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Between the wetness wicking clothing, expensive athletic shoes, heart monitors, yoga mats, and mp3 player belts, how is one to know what is necessity and what is convenience? Some of these items make fitness seem a cost prohibitive endeavor for many new to the “scene”. There are certainly items that are not to be taken lightly, and some on which you can skimp and do no harm. Do you need to know?
SHOES: This critical item is your fitness foundation. Your footwear is more important than almost anything when it comes to proper work out gear. Some activities like soccer, basketball, tennis and running have specific shoes in which you should invest for your safety and longevity. Do not skimp on shoes. Yoga and Pilates participants who do nothing else can count themselves blessed to be able to avoid this somewhat expensive arena of those new to fitness. The good news is, for around $100 you can get a very high quality pair that, with proper care, can be adequate for 3-6 months. If you are new to fitness, have previous foot/ankle injuries or suddenly experiencing foot pain for the first time, visiting a large shoe specialty store for a fitting may be in your best interest. All shoes are not created equal and getting this piece of equipment right is critical to your success. If you do not have access to such a store, talk to your trainer, podiatrist, chiropractor, or someone else who knows your activity level and injury history who may be able to assist you.
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Did you ever think about why the action of a particular muscle is named in the manner in which it is? Traditionally we have thought of muscle and muscle function in an isolated manner, and described it as if the body were lifeless on a table. Perhaps this is because when man was learning about the body by dissecting cadavers (likely stolen), experiments were performed in an effort to discover the function of the muscle and bone. The beginning and ends of a muscle were brought together, for example the hamstrings, and the result was shortening (knee flexion). This description is the one primarily taught in anatomy books, and is an isolated interpretation of muscle action. What is not taken into consideration is the way in which gravity and ground reaction, which is the force exerted on the body by the ground, affect the body.
With the infusion of gravity and ground reaction that lengthen myofascially connected structures, suddenly muscles don’t act upon the body to generate a movement,(i.e. hamstrings performing knee flexion); rather the myofascia responds to forces presented upon it by lengthening of muscle and energy absorption, such as the quads slowing knee flexion or hamstrings slowing hip flexion and knee extension. With this paradigm of thought, “stretching and strengthening” become synonymous; as strength becomes the body’s ability to lengthen, transfer and utilize energy with control and efficiency. To understand that muscles work together in an integrated fashion, battling gravity and ground reaction to keep upright and moving is an important step in our understanding of human motion.
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Change is the name of the game. We all know that clients are always on the lookout for the next new way to exercise. Meeting the needs of a diverse population of clients is an on-going challenge for the fitness industry. Clients are often asking for a change in their training process and may be intimidated by having to perform in front of a large group and may not have the equipment knowledge to feel like they can “do the class”. Large group fitness can be very stressful for some clients which may cause them to miss out on the many advantages of group fitness. Some trainers have indicated that clubs don’t always want to give up a large space to run a small group. And yet, you have a group of clients who treasure the idea of working out in a smaller group setting.
The NATS Total E Fit Gym classes are a great solution for those of you who want to meet the changing needs of your clients. The Total E Fit gym is small and can be used in a very compact space. Recently, I held a class in my 12’ x 12’ gym for 14 of my clients. They absolutely loved having a small group of their friends working towards the common goals of being fit and having fun in a small group fitness class. The Total E Fit Gym brings an awesome addition to indoor group training classes, outdoor boot camp classes, senior classes, core-conditioning classes and group fitness strength training classes and pool side or tennis court classes. With a little planning, your own creativity, and your Total E Fit Gyms, you can develop exercise routines to help your clients build every muscle group in their body. Our tag line boasts that, “if you are not toning the muscle you want toned, change positions”.
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In How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy! Paul Chek shares his approach to achieving a healthy, balanced lifestyle while dropping pounds and re-shaping your body. This book will help you identify your individual needs and explain how to address issues that may be preventing you from looking and feeling your best. Paul reveals fascinating research and airs controversial topics while providing practical suggestions for achieving peak vitality. Containing a proven four-step program that has helped thousands of people achieve their health and fitness goals or questionnaires, developing an eating plan, building a personalized exercise program and fine-tuning your healthy lifestyle.
This book need not be read from cover to cover! The questionnaires in Section 1 will guide you through the rest of the book so you can select and read the chapters that are most applicable and interesting to you. This will result in a customized plan of action, and show you how to eat and move to attain and maintain your optimal level of health and performance.
Learn how to proportion your meals to achieve optimal weight and get truths about fats and oils, animal products and grains. Choose an exercise program that really works for you, understand the major impact stress has on your body and discover how getting to bed on time can help improve your health while learning why common health issues, such as fatigue, irritable bowl syndrome, acne and migraines can occur.
Click here to order a copy.
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