How to Make Every Workout Fun

Don't miss any Bottom Line Secrets. Add our address, bottomlinesecrets@news.bottomlinepublishing.com, to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. April 13, 2011 Protect Yourself From Soaring Energy Costs Work Out Better with a Buddy No Plunger? No Problem. Secret to Unplugging Your Toilet The NYC Most Tourists Don't See New INSTANT Cure for Extra High Cholesterol -- Cholesterol Drops 100 Points or More Dear healthwellness82@gmail.com, Are you a bit bored with your workouts -- or maybe so bored that you stopped doing them? American Council on Exercise expert Cedric Bryant, PhD, shares an exercise secret to snap you out of your fitness rut and put more fun into your workouts... and includes an easy four-step fitness plan so effective for getting you in shape that you’ll never want to skip it. New York City is famous for its unusual and fabulous finds. If you’re headed to the Big Apple, Gerry Frank, author of the premier guidebook Where to Find It, Buy It, Eat It in New York, shares an eclectic list of little-known restaurants and retailers that even tour guides don’t know about. He includes a secret stress-free spot with sights and sounds you’ll love. All the best, Jessica Kent Editor BottomLineSecrets.com Don’t forget to check out Bottom Line President Marjory Abrams’ latest blog posting: No TV Week. And don’t forget to share your thoughts on the blog with Margie. Protect Yourself From Soaring Energy Costs This shocking war is eight times bigger than the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. It’s also lethal enough to at least DOUBLE the price of gas and oil in 2011... This could be one of the biggest "wealth moments" in decades. Bunker down against soaring energy costs with the ONE "safe haven" financial plan that could pay you gains up to 668%. All the details, here:. Work Out Better with a Buddy Cedric X. Bryant, PhD Whether you plan to walk briskly around the neighborhood each morning or train for a triathlon, an exercise partner may be just what you need. Advantages of working out together... Exercising is more fun when you play, chat or engage in friendly competition with another person. You’re less likely to skip a workout when someone is counting on you to show up. A partner minimizes your risk for injury -- spotting as you lift weights, correcting your body alignment in yoga poses. You work muscle groups and deepen stretches in ways that are difficult to do on your own. You save money by sharing equipment, swapping fitness DVDs or carpooling to the tennis court. The key to success is to make a good match -- so your best friend or nearest neighbor may not be the optimal choice. Ask yourself if you and a potential partner are similar enough in these key areas... Fitness level. Is she interested in a leisurely bike ride around the park, while you want to train for a cycling trip through France? That’s not a fit. Schedule. If you’re a morning exerciser and she’s a night owl, can you find a compromise -- such as lunch hour? Temperament. Do you both like to talk while you lift weights, or would one of you find the other’s chatter distracting? Commitment. Is she game to jog in any weather, while you run for shelter when clouds roll in? There are no right or wrong answers to the questions above -- it’s just a matter of compatibility. If you have doubts, keep looking... Check the bulletin board at a local community center, spa or gym. Ask a personal trainer for a referral. She even may offer you and your new partner a two-for-one discount. Search www.exercisefriends.com... or www.craigslist.org (look under "community" for your city) for a match. Important: Always check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program. STRENGTH TRAINING FOR TWO Many strength-training moves can be adapted for partners. Here are examples of exercises for the upper, mid and lower body. For more techniques, experiment with your buddy or consult a trainer. Medicine ball push. Equipment: A four- to 10-pound medicine ball (a weighted ball about the size of a basketball, sold at sporting-goods stores, about $20). Partner 1: Stand facing your partner, about three feet apart. Hold the ball between your hands at chest level, a few inches in front of you, elbows bent and pointing out to the sides. Step forward with the right foot and gently throw the ball, using a pushing motion, so it arcs just above head height. Partner 2: Extend arms to meet the ball, bending elbows as you catch it to bring the ball toward your chest. Both partners: Take turns throwing and catching 10 to 15 times, alternating the foot that steps forward as you throw. Modification: If you have bone loss or wrist problems, use a ball no heavier than six pounds. Stability ball crunches. Equipment: A 21-inch-diameter inflatable stability ball (about $20 at sporting-goods stores). If you are shorter than five feet tall, use a 17-inch ball... if taller than five feet, seven inches, use a 25-inch ball. Partner 1: Kneel and face your partner, one arm extended forward at chest height, palm facing away from you to create a "target" for your partner to clap. Between each of her "crunches," move your palm to a slightly different location -- giving her a moving target. Partner 2: Recline face-up, low to mid-back pressed against the ball, knees bent at a 90-degree angle, feet shoulder-width apart and close to where your partner is kneeling. Hold your hands a few inches in front of your chest, elbows bent. Using abdominal muscles, do a crunch by lifting your upper body up and away from the ball... at the top of your crunch, straighten one arm and clap your partner’s palm... lower back down. Do 10 to 15 crunches, alternating the hand that claps. Both partners: Switch positions. Modification: If balance is a problem, lie on the floor instead of the ball to do crunches. Squats. Both partners: Stand back-to-back, keeping your torso firmly pressed against your partner’s from shoulder blade to hip throughout the exercise. Together, slowly bend knees and lower hips while moving feet forward until thighs are parallel to the floor (as if sitting on a chair) and knees are directly above ankles. Hold for about 30 seconds. Then slowly straighten knees and raise hips while walking backward until you are standing once again. Rest for about 15 seconds. Repeat five to 10 times. Caution: If you have knee problems, limit the depth of your squat to your pain-free range. TANDEM STRETCHING For safety, always move slowly and gently, clearly communicating when your stretch has reached the desired level of intensity. Do the stretches below after your aerobic or strength-training workout, as part of your cooldown. Finish with the breathing exercise. Chest-opening stretch. Partner 1: Stand erect, arms reaching behind you, elbows straight but not locked, palms facing each other. Partner 2: Stand facing your partner’s back, just beyond her outstretched hands. Grasping her wrists, pull gently and steadily toward yourself to open your partner’s chest... hold for 15 to 30 seconds... rest... repeat two to four times. Both partners: Switch positions. Straddle stretch. Both partners: Sit on the floor facing each other. Holding hands, spread legs as wide as possible, knees straight, toes up, feet pressed against your partner’s feet. As one partner slowly leans forward, the other leans back... then switch, continuing the forward-and-backward movements. After about 30 seconds, widen your straddle if possible. Repeat several times. Yoga breathing. Both partners: Sit cross-legged on the floor, facing away from each other, backs touching, spines straight. Breathing through the nose, inhale deeply, pause for a few seconds, then exhale slowly. Continue for one minute, matching the rhythm of your partner’s breathing. Then switch, so that one partner inhales as the other exhales, continuing for another minute. Use this meditative breathing technique to calm your mind and prepare for the rest of your day. Bottom Line/Women’s Health interviewed Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, chief science officer, American Council on Exercise, San Diego. He has served on the exercise science faculties of Arizona State University, Pennsylvania State University and the US Military Academy at West Point and has authored or coauthored numerous books, including Strength Training for Women (Human Kinetics). No Plunger? No Problem. Secret to Unplugging Your Toilet "My toilet was stopped up. My guests were on their way. And I couldn't find a plunger!" Lucky for me, I'd learned the secret: Just squirt some liquid dish detergent, wait 15 minutes, and my home and guests were good to go. How often have you been caught in a situation like this -- or any of thousands of other household mishaps? Spills, breaks, lost items -- family heirlooms nearly ruined. Too often, right? Joan and Lydia Wilen, better known to TV viewers as "The Wilen Sisters," have the secret to saving the day on these and thousands of other potentially disastrous mishaps. Learn more... The NYC Most Tourists Don't See Gerry Frank If you are heading to New York City, check out these unusual places to shop, eat and visit -- spots even most tour guides don’t know about! Shoes: Irregular Choice (276 Lafayette St., 212-334-3404, www.IrregularChoice.com) is a shoe aficionado’s nirvana, with unique and colorful designs -- including unexpected fantasy adornments, such as ladybugs and gumdrops -- for men and women. Treats: Papabubble (380 Broome St., 212-966-2599, www.PapaBubble.com) produces sweet treats with unusual flavors, such as passion fruit, cardamom and lavender. The confections are formed into rings for fingers, whimsical shapes and traditional lollipops. Kebabs: The Druze, a small Middle-Eastern sect, have a unique take on the region’s fare of hummus, falafel and kebabs with their paper-thin whole-wheat pitas and homemade "goat cheese and olive oil" spread. Gazala Place (709 Ninth Ave., 212-245-0709, www.GazalaPlace.com). Butchery: Jeffrey’s Meat Market (120 Essex St., 212-420-0393, www.JeffreysMeatMarket.com) is the oldest family-owned butcher shop in the City with weekly demonstration classes on how to cut and cook meats. Chopsticks: Yunghong Chopsticks Shop (50 Mott St., 212-566-8828, www.HappyChopsticks.com) sells chopsticks in all manner of material -- plastic, steel, ceramic, porcelain and various sorts of wood. Zippers: Zipperstop (27 Allen St., 888-947-7872, www.ZipperStop.com) is a gold mine for zippers of every color and description (some even with Swarovski crystals). Gangsters: Museum of the American Gangster (80 St. Marks Pl., 800-603-5520, www.moagnyc.org) offers a glimpse into the underworld from its dwelling in a former speakeasy. Birds: Each morning, elderly Chinese gentlemen bring their birdcages with songbirds and ensconce them on tree branches in the Hua Mei Bird Garden at Sara Delano Roosevelt Park (between Houston and Delancey streets, along Chrystie Street). Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Gerry Frank, author of Where to Find It, Buy It, Eat It in New York, now in its 16th edition. www.GerrysFranklySpeaking.com New INSTANT Cure for Extra High Cholesterol -- Cholesterol Drops 100 Points or More Do you have stubborn high cholesterol? Would you love to get your count under control without having to depend on expensive prescription drugs? Changing your diet can help, of course. But here’s something better. This breakthrough new therapy instantly filters excess cholesterol from your body. And it’s completely safe. This new therapy takes only a matter of minutes and lowers unhealthy cholesterol like no drug known to science. At the same time, it triggers a reduction in C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, substances that can increase the risk for blood clots. Patients who receive the therapy report a rapid reduction in cardiovascular symptoms such as angina. Learn more... 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