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Three Reasons your recreational activity shouldn’t be your whole routine

Tips from a career Personal Trainer.

Some of you may know this, but others may not…. I am addicted to skiing. I have loved it since I first tried it back in Junior High in DC. I not only want to do it as much as possible, but I want to get really really…. really good at it. This was one of the convincing arguments my wife used on me to get me to move from Los Angeles to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I purchased a ski pass this season, and I have already been 10 times! I plan to ski as much as I can now and in the future.

Someone recently on the ski lift, after finding out that I am a personal trainer and own a personal training company in Santa Fe asked if skiing was a good workout. Although, skiing is really a fantastic activity that works a lot of your body; legs, core, some cardio and a bit of the upper body, the skier is basically just controlling their fall down a mountain. Gravity is doing most of the propelling work.

This is why skiing can’t be my only form of exercise. Although it seems to cover the whole body and I feel good afterward, even if I could just ski all day, every day, skiing is just an activity and can not address everything I want and need in a complete fitness program.

Over the past 20 + years of being a personal trainer and now owning a personal training company here in Santa Fe, I have seen and see people mistake any activity as a complete workout program, and that is just not correct. Listen carefully, there is no single workout routine that will achieve all your goals. None! And any personal trainer, fitness trainer or group exercise class trainer who says that is either lying or is operating without all the info, and in that case should be careful of what they promise. Although this topic is complex, I am going to keep is simple for purposes of this blog.

Three Reasons your recreational activity shouldn’t be your whole routine:

  1. It is not tailored to you! This is the most obvious answer (I hope). You may have a desire (emotional) of what you want to see happen in your body. So you go searching for an answer to this and you buy an online course, join an exercise class or find a personal trainer / fitness trainer who promises this outcome. Nothing wrong so far. But then you show up and you jump into the routine with no or very little assessment of your body (logical). And now you are trying to go from a relatively novice position to doing general routines with Olympic lifts, standing on balance balls while lifting weights, doing exercises on the TRX or pushing yourself into a yoga pose that your body isn’t ready for. You see your body will do these moves because you told it to. It’s your body, it has to listen. But more than likely it is going to do this movement horribly and chances are you won’t initially notice it at all; a slight shift here and a progressive rubbing there. Nothing that you will notice in the sort term, but in a year, five maybe ten you will have some sort of pathology that can or can not be fixed and you wont even know that it started from that routine you started in the new year.
  2. Endorphin’s feel good! These are the positive feeling that you receive when you move around. The blood is flowing! Your muscles are working! The birds are singing! Yes! This is a great thing. It has wonderful positive effects on your psychology and to the degree of what you are doing has different physiological effects. But this should not blind you to the fact that there are imbalances within your body. If you don’t, that activity that you are doing will make that condition worse, and then you wont be able to do the activities you love and it will have a very detrimental effect on your psychology. Case in point, Patella Femoral Syndrome. One of the main causes of knee pain today. It is when the patella (knee cap) rubs over the trochlea of the femur, slowly rubbing the cartilage away on the posterior (underside) of the patella. Can’t really feel too much at the start, but after repeated rubbing of the patella over the femur and the cartilage start to wear down, pain and in some cases A LOT of pain ensues. What causes the patella to rub over the femur? Knee flexion. This is where the heal of the foot goes toward your but. What activities do this? Pretty much all of them!
  3. You will over use your body! The body has different planes of motion, different ways that it reacts to force, different energy systems and A LOT of muscles that have A LOT of different actions. These general programs will move you only in the way that the routine is set up. Many times this means that you only move in one or two planes of motion. When you are out in life, your body will move in all the different planes of motion regardless if you are efficient in them or not. And if you aren’t, then your body will compensate (cheat) and we all know that eventually cheating in any form catches up with you. And even if your routine moves in different planes of motion but is not respecting ALL muscles of the body and how they should be balanced, then will continue to cheat. In your body you have what’s called PIT muscles and DAM muscles. The PIT muscles are the small muscles and prepare you to move properly. If they aren’t balanced or strong enough, then they can’t “communicate” to the body. Then the DAM muscles will move you, but not well.

 These three “dangers” must be taken into consideration in both what you are currently doing and what you are planning to do. When you choose an exercise class, fitness trainer or personal trainer you should know exactly what you will be getting from it. And you should always be properly assessed and what’s going to happen should be explained to you. SolCore Fitness personal training Santa Fe does just that. Whether it is best for you to join our group exercise classes, semi-private personal training or private personal training, we make sure that your know where you are starting from, what’s to come and what will be required of you.

If you are in Santa Fe, NM and this sounds appealing then we offer a free consultation.

The goal is longevity. To your health!
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Personal Training Success Story

Personal Training Success Story – John Bennett

When somebody tells you that they didn’t think they would live this long, you begin to understand their mindset and what hard living can be. It doesn’t surprise you that the activities in which they like to engage, include motorcycles and boats. And when you hear that they have had 5 spinal surgeries…five…and continue to do all these activities, who they are makes more sense to you.

Is this some mythical creature that hangs out with Santa and the Tooth Fairy riding a unicorn? Nope, it’s “just” John Bennett… and he is the member of the month and the latest personal training success story.

I hear question marks popping up in your head. Are you advocating running yourself into the ground? Nope. I have always said that our greatest strength is our greater power and John exemplifies that to a tee. John has the drive to push through just about anything! This drive, I can assume, is what he used to “retire” at an early age. This same drive also crushed his body.

Most guys in his position would do one of two things, quit or be stubborn and keep living hard and eventually kill themselves. But John has another great quality, he is open and curious. I know I just listed two, but they go together. These two qualities have allowed him to be open enough to join SolCore Fitness and trust us with his health and fitness. Because of this trust and his incredible drive, John has made amazing gains in our program.

  • What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a program? Pain! My back, legs, neck, hips…, everywhere!
  • What did you do before? I have been active my whole life and been using a gym since my mid twenties. Recently, before joining this program I was at El Gancho 3 X a week doing weights and the Stairmaster. I had surgery on my neck and low back for herniations and follow up surgery for the scar tissue. I also did some PT after the surgeries.
  • What results have you achieved since starting your program that you are proud of? My overall conditioning is the best it has ever been. My flexibility has improved dramatically. I am finally able to touch my toes while bending over. My respiration (breathing) is much better.
  • Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them? Wall Squats are my favorite (of course) squats all the big muscle exercises. Actually I enjoy them all! Because of this program I can now get out of the chair without out pain or holding on to something.
  • What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on? The Ab roll ups are a challenge for me.
  • What do you like best about our program / having a trainer? The leadership and knowledge that is provided.
  • What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members? Do your homework!
  • What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program? Do it! It will definitely help you like it has helped me.

There you have it for the unicorn riding man himself…do your homework! 🙂
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Exercise Helps Keep Your Body’s Rhythms In Check

The Power Of Consistent Exercise

There’s no doubt that getting your heart pumping and blood moving through exercise has a long list of health benefits. It controls weight, combats health conditions and diseases, improves mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, and more. But many people don’t realize that lack of exercise can disrupt the body’s rhythms. Each of our bodies has circadian rhythms – physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness. It’s why we naturally fall asleep during the night and rise during the daylight. But our heartbeats, hormones, hunger, alertness, digestion, fatigue and other bodily functions are also influenced by our circadian rhythms.

According to a 2009 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, exercise may affect how and when we move, even when we aren’t exercising. The findings suggest exercise may help our bodies recognize the optimal times to move and be still. Dr. Frank Scheer, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Medical Chronobiology Program at Brigham and the Women’s Hospital in Boston, oversaw the study along with colleagues. They had a range of people from young adults to older people wear activity monitors for a week and tracked their movements as the volunteers stuck to their normal daily activities. As noted in a New York Times article, “The young people’s bodies seemed to be somehow remembering and responding to what that body had just been doing, whether sitting or moving, and then calculating a new, appropriate response – moving or sitting.

In doing so, the researchers felt, the body created a healthy, dynamic circadian pattern.” But the results weren’t the same for the older people in the study. Their memory patterns were reduced drastically with age and their movements were more random with less movement during the day and more movement at night. However, the researchers wanted to determine if these changes were caused solely by aging. Dr. Scheer and his colleagues, Kun Hu of Harvard University and Johanna Meijer of Leiden University, performed a new study this year. They monitored the movement patterns of mice ranging from six months to two years in age, which is equivalent to human young adults and aging seniors. For one month, they left a running wheel in the mice’s cage and found that the young mice often ran and developed patterns of peaks and valleys in their activity levels. The older mice had similar peaks and valleys, but they were more random. However, when the researchers removed the running wheel, all of the mice started showing more random patterns of movement, and the young mice had activity levels similar to the older mice. Once the researchers put the wheel back into the cage, all of the mice began exercising again and returned to healthy patterns of movements. According to Dr. Scheer, the finding suggests that exercise affects daily movement patterns more than age does.

Although the researchers don’t know how exercise might affect the body’s internal clocks, the study does suggest that exercise improves rhythms. Experts also note that there’s an ideal time of day to exercise based on our circadian rhythms, but many disagree on exactly when that is. Dr. Phyllis Zee of Northwestern University believes that the best time to work out is in the late afternoon because the body temperature is between one and two degrees warmer than in the morning, making muscles in the body more supple and lowering the risk of injury. Working out when the body temperature is at its peak, which is usually about 4pm or 5pm, can help people have optimal endurance, maximum flexibility and heightened injury resistance. However, some health experts argue that working out in the morning will jump start burning calories for the day and help you sustain a higher metabolic rate later in the day. Research has also shown that morning exercisers have a greater degree of consistency since afternoon and evening workouts are more likely to conflict with other responsibilities as the day progresses. But everyone’s circadian rhythm is different, and although there may be an ideal time to prevent injury and achieve peak performance, the most important thing is to exercise consistently.

Whether you need that 6am morning workout to clear your head and get ready for your day, or you prefer to wait until the afternoon because you feel most awake, just make sure you get your workout in. If you do prefer to exercise in the morning, make sure to warm up muscles that might be cool and tight from sleep to reduce the risk of injury. Try exercising at different times of day and use your body clock as a guide to determine what works best for you.
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HIT your workouts.

HIT Workouts

With the New Years right around the corner, the biggest thing on most people‘s minds is losing fat , losing weight and getting their bodies in shape for 2016 and beyond.

And in case you‘re among those who wants to be able to show off that lean, trim, and fit look while donning a bathing suit, there‘s good news… You don’t have to wait till 2016!

In fact, a 2012 study shows us you can get fit and healthy in a fraction of the time it normally takes. Let me explain…

A group of researchers from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the University of Birmingham have taken existing research on short bursts of intense exercise to a new level.

Their research shows we can get ALL the health and fat burning benefits of aerobic exercise in as little as 90 minutes a week.[1] This is a far cry from the recommended 5 hours of low-intensity exercise recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

And yes, while the results from this research sound like the promises for some new-fangled, infomercial- ab gizmo (i.e. ―Get flat, toned, sexy abs in just 3 minutes a day!), the claims are based on sound science.

The study, published in The Journal of Physiology, found that by doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIT) and/or Sprint Interval Training (SIT), you can get all the health benefits that come from performing 5 hours of ―traditional‖ exercise every week.

Researchers took sedentary participants and split them into two groups. One group was in the ―intense‖ exercise group, working out briefly three times a week. The other group did endurance exercise (45 – 60 minutes of low intensity cycling) 5 days a week. After six weeks, the researchers measured various health markers in the subjects. As it turned out, both groups had the same improvements in health. Of course, the exciting part is that the high-intensity group got the benefits in a fraction of the time.

This study confirms what we‘ve known for a while – high-intensity exercise has too many health benefits to ignore!

For example, did you know that intense exercise is the only kind of exercise that stimulates the release of Human Growth hormone.

In fact, it explains why the results of this LJMU study were so successful. HGH is the ―youth hormone. It helps your body build muscle, burn fat, and keeps you feeling energetic and young.

If you‘re over 30, your HGH levels start to steadily decline and this contributes to the aging process. But by doing HIT or SIT, you can fight back against the hands of time and boost your HGH naturally.

PLUS – another benefit of high- intensity training you may not know of is the ―after burn  effect. It‘s called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and it‘s when your metabolism is still roaring, burning calories many hours AFTER your workout ended. Over a few weeks and months, it can add up to a few ―bonus‖ pounds of fat lost.

So if you‘re serious about getting fit before summer, try adding in some HIT into your weekly routine. Make sure you check with your doctor first, however, as you need to be in good overall health to do it. And make sure that you use a qualified personal trainer and get some personal training. A qualified personal trainer will properly asses you and periodize your personal training program so that you don’t get hurt and maximize your progress. This personal training program with a qualified personal trainer will drastically enhance your weight loss, fat loss and strength gain.  Once you get to your HIT segment in just two or three sessions per week is all you need. Any more can lead to over training, leaving you feeling fatigued and drained.And remember with a QUALIFIED personal trainer!

And, always remember—you can’t out train a bad diet. So while you can reduce the amount of time you spend exercising and get results in a shorter period of time, it still has to work in combination with a sensible, metabolic typing diet.
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Brain Exercise

How Exercise Is Also Brain Exercise

How to enlarge the size of your brain.

The deepest canyon in the world is in Peru.

It’s called the Cotahuasi Canyon and it’s near the city of Arequipa.

The canyon was formed by the mighty Cotahuasi River.

It was during a river-rafting trip down this river that a woman in her late thirties had a revelation.

You see there was a variety of people on the trip. The youngest was 16 years old. The oldest was over 60.

What she realized was that of all the people on her rafting adventure, even though she considered herself healthy, she was the weakest person physically.

She admits that she had been living an unbalanced life. And it had taken its toll.

Classic story of “Too much work, not enough play.”

Her reliance on junk food had found her 25 lbs overweight.

The rafting trip was her attempt to broaden her horizons.

The first thing she did when she got home was to hire a personal trainer. She says it was “the best decision in my life.”

As time went by and her body started to get stronger, she started to notice something about herself.

Not only did she feel better physically, her mood improved. Plus she noticed her memory was sharper and her attention span was longer.

It made her curious about how exactly exercise affects the brain.

Fortunately for Wendy Suzuki, as a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University (NYU)’s Center for Neural Science, she was uniquely qualified to answer that question.

One of the studies she looked at was done in the late 1950’s by a woman by the name of Marian Diamond. Diamond is a professor of anatomy at the University of California, Berkeley. (Diamond, 88, is the subject of a multipart web series called My Love Affair with the Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond.)

The study involved rats.

Why do so many scientific experiments involve rats? The genetic, biological and behavior characteristics of rats closely resemble those of humans. Therefore many symptoms of human conditions can be replicated in mice and rats.

Diamond’s rat experiment involved placing rats in two distinctly different environments. One was the “Disneyland of rat cages.” It was an “enriched environment” that had lots of open space and lots of toys (and other rats) for the rats to play with.

The second environment was an impoverished environment: no toys, limited space and only a couple of rats in the cage.

She then compared the brains of the rats from each environment.

The rats from the enriched environment had a thicker outer covering (cortex of their brain). Plus their brain experienced greater angiogenesis (the physiological process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels.) Or in other words, their brains got bigger.

At the time Diamond didn’t come to any definitive conclusion as to why the enriched environment rats experienced an expansion in the brain size. It was only years later in the 1990’s when scientists examining her work concluded that the brains were enlarged because the rats in the enriched environment were able to get more exercise.

Suzuki uncovered more research and became so fascinated with it that she shifted the entire focus of her research from the study of memory in the hippocampus to the effects of exercise on brain functions in people. In March of this year her book Healthy Brain, Happy Life was published.

Another thing she noticed about herself beside the improvements in her mood, attention and memory was that she seemed to have a newfound spark of creativity.

She says she found it easier to come up with new “out of the box” neuroscience courses to teach. She started exploring new hobbies like writing and singing. She even started seeking out collaborations with artists, musicians and dancers.

Because of the burst of creativity that she was experiencing, she wanted to see if there was any research available that linked exercise with enhanced creativity. It turns out there is a definite connection.

A 2013 study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience showed that people who exercised on a regular basis did better on tests of creativity than their more sedentary peers.

Regular exercisers were found to have improved divergent and convergent thinking, two key components of creative thinking.

“Exercising on a regular basis may thus act as a cognitive enhancer promoting creativity in inexpensive and healthy ways,” says study researcher Lorenza Colzato, a cognitive psychologist at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

Dr. John Ratey notes in his influential book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (2008), that exercise isn’t just about physical health and appearance. Ratey writes that it also has a profound effect on your brain chemistry, physiology, and neuroplasticity (the ability of the brain to literally rewire itself). Meaning that your ability to think, create and solve are all enhanced by exercise.

For artists, writers, musicians or anyone in a field that requires a high level of imagination, regular exercise might just be the edge they need to take things to the next level of their career creatively.

And while exercise, of course, makes sense for everyone it’s nice to be reminded that you’re not just improving your physical body you’re enhancing the most important organ in your body, your brain.

Suzuki sums it up nicely when she says…

“Exercise can keep your brain healthy longer.”
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