If you’re a stay at home mom with small children you might believe it’s impossible to get really fit (and may I dare suggest ‘ripped’) with the challenges and time constraints that you face.

However, there are several ways to get a great workout in within the day if you know just how to ‘play’ it.

Yes, ladies! ‘PLAY’ is the operative word here.

Kids love to play, right?  So, what’s stopping you from either joining them… or better yet, having THEM join you in your workout?

Let’s start with the easy suggestions.  Kids love to tear around the room at the highest mach-speed they can manage right?  Little bundles of energy, those tykes.

So, tear around with them.  Play tag in the backyard (or in the house) or even hide and seek.  You could even pull those old clunkers out from our own childhoods like Kick the Can and Marco Polo.

Feel free to offer up piggyback and horseyback rides.  Swing on the swings, if you have them (or if you’re at the playground).  Just because you’re the grown-up is no reason to actually ACT like one!

Merry-go-rounds need pushing… teeter-totters need riding, slides need sliding down.  Your kids will LOVE it if Mom plays too.

If it’s Summer, a dash or fourteen through the sprinkler will not only be refreshing and fun but gets that heart rate up nicely too.  How about setting up a slippy slider and the hose and having some good old fashioned slippery Summer fun in your bathing suit?  Why should all the fun be left to the physically young?  The young-at-heart will be more than welcome to play along.

If it’s Winter, build a snowman … or better yet, a snow fort!  Do you know how much kids love forts?.  Once you’re finished building the fort you can make up some great games to play in it too.  Or grab the sled and head to the steepest hill.  Climb up, sled down, repeat ad nauseum and tell me that’s not a great bout of interval training.

And talk about the bonding session.  What’s better for bonding with your kids than doing what THEY love to do?

Ok, so you’ve had your fill of kid-oriented activities and just want to get down to some good heavy lifting but you’re worried your kids will get in the way?  Or that it’s not safe for them to be around the equipment?

There ARE ways to manage that.

Make your weight training session into a game.  But first, make sure you either have some toy dumbbells or some VERY light dumbbells for the kids to use.

Now, its “Copy Mommy” time.  Modify that old game of Simon Says that we used to play and make it into a fun session of ‘copy cat’.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with handing your tykes very light or toy dumbbells to follow along with what you’re up to.  Have you ever seen your kids copy you when you’re doing housework?  This is second nature to kids.  They love to learn and grow by copying the grown-ups.

So get to work on your routine and let them know it’s “Copy Mommy” time.  Not only will they get some great exercise but they’ll be so busy trying to copy you and keep up that they won’t have time to think about coming closer to your heavier equipment.  It won’t even be a curiosity to them.  They have their own set.  Just like that toy vacuum cleaner or toy oven in their toy cabinet.

And hey, if they do decide to wander too close to the equipment, a quick reasonable explanation of ‘grown-up toys and owies’ should do the trick.  And if doesn’t then offer to let them try to pick up one of your heaviest pieces.  Since they won’t be able to that should bore them pretty quickly.

If you want to do some good indoor cardio get them to compete with you.  How many burpees can you do?  How many can the kids do?  Or see who can jump rope the longest out in the backyard.  I bet they beat you, and that’s the most fun a kid can have, when they can beat their parents at something they consider a grown-up activity.

Or you can make a game of racing to the fence then seeing who can walk back the fastest (over and over and over again).  There’s some GREAT interval training for you.

The possibilities are endless, and you don’t have to wait for the kids to be down for a nap.  Involve them wherever possible and feed your energy with their energy.  You’ll be the fittest family on the block, not to mention the closest!

More great ’stay at home and get ripped’ tips can be found in Turbulence Training.

Jackie Burgmann is a Registered Weight Trainer and Registered Personal Trainer who also runs a popular fitness-oriented video blog using the pseudonym Girlwithnoname. Jackie stays in great shape by working out primarily in and around her home in the city and blogs about her challenges and successes with her fitness routines. She also manages an Online Fitness Coaching program and provides inspiration and tips for anyone else interested in getting in shape or working out.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/can-moms-with-young-kids-actually-get-really-fit-1779304.html

More gym memberships are purchased in January than in any other month of the year. It’s a naturally occurring phenomenon that coincides with the top New Year’s resolution — to get in shape. Although intentions are good and efforts are valiant, in the first weeks of 2010 there will be more gym-related injuries than in the rest of the months combined.

Here are the top 10 exercises to avoid and the reasons to avoid them.

Behind-the-neck presses. Also known as military presses, this position jeopardizes the rotator cuff. During this exercise, the rotator cuff is prone to strains and tearing. Anyone who has undergone a course of rotator cuff rehab can tell you this exercise is one to skip.

Deep squatting. The American population has enough trouble with its knees and doesn’t need more. During a deep squat, the thin cartilage of the kneecap grinds against the thigh bone and can wear down easily. Once worn, the knee will become inflamed and painful and may cause problems for long periods of time. A better squatting option is to make sure your knees never pass a right angle.

Seated leg extensions. Especially for women who suffer from kneecap issues much more than men, the leg extension machine will grind the kneecap against the thigh just like a deep squat. Unfortunately, there is no adjustment that can make this exercise more user-friendly. It’s best to avoid it altogether.

Seated stomach curls with heavy weight. Many gyms will have a machine that allows you to push your chest forward while in a seated position to strengthen your abdominals. This causes sheering between the vertebrae and often results in a disc injury. A better option is to do high-repetition, low-intensity crunches on a mat.

Shoulder shrugs with heavy weight. A popular exercise with men, shoulder shrugs can have a devastating impact on your neck. Aside from the possibility of injuring a disc, it puts a heavy strain on your ligamentous and muscular system. This often leads to neck pain that persists for several months at a time.

Short-step lunges. If you’re going to perform a lunge, try to take a big step. Short-step lunges cause sheering in the knee and ankle joints, often leading to arthritis and pain. Longer strides will enlist the help of your buttocks and hamstrings and ensure minimal stress is placed through the sensitive cartilage bearing the weight.

Straight-legged dead lifts. Dead lifts are probably the most dangerous exercise for the lumbar spine. The torque placed through the discs that line your spine often surpasses 1,000 pounds — even if you’re doing low weight. Your disc will tolerate between 600 and 1,200 pounds depending on your body type. Pushing the limits of this exercise almost certainly guarantees a high probability of injury.

Wrist rolls. Another popular male exercises is to take a heavy bar and curl the wrists to build the muscles of the forearms. Far too frequently these weight-lifters develop carpal tunnel syndrome and have the potential of doing serious damage to the nerves in the wrist. A better alternative is to purchase a grip ball and do some squeezing when you have a free minute.

The clean-and-jerk is a useful exercise for football players who play at a competitive level, but a dangerous exercise for anyone new to exercising. Many people hurt their back and shoulders all in one motion, so it’s probably better to leave this one aside.

Bench pressing for maximum weight. Unless you’re an ultimate fighter, you won’t have much use for lifting several hundred pounds once. Don’t dislocate your shoulders or strain your neck; work with a weight you can handle and build your strength slowly over time.

What to do if you suffer a gym related injury

If you have suffered a gym related injury visit http://www.paincontrol.co.uk

Pain Control stock a number of Supports and Braces for Pain Control and Pain Relief

Martin Roche
Pain Control
http://www.paincontrol.co.uk

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/gym-related-injuries-pain-control-1780560.html

Ladies.

Let’s talk how to get firm arms.

Ever wonder why some women can maintain amazing arms?

I’m talking firm. ZERO under-arm “saggage”?

Well I don’t have to guess why. They work out. It’s obvious. But not just work out. They actually do the #1 thing you can do to get firm arms. Lift weights.

And this is becoming more and more popular obviously.

Women are figuring out that just because you “lift” doesn’t mean you have to get “bulky”.

I know that was the major concern for a while. But the shocking thing is that 99% of the women I see who maintain a lean, firm body with no under arm fat do some form of muscle development exercise.

I’d flat out say that if you’re not lifting weights or doing some other form of muscle development exercise you’re not gonna lose flabby arms… period!

Ya you can lose weight. Drop pounds. But dropping pounds and losing fat can be two very different things.

That’s why you see all these women who lose a lot of weight… 10lbs… 20lbs… even 30 pounds or more by dieting, but they still have lots of under arm fat.

The reason is they have very low muscle mass.

The bottom line of this whole article is pretty simple, without developing muscle you won’t lose flabby arms… period.

So here’s what you absolutely must do if you have any hopes of transforming your body. And it can happen quick too. Provided that you just begin and are consistent.

Go get a gym membership and get in there and lift weights at least five days a week.

Don’t over-think this. Movement beats meditation. Meaning… even if you have never lifted a weight in your life just go to the gym and get someone to show you how. A professional. Just get going though with very light weight. You’re gonna make mistakes, but nothing is perfect.

I’ve seen gym memberships around twenty to thirty bucks a month. So most people can afford them. There is really no excuse here.

After about two weeks of consistently lifting weights…and yes eating right too… you will see the difference.

You won’t just be losing pounds like on diets… you’ll be losing fat! Getting “shapely”. You’ll lose flabby arms. The under arm fat. And get firm arms.

And that is how you transform your body.

One last thing here.

If you absolutely can’t afford a gym membership than there are many different forms of “weight-less” workouts you can do.

You can do push-ups. Dips. Pull-ups. All these exercises will tone your arms and you can do them right from home.

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/ladies-1-secret-to-get-firm-arms-1782763.html