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

Lift Weight to Lose Weight…and Jack LaLanne

• Uncategorized
• No Comments

Many people today believe that the most effective (and often only) prescription for weight loss is cardiovascular exercise.

“Yep, just hop on the treadmill for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week and you will be slim in no time. Watch your diet a little, but it’s really all in the cardio. Oh, and don’t worry so much about strength training…it’s overrated and plus it will bulk you up!”

I’ve heard comments like these over the years. Is it true though? Is this how you really lose weight and keep it off?

Not really. There’s a lot more to it than that.

Having a good grip on one’s nutrition has to be the primary component in weight loss. After all, when you really get down to it, weight maintenance is essentially a calories in versus calories out equation. You can do all of the exercise you want, but if you go out and have a super sized double whopper combo with extra seasoned fries right after, then it’s going to be extremely difficult to get your weight where you want it. If you skip breakfast it’s also going to be hard. If you go long periods during the day without eating or if you have really big meals late at night, it’s also going to be difficult. Nutrition is often the the forgotten part of the weight loss equation when it should really be the centerpiece.

However, what if you are following a sound nutritional program? Does that mean that cardiovascular exercise is the best form of exercise to support your improved nutritional habits and increase your weight management success? Well, the research that is out now will tell you that this is probably true. There’s no way to argue the benefits of cardiovascular training in weight management. Continuous aerobic exercise that is done at a moderate or vigorous intensity does burn calories. Hormonal adaptations to aerobic training also make you more effective at using fat as an energy source. It’s been known for years. BUT, I’m going to argue that doing something else in conjunction with cardiovascular exercise is going to be even better. And that, my friends, is resistance training. You may liken it to adding a couple slices of pepperoni to a meatball sub. It’s still great without, but with it added in…man, what an awesome sandwich! I realize that meatball subs and weight loss don’t mesh that well in the same topic, but work with me here. Plus, I’m starving. But I digress…

Back to the topic at hand. There are many benefits to incorporating strength training into one’s exercise routine to make it well balanced and more effective in weight management.

Check out a snippet from a review on an American College of Sports Medicine research article regarding lifting weight to lose weight.

“Sure, aerobic exercise burns calories, but the bodyís metabolism quickly returns to pre-exercise levels, usually within 30 minutes or so. Resistance training, according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins University, leads to increased calorie burning for up to two hours after the workout is over. Carol A. Binzen and colleagues recruited 10 moderately trained women to perform three sets of 10 exercises at 10-repetition maximum with a one-minute rest period between each set. Researchers found that fat oxidation was significantly higher after the strength-training session.

Unfortunately, because weight training often results in a corresponding increase in weight due to increased muscle mass, many women abandon their strength-training efforts, opting instead for strictly cardiovascular activities. However, researchers suggest combining aerobic exercise with regular strength training for maximum benefit.”

Link to article here

Here’s another interesting point to ponder for the sport science junkies out there. Many people don’t realize that during weight loss, one’s resting energy expenditure (REE) often decreases. Resting energy expenditure basically represents the number of calories you burn in a 24 hour period if you were just sitting around on the couch (thus at rest). Basically, the reason why REE drops is because you are smaller than you once were, with less mass around to burn calories. With a lower daily energy expenditure, the same diet that contributed to weight loss success in the past, may not be as effective in the future. However, research has shown that resistance training helps to maintain or even increase REE as one loses weight. By helping to preserve muscle mass (which is more metabolically active than fat mass), you increase the amount of calories that your body burns per day and this can help you to keep weight off in the long run.

For more information on this phenomenon, check out this article, entitled Resistance training conserves fat-free mass and resting energy expenditure following weight loss.

mmm good. Although, it would be better with pepperoni!

Finally, on a sad note, Jack LaLanne passed away this week at the ripe old age of 96. For those of you who don’t know, Jack was a huge pioneer in the fitness industry. He swam the length the the golden gate bridge underwater, did 1000 push ups in under 20 minutes, towed 65 tug boats filled with pulpwood, and performed many other amazing fitness feats during his life. To put it simply, this guy was a beast. He also helped develop many pieces of exercise equipment that are still in use today. Check out this link to learn more about Jack and what he accomplished during his lifetime.

All in a day's work!

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

Meet Chris Hooke

• Uncategorized
• No Comments

Chris is a terrific eleven year old man with a great sense of humor. He’s been training at Empower Personal Training since March of 2010 when he came in with the goals of building up his strength and endurance.

We see Chris here once a week for a half an hour where we focus primarily on building up his strength with body weight exercises like squats, push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups. He always works hard and I make a point to reward this by ending with a game or two.

Recently Chris did a triathlon and took 80th place out of 600 boys between the ages of 9 and 11 years old. We helped him plan out a schedule for training a few months in advance and he worked hard outside of the gym to build up his endurance. It has been a privilege to work with such a motivated young man and he has a bright future ahead of him.

Check out our facebook page (link) to watch a video of some footage from our training session (you’ll have to scroll down a bit). The last minute or so is an interview. While you’re there click the “like” button!

Paul brings a background of athletics and education to the Empower team. He believes that wellness should be viewed as a blended lifestyle that balances nutrition, a healthy mind, and fitness which incorporates fun recreational activities. For more information about Empower Personal Training please call (919) 401-8024.