Illustrations by David Preiss - Get Fit With Tessa

diabetesforecast.org JUNE 2014 33
SEATED JUMPING JACK. It's no great leap to modify some traditional
moves. Nicole Nichols, an ACE-certi?ed personal trainer and ?tness
expert at
sparkpeople.com, recommends the seated jumping jack. Start
with knees bent and arms resting at your sides; then extend your legs,
straight and wide, with heels on the ?oor, and raise your arms in a V.
Then bring your limbs back to the center. Repeat for several minutes. "It
does actually elevate the heart rate and give you an aerobic bene?t, but
the key is to do it long enough - at least 10 minutes or so," Nichols says.
DO THE "PEEKABOO." This will work your entire upper body, says
Langdon. Form a goalpost with your arms: Keep your upper arms
(shoulders to elbows) parallel to the ?oor and your lower arms (elbows

to hands) perpendicular to it. Bring your forearms together in front of
your face. Return your arms to the starting point, squeezing your
shoulder blades together, and repeat as long as you can hold proper
form. Your back, chest, and arms will get a workout.
GET READY. Focus on posture: Sit on your sitz bones (if you sit on your
hands, you can probably feel them) rather than your tailbone. Tighten
your belly (think about bringing your belly button toward your spine), li?
the rib cage, hold your neck long and straight, and tuck your chin down
and back so you feel a long stretch on the back of your neck. "Feel like
you have a string pulling up from the top of your head," suggests Mary
Ann Wilson, RN, an ACE-certi?ed trainer and host of
Sit and Be Fit on
PBS for almost 27 years. Breathe from the belly (you want your stomach
to expand, not just your chest). That alone can be a tough position to
hold at ?rst! But work to build it up, because you'll need it for every other
move you do.