Good Shoes

Do not under estimate what a good pair of shoes can do for your fitness. Think about it, you are on your feet all day if you do not take care to make them comfortable your performance will suffer even from the basic stand point of comfort. Taking the time and effort and yes, spending a few extra dollars for the right pair of shoes can make a difference to more than just your feet. Creating a balance and proper weight distribution can save your ankles, knees, hips, low back, shoulders and even your neck from feeling the effects of discomfort and possible injury.

Is it possible that the wrong shoes can cause your back to hurt? Absolutely yes! If you are a runner finding the right pair of running shoes will not only change your performance but make you feel brand new when you are done pounding the pavement. All of us no matter what type of athlete we are need to take care of our feet and protect them with proper wear so that those feet don’t wear out on us.

Bored with Cardio?

Doing a steady cardio routine whether it is walking on a treadmill, running, using an elliptical machine, Stairmaster or whatever you do is great, but after a while can become stale. If you don’t vary the routine, your body adapts to what you do and it settles ‘in’ so to speak.

Once your body gets used to doing the same thing over and over, you fail to get all the benefits you can from your cardio.

So how about we mix it up a bit?

Look at it like buying a new pair of shoes. At first they might not bend or move as easily as you would like but after wearing them for a while they start to break in and move with you a bit easier until eventually those new shoes feel like slippers….oh that feels so good.

So let’s just look at cardio in a similar way. Try varying the pace of your cardio and do some interval training twice a week or try a machine you do not normally use. If you are used to going fast try going slower but at a different incline to change resistance. If you are a runner, try walking. Basically try on a new machine, movement or pace (aka new pair of shoes) a couple of times a week and mix up your cardio to keep your mind, body and workouts fresh.

The Plank

The Plank, also known as a Bridge is what I consider to be a foundational exercise. Simply this is an exercise that you will use to strengthen your core and incorporate into almost every other exercise you do. Looking at the movement it seems and is very simple. The trick is how to incorporate all your core muscles and maintain the position for certain periods of time and or how many times you can do the move. While it looks simple it can be challenging.

This exercise will develop strength in your core, shoulders and arms. It can be a challenging exercise that once you master will give you greater strength and stability in your abdominal region and lower back and help you perform almost every other exercise you do.

Target areas: Abdominals and spinal erectors

Secondary target areas: Chest, Back, Legs, Arms, Shoulders

How do you do the Plank?

• Lying flat on your stomach;


• Arms at the side of the body bent at the elbows so that your hands are directly under your shoulders


• Toes are on the floor directly under the heel


• Tighten your abs and lift your body so that your upper arms are at a 90 degree angle to the floor and you are balancing on your forearms and toes.


• Elbows should be directly under shoulders


• Your body while raised from the ground should form a straight line from head to toe


• Keep the whole body tight and continue to breathe while holding yourself up for 10 seconds

When Third Finishes First!

Watching the 2009 tour de France was special this year for me. I enjoy the race itself, the coverage and the extreme effort and commitment it takes to compete in that event, but I also enjoyed this year’s event because the race saw the return of Lance Armstrong after being away from the cycling world for almost 4 years.

Now Mr. Armstrong is not everyone’s cup of tea and I appreciate that, but at the same time his story is remarkable any which way you tell it, and his return to the Tour this year had some folks happy and some rather skeptical. I chose to look at it strictly from an athletic performance standpoint. To leave a sport at your height, not engage in that competitive atmosphere for 3 plus years and to come back and still be among the top in the world to me is astounding. Being a decade older and more than some of his competitors and still able to finish in third place over all was inspiring to me.

Some may think because of his previous 7 wins that coming back would be and easy thing and that winning would be a fore gone conclusion, but that was not the case and honestly I find it a greater feat that he was more of a complete professional and knew how to handle himself over the three weeks better than most anyone in the race. He recognized there were some stronger competitors in the race and that he wouldn’t win without full team support and even with tension within his own team, he still played a team role.

His presence really controlled all that were in the race and for the sport his presence was completely impactful from TV revenues, ratings and the live crowds drawn to this year’s tour. Alberto Contador, this years winner, was strong and spectacular in his win, but to the men who took second, third, fourth and fifth I found their drive to be more inspiring and captivating than anything else and of course Mr. Armstrong’s performance seemed to be the catalyst for those other great performances this year.

The amount of attention Lance Armstrong can generate for his sport, for the fight against cancer with his Livestrong Foundation, for the pressure his being in that race applies to everyone else involved makes third place, this year, a first place finish. Learn more about the Livestrong Foundation at http://www.livestrong.org/.

Balance

What’s the word?

The word is balance. We have to balance when we walk, what we eat, our checkbooks, family time, work time, work-out time and “me” time; it just keeps going on and on, balance, balance, balance!

The problem is we have so many things we are worried about and place a priority on, that we tend to get ourselves out of balance easily and very quickly. Coming from the fitness perspective it is difficult to make changes and have effective workouts if you are not focused, centered and stable during exercise. This absolutely translates over into everything else in life. We need to find that spot where movement is fluid and concentrated. It is from that point everything else can and hopefully will fall into place a lot easier.

When in the gym the focus should be on creating that healthy lifestyle and for 30-60 minutes of exercise, without letting everything else infringe on that time. This will provide an opportunity to release stress, increase energy and create a look and feel that can reward us with greater health and confidence. The other things that hold priority in life are much more easier to take if we feel good about ourselves.

Make the list of your priorities and then try to budget your time and energy to create the balance you want for you. Give your health a top priority and give something good to yourself first so that those other things in life won’t be able to knock you off center and take you out of balance.

Tune into our website http://www.primetrainingonline.com/ in August to learn more about how balance revolves around your core.

Gym Etiquette

Here are 10 quick tips on gym etiquette that I hope most won’t need but those few that do…pay attention.

Keeping in shape and getting to workout at a gym is great but sometimes there are those who can make that gym experience less than enjoyable and even ruin a workout.

1. Bring your own towel - We go to the gym to sweat, that is how it works but that doesn’t mean everyone wants to share your perspiration. Drape that towel over a bench when you lay on it, wipe your face once and a while and watch where you throw it.

2. Clean up after yourself-Yes we all sweat, but we all have seen and known the person who creates a puddle of sweat and then gets up and walks away…Hello lug nut, don’t do that. You wouldn’t like us coming to your house leaving a puddle of sweat on your couch and then leaving without saying a word. If no one taught you manners consider this a free lesson…be considerate to others, no one wants to clean up the reservoir your have created.

3. Put the weights back- There are all fitness levels at the gym and not everyone is able to lift big plates so when done with a machine, dumbbells or weights just 3. put them back where they go, it’s not hard. You went and got them now just go put them back and make it part of your workout.

4. The know it all- Try to refrain from offering all your wealth of fitness knowledge and leave the training to the trainers. We all have our own goals and ways of doing things so try not to force your ways on someone else.

5. Watch your language- really, it’s completely unimpressive to show off your lack of vocabulary or depth of conversation subjects by cursing and talking dirty, especially around those who may be offended.

6. Share machines- no one has exclusive rights to a machine, let others work in with you. If someone is just sitting on a machine ask nicely if you may work in with them. If they refuse, get a manager to take care of the situation.

7. Be aware of your odor- just because you can stand it doesn’t mean the rest of us can. You know if you are really stinking so go and clean up or throw on some deodorant.

8. Don’t throw weights- throwing weights doesn’t make you stronger and impresses no one. If you want attention where a bright neon shirt otherwise keep everyone safe control your weights or go lighter until you can.

9. Socializing- Keep your personal volume on low; others don’t really want to hear your conversations. If you are working out do us all a favor and leave the cell phone turned off and in a locker!

10. Be respectful- I don’t care how big small old or strong you are…just do your thing and be respectful of the others around you who have also paid money to be there and may not have the same goals, tastes or abilities as you so everyone can have a great workout.

Are You Wearing Your Shoulders Like Earrings?

Ok try this, go look in the mirror and raise your shoulders up towards your ears. Got it? Now say, “I don’t know.” You really don’t know do you.

Lifting your shoulders up towards the ears, while working out, is something most everyone does without realizing, but unless you are doing shoulder shrugs and training your traps you really shouldn’t be popping those shoulders up at all.

Do you really want your neck to hurt when doing exercise? I’m guessing the answer is no, so this is what we need to do. Drop those shoulders back down, keep your head and eyes level and maintain a good posture. Exercise in front of a mirror and watch yourself, not the floor. If you keep from raising the shoulders and trying to wear them like earrings you will put the focus back into the muscles you are trying to work and get more out of your workouts with less discomfort.

Crunch Tips!

Most people complain that their back and or neck hurt when doing crunches so here are a few quick tips to help you out.

Press the low back into the floor as if you are trying to touch your belly button to your spine. Keep your abs tight when crunching up and down, don’t loosen up when you go back down and just flop to the floor.

Continue pressing the belly button into your spine and your low back pressed to the floor. A little trick to get you out of the neck is to bend your head forward and use your chin to hold a tennis ball, a towel or something small between your chin and chest. If you are throwing your head all over the place this is an easy way to keep that head still.

One last thing is to stop going up so far with the movement. Abs are supposed to flex the spine not throw your torso off of the floor. Shorten the motion. If you feel your feet jumping off the floor or moving around you’re throwing from your back and trying to go up too far. If you find you are sitting on your tailbone at the top half of the exercise you are going too far. It is a crunch, not a catapult, just squeeze the abs and keep them tight, up and down, every repetition.

Hope these help!

Resistance Training

Mention weight lifting or resistance training and the first thing you hear is, “I don’t want to get big!” Yes, lifting weights can have that affect, but trust me, unless you are making a very committed effort to gain size, it just isn’t going to happen.

Working out with weights helps you firm up the muscles you have and burn the body fat you tend not to want so much of. You can use weights to train for the look you want, whether tight and tone, sleek and fit, or firm and fantastic, but you need to know your body well enough to keep the goals realistic.

Remember training with weights is just one aspect of a well-rounded fitness routine. Stretching, cardio and as always and most importantly, proper nutrition all are just pieces of a fitness puzzle that fit together to create a better and healthier you.

Let a personal trainer teach you the proper way to use weights and don’t worry about “getting big”.

Little Things...

I know you have heard this before, but maybe not in regards to working out, little things do mean a lot.

So many times I work with a person who has never been with a personal trainer and they are amazed at how many little things there are to do in an exercise that can make all the difference in how it feels and what type of result they can get. Where we place our hands or how we move our feet, breathing in and out at the wrong time, good posture, all can make a big difference to the success in whatever particular exercise we are doing in the gym.

For the most part we can all be successful engaging in a consistent program of exercise doing basics movements, but as you get more used to what you are doing, you try more weight or more exercises and strive to improve and that is a good thing, however just doing more isn’t always better. Taking the time to learn some finer points to movements you already perform can change your workout and results and re-energize a stagnate routine.

Bear in mind it is wise to get some help when you get to a point in your exercise routine where you just are not sure what to do or how to do it better. You can always find people at the gym, who think they have all the answers, but I would strongly suggest checking with a fitness professional to find out what little things you could do with your form and routine that could make big differences in your fitness level.

The Next Level

All of us want to “get into great shape.” This can have a different meaning for all of us, from losing 20lbs, lowering blood pressure or cholesterol and getting off medication to the oh so popular, “I want to see my 6-pack.”

All are great and reasonable goals, but the majority of us find that we fall short a lot of the time in reaching those goals. You work hard in the gym, you eat right and you are doing your cardio faithfully so why don’t we have what we want? One answer may be that your body is just used to what it is doing. There comes a point in time when you must change the routine to make the body respond. You have to move beyond what you normally do and do something different.

Now that can mean doing less weight and more reps, or walking for longer on the treadmill, scheduling and planning out meals more efficiently…it takes effort, work and consistency. Move to the next level and see if it doesn’t get you moving closer to getting in great shape.

What is Valuable to You?

Is it your car or your house, maybe some jewelry or it is an antique piece of furniture that you view as your greatest treasure? Whatever it is that has value to you, don’t you treat that object differently? You handle it with care and will spend money on maintaining it and even showing it off at times. You have a certain amount of pride and emotional attachment to these particular things.

We all have things in our life we view as valuable but more often than not we don’t place that value on our health and fitness. You think you eat right…you don’t. You think you know what you are doing in the gym, you don’t. You think you do all the right things and work out hard and really…you don’t. The truth is for many people, the value you place on your health and fitness is less than the thought, effort and money you put into your car each month.

It is unfortunate that most don’t find the value of their health a priority until something goes wrong and even then there is a defiance to accept the truth that if you don’t have a healthy life all the other stuff means nothing. We are all guilty of a certain amount of vanity but getting a B-12 shot to lose weight is not the best way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. No one can simply tell you to find value in something, but do you see a value in examining a healthy lifestyle? You can eat right; you can workout more effectively and you can ask for help, because there are people like me that find a value in seeing you change your life for the better. The only thing is that you have to establish the value it has to you and then treat it with all the respect and care that you would give those other valued objects in your life.

What is the best investment We Can Make?

In these challenging economic times we struggle with investment decisions made in the past and what to do when things do not look so promising in the present. People who have invested wisely have a good quality of life and those not so wise struggle and some even break. Do you want the benefits or do you want the struggle?

Each and every one of us makes an investment decision everyday with our own personal fitness. I know there is no price to be put on good health and those who do not have good health know exactly what I am talking about. Keeping yourself fit is the investment that always pays us back in good times and bad. Making the commitment to put time into a fitness routine and the effort to stick to it, even in the more challenging moments, can create a solid foundation for us to face those challenging situations life will throw at us. If our health portfolio is weak it makes the tough times tougher, if the portfolio is strong it can hold us firm as we weather the storm.

When faced with the choice, invest wisely in your health. If you need help then get it and realize anything spent will pay you back all your life. There are no magic pills and there is no magic in doctors that can fix a lifetime of not taking care of the one thing you truly own, your health. The best investment is to be and stay fit for life.