Balance And Brain Health

by Kathy Smith

Scientists and anthropologists believe that a human’s ability to stand on two feet requires a major amount of brainpower. Balance and walking is an “all systems go” accomplishment. As you age, balance becomes more challenging and more important…especially for the health of your brain.

Your eyes, ears, brain and your sense of body position are the three main sensory circuits that work together to keep you in balance. Your eyes analyze ongoing visual cues and send signals to our brain to alert joints and muscles how to move when. At the same time, a tiny, fluid-filled tube in your ear canal sends messages to your central nervous system about the position of your head. All of these elements are controlled by your brain. So, if you’re experiencing loss of motor coordination, such as having a hard time balancing, it could suggest damage in the brain.

Your “spatial navigation” ability – being able to move through your environment – is closely connected to learning and memory. When spatial navigation ability is impaired through lack of balance, brain function can also be impaired.

What if I told you that a simple balance test could help you gage the health of your brain? Here’s a 90-second test that will help you determine if it’s time for a balance tune-up.

Your eyes will be closed during this test, so you’ll need a partner to time you with a stopwatch (or any watch that has a second hand) and to make sure you don’t fall.

1. Stand barefoot on a hard floor and close your eyes.

2. If you’re right-handed, use your right leg as support and bend your left knee and lift the left foot. If you’re left-handed, use your left leg as support and bend your right knee and lift the right foot. You only need to lift your foot about 6 inches. Don’t worry about accuracy – an estimate is fine.

3. Ask your test partner to start timing how long you can hold the foot-lifted position without wobbling or opening your eyes.

4. Repeat the test three times, add up your total of the times you were able to stand still, and divide it by 3 to determine your average balance time. For instance, if your first balance time was 6 seconds, your second balance time was 5 seconds and your third balance time was 7 seconds, 6 + 5 + 7 = 18. Then to find the average. 18/3 = average balance time of 6 seconds.

5. Check the list below to see if you fall in the average zone for your age:

Average time for 50-year olds is 9 seconds
Average time for 60-year olds is 7 seconds
Average time for 70-year olds is 4 seconds

Notice that as you age, your balance ability decreases. As the years go by, eyesight often diminishes, muscles shrink and reaction time gets slower. But balance is something you can improve, no matter what your age.

Kathy

1 Tummy Trick You’ve NEVER Tried

by Kathy Smith

Here’s an amazing idea…You can tighten your tummy without any more dreaded crunches. In fact, today I want to show you a mini belly-strengthening trick that will grant impressive results. I’m willing to bet that it’s a trick you’ve never (ever) tried before.

It’s called the “stomach vacuum with a lift.” This isometric contraction has nothing to do with your Hoover, but this vacuum should be part of your weekly routine  This trick helps strengthen your transverse abdominis, the abdominal muscle that I call your “built in spanx.”

Here’s how to start:

1. While on all fours, contract your abdominal muscles, cinching your abs toward your spine. Be sure to not hunch your shoulders.
2. Focus on lifting your knees ever-so-slightly off the mat by creating this small abdominal contraction. Your knees will lift only a minimal amount off the floor…if at all. Remember, the key is to create the lift with your abdominals, not by rolling your weight into your shoulders and lifting your hips.

After practicing this technique for a month or two, your jeans should zip up a little easier!

Kathy

Pilates For Thinner Thighs

by Kathy Smith

Look no further for stronger thighs than this classic Pilates move! In this action, the top leg works as resistance while lifting the bottom leg toward the ceiling.

Kathy

Can You Pass The Balance Challenge?

by Kathy Smith

You’ve probably heard that your weekly dose of exercise should be 150 minutes per week. And, you may have given yourself a high-five because you faithfully tie up your workout shoes every day. But even the most dedicated gym-goers can wind up with holes in their workout routine. There’s a high likelihood that you (yes….I’m looking at you) are missing one vital part of your routine…balance.

Yes, balance training helps to prevent falls as you age.  And yes, it helps with core stabilization to help perfect your posture and improve coordination. But, it’s much more than that. Balance training also strengthens your neuromuscular coordination, meaning that it improves the communication between your muscles and brain.

In today’s blog, I’ll show you 4 techniques for beginning your balance training:

1.  Beginner’s Test
   Let’s start by testing your level of stability. To do this, start by standing with a wide stance and slowly heel-toe your feet together…they should be touching. This is a very basic first step to test your balance. If this feels comfortable, move on to step two.
2. Take the Flamingo Challenge
   This is a drill that’s designed to enhance your ability to balance while moving or while stationary. It’s one of the most basic balance exercises. To do the flamingo, stand on one leg for 30 seconds with your arms relaxed by your sides. You’ll most likely use your dominant leg. Lift one of your legs, so you’re balancing yourself on one leg. After 30 seconds, switch to the other leg.Now, jazz it up! While still standing on one leg, start slowly swinging your suspended foot forward, back and out to the side. This is a dynamic action, so you’ll feel all the muscles of your stabilizing leg working hard to keep stationary.
3. Balancing Act
   Think that’s easy? Now try the same move with your eyes closed. Your body will begin to sway in every direction! The ultimate goal here is to develop enough balance (and confidence!) to eventually stand still during the move. By simply closing your eyes, your stabilization muscles will work overtime.

No matter what your age, balance improves your posture, your core, and your confidence.

Kathy

Step Up To Strong!

by Kathy Smith

Who says you can’t torch fat WHILE strength training? It’s time to dust off your step, because this throwback tool is no longer just used for aerobics. In fact, when used properly, the step is one of the most underutilized pieces of equipment that can transform your triceps, biceps, back and shoulders.

Not only can a traditional step routine pump up your heart rate and focus on your legs and “assets,” but try polishing your routine off by using your step as a workout bench, and adding in some upper-body toning moves.

With a little creativity, there are countless upper-body strengthening moves you can use with your step bench. 

Don’t miss the 4-minute upper body step workout video below! Pick up your weights, and let’s step it up!

Own your copy of Kathy Smith's Power Step Workout today!

Kathy

6 Weird Ways to Drop The Last 10 Lbs

by Kathy Smith

I am often asked about this dilemma: Why, after working out for months and months, altering their lifestyles and changing their diets, do many people get stuck on a “weight loss plateau.” Bringing us the question, “How the heck DO I lose those last ten pounds?”

Most people become locked in to their everyday routine, the one they used to lose weight and improve their cardiovascular health. But as their bodies have changed they’ve become more efficient, so the routine that once seemed like a killer now burns fewer calories. At best, this level of activity helps to maintain current weight and fitness levels, but does nothing to move us off the “ten-pounds-to-go” plateau.

Losing those last stubborn pounds simply requires an increase in your exercise intensity a couple days a week—one that enables you to reach and maintain 80-85 percent of your maximum heart rate. When you reach that level, your metabolism gets an additional boost; moreover, the benefits of that boost last longer, so you burn more calories and fat at rest, not just during the workout. While the idea of working out harder, faster or longer than you’ve become used to may be daunting, the process itself can actually be pleasurable once you start to see the pounds drop.

Ready to melt away even more pounds? Here are 6 tips to to slide down the scale:

• Lift heavier weights. By simply using a heavier dumbbell, you nudge your body to move the needle. Lifting heavier weights raises your hormone levels, which allows your body to burn fat longer after your workout is complete. And I promise…adding a few extra pounds to your strength training routine won’t make you bulk up.

• Switch up the time or place you workout. By changing simple elements of your routine, it will make your workout feel fresh again. So instead of hitting the gym after work, try rearranging your schedule to workout before your morning shower. This change is stimulating, and can give you motivation to push yourself a little harder.

• Don’t Be A Stress Mess. When your body is stressed, your adrenal glands pump out extra cortisol, which causes an imbalance in your natural hormone rhythms. Extra cortisol triggers your body to hold on to fat and hinder you from reaching your weight loss goals. While nobody has a completely stress-free life, it’s important to reduce your stress to reign in cortisol.
• Add avocado to your day. The simple three-letter word “fat” may make you steer clear, but adding healthy fats (found in avocados, nuts, salmon, and coconut oil) can actually help your body shed pounds. And as a bonus, they’re packed with omega-3s, which help your body fight inflammation.

• Be a weekend warrior. A shocking study found that even dieters consume an extra 420 calories on the weekend. Although it may not seem like a lot, adding a few hundred extra goodies can stall your weight loss goals.

• Add other simple ways to burn more calories to your daily routine, like using an ankle cuff resistance band at your desk. Yes, sitting is the new smoking, so add some movement to your desk routine to keep your body in motion.

Remember, the greatest benefits of fitness has little to do with thinner thighs and tighter tummies. Those are just the bonuses. The true gifts that come from a healthy lifestyle are much more profound. The exercises below can improve mental and emotional health, mood, vitality, energy, happiness, and lifespan!

Kathy

Green Machine Smoothie

by Kathy Smith

Ingredients:

• 1 C. broccoli
• 1 1/2 C. cold water
• 1 leaf kale
• 1 C. arugula
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 juiced lemon

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients into a blender.
2. Add more water as needed.

Kathy

Blueberry Sunrise Protein Shake

by Kathy Smith

Low in calories, high in protein!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 3⁄4 cup blackberries or blueberries
• 1 scoop (2 tablespoons) vanilla or chocolate protein powder

 Directions:

1. Combine water, berries, and protein powder in blender.
2. Cover and blend until smooth. For a thicker shake, use less liquid. For an icier shake, add ice.

Serves 1

Kathy

Burn 400 Calories in 20 Minutes With Kettlebells

by Kathy Smith

Every bit of exercise counts. But the truth is….some workouts are more efficient than others and you owe it to yourself to experiment and try new things when it comes to fitness. Take kettelbells for example. Kettlebells are not just glorified dumbbells. They’re a workout tool that optimizes how you move your body to torch fat and tone muscle in less time.

A University of Wisconsin study found that a kettlebell workout can burn up to 20 calories per minute or 400 calories during a 20-minute session. With those numbers, all excuses for not enough time to exercise go right out the window!

It’s easy to quickly move from one exercise to the next during a kettlebell workout because of the kettlebell’s distinctive shape. When you’re smoothly moving through each exercise without stopping, you’re in what’s called the “kettlebell flow.” The calorie-burning and muscle-building don’t take a break, either.

So imagine this…You’re at the gym, moving along through a 30-minute elliptical workout at a moderate intensity. On the other side of the gym, another woman is powering through a 12-minute kettlebell routine, at high intensity, with little to no rest!
Which one of you will burn more FAT and CALORIES?
Even though you probably burned more calories during your elliptical workout, the woman doing the all-out kettlebell exercise is more likely to torch more fat and calories overall…even though she is working out for HALF as long.
Both workouts are effective ways to get in shape for summer, but the high-intensity kettlebell workout requires a bigger oxygen deficit. This leads to something called EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. This means that after your workout you need to take in more oxygen to recover properly. Because this requires more energy, your body burns even MORE calories after the workout is complete.
And because a kettlebell’s center of gravity shifts during the course of each exercise, your body – especially your core – naturally responds by engaging more muscles. Plus the shape of a kettlebell is very similar to every day objects like a heavy suitcase, moving a piece of furniture or stack of books, or even a shopping bag. Training with kettlebells has the instant benefit of making life’s heavy lifting a little easier.
Not only that, but kettlebell workouts combine the toning benefits of resistance training with the fat-blasting benefits of aerobics. The full body resistance training you get from kettlebells helps create lean muscles, which burn more calories, and reduce fat even when you’re not working out.
If you’re ready for quick results from an invigorating workout that will boost your metabolism, don’t miss today’s 5-minute FAT-BLASTING kettlebell video above.

Own your copy of Kathy Smith's Kettlebell Solution today!

Kathy

5 Best Lower Body Toning Tips & Tricks

by Kathy Smith

Women ask me about trimming their inner thighs almost as much as they ask about banishing belly fat, whether or not it’s okay to eat carbs, and the true meaning of life. Let’s start with your thighs because there are easy things you can do to really firm up this stubborn area. And when you combine thigh toning with a killer butt workout, you start loving your lower body like never before.

1. Squeeze it.

Your “adductors” are the inner thighs – an area often overlooked in normal workouts (unless you’re a speed skater). Adductor machines (found at most gyms) are great for targeting this area, but you can also activate this area whether you’re standing in line at the bank or doing squats at home.

Try this now:  Stand normally, feet parallel and hip-width apart, abdominals tight, and shoulders back.  Without changing the angle of your feet, try to slide your feet together simply by using the muscles in your inner thigh – and simultaneously try not to tighten your glute muscles. Your feet won’t move. As you practice this, you can actually feel the action beginning all the way down in the soles of your feet and moving up through the entire inside of your leg. This activates the inner thigh muscles and also helps you stand a little taller!

And try this later: Next time you’re doing a set of squats, use a slightly wider stance than you usually would (roughly a few inches beyond your wider-than-hip-width position). Turn the toes outward slightly, and as you lower down into the squat, you’ll feel all the normal lower body muscles firing (glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and core) – but this time you’ll notice a little extra emphasis on that hard-to-reach inner area!

2. Lift it.

Once upon a time, leg lifts were invented for women who wanted to work the inner and outer thighs – but after the hundredth lift, they didn’t find their happily-ever-after. Adding some resistance to those classic moves helps you take results to the next level.

In fact, utilizing resistance tubes requires you to maintain constant tension throughout a movement.More muscle fibers light up, which results in quick toning results. Plus, tubing allows you to target areas that aren’t as engaged when you’re doing simple front/back movements.

Take your newfound inner thigh awareness into your everyday life. The same way you can work your abdominals from your desk, you can also engage your thigh muscles right now, as you read this.

3. Live it.

Squishy balls are terrific – I like to keep one under my desk so that I can do some extra thigh squeezes when I’m sitting at the computer.  It’s like a stress-relief ball for the legs – one that helps you power up your lower body.

4. Balance it.

Balance exercises not only strengthen your core, improving your stability and overall health – but they also engage muscles in the lower legs, including stabilizing muscles like your inner thighs. Many yoga moves, such as tree pose or dancer pose, are perfect for a late afternoon balance challenge. What could be better? You can calm the mind while strengthening your inner thighs!

5. Burn it.

The lower body plays a major role in maintaining your cardiovascular systems – since you can’t walk, run, or step very far without it. And the fat-burning benefits of cardio are a key component to trimming down your thighs.

Kathy