• Exercise reduces the risk of stroke
• Exercise reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases
• Exercise reduces the risk of having a second heart attack in people who have already had one heart attack
• Exercise lowers both the total blood cholesterol and triglycerides (“bad” cholesterol) and increases high-density lipoproteins (HDL – “good” cholesterol)
• Exercise lowers the risk of high blood pressure
• Exercise helps reduce high blood pressure in people who already have hypertension
• Exercise lowers the risk of developing non-insulin-dependent (Type 2) diabetes
• Exercise reduces the risk of developing colon cancer
• Exercise reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
• Exercise helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints

Pretty impressive! Makes you wonder why anyone wouldn’t want to exercise seeing as it does so much good.

Naturally, it’s important to understand how to exercise correctly and at the right level for you – the sexy, fit, muscular and tanned bodies we see in television commercials promoting fitness products make it seem like exercise is in the realm of the already super-fit and lean. Not so. Exercise is for everyone with a body no matter their starting point and no matter their age or size. There isn’t anyone alive who would not benefit from some kind of exercise.

Let’s not forget that less than 50 years ago people did a lot more physical activity than they do today. They walked more than they drove; simple things like cleaning the house and washing clothes required a lot more energy use than today with all our energy-saving gadgets, and people didn’t have computers back then so they didn’t tend to sit as much as we do today.

The trick is deciding on where to start and not getting overwhelmed. Break it down into achievable goals; small pieces and build on your achievements. It’s helpful to have a guide in this adventure and hiring an experienced and capable personal trainer is an investment that could quite literally save your life and will certainly make the journey safer and more efficient.

Tracey Thatcher

Personal Trainer

Writer for gofitnow.com

A balanced fitness program should include a cardio (aerobic) component, strength training and flexibility training and there are so many ways to mix it up that, knowing what you’re doing, it would be very difficult to get bored (a complaint many have after a few months of going to the gym).

Here’s a small sample of what could be done to keep the spice going in your regular workouts:

CARDIO FITNESS - Now, you could keep doing the machines for cardio fitness or you could take the advice of Rudi Marashlian, veteran fitness coach and author who recommends choosing an activity you like to do for fun (soccer, basketball, roller blading, running, tennis, dancing, aerobic class – the list goes on and on) and doing that at least three times a week to improve cardio fitness.

STRENGTH - Instead of spending an hour on the cardio machines, use them to do a 10-minute warm-up then get into some strength training (absolutely essential for long-term muscle-mass maintenance; did you know people lose about 10% of their muscle mass each decade after the age of 30 if they don’t do activities that increase muscle?). What activities constitute strength training? Try using the weight training machines, free weights or even your own body weight with exercises like chin-ups, push-ups, lunges, squats and so on. It’s usually a good idea to get expert coaching to make sure your form is correct (you don’t want to be doing strength exercises improperly because then you risk injury).

FLEXIBILITY - Once you’ve done your strength (and even during the strength part of your training session) you can add in some stretches. This is an often neglected part of fitness but critical to eliminating those tight spots and making sure you can still reach down and tie your shoelaces or look over your shoulder to reverse your car no matter how old you are. Again, a good idea is to get expert help to make sure you are doing your stretches correctly (poor form in this part of fitness can also cause injuries). You can, alternatively, take a yoga or pilates class – both excellent methods of increasing flexibility.

Why not make 2012 the year you change out your workout routine and make all that time spent in the gym more interesting and more profitable for your overall fitness and health?

Tracey Thatcher

Writer for www.gofitnow.com

Unfortunately, however, a lot of people give up on going to the gym regularly after about a month. At the start, they’re very diligent and work out at least an hour every second day (some work out for two or more hours every day), they sweat, eat better (sometimes) but… no supermodel body appears in the mirror and this can be disheartening – the change from frumpy to fabulous is often way too slow.

Could there be a reason many people don’t lose much fat, change shape or get ripped and buff despite religiously going to the gym and working out? Yes, there is. It comes down to WHAT is being done at the gym. WHAT is being done is actually more important than how long it’s done for. In other words, QUALITY is more important than QUANTITY (although quantity certainly does come into it – having a great workout once a month isn’t going to do much). There are people spending maybe 15 to 30 minutes a day working out and getting better results (burning more fat, losing weight, sculpting and toning) than other people who work out for a couple of hours at a time every day of the week.

It’s possible that the people spending less time but getting great results might be doing what’s known as high intensity interval training. It’s been around since 1937 but up until now, has been used primarily by athletes and not regular people. There are lots of ways to do it and a good personal trainer is probably your best bet at getting the most out of it but the idea is that you exercise at a very high intensity (if you’re running, you’d sprint as fast as you can) for between 30 seconds to a minute then you’d slow it down (jog) until you recover a bit, but not all the way, then you’d up the intensity again.

You could try it next time you’re on the stationary bike, stepper or treadmill – instead of sitting on a set speed, try playing with the effort and speed levels – increasing then decreasing, increasing then decreasing and so on. If you do it right you can fast-track your fitness. Remember, it IS intense, so make sure you have a doctor’s OK before adding it to your routine.

Tracey Thatcher

Personal Trainer

www.gofitnow.com

People who exercise regularly are 43% less likely to suffer from colds and sore throats according to a study at the Appalachian State University in 2010.

Being fit can increase self confidence. This self-confidence allows you to challenge yourself and aim for higher levels of achievement in your career.

Fitness helps you to take on more leadership roles. Due to the various positive benefits of a fit lifestyle, a fit person tends to become a good leader.

People who are fit are better able to set their goals and achieve them.

Generally, fit individuals feel good. They can balance their physical and emotional feelings, which can lead to a more positive attitude in general.

Fitness helps you to experience less stress. Regular physical activity diminishes the physical and emotional tensions that life and work can bring, allowing you to focus on what’s important.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the estimated annual medical cost of cardiovascular disease or stroke, cancer, diabetes and obesity is $423.2 billion! Most of these diseases can be prevented by being fit—exercising and eating correctly.

Tracey Thatcher

www.gofitnow.com

www.ufitnow.com

With a small amount of quality effort invested, you can get huge dividends! Let’s look at some facts.

FACT: There are 168 hours in 1 week.

FACT: To classify as active, a person should be doing at least 3 hours of somewhat vigorous activity each week. That might be a 1 hour workout every second day (3 days a week).

FACT: Investing 3 hours in 1 week is only 1.78% of your weekly time for incredible returns in health.

FACT: There are 168 hours in one week, multiply this by 52 weeks and there are 8,736 hours in a year.

FACT: Do 3 hours a week of somewhat vigorous activity, multiplied by 52 weeks, is 156 hours per year of activity. 156 hours divided by 8,736 again equals 1.78% of your time.

Bottom line: you only have to work out for 1.78% of your time to get fit and into shape. Most people spend more than that amount of time eating or watching TV. So next time you’re trying to help a friend by suggesting he or she comes to the gym and his or her excuse is, “I don’t have any time,” just remember that it really doesn’t take that much time to get fit.

Tracey Thatcher

Writer for gofitnow.com

QUESTION 1: Are sit-ups and crunches the best way to reduce belly fat?

One pound of human fat has about 3,500 calories. Sit-ups burn only 3 to 5 calories per minute. That means (if we use 5 calories per minute) it takes 700 minutes of sit-ups to burn one pound of belly fat. A regular program of abdominal exercises will tighten the muscles and make your waist look smaller but the layer of fat over those muscles won’t change unless you start putting fewer calories into your body than you burn exercising.

ANSWER 1: No, the best way to reduce belly fat is to reduce the amount of food you eat so that your body has to burn some of its stored fat while maintaining a regular exercise program.

QUESTION 2: Is the morning the best time of the day to exercise?

A study was done in 1990 with one half of the subjects exercising in the morning and the other half exercising in the afternoon. Improvements in physical fitness, disease risk factors and psychological health were the same for both groups.

ANSWER 2: Good news, it doesn’t matter what time of the day you exercise.

QUESTION 3: Is aerobic fitness more important than muscular fitness for health?

This is a myth dating back to the 1960s that said brisk walking, jogging or cycling was enough to maintain good fitness and health. What we know now is that these aerobic exercises need to be supplemented with exercises directed at muscle strengthening (for instance, weights and strength training). Muscular fitness is critical for prevention of osteoporosis. The American Heart Association (a long-time advocate of aerobic exercises) has been recommending strength training for people with and without cardiovascular disease since 2000, “The potential benefits, not only to cardiovascular health but also to weight management and the prevention of disability and falls, are becoming more widely appreciated.”

The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans state that, “adults also should do muscle-strengthening activities that are moderate or high-intensity and involve all major muscle groups on two or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits.”

ANSWER 3: No, aerobic fitness is not more important than muscular fitness for health. You need to also do strength training for good health.

Having muscle mass becomes more critical the older you get. Strength training helps improve balance (reducing the incidence of falls), it naturally strengthens bones to overcome osteoporosis and it fights the natural muscle wasting that occurs as the body ages so you can continue to stand up straight and get yourself up from a sitting position quickly and easily.

These are but a few of countless questions people have about health, fitness and exercise. Joining the gym is a great first step towards getting into shape and living a healthy life so make the most of the facilities on offer as part of your membership and don’t be too shy about asking questions.

Tracey Marashlian

writer for www.gofitnow.com

The human body is a machine that operates at its best when physically used. Just like a fine automobile – imagine owning a beautiful sports car and leaving it sitting somewhere, never driving it. Eventually it would deteriorate through lack of use, batteries would die, lubricants would dry up and tires would eventually crack and flatten. Human bodies get double the abuse most of the time – not only do people not use them enough but they also feed them full of so-called food that helps to speed up decay and disease.

Diet and nutrition are definitely important but we’re focusing on fitness and exercise in this article. The benefits of physical activity are often under-appreciated and in many cases ignored. So what exactly is exercise?

Exercise is defined as movement done to improve one or more of the parts of fitness. The parts of fitness are:

Cardio-respiratory fitness: This can also be called aerobic fitness and it increases the ability of the heart, lungs and blood vessels to deliver oxygen to all the cells of the body. The kinds of exercises you can do to improve this part of fitness would be those using any of the cardio machines (stepper, treadmill, elliptical machine, bike or rower).

Muscle endurance: Refers to a muscle’s ability to perform repeated contractions without tiring. Someone who can do 24 push-ups in a minute has excellent muscle endurance, for example. For this part of fitness you could use any of the weights machines, free weights or do a body sculpting class.

Muscle strength: This is the one-off use of muscular force to move or lift something very heavy. Someone with very little muscle strength will have trouble lifting their own body from a sitting position on the floor whereas someone with a lot of muscle strength might be able to lift a small car. Mostly people who are working on their muscle strength will use the weights room.

Flexibility: This has to do with the ability of the joints to move – range of motion. Someone with poor flexibility at the shoulder joint, for example, might have trouble putting their arm straight up above their head or even scratching between their shoulder blades. Different joints will have different levels of flexibility. You can use the stretching cage for this part of fitness or do some yoga classes.

Body composition: This is the one most people focus on when they want to “lose weight”. It is really the ratio of lean tissue (bones, blood, muscle) to fat tissue (fat sitting under the skin or internally, around the organs and within blood vessels). This part of fitness also takes into account what you’re eating as well as making sure you’re doing a balance of the other parts of fitness to get great results.

So you see, getting fit means doing a combination of activities. Luckily, if you’re a member of the gym, you have access to all the different ways to get fit. Make sure you find out how to use the cardio equipment and the weights as well. Take advantage of the classes – yoga is a great way to improve flexibility and aerobics classes help with improving cardio-respiratory fitness.

Tracey Thatcher

Writer for gofitnow.com

Most people are aware that consuming enough calcium (from dairy and other high-calcium foods as well as calcium supplements) helps in keeping bones strong. Many people, however, don’t know that doing weight-bearing exercises also plays an important role in maintaining bone health.

Weight-bearing exercises are any exercises that require your bones and muscles to work against gravity while they bear your body weight. In these exercises your bones have to work harder and so become stronger because of the challenge they experience.

While swimming and cycling are very good for heart and lung fitness and stimulating your muscles, they are not weight-bearing exercises. Examples of weight-bearing exercises include racquetball, running, walking, dancing, zumba class, step classes and weight training.

Something to remember is that weight-bearing exercise is site specific so it’s important to target both your upper and lower body for best results. This means doing exercises like push-ups, biceps curls, shoulder presses and seated rows for the upper body and exercises like jumping jacks, lunges, walking and squats for the lower body.

Try to include at least 20 minutes of weight-bearing exercise in your routine two to three times a week – you can include it in your regular routine. Say you like to swim, perhaps you can add some walking or running on the treadmill and do some weights to warm up before you hit the pool to make sure you get your weight-bearing exercise in.

If you need help working out what to do to get the most out of your gym routine and ensure you’re doing the correct weight-bearing exercise a good idea would be to get individual help from one of the professional personal trainers at Foothill Athletic Club. A personal trainer will work one-on-one with you, taking into account any injuries you might have and your physical strengths and weaknesses.

Tracey Thatcher
Writer for www.gofitnow.com

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the estimated annual medical cost of cardiovascular disease or stroke is $209.3 billion; cancer is $60.9 billion; diabetes is $92 billion; obesity is $61 billion. That’s a total of $423.2 billion! What’s more, many of these diseases can be prevented by simply exercising and eating correctly.

Why is it that more people aren’t out there exercising and making sure they put nutritious food into their bodies? Of course, there are the vested interests – companies with vast quantities of money creating attractive advertising pieces to invoke desire for their (in truth) undesirable products. The last time I went to the cinema I was bombarded with maybe five highly entertaining and beautifully produced ads for a famous cola beverage, a product that dissolves teeth overnight and would probably make a good engine cleaner. What really happens when a person drinks a sugar-loaded soda? Their blood sugar peaks and then drops rapidly making them feel tired and listless, hardly a state for anyone to want to get out and exercise. They’re more likely to pick up another soda to get some more “pep”.

Many people simply don’t know how to change their diet and exercise habits.

Poor diet and lack of exercise is a big problem in many western nations. It’s expensive for the citizens as it results in disease that must then be treated and time off work and school (reduced productivity). What to do about it?

Each person can simply start with themselves. Take a first step towards health whether it’s cutting out excess sugar or doing some exercise every day. At first the changes are very difficult but they do get easier and the better you feel, the easier it is to keep going.

The easiest and fastest way to change your lifestyle is to join a gym and get a program to work from or hire a professional to help you one-on-one. Choose a reputable and qualified personal trainer to get you exercising safely and efficiently. You could also start doing some of the fun classes on offer at Foothill Athletic Club like Zumba, Yoga, Aerobics or Body Sculpting. You could get a group of friends together to play racquetball or have a workout date every couple of days at the gym. You could even take advantage of the heated pool and swim some laps. With other people involved it’s more likely you’ll stick with the program even when it gets a bit hard.

It’s important that more people start changing the way they eat and exercise. Not only will their individual lives be more enjoyable but they’ll be part of the solution for reducing the massive cost of chronic disease in the USA (and no doubt other nations). Imagine what an extra $423.2 billion could do for everyone!

Tracey Thatcher

Writer for www.gofitnow.com

The #1 New Year’s resolution is losing weight and everyone at Foothill Athletic Club is ready to help you meet your goals. Did you know that obese Americans make up almost a quarter of the U.S. population? Obesity is responsible for a $40 billion jump in annual medical spending and those that are obese spend on average $1,400 more than people of normal weight. Your taxes, which help pay for Medicare and Medicaid, go towards $600 and $230 per patient, respectively, to help pay for obese patients. Reports attribute this spike to treatment for obesity-related ailments such as diabetes and heart disease. The total annual medical costs related to obesity is now estimated at $147 and is increasing at neatly 9% per year.

Obesity isn’t just a risk to your wallet; it’s a risk to your personal health as well. Being overweight increases the chances of heart problems even at an early age. Diabetes and all of the potential complications associated with the disease such as Stroke are reason enough to decrease your chances of getting the disease. Another health concern related to obesity is vision. Being obese can cause a number of conditions, which result in vision loss. Obesity can also reduce your lifespan.

Suddenly that hamburger and fries doesn’t sound like such a good deal, right? Eating right is a big part of leading a healthier life. But it isn’t enough. That’s why we want to ask everyone to take an active role in changing his or her lifestyle. And the best way to do that is to join us at Foothill Athletic Club. Getting a good workout is the healthiest way to lose weight and get fit.

We have plenty of workout classes as well as personal training available. Our Starter Aerobics are a great place to start losing weight. We have many other classes as well including STEP, Body Sculpting, and High-low impact aerobics. Check out our fitness schedule to find a class and time that fits your schedule. Our personal trainers are here to help you workout and get fit efficiently and effectively. And if working out in a class or using the machines isn’t something you are interested in we also have a heated lap pool as well as 3 racquetball courts to help you get a great workout.

We look forward to seeing you at Foothill Athletic Club very soon!

-Kevin