WEEK 1: Gráinne Haganbegins a four-part guide to feeling better on the beach.
THE HOLIDAY EXODUS is about to get under way. We will be packing our bags, buying suncream, rooting out the passports and resurrecting the flip-flops. Over the next four weeks I'll be showing you how to feel and look better on the beach, and on holidays generally, this summer.
To help with the exercises, buy a flexible exercise band and a set of dumb-bells from any good fitness shop. Always start with a warm-up: five to 10 minutes of walking, running (up and down the stairs if you're at home), skipping or cycling. If all else fails, vacuum the house. At the end of your warm-up you should be starting to sweat as your heart beats faster.
This week, perform the following seven exercises. Try to do each one 15 times twice, resting for 45 to 60 seconds between each set. For best results aim to do these exercises at least three times this week, taking a day off in between, to allow your body to rest and recover.
To contract your abdominals or tighten your stomach, by the way, suck your belly button into your back. This will ensure your back is supported during all exercises. Always keep a soft bend in the knees and elbows.
1 Squat with dumb-bells
Imagine you are trying to sit down on a chair that is just out of reach. Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart. Contract your abdominals and inhale as you slowly lower yourself down as far as you can, or until your thighs are parallel with the floor. Keep your knees over your ankles. Keep looking forward to keep your back in a safe position. Exhale as you reverse the movement back, pushing through your heels and keeping your head up and your body erect.
2 Back work
Sit on a mat with your legs extended in front of you. Keeping the band nice and wide, place it around the soles of both feet and grasp each end halfway down. Sit tall, with your abdominals contracted and your back straight. Your head should be balanced right above your spine. Exhale as you pull the band towards you, keeping your elbows close to your body. Keep your shoulders relaxed, and visualise trying to squeeze a grape between your shoulder blades as you pull back. Inhale as you reverse the movement back, resisting the weight until you are back to the start position.
3Push-up Start in a box position, with your wrists under each shoulder and your knees under your hips. Inhale as you bend your elbows and lower your chest until it is about five or six centimetres off the floor. Think about your chest coming down between your hands. Exhale as you push up to the start position. Don't let your body touch the floor. Keep your abdominals tight and your back straight, and don't lower your hips.
4 Lateral raise
With a dumb-bell in each hand and your palms facing inwards, stand tall, with your feet hip-distance apart. Exhale as you raise the dumb-bells out to the side until your elbows and hands are level with your shoulders and your palms are facing the floor. Keep a slight bend in your elbows throughout. Inhale as you return slowly to the starting position, resisting the weight on the way down. Keep a slight bend in your elbows throughout and ensure your torso doesn't move. Shoulders stay down in the back. Repeat 15 times, rest for 45-60 seconds and repeat.
5 Abdominal crunches
Lie on a mat with your legs bent a hip-distance apart and place your hands on your thighs. Exhale as you draw your navel into your back and lift your head and shoulders off the floor, with your hands travelling up towards your knees. Inhale as you slowly lower your back down to the start position.
6 Oblique crunches
Lie on a mat with your legs bent a hip-distance apart. Slowly bring your knees together and let them fall to the right side of your body at a 90-degree angle. Keep your shoulders square to the ceiling. Exhale as you draw your belly button into your back and lift your head and shoulders off the floor, keeping your elbows wide and your knees one above the other. Inhale as you slowly lower yourself back down to the start position. Now bring your knees back to centre and slowly let them fall to the left side of the body. Repeat.
Once you've been through all seven exercises twice, warm down with stretches, to help reduce muscle soreness and get the blood circulating around the body again. If you can, include 10 minutes of brisk walking, running, skipping or cycling, to help to work the heart and lungs and get that metabolism racing. We'll up the pace each week until the end of the programme - by which time you may even have found the passports.
Gráinne Hagan is an Itec-qualified fitness instructor and a PowerHouse-qualified Pilates instructor. E-mail hagan@diginet.ie. If you have any medical condition, check with your doctor before doing these exercises