Work Out Your Way

Work Out Your Way — Brought to you by CORE Hydration

Fitness trends come and go, but wellness is a long term goal. Before you get started, fitness trainer Devon Levesque suggests you understand your individual wellness goals, from building muscle to improving mindfulness. Once you’ve identified your goal, you’re on the right path. You don’t even need a ton of equipment to get started, and you can do everything from your home. You just need some weights, motivation, and a water bottle to stay hydrated.

 

Goal: Building Muscle

If your goal is to build muscle, Devon suggests Farmer Walks. Grip stretch is important to overall muscle development, and often requires little to no equipment. They’re one of the simplest exercises you can do.

First, pick up whatever heavy objects you can get your hands on, whether it’s the 44oz CORE Hydration bottle, tin cans, milk jugs, or free weights if you have them. Next, walk as far as you can and repeat. Your grip strength starts to kick in, then muscles throughout your body start to work.

Farmer Walks — Steps 1 - 4

Farmer Walks:

  • Step 1: Pick up something weighted
  • Step 2: Walk across the room and back
  • Step 3: Repeat 2-3 times
  • Step 4: Stay hydrated along the way

 

Goal: Improved Mobility

Mobility training can help alleviate everyday aches and pains as well as improve our body awareness. For instance, if you sit at a computer all day and notice your hands start to cramp up, a wrist mobility stretch can help tame that down.

Wrist Rotations

Wrist Rotations:

  • Step 1: On all fours, shift your weight towards your hands.
  • Step 2: Shift your weight to the left and do 1-2 full circles, both clockwise and counterclockwise.
  • Step 3: Switch your weight to the right and repeat.

 

Wrist Mobility Stretches — Steps 1 - 3

Wrist Stretches:

  • Step 1: In a relaxed pose, lean onto your wrists with your palms facing forward.
  • Step 2: Repeat, now with your palms facing towards you.
  • Step 3: Stretch with your palms facing opposite directions. Repeat for each side.

 

Low Back Flow — Steps 1 - 4

Lower Back Flow:

  • Step 1: Start in Child’s Pose for 3 breaths.
  • Step 2: Extend your arms outward while crossing your hands.
  • Step 3: Flow through into an Upward Dog for 3 breaths.
  • Step 4: Flow back into downward dog and hold for 3 breaths.

 

There are countless other mobility exercises to choose from, but these are a great assortment to begin incorporating into your everyday routine.

 

Goal: Burning Fat

Devon walking on a treadmill
To burn fat, Devon suggests any type of slow cardio to get your heart rate up. His preferred method is to walk on a treadmill at a steady pace with a big incline, but you can easily do this outside in your neighborhood. While you keep your heart rate consecutive for 30 minutes on an empty stomach, your body could start to “eat” the body fat. For that reason, he suggests fasted cardio five or six days a week.

 

Goal: Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness through journaling
For everyday mindfulness, Devon has incorporated a written meditation into his routine. Adding positivity to the world is important to yourself and everyone around you.

As soon as he wakes up, he asks himself the following questions:

  • What is one thing I’m grateful for today?
  • Who is one person I can thank today?
  • What am I excited about today?

Your idea of wellness might look different than your friend’s, and that’s all part of the journey. So keep your eyes peeled for new workouts, routines, classes and more. That’s how you’ll find what works for you. In the end, as long as you want to better yourself both physically and mentally, you’re on the right path.