New equipment changes up workouts

I handle my workouts at home.

I have set up a limited but decent home gym.

I am satisfied with my set of hand weights, yoga mat and resistance bands. I also have a jump rope. If the weather permits, I enjoy taking a bike ride. I sometimes go for a run around the neighborhood. When I am forced to workout indoors, I can easily target my various muscle groups, increasing my heart rate and expanding my lungs. I make sure to get sweaty and breathless. Along with jumping rope, I incorporate sets of burpees, crunches, squats, lunges, plank holds and push-ups. For Mother’s Day, my kids gave me an incline bench and a mini trampoline. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I’d use the new equipment all that often. However, I’ve discovered that they are beneficial assets to my gym. In the past, I’ve had problems with straining my back or rubbing the skin off my tailbone from doing lots of crunches. The incline bench has eliminated this concern. The bench provides comfort, better positioning and is cushioned. It helps to angle my spine into a more beneficial posture. I can easily increase or decrease the level of incline with a quick adjustment. I have introduced a few new ab exercises. Crunching at an incline is much more demanding on my muscles than lying flat. I’m benefiting more from my time and effort. The mini trampoline is fun. It is a great cardio exercise but avoids strenuous impact. I tend to jump rope too often and my knees, ankles and feet take a pounding. I can now give my joints a rest and still burn plenty of calories by jumping on the trampoline. I try to be creative on the trampoline and have come up with different ways to engage different muscles.

Nutritional Counseling