Back to School

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WOOHOOOOOO!!!! Thatís what I said the day I got my first automobile – a mustard yellow 1992 Ford F-150what a classic. Itís what my wife screamed as she held her hands up towards the sky going down Splash Mountain at Disney World this summer. And kids, thatís also what your parents say when its time for you to go back to school. Just kidding! but not really

Yes, it is that time of the year again. Time to put away the boogie boards, board shorts, and suntan lotion, and dust off the trusty backpack and trapper keeperdo people still use those? Got all of your school supplies and new school gear? Pens, pencils, and the biggest pack of Crayola crayons you can find? I remember back when I was the first kid in school to get the 128 pack. I thought I was so cool with my robinís egg blue and burnt sienna. Good times. But I digress.

Anyway, the point is that the beginning of the school year usually brings about a great deal of change, and change, while often good, can be quite stressful. The stress and anticipation about the upcoming school year, if not managed properly, can pose quite the challenge to oneís health and wellness. This is true whether you preparing for your first day of kindergarten, middle school, or even your senior year. And parents, I probably donít have to go out on a limb to tell you that youíll probably be feeling some of the anxiety too.

Therefore, itís important that we do our best to manage back to school stress by focusing on things that we can do to improve our well being. But thatís easier said than done, right? If you are looking for a few cool tips though, then check out this article. (link) It discusses back to school health and how parents can take steps to ensure their children are well rested, energized, and fully prepared for the rigors of the school year – just like our friend Billy Madison.

"Back to school. Back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. Oh! Back to school... back to school... back to school."

Jamie Ives MA, CSCS, Master Trainer

Jamie has several years of experience in the fitness industry, working with clients of various ages, ability levels, and health conditions. He enjoys using his knowledge as well as his experience in exercise prescription and program design to help each of his clients reach their individual wellness goals and improve their quality of life. For more information about Empower Personal Training, please call (919) 401-8024.

Fitness Tips

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When it comes to fitness tips, everyone seems to have an opinion. Best friends, next door neighbors, coworkersask any of them what you need to do to get in shape and stay in shape, and youíll likely get any number of responses. Eat less meat, eat more spinach , run every day, purchase the latest fitness product on the market, or do whatever the latest fitness magazine tells youand thatís just to name a few. You know my great uncle Leroy once told me that all I had to do to get in shape was to carry around a weed eater and push a garden tiller around all summer. Thinking back, Iím not quite sure that worked out as well as I had hoped it would; however, it did help improve my cultivating and lawn maintenance skills.

Anyway, with all of the opinions out there, where does one turn for good fitness information? Well, Iím a big fan of checking the literature, the empirical studies, yes the good oleí scientific research. While I donít think itís necessarily the best idea to form an opinion based off of the results of one single study (after all not all research is good research, and one can usually find holes in just about any study ever done), analyzing research is ultimately the most effective way to separate the good information/advice from the bad. Or in this case, the good fitness tips vs. the bad fitness myths.

With that said, I browsed through some of the literature in the fitness field to see if I could find anything that sounded somewhat appealing. You can do it too. Simply google exercise research or something like that and scan through the results. Or, if you have a few minutes, browse through a research search engine such as pub med . Journals like the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise are great sources as well.

Here are just a few links to studies that address certain ìfitness tips.î

1. Is it possible to lose weight by lifting weights? Check out this study published by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. (link)

2. Always take the elevator at work? This study may have you thinking again about the benefits of the infamous stairwell. (link)

3. Canít remember what your spouse told you to buy from the grocery store? Maybe taking a walk will help you to remember. (link)

4. Having trouble achieving the fitness results that you desire? Sometimes all you need is a little extra motivation from someone special. (link)

Jamie Ives MA, CSCS, Master Trainer

Jamie has several years of experience in the fitness industry, working with clients of various ages, ability levels, and health conditions. He enjoys using his knowledge as well as his experience in exercise prescription and program design to help each of his clients reach their individual wellness goals and improve their quality of life. For more information about Empower Personal Training, please call (919) 401-8024.