Table of Contents Aerobics Free-weights vs. Machines? Keep it simple! Stretching Why Weight Train? At home or the gym? Fountain of Youth Getting Started

Aerobics Aerobic exercise is an exercise that goes nonstop for a minimum of 15 minutes and gets you breathing deeply, but not out of breath (that is, at 65% - 80% of your maximum heart rate). Walking, biking, and the treadmill are all examples of aerobic type exercises. We always highly recommend a walking program for everyone. You can do it anywhere and it is easy to fit into all lifestyles. We also encourage people to walk and talk with their mate, children or with a friend, it's a wonderful relationship builder! If you are just starting an exercise program, you must only do low impact exercises and not go for more than 15 to 20 minutes duration. Ease into your program so you do not cause yourself undue pain. It is often common to aggravate the hips, knees, and feet if you try to do too much too soon. A simple way to monitor your intensity level is the talk test. You want to exercise at an intensity that allows you to be able to talk with another person. If you are panting so hard that you cannot speak, slow down, your intensity level is too high. Also, as with any new exercise program, it is wise to consult your physician before starting. WHAT IS A WORKOUT?" A workout is 25 percent perspiration and 75 percent determination. Stated another way, it is one part physical exertion and three parts self-discipline. Doing is easy once you get started. A workout makes you better today than you were yesterday. It strengthens the body, relaxes the mind, and toughens the spirit. When you work out regularly, your problems diminish and your confidence grows. A workout is a personal triumph over laziness and procrastination. It is the badge of a winner - the mark of an organized goal oriented person who has taken charge of his, or her, destiny. A workout is a wise use of time and an investment in excellence. It is a way of preparing for life's challenges and proving to yourself that you have what it takes to do what is necessary. A workout is a key that helps unlock the door to opportunity and success. Hidden within each of us is an extraordinary force. Physical and mental are the triggers that can release it. A workout is a form of rebirth. When you finish a good workout, you don't simply feel better- YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF." By George Allen Exercise - Weight Training - Why Weight Train? Weight training in my opinion is a must for every human being striving for optimal health. It is our fountain of youth! Weight training enables a person to maintain muscle tissue as we age. Muscle tissue is what keeps our body's metabolism working at an efficient rate to help maintain a leaner body, which will of course help people to avoid many ailments and disease associated with obesity. Maintaining muscle will also keep the body standing erect and give a person a youthful appearance. The list of benefits is endless, so lets take just a brief look at some of the other benefits of weight training. Muscle burns calories more efficiently, so you can eat an adequate amount of food to provide the body with nutrients that it needs, without the worry of gaining unhealthy body fat. Weight training can increase your bone density. This will help you to prevent osteoporosis and prevent injuries. Increases your body balance and body awareness. You can enhance your physical appearance. Not everyone is blessed with proportionate body parts. A person can actually transform their body by filling out certain areas of their body with muscle. You can widen the shoulder girth, fill out the buttocks, reshape the legs and arms, fill out the chest area for more fullness, or widen the back to give the illusion of a smaller waistline. Everyone can have a balanced body if they choose to through smart weight training! You will increase confidence and mental image. You will feel alive! You will be so in tuned to your body. You will be able to do all activities with much greater ease and enjoyment! Did we convince you yet! You have got incorporate some weight training into your life! Click on how to get started, now!Weight training does not have to mean hours in a gym. Smart weight training can be done at home with minimal equipment.   Exercise - Weight Training - Free-weights vs. Machines? We always teach all of our clients how to perform exercises with free weights for all of their body parts. Our goal is to empower them and help them to establish a life long fitness program. We want all of our clients to know how to perform exercises with basic hand held dumbbells. Because of travel or being homebound this is all they may have access to. It is also very important that they learn how to balance and control the weight while working the muscle. Lifting with dumbbells is also excellent for insuring muscle balance. The results a person receives will be greater with free weights. Free weight exercises are also considered compound exercises. This means other muscles come into play because your body stabilizes you while performing the exercises. You will strengthen your stomach muscles, low back muscles and overall condition the entire body. You will also burn more calories performing free weight exercises! Yes, we am very pro free weights, although we are just as pro about doing your training with meticulous form and technique! We cannot stress how important it is enough on this. You will not get the results you desire and you will set yourself up for injury if you do not take the time to learn the fundamental principles on how to perform all of your exercises! Machines can be a great enhancement to a persons exercise program. There are some pretty cool ones out there. If you want to get more bang for your time and efforts use free weights predominately. We occasionally will have a client that may be elderly, has been very sedentary or may have an injury we are dealing with. In these cases, machines are sometimes very helpful in performing some of the exercises.   Exercise - Weight Training - At home or the gym? This is a very personal decision. Here are some things to take into consideration:· Consider how much time it will take for you to travel back and forth from the gym. Will the time cause stress in your life? Will the time be a conflict with family commitments? If the gym is a short distance away, time may not be a factor at all. Be honest with yourself. Will you be disciplined to exercise consistently and with the intensity required at home alone? Which environment will you best excel in? Do you need to be in a gym environment to be around other people who are striving for the same goals as you? You may want to consider an exercise program at home that would involve your children. Does' a gym membership fit into your budget? Perhaps a fitness center for the entire family may be an option for you to consider. Whatever your decision is, you must keep balance in your life! If time with your mate or children is already limited then you should work to incorporate your exercise in with your family. You must keep your home life healthy and happy. A happy person will typically not fall into as many negative eating behaviors. A happy person will also typically be more energized and excited about exercise to maintain their health!   Exercise - Weight Training - Keep it simple! Weight training is not as complex as many people may think. We can understand why someone may become overwhelmed with such a large array of exercise equipment out there! The truth is if you understand the basic principle of how to train each body part, then you will easily be able to use any piece of equipment properly. Here is an example to help you better understand: I know if I am training my back muscles that I must do the following: Arch my back Keep chest lifted Think of arms like a cable between the weight and the back muscles Drag the weight up, forward or down depending on what exercise I am performing. Don't shrug up with my neck and upper back muscles Get a mind muscle link and activate the back to do the work, not the arms. BODY PART EXERCISE 1. LEGS     SQUAT 2. CHEST BENCH PRESS 3. BACK MACHINE OR DUMBBELL ROW 4. SHOULDERS  OVERHEAD SHOULDER PRESS 5. TRICEPS  TRICEP EXTENTIONS 6. BICEPS  BICEP CURL 7. CALVES   ONE-LEG CALVE RAISE 8. STOMACH  FLOOR CRUNCHS     Now once you know how to train my back muscles correctly you will be able to adapt to any equipment anywhere. When our clients have conquered the basic principles of form and technique along with a clear understanding of how each body part should work and feel during the an exercise, we can then easily add variety to their workouts without confusing them. If a person has not advanced to fully understanding all the basic principles of weight training, then they must keep their exercises for each body part basic and easy to perform. A person will start out doing each exercise for 1-2 sets, for 10-15 repetitions. As the body gets strong and adapts they can increase their sets and weight. A person can stick with these basic exercises and have great results as long as you make sure there is progressive resistance. All of these exercises can also be performed at home. No advancement in weights can be made until 100% correct execution of each exercise has been achieved! You can easily cause injury and get poor results with improper form. There is no reason for anyone to ever get injured with weight training if they will just get proper instruction and learn to listen to their body. Remember it is not normal to feel joint pain when doing any exercise. You are doing something wrong or possibly you are doing an exercise that is not correct for you. People with limited flexibility, injuries or even very overweight people must find exercises their body's can perform without undue discomfort or joint pain. Although, most all people can perform the basic 8 exercises listed above. We are going to highly suggest that you consider getting a personalized workout video from us. If you have never weight trained before, we're going to insist! We cannot stress enough to you that you just will not get the results or even enjoy your weight training if you don't learn how to train correct.   Exercise - Fountain of Youth A regular exercise program and a proper diet is your fountain of youth. The problems we typically associate with old age such as weak muscles, poor cardiovascular system, diabetes, and memory loss can many times be prevented with exercise and good nutrition. Aging is not based on the number of years you've lived, but on how you live your years, and the mistakes made when we're younger can have serious repercussions later in life. Activity is life, stagnation is death, and lack of physical activity is just plain stupid. The extreme loss of muscle mass and strength does not have to be part of the aging process. You can maintain a healthy, lean body well into your later years. Your heath is your wealth. You can grow old gracefully, or stay young gracefully. The decision is yours.   Exercise - Stretching Many of the physical problems people have today can be contributed to lack of strength and flexibility. In our personal training business it is common to work with clients that have a very limited range of movement. This limited range of movement puts a person in a vulnerable position for injuries. It also can affect your quality of life. Here is a list of good reasons why you should stretch: Reduce muscle tension and make the body feel more relaxed. Help coordination by allowing for freer and easier movement. Increase range of motion Prevent injuries such as muscle strains. (A strong, pre-stretched muscle resists stress better than a strong, unstretched muscle.) Make strenuous activities like running, skiing, tennis, swimming, cycling easier because it prepares you for activity. Develops body awareness. As you stretch various parts of the body, you focus on them and get in touch with them. You get to know yourself. Promotes circulation It feels good. Whatever we feel is a priority we will make time for. So we pray that you can visualize a strong, mobile, energized body in your mind. Better yet we pray you visualize yourself in your 70's and beyond strong and fit! Getting old does not have to be about getting tired, sick and diseased. You have choices! You must take responsibility for your health! Many of the things we associate with aging can be prevented through exercise and nutrition. Getting Started You can easily incorporate stretching into your daily life. We personally stretch all day long. We stretch a little in the morning along with some floor crunches to loosen up our back. (Stretching is best when the body is warmed up. Floor crunches and leg raises are great warm up exercises. Often while we are on the phone we stretch. In business meetings we always do some ankle rotations and calve stretches. Most of our stretching is done between exercises while weight training. Weight training is a fantastic way to increase flexibility. While weight training you are fully stretching and contracting all the muscles. We've been stretching consistently for so long that it really becomes instinctive to do it. Most of our clients say they are addicted to stretching now! It feels great once you are less restricted and it becomes easier. It will be that way for you too! Here are some tips for you: If you don't already know some basic stretches, then get a good stretching book with illustrations, or an exercise video. You may want to consider a yoga tape. (If you're a beginner, make sure you get a beginner tape) Do stretches for the entire body. Family time is valuable and so is showing your children how to be healthy. Gather the family together and have some fun. (Learn some partner stretches) Always have proper body alignment when stretching. The head, shoulders and pelvic girdle should stay in alignment at all times. Just use common sense. You are stretching the muscles, so you should not feel pain or any discomfort in the joints. Move in the body's natural groove. Do static stretching only. This means slowly easing into your stretch without bouncing. Hold your stretches for at least 10-30 seconds Don't hold your breath. If bending forward to stretch, exhale as you bend forward and then breath slowly as you stretch. If a stretch position inhibits your natural breathing pattern then ease up on the stretch so you can breath naturally. (Many times excess body fat on the belly can hinder you during stretches so until you lose that belly, find a way to do some stretches more comfortably. Warm the body up before stretching. A warm muscle will stretch with much greater ease and will help to prevent injury. Remember, cold taffy breaks when you stretch it and warm taffy stretches. Many clients come to us after going for many years being sedentary. Yes, that first day they perform pathetically! Who wouldn't if they haven't exercised in a while? We always tell them they will be shocked at the results they will feel and see in just 30 days. It is amazing the flexibility and strength gains a person can get in a very short amount of time! A person's entire life can be transformed in a very short amount of time if they will first make a decision and then discipline themselves to do all the elements required for health. They are: Have a vision of health and happiness Begin reading and listening to material that will help you to build your self-image, empower you, and help to build the relationships in your life. Begin to incorporate healthy eating behaviors into your home. Not go on another energy zapping, mood altering, I can't stand myself diet! Start supplementing Learn how to properly weight train and then get started! Aerobic exercise and stretching (walking, biking, roller-blading are examples of aerobic exercise. This can be great family time.) Surround yourself with positive people and influences. Eliminate elements in your life that are counter productive to your goals. Build healthy, happy relationships. If your marriage is funky, then fix it. Figure it out! Stress is the biggest aging factor there is. If our relationships are not healthy don't kid yourself, you've got undue stress in your life. How did stretching go to this! Well our mental well-being is where it starts and it is challenging for me to talk about health and fitness and not go there. Don't get overwhelmed with the above list of elements required for optimal health. Just start with the ones that are doable for you now. It may be just starting with a walk, stretching in the morning or having oatmeal for breakfast instead of pop tarts!