Why Stretch or Warm Up? What is its Usefulness?
Watch this video to find out.
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it’s not just working out.
This member of the month’s success story is great for a number of reasons.
First, this is the whole reason we exist. Our mission is to have #500balancedhealthystrongpeople that can live their lives to the fullest and be of the most service. Leslie is one of those people. Having a personal training success story like Leslie’s makes our mission worthwhile and fun!
The second reason is due to the power of referring someone to a program and support system that will help them achieve a better life through health and fitness. Leslie’s friend and fellow member, Barbara R, referred her to our personal training program. Barbara heard that her friend was in need of help and, based on her trust in us, told Leslie that we would be a great option for her.
It was important that Leslie find the right fit in a personal training program, because she has very specific health concerns that need to be taken into consideration. Chief among her health issues is a blood clotting disorder that she has to control with medication. This medication thins her blood and if she were to fall and cut herself, it would be quite serious.
Due to Barbara’s outreach and recommendation, Leslie has now achieved amazing results and is on the right track.
Leslie and her husband, Sheldon, came from St. Louis and have been in Santa Fe for over a year now. She had been a successful Social Worker and businesswoman in St. Louis, but when the time came to retire she packed up Sheldon, Alice (her beautiful dog), and a host of other pets and hoofed it to Santa Fe.
For the first year, she was getting her bearings and setting up her life. She found friends, great places to visit and eat, and she even found a way to give back by visiting a local nursing home with Alice on a weekly basis. But the one thing lacking was her health.
Leslie was ready, but due to her health, she was unable to enjoy her retirement. She wanted to be stronger and healthier. Now through her amazing mindset and hard work, she has obliterated her goals and has moved on to bigger ones.
1) What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a program?
I was overweight and a pre-diabetic and knew that if I didn’t do something immediately it would be too late. I wanted to get stronger and healthier and to be the best that I could be. Just because I am in my 60’s and retired, doesn’t mean that I need to give up. Just the opposite, I want to live my retirement with the best life possible.
2) What did you do before?
I go to my doctors to manage my blood disorder. I went to PT for my knee and back and after my shoulder surgery. I took water aerobics twice a week and it was enjoyable, but I knew it wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
3) What results have you achieved since starting your program that you are proud of?
My stamina, strength, posture and balance are so much better. I used to be terrified of falling because of the fact that getting a cut could be very dangerous for me and now I feel more “upright” and physically confident in my body. I have lost 15lbs and 10% body fat. My shoulder which always kind of hurt and felt funny after the surgery feels as if I never had it.
4) Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them?
I like all the exercises that we do because I see the results it gives me. Well, except the cardio part and that is because it is hard, but I know that it is good for me also.
5) What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on?
I want to continue to lose weight and continue to gain confidence in my balance. A nice benefit to this program is that it is helping my knees and I would like to continue to get them strong. I also want my back to continue to get strong.
6) What do you like best about our program/ having a trainer?
It doesn’t feel like you are going to the gym. You guys pay a lot of attention beyond what the routine is. The program is flexible and intelligent and goes beyond just the muscles and bones.
7) What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members?
Keep the positive movement forward. Don’t dwell on what you can’t do. You will do as well as you can. It’s not about comparing yourself, it’s about how you feel.
8) What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program?
Figure out what you can do, because this works. If you have the resources, it is well worth it. After the first 2-3 months you will be able to see and feel what it is all about. Go on “autopilot” and have faith and trust. This is what I did! It was very challenging at the start, but I just kept coming and doing what I could of the homework. And after that first 3 months, you will love it! The “homework” they give you is very important and priceless. It helps solve the problems that you have and gives you the ability to “treat yourself.” Invest in yourself. It will come back to you and more.
Do you want to achieve what Leslie was able to achieve? If you are looking for a little more support and education on how to do it right to reach your health and fitness goals them contact us about a free consult and trial. Go to https://www.solcorefitness.com/consultation-landing-page/ to request one.
The free trial wont be around long so claim it while you can. Go to FREE CONSULT AND TRIAL.
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“Life is what you make of it. You can be happy or sad. It’s up to you.” Amy Weyhrauch’s dad. No one person epitomizes this phrase more then Amy. She is one of kindest most positive people you will ever meet. She is a mom to 4 kids and, it is this attitude that has propelled her to great accomplishments and the July member of the month.
When I first talked to Amy I found out that she had Ankylosing spondylitis. From the website of Spondylitis Association of America -“Ankylosing spondylitis (pronounced ank-kih-low-sing spon-dill-eye-tiss), or AS, is a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, although other joints can become involved. It causes inflammation of the spinal joints (vertebrae) that can lead to severe, chronic pain and discomfort. In the most advanced cases (but not in all cases), this inflammation can lead to new bone formation on the spine, causing the spine to fuse in a fixed, immobile position, sometimes creating a forward-stooped posture.” Amy, has the advanced kind, and she needed to get the right treatment and training otherwise she was in danger of her spine fusing. So I wasn’t too surprised when Amy first came to me moving like Frankenstein with a limp. She had a really hard time turning her neck and she was walking very gingerly. It didn’t take an Osteopath to see that she was in pain. Her number one goal was obvious…get out of pain! She was cautious for good a reason; she didn’t want to further hurt her body. You see this all started when Amy was playing tennis and she fell and hurt her right clavicle. No biggie, except that it wasn’t getting better and she was starting to feel worse all over. So she started the rounds with different doctors and they kept coming up with different diagnoses. There was even a significant amount of time where they thought she had Leukemia. Can you imagine the stress of that! Well it wasn’t that, thank goodness.
To describe in practical terms how the AS affects her I’ll tell you what I tell her. “Everything that you do is magnified. When somebody else doesn’t stretch for a day or so they get a little tight and hinder their healing. When you don’t stretch for a day or two your body starts to lock up. Literally!” And when she didn’t stretch as much as she wanted to she felt it-to the point where if she had just thrown up her arms and succumbed to fait you could have understood, but she didn’t. Amy has epitomized our 3rd Core Principle “Consistent Steady Improvement.” She has been in private training with us 3-4 days a week for a little over a year and she has made amazing progress. You will hear about it later on in her words, but I am so proud of her for:
1) What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a program? My Ankylosing was the main reason to seek out help. It just made me feel so bad, and it is really hard to motivate yourself when you don’t feel good. I just kept giving myself excuses as to why I shouldn’t and couldn’t do it. Well I finally got to the point where I felt so bad that I reached out to a friend of mine, Liz Karp, and she recommended you to me.
2) What did you do before? Yoga Tapes, exercise tapes, tennis, hiking, sometimes skiing. I also had this chart that was given to me on stretches I should do for Ankylosing. But I knew I needed somebody to teach me the right way.
3) What results have you achieved since starting your program that you are proud of? Well I have lost 7-8% body fat and around 10 pounds, but what I am most proud of is the fact that I am a happier better person because I don’t hurt all the time. It got to the point where I didn’t want to go out and be social. The weight of that pain on me all day took all my effort and to think about spending more effort on going out was too much. I also LOVE that I now have tools to keep myself moving and feeling great. Not only the stretches and exercises but also the fitness journal you gave me was a big help especially at the start. It is eye opening to look back and see how you really did, not just how you thought you did!
4) Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them? I do not like the Mountain Climbers! I love the wall stretch L5-S1, love the hip stretch (Glute Med). Actually I love all the hip stretches and all the spine stretches.
5) What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on? Weight loss is my next big goal along with staying out of pain and keeping my body mobile. I also want to keep changing my habits and keep getting better with the advanced workouts you guys have been giving me.
6) What do you like best about our program/ having a trainer? The knowledge that you guys have is invaluable. I also love that you are flexible. You guys always have a program ready, but if I come in and say I am feeling a certain way, you are able to change the program on the fly to meet my needs. I also really appreciate that you guys push me to levels that I didn’t think I could do before, but you never push me too far.
7) What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members? KEEP IT UP! Keep coming to class. Keep doing your homework. Keep making those small improvements each day.
8) What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program? I wish I had had somebody who I trusted to push me to start this sooner. Think about how many times you have procrastinated. I waited almost a year from knowing about SolCore Fitness to starting with them. To get better you have to start. So start now!
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I have known Liz since Fall of 2013. She is the President and COO of Santa Fe Properties and she was referred to my first ever structured group class “Posture Perfect” by her friend and coworker, Georgette. When we first sat down to do her consult, I instantly liked her. She is just one of those people that feels good to be around. I was really surprised to learn how many physical issues she had and the pain that she felt on a daily basis, and the fact that she was such a happy person was even more incredible! At the time she was working with another personal trainer, seeing a Chiropractor once a week and was thinking that she was going to have to get neck surgery to alleviate her pain. When she first started the class, I was actually a little worried. It was very difficult for her to get in and out of the stretches. All I could think was “I hope she doesn’t quit.” Now that I know Liz, I know that this was NEVER a possibility. I have seen Liz get consistently better over the years and she has over come some immense challenges. Liz’s intelligence, positive attitude, friendly demeanor, willingness to learn and change, and dedication makes Liz our March member of the Month and I am privileged to share her Personal Training Success story:
What made you decide you wanted/needed to start a fitness program? I had a lot of pain in my neck, Thoracic (trunk). It got to the point where I use a standing desk at my office because sitting was too painful.
What exercises or fitness programs had you tried before? I had a membership at Santa Fe Sport and Medicine and was working with a trainer. I was also seeing a chiropractor once a week to keep out of pain. But the workouts that I was doing were not what I needed. In fact they were down right dangerous for where I was and when I started the classes, I stopped with that so that I could focus on the classes and getting better.
What results have you achieved since starting your program and are proud of? I was able to not have another surgery and stopped having to see the chiropractor. And even though this was not my main goal, I lost inches and really toned my body. In fact, I was out one night and was with a group of people and one of them was a past client who I had worked with for a long time. And when we were going around and introducing ourselves to each other and it got to us being introduced and he heard that it was me, he he just stopped and said “No way!” It felt pretty good.
Do you have a favorite exercise? Least? What do you like or don’t like about them? The wall (L5-S1) is by far my favorite stretch, because it feels so good. The Frogs (series of inner thigh abductor myofascial stretches) are the most challenging of the myofascial stretches. It’s not that I don’t like them, it is that they are really challenging to me.
What are some challenges or goals you are currently working on? Creating more space in my Thoracic is a big, and it is difficult because my job is counterproductive to that. Eating regular meals has also been a challenge, and I need to make it a priority.
What advice would you give to the other SolCore Fitness members? Have a good mindset. You can’t accomplish any goal without a good mindset. If you have a good mindset, it gets you through the hard times.
What would you say to someone on the fence about joining our program? Try it! But if you do, have a good mindset and be open about it.
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