Ask the Fitness Expert

Q: I am over 60, do I have to workout?
A: The answer is YES! There are so many benefits to a regular strength training program as we get older. Among the benefits is a reduction in the symptoms of arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, diabetes, back pain, depression, and it also helps with balance. In addition to these benefits, strength training helps promote weight maintenance, healthy sleep patterns, and healthier hearts. Keep your body and mind healthy with exercise. Find the right program for you and get moving.

Q: How do I get the most out of the Stairsteppers?
A: Leaning over on the stair stepper is not an effective way to perform this exercise. The leaning is adding stress to your wrists, elbows, shoulders, and back. It also is taking the weight off the legs which lessens the effectiveness of the machine. Try this next time you get on the stair stepper: Stand up straight Pull your abs in tight Keep you glutes, quads, and hamstrings tight Shoulders back, down, and relaxed Hands are barely touching the rails (for balance only) Start to increase the speed of the steps If you have to bend over or lose form slow down What?! This is hard? EXACTLY!!!! You can do this! Try it!

Q: Jerking while lifting weights?
A: Keep in mind those quick, jerky movements while lifting weights are not effective. In fact they can do more harm than good. When you have to jerk the weight to get it moving, you are possibly jerking other muscles as well. This can lead to strain and injury. The back muscles can be the most vulnerable. Use slower more controlled movements. If you have to lower the weight to keep in control, do so. Be safe while in the gym.

Q: When should my child start strength training?
A: Children at all ages should be active. Activities do not have to be structured to be called exercise. When it comes to strength training for kids age 10 is recommended. When they begin, go light. Work on form and technique. More repetitions less weight, in fact using your own body weight for exercises is a great way to begin. Also balance is important and is an area to work on. If you child shows interest in strength training early on, it is a good idea to partner them with a Personal Trainer to understand the proper ways and getting the most out of strength training.

Q: Is it good to drink water during my workout?
A: The answer is YES. You never want to wait until you are thirsty to drink water. Thirst is one of the first signs of dehydration. Always keep water close by during your workouts and throughout the day.

Q: How intense should my workouts be?
A: You want to increase your heart rate and break a sweat during your workouts. You don’t have to go crazy with intensity. Sustaining a moderate workout for a longer period of time can be more effective than a high intensity workout for a few minutes. Keep in mind that by maintaining a moderate pace on any cardio equipment paired with a focus on your posture (tight abs and glutes, squeeze the thighs and hamstrings, shoulders back) can add more intensity, than simply going all out with bad form.

Q: Not stretching enough?
A: A. The more we workout the tighter our muscles can get. We need to stretch and warm up to keep or increase our flexibility and to help prevent injuries. It can be as simple as doing a 5 minute dynamic warm-up before you workout and 5 minutes of stretching immediately following your workout. Don’t wait to stretch, your muscles are still warm and pliable immediately after and you can get more of a stretch and increase flexibility. Stretching will also prepare your body for the next workout.

Q: Should I warm up before I play golf?
A: A. Golf is one of the fastest growing sports, so treat it like a SPORT! For the average amateur golfer we recommend a 10-15 minute warm-up. This includes stretching; dynamic movements (warming up all major joints) such as arm swings and big circles, leg swings front to back and side to side; and golf swings. This warm-up will help reduce the risk of injury and help improve performance. What golfer does not want to improve their game?

Q: Do I have to lift weights to lose weight?
A: Strength training plays an important role in taking off those extra pounds. Aerobic exercise burns calories and increases your metabolism, but it returns to pre-exercise levels within 30 minutes or so. Strength or resistance training can lead to increased calorie burning for up to 2 hours after your workout. For maximum benefit combine both aerobic and strength training exercise.

Q: How can I add intensity to my walking?
A: Work on your posture. Squeeze your glutes, pull your shoulders back and down and pull your abdominals in tight. Also add some hills to your route. This combined with increasing your speed will give you a much more intense aerobic workout.

Q: What can I do to flatten my abs?
A: Everyone stores body fat in different areas. You may be the type that stores more fat around your middle. Your goal should be to increase overall muscle, thus increasing metabolism and improving the overall shape of your body. Improving posture gives a taller, leaner appearance. Nutrition also plays a large role in body composition which means eating quality foods with the right balance of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Unfortunately, you cannot spot reduce a particular area on your body. Crunches alone will not stave off the dreaded love handles!

Q: As an avid runner, I like to add variety to my workout in the summer. How does bicycling compare to running when it comes to maintaining my fitness?
A: Cycling is a great cross-training activity for keeping up your fitness level because it challenges your legs differently than running. It also has the added benefit of having less impact on the ankle and knee joints. Bicycling, when done at a challenging pace, can also provide the cardiovascular benefits that runners thrive on.

Q: How many times a week do I need to work out?
A: You should work all major muscle groups at least twice per week. If you work out intensely on your own or with a trainer, twice a week is probably plenty. If your workouts are more moderate, three times a week is optimum. At a minimum, you should do three, 30-minute sessions of cardiovascular activity per week. If your goal is weight loss, you should increase three sessions to five sessions.

Q: How do I start a fitness program?
A: Starting a new fitness program can be a daunting task. But remember, you're making a GREAT decision that can improve every aspect of your life. You should also remember that lots of people have successfully and dramatically lost fat, gained lean muscle, and improved their overall health....so you certainly can too. The following tips will help you get off to a good start as well as keep you from making some common beginner's mistakes.

• Start slowly. Don't make the mistake millions of new exercisers make: doing too much too soon. Too much of anything will make you sick of it fast. Eventually you'll learn to love exercising and eating healthy foods but, when you're first starting out, you need to "ease" into it. Don't try to become a fitness model in one week!
• Get your mind right. At least twice a day, take 5 minutes to visualize what you want to accomplish. See yourself with the body you want, doing the fun things you want to do, enjoying the company of the people you want to be with. Visualization is an incredibly effective, proven technique for programming your brain to do what it needs to do to be successful.
• Know what's ahead. Realize that there are several key steps to beginning a new fitness program. These are the mental stages most people progress through before being successful. They include: not wanting to exercise --> thinking about it --> getting ready for it --> starting it --> enjoying it and doing it almost daily. Prepare yourself for each stage and you'll be better able to deal with any problems or doubts that arise.
• Keep it simple. It's very difficult to go from being undisciplined in terms of diet and exercise to following a highly detailed eating plan and exercise routine (like the kind you find in most fitness magazines). Not that these plans won't work. It's just that, by keeping it simple when you start out, you'll be less likely to feel overwhelmed and quit after a couple of weeks.
• Get moving. Start off with walking, slow jogging or cycling and some light weight workouts. If you belong to a gym you might want to try a beginner's exercise class. Just choose something you enjoy and don't do more than 20 or 30 minutes of exercise 3 or 4 times per week. After 2 or 3 weeks you can begin to gradually increase the intensity, duration, and frequency of your workouts but don't "jump ahead" too much or you'll regret it!
• Clean up your diet. In reality, diet is about 70% of the equation when it comes to losing weight, gaining muscle, or just getting all-around fitter and healthier. Don't sabotage your efforts by exercising and then putting a bunch of junk in your body. Clean up your diet by cutting out as much junk food, fried food, sugar, white flour, and artificial ingredients as possible. Eat plenty of healthy whole foods - lean proteins, whole grains, legumes, and "good" fats. Also get in the habit of drinking about a gallon of pure water everyday. This step alone will make all the difference in the world in terms of how you feel and how successful you are with your new fitness program.
• Get help. A personal trainer can make a HUGE difference in terms of showing you what to do and getting you on the right path. They're also great motivators. Most gyms have at least a couple trainers on hand to create a simple workout and diet program for you.
• And don't forget to consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

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