When increasing your strength for overall health, you need a resistive force applied to your body that is greater than normal. This resistance can be provided by machines, your own body weight, free weights, or rubber resistance tubing or flat band.
Looking Good & Stronger for the Long Haul
Strength/resistance training can help me get that toned arms buff look so I can wear those sleeveless dresses & tops. Not only do exercise bands help with the toning but they also help make me stronger so I can carry my grandkids when needed & play with them, too.
Even though I personally have access to weight machines and free weights when I travel I always take my exercise tubing. When I am stuck in an airport waiting, I can briskly walk to get my heart rate up then use my exercise tubing to help tone my arms. Using my own body weight, doing push-ups in airport might be a little over the top. Unlike weight machines, strength bands are portable and inexpensive and offer a versatile workout.
Inexpensive Way to Increase Strength
The exercise tubing is a 4 foot-long tube with plastic handles. You can get the tubes at Target®, Walmart® or Dick’s®. The bands range in price from $5 to $15. Some bands come with instructions on how to perform the exercises effectively. You can also purchase instructional videos for $20 to $50. You can also hire a personal trainer to teach you how to effectively use the bands to help make you stronger. Nothing worse than investing your time in fitness only to find out you were inappropriately doing the exercises and you get injured or don’t get the results you intended.
Choosing the Correct Strength & Fitness Level
It’s best to go by your current strength and fitness level, not by what strength or fitness level you would like to be. Picking the correct level will help you to work your muscles more effectively and prevent injuries as well. The product packaging should specify what level the tubing is rated for. It might be worthwhile to get at least 2 resistance levels. You can use the lighter levels for smaller muscle groups and more resistance for large muscle groups.
- Extra light – rehab, frail people
- Light – rehab, some women
- Medium – average, untrained women, some older men
- Heavy – average untrained men, active women
- Extra-heavy – active men, strong women
- Ultra-heavy – strong men, women bodybuilder
Don’t Delay Pick Up Your Strength Today
Strength training is as easy as 1,2, 3 if you use exercise tubing at least twice a week. You’ll look great, feel good and be able to get stronger and maintain the strength so you can do all the things you want to do to keep active.
Barbara Day, M.S., R.D., C.N., is a registered dietitian with a Master’s Degree in clinical nutrition. The former publisher of Kentuckiana HealthFitness Magazine, Kentuckiana Healthy Woman magazine and radio show host of Health News You Can Use, Barbara has over 30 years of experience in promoting healthy lifestyles to consumers. Barbara has private practice, DayByDay Nutrition, www.DayByDayNutrition.com, where she counsels clients on weight loss, cholesterol management, performance nutrition and an array of other medical issues. Barbara writes nutrition and health columns for www.LiveStrong.com. She also designs and presents employee wellness programs to small and large businesses. Barbara is a runner, cyclist, hiker and a mother and grandmother to 9 grandchildren.
