ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER

We’ve had a great fall Session, meeting many new clients and welcoming back current clients from last session. Getting moving together makes us all happy, and so will this week’s balance exercise! A wonderful balance challenge, this one is effective in so many ways!

START HERE:

Start with your eyes open if you’ve never tried this one before: Stand on both feet on a flat surface and tap your finger to your nose. Step your right foot slightly forward ahead of your left foot. Make it your goal to hold this posture for at least 30 seconds. Alternate feet and try the exercise again with your left foot forward for another 30 seconds. If you’d like a challenge, keep reading!

LEVEL 2: (B)

Now that you’ve tried one foot in front of the other, you’re ready to give the next levels a try! Start back with your right foot forward and practice blinking your eyes closed. Start with one slow blink, and as your confidence increases keep your eyes closed for longer. When this starts to feel easy, take your left hand up in front of you with your pointer finger extended out at eye level. After you’ve tried this variation, return to start and place your left foot ahead. Repeat the exercise on this side, remembering that your balance will be different on each side, so start slow! This time, send your right finger out ahead of you to test your balance on both sides.

Fifty 5 Fitness aims to have you moving in a healthy way that also feels fun! Exercising together as a group can be a powerful motivator - our classes in Winnipeg are always full of like-minded ladies you’ll enjoy exercising with! Pictured here is me, Emily, the owner of Fifty 5 Fitness, and some of our classes are taught by other talented instructors. Click below to meet us all, then sign up for class so that we can meet you!

BANDED GLUTE BRIDGES

We’re just over here moving to the beat 💃🏼, crushing goals 🌟, working hard💪🏻, and doing “just ☝🏻 more” every time our Instructor comes around 😁! We know you’re going to love these banded glute bridges and feel the burn!

START HERE (A):

To prepare, slide an exercise band just above your knees. Laying down on your back, settle both feet flat on the floor with bent knees. Press down into the floor with both feet and press your palms down into the floor alongside you.

Movement (B):

When you’re ready to begin, start to lift your hips off the ground. Keep your knees parallel to above your hips, or if you’re ready to add some resistance, start pulling your knees apart once you reach the top of where your hips can lift. To tone your lower body and strengthen those glutes, do 12 repetitions 2 times.

If you’re interested in exercising at home and don’t know where to start, personal training may be for you! We offer sessions in-studio that are customized to your exercise needs. Get started today by clicking below!

HALO BALANCE EXERCISE

We love all the ladies who come through our class doors and join us here on the blog. Our community that we have created is something different and unique. A group filled with support and encouragement. Women of the same age, working towards many of the same goals… to move well, become stronger, and to stay healthy as long as possible. Thank you ladies for coming to class week after week. You all make this community something very special. In honour of all of you angels, enter this week’s exercise: the Halo Balance.

START HERE (A):

Start standing with feet hip width apart and a good standing posture. Hold a dumbbell or other light weight in both hands in front of your chest. Shift your weight over to your right foot and hover your left foot above the ground. Keep the right knee slightly bent to protect your knee joint - we’re looking for a micro-bend here!

MOVEMENT: (B)

Holding onto the dumbbell securely, begin to move it in a clockwise direction all the way around your head while keeping your balance on the right foot. Start slowly and notice how your balance is challenged. Keep your core active throughout this exercise to protect your lower back and improve your core strength at the same time. Draw 10-12 circles around your head, then end with the weight at your chest once more. Lower your foot down to the ground, shift your weight over to the other side, and start again on side 2. Complete another 10-12 circles to finish the Halo Balance!

Working with your balance is a wonderful way to keep your body fit and active as you are getting older. We have many other balance exercises to share with you here at Fifty 5 Fitness, click here to see them all!

Exercising for Osteoporosis

More and more these days we have been getting questions from clients about what the best exercise is for osteoporosis 🦴. If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, there are 3 different types of exercise that you should try and fit in to your weekly routine:

1️⃣ LOW IMPACT CARDIO: Examples of this would be low impact aerobics, elliptical machine, stair/step machine or walking on a treadmill or outside🏃🏼‍♀️. These types of cardio will decrease the chance of fractures, and will help to build up bone density.

2️⃣ STRENGTH TRAINING: This can be done with dumbbells, resistance bands, TRX suspensions systems or your own body weight💪🏻. Building up your muscles will help slow down bone loss.

3️⃣ BALANCE EXERCISES: At Fifty 5 Fitness we try many different balance exercises across the floor and at the barre (some of these exercises are shown on our blog at 📲 www.fifty5fitness.com) . Working on balance will help strengthen your core, ankles and will help with falls prevention.

For a combination of low-impact cardio, strength training, and balance, try a Fifty 5 Fitness class in Winnipeg!

STANDING SWING BALANCE MOVE

You’ve likely heard about the importance of balance and aging well from the media and even your doctor… and it’s true! At Fifty 5 Fitness, we take balance seriously. Working regularly on your balance will help you be more comfortable in your body, prevent dangerous falls, and even keep your mind sharp. And, who says workouts shouldn’t be fun? Feel free to put on a little disco while you try today’s move! 😉

START HERE (A):

Establish a solid standing posture to begin: stand with feet at hip’s distance, bend the knees slightly, align the pelvis over those heels, those shoulders over the hips, and the ears above those shoulders. Draw in that navel towards that spine to engage your core muscles. Lean your weight into your right foot, being careful to not lock your knee. With your left hand on your hip, extend your right arm off to the side at shoulder height, and lift your left leg to the side in the opposite direction.

MOVEMENT: (B)

Swing your left foot like a pendulum across the midline of your body, just past the right foot, keeping it to a hover. At the same time, swing your right arm down and across your body towards your left hip. Move slowly, trying to move in a fluid motion without relying on momentum. Slow and steady wins the race! Try 10 repetitions on this side before switching to balancing on your left foot, repeating the movements for a set of 2-3 on each side.

We can help you with your balance. Our group sessions are designed for you to build balance and stability and have fun at the same time - we believe working out in a community is so much more fun! You’re more likely to stick with your exercise regimen if you choose to work out with others, and it’s so much nicer to get out of the house now that the weather is finally warming up. See you at class!

BALANCE CHALLENGE: EYES CLOSED EXERCISE

If your New Year’s resolution relates to health, Fifty 5 Fitness can help to support you! In fact, over the course of the last 7 weeks, 35 of our clients (plus myself and @gripsockstopknots) took part in a “🍏Healthy Eating Challenge🍏”. At Fifty 5 Fitness we are not about crazy diet fads or omitting mass amounts of food from our diet. During this challenge we wanted to try and do 3 things:

1. Get to 85% of our classes🏃🏼‍♀️ during our 7 weeks of the challenge. 

2. Make healthy meals at home🥗🍳, and try new recipes. 

3. Try to not eat the 5 C’s: chocolate🍫, candy, chips, cake 🍰and Coca Cola (ie- all pop products.)

This challenge made us focus more on making healthier food choices and staying committed to our exercise routine. If you’re looking for a healthy and non-restrictive resolution, feel free to borrow from our challenge. Today’s exercise is a challenge in and of itself - an eyes-closed balance challenge. Read on for the how-to!

START HERE (A):

Stand with both feet flat on the floor, then shift your weight over to your right foot. Press down into the floor with your right foot and keep your right knee slightly bent - never locked. With hands on hips, start to lift your left knee at a 90 degree angle. Blink your eyes closed to test your balance, and gradually, keep your eyes closed for a moment longer. See if you can keep your eyes closed for 15 seconds to complete the first round on this side. When done, lower your left foot to the ground and open your eyes. Then, repeat on the opposite side for another 15 seconds.

Movement (B):

With your hands down and away from your sides and fingers actively pointing down, begin again by shifting your weight to your right foot. With your arms in this position, try for another 15 seconds with eyes closed.

Last variation! With your arms outstretched at shoulder height and palms facing down, once again shift your weight to your right foot and lift the left leg. Balance for 15 seconds on each side to complete the balance challenge!

Best wishes for the New Year from your Fifty 5 Fitness crew! Happy 2019!

Our Winter session registration for our current clients begins today. All registration for new clients starts this Wednesday, January 9

SIDE TO SIDE BALANCE BOSS

When I look out at the women exercising in Fifty 5 Fitness classes, I see a room filled with strength, commitment, passion, drive, passion, focus, community and friendship. You know what’s missing? You! Try one of our classes for free - and then sign up for a session or keep doing drop-ins. Today’s exercise is a great example of the kind of challenge you can look forward to in class.

START HERE (A):

It might look simple, but our side to side balance exercise will turn you into a balance boss! Start by standing with a tall spine and active posture. Engage your abdominal muscles and tuck your pelvis slightly - perhaps holding onto a railing, mantle, or countertop for balance just in case. Shift your weight onto one foot without letting your hip collapse, then lift one foot forward with toes pointing up.

Movement (B):

Without shifting your posture, slowly turn your head to your left. Then, return your gaze back to center and turn your head over to your right. Come back to center for one full repetition. Notice if you have a tendency to turn your foot or your hips when you aren’t looking straight ahead and see if you can maintain your steady balance throughout. If you happen to fall out of the pose, that’s okay! Simply take the time to reset and start again. Try 5 repetitions on this side before shifting to the other foot.

These days everyone is searching for balance, and exercise can be a great way to achieve life balance as well as the more obvious physical balance. Our classes attract women of all fitness levels and bring them together to grow at their own pace! Before you know it, you’ll be balancing like a boss! Come challenge your balance and your fitness at our local classes in Winnipeg or check out our other blog posts for more at-home exercises.

BIRD-DOG DEADLIFT - NOT AS SCARY AS IT SOUNDS!

Our owner Emily was recently trained in Functional Movement Systems (link) a 7-step screening tool that determines the greatest areas of movement deficiency and demonstrates limitations or asymmetries in the body. This course opened her eyes to the possibilities in personal training. Many of our personal training clients are requesting exercises to increase whole-body strength and man, oh man, does this one ever fit the bill!

If you’re a beginner or feel you have some issues with balance, we recommend trying this exercise with some support like a ledge, railing, or countertop. Set your right hand on the support and hold your light weight in your left hand. Begin with your feet at hip width apart and an active standing posture. Shift your weight to your right foot and draw your left toes behind you. Engage those glutes, core muscles and shoulder blades!

Still holding on to your support, incline your torso forward and drop the weight down towards the floor while sending your left foot back behind you. Your tendency might be to turn your left foot out to the side so instead, focus on pointing your five toes down towards the floor. With control, lift back up to start. Try 8-10 repetitions on this side before turning around and transferring the dumbbell to your right hand. 

2 sets of 8-10 reps on each side will give you an excellent foundation for full body strengthening. We’ve got lots of creative exercises geared for 55+ exercisers that are fun and functional in our weekly exercise classes in Winnipeg - hope to see you there!

BEGINNER BALANCE CLOCK

Throughout our classes, we have seen so many beautiful friendships develop. The Fifty 5 Fitness ladies check in on each other, see how everyone’s week has gone and support each other. The moral of this story? Nothing brings a group together like balance exercises - we all seem to giggle every time we start to wobble! The beauty of this beginner Balance Clock exercise is that you can enjoy yourself and improve your balance at the same time.

If you’re a beginner trying this at home, we recommend setting yourself up near the kitchen counter or any other type of ledge or railing. Start with one hand supporting your balance and in no time at all you’ll have graduated to a complete standing balance exercise. This way, whenever you feel yourself start to waver you’ll have something to grab quickly to keep you safe. 

Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and an upright posture, and Emily will guide you through the rest in the video! If you’re wanting the full group balance experience, why not try a Fifty 5 Fitness class in Winnipeg!

Click to Play!

FIXING HUNCHBACK POSTURE

Did you know that poor posture can put strain on your body (especially the spine) and can actually impair your balance?  Whether you sit all day, stand all day, or practice a combination of both, there’s no denying the importance of good posture. As you’re getting older, correcting your posture is one of the best favours you can do for yourself and your overall health. Our owner Emily is a stickler for good posture - that’s why she’s here demonstrating an exercise that can help you to fix hunchback posture and strengthen your postural muscles. Click play on the video and start fixing that hunchback posture today!

Click to Play!

It can be challenging to correct your own posture. That’s why we recommend trying this out in front of a mirror or attending an exercise class. What makes our group classes stand apart is that you always get that one-on-one instruction. Our certified instructors are always circulating the room to make sure you are completing each exercise properly and safely. Better posture and safe exercising at any age is what we call a win-win!

Stop by the Fifty 5 Fitness studio in Winnipeg if your goals are to improve your balance, lose weight, feel healthier and gain strength - you’ll be glad you did!

BACK TO BIRD DOG

The 55 is one of the main classes we offer that encompasses cardio, strength training, stretching and balance work in a single class. And this is an exercise that strengthens the back and the core at the same time! When we’re providing fitness for women in Winnipeg, we look for ways to help you get the best bang for your buck with each exercise! This strength training exercise can be done at home on a yoga mat, a rug or carpet. 

Start Here (A)

Start in a tabletop pose with your shoulders directly above the wrists, and the hips overtop the knees. Tuck in your toes to help you find stability, and draw your belly button towards your spine. Holding onto your core is key in this exercise so keep your focus right there! Keep your neck neutral and look a little bit ahead while pointing the crown of your head forward and your tailbone back.

Movement (B)

When you feel ready, reach your left arm forward at shoulder height at the same time as you stretch your right leg back at hip height. Reach the fingertips forward to engage the muscles of your arm, and point your toes ballerina-style or let them point down towards the floor. Your glutes help you maintain the lift in your leg so make sure to keep them engaged! It’s common to accidentally turn your toes out to the side or lift the leg too high, so checking in a mirror is always a great option.

Hold this for 5 seconds before switching to the other side. Alternate sides - that means next time you’ll be raising the right arm and stretching your left leg back. To make this exercise even more challenging, increase the length of the hold to 10 seconds or more as you feel ready. Continue alternating until you’ve completed each side 10 times. For more back strength training exercises, join us for Winnipeg strength training at Fifty 5 Fitness!