Happy New Year!

Yes, it was more like a few months, but I'm back!! What motivated me to begin today was my sister (one of them...); she's starting back to her gym TODAY after a long layoff, but where should she start? Well, for sure, making it through the front door is the first step, but from there, start with the bikes. Ask a trainer to show you how to set up a beginner's workout for you - if you've been gone awhile, the equipment has (hopefully) changed, and you want to make sure you are taking advantage of all the bells and whistles. Keep your workout short and light for your first day back - you want to be able to get out of bed tomorrow and do it again! I suggest the bike because, if you are easily intimidated by other gym rats, you won't fall off or push something that has your legs moving faster than the rest of your body until you pass out. Those rats would notice that...anyway, start with a 20 minute spin on your bike, and then head to weight room and do a few bench push-ups. A trainer can help you with your form here, but the idea is to strengthen your arms and upper body so that you can do a traditional pushup in the near future. A bench pushup basically involves lowering your body in an incline position to the height of the bench, with only a slight bend in your elbows. Focus on using your arms and upper body to push you back up, as though you were pushing up from your armpits. Try to do ten of these. Follow this with some stretching on a mat or swim laps in the pool to stretch out your arms and legs. Tomorrow you will want to begin with an easy stretch to loosen up your muscles for the workout that follows. Enough for today - enjoy your workout!