The Benefits of Exercise

 

     Check out my short video explaining all the most important attributes of exercise, click on the link below to take you directly to my You Tube video~🏀⚽️⚾️🏈🎾

                                                              👉🏻  The Benefits of Exercise 👈🏻

     I have always been an exerciser, from my earliest memory, I was a kid on the move.  As I’ve gotten older it has been a priority because I understand the importance of the connection between activity and aging.  Let’s just say I am not going down without a fight.💪🏻  I try to do something different 5 days a week, I used to run every day for decades which eventually led to injuries, and I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was bored.  So mixing it up has increased compliance, reduced risk of injury, and increased my connection to others.  BTW, if you can find a friend, that is also a little trick to sticking to the program!👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼

Why we exercise:

1) We feel happier, we exercise for how we feel after.  As we exercise, we are promised an increase in endorphins, which help produce positive feeling, and reduce feeling of anxiety and depression.

2) Exercise helps with weight control by increasing your metabolism, thus burning more calories thru out the day.  Also, it helps maintain muscle mass as we age, crucial in aging well.

3) Physical activity not only helps with our muscles, but it helps to maintain strong bones, it helps to prevent osteoporosis.

4) Exercise increases energy.  You would think it would work to the opposite, but not true.  The more active we are the more energy we have.

5) Exercise can reduce the risk of chronic disease.  Regular exercise has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, heart health and body composition.  It can also help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

6) Exercise can help with skin health.  Moderate exercise can provide antioxidant protection and promote blood flow, which can protect your skin and delay signs of aging.

7) Exercising can help your brain health and memory.  Regular exercise improves blood flow to the brain and thus helps brain health and memory.  Among older adults, it can help protect mental function.

8) Exercise can help with relaxation and sleep quality.  Regular physical activity, regardless of whether it is aerobic or a combination of aerobic and resistance training, can help you sleep better and feel more energized during the day.  (I also find a nice 20 minute nap during the day helps tremendously)

9) Exercise can reduce pain.  Exercise has favorable effects on the pain associated with various conditions.    It can also increase pain tolerance.

10). Exercise can promote physical intimacy.  Engaging in regular exercise can strengthen the heart, improve blood circulation, tone muscles, and enhance flexibility.  All of which can improve your sex life.

Theraband CLX

     Looking for a little something new to spice up your workout!?  I have answers for a fun method for strong muscles.  If you like the idea of being able to exercise everywhere, then keep reading.
     TheraBand CLX Consecutive Loops will inspire you and your work out.  Unique, reinforced loops make standard resistance exercises simpler and more comfortable and deliver new whole body exercises and unlimited creative possibilities.  Pick your level of resistance, download the Free App, and never look back.
     The Free Exercise App provides a CLX-exclusive exercise library with unique support tools.  And, these are not made with Natural Rubber Latex, so they are perfect for those with latex allergies or sensitivities.  There are 4 levels offered, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Elite...you get to choose what level of challenge suits your needs.  For more information on this great product that really targets your specific muscles, visit www.therabandclx.com .  In good health, paige  :)

Short Bleacher Sprint Intervals

     If you don't have access to College Stadium Bleachers with 74 seats, no worries !!!  You can make do with short bleachers that have 24-30 seats.  We want to focus on interval sprints and focus on quality vs quantity !!!  The goal here is to work up to 30 sets of sprints up the bleachers and it should only take you about 10 seconds to sprint to the top and 20 seconds to saunter down the steps.  Of course a lap or two of a warm up is always required.  Remember that warm muscles are our friend, and warm muscles perform better with less risk of injury.  I always use rocks from the ground to keep count of my sets so I can keep track.  Your first time out, you may want to take two laps to warm up and shoot for 5 sets, and then do 2 laps to cool down.  I only do these once a week because of the physical demands of interval training.  Keeping the workout session short is also a good idea. You should be able to do your 30 sets in 30 minutes, plus a warm up and cool down lap.  So your second week out, add another 5 sets of bleachers and continue to add 5 sets each week til you reach your 30 sets in 6 weeks.  If necessary, feel free to take a lap after every set of 5 til you work up to doing your sets without lap breaks.  No need to kill yourself, but don't be afraid to push yourself a little as well.  Before you know it you will be enjoying short bleacher work as well as long bleacher work. Lastly, be aware of the sun, and try to get to the stadium and get your bleacher work done EARLY !!!!  We want to beat the sun, not have the sun beat us~ so arrive early and avoid the sauna like feeling of the heat reflecting off the aluminum benches. This is not a big concern til June thru September, but the risk of Heat Stroke is real and can sneak up on you quickly. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, and I hope you will grow to love bleacher work as much as I do and reap all the vast benefits that come from interval training on bleachers !!! And don't forget to hydrate~   Happy Sprinting  ;)

From Couch to running a Mile, then a 5K!!! :0

     With Spring quickly approaching, there is no better time to get outside and enjoy all the benefits of the great out doors !!!  When the weather is nice, it literally calls my name and I bet it does yours as well !!!  I started running about age 22 and ran solidly 6 days a week til age 40.  We were on a 10 day trip in Italy, and every morning I would get up and run 5 miles before we went touring for the day.  The problem started on the Cobblestone streets I was pounding each morning thru the Villages and then spending the next 12 hours on my legs eating Gelato!  By the time our plane landed back in America I could barely hobble down the runway, my knees were "SHOT" !!!  It didn't help I had my 40th birthday that year and had heard all the horror stories of how everything spirals rapidly downward after this milestone!!!  All the Glucosamine Chondrotin in the universe was not able to allow a stroll down the stairs with out a whence spreading across my mug!  Sadly, I had to leave running in my dust for a few years mourning the loss of what I thought was forever!!!  .... UNTIL, I had a friend and personal trainer, Kim Bessac, encourage me to try again with a plan she knew would work!  I hesitantly took her advice and knew I had nothing to loose, .. well, maybe my pride, ... but that was a risk I was willing to take!  So here's how I got my first mile back at age 45~ ( first of all it must be understood that you need to seek a doctors approval before starting any exercise program and invest in a decent pair of running shoes)~ start out with a good 5-10 walking warm up ( I actually walk a mile for a warm up to this day out of paranoia), from this point you simply run a minute and walk a minute til you have covered a mile. And when I say run, I'm not encouraging a full dead heat sprint, a mild jog will suffice followed by a very brisk paced walk. Now, I only want you running THREE times a week !!!  This is where I differ a little than most runners dolling out advice.  After having knee stopping injuries, I think 3 times a week of running is plenty! Even when I'm training for my Half Marathons, I only run 3 times a week.  While I would love to run everyday, I know its not the best for my body and cross training on the other days is the only way to go and stay healthy and injury free. I'm also a strong proponent of stretching and weight lifting to keep injury at bay. Cross training could be an elliptical training session, bike, swimming, tennis,  stair mill, bleachers, or just walking ( preferably at an incline).  Your cross training days should be anywhere from 20-45 minutes depending on where you are in your fitness level.  After week one, I suggest you up your running to a minute and a half and cut your walk back to 30 seconds if you can.  If that's too much, then try to do that at least once or twice, but try to work up to that by your third session of the week. Week three, run two minutes, walk 30 seconds til you complete your mile. Week Four, run three minutes walk a minute. Week Five, run four minutes, walk thirty seconds.  Week Six, run five minutes, walk a minute.  Week Seven, run six minutes, walk thirty seconds.  Week Eight, run a light jog for 10 minutes, have your headphones on to the latest Hip Hop Station and get lost in the beat while you get your groove on !!!  MUSIC HELPS TREMENDOUSLY   At this point you should be pretty close to your mile if you haven't gotten there yet.  If you aren't there, then run 11 minutes the next week, and 12 the following week and you should be to your mile by then !!!  This is not the fastest way to train for a mile, but slow and steady wins the race in my book!  This mild training program will get you where you need to be injury free. After you feel the pride of running a mile, you will have the fever to go on to bigger and better things !!!  Make running a 5K your next goal, and join the crowd at the next fund raiser and see how much joy running can bring to your life!!!  If you are ready to start training for a 5K, then add a minute or two each week to you distance.  Never work on speed and distance in the same session, you will likely pull something you don't want pulled, ... and I don't mean your ponytail !!!  :0  Running is a great way to lose weight, improve cardiovascular health, and gain muscular endurance.  Though a 5K may seem impossible now, once you begin running, your body will quickly adapt and progress.  Virtually no one starts running as a distance runner, it takes years of dedication and discipline.  But, with some fortitude and a good foundation, you can safely lose weight and gain more confidence as a distance runner.  Everyone has to start at the beginning, and simply learning to run one mile will give you the fundamentals you will need to move on to greater distances. Don't worry about speed, that will come later, just enjoy the ride of movement and feeling your body swaying with the wind !!!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments, I would love to hear from you!!! And, I hope to see you at the next running event !!! Nothing is more fun than being in a group of runners, you can travel the country doing races and feeling the empowerment that comes from the crowds!  Its a rush that can't be explained, you have to experience it for yourself and I hope you do just that !!!  In good health, paige  :)

Interval Training on the Step Mill

     During the Winter months its more of a challenge to keep my cardio interesting since I'm confined to the indoors ( yes, I'm an outdoor fair weather exerciser).  And since I like to cross train, its fun to look for new ideas to mix it up !!!  So, I turned to my friend and trainer, Kelli Warren at Genesis Health Clubs on Rock Road for some inspiration. Kelli suggested I try using the Step Mill for a session of High Intensity Interval Training ( HIIT) to add to my weekly regime. Kelli says " Doing HIIT just one or two times per week is plenty to boost your cardiovascular fitness". I wasn't that familiar with the Step Mill so I was game for a new adventure.  When I asked her what to do, she told me to do a warm up followed by 30 seconds at High Intensity followed by a minute and a half of recovery, and repeat 10 times, cool down and finish up for the day.  At first I was offended by such a meager challenge,... I mean, didn't she know me at all !!!??? ... did she forget I was the CARDIO QUEEN !!!???...  didn't she remember I have done 3 Half Marathons, climbed a 14,000 ft mountain twice, and done hour long Bleacher work outs til I'm blue in the face !!!???  I internally scoffed at her suggestion, but smiled politely as I walked away from her and sauntered over to the Step Mill area in a disgusted fashion.  I remember picking up a towel to start my workout from sheer habit, and thinking I wont even need this towel because I wont be sweating.  I'm only going to be doing 30 SECONDS 10 times and that wont add up to ANYTHING, especially when I'm used to doing at least an hour a day of cardio 6 times a week!!!  So my bad attitude climbed up on the steps and started my easy warm up at level 5 for the next 5 minutes.  Then as directed I cranked her up to level 16 for the next 30 seconds, and realized that was a little harder than I expected but totally doable ( especially for me)... I recovered at level 5 again for the next minute and a half then started my next 30 second burst, ... and then I started to sweat, I mean REALLY sweat, as in pouring off me and onto the ground sweat.... I was happy for my minute and half recovery because I noticed my legs were starting to feel a little funny... then the third interval started with my burst of 30 seconds and that's when my world got ROCKED !!!  ...I was in full vomit mode and it was comin' fast !!!! ... I didn't even think I could make my last 10 seconds!!! I had to get off that @#$%&* machine and prayed that my Bambi on Ice legs would not fail me in front of the other ladies going full force while their pony tails kept the beat !!! Slumping over the water fountain, I hoped no one else needed a drink anytime soon, because I was depending on this cool to the touch apparatus to hold my body weight til I felt I could stand on my own. My uppity attitude was long gone ... I had just been whooped by the Stair Mill, and I vowed to never disrespect the Mill again but honor it and come back next week with a better plan.  So, new improved attitude and new improved plan for week two~ I developed a strategy to add one set of intervals each week TIL I could work up to 10 sets and not make a fool out of my self, and it worked like a charm !!!  Big lessons my friends, big lessons !!!  HIIT is a wonderful addition to any weekly routine, and SHOULD be incorporated, but only once or twice a week. Your muscles definitely need time to recover and 3 days is really recommended before doing another HIIT session.

8 Benefits to HIIT:
1)  Efficient!  IF you are short on time, this is the way to get your work out in fast with all the benefits. According to a 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, just 2 weeks of HIIT improves your aerobic capacity as much as 6-8 weeks of endurance training.
2)  Burn more fat!  Not only do you burn more calories during a HIIT workout, but the effect of all that intense exertion kicks your body's repair cycle into hyperdrive.  That means you burn more fat and calories in the 24 hours after a HIIT workout than you do after a steady pace run.
3)  Healthier Heart!  Most people aren't used to pushing themselves into the anaerobic zone, but studies have shown that after 8 weeks of HIIT workouts, subject could bicycle twice as long as they could before the study, while maintaining the same pace.
4)  No Equipment Necessary!  All you need is high knees and fast feet and any activity will work for HIIT.
5)  Lose weight, not muscle!  We all know its hard not to lose muscle when losing fat.  Studies show that weight training and HIIT workouts allow dieters to preserve their hard earned muscles while ensuring most of the weight lost comes from fat stores. WINNING
6)  Increased Metabolism!  In addition to increased fat burning and more muscle preserved, HIIT stimulates production of your human growth hormone ( HGH) by up to 450% during the 24 hours after you finish your workout.  This is great news since HGH is not only responsible for increased caloric burn but also slows down the aging process, making you younger both inside and out!
7)  Do it Anywhere!  Since its such a simple concept- go at maximum effort for a short period of time followed by a recovery period and repeat-you can adapt it to whatever time and space constraints you have.
8)  Challenging!  This is not a workout you can do while reading a magazine or chatting with your friend!!!  Because its so short, you will be working hard the whole time.  The trade off is this format offers seasoned exercisers a new challenge and new exercisers a quick way to see results.  You may be in pain, you may be sucking wind, but you definitely wont be bored !!!

   Hope this inspires you to give HIIT a try, and I would love to hear your feed back after getting started !!!  In good health~ paige  ;)