Spa Cucina Food & Body Therapies

Spa Cucina Mobile Body Therapies
We'll help you feel good...inside & out! TM

Post Office Box 456
Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA 92007
858/523-1SPA (1772)

Work Out @ Home

Warm Up . Legs & Glutes . Triceps

As seen on KUSI-TV, Saturday, June 7, 2003…

It's a jungle out there, but you've got a gym right here!

Warm Up

Always begin with a warm-up, to increase blood flowing into your muscles, ligaments and tendons, and loosen up joints. Any 5- to 7-minute warm-up will do. Chase your kids or pets. Vigorously vacuum or dance around the living room to your favorite beat.

Get some good cardiovascular training with a piece of rope, doing forward JUMPS and then playing around with the fancier moves from your youth. Or STEP-UP on your front stairs, any stairs inside the house, or on a sturdy crate or box. Vary the height and speed, and change your lead foot to get an even better, more even workout. Keep stepping until you feel energized and ready to get pumped up! (Try, on a scale of one to ten, working out to a five. One is resting, ten is over-exertion yourself.) Keep moving longer for a stronger heart muscle!

After your warm-up, use a CHAIR to strengthen and tone legs and buttocks with squats, lunges and leg lifts*. Start out with just a few of each and increase your repetitions as you're able. Be sure to rest in between sets.

Have a seat and drink a little water each from two bottles, then use those bottles for BICEP CURLS and CHEST PRESSES in front of the body. Graduate to bigger bottles as you get more fit!

Now open your knees to fold in half at the hips for lifts straight out to the side (no higher than shoulders) that work the BACK MUSCLES as well as the backs of your arms. Then return to bicep curls with arms open to the side. Note that curls can be done with elbows higher, or with bigger water bottles, when you need more challenge. Now you're ready to finish off your triceps with presses behind you (Level 1), overhead (Level 2), or move up to tricep dips (Level 3*).

For ABDOMINAL toning, place hands behind your head with elbows open wide. Breathe in through your nose and feel your belly expand. Breathe out forcefully through your mouth and feel your belly contract. Your torso will move forward, but NOT your elbows (protect your neck and keep the chest open). Also do toward the knee, and tilting to the side to get all ab muscles involved.

Come to any wall to start your STRETCHES: Place palms in front of shoulders and walk legs back until you feel your back and sides lengthen, gently turn to face the ceiling and get a good twist. Then come to elbows on the wall and slide one leg at a time straight behind you for calf stretches. Turn around and fold in half with your rear on the wall to relax your entire back side.

Ready to towel off? Roll it narrowly so you can use it to lengthen your limbs as you stretch warm thigh and arm muscles. Then fold it for a pillow and lie down: you're done!

Please get in touch if you have questions about fitness, nutrition, yoga, spa services…your well being. Email us at: Tia@SpaCucina.com.

The Mighty Three for Legs and Glutes!

Squats

Stand in front of your chair with feet hip width distance and hands on your hips for balance. Keeping spine in alignment, move buttocks toward chair as though you were going to sit down, and then contract thighs, buttocks and belly to come back to standing. Keep the action smooth through your knees, and don't go so deep that you feel any discomfort there.

With legs closer together, you'll get more inner thigh activity. Give it a try, and really squeeze on the way up, adding Kegel exercises if you like.

Lunges

Stand near the chair so you can steady yourself if necessary, as you step the outside foot behind you, dropping that knee toward the ground. Be sure your back is in alignment with your hips. Don't try to lower the back foot! Squeeze your inner thighs, buttocks and belly to come back to standing.

Side Lifts

Again using the chair when necessary for balance, stand to one side with feet hip width distance and bend both knees, keeping back straight. Lift the outside leg only as high as you can without turning the foot up toward the sky. Lower down slowly and repeat until the muscle is fatigued.

Now try working the inner thigh by balancing on the outside leg and lifting the inside leg across the front of your body, with both knees slightly bent. Lead with your heel - again, only lifting as high as you can without turning your foot up toward the sky. Fatigue!

Trim Triceps

Sit on your chair with your hands facing forward, palms down over the front or side edge. Perform tricep dips by using your arms to lift and lower your body. Try not to tilt the pelvis with this move, and keep shoulders out of your ears and spine in alignment as usual. When you're ready for more, lift one leg in front of you as you lift and lower the body!

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