Woodmere Fitness

Live Life at Your Full Potential

If you’ve ever wished that you were more motivated to experience life at your full potential then this is for you.

Most of us set goals and work hard only to find our motivation fizzle out after a couple of weeks. But there are little tricks that will help you harness the power of your mind and propel you toward achieving your goal.

The Two Motivators
When you boil it down, you’re motivated by two simple things:

1. To avoid pain (fear of failure)
2. To gain pleasure (promise of reward)

You are naturally geared toward one of these motivators. To figure out which, think of the last time you accomplished a task and then ask yourself the following: While doing the task were you thinking about what would happen if you failed to finish, or were you thinking about what you would gain when you finished?

Take note as to which motivator works for you – fear of failure, or promise of reward.

Set Your Goal: The first step towards unstoppable motivation is to determine your goal. You know you’re unhappy with your body, but what exactly do you want to change? Why is it important to you?

Perhaps you can relate to one of the following goals:

You need to lose weight for your health. Your doctor scared you straight or maybe you’ve had a recent health problem that landed you in the hospital. Your goal is to move away from the pain of sickness.

You want to look and feel incredible. You’ve always wanted to feel vibrant and attractive. The idea of having more energy really excites you. Your goal is to move toward the pleasure and reward of a fit body.

You’re worried about your kids. They don’t eat enough vegetables, they drink more soda pop than water and they play video games constantly. You have decided to model a healthier lifestyle and to encourage your kids to participate. Your goal is to move away from the risks of a sedentary lifestyle and to propel your kids toward a healthy future.

Train Your Mind for Weight Loss:
With your clear and important goal in mind, let’s take a few minutes to train your mind to achieve it. You know that weight loss comes as a result of eating right and regular challenging exercise, so let’s use your mind to conquer both.

Eating Right: Use this exercise to distance yourself from the self-sabotaging foods you really wish you didn’t eat, and to naturally begin selecting healthy foods.

Take a moment to review your current eating habits. Identify the foods that you should stop eating (hint: sweets, anything fried, refined carbohydrates, sugary drinks). Identify the worst food that you eat regularly but know you shouldn’t.

Now imagine the healthy foods that you should eat (hint: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein). Identify the healthiest food that you know you should eat regularly.

Now with the image of these two foods in mind, find a quiet place and do the following exercise (seriously this stuff works):

Draw up the image of your unhealthy food item. This image will likely be quite vivid, with smell, taste and bright color. In your mind, fade this picture to black and white and distance the image until it is dull, fuzzy and remote.

Draw up the image of your healthy food item. This image will likely be fuzzy and faded. In your mind, bring this picture to life with smell, taste, sound and bright color.

Regular Exercise: This technique can be applied in a way that encourages you to crave exercise rather than avoid it.

Take a moment to imagine how you feel after a great workout (notice the emphasis on the word after). Remember the physical satisfaction as well as the sweet feeling of accomplishment.

Now bring to your mind the aspects of exercise that you dislike. What is your biggest reason for avoiding exercise? Are you too tired? Do you not have enough time? Is physical exertion too much of a hassle? Pinpoint your greatest complaint about exercise.

Now with the image of these two aspects of exercise in mind, find a quiet place and do the following exercise:

Draw up the image of your exercise complaint. The image is likely to be clear and accompanied by the sounds, smells and sensations. In your mind, fade this picture to black and white and distance the image until it is dull, fuzzy and remote.

Draw up the image of the wonderful feeling you have after accomplishing a great workout. Magnify this image in your mind. Fixate on how you feel physically, mentally and emotionally. View the experience in bright colors and add a sound track of inspirational music.

Why It Works
If this was your first experience with training your mind (also called Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP) it may have felt a little odd. Many of the world’s top achievers regularly use techniques like these to accomplish astounding goals.

The techniques above work because they train your mind to bring your behavior in line with your values. Think about it, you value health, you desire to be fit and attractive and you want to instill healthy habits in your kids.

These techniques encourage you to avoid self-sabotage and to make choices that line up with what you truly value.

Now that you are ready to accomplish your goals, call or email me today to start your fitness program that will greatly improve your life.

How Stress Influences Your Health and Fitness in Woodmere, Five Town and Nassau

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An Expert in Health and Fitness in Woodmere Reports! Work, money, family, the future – there are plenty of things that we stress about. It isn’t just worries or bad things happening that cause stress, but any sort of change, from getting a promotion at work to planning a wedding, that put stress on your body. Stress can come from emotional or physical changes, illness, drastic changes in the environment, and pushing your body too hard. Eventually, stress can have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. In this article, we’ll take a look at how stress can affect your health and why fitness in Woodmere is a great method to help you relieve some of that stress.

What stress does to the body

Our bodies react to stress in a variety of ways, including fatigue, headaches or other aches and pains, insomnia and other emotional disorders like anxiety or depression. Others might experience gastrointestinal problems like ulcers, cramps or irritable bowel syndrome. Stress can also play a part in cardiovascular health, prompting high blood pressure, heart palpitations, hearts attacks or strokes.

Stress can also adversely affect women and the health of their reproductive systems. Women under stress may experience an absence of a menstrual cycle or abnormal menstrual bleeding. The hormone imbalance that stress creates escalated symptoms of fibroid tumors or endometriosis. Stress can even make getting pregnant difficult for those couples experiencing problems with infertility.

Another way that stress can affect people of both genders is that it quite frequently opens the door to illness. Too much stress can cause our immune systems to falter, making us more susceptible to catching colds or the flu. Stress can even have a negative impact on our skin, causing itchy skin, hives or rashes.

Why exercise can help

While exercise has the obvious benefits of improving overall health and helping you live longer, it can also greatly reduce the amount of stress your body is under. Fitness in Woodmere helps relax tense muscles and promotes better sleeping patterns, plus a wide range of benefits that aren’t so obvious. Exercise promotes better blood flow, including in the brain, which can help combat that feeling of having your head stuffed with cotton.

It also releases endorphins that can provide a happy, healthy feeling after a good work out. There is a lot of evidence that people that work out on a regular basis and are in good health are better able to handle the long term affects of stress. Stress will always be a part of our lives, but combating it with fitness in Woodmere can certainly help minimize the negative effects.

Get help in the fight against stress

Getting on the right path to better fitness in Woodmere can be difficult and confusing in the beginning, and you may not see the beneficial effects right away, so it’s easy to quit. Consulting an expert in health and fitness in Woodmere is a great way to get going and keep you motivated. Not only can a personal trainer assess your present health and design a work out routine to help you combat stress, but he’ll also be there every step of the way to encourage you.

Balance in Your Fitness Program in Woodmere and the Five Towns

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For those that are only at the beginning of their path to better fitness in Five Towns, the word “exercise” conjures up the image of endless hours running or pumping away on a stationary bike. While these exercises certainly have their merits, they are only a part of a balanced fitness program that incorporates several different disciplines. Varying your fitness in Woodmere routine with elements of flexibility, cardio training and strength training will not only help you optimize the results but will also help keep you from being bored. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these three important elements and how to get help in making your routine a balanced one.

Cardio Training

Cardio training is often considered to be the cornerstone of any balanced workout. Any movement that gets our hearts pumping can be considered cardio training, from riding a bicycle to doing aerobics. The benefits of cardio is that they make the heart stronger, help burn fat and raise the metabolism so that you’re better able to burn up calories. Experts vary in their opinions of how often we should have cardio training, but most agree that about thirty minutes most days of the week is excellent, even if it’s cut up in ten minute increments. The most important part is getting the heart beating at your target heart rate for extended periods of time.

Strength Training

Strength training is an equally important part of a balanced fitness routine. Remember how cardio training helps raise the metabolism? Well, strength training can help in this area by keeping your muscle mass at a healthy rate. And if your goal is to lose weight, strength training in conjunction with cardio training is the best way to go, because the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you’ll burn over the course of a day. Not only will you be improving your muscles, but also your bones and joints.

Flexibility Training

Flexibility is also an important part of a balanced fitness in Woodmere program, whether it is simply a stretching routine at the beginning or end of a workout or a fuller experience such as yoga. Tired muscles are usually tight and restricted, and stretching can help to increase their flexibility and relieve tension. The benefits of including flexibility training in your fitness program are many, including better posture, protecting the joints and possibly avoiding injury, and even helping to prevent lower back pain.

How To Achieve Fitness in Woodmere

Newcomers to exercise might be scratching their heads and saying to themselves, “Okay, I know these things are important, but how do I find the right balance for me?” It’s true, everyone is different and your needs might be drastically different from someone else’s. A great place to start is to consult a professional of fitness in Woodmere. If you are looking for fitness in Woodmere, a personal trainer is ideal for newcomers and experts alike, because they are able to do a full assessment of your needs, medical concerns and goals and help you reach them in a balanced, safe way.

Fitness in Woodmere Exercise Equipment

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Those that are getting ready to start a new fitness in Woodmere program may be tempted to avoid using exercise equipment for a variety of reasons. Buying an exercise machine or joining a gym can be expensive, and there is a common misconception that people can attain the same amount of exercise without them. The truth is there are clear advantages of incorporating exercise equipment into your fitness in Woodmere program. In this article, we’ll take a look at different kinds of exercise machines and why incorporating different machines in your fitness program can help you reach your fitness goal.

Free Weights

We often think of free weights as dumbbells, but free weights can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from small hand held weights to medicine balls. Free weights help in strength training and can also help improve balance, as all the muscles in the body are needed to maintain balance while lifting. However, concentrating on specific muscles can be a challenge with free weights. While it is true that there are those that prefer to use free weights in their workouts as opposed to strength training machines, these types of machines have their advantages as well.

Strength Training Machines

Weight machines typically have a stack of weights attached to a pulley, which then can be lifted by pushing or pulling. Strength training machines are generally considered to be safer and easier to use than free weights and are great for those just starting on their fitness program. Because machines typically only work on one specific part of the body at a time, they are also ideal for those that are recovering from injury and need to build up strength. Machines also make sure that the correct movements are used, as opposed to the cheating that can occur with free weights, such as using momentum instead of muscle to lift weights. Your fitness in Woodmere program can and should include free weights and strength training machines to maximize results.

Cardio Machines

Cardiovascular machines are used to increase the heart rate, which can help improve the health of the heart and burn fat. These machines can mimic the motions of walking, running, bicycling, climbing stairs as well as other disciplines. It can be argued that actually doing these actions instead of relying on machines is better, but the machines do have clear advantages, such as being able to easily monitor your progress. Most cardio machines feature a display screen that can monitor the heart rate, “distance” traveled, or calories burned. Another advantage is that your fitness in Woodmere program can always continue, even if it’s raining or snowing.

Vary Your Routine for Better Results

The best fitness in Woodmere programs will incorporate both cardio and strength training to maximize their advantages and result in better fitness for the whole body. While cardio machines are excellent for burning fat and getting the heart pumping, the strength training will help maintain all the benefits of the cardio workout. When designing your fitness routine, be sure to incorporate both cardio and strength training, which will help you realize your fitness goals in a faster and healthier way.

Woodmere and Five Towns Fitness Tips For Beginners

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Starting on the path to better Woodmere fitness can be a difficult road in the beginning, but those that make the commitment to stick it out will be rewarded not only with better health, but feeling better as well. There are plenty of pitfalls for those that are starting a Woodmere fitness routine, but being aware of them and working through them don’t have to be a struggle. In this article, we’ll take a look at five tips for people that are starting on the path to better health.

Eating Right

Improving your eating habits is an important part of improving your overall fitness. A great way to think about what you eat is that it is fuel for making your body work better. A diet that is comprised of a healthy balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables will help your body work better, and you’ll be surprised to see how much more you can eat following a healthy diet than one that is made up of fast food or lots of junk food. But changing your diet doesn’t mean starving yourself – if you’re following a Woodmere fitness routine, your body will need plenty of fuel to run efficiently.

Work Out with a Woodmere Fitness Trainer

A personal trainer doesn’t have to be a drill sergeant! The relationship that you form with your Woodmere fitness trainer can be a highly valuable one. Not only will he or she be there to make sure you are working out in a safe and efficient way, but they can help encourage you when you’re feeling down or that you can’t get through the next exercise. A personal trainer can also assess your needs and create an exercise program that is right for your body and reaching your goals.

Stay Positive

It’s easy to lose your enthusiasm for working out shortly after you’ve only begun. You may not see changes in your body soon after starting an exercise program and this can be very disheartening. While it’s true that you might not see changes right away, you are making great strides in ensuring that your healthy lifestyle will have a positive impact on your health and your self confidence! Try keeping track of your progress and you’ll see that, while you may not see changes overnight, the small changes will soon add up.

Get Plenty of Rest

While exercise is an important part of improving your health, getting plenty of rest is just as important. Sleep deprivation has lots of had effects, from temperament to loss of memory and concentration and can even reduce reaction time. Try to avoid exercising right before sleeping, as well as caffeinated products, and try to get eight hours of sleep every night.

Make a Lifestyle Change

Those that are willing to make a lifestyle change, rather than those that only want to lose a few pounds for an upcoming event, are much more likely to succeed. Crash dieting may help you reach a short term goal, but what will happen when you go back to your regular eating habits? Most people will put the weight they lost right back on. Making the commitment to change the way you eat and your exercise habits will not only help you reach your goal, but you’ll be much more likely to retain the good results. There is no better way to stay on track, than to hire a Woodmere fitness trainer!

Why Strength Training is Beneficial to Woodmere Fitness

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A Woodmere Fitness Expert Reports! There’s a common misconception that muscle is heavier than fat, so why bother with strength training? The truth of the matter is a pound of muscle weighs exactly the same as a pound of fat. Muscle just happens to be leaner than fat and looks a whole lot better on the body. This isn’t the only reason to incorporate strength training into your Woodmere fitness routine. In this article, we’ll take a look at more reasons why strength training is beneficial to those that wish to improve their overall health.

Beneficial for Weight Loss

Strength training is a very important factor in weight loss because the metabolism is increased as muscle is increased. The metabolism is the rate in which calories are consumed, and the rate and efficiency of the metabolism is greatly increased depending on how much muscle is present in the body. Simply put, the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. It has been estimated that for every pound of muscle, the body will burn 35 to 50 more calories a day. This not only helps reduce fat, but helps keep it off.

Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

Not only can strength training help with losing weight, it can also help prevent osteoporosis, which is especially important for women. Strength training can help prevent loss of bone density, which can lead to brittle bones and a host of other health issues. Not only can strength training help prevent the disastrous effects of osteoporosis, but those that are already suffering from osteoporosis and benefit from it as well, as strength training not only helps prevent bone loss, but it can also help increase it.

More Good News

While helping with weight loss and preventing osteoporosis are two big advantages to incorporating strength training into your Woodmere fitness routine, there are many other benefits as well. It can help with cardiovascular health, prevent Type II Diabetes, and even make great strides in protecting joints. Perhaps the greatest advantage is that it can help reduce the bane of many a woman’s existence – belly fat.

Believe it or not, abdominal fat is often the result of not just overeating but stress. Our bodies produce a hormone called cortisol when we are under stress, and this hormone can increase the appetite and convert calories into abdominal fat. This fat is possibly the most dangerous of all the fat the can develop on the body because it is so close to several vital organs, putting undue pressure on them and perhaps causing them to malfunction. Not only does strength training use up cortisol, but it helps reduce the appetite and also helps reduce the dreaded belly fat.

Incorporating strength training into your Woodmere fitness routine has so many benefits that it would be foolish to dismiss it. If you don’t know where to start in your strength training, why not consult with a personal trainer to get you started? Anyone can take advantage of a personal trainer’s expertise to make sure they are making the most of Woodmere fitness and strength training, and to ensure they are working out safely and effectively.

Choosing the Right Woodmere Fitness Program to Meet Your Goals

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Before embarking on a Woodmere fitness program, it’s important to sit down and outline your goals. What do you want to accomplish with your fitness program? Are your goals to lose weight, or increase your strength, or simply to benefit from a healthier lifestyle? Knowing what you want to achieve before you start will start you on the path of choosing the right fitness routine to help you reach your goal. In this article, we’ll take a look a few different exercise routines, their pros and cons, and how a Woodmere fitness trainer can help direct you on the path to reach your goal.

Walking Routines

Walking is a great, balanced exercise for people of all ages, but those that truly wish to benefit from this routine will have to do more than take a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood. Walking at a faster pace than normal will help burn calories and keep the muscles working. Picking up the pace can be as simple as lengthening the strides and keeping the arms moving – not necessarily swinging but by bending the arms at the elbow.

For older folks, walking is a great way to help keep the body in shape, but younger people may not gain as many benefits and might want to augment their Woodmere fitness program with another exercise. Walking may also be difficult for those that suffer from joint or muscle problems.

Swimming Routines

Those with joint or muscle problems may benefit from a swimming routine, which works the entire body without putting undue stress on joints and muscles. Swimming is great for those that want to work at their own pace, and beginners can slowly build up their endurance and eventually be able to swim continuously for as much as thirty minutes at a time.

However, if the goal is weight loss, swimming may not be as affective as choosing a workout routine outside the water. One of the benefits of working out outside of water is that the body temperature rises and the metabolism is increased for upwards of eighteen hours after exercise, but exercising in water results in the water conducting the heat away from the body, which means that the body temperature will not be raised and neither will the metabolism.

Resistance Routines

If your goals include increasing strength and muscle mass, doing a resistance routine may be the best choice. Not necessarily the best choice for losing weight or improving cardiovascular fitness, resistance training can at least help maintain body weight, as the muscles will use more calories than the fat. Resistance training can also be increased in difficulty with added repetitions or less time between exercises.

Trying to decide the best path to take isn’t always as simple as choosing a favorite sport or routine. Consulting a Woodmere fitness trainer, who can assess your present fitness, strengths and weaknesses, can be a valuable asset to any one seeking to improve their health. Not only can a Woodmere fitness trainer set you on the best path to reach your goals, but he will be with you every step of the way, to make sure you work in the safest way possible and to encourage you.