The Amazing Exercise That Works Your Whole Body!!

It's the:  push up!!!  I know many of you are cringing right now, and, I was right there with you at one time.  The thought of doing a push up was not appealing to me, but, it was because I couldn't do many of them.  I finally got over it when I realized the amazing amount of muscles it works in your body.  The primary muscles being worked are the muscles of the chest and triceps, but, because of the position that your body is in, nearly every muscle from your shoulders down to your toes gets a workout- if you are in proper position.  And, that includes your abdominals!!!  Tired of doing those abdominal crunches?  You will feel your abdominals when you do push ups.

I started 2012 doing 60 push ups a day.  I usually do them in 3 groups of twenty.  I have my whole family doing them!  If you have never done a push up before start on your knees if you need to.  Just make sure that your hands are not too far forward- you want them to be under your shoulders, but a little bit wider- not too wide, though.  Your body should look like a long plane- without your bottom sticking up in the air.  Your feet can either be touching or spread out some.  If your feel are spread a little it will give you some stability.  If you can't do 60- start with 20 and work your way up.  There has been some controversy as to whether or not you should do push ups everyday.  With weight training, we recommend every other day to give your muscles time to repair, but, because push ups are an exercise that you are not holding a weight in your hands, it is considered more of a calisthenic, which can be done daily, as long as your joints are not in severe pain.  Muscle pain is to be expected as your body works out, but, joint pain is not good.

So, let's challenge our bodies!!!!