Pumpkin fitness

Oct. 31, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - It's that time of year where candy, cookies, fabulous desserts and family feasts abound for months. So, it's also the time of year to develop a plan to keep those pies from sticking to your thighs.

Some people are fortunate enough to have jobs that require physical exertion, but the majority of folks are employed to be sedentary, sitting for extended periods with faces planted in a computer monitor, hunkered behind a steering wheel or standing and scanning in front of a cash register.

Carla Goldberg, a personal trainer in Palmer, offered some ideas for people who have a hard time fitting exercise into their daily schedules, and who don't have access to traditional weights. While Goldberg used a pumpkin as a piece of exercise equipment to celebrate the season, other everyday items work, too. Look around and see what's on hand to add weight to a workout.

For every exercise Goldberg suggested using a pumpkin, it's possible to substitute a jug of laundry detergent, a gallon of milk, a can of paint or some books.

To get some added benefit from a warm-up walk around the block or down a dirt road, slip a pumpkin into a backpack. Just make sure the backpack has good support, Goldberg said. Another alternative, she said, would be to hold a miniature pumpkin in each hand and power walk.

Once your muscles are warmed up, try what Goldberg described as a pumpkin-patch squat. Holding a pumpkin in your hands, squat with your derriere stuck out behind you. Keep your feet flat as you raise yourself with your lower legs. To increase the workout, extend your arms over your head as you go up on your tip toes before descending into a squat again. Be careful on your balance with this one, Goldberg warned.

If modern life has taken you away from the work of creating your own wood pile, you can do pumpkin chops, Goldberg said. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, hold the pumpkin in both hands and extend your arms above your head. Reach down to the left as if chopping wood, and repeat, remembering to suck in your stomach and let your core muscles do the work, she said. Repeat the same motion the same number of times on the right side.

Another move Goldberg suggested was the standing pumpkin triceps extension. Hold the pumpkin above your head, lower it behind your head with your elbows pointed to the ceiling, then raise the pumpkin again.

Working the biceps, hold the pumpkin in your hands in front of you, with your elbows held in close to your ribs, and pull it toward your chest, she said.

Try giant pumpkin circles, too: Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, hold the pumpkin in both hands with your arms extended and circle the pumpkin all the way around to the left and then to the right, 10 times on each side.

Instead of the dreaded push up, try a pumpkin plank, Goldberg suggested. Place the pumpkin on the ground in front of you. Put your hands on the pumpkin. Beginners should start on their knees, but for a more advanced workout, your legs should be straight with your toes on the floor. Slowly bend your elbow and lower yourself down to the pumpkin before extending your arms again. Don't let your back sag on this one, she said.

Some of these moves can be transferred to the cubicle, using paperweights, books or the rocks you brought in to feng shui your office. Goldberg did not suggest using a computer or computer monitor, no matter how tempting it might be to throw it. You can use a desk or a cubicle divider as a substitute prop for pumpkin planks, though, she said.

People standing all day should take some time to stretch, Goldberg said. Stand with your toes out, feet flat, and raise yourself up on your toes as you squeeze your fanny. Another good stretch, she said, is to bring one knee up to your chest and pull on the bottom of your leg.

And don't forget the plie squat. With feet flat, shoulder-width apart, knees out, squat and raise. To increase the workout in the office, Goldberg suggested holding a box of paperwork.

Goldberg has posted a more complete set of pumpkin exercises on her Web site: www.carlasbodytransformations.com.

Now there will be no excuse to look in the mirror Jan. 1 and see a reflection of pumpkin-pie thighs.

Contact Mary Ames at 352-2284 or mary.ames@frontiersman.com.