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August 31, 2009
Flexibility is typically thrown into a routine as an afterthought, or worse, forgotten entirely. A few quick toe touches and you’re done – off to the shower.
 What few people realize is just how much stretching can do for your health, your mobility, aging, and even your workout results. Believe it or not, regular flexibility training will allow you to look and feel younger and more capable than your peers, especially as you age!
I’ve compiled a list of the most significant benefits stretching can provide across all aspects of your life. Remember, just because you don’t immediately see results doesn’t mean it’s not worth it! Flexibility is something that creates changes deep under the surface, to protect you as you move through daily activities and as you age. Here are just a few of the places stretching can help you…
At the Gym:
You’re less likely to injure yourself if your muscles are warmed-up and flexible before your workout. Once you’ve finished exercising, slow stretching can serve as a relaxing cool-down and will increase your range of motion over time. Stretching will also ease and decrease the amount of muscle soreness you’ll feel the next day. I know we all could benefit from that!
At the Office:
Sitting at a desk all day not only decreases your activity level, it causes a lot of poor postural habits that lead to neck and low-back pain. Regular stretching of those muscles, both during the day and after your workouts, will help to realign the soft tissues that have adapted to your office environment. This will improve your posture and reduce (possibly even eliminate!) those aches and pains.
As You Age:
Flexibility training increases the flow of blood and nutrients to your joints, improving circulation and tissue elasticity throughout your body. Your joints, in particular, benefit from this improved nutrient exchange since more blood and nutrients means healthy synovial fluid (the fluid around your joints). This, in turn, allows for a greater range of motion around the joint. Ultimately, highly functioning joints and tissue elasticity may decelerate joint degeneration as you age!
Every Day:
Stretching is a slow, relaxing activity that actually promotes relaxation and stress relief. At the end of your workout, it can function as a cool-down and a chance for you to focus on everything you accomplished that day. The act of stretching requires you to take deep, controlled breaths to calm your mind and your muscles – providing a meditative component to your workout. When you are stressed at work and don’t have the time to fit in a quick workout, just take a few minutes to stretch at your desk. You’ll feel refreshed and less stressed in no time.
Say goodbye to soreness with these quick stretches:
Basic Lower Body Stretches
Basic Upper Body Stretches
August 28, 2009
I love to run. Of course, there are days when I hate it, when I struggle to get up the first hill, let alone the last five. Yet even on those days I have to admit that running is truly one of the best sports around – both physically and mentally. You build strong bones, reduce your risk for disease, relieve stress, and feel more accomplished. And let’s face it – you burn a LOT of calories! I know that alone is enough to motivate me some days!
 I’ve been running for years, and even though I don’t have the opportunity to run as much as I used to, I’m still addicted to the road. I love the sense of freedom that comes when you just step out the door and run. I also love the peacefulness of being alone on the road – my problems somehow seem to melt away. Plus I get the best ideas when I’m running!
Thus, in this post, I’ve decided to share with you all the wonderful benefits of running, in the hopes that you’ll embrace the sport as I have. If you’re not a runner yet (or even if you are!), then read on for the ten reasons that you, too, belong on the road.
1. A Healthy Heart
Cardiovascular exercise does wonders for your heart and circulatory system, including reducing blood pressure, decreasing resting heart rate, improving general heart function, reducing total cholesterol, increasing HDL cholesterol, and drastically reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease.
2. A Slimmer Body
Any sustained cardiovascular activity will help you burn calories, decrease body fat, and lose weight, but running in particular is a major calorie blaster. Start training for a race and you’ve not only guaranteed your own exercise adherence, but you’re sure to burn about 100 calories per mile!
3. A Longer Life
Regular exercise has the power to reduce your risk of acquiring major diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and some cancers. In addition to these, running will build strong bones to help prevent osteoporosis later in life.
4. Consistent Results
Participating in a running program requires motivation, discipline, and consistency – the same principles that guarantee workout results. And when you take your run outdoors, you have the opportunity to switch up the terrain, elevation, scenery, and speed with every workout. This versatility makes running one of the best sports for avoiding those dreaded workout plateaus!
Continue reading “10 Reasons You Should Be A Runner” »
August 26, 2009
Q: I have to stand all day at work for 13 hour shifts. Are there any simple exercises or stretches I can do just to keep myself in shape? I’m so tired by the time I get home that I don’t have the energy to work out!
A: Although it  may seem effortless, standing all day requires strength and stamina – which is why leg fatigue and back aches are very common for people employed in such occupations. Retail, food service, construction, landscape, education, and medicine are just a few of the major employment sectors that involve standing for long periods of time during the workday. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to improve your strength and reduce that end-of-day fatigue.
Focus on Strengthening Your Legs First
Exercise has the wonderful ability to increase both your energy levels and the flow of oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. If you are consistently working out (at least 3 times per week), then you are already helping to strengthen and energize your body for your strenuous job. If whole exercise sessions are difficult to work into your schedule, then try to incorporate just 10-15 minutes of strengthening exercises each day. Four 15-minute segments in a week equals two half-hour sessions – which is plenty of time to achieve strength gains, especially if you’re new to exercise.
During your workouts, focus on lower body strengtheners such as lunges, squats, romanian deadlifts, leg curls, leg extensions, calf raises, wall sits, hip bridges, etc. Lunges and squats, in particular, are two of the best lower body exercises in the book. They strengthen and tone everything below the waist!
(Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of these exercises to post. Eventually I’ll be able to post examples, but until then, check out the exercise library at NASMPro for animated illustrations).
Then Strengthen Your Core
Core strength is THE most important aspect of fitness, yet it is often the weakest link in a person’s muscular structure. Most sedentary adults are chained to a desk 5 days a week, where core strength and postural awareness get overshadowed by looming deadlines and a high-stress environment. Having a strong core will not only allow you to function better (both at your desk and away from it), it will help prevent back and leg pain as you get older and less active. This is especially true if your job requires you to be on your feet all day!
The best core strength exercises to include in your routine are: Continue reading “How To Avoid Leg Fatigue From Standing” »
August 24, 2009
Q: Due to my crazy work schedule I only have time to do strength training for about one hour once a week…. is that even worth it?
A: Taking the time to do something good for your body is always worth it! Physical activity in general has enormous health benefits – everything from lowering blood pressure and cholesterol to fat loss and stress reduction. And these benefits won’t just add years to your life, they’ll increase the quality of the years you have by making daily activities easier and work less stressful. Therefore any time you can devote to exercise throughout your week will benefit you.
 Ideally your workouts should include a balance of cardiovascular exercise and strength training, but if your schedule is tight that’s not always possible. In this case I suggest incorporating strength training into your workouts first, as this is the most efficient way to burn calories AND boost your metabolism. A higher metabolism means you’ll be burning more calories every minute! If one of your goals is weight loss, then strength training is essential for seeing results.
The good news is that you only need about 30 minutes to perform a good weight training routine – you don’t need to devote an entire hour! And if it’s possible, try to split your one hour per week into two non-consecutive workouts. Significant changes can be seen in both muscle strength and endurance, as well as overall body composition, just by increasing training frequency from one day per week to two… which means you’ll be doubling or tripling your results with no added effort!
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a strength training program of at least eight to ten exercises, hitting all of the major muscle groups: gluts, hamstrings, quadriceps, core, pectorals (chest), back, triceps, biceps, and shoulders. Each exercise should be performed for a minimum of one set of eight to twelve repetitions, bringing the muscle to fatigue (when you can’t perform the exercise any longer). Because you only need to complete one set of each exercise for strength gains, you can fit your workout pretty much anywhere in your day! And if you’re extra short on workout time, just split your strength training routine into 10 or 15 minute segments. You can space the segments throughout one day or perform one segment every day of the week, eventually totaling two sets of each exercise per week.
Although you can strength train more frequently and/or perform additional sets, these practices aren’t necessary to see results. Strength training for 30 minutes just two days per week will produce about 80% of the strength gains seen when training three days per week – not bad when you’re short on time!
Ultimately, your workout routine should be a marriage between your goals and the time you can realistically commit towards reaching those goals. If you’re able to, aim for two days per week – or split a strength training routine into small segments and fit them in throughout the week. Either way, you’ll see greater strength improvements and faster weight loss than with just one day per week. But if you only have one day, make the most of it and try to incorporate some strength training into your routine. Something is always better than nothing!
Looking for some exercise ideas? The three workouts below contain a progressive selection of movements, complete with pictures and how-to instructions. They are grouped into beginner (Fitness Freshman), intermediate (Avid Exerciser) and advanced (Training Pro), so you can progress at your own pace. And of course, every exercise can be performed at home with no equipment. Good luck!
Fitness Freshman Workout
Avid Exerciser Workout
Training Pro Workout
August 14, 2009
Every day, I create workout programs for clients looking to achieve their goals, be challenged, and receive extra motivation. But for every one client I train, there are 4 long-time gym members on the floor doing the exact same routine they were doing last week, last month, or even last year. It’s the routine procedure, the familiarity, the “comfort zone” that they are uncomfortable stepping out of. Unfortunately, they also won’t see results.
When To Update Your Workout
 Muscles must be continually stimulated in order to produce changes, and our bodies get used to movement patterns very quickly. If you continue to use the same program with no added challenge and no new exercises, then you will stop seeing results (also referred to as a “hitting a plateau”), you put yourself at risk for overuse injuries, and you increase the probability that you’ll give up on exercising all together. If I wasn’t seeing results and had the same routine to look forward to day after day, month after month, I’d get bored and give up too! This is why workout programs should get updated every 4 to 6 weeks (yes, you heard me right). I know that sounds like a lot of work, but there are lots of ways to change up your routine without a lot of effort.
Cross-Training For Results
Cross-training, by definition, is the use of a variety of exercises to stimulate strength gains, reduce injury risk, increase motivation, and drive results. You can cross-train just within the aerobic category or between both aerobic and strength training disciplines. With aerobic cross-training, you would vary the type of aerobic activity that you perform. For example, if you are an avid runner, you should cross-train with swimming or biking – two equally beneficial aerobic activities that will also allow your joints to rest and recover from the wear and tear that running can cause. Balancing your routine this way allows your body to recover while you continue to exercise. This is called “active rest.”
Likewise, it would also be beneficial for a runner to balance his/her aerobic program with some strength training. One to two days per week would add considerable strength, agility, and power to the running routine. The strength training in this case could also be called cross-training, since its purpose is to support the main goal of improving his/her running. Additionally, adding cross-training to a runner’s routine adds variability and a change of scenery. Going swimming or attending a sculpting class is something new and unexpected that a runner can look forward to a couple times per week, allowing him/her to return to running stronger and more refreshed.
I encourage my clients to have at least one secondary activity on their workout plan – even if it’s only done once a week. This way they have something to fall back on if they get bored or don’t feel like performing their “scheduled” exercise (I know we’ve all used that as an excuse, so this practice actually encourages adherence to your workout routine).
So don’t get stuck in a rut with your workouts! Remember to change your exercises or pattern of exercises every 4 to 6 weeks to ensure continuous progress toward your goals. Balancing your routine, both on the aerobic and strength sides, will bring you faster results, prevent overuse injuries, create a more well-rounded physique, and eliminate your excuses for not working out.
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