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Keeping fit with Olympic Champion Fabian Hambüchen
Campaign ambassador shows how only 15-minutes of exercise are sufficient to find the right balance

“15-minutes exercise a day is enough to prevent health problems such as backache or tension in the neck,” says Olympic Champion Fabian Hambüchen. He showed on August 16th, 2017, at the Center Of Diagnostic Excellence (CODE) Frankfurt that lunchbreak is the perfect time to do exercise. The event is part of the Chase Your Dream, No Matter What campaign by Bridgestone, which aims to inspire people to chase their dream.  Kristina Vogel (indoor cycling), Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst (beach volleyball pair) are also Chase Your Dream, No Matter What ambassadors. Despite facing many obstacles, none of these ambassadors ever gave up and fought hard to reach their dream of Olympic gold. 

 

“A combination of active exercises and stretching is very important,” Fabian Hambüchen explained to the participants of „Bewegte Mittagspause“. On August 16th 2017, he showed in Frankfurt that 15-minutes at lunchtime is enough to regain the balance between sitting behind a desk all day and exercise. Fabian Hambüchen explains. “I want to use my experience to show how important it is to listen to your body’s needs. During preparation for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 I pushed myself to the limit every day during practice. I was so focused on winning that I stopped taking care of my body. That’s when I tore a tendon in my shoulder. Only after I started listening to my body again, was I able to find the right balance and was finally able to make my dream of Olympic gold come true,” says Hambüchen. 

 

For those who would like to try the 15-minute workout, here is an overview of the exercises:

 

  1. Legs, bums and tums:

Especially the lower back can be highly stressed after sitting for too long. The most effective exercise to strengthen the legs, bums and tums are dead lifts.

To dead lift correctly, stand with your feet shoulder-wide apart. Bend with a straight back. To stand back up, start to straighten your legs and then your back. Please check that your knees stay behind your toes during the bend and that your shoulders are pulled back. Repeat ten times to finish exercise.

  1. Ab muscles:

After hours of sitting, the body automatically assumes a false posture – round back and lowered shoulders are indicators. To prevent these, it is important to strengthen your ab muscles through the plank exercise, as this helps to strengthen the spine and helps to resume a healthy and straight posture. The focal point of this exercise lies on the lower abdominal muscles.

For the plank exercise, rest your lower arms on the floor, elbows below the shoulders. Your torso builds a straight line, parallel to the floor. Your feet touch the floor only with the toes. Hold this position for 20 seconds. After a short break, repeat two to three times. To intensify the exercise, pull your knees to your belly in an alternating manner.

 

  1. Stretching:

Stretching exercises are very important to prevent a shortening of muscles and tendons through long periods of sitting. Neck, breast and legs are especially under stress.

In order to relieve the neck of the false posture, bend your head to the right side. When the lowest point is reached, hold for five seconds. Repeat on the left side. When each side has been stretched twice, start with the next exercise.

Especially during long periods behind a desk, the breast muscles are under a lot of stress. An easy yet effective exercise can be executed in an upright position, feet shoulder-wide apart. Pull your arms shoulder-high to your back. Palms face upwards. Repeat five times.

While sitting, legs are bent. Therefore, the backside of your thighs and calves should be stretched as well. Stand in an upright position. Put your straight leg in front of you, heel on the floor. The goal of this exercise is to touch your toes with your hands. If you cannot reach that far right away, leave your leg straight and try to reach as far down as possible. Repeat on left side. Repeat five times on each side to finish the exercise.

As part of the Chase Your Dream, No Matter What campaign, Bridgestone is offering the chance to help you realise your dream, whatever it may be. Applicants can share their lifelong dreams online via www.egalwaskommt.de.  Bridgestone and their Chase Your Dream, No Matter What ambassadors choose two stories and help the everyday battlers who have shared them on their journey to chase their dream. 

Bridgestone EMEA (Europa, Mittlerer Osten und Afrika) mit der Zentrale in Brüssel, Belgien, ist eine

hundertprozentige Tochtergesellschaft der Bridgestone Corporation, dem weltweit führenden Unternehmen der

Reifen- und Gummibranche mit Sitz in Tokio, Japan. Bridgestone EMEA betreibt ein F&E-Zentrum, ein

Testgelände sowie 14 Produktionsanlagen und Büros in mehr als 60 Ländern mit mehr als 18.200 Mitarbeitern. Premium-Reifen von Bridgestone EMEA werden sowohl in Europa, im Mittleren Osten, in Afrika und weltweit verkauft. Die Vertriebsgesellschaften Bridgestone Deutschland GmbH in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, die Bridgestone Europe Niederlassung Schweiz in Spreitenbach und die Bridgestone Europe Niederlassung Österreich in Wien sind als DACH-Region zusammengefasst. Als Central Region (BSCER) decken sie den wichtigsten europäischen Markt ab.

 

Besuchen Sie unser Mediencenter auf www.bridgestonenewsroom.eu.

 

Weitere Hintergründe zur Kampagne sowie Videos der Athleten finden Sie auch auf www.egalwaskommt.de und auf Facebook. Weitere Informationen zu Bridgestone auf www.bridgestone.de.

 

 

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Kampagne „Verfolge Deinen Traum. Egal was kommt“:         Alexandra Kimmich

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