Over the years I’ve had people come to me discouraged that their progress with fitness has hit a brick wall. Whether it’s weight loss or trying to build more muscle on their body, after they have been training for a few months they may suddenly stop seeing results.
This is called Hitting A Plateau, and it’s very common. Unless you change your exercise program every so often – usually every 4-6 weeks – you are almost guaranteed to hit a plateau.
If weight loss is what you are after, you might have to lower your calorie intake and increase your physical activity. The first thing is to determine the number of calories you are consuming. Your caloric intake may be too low or too high for your daily physical activity. This where keeping a daily food journal can be helpful.
Often adding strength training to your regular exercise routine can help you to get off your plateau. The added muscle helps to offset the metabolism-lowering effect of dieting (bad word!) and losing weight. The more muscle a person has on their body frame, the higher your metabolism will be.
The key, though, of getting past your plateau is to vary your program. The body is very adaptable. When you keep doing the same thing over and over again, the human body knows what’s coming – hence, no
changes. Keep it fresh and you’ll likely find yourself on the right path again, getting closer to your fitness goals.
If you still cannot overcome your plateau by yourself, it may be time to call a qualified, Certified Personal Trainer for assistance.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
The Frightening Reality Of Heart Disease
February is Healthy Heart Month, so I would like to continue with some more information on the heart.
This article is for the ladies in the audience:
According to a report by “Advancing Women’s Heart Health Through Improved Research, Diagnosis and Treatment”, an estimated 8.6 million women per year will die from some sort of heart disease.
Heart Disease is the leading cause of death of women in the United States. Almost 50% of women are expected to die from this disease or from a stroke. On an annual basis more women, not men, die annually from heart disease.
Both heart disease and stroke are often preventable by maintaining a regular exercise routine and following a healthy way of eating.
Always consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
This article is for the ladies in the audience:
According to a report by “Advancing Women’s Heart Health Through Improved Research, Diagnosis and Treatment”, an estimated 8.6 million women per year will die from some sort of heart disease.
Heart Disease is the leading cause of death of women in the United States. Almost 50% of women are expected to die from this disease or from a stroke. On an annual basis more women, not men, die annually from heart disease.
Both heart disease and stroke are often preventable by maintaining a regular exercise routine and following a healthy way of eating.
Always consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Mental Health and Exercise
As a Fitness Professional I would like to cover how exercise can help alleviate stress or help people cope with depression. Almost everyone, during their lifetime, gets stressed out or depressed to some degree.
There is evidence from researchers that certain levels of physical activity can affect mental health in a positive way.
Stress - Research, over the last 10 years, shows that people who engage in physical activity are capable of managing this “silent killer” more effectively than those who are less fit. It appears that moderate intensity aerobic exercise is the method that helps to reduce stress.
Correct intensity levels of exercise performed 3 times per week for at least 20 minutes seems to have the most influence on helping people to cope with day-to-day stress.
Depression – People who are diagnosed with depression have said that exercise has helped them, in many cases, to cope with mild depression.
Cardiovascular and resistance training seem to offer anti-depressive effects. Research has shown that improvements can be felt after 4 weeks, but the greatest effects come after 17 weeks.
It stands to reason that if you feel or look better physically, you will often feel better mentally.
Anxiety – Again, exercise comes into play to reduce anxiety. Low-moderate-high intensity exercise is most beneficial. If you are not sure what level of intensity is best for you,, consult with a Certified Personal Trainer.
Research shows that, to receive the most benefit from any type of exercise, an individual should train anywhere from 10-15 weeks.
To Recap:
Exercising on a regular basis has so many positive benefits; why do so many avoid it?
Of course, before embarking on any exercise program, consult with your physician.
There is evidence from researchers that certain levels of physical activity can affect mental health in a positive way.
Stress - Research, over the last 10 years, shows that people who engage in physical activity are capable of managing this “silent killer” more effectively than those who are less fit. It appears that moderate intensity aerobic exercise is the method that helps to reduce stress.
Correct intensity levels of exercise performed 3 times per week for at least 20 minutes seems to have the most influence on helping people to cope with day-to-day stress.
Depression – People who are diagnosed with depression have said that exercise has helped them, in many cases, to cope with mild depression.
Cardiovascular and resistance training seem to offer anti-depressive effects. Research has shown that improvements can be felt after 4 weeks, but the greatest effects come after 17 weeks.
It stands to reason that if you feel or look better physically, you will often feel better mentally.
Anxiety – Again, exercise comes into play to reduce anxiety. Low-moderate-high intensity exercise is most beneficial. If you are not sure what level of intensity is best for you,, consult with a Certified Personal Trainer.
Research shows that, to receive the most benefit from any type of exercise, an individual should train anywhere from 10-15 weeks.
To Recap:
Exercising on a regular basis has so many positive benefits; why do so many avoid it?
Of course, before embarking on any exercise program, consult with your physician.
New Year New You - Or - New Year Same You?
“Insanity – doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Benjamin Franklin
Well…the holidays are over and the Super Bowl is fast approaching. At least I’ll look forward to this one since the Giants are playing.
This year the big story remains the economy. For the past few years people have changed their spending habits, even if they don’t have to be frugal. I’ve always believed that this is a good idea – I don’t believe that anyone has money to just throw away.
But….what if you go for a low-cost alternative to something and end up actually paying more in the long run? Do you go to a doctor or dentist because their price is less expensive, or do you choose your physician by his or her expertise?
A couple of weeks ago a woman came in for a consultation. She told me that she had been going to a local fitness studio for over 4 years with little or no results. She finally (!) decided that she didn’t care for them because they did not do any type of follow up to check her progress. I discussed our services with her and she told me she would get back to me with her decision; she was going out of town for a week (coincidentally a large portion of the general population has to go “out of town” after they have had a consultation at our Studio).
In any case when I told my wife about this consultation she told me that I would never hear from this woman again. She said that this woman, like so many others, was used to going to a “discount” studio and would probably never want to pay more than she was paying, even if it meant that she wasn’t getting the results that she wanted to get.
On the other hand, last week my wife congratulated one of our clients on her 4-Year Anniversary with our Studio. The client told her that she couldn’t believe it had been four years; the time had gone so quickly. This particular client had gone to a discount studio before coming to us, and was unhappy with the results she had achieved there. She told my wife that she was so happy she invested in her health at our Studio. She said she knew that if she tried to exercise on her own she probably would never make the time. Also, she loves the fact that she knows she is doing every exercise correctly, because her trainer makes sure she uses correct form at all times.
So, what do you usually get at these “discount” studios? Most of them offer interval training, which is just moving from one machine to another for 4-5 minutes at a time. Rarely does this entail any type of progression so results, if any, are a very long time in coming.
I actually saw a website for a fitness facility where you could sign up on-line for any group class. This means that, without any prior knowledge of how fit you are or what limitations you have, you are just put in any group class with members that have much more or much less experience than you have.
What these Studios do provide is economy; perhaps $30 per month in membership fees. They also often provide a type of social gathering place versus an actual exercise facility.
How are we different from other facilities? What we provide is a Personal Training Studio where serious clients achieve their fitness goals. We work with every client closely to make sure that each and every session maximizes that client’s strengths so that they are not wasting their time or money in any way. The Value we provide well exceeds the cost of our services.
We readily admit that we are not for everyone. Some people just like to say that they are exercising, and others actually are. And I know that our clients are definitely in the latter group.
2012 – New Year, new things, new ways to make the most of your life and make things “better”. Will you go the “economy” route, or actually do something more to get and stay fit and healthy?
Remember, if you do the same thing over and over the same way you will get the same results – no matter how hard you want to believe otherwise.
Well…the holidays are over and the Super Bowl is fast approaching. At least I’ll look forward to this one since the Giants are playing.
This year the big story remains the economy. For the past few years people have changed their spending habits, even if they don’t have to be frugal. I’ve always believed that this is a good idea – I don’t believe that anyone has money to just throw away.
But….what if you go for a low-cost alternative to something and end up actually paying more in the long run? Do you go to a doctor or dentist because their price is less expensive, or do you choose your physician by his or her expertise?
A couple of weeks ago a woman came in for a consultation. She told me that she had been going to a local fitness studio for over 4 years with little or no results. She finally (!) decided that she didn’t care for them because they did not do any type of follow up to check her progress. I discussed our services with her and she told me she would get back to me with her decision; she was going out of town for a week (coincidentally a large portion of the general population has to go “out of town” after they have had a consultation at our Studio).
In any case when I told my wife about this consultation she told me that I would never hear from this woman again. She said that this woman, like so many others, was used to going to a “discount” studio and would probably never want to pay more than she was paying, even if it meant that she wasn’t getting the results that she wanted to get.
On the other hand, last week my wife congratulated one of our clients on her 4-Year Anniversary with our Studio. The client told her that she couldn’t believe it had been four years; the time had gone so quickly. This particular client had gone to a discount studio before coming to us, and was unhappy with the results she had achieved there. She told my wife that she was so happy she invested in her health at our Studio. She said she knew that if she tried to exercise on her own she probably would never make the time. Also, she loves the fact that she knows she is doing every exercise correctly, because her trainer makes sure she uses correct form at all times.
So, what do you usually get at these “discount” studios? Most of them offer interval training, which is just moving from one machine to another for 4-5 minutes at a time. Rarely does this entail any type of progression so results, if any, are a very long time in coming.
I actually saw a website for a fitness facility where you could sign up on-line for any group class. This means that, without any prior knowledge of how fit you are or what limitations you have, you are just put in any group class with members that have much more or much less experience than you have.
What these Studios do provide is economy; perhaps $30 per month in membership fees. They also often provide a type of social gathering place versus an actual exercise facility.
How are we different from other facilities? What we provide is a Personal Training Studio where serious clients achieve their fitness goals. We work with every client closely to make sure that each and every session maximizes that client’s strengths so that they are not wasting their time or money in any way. The Value we provide well exceeds the cost of our services.
We readily admit that we are not for everyone. Some people just like to say that they are exercising, and others actually are. And I know that our clients are definitely in the latter group.
2012 – New Year, new things, new ways to make the most of your life and make things “better”. Will you go the “economy” route, or actually do something more to get and stay fit and healthy?
Remember, if you do the same thing over and over the same way you will get the same results – no matter how hard you want to believe otherwise.
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