So, you just signed up for your first group fitness session. Congratulations, you are doing something that will benefit your physical and mental health and wellbeing. While you are excited about your upcoming first class, you may be experiencing a few butterflies in your stomach as well. If you can relate to this scenario, adhere to the following five tips to make your first group exercise class successful. (more…)
Why not walk two blocks to the store? Why take the elevator to the second floor? Why not include a walk during your work break? (more…)
You know that exercise is good for you. You’ve been told, in fact, that exercising a little bit will reduce your risk of heart disease and premature death by, well, a little bit. You have been told, or you assumed, that exercising a lot would reduce your risk of heart disease and premature death by, well, a lot. (more…)
When I was just starting out in the gym, my lifting buddy would always have to remind me to breathe. She’d joke about how red in the face I’d get as I was trying to improve my bench press. Thanks to her commentary, I realized that I wasn’t breathing effectively during my workouts and that I needed to practice! I’m sure many of you can relate. Breathing is such an unconscious action that we’re often unaware of how we breathe (or don’t breathe), especially when we’re focused on working out. (more…)
For many parents, raising teenagers is one of the most challenging tasks of their lifetimes. If you are the parent of teens, you probably strive to do everything in your power to keep them safe, happy, and healthy. One of the best things you can do for your teens is to encourage them to work out regularly. The following 5 reasons teenagers need regular exercise are crucial to your kids’ overall wellbeing. (more…)
Do you want to be a great athlete? If you do, you should drink Gatorade, according to commercials featuring professional athletes. In recent years, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, Dwyane Wade, Sidney Crosby, and Derek Jeter have all endorsed Gatorade. (more…)
While I was attending a dinner this weekend, one of my friends asked me a question that shouldn’t have stopped me in my tracks. It was a simple question that didn’t require a difficult or elaborate answer. But nonetheless, it stumped me, because my fitness-saturated brain wanted to give him every bit of information at once to help. And ultimately all he needed was a simple guide. He asked me, “Where do I start?” He wanted to start working out, start losing weight and feel better. And he was coming to me feeling somewhat overwhelmed and confused. And I didn’t
While I was attending a dinner this weekend, one of my friends asked me a question that shouldn’t have stopped me in my tracks. It was a simple question that didn’t require a difficult or elaborate answer. But nonetheless, it stumped me, because my fitness-saturated brain wanted to give him every bit of information at once to help. And ultimately all he needed was a simple guide. He asked me, “Where do I start?” He wanted to start working out, start losing weight and feel better. And he was coming to me feeling somewhat overwhelmed and confused. And I didn’t
How much food should you eat each day? Many people who want to lose weight make the awful mistake of eating as little food as possible. Most diets, though, don’t work. (more…)
I’ve seen as many clients in a clinical therapy setting as I have in a personal training setting. And most of my clients in both settings have benefitted from following a consistent fitness routine. This is probably one of the reasons I love being a therapist and a personal trainer. Taking care of your body via healthy eating and consistent exercise can be a big mood booster, so much so that I’ve seen it replace the need to take medications in several of my clients. (Please check with your physician if you’re contemplating stopping your prescribed medicine.) (more…)
