Strength Training Can Help You Reach Your Goals!

A good strength training routine can do wonders for your fitness goals. Women in particular tend to shy away from strength training thinking it will put on bulk when what they really want to do is tone down. However, “toning” is really comprised of two components: losing body fat, AND building lean muscle mass. Making strength training and indispensible part of most people’s fitness goals.

Unless you already have a regular strength training program, you may be unaware of some of the fundamentals. Here are just a few to get you started on the right track.

Always warm-up using large muscle groups for at least 5 minutes prior to training. This prepares your joints for the stress and activity to follow.

Start with large muscle groups and work toward the smaller muscle groups. In the lower body this means starting with glutes, quads and hams and for upper body start with back and chest.

Start with multiple joint exercises and work toward the single joint exercises. This means for lower body, start with squats or leg presses that use hips and knees, and for upper body start with pull downs or chest presses that use shoulders and elbows.

Allow 24 to 48 hours rest between working on the same muscle group. This allows maximum repair of the muscle fibers to help build muscles more efficiently. Overtraining slows down the process and in addition to increasing your risk for injury will delay your strength gains and body composition changes.

Stretch the muscle(s) you are working between sets. By the time you have finished training each muscle of the body, you will have incorporated stretching into your program, and at the best possible time to stretch: right after exercise, when the muscle is warm.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommendations for strength training are:
• 8-12 repetitions of each exercise
• 1-3 sets (depending on length of workout and fitness level)
• 2 times per week minimum per muscle group

Progress slowly when increasing weight and/or repetitions. Keep increases to about 5% every two weeks. You can increase weight or repetitions depending on your strength training goals, but should not increase both at the same time. Although your muscles may be able to handle a heftier increase, your joints need more time to adjust, and progressing too fast often leads to injuries.

Be aware that due to delayed onset muscle soreness, you may not feel stiffness until a day or two later. If you are just beginning a strength routine or just increasing your weights, start on the side of caution so you don't burn out. A well designed program is the best way to prevent excessive discomfort.

By making strength training a regular part of your routine you can increase your lean muscle mass, improve bone density and slow down the natural decline of your metabolism as you age.

Everyone can benefit from strength training and anyone can do it. If you want to find out more, there are abundant resources available online programming as well as our wonderful personal trainers available at the Y. Get started today and see how strength training can improve your fitness levels.

Group Fitness Tips

People who are not currently participating in group fitness classes have all kinds of wild perceptions of what goes on behind those studio doors.


For some, the mention of group fitness conjures up images of leotard-clad, leg-warmer wearing ladies jamming to the Jazzercise class. For others it is a terrorizing thought of gung-ho fitness fanatics jumping around a step in an incomprehensible swirl of activity.

While some classes are geared toward these crazy fitness fanatics, (and I have also been told that leg-warmers are making a comeback,) for the most part group fitness classes are for anyone interested in getting regular physical activity in their schedule.

We’ve all heard the numerous and well-documented benefits of exercise itself. It can lower blood pressure, reduce heart disease and diabetes risks, and help maintain a healthy weight just to name a few.

The benefits of group exercise can take a step beyond that and include social benefits, accountability, and increased safety.

A group class is a great way to meet other individuals with similar interests to yours. We have several groups at the Y who after class head for coffee or meet up once a week for lunch. It can seem a little intimidating at first to walk in to a class where everyone seems to know each other and all the moves; but introduce yourself and stick with it. After a few classes it will feel more familiar and you can begin to relax and enjoy.

One of the biggest reasons people stop attending a group fitness class is because they do not feel successful. Unfortunately they may judge all classes based on one experience.

To increase your chance of success, here are a few top recommendations:

1. Accept and embrace the fact that you will not get every exercise or move down pat and you will feel a little awkward the first few times. (Read this one again. Write it on your palm if you have to before heading to your first class).

2. Try a variety of classes to get a feel for what you enjoy and can do. This will also introduce you to a variety of instructors.

3. Introduce yourself to the instructor as a new participant. She or he will be more than happy to provide a few modifications (without singling you out in the crowd).

4. Know your limits. The instructor should provide modifications for all levels, (especially if you’ve introduced yourself before class). Avoid simply mirroring the instructor or other participants because you don’t want to look different. Work at the level that feels good for your body.

At the Y, we offer a variety of classes for you to try. Half of the land fitness classes are free to our members and the registration classes are less than $1.50 per class ($10 for the entire seven week session for members).

We believe that group fitness is a great way to incorporate exercise in your healthy lifestyle. Talk today us today about your options.

100 Calories Surprises

Many of us are familiar with the concept of calories. We at least know that the balance of what we eat and what we burn is important to maintain a healthy weight.


Unless you are actively counting calories, however, it often seems abstract. People are often surprised by how many calories can be in small snacks, or how few calories they burn on an exercise.

Here is a brief list of ways you can burn 100 calories and some snacks that will give you about 100 calories.

Ways to burn 100 calories:

Traditional exercises:

- Run a mile

- 10 minutes of aerobics

- Jump rope for 10 minutes

- Swim laps for 15 minutes

- Lift weights for 20 minutes

- 10 minutes of pushups

- Dancing for 20 minutes

Less traditional exercises:

- 20 minute game of badminton

- 30 minute game of Frisbee

- Paint a room for 20 minutes

- Mop the floor for 20 minutes

- Play tag with the kids for 25 minutes

- 20 minutes of active gardening

Even less traditional options (according to Women’s Health Magazine):

- Sheer three sheep

- Twirl around your office chair 123 times

- Play chopsticks on the piano for 40 minutes straight

- Swing a lasso over your head 375 times

- Yo-yo for 20 minutes

- Walk up and down a flight of stairs 33 times

- Rearrange your furniture for 17 minutes

Now for the food side. What does 100 calories look like?

- 10 French fries

- 1 celery stalk with peanut butter

- 6 animal crackers

- 10 dry roasted cashews

- 26 grapes

- 1 hard boiled egg

- 1/3 of a candy bar

- ½ cup plain cooked noodles

- 4 saltines

- 1 medium banana

- ½ can of regular soda

Notice this is just an estimate of calories alone. It does not evaluate fiber, fat or protein content which are vital in determining the true nature of a good snack.

All calories are not created equal. There are some foods that are naturally higher in calories (avocados and nuts for example) that people avoid because of the higher calorie count. However, these foods have lots of additional vitamins and amino acids that say, a handful of animal crackers, could never provide.

Be a wise consumer in the calories you take in and have fun finding ways to take some calories off. Knowing more about the balance is just one step towards reaching your health and fitness goals. Have fun and happy training!

Don't go into a race cold...

Take a cue from the pros and don't go into your race cold. "Do this warm-up before the gun goes off to help freshen your legs," says Andrew Kastor, founder and coach of High Sierra Striders running club in Mammoth Lakes, California. It's a smart start to any run; also try it once or twice a week as you train.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/running/training-schedules/race-warm-up-drills/

The Fall 1 Schedule is here.  Check out our great classes for the session!

Enjoy the Outdoor AND Get a Great Workout!

Summers are precious here in the Northwoods. The long winters are wonderful for winter sports, but not everyone enjoys the thrill of nostril icicles.


Once that sun starts to warm things up, more of us try to spend as much time outside as possible. We go to beaches, play outside with the kids and visit friends.

Often times, with this rush to enjoy the summers we put aside our fitness routines. The rationale of course being that we’ll pick it all up again in the fall once the weather is not as alluring. So we favor lounging in the sun to lunges and swatting mosquitoes to squats.

But why not combine the joys of being outside with the benefits of a workout?

There are a million opportunities to add some physical challenges to your summer activities. Things like swimming, walking and biking are natural links between having fun and working out. Not only can you spend some time with friends and family, but you can give your metabolism a boost in the process.

It doesn’t even require intense planning. Just a few small bursts up a hill in your still leisurely bike ride can be enough to jump start endorphins and burn a few extra calories. Challenge your friend to race to the next telephone pole or do an extra lap.

Although summer is definitely a time for relaxing, it is also a great time for keeping up with your fitness goals. Get and have fun!

Boomertitis

You will get older. Even if you are not there yet, (as if there were an exact point that it happens) it will come. It is just a fact.

One of the keys to aging healthfully is to know the limits of your aging body. If you treat your 50 year old body the same way you treated your 25 year old body, you will inevitably meet with some resistance.

Aches, pains, and strains are some of the more mild ways your body can protest being treated like a kid again. Arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, and complete physical blow outs are some of the more extreme.

Doctors are seeing more and more people in their 50s and 60s coming to their offices with joint and muscle issues. In fact, musculoskeletal injuries are the number one reason for a doctor’s visit, with the majority of visits from baby boomers.

This is the generation, now ages 45 to 63, that is determined to stay young forever. They take to heart the idea that aging is all about mind over matter, and because they don’t mind it shouldn’t matter. But it does matter. Your body simply cannot take the abuse it did in your 20s.

Dr. DiNubile from the University of Pennsylvania, prompted by problems with his own aging body, has started to look at the issues surrounding continued physical activity in a maturing frame. He coined the term “Boomeritis” to cover the host of injuries and ailments common to those attempting to get and stay active in this generation.

The main thing to remember is that it is much easier to prevent injuries than it is to fix them once they occur. Although exercise can be a cause of aches and pains, done properly it is also the best means of preventing them. Moderation is vital to avoiding boomeritis.

Here is a brief, top five list of ways to prevent boomeritis:

• Always warm-up and stretch properly with every exercise session.

• Avoid being a “weekend warrior” by cramming a week’s worth of workouts into two days.

• Develop a well-rounded routine including cardio, strength, balance, flexibility and coordination.

• Follow the 10 percent rule and increase the intensity of your workouts by no more than 10 percent a week.

• Listen to your body.

Unfortunately as we age we tend to look backward when training; comparing our 50 year old body to our 25 year body. This is just setting ourselves up for disaster.

Train your 50 year old body like a 50 year old body and you will greatly increase the likelihood that you will continue to train for many years to come. Happy training!