The Best Exercise with the Most Benefit

Week One of the New Year has come to an end. Statistics show
that most people who have begun their New Year's resolutions
have already failed. If your resolution is not going the way
you had hoped, do not give up. Take a step back and evaluate
your resolution. Before you move forward, ask yourself, "Is my
resolution or goal realistic?" I am going to talk more about
Tangible Goal Setting in future broadcasts.

If you have resolved to lose weight and get in shape, your
resolution is one of the most common ones. Health club
memberships are purchased with good intent, but often are not
used. Treadmills and elliptical machines become a piece of
furniture to throw clothing on.

The current economic state suggests that many will not be able
to afford a membership at the local health club this year.
That's okay. You can still get a great workout at home at
little or no cost. You don't have to spend a lot of money or a
lot of time to get in shape. Getting in shape is no longer
about lifting heavy weights or running for an hour. In fact,
some studies reveal that doing so may be harmful to your
muscles and joints.

I would like to help you get back on track with your resolution
by suggesting a cost- and time-effective exercise.

So what exercise that you can do at home without purchasing any
equipment offers you the greatest benefit?

The push-up.

The push-up exercise provides the following benefits:
-Strengthens chest, shoulders, arms and back
-Improves your core (deep muscles of the spine and pelvis)
-Increases aerobic capacity

As with all exercise programs, please consult your doctor
before you begin.

Now we're at the point where the client, patient or you say the
following: "I haven't done push-ups in a long time" or "I could
never do push-ups."

Well, if you are just starting out or haven't done push-ups in
a while (defined as more than a year ago), start with push-ups
off the wall. This is an easy movement pattern. Standing
several feet away from the wall, raise your arms in front of
you at shoulder level and walk to the wall. When your hands
are touching the wall, you are in perfect wall push-up
position. Make sure that when you perform the push-up, your
elbows go out (parallel to the floor), not down (perpendicular
to the floor).

If you find that standing push-ups are too easy, you can begin
the push-up on the floor on your knees, and if even that is too
easy, you can use the regular push-up position.

Start slowly. Perform 5 repetitions every day. When 5
repetitions seem easy, add a second set of 5 repetitions. Rest
30 seconds between sets. When these are easy, add a third set.

When you are comfortable with 3 sets of 5 repetitions, add
repetitions at the rate of 2 per week. This means you will be
doing 3 sets of 7 repetitions, then 9 repetitions, then 11,
etc.

The goal is to progress to 3 sets of 15 repetitions.

Once you accomplish 3 sets of 15 repetitions of the standing
wall push-up, begin on your knees following the same program,
and then from your knees to a regular push-up position.

If you find that every day is too much, perform the push-up
exercise every other day. If you find you can only do standing
wall push-ups, just stick with those - it's still a great
exercise!

Remember, start slowly and listen to your body.

If you would like to have a complete push-up program, please
just e-mail me at Michael@frompaintopersonalgain.com

To Your Health, Wealth & Happiness!

Dr. Michael Kaye
Knowledge, Action, Results

P.S. To learn more on how to create a life of health, wealth
and happiness log onto http://tinyurl.com/5vaahu