Personal Fitness
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 The anytime, anywhere workout.
FITNESS
Seventeen Magazine beauty editor, Annmarie lverson, reveals her own very personal fitness routine-one that you can do when and where you like
1. WARM UP
Okay, I admit it. I do work out almost everyday. And no, I'm not crazy. I'm just really interested in feeling distressed and looking streamlined in my clothes. But I also have to admit I wasn't always a jock.
In high school (in Wisconsin, where I'm from) I never had the nerve to try out for volleyball or cheerleading. College at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee was the same story-no intramural sports, no rahrah activities. But in freshman-required PE, I discovered that being in shape didn't depend on making the team, scoring big points, or showing up for practices. Instead, the instructor showed me how to become my own personal trainer and create my own routine. How easy is it? You just do an aerobic activity to get your heart going and calisthenics to tone and shape your entire body. You can do it alone, or with a friend. So here's the workout that works for me... where I want, when I want.
You have to ease your body into a workout. All it takes is TEN MINUTES of nonstop brisk walking, easy jogging, or cycling. Your PORTABLEGYM should include a Jump rope, resistance bands, weights (one to three pounds) and sport shoes.
2.STRETCH
Go directly from the warm-up to stretches while your muscles are still warm and you have a maximum range of motion.
1 Sit on ground with legs spread to sides.
"Walk" hands out from body as far as is comfortable.
(If you exercise with a friend, you can ease each other into a stretch by putting your feet together and clasping hands.)
2 While still sitting, place soles of feet together. Grasp ankles with hands, and use elbows to push knees toward ground. Don't bounce-just press up and down gently.
3 While standing, wrap a band (or a towel) across up per back, and pull while TWISTING torso from left to right until movement feels easy.
4 Slide band up, behind shoulders, and pull shoulders from side to side.
3. AEROBIC
This is the key calorie-burning, fattrimming part of the workout. The trick is to get your heart rate up to an aerobic level for about twenty minutes. Do this with one activity (like running, cycling, or swimming) or do a COMBINATION of two or more activities.
1 Jump back and forth over a friend or a small table. Jumping in the air exerts an amazing amount of ENERGY and sends the heart rate up-just be sure to keep up the pace.
2 When you jump rope, keep feet together and shoulders relaxed. Jump just high enough to clear the rope.
4.BAND
Resistance bands are used for both stretching and toning the arms and legs.
1 Stand with legs shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. GRASP the band with both hands, with back of hands facing you. Stretch band across chest, keeping arms bent at a 90-degree angle. Release, bringing elbows and forearms together in front of chest. Repeat ten times.
2 Lie flat on ground. Tie one end of band to left ankle, and keep leg on ground. Hold other end of band with left hand, extending left arm across body. Keeping TENSION in band, slowly lift leg straight up from ground, then lower. Do ten times. Repeat with other leg.
3 Tie band around both ankles. Lie on back, and lift legs overhead. Open legs. Do twenty times.
4 While standing, step on one end of the band with right foot.
Grasp other end of band with right hand. Lift arm in a half circle from your side to over your head. Do ten times. Repeat on other side. Beginners should now go straight to Cool Down.
5. CRUNCH
Abdominal and arm crunches are the most efficient exercises around. You just have to do a few, correctly, to see results.
1 It doesn't matter how many PUSH-UPS you do, it matters how many you do right! Start with hands directly under chest and back lifted (not arched). Keep head up, and lower chest to floor, then exhale while lifting back to starting position. Go for five reps, then increase to ten when you can do five perfectly.
2 To do the TRICEP push-ups, start with hands and elbows extended away from body. Bend elbows to lower body, and straighten elbows to lift. Do ten times.
3 To do standing abs, stand with legs shoulder-width apart, hands behind head. Lift right knee across body toward the left elbow as you exhale, and suck in stomach muscles. Repeat on left side.
Do a total of twenty, working up to forty. lntermediates should now go straight to Cool Down.
6. WEIGHT
Put your worries aside-working with weights won't give you big, bulging MUSCLES.
What it will do is make your arms sleeker and your shoulders wider, which gives you a nice PROPORTION, especially if you have wider hips. Start off light, with one-pound weights, and work up to two-pounders, then three. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightIy bent.
1 Hold weights at shoulder height and press arms back, feeIing the movement in shoulder blades. Do fifteen times.
2 Start with arms at sides.
ExhaIe as you lift weights straight over your head. Do ten times.
3 Hold weights over top of thighs. Following a circular path, lift weights out to the sides and up till they're overhead; then lower, following the same path. Do five, working up to ten.
7. COOL DOWN
This is the few minutes of CONSTRUCTIVE RELAXATION after your workout session. Take a few laps around the lawn, walking briskly. Then stop, and while breathing deeply, roll head gently in a circular motion. Then roll shoulders, wrists, and arms in same motion. Repeat beginning stretches, adding bends and plies, concentrating on muscles that feeI strained.
The MASSAGING action of these moves will help prevent soreness later-and keep you coming back for more!
Source: Seventeen Magazine
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