April 27, 2024

Should you skip the warm-up?

October 5, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Always warm-up for your workout!

A warm-up is an essential component of your workout and should NOT be skipped, or even abbreviated. Prepare your body for exercise with 8-10 minutes of dynamic (moving your body continuously) exercise. You’ll prepare your muscles and your cardiovascular system for the increased work load of exercise. A proper warm-up is any movement of your major muscle groups aerobically. For example:

Walking. Walking outside or on the treadmill makes a great warm up for just about every activity. Start slow and build up speed.

Calisthenics. Jogging, jumping jacks, hopping are all great warm up activities that move many muscles and increase our core temperature.

No load exercises. Perform your weight exercises, without weight. No load exercises are great to develop muscle memory patterns as well.

Range of motion exercises. Move each joint through it’s natural range of motion. For example, wrist circles, ankle circles or knee bending and extending. Do 5-8 reps.

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

 

 

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No Pain, No Gain?

February 23, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Pain should NOT be included in your workout!

Every exerciser will benefit from being able to differentiate between pain (injury, radiating pain, limited range of motion, numbness, tingling) and muscle fatigue (muscle burn, feeling tired.) Pain should not be a part of your workout. If you’re having pain with exercise, STOP! Discontinue that exercise, regroup and try a different exercise or mode of exercise entirely.  The following 4 statements provide a general definition of pain and should NOT be experienced during or after your workout. Common sense is paramount. If an exercise doesn’t “feel quite right” during a workout, it probably isn’t.

Sharp, shooting, stabbing pain in your muscle or around your joint.

Sudden loss, restricted or change of range of motion.

Pain that is nauseating, leads to dizziness or instability.

Pain that worsens with exercise.

 

 

 

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Set a Healthy Tone to your Week

February 21, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Set a healthy tone to your week with #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat every Monday 5pmP/8pmE! Pick up exercise ideas and inspiration. Chat with others, get motivated and excited about your fitness journey.

 

Here’s how to join:
Log onto your Twitter account and follow @HealthyWayMag to see the chat questions. Questions for discussion will be posted as Question 1, “Q1″, Question 2, “Q2″ and so on. Contribute your answer and experience via answers to Question 1 noted as “A1″, designating your answer to Question 2 as “A2″ and so on. Interact with others, chat, exchange ideas, training tips and have fun!

Monday February 22, 2016 #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat is Sponsored by StrideBox.com:

StrideBox.com delivers fuel, nutrition and monthly motivation in a box right to your front door. As a monthly subscription service, their mission is simple, “perform better, be healthier, and have more fun.” The box also makes a great gift for the runner in your life. It’s suitable for all ages and is packed with products to sample designed specifically to boost your training and your fitness. Products vary from month to month. Inside the box you’ll discover bars, gels, food, apparel, and gadgets just to name a few. Rest assured, knowing you’re sampling the best of the best products on the market. Order your box TODAY at www.stridebox.com! Follow them on Twitter @StrideBox.

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Better your Fitness

July 10, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Better your Fitness!

Join #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat on Twitter and stay current on top gear, best exercise practices and keys to motivation. Interact with others who are also on their fitness journey. Together we solve challenges and share successes.

Mark your Calendar NOW: Every Monday at 5pm(Pacific)/8pm(Eastern) #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat on Twitter.
 

It’s easy to join in: Simply log into your Twitter account. Enter #HealthyWayMag to follow the chat feed. Questions for discussion are posed as “Q1″ Question 1, “Q2″ Question 2 and so on. Reply to offer your tips, ideas and experiences by notating your answer as “A1″ to designated your answer to question 1,”A2″ to offer your thoughts on the second question and so on.

 

 

Monday July 13, 2015 #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat is Sponsored by RecoFit Compression Gear.

If you don’t know about RecoFit Compression Gear, you should! Competitive athletes and fitness-enthusiasts alike have designated RecoFit as their personal training partner. Their technical-fit and uniquely designed gear helps you get more oxygen to your muscles, reduce swelling and delay fatigue. What does that mean for your fitness? Better performance and faster recovery. RecoFit is the only compression gear that cuts their fabric in a cross-grain process for effective compression and no-slip positioning! Check out their product line and experience the RecoFit difference for yourself. Proudly made in the USA! Contact your compression gear experts via Twitter at @Recofit.

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Join the #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat team!

May 2, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Join the #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat team on Twitter and interact with others in all stages of their fitness journey. Simply log on to Twitter, enter #HealthyWayMag, chat with other participants and have fun! You’ll be motivated to stick with your exercise, set new fitness goals and find weekly encouragement along the way.

 

Mark your Calendar NOW: Every Monday at 5pm(Pacific)/8pm(Eastern) #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat on Twitter.

 

Monday May 4, 2015 #HealthyWayMag Fitness Chat is Sponsored by RecoFit.

RecoFit is the go-to compression gear for competitive athletes and fitness-enthusiasts alike. Their technical-fit and uniquely designed gear helps you get more oxygen to your muscles, reduce swelling and delay fatigue. What does that mean for your fitness? Better performance and faster recovery. RecoFit is the only compression gear that cuts their fabric in a cross-grain process for effective compression and no-slip positioning! Founded by an athlete, tested on athletes. Give RecoFit a try and experience the difference for yourself. Proudly made in the USA! Contact your compression gear experts via Twitter at @Recofit.

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In need of a little friendly competition? By Nicole Bryan

March 20, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Up for a little friendly competition?

Choosing to participate in a race will inspire your workouts and motivate you to work harder. Bringing some friendly competition into your exercise routine will peak interest, and you’ll be less likely to miss a workout when your ego is on the line. Let nerves and jitters of a little friendly competition inspire a source of empowerment to better fitness.

Here are just a few reasons why racing should be on your list of exercise goals:

Competition builds confidence that spills over into all aspects of life. Improved confidence and self esteem means you’re more likely to set goals in other areas of life. Learning how to tap into an inner strength, determination or perseverance to cover that last mile or last lap will give a boost of energy to accomplish other non-fitness dreams.

Competition keeps you coming back for more. There will always be an aspect of our participation we could have done differently; maybe prepared a little better, executed with greater precision, thought out a more effectively.

Competition promotes additional healthy behaviors. Racing is just one aspect of fitness. When working toward a competition other areas creep into consciousness for example insuring better sleep, better food choices, and better time management.

Competition eases stress and leads to mental or emotional clarity. Sometimes the physical fatigue of racing allows us to be still enough for our psyche to process emotional happenings of life. This is a good thing and results in feelings of rejuvenation.

Competition encourages new friends. Competing alongside a fellow athlete creates an instant bond and understanding of effort, dedication and sacrifice. The kindness and generosity in the spirit of good sportsmanship often seen in competitions results from an automatic camaraderie rarely experienced in other settings.

Consider adding in some friendly competition to your workout regime. Once a year or many times each year, preparing for a race will fire up motivation and quality of exercise. Attending a few events or competitions of interest to observe as a spectator is a great step toward determining if it’s for you. Enjoy the motivation and commit to participate the next time around, and pass on the inspiration.

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Time-Saving Workout Tips by Sarah Johnson

March 10, 2015 By Leave a Comment

Workout tips to save time:

If you’re like me, there are days that I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the gym – and I work in one!  On those crazy busy days, I need an efficient, yet effective routine that still pushes me toward my goals.

Here are my tips for making the most of your time before, during and after your workout:

Before
Pack your gym bag the night before.  If you know you’ll be rushed to get out of the house in the morning, take a cue from when you were little and set out your gym clothes, music and sneakers the previous night.  Then you’ll be able to ensure that you have everything you need, without tearing the house apart to find your other shoe!  Sleep well knowing you can wake up prepared to start your day off on the right foot (pun intended!).

Create a playlist ahead of time.  Make a few designated play lists on your music device; a longer one for an endurance workout, a fast-paced one for your HIIT session and a calm, stress-reducing song list for a stretch routine.  If you have these, and other workout-specific set lists, you won’t waste time during your workout selecting or skipping songs that don’t motivate you.

During
Utilize the fitness staff.  We’re here to help you!  Your certified fitness professional can create a customized exercise plan just for you.  In fact, we can show you many ways to get the same results – you won’t get bored and you have options!  Only 20 minutes to exercise?  We can find a solution.  If you’re traveling, we can modify the workout so you can do it on the road, outdoors or in the hotel room.  You just have to ask.

Ask to work in. Just because someone’s using the machine you need, doesn’t mean you don’t get your workout in.  Most members are happy to share equipment – just politely ask to work in, and you can take it one step further and return the weights or settings to those the other member was using.  It’s a great way to maximize your time in the gym, and who knows – you may just make a new gym buddy!

Perform multi-tasking exercises.  Depending on your goals, there are many ways to combine movements and multi-task in the gym.  Get your heart rate up and increase your power with body weight exercises.  Calm your mind and improve your flexibility with a stretch routine.  Even if you have limited time, you can still get in a great workout.  Ask your fitness professional for goal-specific multi-taskers.

After
Nourish yourself.  What you eat and drink after exercising can affect how you feel the rest of the day, and can even influence how you perform during your next session.  Make sure to supply your body with the nutrients and energy you may have depleted during your workout, and replace any water loss with plenty of hydrating fluids.

Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahJChicago

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Are you GUILTY of these workout mistakes? By Gen Preece

February 4, 2015 By Leave a Comment


How to get REAL RESULTS from your exercise in 2015

Come January, we start back with a vengeance, determined to shift the Christmas flab; while feeling generally depressed, out of shape and giving up after a few weeks of colder weather and darker days. And reaching for the chocolate and wine to give ourselves a boost…

 

So here are big fitness mistakes that you can easily AVOID making this winter:

1) Having an “All or Nothing” attitude

Adopting this attitude places an immense amount of pressure on us to be 100% ‘perfect’ 100% of the time. And we all know how easy that is. More often than not, even if one managed to adopt this way of behaving for a couple of weeks, “falling off the wagon” eventually becomes inevitable.

What you can do instead: Take it one day at a time, telling yourself it’s about progress – not perfection. Trying to maintain an unrealistic way of living, combined with such an immense amount of pressure in the first place will only set you up for a perpetual ‘binge and start over’ cycle. If you have a slip up, just say to yourself “Whoops, I lost it again” and get right back on it starting with your next meal. It doesn’t make you a failure, it makes you a human being.

 

2) Too much exercise too soon

Thousands of gyms and health clubs DEPEND on this behaviour, evident from the surge in sign-
ups from new members and visits from existing members trying to get their money’s worth from January 1st. Whereas I’m (funnily enough) a big fan of regular exercise, the mistake so many seem to make is trying too much too soon, without the correct guidance. This can often result in injury and an (understandable) reluctance to continue.

What you can do instead: Be honest with yourself and find something you enjoy. If you like being in nature, find some long country walks. If you dislike the idea of the gym, cancel your existing membership or don’t join one. If you need advice, chat to a few personal trainers and find one you click with. Many of our Boot Camp class attendees were looking for something they could work hard at, but at a pace they are comfortable with. And that’s pretty much why we created it!

Remember, there is no magic-bullet, just the ability to take ownership and responsibility for the choices we make. YOU and ONLY YOU are accountable, and it was not until I embraced this and changed my own lifestyle, that I started to see results. I sincerely and wholeheartedly wish the same for you this New Year and always!

Gen Preece is an Advanced Personal Trainer and weight-loss specialist. She runs a private functional training studio in Southampton and a friendly Boot Camp class, helping to get people safe and permanent results.

Website: http://www.ptgen.co.uk, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FasterPersonalTrainingSouthampton, Twitter: @PTGen

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Are you on a Fitness Plateau?

April 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Get Fit Quick Tip

Change it up! If your workout results have slowed, you may be on a fitness plateau. A fitness plateau simply means your body has adapted to your current workout. Mix up your routine by: change the number of sets, change the number of reps, or change out a specific exercise.

 

Check back often for our Get Fit Quick Tip. A fitness and healthy lifestyle tip that you’ll easily remember and be able to implement the very same day.

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