Self Improvement

• Uncategorized
• No Comments

Jamie here, with this week’s health and fitness blog. For the blog this week, we decided to pose an interesting question to our training staff. The question was… What are you doing for self- improvement? Essentially, what do you do to do to challenge ourselves to become better, brighter, more powerful (physically or mentally). After all, life is full of choices and it is certainly full of stress. We have to do something to keep us going and to keep us motivated. Here are the answers from some of the members of our staff.

Gena

Besides exercise, I keep my self sane by reading (currently, I’m

reading Thomas Friedman’s “The World is Flat”), traveling (beach, to see friends and family, random places) and keeping my thoughts focused on current goals I have at any given time. One current goal includes becoming involved in policy-making groups, so I’m networking now to create that path.

Caroline

I am a goal setter, born and raised. I am constantly, possibly too constantly, reassessing myself and all that I do in order to strive to be the best version of me. I set physical goals for my weekly training each Sunday. I also set mental goals for myself each morning, anywhere from reading and educating myself or using positive self-talk to keep my day on the right track. The combination of physical and mental goals in tandem with self-awareness and assessment keep me continuously working toward self-improvement.

Paul

I exercise hard five days a week doing CrossFit and always try to get

outside for some recreation during the weekends. I try to eat healthy about 80% of the time. I sample new foods, especially vegetables, meats, and fish to explore and find new things I may enjoy. I cook my weekly meals every Sunday because otherwise I would eat restaurant food every day. I read at least one hour every day, whether it’s sports magazines and websites, fiction novels, stuff related to my job, or anything else I find interesting. I try to get at least eight hours of sleep every night. Finally I try to keep my apartment and workspace organized and clean at all times as I believe this helps keep me sane.

Aaron

Golf – no big surprise here…I love being outside and active

Reading- Usually read recommendations from clients

Travel/Photography – the more the better

Tom

I have a machine that pops baseballs. It can pop up to 20 baseballs to me (soft toss) and I hit them into a field then jog out to the balls and throw them back into the fence where I hit from.

When I am at home and the kids are playing outside I throw baseballs into a net that bounces them back to me or shoot hoops on my portable goal in the culdesac.

I also like to take the kids hiking on different hiking trails. Finally, I listen to books on my iPod while driving or mowing lawn.

Jessica

After a meeting with one of our managers in which we discussed the Team Culture at Empower, I started thinking: ìWhat do we all do to better ourselves?î and then I asked my self ìWhat am I doing for self-improvement?î And, the answer I came up with is: Not enough! Having a baby really has taken a lot of my focus and attention. I have poured myself into being a good mom ñ which is great and I love it, but I realize that I will be doing myself and her a big disservice if I donít also tend to my own needs and personal growth. Therefore, I have come up with two things I would like to work on for self-improvement:

1. Spend at least 1 hour per week working on organizing some part of my life ñ pictures, music, cabinets/closets etc.

2. Increase my workout/exercise duration to 45 mins ñ 1 hour daily.

Jamie

As for me, I just try to be the best person and best husband that I can be. That usually means helping out around the house (washing dishes, cooking some, vacuuming a couple times a week, making sure the dog doesn’t destroy the house) and keeping the yard clean. Believe it or not, I really enjoy cutting grass and Iím kinda sad that the fall is coming. I really hate raking up leaves. It completely sucks. I also like to stay in shape by doing some kind of crazy exercise routine 4 or 5 days a week. Lately, Iíve been doing a lot of bootcamp style training outside, as I donít enjoy the indoors as much. Catch me at the Eno River on the weekends as I continue to hone my fly fishing skills. Fishing, now that is something I could do every day. Oh, and never underestimate the importance of grillin’ and chillin’

Jamie Ives, MA, CSCS

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

Sticking to the Routine

• Uncategorized
• No Comments

Sticking to a routine isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s hardly ever easy unless the routine doesn’t require us to do much work. For instance, if I lived in Barbados, I think I could gladly start up the routine of getting up every day to chill in beach chair under some palm trees. Or better yet, in a hammock between two palms. That wouldn’t be too hard. I’d have to get up to go to the cooler every now and then, but hey…you have to throw exercise in there somewhere right?

But alas, life isn’t about doing much of nothing at the beach or while on vacation. It’s about (or at least it should be) being dedicated, setting goals, and striving for success. In order to that, it’s vital that we have some sort of schedule and/or routine that effectively gets us where we want to go. Setting a schedule and sticking to a routine is something that helps us in just about every aspect of life. Studies show that those who make short and long term goals as a part of those routines are more successful in life. If you don’t believe me, then just look it up. It’s just a fact.

Of course, when it comes to our health and wellness, the same scenario applies. However, most people would agree that this is one area of life in which routines are hardest to set. We are all busy and we all have so much going on. Usually, when you add up all of your responsibilities, be it work, family, pets, school, or other extracurricular commitments, there isn’t much time in the day to spend on you. I know many people who have tried to start a fitness plan so that they can get in better shape or lose weight, only to fall off of the track within a few months. A common reason is that “I just can’t find the time to exercise and eat right,” or “I’m just not seeing the results that I want.” Of course, 100% of the time, the second excuse is a direct effect of the first excuse.

Well with that said, I decided to do a quick search on a few tips that can help us stick with our workout schedule. Although it requires a lot of effort on our part, the rewards are definitely worth it in the end. Here are a few highlights from a recent article as well as the link if you want to check the article out in more depth. I’ve also included a second link, which references a USA Today article on tips for effective weight loss.

Enjoy!

Tips to help you stick to your exercise routine.

Step 1

Set multiple small goals instead of large or unrealistic goals. Work in stages to achieve your goals and work from a place of positive reinforcement, rather than feeling frustrated and giving up.

Step 2

Pay for a gym membership, personal trainer or exercise class. Making a financial commitment can help you stay motivated.

Step 3

Carve out time from your busy schedule to hit the gym or go for a brisk walk. Write it down in your planner and treat it like any other important appointment and get down to the business of getting fit.

For additional steps, click HERE

For some neat tips on effective weight loss, click HERE

Hammock Chilln' - Good Beach Routine

Beach Burpees - Better Routine

Jamie Ives, MA, CSCS

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

Trainer Feud 2011

• Uncategorized
• No Comments

What exercise should you do every day? Name an animal that is easy to imitate? Which trainer is most likely to lose it?

These were just a few the questions that our trainers had to answer yesterday during our first ever Empower Personal Training Trainer Feud. This challenge, created by our very own Caroline Crocker and Tom Stafford, was a fun ice breaker during our most recent staff meeting. It was modeled after the long running game show hit, Family Feud. If you’ve never seen that show before, then shame on you. It’s awesome. Either way, let me tell you how it all went down.

For the last few weeks, we’ve been polling our clients, having them give us their answers to some pretty interesting questions. For example, what is the vegetable that people hate the most? (brussle sprouts of course!) After we got all of the answers in, we tabulated the results and were ready to play. During the meeting we divided into two teams, and one person from each team went up to “face off” againstanotherin answering one of the questions. The trainer who rang in first and got the question right (needing to provide a response which was in the top 5 of the client provided answers) went back in line and their team tried to provide the remaining top 4 answers. If a team got 3 guesses wrong, or 3 strikes, then the opposing team had an opportunity to steal the round.

Hopefully, that wasn’t too confusing. I’ve defintely confused myself, and my head hurts. Anyway, I think you should just watch the clip. Here are some highlights fromlast week’sgame. Enjoy!

Trainer Feud 2011

Survey Says!...

?Jamie Ives, MA, CSCS

?

Trainer Development

• Uncategorized
• No Comments

At Empower, we have all kinds of “fun” equipment that we use to train our wonderful clients. At any given time, you may come in and see someone using Dynamax balls, sand bags, ropes, sleds, TRX straps, free weights, medicine balls, etc… The list really goes on and on. Now that its nice and warm outside, you may even see us taking people outside to have a go at the agility ladder.

Each month, usually on the third Thursday, all of the trainers will get together for a Team meeting. This, of course, consists of some housekeeping items, some discussion about upcoming events and programs, and some talk about what we can do to keep Empower the best place to train in the triangle. At the end of each meeting, we always have a trainer development session, where a trainer will either demo some pretty cool exercises or lead a discussion in an important health and wellness topic. This past Thursday, we all practiced some new exercises on the aforementioned agility ladder. Trainer Aaron Hornstra led the group through some of his favorite drills. Check out the video below to see some of your trainers in action.

Who said we couldn’t have a little fun?

Jamie Ives

http://www.youtube.com/user/becomepowerful#p/a/u/0/Fkm8ytNC9N8

Bonus Workout!

• Uncategorized
• No Comments

Are you looking to add some extra spice to your normal exercise routine? Would you like to get in a tough workout outdoors so that you can enjoy the great spring weather? If so, why not try out Empower’s BONUS Workout. Think of it as a fun and challenging reward after a great week of training, a nice bonus if you will. Check out personal trainer Chris Lathrop (with Jamie Ives as narrator, director and cinematographer) as they demonstrate how to do this insane workout. The goal is to complete 5 rounds of this as fast as you can. It took Chris 1:30 and 1:26 to do his first two rounds. Can you beat him?

Bonus Workout (link)

10 burpees

12 plank rows (10-20+ pound free weights)

15 pushups

sprint 50 yards down and back

5 rounds as fast as possible.

Enjoy!