Shreveport-Bossier Personal Training

Reprinted with permission from ACE FitFacts

We take part in aerobic activity to improve our cardiovascular endurance and burn fat. We weight-train to maintain lean muscle tissue and build strength. Those are the two most important elements of a fitness program, right?

Actually, there are three important elements. Often neglected is flexibility training. That neglect is regrettable, because flexibility training:

Allows greater freedom of movement and improved posture
Increases physical and mental relaxation
Releases muscle tension and soreness
Reduces risk of injury

Some people are naturally more flexible. Flexibility is primarily due to one’s genetics, gender, age and level of physical activity. As we grow older, we tend to lose flexibility, usually as a result of inactivity rather than the aging process itself.

The less active we are, the less flexible we are likely to be. As with cardiovascular endurance and muscle strength, flexibility will improve with regular training.

Stretch for success
Before stretching, take a few minutes to warm up as stretching cold muscles can cause injury. Begin with a simple, low-intensity warm-up, such as easy walking while swinging the arms in a wide circle. Spend at least 5 to 10 minutes warming up prior to stretching.

When performing any stretch:
Start each stretch slowly, exhaling as you gently stretch the muscle.

Try to hold each stretch for at least 10 to 30 seconds.

Avoid these stretching mistakes:

Don’t bounce a stretch. Holding a stretch is more effective and there is less risk of injury.

Don’t stretch a muscle that is not warmed up.

Don’t strain or push a muscle too far. If a stretch hurts, ease up.

Don’t hold your breath.

Fitting stretching into a compressed schedule
Time constraints keep many people from stretching. Some complain they just don’t have time to stretch; others hurry out of their fitness classes before the cool-down exercises are completed.

Ideally, at least 30 minutes, three times per week, should be spent on flexibility training. But even a mere five minutes of stretching at the end of an exercise session is better than nothing. And all aerobic activity should be followed by at least a few minutes of stretching.

Here are some tips for fitting stretching into an overstuffed schedule:

If you don’t have time to sufficiently warm up before stretching, try doing a few stretches immediately after a shower or while soaking in a hot tub. The hot water elevates muscle temperature enough to make them more pliable and receptive to stretching.

Try a few simple stretches before getting out of bed in the morning. Wake yourself up with a few full-body stretches by pointing the toes and reaching the arms above your head. This can clear your mind and help jump-start your morning.

Take a stretching class such as yoga or tai chi. Scheduling a class will help you to stick with a regular stretching program.

ACE Fit Fact of the Day:

People who exercise regularly will tell you they feel better. Some will say it’s because chemicals called neurotransmitters, produced in the brain, are stimulated during exercise. Since it’s believed that neurotransmitters mediate our moods and emotions, they can make us feel better and less stressed.

While there’s no scientific evidence to conclusively support the neurotransmitter theory, there is plenty to show that exercise provides stress-relieving benefits.

Four ways exercise controls stress:

1. Exercise can help you feel less anxious. Exercise is being prescribed in clinical settings to help treat nervous tension. Following a session of exercise, clinicians have measured a decrease in electrical activity of tensed muscles. People have been less jittery and hyperactive after an exercise session.

2. Exercise can relax you. One exercise session generates 90 to 120 minutes of relaxation response. Some people call this post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response. We now know that many neurotransmitters, not just endorphins, are involved. The important thing though is not what they’re called, but what they do: They improve your mood and leave you relaxed.

3. Exercise can make you feel better about yourself. Think about those times when you’ve been physically active. Haven’t you felt better about yourself? That feeling of self-worth contributes to stress relief.

4. Exercise can make you eat better. People who exercise regularly tend to eat more nutritious food. And it’s no secret that good nutrition helps your body manage stress better.

It’s time to get started

Now that you know exercise can make a big difference in controlling stress, make some time for regular physical activity. We’ll help you get started by listing three activities you can choose from:

Aerobic activity
All it takes is 20 minutes’ worth, six to seven days a week. Twenty minutes won’t carve a big chunk out of your day, but it will improve your ability to control stress significantly.

Yoga
In yoga or yoga-type activities, your mind relaxes progressively as your body increases its amount of muscular work. Recent studies have shown that when large muscle groups repeatedly contract and relax, the brain receives a signal to release specific neurotransmitters, which in turn make you feel relaxed and more alert.

Recreational sports
Play tennis, racquetball, volleyball or squash. These games require the kind of vigorous activity that rids your body of stress-causing adrenaline and other hormones.

Not just any exercise will do

Don’t try exercising in your office. Outdoors or away from the office is the best place to find a stress-free environment. Even a corporate fitness center can have too many work-related thoughts for some people.

Stay away from overcrowded classes. If you work surrounded by people, a big exercise class may be counterproductive. Solo exercise may be more relaxing for you. If, however, you work alone, you may enjoy the social benefit of exercising in a group. A lot depends on your personality and what causes stress for you.

Don’t skip a chance to exercise. Take a break every 90 minutes and you’ll be doing yourself a favor. Ninety-minute intervals are a natural work-break period. And four 10-minute exercise breaks at this time will burn about as many calories as a solid 40-minute session. Work-break exercises can be as simple as walking or climbing stairs, stretching or doing calisthenics.

Controlling stress comes down to making the time to exercise. You’re worth it!

ACE’s Fit Fact of the Day:

Individuals who exercise regularly are less likely to develop:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol levels
• Certain forms of cancer
• Osteoporosis

Individuals who exercise regularly are more likely to:

• Maintain a healthy body weight
• Effectively control the pain and joint swelling that accompanies arthritis
• Maintain lean muscle, which is often lost with increasing age
• Have higher levels of self-esteem and self-confidence
• Continue to perform activities of daily living as they grow older
• Experience overall feelings of well-being and good health

Talking to committed exercisers about the benefits of physical activity is like introducing a dedicated shopper to the joys of a Nordstrom’s anniversary sale. After all, those who exercise are no strangers to the freedom elicited by movement, to the sense of accomplishment felt at the end of a long walk or a strength workout.

Those uninitiated in the pleasurable rewards of regular physical activity, however, remain skeptical. After all, how can something as basic as exercise not only improve one’s life today, but perhaps even save one’s life tomorrow?

Why should you exercise?

Researchers have sought to answer this question for years. In 1996, the first Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity was released, detailing the research behind the benefits associated with exercise. This report goes beyond the anecdotal ”it-just-feels-good” reason for exercising.

What follows are the conclusions of years of research on the health benefits of physical activity.

Who is exercise good for?

While not all types of exercise are appropriate for everyone, everyone can benefit from some type of exercise. After all, exercise is not limited to running or aerobics.

You can try water workouts or seated-chair classes. You can play softball or squash, go in-line skating or even take a turn or two around the mall, provided you don’t spend all your time lingering in front of shop windows. And if you think activities such as ballroom dancing or tending the garden don’t qualify as exercise, think again.

The primary factor in choosing an activity should be whether or not you enjoy it. Of course, an okay from your doctor also is advisable, particularly for individuals over 40, or those with special medical conditions or risk factors for heart disease.

How much exercise does it take?

How much one exercises is an individual decision, but numerous research studies indicate that hours of intense exercise are not necessary to reap the benefits detailed in the box to the left. In fact, health specialists now recommend that most adults accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity on most days of the week.

By moderate activity we mean any activity that raises your heart rate and gets the blood pumping without leaving you out of breath or exhausted. So, rather than blocking off a large portion of one’s day, 10 minutes of walking at lunch and another 20 minutes after dinner, for example, is all it takes.

For those who are so inclined, exercising at slightly higher intensities for longer periods of time can bring about even greater health benefits.

Less important than the intensity or duration of each exercise session is making the commitment to do some type of physical activity, whether you focus on aerobic, strength or flexibility training, every day. Soon, the exhilaration of movement, the empowerment that comes with greater fitness and health - these things will have you hooked on exercise.

It won’t happen overnight, and there may be some aspects you find less enjoyable (some people just can’t get over the sweating part of it), but the sense of feeling better, of feeling healthier, will overpower any negative attitudes toward exercise you may still be harboring.

Don’t worry. These, too, will pass. So, isn’t it about time you got started?

Here is ACE’s Fit Fact for the day, how to choose the right personal trainer:

A personal trainer should be certified because that’s your assurance you’re working with a trainer who has the knowledge to provide you with a safe and effective workout. Not just any certification will do. You want a personal trainer who has been certified by a nationally recognized certifying organization, like ACE, which happens to be the largest non-profit fitness-certifying organization in the world.

Certification is more than a piece of paper. For example, to qualify for ACE certification, a personal trainer has to pass an intensive three hour, 150-question exam and written simulation that covers exercise science and programming knowledge, including anatomy, kinesiology, health screening, basic nutrition and instructional methods.

After checking certification, there are a few other things you should take into consideration when hiring a personal trainer. Many require asking direct questions.

A checklist to help you hire the right personal trainer:

Ask for references
Ask the trainer for the names and phone numbers of other clients with goals similar to yours. Call to see if they were pleased with their workouts, if the trainer was punctual and prepared, and if they felt their individual needs were addressed. The best personal trainer to hire is the one others give high marks to.

Make sure the trainer has liability insurance and provides business policies in writing
Many personal trainers operate as independent contractors and are not employees of a fitness facility. You should find out if the trainer you want to hire carries professional liability insurance.
A reputable personal trainer should also make sure you understand the cancellation policy and billing procedure. The best way to avoid confusion and to protect your rights is to have those policies in writing.

Look for a trainer who is able to assist you with your special needs
A personal trainer should always have you fill out a health history questionnaire to determine your needs or limitations. If you have a medical condition or a past injury, a personal trainer should design a session that takes these into account. If you’re under a doctor’s care, a personal trainer should discuss any exercise concerns with your doctor, and should ask for a health screening or release from your doctor.

Find out what the trainer charges
Rates vary, depending on the trainer’s experience, and the length and location of the workout session.

Decide if this is someone you can work with
Some people like to exercise in the morning, some in the evening. Will the personal trainer you’re talking to accommodate your schedule? What about the trainer’s gender? Some people do better working with a trainer of the same sex; others prefer the opposite sex.

The personal trainer you select should motivate you by positive, not negative, reinforcement. Even more important, that trainer should be someone you like.

Ask yourself if you think you could get along well with the trainer. Ask yourself, too, if you think the trainer is genuinely interested in helping you.

The personal trainer who best measures up is the one to hire. Because that’s the professional who will help you get the best results.

Cross Training For Fun and Fitness - from the ACE Fitness Website

Tired of the same old workout? Looking for a level of fitness that your current exercise routine can’t offer?

Are you experiencing nagging injuries that just don’t seem to heal? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are a likely candidate for cross training.

Cross training is simply a way of adding variety to your exercise program. You can vary your aerobic routine and incorporate some muscular strength and flexibility training as well.

And if you think cross training is new, think again. Athletes have been cross training since the days of the Olympic decathlons and pentathlons of ancient Greece. The past decade has seen the popularity of the triathlon reach international proportions, introducing the concept of cross training to even the most recreational athletes.

What’s the point?

The benefits of cross training are numerous. It reduces the risk of injury because the same muscles, bones and joints are not continuously subjected to the stresses of the same activity.

Cross training also adds variety to your workouts, making your routine more interesting and easier to stick with. For the athlete, it provides a break from the rigors and stresses of single-sport training. Cross training will improve your overall fitness and, over an extended period of time, may ultimately lead to improved performance.

The nuts and bolts of cross training

Whether you are new to exercise or a competitive athlete, the essentials of cross training are the same. You can choose to vary your routine from workout to workout, or simply add a new component within your existing exercise program.

One of the easiest ways to start cross training is to alternate between activities - walking one day, swimming or bicycling the next. Or, you can alternate these activities within a single workout, spending five minutes on a treadmill, five minutes on a stationary cycle, and so on for a total of 20 minutes.

More experienced exercisers might begin an hour-long workout with a 15-minute jog to a nearby pool. After a 20-minute swim and perhaps a few minutes of calisthenics, they can finish off their workout with a 15-minute jog back home and several minutes of flexibility exercises.

Get creative with cross training

If you’re looking to increase your endurance level, try alternating low-level aerobic activities, such as 20 minutes of stationary cycling, with 10 minutes of higher-intensity exercise, such as stair-stepping or jumping rope. Gradually increase the amount of time you spend on the more intense activity.

These formulas can be used with just about any type of activity - as long as you enjoy it. Combining a group of aerobic activities into one workout at steady or various intensities is an excellent way to fight the boredom that comes from the same daily workout routine.

All exercise sessions, whether they involve cross training or not, should begin and end with low-level aerobic exercise and stretching to effectively warm up and cool down. And remember, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.