CategoriesBlog Move.

5 Important Exercises You’re Forgetting to Do at the Gym

You probably have a routine that you use for exercises. Maybe you work on your back, shoulders and arms one day and your legs, butt, and core the next. Maybe you alternate strength training with aerobic exercise. Whatever your typical workout regimen, there are probably important exercises that you aren’t performing.

Adding a few small exercises to appropriate points in your workout routine can improve the effectiveness of your regimen and reduce the likelihood of incurring a serious injury while you’re trying to improve your health and fitness.

  1. Leg lifts on your side. Surely you remember these as a staple of the Jazzercise era. While it’s been a while since side-lying leg lifts have been popular, their health benefits have never disappeared. Performing leg lifts while lying on your side engages and strengthens the glute medius, critical muscles which lift the leg to the side, help your leg rotate, and stabilize your pelvis and lower extremities. Add these to your lower body regimen and reduce the risk of a hip injury.
  2. Rowing. There’s a reason there’s always someone on the rowing machine: Rowing is a great exercise. It doesn’t just work your arms and shoulders. Rowing actually works nine major muscle groups, making it an incredibly efficient workout exercise. If you want to strengthen your glutes, lats, biceps, quads, hamstrings, core, shoulders, triceps and back, then rowing should be part of your regular exercise routine. Consider rowing as part of your aerobic routine each week.
  3. Side plank. You’re probably already doing a standard plank to help strengthen your core. You should also be including side planks at least once a week in your routine. These exercises help better strengthen your core and lead to better overall stabilization. Side planks help strengthen and stretch your obliques, your hips, and your shoulders. Make sure to do each side! Consider adding them every other time you work on core strength exercises.
  4. Resisted dorsiflexion. You want strong ankles and feet to support your legs as you get stronger. This exercise uses a rubber resistance band, attached to something stable in front of you as you sit. Wrap the band around your foot and flex your foot and ankle with the band providing resistance. Add these exercises to the days in your exercise regimen that are dedicated to strengthening your legs and lower body.
  5. Internal and external shoulder rotations. Like the resisted dorsiflexion exercise, these strength-building exercises require the use of a band. Performing these exercises can help strengthen muscles that are critical to safely using your shoulders and arms during workouts. You should be tending to your rotator cuff muscles at least two times a week.

Featured photo source: Pixabay.com

CategoriesBlog Move.

Workouts That Bust Stress and Anxiety

Professionals from many disciplines will attest to the fact that physical exercise has long been established as a key factor in reducing stress, anxiety, and battling depression. Stress affects not only the brain, but the rest of our bodies. When our bodies are physically challenged on a regular basis and in good health, our minds feel better as well. The endorphins produced from physical activity improves your sleep cycles which in turn, reduce stress.

The act of exercise itself produces important neurotransmitters such as serotonin, that are important for preventing depression and anxiety disorders. What forms of exercise are best for busting stress and keeping serotonin levels in balance? The answer to that is as varied as each person and their comfort levels.

Experts agree that regular exercise 3-5 times a week is as important as what types of workouts you choose. Hard bouts of cardio as well as weight training and deep stretching from yoga are all effective stress busters. Finding a form that works best for your personality and lifestyle is important so that you will stick with it.

If you are a social person, consider a group class to keep you in the game. If you are struggling with anger or over the top work stress, a kickboxing class may be just what the doctor ordered. The intensity inherently releases endorphins leaving you with a feeling of achievement.

If focusing at work is a struggle, perhaps a yoga class to help you center and learn mind-body control and controlled breathing. One session will leave you with a sense of calm and positive outlook. Regular yoga proponents have significantly higher levels of the amino acid GABA, which is associated with depression and anxiety for people with lower levels.

Running has been shown to promote healthier moods because of the repetitive and rhythmic effects on the brain. The same is said of hiking to lower stress hormones. There is something about getting off the pavement, and smelling the outdoors with a break from urban surroundings that calms the mind. If you live too far from hiking trails, you will be surprised to find many “urban hikes” in the middle of Seattle.

Intense cardo 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes a session is recommended for optimal health. However, if it has been a while for you, don’t let that hold you back. Just get out there and do an interval approach that challenges you for a minute at a time, with rest intervals of 30-60 seconds. Continue this cycle for a total of 15 minutes, working up to 30 minutes and you will see improvement in your moods, as well as your fitness level improve within 2-3 weeks.

Remember, it is less important what form of exercise that you choose than it is to just get out there and DO IT!

Featured photo source: Pixabay.com

CategoriesBlog Live Fit.

Get More Out of Your Gym Time: Here’s How!

You’re dedicated to your health and well-being. You make a point of visiting the gym several times a week to ensure you engage in enough strength-training exercise, as well as aerobic exercise to promote your overall health. Did you know there are some simple tricks and tips that can help you make the most of your time at the gym?

  1. Eat before you exercise. Eating some protein and carbohydrates can help your body energize for your workout. Additionally, having adequate protein available can help fuel your body as you need in order to get the most out of exercising. It is also important that you have enough water to drink before and during your workout. Adequate hydration is critical to your body’s optimal performance.
  2. Visit the gym at slower times. If you only have an hour for exercise, you don’t want to waste fifteen minutes hanging around, waiting for the rowing machine or elliptical to become available. If you plan your exercise time when there are fewer people at the gym, you can skip the long waits, as well as the potential distraction of socialization.
  3. Start your gym time with something fun. Whether you love strength-training, running or yoga, opening your exercise time with something that you enjoy doing will get you pumped up for the entire experience. If you’re looking forward to starting your time at the gym, you’re more likely to prioritize your time there instead of hunting for excuses to skip a day.
  4. Practice interval training. You may think that going as hard as you can for as long as you can is the ideal for exercise. In reality, moderate levels of exertion punctuated with brief, intense intervals of exercise is the ideal for burning fat and calories. These exercises can be intense, but you only need to perform them for a minute or two, followed by a short rest and recovery period between intervals.
  5. Work with a personal trainer. Working with a trainer can help you get the most out of your exercise time. If you are nervous about one-on-one engagement with a trainer, consider sharing a trainer with a friend. That way, you can lower your costs and increase your motivation to perform to your best ability at the same time. Your personal trainer can help you (and your exercise buddy) reach your goals and avoid injuries that will slow your path to improved health.
  6. Be sure to stretch. Stretching at the beginning of your exercise is important, as is stretching at the end to maximize the increases in your flexibility. What you may not realize, however, is that you should also be stretching while you exercise. Stretching between training exercises uses those break times productively and helps your tired muscles recover from the exertion.
CategoriesBlog Live Fit.

Enhance Your Fitness: Reasons to Consider Personal Training Opportunities at Flow Fitness

Getting in better shape is a common goal among Americans, and one we are typically not very good at reaching. Every year, millions of Americans attempt diets and exercise regimens, only to fail within days of starting. Working with a personal trainer is one of the best options for individuals who are serious about enhancing their fitness and improving their overall health.

At Flow Fitness, we have an amazing team of personal trainers who can help you achieve the body and degree of fitness you’ve always wanted. Here are some reasons to consider a personal trainer through Flow Fitness.

  1. Personal Trainers Help Keep You Motivated. Exercise burnout is less likely if you’re working with someone who encourages you and helps you see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Your trainer will develop a personal relationship with you and will learn how to motivate you to really push yourself while exercising. We have a diverse group of trainers at Flow Fitness, ensuring that one of them will be a great fit for your personality, needs and exercise preferences.
  2. Personal Trainers Encourage Accountability. If you’re just working out on your own, it’s easy to give a less than full effort or skip days without feeling much remorse. Canceling with a personal trainer, however, requires that you explain why you aren’t showing up. Additionally, if you try to glide through your sessions without giving it everything you have, your trainer will notice and call you on this behavior.
  3. Personal Trainers Help You Achieve Goals Safely. There’s a minimum amount of calories you need to eat daily, and safer ways to perform common exercises. Your trainer can help you avoid and prepare for food-related temptation by coaching you about your diet and nutrition. They can also help you improve your form when you’re exercising, reducing the potential for serious injuries and improving your overall results. The staff at Flow Fitness are all educated or accredited in the fields of Exercise Science, Kinesiology and Physical Education. We pride ourselves on helping you safely meet your fitness goals.
  4. Personal Trainers Keep It Fresh. Your trainer will create a highly individualized workout program based on your level of fitness and your goals. Your trainer will make sure those exercises change regularly, allowing for the maximum rest, recovery, and later performance of the muscle groups you target. Those rotating exercises will also help ensure you continue to feel engaged by your exercise regimen. The more interesting and engaging each training session is, the more likely you are to stay motivated and involved in your physical fitness goals.
CategoriesBlog Live Fit. Move.

Change Your Plane…

…plane of motion that is. Have no idea what I’m talking about?

There are three planes of motion: sagittal, frontal, and transverse.

At it’s most basic:

Sagittal = forward or backward (think lunges, running or cycling)
Frontal = side to side (side lunges or jumping jacks)
Transverse = rotational (twists of any sort, swinging a bat)

To picture the three planes, imagine slicing through the body, (like in the picture):

First through the center, dividing the body from the left to the right for the Sagittal plane.
Next through the body from the left side to the right, separating the front and back halves to create the frontal plane (front side and back side).
Finally cutting straight through the hips to divide the top of the body from the bottom, the transverse plane.

The body moves in three dimensions and an ideal training program would reflect that. However, most of us hang out in the sagittal plane all the time, moving forward or back doing pushups, crunches, squats, lunges or simply hanging out on the elliptical, treadmill or stationary bike.

People that are in excellent shape as runners or cyclists are often shocked upon changing up their programs and learning how weak they are in the frontal and transverse planes.  Building in exercises in other planes helps your body naturally prevent injury, increase your range of motion, and ensure good balance.

Plus, activities in sports and daily life require movement in all three planes simultaneously. A forehand in tennis, , squatting to lift and carry a toddler, a spike in volleyball, grocery shopping, and a golf swing are all multi-plane movements.

When you come to the gym or workout in any way, aim to involve all three planes of motion. Work in some side lunges, or a twist.  Do some jumping jacks or oblique crunches.  Develop a yoga practice or go to training camp.  This will ensure that your exercise routine has a better carry-over to sport and to life.

CategoriesBlog Live Fit. Move.

Three Simple Solutions to Keep the Fire Burning

We are now six weeks into 2017. Most consistent gym enthusiasts have noticed a major influx of new faces running on treadmills, attending classes or lifting weights. The consistent gym enthusiasts have seen this play out before: crowded gym for the first 6-8 weeks of the new year, then a drop off as March approaches. Sadly, a stunning 80% of individuals embarking on their health and wellness resolutions are not seen after six weeks into the new year. Here are three simple solutions to ensure you won’t be on the wrong side of statistics:

1. SCHEDULE YOUR GYM TIME AS IF IT WERE A WORK MEETING:

Imagine this scenario: It’s been a busy day at the office and time is flying by. You planned  a Noon workout, yet  all of a sudden you get a notification that your 1 pm meeting is about to begin. You realized you were so focused on work that you completely missed your “designated” workout time. This is an all-to-common scenario. When many people do not put their workouts into their schedule, it becomes very easy to let time slip away and another workout is lost. A workout lost=lost momentum. Lost momentum= lost consistency. And thus the vicious cycle begins. Put it in your calendar at the beginning of the week and as soon that notification alerts you, GET UP AND GO!

2. PRINT OUT A CALENDAR AND CROSS OFF EVERY DAY YOU SUCCESSFULLY MAKE IT TO THE GYM:

There is something truly powerful about visually writing goals down and “checking the boxes”. Simply setting a goal of “X” amount of days a week to get to the gym and crossing those days off on a physical calendar helps to reinforce the habit of making it to the gym, while giving you the visual perspective of how much momentum you have truly built.

3. SWITCHING UP YOUR WORKOUT TO KEEP SEEING RESULTS:

The reality is most people embarking on New Year’s health and wellness goals gravitate to simply running on the treadmill. The first couple weeks these individuals see weight coming off, yet as each week goes on, results drop off more and more. Reason being, the body adapts to consistent stimulus. Try this: Warm up with a five minute run, then perform 10 Rounds of a :30 Sprint followed by a one minute walk. Not only is this type of intensity going to yield much better results, this should also take you much less time. Who doesn’t want to spend less time in the gym and see better results?

post written by Flow Fitness Personal Trainer, Drew Ridge