Club Blog

(ARA) – More than just aches and pains, arthritis is a chronic disease that damages joints and can lead to loss of function or disability. In fact, it is the most common cause of disability in the United States, affecting 50 million Americans or 22 percent of the total population.

For years it was believed that people with arthritis should not exercise because movement could cause further damage to joints. Now, physical activity is recognized as playing an integral role in the prevention and treatment of arthritis. According to the Arthritis Foundation, exercise provides relief from pain, improves physical function and quality of life, and delays the onset of disability without worsening symptoms or the progression of the disease.

Unfortunately, the already staggering social and economic impact of arthritis in the United States is set to explode in coming decades.  A new government report found that the number of adults with arthritis has increased by almost 1 million since 2003 to 2005 and it’s estimated that arthritis will affect 67 million Americans in 2030. 

The effects of arthritis can be devastating, but self-management strategies such as weight loss and increasing physical activity can lessen pain and improve function, and may prevent or limit the impact of arthritis on daily activities. “For every one pound you lose, that’s four pounds of pressure off each knee,” says Dr. Patience H. White, the Arthritis Foundation’s vice president of public health. In addition, losing as little as 11 pounds can reduce your risk of developing knee osteoarthritis by 50 percent.

It is important for Americans to make daily movement a year-round goal. While it may seem hard to get started, there are plenty of opportunities for you to move year-round, no matter where you are or what the season:

* Move with others. Enjoy exercise more by making it a social activity you can enjoy with your friends. The Arthritis Foundation organizes events year-round to keep people moving, including the Jingle Bell Run/Walk and Arthritis Walk, which also raise money for important arthritis research and community services. You can get started today by registering for an event near you.

* Take a walk. A stroll around your neighborhood or on a walking path will not only leave you with a trimmer physique and less joint pain, but can also improve your mood and overall sense of well-being. When it’s too cold or hot outside, move indoors by using a treadmill or walking in place. For a walking program that is specifically designed to reduce arthritis discomfort and improve overall health, try the Arthritis Foundation’s Walk with Ease program.

* Try Tai Chi. Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese exercise with a variety of proven health benefits, such as reducing stress and relieving arthritis pain. Because its gentle movements are easy to learn and do not require uncomfortable bending or squatting, Tai Chi is a great way to move all year. Check with your local Arthritis Foundation office to find a class near you.

To find out about more ways you can move year-round, visit www.letsmovetogether.org.

Strength training exercises are those exercises that challenge your muscles through resistance. The higher the resistance the more challenge the exercise will be. Although strength training itself is not a high calorie or fat burning exercise, it does help tone and strengthen your muscles and increases your lean muscle mass. The more lean muscle mass you have the more calories you burn due to an increased metabolic rate.

Weight lifting offers the most versatility for adjusting the resistance. You can continually increase the weight and challenge to your muscles. However not everyone has access to weight lifting equipment nor do they necessarily need to perform weight lifting to increase their muscle mass.

Resistance band exercises and dumbbell exercises are a great alternative to weight lifting. With resistance bands, you can easily adjust the resistance to your muscles by shortening the band for higher resistance or loosening for lighter resistance. They are fairly inexpensive and easy to travel with so they make a great on the go exercise.

Dumbbell exercises also are fairly inexpensive and easy to store. You can buy several sizes so that you use heavier weights for higher resistance and lighter weights for less resistance. You can also do body weight exercises where you are just using your body and gravity to provide the resistance. The bottom line is that any strength training exercise that helps you build lean muscles will help you burn fat.

Picking the best of the many personal trainers can be a hard decision for you to make on your own.

There are so many personal trainers that offer services and promise results.  Finding a personal trainer that will fit you as an individual is your job.  While researching a personal triner, you need to look for these signs:  Having a friendly personality is important for a personal trainer.

The personal trainer should be willing to help you, regardless of the amount of improvement that you need.  The personal trainer should be honest with you so that you will be informed on how hard it will be to reach your fitness goals.  Additionally, the personal trainer should show you some sort of academic certificate that shows that he or she is a licensed and educated personal trainer.

Friendly Personal Trainers

It is best to work with a personal trainer that is friendly tords you. There is no need in hiring a personal trainer that will throw negative comments at you (believe it or not, some personal trainers will say negative things about their own clients). If you consider your personal trainer as someone that you could have a good friendship with, then he or she is the right trainer for the job.

Personal Trainers Criteria #1: Willingness To Help You

Many of the personal trainers are after your pocket and they have no interest in you being successful in completing your fitness goals. You need to get a personal exercise coach that is willing to do what it takes for you to reach your fitness goals. You want to find a personal trainer that sincerely want to help you reach your individual goals.

Personal Trainers Criteria #2: Honesty

Honesty is an important part of the system. Many personal trainers will lie to you in order to persuade you to use their services. They will tell you that it is easy to get into shape and that you will need to put little effort into the process. An authentic personal training coach will be honest in telling you how much time it will take for you to reach your goals.

Personal Trainers Criteria #3: Proof Of Quality

Many people will claim to you that they are experienced personal trainers without being experienced, or even qualified, to provide personal training. There are some personal trainers that have gained their license by using the internet. These licenses should not be considered authentic. Instead, look for a personal trainer who has an actual academic (college) education in health.

The Sporting Club has all the greatest personal trainers you can imagine.  You are sure to find one perfect for you!

Obesity has been declared a national epidemic and cardiovascular disease is maintaining its spot as America’s number one killer, so the case for living a healthy lifestyle has already been built. Why then do so many of us shy away from turning to a professional for help with our workout regime? In many cases, the answer is quite simple. We assume that personalized fitness programs are an expensive treat reserved only for the rich and svelte Hollywood crew. And while this may have been true in the past, personal trainers are now helping ordinary women make celebrity-sized life changes.

Certified Personal Trainers (CPTs) are an affordable option for those without the benefit of an expensive entourage of top-notch health gurus, personal chefs, and daring designers. Convinced that the secrets to becoming a “red-carpet diva” should be available to the masses even when dirty laundry, crying babies, and tight budgets run rampant, many of today’s hottest CPTs can help you reach your fitness goals by developing and implementing realistic and actionable fitness plans.

What Is Personal Training?
You’ve all heard of CPTs, but do you really know exactly what they do? While styles and programs vary widely, you can typically expect the following:

1. Fitness assessment
Comprised of various tests designed to assess cardiovascular fitness, body-fat percentage, flexibility and muscular strength and endurance.
2. Individualized fitness program
A personalized exercise program based on your individual assessment results and personal fitness and health goals.
3. Supervised workouts

Personal attention during exercise is the primary function of personal trainers. During these workouts, you will be educated about the fundamentals of strength and aerobic training, as well as the proper and safe use of various types of equipment.

Finding a Certified Personal Trainer
You’ve made the decision to hire a personal trainer, but now what? Working with a trainer is a very personal experience, and much like a hair stylist or gynecologist, what works for your friend or co-worker might not work for you. Your CPT is charged with motivating you to reach new heights and will often see you during your most vulnerable times – grunting, sweating and possibly looking a “hot mess.” Given this, make sure your trainer is someone that you respect, trust and feel that you can get along well with.

The Sporting Club at UTC has personal trainers that are there to work with and for you!  get the results you want fast with a certified personal trainer at the Sporting Club!

Trying to get into shape without the expertise of a personal trainer is one of the hardest things an individual can try to do.  Getting into great shape isn’t a one-step process. Many people don’t understand just what’s involved in reaching their goals.  There are many reasons as to why people fail to achieve a higher level of fitness without the help of a personal trainer:

People lack the motivation to start and complete their fitness goals.

Most people don’t have the knowledge to reach their fitness goals.

People lack the equipment that is necessary to reach their desired level of fitness.

People lack the time that is necessary to achieve a higher level of personal health.

Physical health and fitness are really a hobby, not a job.

How A Personal Trainer Will Give You The Motivation You Need

One of the best things that a personal trainer can do is provide you with the motivation to start and finish your individual fitness goals. Many people refuse to get into shape simply because they believe that they will not be able to complete their desired goals.

The Personal Trainer shington Has The Knowledge You Need

Your local fitness trainer has the knowledge that you need to start and finish your fitness plan. A personal trainer has the know-how from foods you should eat to the variety of exercises you should be doing to get you that body you’ve always wanted.

Your Personal Trainer Provides You With The Equipment

A great thing about a majority of personal trainers in the area is that they provide you with the necessary equipment that you need to achieve your individual fitness goals. Exercise equipment, even used equipment, is rather expensive and a personal trainer can save you a paycheck (or two) by providing the fitness hardware to you.

A Personal Trainer Will Plan Your Workouts To Fit Your Schedule

Another useful feature that comes from working with a personal trainer is that they will work with you to fit your workouts in your hectic schedule. Regardless of how hectic your schedule is, a personal trainer can work with you to find the time.

The Sporting Club offers a wide array of personal trainers just for you!  Check them all out at the Sporting Club’s website!

Pilates is thought of to be one of the best ways a pregnant woman can use to prepare herself for the birth of her baby. Furthermore, by practicing Pilates can help her along the stages of her actual pregnancy. The dynamic moves of Pilates actually challenge the woman by building her muscle endurance, and at the same time helping her to gain better balance.

Pilates and pregnancy is a great match in this regards because with Pilates it is a mind and body incorporating method of exercise that strengthens the most important muscles – the ones that the woman will be using during the labor and delivery part of her pregnancy: the abdominals, pelvic muscles, and the back.

One of the best and most important parts about Pilates and pregnancy is that it is the most perfect groundwork for a woman’s labor and delivery process. Pilates is also great during pregnancy because it helps the woman to limber her muscles thus making them supple, which will be a very helpful factor when the time comes to deliver the baby.

However, as with any other form of physical activity, the pregnant woman should consult her physician before starting Pilates, just to ensure that it will not do harm to herself or to the baby.

Pilates is a body conditioning method which works differently from other techniques. When one part of the body is weak or misaligned we tend to overdevelop others parts to compensate. This usually results in pain and discomfort and can lead to injury. By focusing on deep support and postural muscles, Pilates helps you build strength from within. This method of exercises aims at reshaping your body from the inside out by focusing the mind on what the body is doing. The Pilates exercise method provides the right balance between strength and flexibility while helping rid the body of stress and tension and achieving optimum posture.

The Sporting Club offers such a wide array of choices when ti comes to Pilates, even group classes! Visit the Sporting Club today and start a 5-day trial membership FREE!

6. You have everyday, functional strength: Weight training does wonders to help you with activities of daily living: Housework, yard work, moving furniture, and carrying bags of groceries without gasping for air and pooping out within minutes. If you have a medical condition such as arthritis or multiple sclerosis, lifting weights can be a godsend. You can rely on weightlifting to keep you strong where once all your strength was gone.

7. You have a stronger back: Juggling a 30-pound toddler and a few bags of groceries while pulling out the stroller can put your back in a compromising position. When you lift weights, you strengthen your upper and lower body, which reduces strain on your back when you’re forced to lift heavy loads. Plus, don’t you think it would feel really good to walk around knowing that your back is as tight and toned as your legs?

8. You can train at home: Have you been putting off getting started with your weightlifting program because you felt you had to belong to a UTC Fitness gym? You can implement a very effective weightlifting program no matter where you are. Invest in some dumbbells and an adjustable bench and you’re set. Get some exercise videos or books that focus on strength and agility training; now you can lift weights on your own anytime you like.

9. You can get rid of pain: Do you have limited range of motion in your joints? A bad knee? A wrenched neck? Bum shoulder? Weightlifting promotes strength in your joints so you have ease of movement. That old knee problem improves enough for you to go hiking in the mountains for days without pain. No pain, more endurance. You can do more outdoorsy things – and have fun while doing them!

10. You build stronger bones: Bones respond to weightlifting the same way that muscles do, by becoming stronger and denser. Building strong bones can be the best defense against osteoporosis. You’re more active, more mobile, and without lower back pain. And age doesn’t matter; you can start when you’re 65 and still experience tremendous benefits from a weightlifting program. IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO START A WEIGHTLIFTING PROGRAM!

After 25 years in the fitness and bodybuilding community, I have had the opportunity to talk to thousands of people about their health and fitness concerns. So many are wrapped up in what I call, “myth-information;” false information that they believe to be fact.

This is the problem. We have so much information available to us, that the average person doesn’t know how to decipher it all. Infomercials are on every night promising, more often than not, some quick weight loss fix. Movie stars are writing diet books. Fitness magazines are full of articles by athletes telling the world what diet or exercise program works for them, but usually their methods are not meant for us. Even some self-taught personal trainers are teaching what they do, to their clients, instead of the science of exercise and nutrition!

Below, you’ll find what I think are some of the most common myths. Let’s put them to rest once and for all!

1)MYTH: “ If I do a lot of abdominal work, I’ll melt away the fat on my mid-section.”
TRUTH: There is no such thing as “spot reduction.” Body fat is stored in and comes off in a genetically pre-determined manner. By creating a calorie deficit through exercise and/or diet, the fat will come off. You have a higher likelihood of burning the fat off your abs by burning 300 calories on a treadmill, than by doing a few crunches.

2)MYTH: “If I run or bike, I don’t need to train my legs in the gym!”
TRUTH: If your goals are aesthetic, building your upper body through weight training but neglecting your legs, can result in a body that looks “out of proportion”. Although running and biking are great activities for developing muscular and cardio-vascular endurance, these exercises do very little in terms of increasing girth measurements or re-shaping the lower body. The joints in the lower body need to go through a full range of motion, with enough load (8-12 reps per set) to stimulate muscular growth and strength. Some great exercises for increasing mass and improving shape in the legs are: the squat, leg presses, hack squats, leg curls, and dead lifts.

3)MYTH: “Protein builds muscle”
TRUTH: Not all by itself, it doesn’t. Although protein builds and repairs muscle tissue, weight strength training has to come first and you have to train with intensity and regularity to stimulate that growth. Intense training creates little microscopic tears in the muscle tissue, which is considered normal, positive stress. The body needs rest to promote growth and repair. Proper recovery through food, sleep, and a good solid scientific approach to weight training is the ideal combination to build muscle.

4)MYTH: “High protein diets are healthy.”
TRUTH: High protein diets are not usually considered healthy. Usually high protein diets are low in carbs, too. This causes dehydration, which causes poor nutrient absorption, slow thinking, and possible electrolyte imbalance, to name but a few side effects. High protein diets put unnecessary stress on the liver and kidneys, especially if you are not drinking, at least, 8-10 glasses of water a day. These diets can even pull calcium from the bones, setting us up for osteoporosis. However, the proper amount of protein (varies based on activity level, type of activity, goal, and body composition) strengthens the immune system, drives your body’s catabolism/anabolism (tear down/build up) cycle, and boosts the metabolism, too.

5)MYTH: “Aerobics is better for shaping up than weight training.”
TRUTH: Weight training can significantly increase your metabolism, which is the rate in which your body can burn fat. When you gain muscle, your body requires more energy to maintain that new muscle. Weight training also re-shapes your body. Even though aerobic exercise burns calories and helps you lose weight, your overall shape will remain the same. You become a smaller version of your former self with aerobic exercise. Combine San Diego Sporting Club Cardio Strength Training for optimal results!

By Cynthia Hunter, NASM CPT, PES

While the UTC Fitness gym is a controlled environment there is still concern of injury caused from improper form, musculoskeletal-imbalances and lack of stabilization. Read on and learn how to prevent injuries!

1. Ladies, this one’s especially for you. Seated Adductor Machines. I know you like to sit on them in the hopes your thighs will be firmer and fat will disappear, but I must interject some wisdom. The majority of individuals have tight adductor muscles making use of this machine detrimental to optimal function of the body. This could potentially lead to medial knee pain and some ACL injuries.

2. Next on the blacklist are seated abductor machines. This machine can increase dysfunction of the piriformis. This can lead to piriformis syndrome. A tight piriformis can eventually lead to chronic back pain, hip pain, and lateral knee pain. If you do suffer from the effects of a tight piriformis muscle, be sure to foam roll!!

3. Torso Rotation Machines (of any kind). These machines lure gym members with the thought of a tighter core and slimmer waists. However, this machine should NOT be used by individuals with a weak and underdeveloped core. Without properly developed core stabilization, these exercises could lead to low back pain and increased translation of the vertebrae. After you can perform the stability ball “iso” rotation exercise, and keep your abs engaged and hips stable, you could safely move onto this type of machine.

4. Your chest is tight. Chances are your pectoral muscles are severely overactive. This is because we use computers, drive, and do other daily tasks in a forward motion using the chest muscles more than our back muscles. Strength and agility training the chest is a good thing, as long as you pay equal (or more) attention to the back muscles. But there is one archaic chest machine that should never be used. Good trainers cringe at the very sight of these dinosaurs. The pec dec. Use of this machine puts an extraordinary amount of stress on the anterior shoulder complex and could eventually lead to bicepital tendonitis and cervical strain. Just stick to the traditional chest press machine and let this machine do what it’s best at…holding the floor down.

5. Leave the plie-like squats to sumo wrestlers and ballerinas. Some individuals and San Diego Sporting Club trainers swear this helps target the glutes better than traditional squats….bullcrap. Over time this exercise can lead to increased low back pain, sciatic nerve pain, knee pain, and ankle/foot complex pain and plantar fasciitis. A good replacement for this exercise is the stability ball wall squat.

Any questions?
Shoot.

Reference
Lucett, Chere. Common Resistance Training Exercises and Machines to Re-think