocks and lift your lower body up as high as possible. Keep your head and shoulders on the floor. Hold this position for at least 15 seconds. Lower and repeat 10 to 12 times.
Next commercial break relax with some simple stretches. Now you can feel good about grabbing a healthy snack and watching the rest of the game.
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