We hate to burst your fried-chicken-eating bubble, but Spring Break is a little less than three weeks away, and it is taking no prisoners. It will soon be time to show your friends from home that your college’s football team is not only better than theirs is, but your body is also way more bangin’.
Unfortunately, following the golden health rules of eating veggies and balancing calories have been replaced by late-night ice cream stints and beer chugging, thus forcing you to take the route of crash dieting and over-exercising to get to that perfect body. Wrong! Stop maxing out your weight at the gym and eating nothing but celery and prune juice. The Avenue sat down with Meaghan O’Dwyer, a personal trainer certified by Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and American Council on Excercise to talk spring break fitness.
What are the dangers of crash dieting?
Crash diets are counterproductive. You aren’t fueling your body properly so you are more prone to get exhausted. You aren’t getting the proper energy needed to complete effective exercises.
What is the biggest fitness myth out there?
People think that they can “spot reduce,” which is trying to minimize just one area of the body such as love handles or a stomach pooch. Unfortunately, where you deposit fat is a matter of genetics, and exercise has total body effects – not just spot treatment.
What are some “go-to” exercises that are both effective and efficient?
A burpee is an exercise that is the best “bang for your buck.” It works multiple muscle groups and can be modified to make it harder or easier.
1. Stand up. 2. Go down into a plank position. 3. Do a push-up. 4. Jump back up to a standing position.
Make this exercise easier by placing your knees on the ground during the push-up.
Make this exercise more difficult by lifting one leg off of the ground during the push-up.
A lunge with an oblique twist also works several areas. You can easily use a soup can as a weight for extra core work.
1. Lunge one foot forward. 2. Twist your upper body to one side with a weight or can in hand. 3. Repeat for the other side.
What are some easy ways to incorporate fitness on a daily basis?
Cut down on the amount of driving that you do. Instead, substitute walking and cycling to get around. Because of the cold weather, doing small spurts of exercise outside during the day is realistic. You won’t have to change outfits because of being too hot or sticky, so fitting in basic exercises in between classes is very doable.
We at the Avenue think standard crunches are a joke. A better way to get a rock hard stomach is to target your obliques and abdominals by using a medicine ball.
1. Start lying on the ground with a medicinal ball. 2. Take your knees off the ground so that they form a 90-degree angle. 3. Keeping your legs at the angle, sit up into a V position and twist the medicine ball from side to side keeping your abdominals engaged and back straight.
