The Encore Fitness Blog Resources and information from top Las Vegas personal trainers, fitness and dietary experts. Carol Strom.

June 9, 2012

Using a Kettlebell Offers Several Health Advantages

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A kettlebell is one of the more modern workout equipment pieces. It is a weight similar to a dumbbell that has been around for decades. It has only been recently that the wave of training with a kettlebell has taken place.

This weight is a round circular ball with a handle attached to the top. Only one handle is used per kettlebell and each kettlebell comes in a particular weight. Various weights are used and begin around 4 kilograms in size. The weights can go up to higher than 60 kilograms. The different weights available give people the ability to modify their workout as time goes by. Through a consistent workout, one will be able to increase the weight to provide a more challenging workout program.

An effective use of a kettlebell can provide many health benefits. The trick to taking advantage of the health benefit is to be sure one is using the kettlebell correctly. Qualified instructors are available to teach kettle bell workouts and can assist a person in optimising their own individual workout.

One of the major health benefits found as a result of working out with a kettlebell is the increase in muscle strength. Weight training provides stronger muscles and so does a kettlebell workout. Muscles will begin to develop and increase in strength within the first few weeks of a workout. The reason for this is that a kettlebell is a weight and as such is used like other weight lifting devices.

Another major benefit of using a kettlebell as a primary workout is the increased endurance one will discover. The kettlebell workouts are a full head to toe body workout. This type of activity helps improve several different body systems. As a result of stronger and healthier body systems, people have more endurance because they are not as fatigued. Fatigue happens when the body has to work harder to function. Increasing activity, such as in a kettlebell workout, helps to improve the overall health of the body’s system.

One of the top benefits and one of the most popular reasons to train with a kettlebell is the increase of rapid weight loss. Weight loss is increased by working out with a kettlebell because this workout incorporates several body systems at once. Two of the biggest ones are strength training and cardiovascular.

Overall, a kettlebell workout provides several health advantages which is why so many are beginning a kettle bell workout.

June 8, 2012

Good Form: Pilates ring adds intensity to workout

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Props like this Pilates ring can help spice up your workout by challenging muscles in new ways. To add intensity to your obliques (side abdominal muscles) and adductors (inner thigh muscles), try this new move.

Sit upright on a mat or a padded, level surface with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, and your knees bent. Place a Pilates ring between your thighs, just above your knees, and gently squeeze the ring with your inner thigh muscles. On an exhalation, contract your abdominals, bringing your navel to the spine, and lean back slightly. Remember to keep your abdominals firm and your chest lifted. Straighten your arms in front of your chest. Inhale and pause in this position.

On the next exhalation, rotate your upper torso to the right as you bend your right arm, moving your elbow back and your right hand toward your right shoulder. Maintain a slight squeeze with your inner thighs and keep your hips, knees and toes facing forward. Pause, then return to the center and repeat 12 times to the right. Repeat to the left.

June 7, 2012

Eat less by cutting food in half

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Looking for ways to cut back on what you eat? Try cutting everything into smaller pieces–you may eat less.

A study found that slicing candies in half caused people to eat less of the snacks, ultimately consuming fewer calories. The research, published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Assn., put 54 college students through two scenarios: in one, 20 pieces of candy were served whole. In another, the 20 candies were cut in half. In both scenarios the test subjects busied themselves with a computer task that acted as a distraction, since snacking is often done while preoccupied. Don’t pretend you don’t do that.

Of all participants, 33 (almost all of them normal-weight women) ate some candy. During both tests people ate about the same number of pieces; in the test with smaller pieces people ate an average of 6.2 portions of candy, while in the test with larger pieces people age an average of 6.9 pieces.

Those who ate the larger pieces consumed about 60 calories more than those who ate the smaller pieces. No substantial differences were found in the groups regarding hunger, how much the test subjects liked the candies, and whether they ate candy on a regular basis.

Researchers also noted that the connection between the size of the food and how much people ate was not affected by variables such as age, food intake control, body mass index or how much time the participants spent exercising.

Future research, the authors wrote, should look at whether altering the size of food could cause men and women of all ages and BMI ranges to eat less.

Do you cut your food into smaller pieces to trick yourself into thinking you’re eating more? Do you have similar tips for cutting back on calories? Let us know.

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Source: LA Times Health

June 6, 2012

Silver Yoga Improves Fitness in Seniors

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While the benefits of performing yoga have long been discussed, it can often be an intimidating form of exercise to try. Some people picture a studio full of perfect-looking twenty-somethings who can contort their bodies into all kinds of interesting positions. Some people are afraid they might look silly if they don’t know what to do or they are simply afraid of injuring themselves if they try to bend this way or that.

As most people age, they start to lose balance and flexibility, among other indicators of physical fitness, making it even less likely that they would attempt an activity like yoga that involves stretching and holding poses for certain lengths of time. Recently a group of researchers in Taiwan developed a type of yoga exercise program that they’ve named “silver yoga.”

This program, developed by Chen, Tseng, and colleagues (2), consists of four phases:

  1. 20 minute warm-up of eight poses to loosen up the body;
  2. 20 minutes of hatha-style yoga in which seven gentle stretching postures are performed;
  3. 10 minutes of relaxation in which three activities to rest the body are performed; and
  4. 15 minutes of guided imagery to facilitate relaxation.

This program was critically reviewed by experts in the fields of yoga, elderly exercise, geriatric nursing, geriatric physical therapy, osteopathy, sports physiology, sports medicine, and/or sports injuries (2).

In a study published in Nursing Research, Chen, Fan, and colleagues (1) studied a group of 55 participants aged 65 or older who participated in 24 weeks of a three time per week silver yoga exercise program. Measures of body composition, cardiovascular-respiratory function, flexibility, muscular power and endurance, balance, and agility were taken before the study began, at twelve weeks, and at 24 weeks.

At the end of the study, participants in the silver yoga group had significantly reduced body fat percentage, decreased respiration rate (indicating that the exercise took less effort, and improved shoulder range of motion (right shoulder abduction) compared to their pre-silver yoga measurements (1). Additionally, the silver yoga group had improved in all measured physical fitness categories when compared to the control group at the end of the 24 week study.

As the general population ages, it’s becoming more important than ever for senior-based health programs to be developed and implemented to keep our seniors healthy and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. A silver yoga program is just one of many exercise options for older adults to participate in to positively affect their health. The importance of the above study is that it shows that exercise programs tailored specifically to the abilities and needs of an older population can, in fact, improve their overall physical health.

June 5, 2012

The Benefits of Personal Training

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Many people today are making a clear decision to make exercise a part of their lifestyle and regular routine to maintain optimal health. Generally it is recognised that a balanced exercise program of fitness, flexibility and strength will help reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, help manage your weight, strengthen bones, improve sleep, increase energy and make you look and feel fantastic!

However, for someone new to exercise, getting going can be a little overwhelming especially if the last time you participated in any structured physical activity was in PE class at High School. To ensure your training experience is a positive one and to avoid your motivation dwindling after your first exercise session, hire a personal trainer to design you a program specific to your needs.

Today having a personal trainer is affordable with alot of people taking advantage of it. Using a personal trainer will fast track your results by teaching you the right technique and providing structure and monitoring progressions on programs specific to your requirements. The following are some benefits and tips for getting started with personal fitness training and to ensure you find a personal fitness trainer that matches you and your needs.

A professional personal trainer can conduct a full baseline assessment that may include a health questionnaire, body composition, strength tests, core functionality, range of motion and diet and lifestyle analysis. Assessments are a positive way to identify your requirements and anything that may need to be considered before creating a structured program, such as corrective exercise to rehabilitate an existing injury.

Working with a personal fitness trainer can help you stay motivated and can also keep you accountable. Results are generally just on the other side of your comfort zone and the extra push, motivation and encouragement is very helpful, especially when you have just finished a long day at work and the couch or bar stool are the first thing that springs to mind. Appropriately mixing your program, will not only keep training interesting, but will ensure maximum results. Humans are designed to adapt very fast.” An exercise program that may be difficult initially, becomes easier within weeks. To avoid a training plateau, working with a fitness trainer who can design programs to continually challenge you will yield the best results.

To get exactly what you want, it is important that you choose the right fitness trainer. If you have a clear goal such as weight loss it would be advised to meet with your potential fitness trainer first to make sure he or she has the expertise in the area of diet and weight loss. Read testimonials and ask for a client case study. Experience and skills vary in the personal training and fitness industry, so by asking questions you should be made to feel more comfortable about using a particular fitness trainer. Not only does your fitness trainer need to be results orientated, it is important that you get along, especially if you are going to be spending some considerable time with them.

Depending on an individuals goals and budget, personal training works differently for everyone. You may be interested in using a personal trainer, personal fitness training, a fitness trainer, personal training several times a week, or it might be more economical for to see your personal trainer once a fortnight. Either way, using a personal trainer with some form of regularity will give you clarity, support, motivation, consistency, information, structure and accountability.

 

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Source: Fitness.com

June 4, 2012

Top 10 Tips For Staying Motivated With Your Workout Plan

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  1. Vary your routine or change your scenery! A new variation on your favorite activity — cardio kickboxing instead of Step aerobics; power yogainstead of working on machines — may be enough to reinvigorate a stale routine. If you’ve always exercised indoors, move your workout outside for a welcome change of scenery.
  2. Try something entirely new! Make it something you never dreamed you’d do. If you’ve always stuck to solitary pursuits, sign up for a team sport. Or tackle something you’ve shied away from… maybe even rock climbing!
  3. Find a workout buddy! Exercise companions add a social element to any routine. Ask a friend to be your workout partner — you won’t skip a workout if someone is waiting for you.
  4. Set a new goal! Working out to stay in shape is fine, but setting a goal — such as finishing a 10k race or completing a rough water swim — will give your daily workouts more meaning.
  5. Treat yourself to a workout gadget or accessory! Heart-rate monitors, aquatic toys and other exercise gadgets can make your workouts more fun and challenging.
  6. Keep an exercise log to track your progress! Unsure if your making progress toward your goals? Then start a workout log. It allows you to keep track of your goals, monitor your progress and adjust your routines as necessary.
  7. Don’t berate yourself if you miss a workout! Life is full of obstacles. Unexpected appointments, illness and setbacks are bound to happen sooner or later. Don’t let a few missed workouts turn into a month of unfulfilled resolutions.
  8. Reward yourself! Reaching a fitness goal or milestone is a great excuse to treat yourself to something new. A massage, an evening out, or some other “indulgence” may be the key to staying motivated.
  9. Focus on how good exercise makes you look and feel! You know that incredibly satisfied and healthy feeling you get immediately after a workout? Remember it! And use it to motivate yourself the next time you’re thinking about blowing off that next workout!
  10. If all else fails… take a break from exercise! Sometimes a lack of motivation is your body’s way of telling you to take a break. If anything hurts, or if your energy is running low, take a break for a few days before resuming your workouts. A little “R&R” may be just what your body needs to renew your motivation.

 

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Source: Health Discovery

June 2, 2012

Some exercise is better than none for lowering heart disease risk

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Encore Personal Training @ 12:15 pm

Exercise advice for couch potatoes usually goes like this: doing something is better than doing nothing. Turns out that might be true–people who do even a little regular exercise may have lower risk of heart disease than people who never leave the sofa.

Researchers did a meta-analysis of 33 studies looking at the effects of exercise on coronary heart disease among people who were active or sedentary to see if they could quantify how much exercise was needed to show any benefits. The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which recommend a minimum of 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise for health benefits, were used as a measure.

People who met those basic guidelines had a 14% lower risk of heart disease compared with people who did no leisure time physical activity. Bigger benefits were in store for people who exercised 300 minutes a week–their heart disease risk was lowered by 20%. There were diminishing returns for those who were active at five times the basic guidelines; they saw only a 25% decreased risk for heart disease.

But people who did less than the recommended 150 minutes per week also had lowered risk of heart disease compared with their sedentary counterparts.

When grouped by gender, women fared better than men, seeing reduced heart disease risk overall.

While the U.S. guidelines seem to be a good marker for exercise, the study authors note that more research may be necessary to further explore the relationship between physical activity and heart disease risk.

The study was released Monday in the journal Circulation.

 

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Source: LA Times

June 1, 2012

Good Form: Weights help strengthen shoulders

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Get strong and balanced rear shoulder muscles by including this exercise in your weight routine. Sitting on a bench or chair makes it easier on your lower back when you lean forward. Begin with 3- to 5-pound dumbbells, then progress to heavier weights as you get stronger.

Sit on the front edge of a sturdy chair with your feet together directly below your knees. Grasp dumbbells in each hand and lean forward, maintaining a long spine. Reach both arms down, straight below your shoulders. Begin with palms turned in.

end your elbows out to the sides and rotate your hands backward. Pause for 2 seconds with your elbows at shoulder level and your hands near the outsides of your chest. It’s important to keep your shoulders relaxed down and away from your ears as you raise your arms. This way you’ll target the small muscles in the back of your shoulders, the rear deltoids. Perform three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.

 

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Source: LA Times

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