During the upcoming month of March, take some time to focus your exercise goals on benefiting not only yourself, but also others. Relay for Life events are peering ahead on the calendar. These are great ways to get involved with community events, supporting a good cause, and getting in a healthy dose of exercise as well. So for the upcoming month, begin to focus on how what you are doing can help others in your community. Try to get friends and family involved as a way to promote healthy exercise and good community habits!
Weight Loss
August 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I recently had a member of my family lose 15 pounds in the past 4 months by cutting back his carbonated beverage intake. Since congratulations were in order, I asked my father if he had started exercising more than his once a week basketball league. He responded that he had thought about it. Which is a big step for my dad. But since he and I had that conversation, I thought I would highlight something very important. Exercise is beneficial on many more levels than simply aiding weight loss. The most important benefits are that your cardiovascular system becomes far more healthy. Your total cholesterol is lowered, your high density (the good kind) cholesterol increases, your triglycerides decrease, and many other markers are changed in a positive way. Remember to encourage those loved ones in your lives to not be concerned only with weight loss, but to exercise so they will be around and healthy for a longer time.
Healthy snack options for your kids
July 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Exercise generally is easier for kids and teenagers to engage in since activities are usually sports-based and more fun. Activities such as baseball, bicycle riding, roller blading, shooting hoops, and soccer are great ways to stay fit and are fun for kids. However, getting kids to eat healthy is a whole different story. Here at The Hit Center we believe that exercise and nutrition go hand-in-hand. In just a few weeks we will be offering a new nutritional service at a small charge for our clients. With this program, the staff at The Hit Center can help you plan out weekly meals and make healthier food choices. In this day and age when kids’ snacks are filled with high fructose corn syrup and other unhealthy ingredients, it’s important to serve up alternative, healthy snack options. In anticipation for the unveiling of our new nutrition service here are some healthy snack options for your kids:
Apple slices (1 medium apple) with 1 tbsp of reduced fat peanut butter (176 calories, 4.3g protein, 28.5g carbohydrates, 6.5g fat)
1 rice cake with 1 tbsp of reduced fat peanut butter (130 calories, 4.8g protein, 14.6g carbohydrates, 6.3g fat)
8 oz low-fat yogurt and 1 slice of whole wheat toast, lightly buttered (240 calories, 8.4g protein, 44.8g carbohydrates, 3.8g fat)
English muffin pizza (Toast 1 whole wheat English muffin and top with 1 tbsp pizza sauce and 1 oz part skim mozzarella cheese. Microwave for 30 seconds.) (219 calories, 13.3g protein, 30.7g carbohydrates, 5.94g fat)
Celery sticks with 1 tbsp peanut butter (105 calories, 4.5g protein, 9.5g carbohydrates, 6.0g fat)
1 oz whole wheat crackers with 2 oz of organic turkey lunch meat slices and 1 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese (316 calories, 30g protein, 20.7g carbohydrates, 14.2g fat)
20 baked corn chips with 6 tbsp of salsa (112 calories, 2g protein, 24g carbohydrates, 1g fat)
1 cup 1% fat cottage cheese and 5 oz fresh strawberries (about 4-6 medium strawberries) (173 calories, 28g protein, 8g carbohydrates, 2.4g fat)
1 oz dry roasted almonds and 1 medium orange (239 calories, 7g protein, 23.4g carbohydrates, 15.3g fat)
1 cup skim milk and ½ whole wheat bagel with 1 tbsp almond butter (307 calories, 14.9g protein, 37.4g carbohydrates, 9.4g fat)
All nutritional information referenced from DietMaster Pro (copyright 1997-2009)
Endlessly Enjoying Exercise
June 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Mood Enhancement after Exercise
Many people who exercise on a regular basis are well aware of the way it puts them in a better mood. This may come from the rush of hormones that we get, or just the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping to improve their lives. Everyone has their own preference on what type of exercise they would want to be involved in, and to what extent they would want to exert themselves. It is a well established fact that people are in a better mood after even one bout of exercise, but the modality of the exercise contributes even more with the mood enhancement. A study done in 2005 looked at many different aspects of mood, and what type of exercise helped improve them the most. All exercises were done to elicit the same heart rate for the same amount of time, but exercise types that people preferred ended up giving them a greater satisfaction with the workout. This also brought up the question of how different surroundings affected the way people felt after a workout. In the study they gave everyone the same television station to watch, but it was not always to the participants’ complete satisfaction, which ultimately gave them a slightly less enjoyable workout experience. Whatever the underlying reasons are behind this theory, it is fairly widely accepted that people want to workout out in places that make them feel comfortable, not just a facility that promises to work them to the bone. The trainers at the H.I.T center of Mesa are experienced and familiar with many different types of exercise. Our knowledge is meant to help you receive a better, more invigorating workout without adding stress on top of your normal day. Being in a setting that you enjoy can make your workouts seem less like work, making you more inclined to want to continue working out. In saying all this, do not always stick with what you know, because some things are definitely worth trying. So, try to keep an open mind about exercise, and it will always give you some kind of useful feedback, even simply just becoming more familiar with your own personal workout preferences.
Here is the research article:
http://www.jssm.org/vol4/n2/13/v4n2-13pdf.pdf
Jacob R
Depression and Exercise
May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Over 15 million people in the United States suffer from depression, many times unaware of the severity. Often depression co-exists with a panic or anxiety disorder and even more frequently, with substance abuse. The good news is that depression is treatable, many times with astounding success. Parents may not be aware of depression among their children, however, depression in children may be inherited or the result of a stressful and overwhelming environment.
During current bouts of depression, exercise may seem like the last thing you want to do. Although once motivated, exercise can significantly help in the recovery process. True, exercise has been linked to improving high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis, but also many mental disorders as well. While the exact links between anxiety, depression and exercise are not clear, working out can certainly elevate mood and help individuals to relax more.
Several mechanisms are at work here. First, when exercising the brain releases neurotransmitters and endorphins, both chemicals which provide a natural “high” and thus the idea of feeling good. Secondly, exercise reduces the bad chemicals or toxins which tend to deplete the body’s immune system leading to further depression, anxiety and panic. Lastly, exercise raises core body temperature which is thought to have a calming effect.
Exercise also helps individuals to build a support system around them. They have more social interaction and less time to focus on worries and concerns. Most importantly, exercise tends to build confidence and help in goal directed programs. Sleep becomes better and daily focus improves. Remember, exercise for depression just like any other disease does not just mean lifting weights. It may also come in the form of bike riding, hiking, yoga, stretching, etc. Because many of you either have some level of depression or know someone suffering from depression, the trainers at the Mesa HIT Center will keep you motivated to exercise. According to webMD, research has shown that exercise is an effective but underused treatment for mild to moderate depression. Talk to your local mental health practitioner about exercise and its benefits.
Have a heart (cardiac rehab)
February 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A recent NY times article spoke about the new link that has been made between people who have had heart attacks and the frequency that they partcipate in cardiac rehabilitation. After a major cardiovascular event, people who partcipated more often in cardiac rehab sessions lived longer and had fewer re-occurences. What does this mean for those who have not had any sort of heart problems? It means that exercising frequently, in addition to dietary changes, can lead to a signifcantly lower chance of heart problems. Not only that, but your quality of life will be much higher. You will find that you have more energy, and will save money on your health care over the long haul.
http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/for-seniors-an-underused-heart-therapy-the-gym/
What Is Your Favorite Exercise?
March 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I was talking with a training client today and we got into an interesting conversation about his favorite exercise. It was kind of neat learning about his preferences, likes and dislikes. So I wanted to open this up a bit and ask you… what’s your favorite exercise and why?
