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Welcome to the May issue of The Health Bounce!

In this month's newsletter Jane Clapp, President of UrbanFitt writes about creating a workout environment in any confined space. We also highlight the video, The Balanced Workout, in its newly released DVD format and the book entitled, Stretch to Win, by authors Ann Frederick and Chris Frederick - both great resources for your fitness library. As always, we hope that you find this month's newsletter informative and inspiring.

So read on, get fit and have fun!

By Jane Clapp, BComm, CPTN, ACE, CFP
President, UrbanFitt

Today 64 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. A reason for this is the environment in which people spend most of their waking hours: at work or in a confined area not totally conducive to exercising.

Sitting or being inactive all day can lead to excess fat storage, a depressed mood, and a lack of energy. However, there are many options available to people who spend a great deal of time working in a confined area. Please bear with me, but I call it the "Prison Break Workout." At least it's easy to remember!

No time, lack of space, money, zero motivation, lack of knowledge...these are just a few of the excuses many people drum up in order to avoid exercise.

This exercise program is designed for people with limited space, time, and equipment. All you need is 75 square feet (the size of an ordinary prison cell) and a FitBALL® Brand Stability Ball. No more excuses. Give these exercises a try and see how you can start to move towards feeling better about your body.

Stability ball crunches

Sit up tall on your ball and slowly walk your feet out ahead of you until your lower back is pressing into the ball. Keep your shoulder blades off the ball, though. Put your hands across your chest if you're just starting out, or behind your head if you're crunching all the time. Press your belly button down toward the ball, as you exhale. Bring your upper body up about six inches and slowly down. Keep crunching until you can't crunch anymore and then slowly roll back up. Take a 30-second break and complete one or two more sets.

Stability ball hip thrusts

Start sitting on the ball and slowly walk it out until your body is creating a flat tabletop position with your shoulders remaining on the ball. Drop your bottom down to the floor then squeeze and lift those hips toward the ceiling 20 times. Take a 30-second break and complete one or two more sets.

Stability ball push-ups

Place your hands on the ground and your knees on the ball face down. Keep your hands under your shoulders about shoulder width apart. Engage your core by hollowing out your stomach up to the ceiling. Slowly lower your chest down to the ground inhaling on the way down and exhaling on the way up. Don't let the ball move backwards as you complete each push up. Complete 10-15 push-ups then take a 30-second break and repeat one or two more times.

Stability ball hamstring curls

Lie on your back on the ground and place the ball under your calves. Put your arms out to the side palms down. Lift your hips up and engage your core to keep you balanced. Curl your heels in towards your bottom keeping the hips lifted through the whole set. Exhale as you pull your heels in and inhale as you extend your legs. Complete 12-15 repetitions and then take a 30-second break and complete one or two more sets.

Stability ball back extensions

Lie face down on your ball with your belly button in the center of your ball. Find your center by lifting your hands off the ground and finding your centre to stay balanced as your toes rest on the ground. Put your hands behind your head with your elbows wide out to the side. Curl your upper body down over the ball and then lift your chest up until your spine comes into neutral. Do not over extend your lower back. Be careful that nothing in your lower back feels strained. You should feel a growing muscle fatigue but nothing sharp or sudden. Complete 12-15 lifts and take a 30-second break. Complete one or two more sets.

About Jane Clapp

Jane Clapp is the founder of UrbanFitt, a fitness services company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She has also written and performed stand-up comedy. During her more than 13 years in the fitness industry, her clients have included such celebrities as Richard Dreyfus and Feist among others. For more information on Jane and her company, please visit www.urbanfitt.com.

Designed by Joanne Posner-Mayer, P.T. and Lindsay Zappala, this instructional video is perfect for post-rehab workouts, the active senior or any beginner new to the FitBALL exercise ball. Originally produced in 1993, the Balanced Workout was one of the first videos to demonstrate how a stability ball (originally used for therapy & rehab) could be adapted for general fitness. It has since become a classic teaching program for home use. Now, newly-released in DVD format, the easy-to-use chapter breaks allow the viewer to customize a total-body routine for dynamic strengthening and joint and spinal mobility. Includes two 30-minute workouts: Cardiovascular Conditioning and Strengthening and Stretching. DVD format. 60 minutes total.

Stretch to Win presents a comprehensive flexibility training system from a sports medicine point-of-view...perfect for the professional athlete, therapist or trainer. Stretching principles, anatomy and physiology will help any fitness professional understand the applications better. A personal flexibility assessment and the "matrix stretch-finder" are two included tools that can aid in determining which exercises are most needed and help match muscle groups to specific stretches. 250 pages with black & white illustrations and photos throughout.