New Gadget

I love finding new fitness gadgets to experiment with. They bring a certain freshness to what can sometimes become monotonous workouts. The best thing about the fitness gadget that I discovered this week is that it was free! In fact, most people already own some of these fitness gadgets and don't even know it. Can you guess what they are?


Washcloths!!


Yup, I had my first experiment with these this last week and I am in love. They definitely work muscles in a different way than I have experienced and after doing some of the exercises, my hamstrings were sore for days. So what exactly do you do with these washcloths? Well let me explain...(Note: You will need to find a hard surface to perform these exercises. Both hardwood floors and linoleum floors work great!)


1. Alternating Slide-Outs (a great core/upper body exercise)

Start in push-up position with a washcloth under each hand. Your feet should be hip distance apart with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Reach your right hand forward, sliding the washcloth along the floor while stabilizing your core muscles. Reach out as far as you can while holding your body in a straight line. Bring right hand back in and repeat on the left side.


2. Reverse Lunges (a new twist on a classic move)

Place a washcloth under each foot and stand with feet slightly separated. Slide your left foot along the floor into a rear lunge, making sure that your right knee does not go in front of your right toe and go down until your right thigh is parallel to the floor (your left knee should be close to, if not touching the ground.) Slide your left foot back up and repeat on the right side.


3. Mountain Climbers (more engaging than regular ones)

Again start in push-up position with each of your feet this time on a washcloth. Slide your right foot forward while drawing your right knee into your chest. Slide the right foot back to the starting position and repeat on the left side. You can alternate back and forth with this move or you can "run" your knees in so that as your right foot goes back into the starting position, your left foot moves forward at the same time. This will give you a good cardio-blast too!


4. Glute Bridges (these are killer -- I could only do a few before my hamstrings were on FIRE!!)

These are HARD (just thought you should be forewarned!) Lie on your back with your knees bent and each of your feet on top of a washcloth. Keep your hands on the ground slightly away from your body and try not to let them press into the ground. Lift your hips into the air as high you can and hold them there throughout this exercise. With your hips lifted, slide both feet away from you as far as you can while still keeping your hips in the raised position. Then slide them back in to the starting position. You should feel this working your hamstring muscles (on the back of your thigh) right away! To make this a bit easier, you can alternate between the right and left side rather than pushing both feet in and out together.

5. Pikes Peak (if you can do these, you must have abs of steel!)

Start in push-up position with both feet on a washcloth. Use your core abdominal muscles to draw your feet in towards your hands while keeping your legs straight (at the top of this move, your body should be in a "pike" position with arms and legs both as straight as possible.) Hold for a few seconds before sliding feet back into the starting push-up position.

So you see, a lot of times you don't need fancy equipment or luxury gyms to get in a great workout. A few washcloths and you'll be well on your way to "making IT fit!"