Fitness Together - Chester Springs

Five Tips to Avoid Skipping Your Workout

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:13:00 -0500

As New Year’s resolutions start becoming stale around this time of the year and opportunities arise to trade in daily workouts for work and personal extracurricular activities, you may be tempted to skip your workout and derail your health and fitness goals.

To help keep you focused on your ultimate fitness goals and ensure your workout commitments stay intact this spring, incorporate the following five techniques for continued health and fitness throughout the year.

Change it Up: If your workouts are getting dull, start the spring season off fresh by trying a new workout routine or activity. If you’re lacking motivation and looking for a social outlet, try small group personal training sessions that offer sweat pumping total body exercises in a fun, upbeat environment. Or, one-on-one personal training can keep you on track with a customized workout and nutrition plan designed to meet your specific health and fitness goals.
Pen it In: Regularly scheduled workouts make exercising a priority in your busy life and turn a tentative penciled in obligation into an inked commitment. By making routine fitness appointments with yourself, you eliminate the urge to second guess yourself or make excuses for bailing on your workout.
Buddy Up: When a friend is relying on you to show up for your workout each and every day, you are less likely to skip out on your fitness routine. Find a buddy to work out with to increase your accountability, add a social aspect to your routine and have someone to share the journey with to overall health and fitness.
Scale it Back: While you would love to have a full hour to work out every single day, you know that isn’t always possible. Instead of bailing on your workout, though, when your schedule gets tight, opt for a scaled-down version of your regular routine. Focus on quality over quantity by reducing the number of exercises you do, but increase the intensity of the exercises so you can still get in a good sweat even when you’re limited on time.
Reward Yourself: To stay motivated with your workout routine, it’s important to focus your outlook and approach on positive measures. Reward yourself with positive reinforcement each time you reach a health and fitness goal and celebrate your successes with your friends, family and workout buddies when you accomplish major fitness milestones.

Stay on track with your fitness routine this spring by implementing the above fitness tips into your daily life. You will be glad you did when swimsuit season hits full force this summer and you have accomplished the health and fitness goals you set for yourself at the start of the year.

If you need help with keeping your workout commitments strong this season, the personal training experts at Fitness Together are here to help you look better, feel better and perform better than you ever thought possible throughout the year. Call or come into our studio today to re-commit yourself to living a healthy and fit lifestyle.

Road Warrior Exercise Plan

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:59:00 -0600

Your bags are packed and you’re ready to jet set across the country. But did you remember to bring your workout with you? Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, it can be hard to maintain a consistent workout regimen when you are outside the comforts and routine of your home and neighborhood.

To help you battle the bulge on upcoming business or vacation trips, take the following workout exercises with you so your health and fitness goals aren’t left at the curb during your next trip.

Set It Up Inside: Whether you are staying at a hotel or someone’s house during your travels you can easily set up a 30-45 minute cardio and strength training circuit within the space of your room. With little to no equipment needed, you can do the following mix of cardio and strength training exercises for one minute each, with 30 seconds of rest in between each exercise. Depending on how much time you have, you can do two or three rounds of each set of exercises. A possible circuit round could include: sit-ups, body weight squats, jumping jacks, pushups, lunges, burpees, triceps dips, plank holds and running in place with high knees.
Take to the Streets: An active way to see the sites in a new area is to walk or run around the city or town you’re visiting. Before your trip or when you arrive, map out local running/walking paths in the area to incorporate exercise into your traveling plans. If you happen to find some stairs along the way, you can increase your cardio by running/walking up and down the stairs, as well as doing step ups/squat jumps, triceps dips and incline/decline pushups on the stairs.
Visit a Local Hotel or Neighborhood Fitness Studio: Depending on your accommodations and length of stay, it might make sense to sign up for a temporary membership at a neighborhood fitness studio or visit your hotel’s gym area. Just make sure to become familiar with the workout equipment before using it to minimize the risk of injury.

By incorporating these exercises into your workouts while you’re on the road, you won’t have to put your fitness routine on hold when you’re busy accumulating frequent traveler miles.

If you need to get your fitness routine back on track when you return from your travels, the personal training experts at Fitness Together are here to help you look better, feel better and perform better than you ever thought possible. At Fitness Together, certified personal trainers set up individual nutrition and exercise plans that will help you accomplish your fitness goals whether you are near or far from your fitness studio. Call 610-524-1075 to find out more information.

Go Red for Heart Healthy Month!

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:09:00 -0600

It’s Heart Health Month meaning this month is ablaze with the color red! The purpose of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement is to call attention to the fact that heart disease is the #1 killer of women (and men). Take care of your heart and tap into the heart-healthy power of eating red to garner the healing power of this fabulous group of nutrition powerhouse foods. Red is the new green, at least as far as heart-healthy eating goes. The bright hue of red foods (and no, I don’t mean the Red Hots candy you ate as a kid!) is a sure sign the food is packed with a lot of disease-fighting antioxidant plant chemicals. The specific phytochemicals include some names you may have heard before: lycopene, carotenoids and resveratrol. Here is a list of the top 5 RED foods you should be eating on a regular basis to keep your ticker strong:

Tomatoes: Tomatoes and cooked tomato products (such as tomato sauce and tomato paste) are high in the powerful antioxidant, lycopene. Lycopene is a plant pigment responsible for the deep red color of tomatoes. Lycopene has numerous health benefits, most notably its ability to ward off prostate cancer in men. When it comes to heart health, lycopene stops LDL or “bad” cholesterol form becoming oxidized by free radicals hence prevents the formation of arterial plaque. Cooking tomatoes has been shown to increase the amount of lycopene that the body can absorb by breaking down plant cells that trap the substance, so eat that tomato sauce!
Apples: An apple a day truly does keep the doctor (cardiologist) away! Sometimes the best heart medicine is the kind you can get from your produce section. In this case, apples contain a large amount of pectin, a soluble fiber, which blocks cholesterol absorption in the gut and encourages the body to excrete the cholesterol. Apple peels are also packed with polyphenols -- antioxidants that prevent cellular damage from free radicals. So whatever you do, don’t toss the peel.
Red wine: Red wine is liquid heart medicine. Studies have shown that drinking one glass a day with a meal promotes clear, healthy arteries. Make sure to go red and not white when you choose your color of wine as red contains the powerful antioxidant resveratrol as well as flavonoids which partner together to ease arterial inflammation. Your best bet for maximum antioxidant power is to drink either pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon. Remember, one glass a day is all you need, any more could cause health problems. Don’t drink? Try a small glass of 100% Concord grape juice instead.
Red Bell Peppers: Who knew? One red bell pepper has three times the vitamin C as an orange! Red bell peppers are also packed with other antioxidants as well as fiber which functions to keep your intestines in good shape as well as lower your cholesterol. Try snacking on red pepper with a hummus dip.
Beets: Reddish purple beets are chock full of plant chemicals called anthocyanins which give them such a deep red color. Anthocyanin pigments and the associated flavonoid polyphenols have demonstrated the ability to protect against a myriad of human diseases, and anthocyanins are also powerful antioxidants that can protect the heart.

Do your heart a favor and "Go Red!" this month by including these heart-healthy red foods into your daily diet. Add some of these foods to your day and with the support of Fitness Together you’ll surely be giving your heart the gift of health this Heart Health Month. Let a Fitness Together trainer work with you to develop a heart-healthy exercise program to accompany your heart-healthy diet, a program designed to meet your specific goals.

Let Fitness Together help you Go Red for Heart Health Month!

January FTCS Newsletter is here!

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:29:00 -0600

Read about our Fitness Together Chester Springs Client of the Month, how to ignite your metabolism, and more! Follow the link below:

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1411562303

Ignite Your Inferno: How Good Nutrition and Exercise Work Together to Boost your Burn

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:20:00 -0600

Health, fitness and weight management is all about balancing the number of calories you take in (eat) with the number of calories your burn (metabolize). In general, fit people have higher metabolic rates. Just what is metabolism? Your metabolism is the process by which your body converts food into energy and then puts that energy to use. You need energy for rigorous activities like jogging or biking, but you also need those calories to fuel bodily processes such as breathing and keeping your heart beating.

Scientifically speaking, there are four components that make up your total daily metabolic burn rate: 1) your resting metabolic rate (RMR or the number of calories your body burns at rest) 2.) TEF or the thermic effect of metabolizing food 3). The amount of calories you burn when going about your daily activities and 4.) physical activity which includes lifestyle activities as well as the planned exercise you partake in. Each of these areas can be tweaked to boost your total daily calorie burn rate. Here are 6 tips for staying lean and fit by igniting each of these metabolic areas in different ways:

Boost your calorie-burning furnace by strength-training. The only scientifically proven method of enhancing the number of calories your body burns at rest (RMR) is to change your body composition meaning adding more muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat (one pound of muscle burns approximately 9 times the calories as a pound of fat) so by increasing muscle mass through intensive strength training, you can increase RMR to a small degree. Strength-building exercises also help maintain your bone density and balance, two important factors in healthy aging.
Daily cardio adds to your burn. Here is where you have the greatest daily control over your total burn rate. Cardio is the greatest calorie burner in the least amount of time. Combine a daily cardio expenditure of a few hundred calories with your strength training workout calorie burn and you have a one-two punch which will guarantee to fire up your metabolism.
Power up your protein intake. Eating a small amount of lean protein at every meal is also an effective metabolism booster. Protein takes more calories to assimilate thereby raising your TEF to a greater degree than carbs or fat.
Eat small, frequent meals. And don’t forget to eat small frequent meals throughout the day (another proven metabolism booster) rather than consolidating your entire food intake into just one or two large meals. Eating metabolism-raising foods in small quantities, spread throughout the day, will also provide you with a stable blood sugar level and a constant source of energy needed for metabolism. It is also important that you do not skip breakfast or drastically reduce your calorie intake as it will be interpreted by your body as potential starvation and lead to a slowdown in your metabolism.
Get enough Z’s. Sleep deprivation actually has been shown to harm your body’s endocrine function and capacity to metabolize carbohydrates. Translation: when you don’t get a good night’s sleep you decrease your calorie burning potential. Aim for at least 7 solid hours per night to help your metabolism run more smoothly.
Practice stress reduction. Stress triggers the release of cortisol, the primary stress hormone. When cortisol bathes your body’s tissue it stimulates fat storage, particularly around the middle (the more dangerous location). Cortisol also slows metabolism. Practicing healthy stress reduction techniques such as exercise, listening to music, gardening or any other relaxation technique will lower the amount of cortisol and help you maximize your metabolic rate.

Remember, you can take action to enhance your total daily metabolic rate. Targeting your calorie burn from multiple angles using the scientifically proven strategies outlined above, is an effective way to control your metabolism. Follow these 6 tips with the support of Fitness Together and you can and will ignite your inner inferno! A Fitness Together trainer will develop a strength training routine designed to meet your specific goals. You’ll also receive nutritional counseling through the Nutrition Together program, which will complement your workouts.

The Buddy Advantage: Enlist the Help of a Workout Buddy to Stay Strong, Fit this Holiday Season

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 10:15:00 -0600

The temptations of the holiday season – baked goods, candy canes, cocktail parties and large social gatherings centered on food – can lead you down the path of weight gain, irritability and inactivity during the cold, dark winter months. To overcome these temptations and stay focused on consistently working out and eating healthy during the holidays, you may need to enlist the help of a workout buddy. A workout buddy can help keep you motivated, dedicated and encouraged as you venture through the journey of living a healthy and fit lifestyle during the holidays and beyond.

Buddy’s Bring Accountability

It’s not just about you when you work out with a buddy. It’s about being there for your partner, showing up every workout session to give your best effort, and setting a good example of being dedicated to you and your partner’s workout success. It’s a lot harder to skip your 6 a.m. workout if you know you have a workout partner waiting for you at the gym to take a class together or someone is relying on you to show up at a local trailhead for an early morning run. It’s also a lot more difficult to “phone in your workout” by just going through the motions and not giving your all when you have a workout buddy beside you who is expending their time and energy to workout with you and give their best. A buddy is an essential resource to help keep you on track, on time and on point during your workouts.

Buddy’s Bring Camaraderie

Working out with a buddy can be a fun adventure that changes with each workout. By working out side-by-side day in and day out, you naturally will begin to build a sense of community, friendship and pride from maintaining a consistent workout schedule together, accomplishing physical and mental goals together, and living by example as to what it means to be fit and healthy. Your workout buddy can quickly become more than just someone to count your push ups or hold your feet during sit ups. Your workout buddy may become a lifelong fitness teammate and friend.

Buddy’s Bring Motivation

Whether you are a competitive person in nature or not, working out with a buddy can improve your health and fitness levels beyond what you could do alone. Buddies can help push you out of your comfort zone by encouraging you to try a new adventure, they can help increase your confidence in how you look and feel about your body by motivating you to perform at levels you never thought possible, and they can celebrate with you after a strenuous workout session that leaves you sweating and feeling good about your accomplishments.

Need a Buddy?

Do you need help finding a workout buddy who is dedicated to looking better, feeling better and performing better during the winter season? Consider joining a small group personal training studio to workout with other like-minded individuals who are seeking real health and fitness results. Fitness Together’s PACK Small Group Training can help you elevate your fitness routine this holiday season in a fun and energetic group setting, with coaching from a Fitness Together certified trainer.

In Fitness Together’s PACK training sessions, like-minded people begin together, work together and finish together in pursuit of a common purpose and to achieve individual goals. Call Fitness Together today to pack your winter with a fun, affordable and structured health and fitness routine for you and your buddy.

Greek Salad Recipe

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:42:00 -0600

Yield: 5 servings
Bright and colorful, best made with garden-fresh vegetables.
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into half moons
1 large ripe tomato, cut in half and sliced
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, cut in half
1/3 cup crumbled fat-free feta cheese
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup thinly sliced basil

In a bowl layer the cucumber, tomato, red onion, olives, and feta cheese. In a separate bowl whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the salad and garnish with the basil.

Nutritional Information Per Serving
(1 cup):
Food weight: 0.5, Calories: 61
Fat: 4 g (0 g EPA, 0 g DHA, < 1 g ALA)
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 220 mg
Carbohydrate: 5 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Sugars: 2 g
Protein: 2 g

Recipe Source: An excerpt from the book Cholesterol Down by Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN;
Published by Three Rivers Press; December 2006;$13.95US/$17.95CAN; 978-0-307-33911-9
Copyright © 2006 Janet Brill, Ph.D. To learn more about this book please visit http://www.CholesterolDownBook.com

Holiday Series: makeover tips for healthier and lighter holiday fare

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 09:34:00 -0600

Gobble, gobble, the HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! Don’t let them be a nutritional minefield. A few simple makeovers of some holiday favorites will lighten up your holiday yet still allow you to enjoy the festivities. Here are some last minute tips for helping you get through these holidays lean and fit:
Good: Sweet potatoes, white meat skinless turkey, plain green beans and carrots, cranberries.
Lighten them up: Mashed potatoes, gravy, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, creamy soups, and eggnog
Gravy:
Use a gravy strainer to strain off the grease. Add corn starch to strained and defatted broth to thicken.
Mashed potatoes:
Replace whole milk or cream with fat-free milk or fat-free half & half. Replace butter with half the amount of light margarine (trans fat free). Cut down on salt and use a dash of parmesan cheese instead (more flavor, less sodium). Use black pepper, garlic powder and dried parsley to season. Use Light Creamy Laughing Cow® cheeses in place of regular cheese.
Stuffing:
If you use a boxed or bagged stuffing mix, dilute it with 3 cups cooked brown rice, low sodium chicken broth, light margarine, and healthy fillers such as sautéed onions, mushrooms, celery, garlic, peppers, even try adding sliced apples, cranberries and walnuts!
Cranberry relish:
Mix cranberries with a small Valencia orange to add sweetness. Cut back on amount of added sugar and add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier. Add chopped walnuts.
Green bean casserole:
Omit cream soup and fried onion rings. For each pound of fresh green beans, combine the following and bake in a covered casserole dish at 350 ºF until bubbly (about 30 minutes): ½ cup fat-free half and half, 1 cup sliced carrots, 2 Tbsp minced dried onions, 2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese. Better yet, steam green beans and add sautéed mushrooms, shallots, balsamic vinegar, a touch of sugar and some sliced almonds and bacon bits for super tasty yet LIGHT.
Candied yams:
For each pound of yams, bake use ½ cup OJ plus cinnamon to taste and ¼ cup raisins. Add light margarine, reduced calorie maple syrup and a touch of mini marshmallows and you cut the calories in half. Or…for the more traditional sweet potato casserole…use the “mini” marshmallows; replace butter with light tub margarine; and the brown sugar with Splenda® brown sugar blend.
Eggnog:
Purchase fat-free eggnog or make your own: 2 peeled ripe bananas, 1 cup fat-free milk or soy milk, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp rum extract. Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth.
Pecan pie:
Add oatmeal to the recipe, use a trans fat-free crust, substitute Splenda® brown sugar blend for brown sugar, substitute light margarine for butter, substitute Egg Beaters® for eggs. Use thawed fat-free whipped topping in place of whipped cream.

Honor National Diabetes Month by Dedicating Yourself to a Healthy and Fit Lifestyle

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:03:00 -0600

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Almost 26 million Americans, both adults and children, battle this chronic, serious disease, which is a leading cause of kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, non-traumatic lower limb amputations and blindness.¹

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), this leading disease nationwide is characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from the body’s inability to produce or use insulin. There are two major types of diabetes – Type 1 and Type 2. Individuals’ bodies with Type 1 diabetes are unable to produce insulin. This type of diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Type 2 diabetes is the most common with millions of American’s bodies either not producing enough insulin or their cells simply ignore the insulin. Insulin is responsible for the body being able to use glucose from the food you eat for energy and to fuel the cells in your body.²

The ADA suggests that a healthy lifestyle made up of a nutritious diet and regular exercise can contribute to preventing diabetes. In honor of National Diabetes Month this November, dedicate yourself to living a healthy and fit lifestyle by incorporating the following three guidelines into your daily life.

Eat Healthy to Fuel a Strong Body

Everyone has heard the saying, “You are what you eat,” but the truth of this simple saying is more accurate than most are willing to give credit. The food you put in your mouth fuels your internal systems to function appropriately, your brain to think clearly, and your cardiovascular and muscular systems to perform physical tasks appropriately. Food is such an important factor to your body’s livelihood that it’s important to focus your eating habits on a nutrient-rich, whole foods diet that is packed with fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats and whole grains.

Exercise Regularly to Reduce Risk of Disease

A healthy diet and regular exercise routine go hand-in-hand to help reduce your risk of diseases such as diabetes and live an overall healthy lifestyle. The ADA offers the following benefits to being active, as it relates to combating diabetes:²

Improves Blood Glucose Management: Activity makes your body more sensitive to the insulin you make and it burns glucose (calories), both of which help to lower blood glucose levels.
Lowers Blood Pressure: Activity helps your heart pump stronger and slower.
Improves Blood Fats: Exercise provides heart healthy benefits such as raising good cholesterol (HDL), while lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides.
Promotes Weight Loss and Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Lowers Risk of Common Diseases Such as Heart Attack, Stroke, Some Cancers and Bone Loss
Increases Energy and Improves Quality of Sleep
Reduces Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Builds Stronger Bones and Muscles: Weight-bearing activities, such as walking, can make bones stronger. Strength-training activities, such as lifting light weights can make muscles strong.

Maintain a Healthy Weight for Optimal Health and Fitness

There isn’t one magic number when it comes to determining a healthy body weight. Everyone’s ideal weight is unique to their specific body structure, muscle mass, water retention and overall health. To determine what your specific healthy weight range should be, consult your health care provider or a licensed nutritionist/dietitian. After you work with a professional to determine your healthy weight range, these providers can help you establish and adjust your weight loss or management goals to align with achieving overall health and fitness.

Before you begin any weight loss or exercise program, you should always seek the advice of an appropriate professional, which could range from your health care provider, licensed nutritionist, a certified personal trainer, etc., depending on the specifics of your situation. Through state-of-the-art techniques and science, Fitness Together combines strength training, cardio conditioning and nutritional guidance for a complete health and fitness solution that can help get you started toward making healthy, well-rounded food and exercise choices to support an active lifestyle. Call or come into our studio today for more information on individual nutrition and exercise plans that can help you make your overall fitness goals and aspirations more attainable.

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¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011.

²American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org.

November FTCS Newsletter is Here!

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 11:31:00 -0600

Read about our Fitness Together Chester Springs Client of the Month, Thanksgiving Day Tips, The Importance of Eating Breakfast, and More! Just follow the link below:

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1411495892

The Runner’s Diet

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:04:00 -0500

If you’re a runner or have friends/family members who are runners, there is a pretty good chance that you’ve heard people ask, “What kind of diet do I need to follow to be like a runner?” Just as the specifics of everyone’s diets are different due to a handful of variables, each runner’s diet is as unique as his/her pre-race rituals. Even so, many members of the running community tend to have some similar characteristics – runners are planners, runners are consistent, runners keep track of their daily activities – that can carry over to creating healthy eating habits to benefit runners and non-runners alike.

Plan What You Eat

It’s a lot easier to maintain a healthy diet that includes all of the essential vitamins, minerals and nutrition your body needs when you plan out and prepare your meals for the day/week ahead of time. On a weekly basis, create a master menu and shopping list that include whole grain carbohydrates, lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables. Go to the grocery store at the beginning of the week and purchase all of the ingredients you will need to complete your weekly menus. Try to stay away from processed foods as much as possible. When you return from the grocery store, you now will have all of the ingredients you need in-house to prepare healthy meals all week long and eliminate excuses for not being able to cook/eat healthy.

Eat Throughout the Day

Consistency is key to fueling your body like a runner and ensuring optimal performance before, during and after your workout. You should strive to eat three meals and two small snacks per day in order to support a consistent metabolism in your body that can keep you from crashing and becoming over-hungry. Once you let yourself get too hungry, you run the risk of quickly consuming more calories than you realize to combat your strong hunger pains.

Track Your Progress

No one enjoys counting their calories – not even runners. Even so, you need to be honest and realistic about how many calories you consume on a daily basis to determine whether you are fueling your body appropriately. Counting calories can be as easy as tracking your meals in a paper-based journal or inputting your calorie numbers online in an accountability journal. Just make sure to be consistent and take into account every calorie you consume – even the ones you may be drinking in your morning coffee or evening cocktail.

Take It Slow and Steady

In addition to tracking the number of calories you consume, it also is important to be conscious about how fast you are consuming your meals. Recent research has found correlations between how fast you eat and your Body Mass Index (BMI) rating. Faster eaters reported higher BMI levels during the study than those who took their time to completely chew their food. Slower eaters reported lower BMI levels, which may be associated with being more aware of each bite of food they put into their mouths, and focusing on the actual act of eating rather than becoming absorbed by mealtime distractions such as the television, a good book or the computer.¹

Whether you are a runner or not, everyone can benefit from following the four easy healthy eating habits described above. By planning what you eat ahead of time, eating smaller, more frequent meals/snacks throughout the day, keeping track of your daily calorie count, and eating your food slower you are well on your way to creating healthy eating habits to fuel your body for optimal performance. If you would like more information on how combining smart nutrition with regular workouts can help you meet your fitness goals, call our Fitness Together studio today to learn about our Nutrition Together program.

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¹Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2011.

Celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month by Incorporating Healthy Habits into Your Daily Routine

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 15:53:00 -0500

Experts throughout the fitness community have long encouraged everyone to exercise more in order to live a healthy and fit lifestyle. Recently, the medical community has further supported the importance of encouraging adults to be more physically active, especially for individuals who have or are at high risk for life-threatening diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.¹

In honor and recognition of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it’s imporant to revisit the importance of being active and eating healthy in order to reduce the risk of diseases such as cancer, increase fitness levels, and promote healthy living and longevity.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), more than 572,000 Americans die of cancer each year, with 1/3 of the deaths linked to poor diet, physical inactivity and being overweight.² The most important things you can do to help reduce cancer risk for you and your family include:

Establishing and maintaining a healthy weight.
Incorporating regular, consistent physical activity into your lifestyle.
Making healthy food choices with a focus on plant-based foods.

The latest recommendations from the ACS in regard to healthy physical activity levels for adults include 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activities each week. Moderate activity would be equivalent to prolonged brisk walking, biking and hiking, while vigorous activiites include sweat drenching, muscle pumping workouts like Fitness Together’s PACK Small Group Personal Training sessions.

In addition to adding regular workout sessions into your daily schedule that motivate, encourage and support living a healthy lifestyle, you also can begin incorporating more active habits into your normal daily routine. Starting today, try incorporating as many of the following approaches (suggested by ACS) as possible to support an active and healthy lifestyle.

Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
Walk or bike to your destination.
Be active at lunch with your co-workers, family, or friends.
Take a 20-minute activity break at work to stretch, or take a quick walk.
Walk to visit co-workers instead of sending an e-mail message.
Go dancing with your spouse or friends.
Plan active vacations, rather than driving trips.
Wear a pedometer every day to increase your number of daily steps.
Join a sports or recreation team.
Use a stationary bicycle or treadmill while watching TV.
Plan your activity routine to slowly increase the days per week and minutes per session.²

Breast cancer is a deadly disease that continues to take the lives of too many mothers, sisters, wives, grandmothers, aunts and best friends in our community every year. Our local Fitness Together studio is dedicated to helping you incorporate healthy habits into your daily routine to support an active and fit lifestyle that can help to reduce the risk of this life-threatening disease.

¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov.

²American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org.

Take Back Control of Your Exercise Routine this Fall

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 10:08:00 -0500

With kids going back to school and summer vacations coming to an end, it is the perfect time for you to take back control of your life by getting back into a regular exercise routine and getting back on track to living a healthy and fit lifestyle. To help you get back into the fitness groove this fall, we offer the following three tips for re-activating and enhancing your exercise routine.

Go Back to Basics

If you’ve taken a break from your regular exercise routine during the summer months, you may be eager to jump back into where you left off before your exercise hiatus. When getting back into your exercise routine, though, it is important to start with the basics to get your mind and body acclimated to a regular, consistent exercise regimen. If you jump back in too fast and take on more than your body can handle too soon, you run the risk of sidelining injuries, early burnout and fatigue – all conditions that can keep you out of the fitness studio well past the summer months.

Get Moving

According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for all global deaths, with 31 percent of the world’s population not physically fit.1 As a society, we need to make a concentrated effort to get our bodies moving to not only increase our mortality rates, but to put ourselves in a more positive position to live a physically fit and healthy lifestyle. To get started on increasing your body’s movement, you can make some simple changes every day that can make a big difference to your life. For instance, take a 30-minute walk each evening with your family, ride your bike to run errands instead of driving, replace workplace breaks in the kitchen with walking breaks around the block, turn off the television and play an active game with your family instead of laying on the couch, or sign up for a recreational sports league for increased weekly movement and friendly competition.

Make It a Habit

When exercise becomes a part of your daily schedule, it quickly becomes less of a chore and more of a habit. You can make exercise a habit by doing your workouts at the same time each day, creating a routine you can follow and adapt on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, and including a support group environment (trainer, friends, family) that provides accountability and encouragement. When exercise becomes a habit, you help to eliminate the mental tendency to skip a workout and create a more positive mind set that is focused and dedicated to exercising regularly.

Changing your current lifestyle – even when it’s for the good – can sometimes feel overwhelming and intimidating. By breaking up your overall objectives into more manageable smaller changes like the ones listed above, you can create a foundation that will lead you to successfully meeting your lifestyle goals. The expert trainers at Fitness Together can help guide you through your journey of re-activating and enhancing your fitness routine this fall by creating a personalized health and fitness plan that addresses your specific goals and needs. Give our studio a call today to jump start your exercise routine and begin feeling better, looking better and performing better than you ever thought possible.

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1World Health Organization (WHO)

How Good Nutrition Can Make You Happier

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 15:52:00 -0500

You probably are already aware that what you eat can affect your health. But did you know that when and what you eat can definitely affect your mood? Add these special mood-boosters into your day and combine them with daily exercise (another proven mood-lifting lifestyle habit) and you have the key to becoming a healthier and happier person. Here are 5 happiness foods for you to consider adding into your day.

Eat salmon. Salmon and other fatty fish that swim in the deep blue sea are chock full of the “good fat” known as omega-3. Scientists have found that one type of long chain fatty acid in particular, called DHA, is highly concentrated in the brain and required for healthy brain function. In fact, research has shown that omega-3 fat has a mood boosting effect—people with higher blood levels have more serotonin and dopamine — two key neurotransmitters that keep our moods happy and balanced. Salmon, especially wild salmon, is exceptionally high in vitamin D, another nutrient believed to affect mood. In fact, vitamin D has been shown to help people with a type of depression common in the long dark days of winter, called “seasonal affective disorder” or SAD.
Eat spinach. Spinach and other dark leafy greens are brimming with plant antioxidant chemicals. These phytochemicals protect the delicate brain cell membranes from free radical damage which can contribute to fatigue and a dampened mood. Spinach is also rich in the B vitamin folic acid. Research has shown that many depressed people have low folic acid levels in their blood. Other food sources of folic acid include legumes and asparagus.
Eat beans. Beans are loaded with iron. Iron is a mineral that greatly affects mood as it transports oxygen in the blood. Not enough oxygen transported to the tissues translates into lethargy, fatigue and anxiety. Therefore, it is important to ensure that you are eating enough iron in your diet. Other good sources of iron include lean red meat, raisins and iron-fortified cereals.
Eat whole grains. Carbs are the classic “feel good” foods because they enable tryptophan to cross into the brain where it forms the neurotransmitter, serotonin. Serotonin is our brain’s natural antidepressant—it has a calming, sedative-like mood enhancing effect. To increase your level of serotonin, be particular with what type of carb you eat. Don’t go for the simple carbs because unlike the complex, whole grain carbs (which provide lasting energy), simple carbs such as sugary soda or cookies cause a transient blood sugar surge followed by a mood-wrecking crash.
Choose protein with a high tryptophan count. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid—meaning the body can’t manufacture it on its own so you have to eat it. Tryptophan is the building block of serotonin, therefore it is imperative that you consume enough in your diet. So how much is enough? Aim for about 300 mg a day from protein. Here are some sample proteins and their respective tryptophan content:
- Chicken or turkey breast, (4 oz.): 390 mg
- Yellowfin tuna (4 oz.): 380 mg
- Soybeans, cooked (1 cup): 370 mg
- Halibut, (4 oz.): 340 mg

When it comes to your mood, you truly are what you eat. Combining a nutritious diet with daily exercise is the ultimate happiness prescription!

Exercise Regularly to Live a Happy, Healthier and Longer Life

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:13:00 -0500

You have heard hundreds of times that exercise is important to living a healthy lifestyle. But, how important is it to living a happy and fulfilled lifestyle?

Exercise is extremely important to establishing a happy lifestyle as it fills your mind and body happiness tanks by contributing to make you feel better, look better and perform better than you ever thought possible. In honor of August being Happiness Month, let’s take a look at how exercise is the engine to power a happy and healthy life.

Feel Better

Your body naturally values the power of exercise to make your brain and body feel good about your fitness accomplishments. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins, which interact with receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain and trigger a positive feeling in your body. So, exercising regularly is not only good for maintaining a physically fit lifestyle, but it also contributes to keeping your happiness tank full and reducing the risk of depleting your happiness resources (endorphins).

Look Better

Exercise and a healthy diet are the key ingredients to feeling happy about the way your body looks. Whether you are able to finally fit into a pair of “skinny” jeans, feel comfortable sporting a two-piece swimsuit at the pool or are able to shop a new line of clothes at your favorite store, exercise drives the self-confidence, smiles and feelings of happiness that result from a strong, lean body built from consistent physical activity and proper nutrition.

Perform Better

Exercise fuels your competitive nature by taking your efforts and performance levels to new heights. When you advance through the stages of an exercise and/or training program and start exceeding your expectations, a performance high of adrenaline, accomplishment and happy feelings soon follow. These positive feelings are often described as “euphoric” and/or may be known as a “runner’s high,” which can lead to an energizing and upbeat outlook in all areas of your life.

In addition to positively enhancing your mental well-being, regular exercise also can contribute to your internal body (organs) performing better and ultimately contribute to living longer. A recent study has shown that individuals who performed 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week lowered their mortality risk by 10 percent, while those who engaged in vigorous exercise reduced their mortality rate by 22 percent.¹

Researches commonly agree that exercise and a proper diet can lead to a healthy body and being happy. If you are looking to rev up your engine and begin a consistent workout program or if you are in the need of a fine-tune workout adjustment, the professional trainers at Fitness Together are dedicated to helping you establish and maintain a healthy, fit and happy lifestyle. Give our studio a call today @ 610.524.1075 to get started on the journey of looking better, feeling better and performing better than you ever thought possible.

¹Internal Journal of Epidemiology, 2011

August FT Chester Springs Newsletter is Here!

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:47:00 -0500

Beating the Dog Days of Summer Blues, Weight Loss Tips, Portion Control, Workplace Eating, and More Fitness Together Chester Springs News! Click link below to read the full newsletter:

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1411419902

EAT LIKE AN OLYMPIAN: Go For the Nutritional Gold

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:27:00 -0500

We can all take inspiration from the remarkable athletes competing in this year’s summer Olympic games (in London from July 27, 2012 to August 12, 2012). These athletes not only train their bodies and their minds to perfection, they also know that their nutrition plays a key role in the recipe for an Olympic champion. Training and competing in the Olympics involves an immense amount of hard work, dedication and perseverance. Eating a healthy diet sufficient in nutrients and with enough calories to fuel competition and training is an important component of all athlete’s training plans and just may be the deciding factor in that tenth of a second that distinguishes gold from silver. Take this opportunity to tap into the Olympic energy swirling around the world this summer and see if you can incorporate some or all of the 6 nutrition tips below and you will eating like an Olympian!

1. Eat breakfast and wake up a winner. Mom was right, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Athletes know that they must fuel their workouts with nutritious foods or they will not be able to train and compete to the best of their ability. Ideally it is best to “break the fast” with a whole grain (oatmeal wins the gold for heart health), mixed with a calcium and protein-rich liquid (such as fat-free milk or soy milk) and topped with vitamin and antioxidant-rich fresh fruit (such as blueberries).

2. Eat at home more often. Athletes must ensure that what they put in their mouths is top quality food that has the highest nutrient to calorie ratio. This means that athletes minimize the amount of “empty” calories they consume by limiting refined sugars, flours, and “bad” fats. When we eat out, we are served gargantuan portion sizes packed with too much sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and refined carbs. Cooking at home more often will allow you to control what goes in your mouth. Start with fresh, unprocessed food and flavor your meals with more healthful alternatives.

3. Eat small frequent meals for endurance. Another principle many professional athletes embrace is to eat small, frequent meals. Olympic athletes begin early by fueling-up with a quality breakfast and then continue to fuel throughout the day with healthy meals consisting of low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and “good” fats. Eating lots of healthful mini-meals keeps energy levels up and powers the body over a 12 hour time span. Although the main nutrient in an athlete’s diet is healthy carbohydrates (such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains such as quinoa, steel cut oats, potatoes, brown rice, and 100% whole wheat pasta and breads), athletes also know to include quality protein sources such as lean beef, poultry, eggs, beans and fish as well as a smaller amount of “good” fats such as olive oil, nuts, seeds and fatty fish.

4. Rehydrate but limit liquid calories. Athletes drink plenty of water to keep hydrated through the day, and so should you. Sports drinks have been marketed as the elite athletes “secret weapon” for peak performance, however in reality this is not the case. Hard core athletes know that sports drinks were designed to be consumed during training or during the event - not to drink all day long. Water is still the best for rehydration (for most of us) unless we are competing in long distance endurance events.

5. Eat those carbs. Athletes look at what they put into their bodies as essential fuel to perform. Carbohydrate is the muscle’s primary form of energy so the athlete’s plate will most often consist of foods that are packed with carbohydrates (as well as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals) to maximize performance.

6. Eat healthy fats and limit fried foods. Fried foods are not only high in calories, but often contain “bad” fats. Athletes typically limit their intake of fried foods and instead compliment their meals and snacks with more healthful plant based sources of fats such as nuts, avocados, olive oil, canola oil, and fatty fish.

Follow these six tips with the support of Fitness Together and you’ll surely be staying fit and striving for nutritional gold. A Fitness Together trainer will develop a program designed to meet your specific goals. You’ll also receive nutritional counseling through the Nutrition Together program, which will complement your workouts.

Let Fitness Together help you eat like an Olympian!

5 Tips for Safely Taking Your Fitness Routine Outdoors this Summer

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:40:00 -0500

Summer is the season for heading outdoors for family fun, food and even fitness! But before you lace up your sneakers for a summer sports league, 5K race or even a friendly neighborhood volleyball game, it is always important to think safety first. Take into consideration the following five quick tips before heading outdoors this summer so that you, your family and friends can all have enjoyable, injury-free summertime fitness experiences.

Tip 1: Beat the Heat

When you move your workouts outside, the local weather forecast quickly becomes your No. 1 planning tool, especially when summer temperatures climb the barometer. Generally, the hottest part of the day is between 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. so it is wise to plan your outdoor workouts either in the morning or evening hours when the sun and heat aren’t as intense. What you wear also can be more important when you workout outside versus indoors, as loose fitting and moisture wicking clothing material can help increase ventilation and keep your body cooler in warm weather.

Tip 2: Drink to Compete

Your body needs adequate amounts of water to maximize fitness performance throughout the year, but when the temperature rises in the summer, hydrating appropriately is vital to your body’s overall performance, endurance levels and survival. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink water – stay hydrated by drinking water consistently all day long.

Studies show that you must replace a total of 2.4 liters of water each day in your body, both through the water you drink and the food you eat. About 60 percent of the human body is made up of water and approximately 83 percent of the bloodstream is water. The body’s bloodstream is essential to metabolizing the carbohydrates and proteins you eat to fuel your muscles, transporting waste material out of your body and controlling your body temperature.¹

Tip 3: Be Prepared for the Unexpected

No one likes to plan for the worst, but when you exercise outside, there are some essential safety tools you need in your possession that can make the difference between a simple mishap and a full-blown emergency. For starters, a cell phone is important to bring along in case you become injured, run into an emergency situation during your workout or simply lock your keys in the car. Bringing your cell phone along, though, doesn’t mean you can’t disconnect from technology during your workout – silence your phone and stow it away in a pocket or bag so you aren’t tempted to check your e-mail while doing a plank or set of box jumps. You don’t have to see it, but it’s there if you need it.

Whether it’s cloudy or sunny during your workout, you need to apply sunscreen to any exposed skin each time you step outside to get your fitness on. While sun rays provide essential Vitamin D nutrients your body needs, over exposure also can lead to sun spots and cancer. Enjoy the sun, but protect yourself appropriately.

Finally, a simple first aid kit should always be in your possession, whether it’s in your workout bag or in your car. You never know when you might scrape your knee running bleachers, cut your foot on a piece of glass left on the sidewalk or endure an unexpected bee sting. You may run into varying obstacles when exercising outdoors, so it’s important to be prepared for the unexpected.

Tip 4: Grab Your Friends and Family

While exercising alone can fulfill the need for solitude, unplugging from society and getting in touch with your inner soul, it is safer if you run in a pack when taking your workout outdoors. Working out in a group isn’t only good for creating camaraderie, motivation and accountability, but the buddy system also ensures that someone is watching your back during your workout. Your workout buddy can be a valuable asset to your fitness regimen by providing assistance in the instance of unexpected events during a workout such as rolling your ankle on a desolate trail run, sudden heat exhaustion, dehydration or close encounters with wildlife.

Tip 5: Enjoy the Scenery

It can be beneficial to both your mental and physical health to take your workouts outside this summer. After staring at gym walls during your winter/fall workouts, hiking in the mountains, running on the beach or doing a group workout at a local park can refresh your mental dedication and motivation to a fit lifestyle. When you take your workouts outside, you can quickly become engulfed in enjoying the ever-changing outdoor surroundings, rather than worrying about the length or intensity of your workout session.

It’s important, though, to start out slow at first and build up your outdoor workout intensity, as you can easily push yourself too far and too fast physically when exercising outdoors without realizing it. Have fun and be adventurous with your workouts this summer, but stay safe and injury-free.

The summer months are the perfect time to get out, get fit and enjoy an active lifestyle. If you need help with jump starting a healthy lifestyle or elevating your fitness level this summer, the personal training experts here at Fitness Together Chester Springs are dedicated to helping you meet and exceed your fitness goals safely. Give our studio a call today @ 610.524.1075 to look better, feel better and perform better during your summer outdoor fitness activities.

¹ US Geological Survey; http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html

June FTCS Newsletter

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 08:38:00 -0500

June Fitness Together Chester Springs Newsletter is here! Follow the link below to read about Healthy Grilling Techniques, the Importance of Sleep, and find out who our FTCS Client of the Month is!

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1411385670

Taking Nutrition Outdoors: 5 superfoods that cook up great on the grill!

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:06:00 -0500

Juicy peaches, red ripe and sweet tomatoes, fresh picked corn-on-the-cob. Its summer, the produce stands are brimming with farm fresh fruits and vegetables—two food categories that Americans simply do not eat enough of. So why not try grilling them to help you up your daily intake? What’s great about grilling veggies is they taste better grilled than just about any other way! Remember that marinating fruits and veggies first (such as coating quickly with a touch of olive oil and balsamic vinegar) will help them caramelize better to bring out the flavors. So, try these five superfoods that grill up perfectly, and give your summer BBQ a healthful makeover:
6. Pineapple. Most fruit is too fragile to grill. Not true for pineapple! Hearty pineapple is definitely an exception to this rule and tastes sweet and delicious after just a few minutes on the flame. Brush with a touch of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), toss on the grill and you have the perfect garnish to jazz up a burger or place under a grilled lobster tail. Nutritionally speaking, pineapple is low in calories and packed with vitamin C—1/2 cup provides you with 20% of your daily needs.
7. Asparagus. A simple marinade of EVOO and balsamic vinegar makes this super easy to make and flavor-packed veggie a must grill side dish. Nutritionally speaking, asparagus is actually a member of the lily family—extra low in calories yet rich in fiber, folic acid, potassium, thiamin, and vitamins A, B6, and C.
8. Corn. Grilled corn-on-the-cob is a popular menu item for BBQs and clam bakes and fortunately is a healthy nutrition choice too. Grilling brings out the natural sweetness in corn—and allows its natural sweet flavor to surface without the need for too many unhealthful additives. Roasting the corn in the husks is the best way to cook them (just be sure to soak in lightly salted water for 30 minutes before tossing them on the grill). Corn is quite nutritious—filled with phytochemicals, B vitamins, folic acid as well as a notable amount of protein.
9. Zucchini. Zucchini, sliced lengthwise, are super easy to grill and with their ability to capture those perfect crosshatch grill marks make them a nice visual addition to your menu. Flavor with a touch of EVOO and lemon juice, toss on a low heat and you’re good to go. Nutritionally speaking, zucchini falls into the super low calorie vegetable class (one entire zucchini contains a measly 20 calories). And for those 20 calories, you get a nice amount of vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, calcium and iron.
10. Portobello mushrooms. Marinate these meaty mushrooms in a little EVOO, balsamic vinegar, garlic and onion for an hour, toss them onto a hot grill and it just doesn’t get any better than this for both taste and nutrition. Dense and flavorful, you can use them as a burger substitute, make them into pizzas, or serve them sliced as a side dish. Any way you eat them; these super-tasty and hearty mushrooms are the perfect low-calorie addition to your summer BBQ. Nutritionally speaking, these mushrooms pack a wallop. For just about 70 calories you get a nice amount of B vitamins, vitamin D, potassium and copper.
Make sure to add these five superfoods to your summer menu and enjoy the flavor and health benefits of bringing your nutrition outdoors and enjoying this favorite American summer pastime—grilling! Tap into the season’s bounty of fresh nutrient-packed foods. Use grilling for a flavor-packed light and healthy meal and enjoy the perfect outdoor cooking method. Don’t forget to combine your healthy summer BBQ with frequent workouts to keep your body beach-ready. A Fitness Together trainer will develop a program designed to meet your specific goals. You’ll also receive nutritional counseling through the Nutrition Together program, which will complement your workouts.
Let Fitness Together help you make this “summer of 2012” your best yet!

Top Ten Bone-Building Foods and Exercises - National Osteoporosis Prevention Month

Tue, 29 May 2012 09:29:00 -0500

Did you know that May is National Osteoporosis Prevention Month? Take a minute to learn the best lifestyle strategies you can take to keep your bones healthy and strong. It is possible to eat and exercise your way to stronger bones!

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a Greek term meaning porous bones. Osteoporosis is an extremely disabling disease defined as thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time. The most common type of osteoporosis is referred to as postmenopausal osteoporosis and surfaces during menopause when the production of bone-strengthening estrogen in women diminishes and bones begin to weaken.

Who is at greatest risk?

Here are the most common risk factors for the development of osteoporosis:

• Women are at much greater risk than men.

• Advanced age.

• Estrogen deficiency (in women) and testosterone deficiency (in men).

• European and Asian heritage.

• Genetic predisposition.

• Small stature.

• Excessive alcohol consumption.

• Cigarette smoking.

• Malnutrition.

• Vitamin D deficiency.

• Underweight and inactivity.

10 Tips for keeping your bones healthy and strong:

1. Perform strength/resistance training exercises.

Did you know that of all the athletes, bodybuilders have the highest bone density? In fact, it has been scientifically shown that muscle mass correlates with bone mineral density (i.e. more muscle = stronger bones). Try to perform “axial loading” type exercises (movements where the weight compresses your spinal column from above such as squats), stability and balance exercises frequently.

2. Perform weight-bearing cardio exercise.

Performing daily cardio exercise is not only great for cardiorespiratory fitness and weight control but also is invaluable for boosting your bone density. Weight-bearing exercise is the kind you perform on your feet, with your bones and muscles supporting your full body weight. Examples of weight-bearing exercise include: walking, running, stair-climbing and the elliptical machine.

3. Eat calcium-rich foods.

The most abundant mineral in the body, calcium is a critical mineral to bone up on in the diet for bone health. When it comes to osteoporosis prevention and treatment, adequate daily calcium intake is a must. Aim for consuming 1200 mg/day from mostly food sources. The foods highest in calcium include fat-free plain yogurt, fat-free or low-fat milk and cheeses, calcium-fortified OJ and tofu, soybeans, beans, canned salmon with bones, collard greens, kale, broccoli, and almonds.

4. Get in enough Vitamin D

Along with calcium is the sister mineral for boosting bone health; vitamin D. Calcium actually depends on Vitamin D for absorption and transport to the bones. Your body can make vitamin D with the help of sunlight, but many of us (especially those in northern climes) simply do not get enough. The best food sources of vitamin D are fatty fish including wild salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines; milk (fat-free), soy milk, and yogurt. Few of us consume enough in our diet, so you may need to take a supplement (ask your personal physician if a supplement is right for you). 1000 IU of vitamin D3/day is the typical recommendation.

5. Eat Vitamin C-rich foods

Vitamin C is an important structural component of healthy bone. It also helps with calcium absorption. Eating vitamin C rich foods on a daily basis will therefore contribute to the strength and structural integrity of your bones. Aim for eating these foods (rich in vitamin C) as often as you can: berries, citrus fruits, melon, bell peppers, hot chili peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, and summer squash.

6. Eat Soy Protein

There is some scientific evidence that the isoflavones in soy may help strengthen bones. Note that the studies support soy food consumption and not supplements and appear to be most beneficial for menopausal women in terms of preventing bone loss. Other studies suggest soy food intake may help slow bone loss over time and prevent fractures. Here are some healthful soy foods to try to get into your day: soybeans (edamame), tofu, tempeh, soy nuts, soy flour, soy cheese, enriched/fortified soy milk, soy yogurt, and soy crisps into your diet a few times each week.

7. Get in enough Protein

If you do not consume enough protein in your diet, the research shows that you may be shorting your bone strength. Aim for including a source of lean protein at every meal (but don’t go overboard). Enjoy moderate amounts of high-quality proteins including lean meats (skinless white meat turkey and chicken, lean beef), fish, egg whites, fat-free and low-fat milk, cheeses, and yogurt, beans, legumes, and nuts.

8. Eat foods rich in Magnesium

Did you know that half of your body’s store of magnesium is found in bone? Magnesium is one more mineral that help your body to maintain a strong bone structure. Plus, the mineral is necessary for the absorption of calcium. Get magnesium from wheat bran, nuts, spinach, whole grains and beans.

9. Eat lots of Potassium-rich fruits and veggies

Although not as famous as calcium, this mineral is also a bone health superstar. The role of potassium in bone health relates to its ability to neutralize bone-depleting metabolic acids. Many fruits and veggies contain significant quantities of potassium and other nutrients that contribute to bone health. Keep your bones strong by eating a diet rich in these foods: spinach, melon, apricots, prunes, beans, nuts, potatoes, bananas and avocado.

10. Eat food high in Vitamin K

K.O. weak bones with this vitamin, a bone health nutrient required by your body on a daily basis. Vitamin K is essential for the formation of three types of protein found in bone: osteocalcin, matrix Gla protein and protein S .Try to incorporate vitamin K–rich foods into your diet such as: dark leafy greens (especially kale and spinach), asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, watercress and parsley.

You can achieve your bone strengthening goals with the help of Fitness Together. Fitness Together offers one-on-one sessions as well as small group personal training with experienced personal trainers who will develop exercise workouts tailored to your needs and goals. An important part of their program is Nutrition Together, which provides nutritional counseling to complement your exercise regimen.

Kick Start Your Summer Body by Focusing on a Healthy, Fit Lifestyle

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:09:00 -0500

With the countdown to summer in full swing, it’s time to start focusing on a total body health and fitness routine. Whether struggling to shed the last few winter pounds, maintaining weekend warrior fitness levels or competing as an endurance athlete, everyone can benefit from a fit, healthy lifestyle built around brain wellness, body fitness and belly health. It is time to put all excuses and distractions behind you, as today is the day to start moving toward a healthy lifestyle that will lead to positive mental, physical and overall well-being results. Let’s get started!

Brain Wellness

A healthy brain and a healthy body work hand-in-hand to achieve overall fitness and well-being. A happy mind and happy body are derived from a healthy fitness routine that is focused on keeping you motivated, pushing you to do better and helping you reach goals you never thought were possible. Consistent fitness routines, especially in a small group setting, not only help release feel good endorphins in your body that support a healthy lifestyle, but working out with friends/peers also can serve as a mind and body therapy session for sweating out negative attitudes, while building total body endurance and strength. A study in the Journal of Sports Sciences even found that focusing on a team or group’s strengths instead of your own can improve your body’s performance levels because working out in a group may ease your brain’s performance anxiety so you can relax, focus and reach your health and fitness goals.

Body Fitness

April is the perfect time to get your fit on by switching up your routine and combining a mix of cardiovascular and strength training exercises. If you have spent the winter months stuck within the walls of a gym, it can be good for your body and mind to take your workouts outside as the weather gets warmer and the sun shines longer. Instead of logging endless miles on the treadmill, hop on a neighborhood track for a quick interval sprint workout or dust off your bike for some strenuous cycling workouts.

It also is important to not get stuck in a time rut by making sure that your fitness routine is burning calories and boosting your metabolism without draining the clock. A fast-paced, interval workout that incorporates short bursts of explosive cardio and strength exercises will not only cut your workout time in half, but it can be more effective for feeling your best, looking your best and performing better than you ever thought possible.

Belly Health

Americans’ mid-sections are not getting smaller, on the average, and the size of your belly can be a good indication of the state of your body’s health and wellness. To achieve a healthy lifestyle, it is important to focus on your body’s core, as a healthy core can lead to healthy cardiovascular systems, digestive functions and strong muscular structures. Busting out hundreds of sit ups, though, may not be the best approach to achieving a healthy middle section. Shedding an extra layer of belly bulge takes a two-prong approach of exercise and nutrition.

While sit ups can be a part of your core workout, it is important to focus on toning all of your abdominal muscles for the best results. Effective total body exercises that work the core can include planks (elbow, hand, side), knee/leg lifting exercises and standing on a balance ball when doing your regular strength training exercises. On the food front, a healthy eating routine should include cooking more meals at home, focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods without extra additives/preservatives/chemicals, watching portion control and drinking adequate amounts of water. A healthy belly not only leads to a reduced risk of disease, but it also supports a more confident, energetic lifestyle.

Ready to Kick Start a Healthy Summer Body?

With only 9 weeks left until summer, it is time to get your body and mind in shape for optimal summertime fun and activities in the sun. By focusing on brain wellness, body fitness and belly health, you will have your body summer-ready in no time!

The experts at Fitness Together can work with you in one-on-one personal training or small group PACK training sessions to help you establish a healthy lifestyle that prepares you to look better, feel better and perform better this summer. Give our studio a call today to kick start your healthy, fit lifestyle!

April Newsletter is Here!

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:07:00 -0500

The Fitness Together Chester Springs April newsletter is here! This edition we've emphasized nutrition, including tips about eating out, alcohol consumption, and much much more! Click the link below to read it in its entirety:

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1411283883

Top 10 Eating Strategies for Permanent Weight Loss

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:11:00 -0500

If you’ve ever worn (or chuckled at) one of those “I run so I can eat” T-shirts, this info is for you! How you eat goes hand in hand with your workout plans and is proven to bring people’s weight loss goals into their grasp more quickly and easily.

Try these top 10 strategies from experts with our Nutrition Together program to help you spell double trouble for extra pounds!

Eat healthy to stay healthy.
Studies show that people who eat an unhealthy diet (loaded with fast-food meals, sugary drinks, high-fat snacks, lots of desserts/sweets, and low in fruits and vegetables) have significantly higher rates of chronic disease such as high blood pressure and heart disease. The most successful weight loss programs provide clear and uncomplicated nutrition guidance via tools such as “this is a healthier choice than that” food graphics.
Lose weight at a safe rate.
Weight lost too quickly often returns — sometimes with additional pounds. The safest diets promote weight loss of no more than two pounds (or 1% of total body weight) a week (read "Weight Loss Myth: You Can Lose 10 lbs. in 10 Days" on our home page fitnesstogether.com/chestersprings).
Learn how to control emotional eating.
Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. Successful weight losers have learned to apply behavior modification tools to help them deal with their emotional eating triggers and learn healthful techniques to help manage these emotions.
Control calories and portions.
Research has proven time and again that to lose weight you must consume fewer calories than your body expends, regardless of the carbs/fat/protein ratio. Nutrition Together uses a special “food-weight” system to help make these calories-in, calories-out calculations quick and easy to do on the fly — so you can still eat the foods you love and lose weight.
Keep a journal.
Studies show that people are most successful at maintaining healthy eating habits when they watch and record the type and quantity of food consumed. Take it a step further with an Accountability Journal to help you track both eating and exercise choices.
Weigh yourself often.
Frequent weighing is proven to help clients achieve and sustain weight loss. Not weighing in is actually associated with greater weight regain. The Nutrition Together program encourages private, weekly weigh-ins, as well as periodic body fat and waist circumference measurements.
Get support and rewards for your successes.
Weekly contact with a support person — and small rewards along the way — are proven to increase the likelihood of maintaining new healthy habits. Ask for details about our Nutrition Together program that spurs you on with contests, prizes, online support and nonfood rewards for your accomplishments!
Eat small, frequent meals.
The more meals and snacks you eat a day, the healthier your weight is likely to be. Eating breakfast and eating frequently increases total calorie burn. Aim to eat a healthy breakfast every morning followed by four or five small meals throughout the day.
Choose the macronutrient content of your meals wisely.
The type of food you select can help you boost your metabolism and feel fuller and more satisfied longer. For example, protein reduces appetite and costs your body the most calories to metabolize. Fiber is filling and helps keep hunger at bay, helping you make wiser choices at major meals.
Include strength training, not just cardio.
The most successful programs for promoting health and long-term weight control involve combinations of exercise and diet. Balancing cardio exercise with strength training is the best prescription for promoting health, fitness and weight control. Fitness Together and Nutrition Together offer the ideal combination, (healthy eating advice and exercise) under one roof, with private, personalized one-on-one workouts and nutrition guidance.

Nutrition Together offers a calorie-controlled nutrition plan that, when combined with the Fitness Together exercise program, results in a safe and effective rate of weight loss. For more information about how Nutrition Together can help you succeed at your weight loss goals, call us at 610.524.1075.

Did you see us in the Community Courier?

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:15:00 -0500

Click on the link below to see our article in the Community Courier!

http://www.engleonline.com/AdDesk/Htmlfiles/Readers/article.epc?id=64910

Healthy Eating: Tips and Tricks for a Nutrition Transition

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 09:40:00 -0600

Spring is in the air bringing changes to weather, wardrobes and waistlines. With the holidays and cold weather months behind you (we hope!) and plans for spring break trips, pool time lounging and outdoor activities in the near future, this is the perfect time to focus on healthy eating.

In light of National Nutrition Month, now is the time to shake off the winter doldrums and make the transition to healthier eating habits. Here are five nutrition tips and tricks to help you “spring” into action and transform your eating habits, one step at a time.

Nutrition Tip 1: Don’t Do It Alone

The most important step to successfully transitioning to healthier eating is to establish a strong network of support in preparation for your journey. Breaking old habits and making healthier lifestyle changes is a difficult task, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. By enlisting support from family, friends and a health and fitness professional, you will get started on the right path to continued nutrition success. A nutrition specialist can help you evaluate your goals and set a plan in motion, one that is smart – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely – to your particular lifestyle.

Nutrition Tip 2: You Bite It, You Write It

The simple act of writing down and keeping track of all food or beverages that enter your mouth will increase awareness of the amount and variety of foods you eat each day. Keeping an Accountability Food Journal is the best tool available to help increase your consciousness regarding the foods you eat. A journal also enables you to analyze the circumstances that contribute to making less healthy food choices. Journaling should be as specific as possible and include the date, time, amount of food, situation and hunger level. Your journal will not only help you keep track of your daily food consumption, but also serve as an insightful follow up tool to share with your nutrition professional. The information in your journal will enable your nutritionist to identify which foods are working for you, as well as which foods and circumstances are barriers that may be getting in the way of attaining your healthy eating goals.

Nutrition Tip 3: Take Baby Steps

Few people are successful with major lifestyle changes when they dive in head first. The best strategy to achieve major goals in life is to break the goal down into small doable steps. For instance, if your goal is to improve your eating habits and you have a problem eating too much high fat, high calorie fast food (and you truly enjoy the food), then it would probably not be realistic to cut it out completely. Instead, you would work with your nutrition consultant to come up with a better plan, one that is doable for you such as cutting back on fast food consumption or even choosing healthier fare at fast food restaurants. Rome was not built in one day and neither should your transition to healthier eating.

Nutrition Tip 4: Focus on the Positive

Some people equate healthy eating with deprivation and eliminating favorite foods from your diet. To keep your nutrition transition from stalling before you take the first step, give yourself the gift of positive thinking and keep your momentum toward healthy eating moving strong. Instead of putting the sole focus on eliminating foods from your day, switch your mindset to a more positive approach…what healthy foods can you add into your day? For example, if you want to cut back on your red meat consumption, perhaps commit to eating a vegetarian dinner on Mondays (Meatless Mondays); or reserve one day a week dedicated to trying different kinds of fish from around the world (Fish Fridays). Have fun with it and make your journey to healthy eating an adventure.

Tip 5: Break it Down

A marathon (26.2 miles) is run one step at a time. Many people fail in making the transition to a healthier lifestyle when they take the all or nothing approach. The key to successfully making this transition is to work with your support team to embrace the opportunities, work through the challenges and learn from your mistakes during each step of the journey. By breaking your nutrition transition plan down into one step, one meal and one day at a time, you will cross that finish line healthier and happier.

Fitness Together

Do some spring cleaning by starting now to make a healthy nutrition transition. Start off on the right foot for your healthy eating journey by contacting us today. With Fitness Together’s Nutrition Together program, you will receive all the help and support you need including a detailed roadmap to eating healthy, eating light and eating often—in tandem with your exercise routine. Let Fitness Together support you as you take the right steps to “spring” into action!

Go Outside Your Comfort Zone

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:48:00 -0600

Convinced you “can’t” run a marathon, or sprint at level 10 on that treadmill? … Are you sure about that?

Even if you have a physical challenge or condition that limits you in some way, most of us also create false boundaries for ourselves — “no-can-do’s” that are only in our heads. And more and more studies are showing that the thing you think you can’t do just might be the one thing you MUST do to light a fire under your workout results.

Breaking through these false limits can also lead you to be more consistent about your workout regimen.

“Intensity is by far the most important factor affecting increases in, and maintenance of, cardio fitness,” notes Jeffrey M. Janot, PhD, technical editor of the IDEA Fitness Journal. “Although we do not know the exact level of intensity that provides optimal health and fitness benefits, we know the optimal range and that it is directly related to exercise program adherence. You may not enjoy an exercise program if you get sore or injured because the intensity is too high. On the other hand, you can grow bored with a program if intensity is below the optimal range and you aren’t improving.”

Why push your limits in your workout regimen?

The body is wired to adapt to routine. Once your body gets used to a routine of walking 2 miles a day, for example, you’ll likely see less or slower weight loss than when you first began that routine. Extensive research has shown that to keep seeing results from an exercise routine, it’s essential to continually include intervals of higher stress and demand on the muscles and cardiovascular system.

Many people work out only hard enough to maintain their existing weight and physique. Going outside your comfort zone includes adding some intense workout challenges to build muscle and get stronger, faster, leaner. That doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon or work out 6 hours a day to lose weight or reach your goals. The point is to keep adding new challenges and different ways of pushing past your limits for speed, distance, weight you can heft, etc.

Why don't more people go "outside the lines" with their workouts?

Challenging yourself is uncomfortable by nature. It’s normal to feel a sense of fear or angst when you think about pushing beyond the places where you usually stop, ease up, or take a break. Common fears include whether you can handle an intense “burn” in your muscles and not get injured; or feeling embarrassed about getting out of breath, or even sweating more than you’re used to.

Can a personal trainer help you break through that fear — without yelling at you?

Yes! A great personal trainer should confidently instill in you the belief that you can do this.

“We know they can, even though you might not know it yet,” says Russ Yeager, owner of Fitness Together in Atlanta. “The empowerment our clients gain once they actually do it is awesome. We recently helped a client who at first could barely get through a workout and was very self-conscious. She’s now lost 50 pounds and did a 3.5 mile hike with a straight-up climb at the end!”

You or your personal trainer can determine your optimal cardio exercise intensity range via a number of methods including percent of maximum heart rate, the “talk test,” or rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Whether you’re training for a triathlon, hitting a weight loss plateau or ready to give up on ever having toned upper arms, one-on-one training can help you go where your mind has never let you go before.

February Newsletter is here!

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:45:00 -0600

Click the link below to read the February Newsletter from Fitness Together Chester Springs!

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1411233423

Healthy Heart, Healthy You

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:08:00 -0600

Heart candies, heart shaped valentines and chocolate hearts are everywhere this time of year, but the heart that should be getting your undivided attention everyday is the one in your chest that works 24/7 to power your body and fuel your internal system. As the powerhouse of your body, the heart needs to run in tip-top shape for overall health and fitness. To celebrate National Heart Month this February, give your heart and body the gift of longevity and health by starting a heart healthy fitness regimen that focuses on metabolic cardiovascular exercises and combines muscle pumping strength workouts with healthy nutrition choices.

Feel the Love with High Intensity, Heart Healthy Cardio

A strong heart drives a healthy body and metabolic cardiovascular training is the key to not only living a heart healthy lifestyle, but also to feel better, look better and perform better throughout your life. Although nutrition and strength training are important elements to physical fitness, you can’t rely solely on one or the other to achieve overall health and fitness well-being. A recent study from Duke University found that when compared with strength training alone, cardio exercise is the most efficient and effective way to lose the belly fat located deep within the abdominal cavity, which is the kind of fat that is the most damaging to your health and heart. Specifically, aerobic training burned 67 percent more calories in the study when compared to strength/resistance training.1

The first step to a healthy you is establishing a strong cardiovascular foundation to jumpstart your body’s metabolism, increase stamina and energize your body’s cells by pumping oxygen rich blood throughout your body. This leads to not only burning away excess fat, but lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, and reducing the risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease. Studies show that high intensity metabolic training in particular is a leading force to reducing heart attack risk and improving physical fitness. In fact, a recent study from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) found that three hours per week of vigorous exercise can cut a man’s risk of heart attack by 22 percent.2 High intensity cardio exercises can range from wind sprints to moving jump squats and plyometrics.

Make Time for Heart Pumping Workouts

While cardio training is king to heart healthy fitness, strength training is an integral counterpart to attaining optimal health and fitness. Strength/resistance exercise allows for developing and maintaining muscular fitness, strength and lean body mass gains, as well as strengthening of connective tissues, increased bone mass and metabolic rate.

Heart healthy exercises that fuel your body with lasting benefits long after you’ve left the gym don’t have to eat up your entire day. As little as 15 minutes a day of metabolic cardio training, combined with 15 minutes of strength intervals, may be all you need. According to industry studies, 15 minutes of total body resistance training can elevate your resting energy and boost metabolism by 6 percent for up to 72 hours,3 and those who added intervals into their fitness routines for two weeks burned 36 percent more fat than those who stuck with traditional exercise routines.4 A 45-minute interval circuit workout that combines a handful of high impact cardio exercises, such as box squat jumps, mountain climbers and burpees, with total body strength exercises, such as weighted lunges with bicep curls and wall sits with shoulder presses, can quickly and effectively build your heart and body’s strength and endurance.

Active Lifestyle, Active Heart

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), seven out of ten Americans don’t get enough physical activity on a daily basis. In today’s fast-paced, over scheduled world, carving out time for physical activity can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be if you focus on adding cardio elements into your workouts, as well as your everyday activities. The AHA recommend that healthy adults under the age of 65 engage in moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week or vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, three times a week; paired with strength training exercises.5

Working out regularly with a professional trainer one-on-one or in a small group setting is a critical component to keeping your heart healthy and strong, but complementing your regularly scheduled total body workouts with cardio activities throughout your day also helps to promote a healthy and active lifestyle. The following simple tips will help you get a move on and add heart healthy activities into your daily lifestyle.

● Instead of wasting time searching for the closest parking spot, pull into the furthest spot away from the door and enjoy the extra walk to the building.

● Use the stairs at work and for appointments instead of the elevator.

● Walk or bike your kids to school and use two wheels (or feet) instead of your car when running neighborhood errands.

● Take a 10-minute activity break at work to stretch or take a quick walk.

● Walk to visit co-workers instead of sending an e-mail message.

● Instead of sedentary nights out to the movie theater, take your spouse or friends out for a night of dancing.

Heart Healthy Nutrition

You will look better, feel better and perform better mentally and physically if you fuel your body with foods that are nutrient rich and support a strong cardiovascular system. Foods that enhance cardiovascular health can include Mediterranean type foods such as lean proteins, olive oils, dark leafy greens for a strong heart and blood vessels, whole grains and fiber such as oatmeal and brown rice. Researchers also have found evidence that the high levels of antioxidants found in spices with bold flavors such as cinnamon, rosemary, oregano, black pepper and garlic powder can reduce fat levels in your blood linked to heart problems by 30 percent.6

A healthy body and a healthy you start with a healthy heart. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits such as cardio exercises, strength conditioning and healthy eating will not only strengthen your body’s heart and lower your risk of disease, but it also will help you live your life looking, feeling and performing better. Personal trainers at Fitness Together are available today to help you get started on living a heart healthy lifestyle. Contact us at 610-524-1075 to begin one-on-one personal training or group PACK training focused on a healthy heart and a healthy you.

Sources:

1 Duke University Medical Center, The Effects of Aerobic versus Resistance Training on Visceral and Liver Fat Stores, Liver Enzymes and HOMA from STRRIDE AT/RT: A Randomized Trial”, AJP, Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2011.

2American College of Sports Medicine, “Vigorous Physical Activity, Mediating Biomarkers, and Risk of Myocardial Infarction,” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, October 2011.

3European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2011.

4 Journal of Applied Physiology, “Two weeks of high-intensity aerobic interval training increases the capacity for fat oxidation during exercise in women,” April 2007.

5American Heart Association, www.heart.org.

6 Pennsylvania State University, “A High Antioxidant Spice Blend Attenuates Postprandial Insulin and Triglyceride Responses and Increases Some Plasma Measures of Antioxidant Activity in Healthy, Overweight Menhttp://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2011/06/22/jn.111.138966.abstract?cited-by=yes&legid=nutrition;jn.111.138966v1 - fn-1#fn-1,” The Journal of Nutrition, 2011.

Creating REAL CHANGE: How to form positive habits and a NEW YOU!

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:21:00 -0600

Ever wonder why some people get great results from their workouts or their normal eating routine? What makes them different? How do they do it? Usually it’s 1 or 2 simple habits.

All of us face two choices in life and it usually pertains to what we control and what we don’t. Sometimes in life, we have challenges beyond our control, yet we allow the challenges to influence the things we do have control over. When it comes to regular workouts and healthful eating, many people feel they have barriers, which prevent them from regular workouts. These can be work, schedule, the need for more time with family, long commutes, and even boredom and fatigue. Some can’t be helped at all: personal injuries or illness, caring for elderly patients, feeding the teenagers each evening and there are many more. But barriers should not stop you from implementing positive changes to secure a long and healthy life.

What is a ‘fence sitter’? That is a person who only puts their foot halfway in the water, or half way to a commitment. Well, now’s the beginning of a new year and time to make some positive changes to your lifestyle.

You can surely find 1-2 things that YOU DO CONTROL and attack those. Make them positive habits that you always think about. Then pick two more! Before you know it you are on your way to a new you.

I knew a nurse who said that her challenge was eating cake at work. With 40 fellow staff members, seldom did a week go by without a cake or party celebrating a birthday, wedding anniversary or birth. What did she do? She found a few charities that the staff could get behind and at every party they decided to donate $1 in that person’s name instead of buying and eating cake. At the end of the year they had over $1000 for charity and celebrated an end to eating cake!

It’s hard to change your diet overnight, but you can form one or two new habits every month and change your life. Try eating healthier tips such as these: ½ a sandwich instead of a whole at lunch. Swear off fried foods. No soda. One piece of fruit per day. Cut-back or eliminate the alcoholic drinks.

Maybe you can’t workout every day, but an easy way to start is to find a buddy or co-worker and walk together at lunch. Then make sure you go out every day. If the weather’s bad – look for an indoor mall or other enclosed facility. After you’re in the habit of going 5 days a week, carve out some time each Saturday when you take a walk. Select a time of day (maybe first thing in the morning) when you don’t have conflicts or distractions and you know you can always get it done. Before you know it you’ll be out walking 6 days a week. Then, find that special time for walking on Sunday.

There are indeed things that you can control in life that will make you healthier and ultimately happier. Start with only 1-2 things that you can control and then go to work on them. You’ll soon see your world change!

Engergize Your Exercise Experience!

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 09:12:00 -0600

Rolling over, turning off your alarm and sleeping in for an extra hour instead of heading out for a morning run is too easy to do. Letting the day get away from you and opting for happy hour with friends rather than working out at the gym can be an easy out too – especially if you’re running solo in your workout routine as daylight gets shorter and temperatures get cooler.

If you are feeling sluggish this winter and struggling to start a workout program, have hit a fitness plateau or just looking for something new to add to your fitness regimen, it may be time to join a pack of workout buddies to help you meet your health and fitness goals. Small Group Personal Training is the hot trend this season as individuals opt for a more cost-effective, fun and engaging environment to meet their personal fitness goals, dreams and aspirations. It doesn’t matter if you are an elite athlete, weekend warrior, new mom, senior citizen or desk jockey, everyone can benefit from training in a small group setting.

Increase Your Motivation

Whether you are getting started on a fresh workout routine or you’re a seasoned fitness veteran, establishing and maintaining consistent motivation can be quite a challenge. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recently reported that almost 50 percent of people who begin an exercise program drop out in the first six months and those who lack self-efficacy (the power to produce results on your own) won’t even try to start a new routine. However, research has shown that there are ways to increase your confidence in relation to fitness goals – remembering previous successes, observing others doing something you find challenging and enlisting other peoples’ support. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2011, August 16).

When you set up a support structure of working together with other individuals, you breakdown the common roadblocks of making excuses for yourself and never taking the first step toward a fit and healthy lifestyle. Small Group Personal Training gives you the motivation of three to four other individuals and a seasoned personal trainer who are dedicated to working together to achieve total body fitness. By incorporating a fitness routine together with a small group of like-minded individuals, you become a part of something bigger than yourself – an environment that is packed full of fitness motivation and encouragement.

Build Accountability

As the days get shorter and holiday to-do lists grow longer, staying active can become a thing of the past. To stay dedicated to working out, especially this time of year, it is imperative to have a group of workout companions that you are scheduled to meet with consistently throughout the week. By scheduling your workout into your busy schedule, you are less likely to push your workout until tomorrow again and again. By having a small group of people who are reliant on having you participate in the workout session, you are less likely to skip your workout when something more appealing like happy hour and shopping trip invites pop up in your inbox. Your group counts on you to show up every workout and bring the enthusiasm needed to succeed in fitness, together. Being accountable to a consistent workout time and having supportive workout buddies are the key ingredients to maintaining a successful workout program as the New Year approaches.

Drive Your Competitive Desire

The power of getting fit together, lies in human nature’s innate desire to push ourselves harder and further when alongside other individuals. According to recent research from Michigan State University, the best workout environment is one where you have someone to push you to work harder. The study found that people who exercised with someone worked out 24 percent longer than those who worked out alone. Michigan State University (2011, May 19)

Working out in a small group setting, there will be days when you’ll be the inspiration and there will be days when you’ll be inspired. The true power of working out in a small group is the synergy that develops as you and your workout buddies train side-by-side, commit to better yourselves individually and celebrate each other’s victories together. Working out in small group training setting is not about beating the person next to you. It is about exceeding your own potential one day at a time and encouraging those around you to do the same.

Socialize with Active-Minded Individuals

Rather than surrounding yourself with bonbons and eggnog this holiday season, join a PACK of fitness-minded people who value a healthy lifestyle to close out the year. A small group personal training environment will equip you to stay motivated and on track for successfully meeting your fitness goals. By joining others in your quest of reaching your goals, the experience can become less of a task and more of a social event where you catch up with your workout buddies and decompress from a busy work day in-between chest press reps and squat jumps. Before you know it, your workout is over, you’ve burned thousands of calories and you’ve fulfilled your need for socializing.

As you embark on closing out 2011 and setting new lifestyle goals for 2012, energize your workout and your attitude with small group personal training at Fitness Together Chester Springs. Enjoy pushing yourself to fitness levels beyond your imagination, enjoy the companionship of working out with like-minded individuals, and enjoy the accomplishment of looking better, feeling better and performing better. Join Fitness Together’s small group personal training today to be a part of the pack, but not lost in the crowd.

November Newsletter is here!

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:07:00 -0600

Click on the link below to view our full newsletter. Topics include turkey, spot reduction, abs, and our FTCS client of the month!

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1411116231

Too Fit to Fail

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:51:00 -0500

Here's a great article about another Fitness Together in Westford, Massachusettes and how personal training literally saved one of their client's lives! The link to the original article is copied below.

Trainers hear excuses all the time and if pushed might eventually pose the question to evasive clients, “What fits your schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead 24 hours a day?”
Ask a guy who’s been poked in the chest by the icy finger of his own mortality and he’ll tell you for sure: Exercising. Definitely exercising.

Ken Ballou is the kind of guy you could miss in a crowd. Unassuming, average height, average build; he doesn’t necessarily look like he works out, but he does, usually four days a week with a personal trainer. And he’s not the sort to come up to anyone and start spouting his life story, but if you ask him why he works out with a personal trainer, you’d better pull up a chair.

For most of his adult years, Ken was not the sort to embrace physical fitness in any form. “As far as I was concerned ‘exercise’ was just two four-letter words made into one big, bad eight-letter word,” he says.
The sorry state of his health showed it. At 255 lbs, he had type 2 diabetes, hypertension and couldn’t get through the afternoon without falling asleep at his desk. He’d go home and sleep 12-14 hours and still feel tired.

But that wasn’t enough to get him to make the necessary changes. “The idea of working out on my own was laughable,” says Ken.

Finally, Ken’s doctor said he was running out of options. If he didn’t do something drastic he was looking at a future of declining health and insulin injections, which Ken dearly wanted to avoid. And then a co-worker convinced him to try the one-on-one personal training program at Fitness Together in Westford, MA.
Trainer Greg Briggle wasn’t expecting much when he first met Ken, but it didn’t take long for him to be impressed by his new client’s tenacity. “Ken’s one of the toughest people I’ve ever been around,” says Greg.

Ken was equally impressed by the program at Fitness Together. He says he never once questioned the expense. “The value of 45 minutes a day of a training program designed just for me by experts of this caliber? You can’t put a price on it. These are people who really know their stuff, and I know the trainers put time into preparing my program for each and every appointment.”

Since committing to his four-days-a-week FT program, Ken has lost 57 lbs., lowered his glucose levels into a healthy zone and has been able to cut back on or eliminate some of the medications he once relied on to keep him alive. But that was just the beginning of his journey.

Last Christmas Ken was behind the wheel when he collided with the business end of a large deer, totaling his car. He was left with a severely broken wrist that required surgery, something that would have been much riskier had Ken not taken care of his diabetes.

Despite his injuries, he kept up with his fitness program and his trainer was, once again, very impressed. “Ken was unable to put any load on that wrist, meaning no weight-bearing workouts,” says Briggle. “Ken could have easily stopped his training, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He never complained, he never quit, he never canceled and he trained hard every single day doing whatever his trainers asked of him.”

As it turned out, Ken’s decision to keep up with his program may have been the difference between surviving or succumbing to the next major event that awaited him.

As Ken describes it, he was in the middle of a fairly typical workout when he realized something was very wrong. He became short of breath, had pains in his lungs and became very light-headed. Fortunately, his trainer realized it too and called 911. When Ken awoke in the hospital he was told he’d survived a major episode, one that had nothing to do with diabetes but rather a blood clot that had traveled to his lungs: a pulmonary embolism. The same thing had killed his mother at the age of 32, and, as it turned out, Ken carried a genetic permutation that made him susceptible.

When Briggle showed up at the hospital to check on his friend, he was greeted unexpectedly by Ken’s nurse: “So you’re the guy who saved Ken’s life.”

Greg was baffled. “The nurse left and I asked Ken what she meant. He began to tell me how the doctor said there was no doubt that his workouts saved his life.”

Briggle’s not likely to take credit—he says it’s all Ken. “Ken gives us every ounce of energy he has every time he walks through the door. Were some days hard? Of course they were. Did he want to cancel sometimes? No doubt. But he showed up anyway. And it paid off. It saved his life.”

Ken says the experience changed his perspective. “Now I look at training differently. Now it’s not just the diabetes. I don’t know if I could have another episode like that and I need a strong heart to get through it. Now I say, ‘Train as though your life depends on it.’”

While Ballou credits his Fitness Together trainers with saving him, the benefit has obviously been mutual.
Says Briggle, “The odds of this happening to anyone are probably pretty slim but I know I’m training just a little bit harder and when it gets too tough, I think about Ken and I push on.”

To learn more about one-on-one and small group training at Fitness Together in your area go to FTGetsResults.com.

http://www.lowell.com/too-fit-to-fail-0989/

Fall Special

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:16:00 -0500

15% Off 24, 36, or 48 Private, Personal Training Sessions.

*New Clients Only. Limited Time Offer.

FTCS September Newsletter

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:40:00 -0500

Click the link below to view our FTCS September Newsletter featuring articles about our Client of the Month, The Benefits of Fall, Building Beautiful Biceps, Proper Alignment, Recipes, and More!

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1410690155

FREE Nutrition Together Informational Meeting

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:59:00 -0500

SAVE THE DATE!

Fitness Together Chester Springs is now offering an improved and expanded nutritional program called Nutrition Together. This is a science-based program that supports our one-on-one personal training. It was developed exclusively for Fitness Together by Dr. Janet Brill, one of the nation’s leading experts in the field of nutrition, health, fitness and disease prevention.

We have a FREE 45-minute informational meeting being offered on two different dates:

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 22^ND @ 7:30PM

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24^TH @ 9:00AM

Feel free to bring a friend! Please RSVP to ChesterSprings@FitnessTogether.com with the number in your party. Nutritious snacks will be provided!

5 Benefits of Weight Training...Especially for Women!

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:14:00 -0500

Check out this great blog post from health-actually. Five great points about why women should not fear weight training...and in fact should view it as ESSENTIAL to any exercise program:

http://www.health-actually.com/exercise/weight-training-for-women-5-benefits/

Eat to Compete: Nutrition Basics for Runners/triathletes

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:04:00 -0500

Many serious runners and triathletes are looking for that “edge” that will translate into better race times. While some supplements and sports products have their place in the training regimen; most products will not provide the athlete with the winning formula. In fact, most of the top racers succeed because of two main ingredients: quality training fueled by good nutrition. So what is “good nutrition” you may ask?

It’s all in the percentages

The three macronutrients that provide calories in the diet are: carbohydrates, fat and protein. The average unfit American eats a diet containing approximately 49% carbohydrate, 34% fat and 12-15% protein. This percentage profile is not advised for endurance athletes and will definitely hinder performance. The best percentage profile for runners/triathletes to promote optimum performance consists of approximately 55-65% carbohydrate, 12-15% protein and 20-30% fat.

Carbohydrates: the main fuel for runners/triathletes

Carbohydrate-rich foods are the best fuel source for the endurance athlete. Maintaining a high carbohydrate diet during training is crucial for storing, preserving and replacing muscle glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrate and the body’s primary energy source during exercise. The body can store approximately 2000 calories in the form of glycogen. If you deplete your stores then be prepared to “hit the wall.” If stores run low (because of failure to eat a high enough carbohydrate diet to replenish stores during heavy weeks of training) the athlete will be unable to perform up to par, failing to attain the peak fitness level required for the athlete’s personal best during competition. This is termed “training muscle glycogen depletion.”

Emphasis should be placed on eating a diet high in complex carbs, “good carbs” such as whole wheat breads and cereals, beans, whole wheat pasta and starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes. Simple sugars such as in fruits, fruit juices, sugar and honey provide “quick energy” and are perfect for replenishing glycogen stores immediately after exercise. (Sugary drinks such as soda or fruit juice should NOT be consumed during exercise as they are far too concentrated and could result in GI problems. Stick with the sports drinks instead.)

Protein: for repairing damaged muscle

Protein is necessary for building and repairing damaged muscle as well as for synthesizing enzymes and other tissues. In some instances, such as in prolonged endurance events, the body uses a small amount of protein for energy to fuel the activity. Does this mean that you should load up on protein in your diet? No, for while protein is an important nutrient, most Americans eat far more than they need. In fact, the main dietary problem among athletes is not a deficit of protein but instead, failing to consume enough carbohydrate to support their active lifestyle. That said, healthy sources of protein include soy products, beans/carb combinations, fish, non-fat dairy products, egg whites and lean meats.

Fat: the other fuel source during exercise

During prolonged endurance events such as a marathon, the body resorts to using some of its fat stores to help fuel the exercise. Regular endurance training helps athletes improve their ability to burn fat as fuel. This in turn benefits performance as muscle glycogen is “spared,” allowing preservation of the limited supply of muscle glycogen. Great endurance athletes are highly adept at using stored fat as an energy source along with carbohydrate. Because we have more than enough fat stored in our bodies (some more than others!), it is not necessary to aim for getting in extra fat in the diet. Try to choose healthier fats such as olive and canola oil, nuts and avocados and remember to keep your intake to no more than 30%.

Follow these nutrition tips with the support of Fitness Together and you’ll surely be improving your performance. A Fitness Together trainer will develop a program designed to meet your sports-specific training goals. You’ll also receive nutritional counseling through the Nutrition Together program, which will complement your workouts.

The most successful runners and triathletes know the secret to competing at their best: fuel quality training with basic good nutrition. This means maintaining a high carbohydrate diet of whole foods, rich in fruits and vegetables and combined with lean protein sources and healthy fats. Make sure that you are adequately hydrated, time meals and supplements correctly: before, during and after workouts and use sports drinks during training and competition and let Fitness Together help you…eat to compete!

"I just want to lose weight. How many calories do I have to burn each workout?"

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:03:00 -0500

Losing weight is not just about how many calories you burn during your workout or how many calories you eat or don’t eat. It is a very complicated equation that is not quite that simple. Playing the calorie game, burning lots of calories with excessive cardio or eating very little calories is something that provides only a short term answer. You will lose weight, but will you look better? Probably not. Why? Because losing weight in a hurry usually means loss of muscle and water, not fat. What most people want when they say they want to lose weight is to lose fat. Less fat and more muscle is what most people actually want. If I were to show you a picture of someone whose body you admire, it most likely carries more muscle and less fat than yours. So how do you get that?

We need to change your metabolism so it burns more calories. Not just during a workout, but all day long. So rather than restricting the calories that you eat, we increase the calories that you burn, even at rest. This is done by adding muscle through weight training. Now even if you haven’t built a lot of muscle yet, the process of building muscle and repairing broken down muscle tissue from intense training burns lots of calories. That is a very important point to remember. The afterburn (the burning of calories after exercise) from intense weight training or intense cardiovascular training is much greater than the afterburn of lower intensity aerobic training.

Simply cutting calories causes your metabolism to slow down and survive on less food. That is why this type of dieting only works for a short while. When your body catches on to what you are doing, it simply slows down your metabolism to burn less. It does this by losing muscle tissue because muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in your body, meaning that it burns the most calories. Not eating for hours at a time will slow your metabolism. Eating small, nutrient dense meals all day long will build your metabolism so it is imperative that you eat every 3 hours to build a fast metabolism and lose fat. If you do not do this, you will not lose fat. Period.

Cardiovascular conditioning should be done with the goal of increasing your body’s ability to burn fat, not simply to burn calories. You must do high intensity cardio (intervals, jump rope, kickboxing) to crank up the burning of calories and build the cell’s ability to burn and low intensity cardio (walking, jogging) to enhance the fat burning process.

In summary, to lose fat you need to do the following:

Weight train hard 2-3x per week. Do high intensity cardio 2-3x per week.
Do low intensity cardio (walk or easy jog) 3-6x per week.
Eat nutritious, small meals of protein and veggies every 3 hours.
Do not skip meals.

Remember, to lose fat you must build a fast-burning metabolism. Always remember that it is about building and feeding that metabolism and not simply about reducing calories.

FTCS Client of the Month, Beat the Summer Heat, & More!

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:48:00 -0500

Read about our Client of the Month, Tips for Beating the Summer Heat while Working Out, and More!

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/my/newsletters/preview.php?nl_id=1410949787

Q: Why is stretching after working out important?

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:11:00 -0500

A: This is a great question because it addresses the importance not only of practicing stretching but also the best and safest technique for performing this valuable type of exercise.

Why stretch? Stretching increases flexibility, a key component of physical fitness that is often neglected. A greater degree of flexibility is believed to help prevent injury (and low back pain) and improve sports performance. We lose flexibility as we age, so practicing a regular program of stretching the major muscle groups can help prevent loss of flexibility and its associated negative impact on quality of life in our golden years.

Stretching properly involves a slow, steady elongation of the muscles and tendons to the point of tightness—never pain—and holding the stretch for several seconds. (Never use bouncing or ballistic-type stretching, which can cause injury.) It is best to stretch muscles that have been warmed up internally from exercise as opposed to cold muscles. In fact, stretching cold muscles can actually increase risk of injury, as a cold muscle is more prone to strains! Think of a muscle as if it were a rubber band. If you stretch cold rubber, it snaps and breaks; however, if you warm the rubber first, it stretches more elastically and fluidly, like taffy.

Stretching is different from “warming up.” A warm-up is what you do before you begin a bout of exercise and generally consists of a low-intensity version of the exercise you are planning on engaging in (such as a fast walk before a jog). A good exercise routine would be to warm up (work up a light sweat and raise the internal temperature of your muscles), followed by a series of brief stretches, then perform your exercise bout, warm down and end with another series of stretches. Practice this plan and you will have a well-rounded fitness routine.

By Dr. Janet Bond Brill

Controlling Carbohydrates

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:43:00 -0500

We all love them – carbs and our brains need them because they run on glucose. Glucose is what is needed to continue to keep us alive, so don’t completely exclude them from your diet.

For healthy carb choices, choose wholegrain breads and pastas, brown rice, and sweet potatoes.

Most people require 30 to 45 grams of complex carbohydrates per meal which equates to 2 slices of wholegrain bread or one cup of brown rice.

Make sure to maintain your brain’s supply of glucose by eating every three to four hours or 5 small meals per day. Eating two or three big meals instead of five small overloads your body with calories that can’t be transferred into energy and ultimately contributes to weight gain.

Q: I know too much sodium is bad for me, so are there any alternatives?

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:49:00 -0500

A: You are absolutely right—we eat far too much sodium in this country, and cutting back on sodium intake is a wise nutrition move. In fact, the American Heart Association dietary and lifestyle recommendations suggest we keep our intake of sodium under 2,300 mg per day (that’s the amount of sodium chloride found in about 1 teaspoon of salt) and under 1,500 mg for middle-aged and older adults, African Americans and those with diagnosed hypertension. Why worry about getting in too much salt—even if your blood pressure is normal? A high sodium diet has been linked to excessive loss of calcium from bones, an increase in kidney stone formation, reduced vitamin D and an increased risk of stroke, to name but a few of the adverse health effects linked to sodium overload.

Here are a few tips to help you shake the salt habit:

Most of the salt in our diet comes not so much from the salt shaker but from processed and restaurant foods. Therefore, make an effort to choose less processed, natural whole foods. Be sure to read the nutrition facts label with the knowledge that 2,400 mg/day is your upper limit.
If you dine out frequently, order the least processed menu options and add your own seasoning at the table. A salad bar is a great way to start your meal with a splash of heart-healthy olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a touch of lemon juice . . . and practically salt-free (but beware of pre-made salad dressings—notoriously high in salt).
When cooking, learn to cook salt-free by using antioxidant-rich herbs and spices to give your food a surefire flavor boost. One of my favorite ways to flavor vegetables like broccoli or spinach is to sauté fresh garlic in extra virgin olive oil; add in the vegetable, then sprinkle with a touch of fresh lemon juice, yum! Dill is another one of my favorite herbs. I chop fresh dill and garlic, spread it on salmon and roast until done. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and you’ll never miss the salt!

FTCS Client of the Month, Muscle Building Tips & More!

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:39:00 -0500

Congratulations to our Fitness Together Chester Springs Client of the Month, Ann McDonnell!

Ann has been consistently working out three times a week since she began training at Fitness Together. Scott Cuneo, Ann's primary personal trainer at FT, has seen her dedication pay off in big ways. He had this to say about her remarkable achievements:

"Ann has progressed by leaps and bounds (literally)! From the beginning, her commitment has been total. Looking back on all the hard work and progress makes me proud to have a person like her working out here at FT. She never misses a workout, and always puts forth 100% of her effort into each workout. Her muscle definition, strength, and tone have all made remarkable improvements. From losing over 11 pounds of body fat, and building almost 10 pounds of muscle, she has literally transformed her body into a lean mean wedding machine. Ann is making sure that she is going to be the most striking bride this July, and we at Fitness Together wish her and her family all the best."

We asked a few questions of Ann regarding her experience at FTCS. She feels Fitness Together has "provided a disciplined approach" that has allowed her to "stick with a workout program." In addition, she believes the biggest improvements have been in "overall health" and an "increased energy level," not to mention the added bonus that training has caused - "my clothes fit better too!"

Ann's hobbies include traveling and reading. Congratulations, Ann, on your fitness achievements and your upcoming wedding! You'll be such a beautiful bride!

To see our full newsletter, including muscle building tips, post workout techniques & more, view our full monthly newsletter! (Link below)

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1410907633

Fit BODY: Fit BRAIN

Tue, 31 May 2011 13:18:00 -0500

Can’t remember where you parked the car or if you unplugged the coffee pot? Worried that as you age, your memory and cognitive skills will deteriorate? Never fear—a regular exercise routine will strengthen your brain as well as your muscles! New research shows that even older adults who are physically active have a reduced risk of developing many forms of dementia. No doubt about it, a program of regular exercise and healthy eating has immense benefits for the mind.

What’s the best type of fitness program for promoting brain health?

Different types of exercise positively affect the brain in different ways. What you eat also affects your brain health. Here are three scientifically proven lifestyle changes you can make that when combined together are the best way to sharpen those brain cells and protect against dementia.

Three Tips for Keeping Those Neurons Firing

Eat a nutritious, antioxidant-filled diet. Now is the time to change those unhealthy eating habits. Try to bump up your intake of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and good fats. The more vibrant the color of the plant food, the greater the amount of powerful disease-fighting antioxidants you are feeding your neurons (brain cells). What’s more, the fat you choose to eat also has a huge effect on your brain cells. Omega-3 fat, specifically the fish fat called docosahexanoic acid (DHA), is essential for healthy brain growth and development, as DHA makes up a large portion of the gray matter brain neurons. Because of this fact, DHA has taken on a critical role as a potential therapeutic intervention in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. What’s the best food source of DHA? Large cold water fish that swim in the deep oceans contain the highest amount of DHA as well as the other important omega-3 fish fat, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Some fabulous fish choices high in omega-3s and low in mercury include wild salmon, canned light tuna and catfish.
Daily cardio exercise. You are probably already aware that regular aerobic exercise is key for keeping your body lean and your cardiovascular system fit. What you might not know is that cardio exercise has also been shown to boost brain power by stimulating the formation of new brain cells, or neurons, and the connections between those cells, regardless of age. Regular exercise is thought to provide protection against age-related cognitive decline and possibly reduce risk of dementias. A program of regular aerobic exercise specifically benefits the brain’s domain of memory and learning. Recent evidence is shedding light on the mechanisms responsible for exercise’s ability to keep the brain fit. The increase in blood flow within the brain, changes in neurotransmitters, and increased production of brain-derived chemicals stimulates neurogenesis (new neuron growth).

Strength training. You’re never too old to see improvements in brain power with a program of regular strength training. That’s the findings from a recent study published in the prestigious medical journal the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study demonstrated that a regular program of strength training improves cognitive function in women aged 65 to 75 years old. What’s more, researchers showed that strength training also helps the wallet: The strength training group incurred fewer health care costs and had fewer falls than the subjects who were restricted to just balance and toning exercises.

Indeed, the brain is like a muscle—with fitness training it can be toned and sharpened. You can achieve your health and fitness goals with the help of Fitness Together. Fitness Together offers one-on-one sessions with experienced personal trainers who will develop exercise workouts tailored to your needs and goals. Let Fitness and help you to heighten your mental acuity and keep your brain and the rest of your body in tip-top shape!

Battling High Blood Pressure

Thu, 19 May 2011 14:09:00 -0500

View our weekly fitness tip below - Battling High Blood Pressure:

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1410132903

Simple and Healthy Salsa Recipe!

Tue, 17 May 2011 09:44:00 -0500

Ingredients

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/8^th recipe, 87 grams or ~ 1/3 cup)

· ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

· Juice from one lime

· ¼ teaspoon salt

· 1 pound ripe plum tomatoes, cored and chopped

· ½ medium sized Vidalia onion, diced

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· 1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper, chopped

· 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Mix lemon juice, lime juice, and salt together in a mixing bowl until salt dissolves. Add tomatoes to juice and stir. Add in onions, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro. Mix well and chill until serving time.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (~ 1/3 cup):
Calories: 22, Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 76 mg, Carbohydrate: 5 g, Dietary Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 2 g, Protein: 1 g

Congratulations Allyn Greeney!

Wed, 11 May 2011 09:50:00 -0500

Allyn Greeney is Fitness Together Chester Springs Client of the Month! Since our opening in January 2010, Allyn has been consistently training at FTCS three times a week. We think her dedication and perseverance definitely shows! Check out those amazing arms! Glen Myhre, Allyn's primary personal trainer, has overseen great improvements since working with Allyn: "Allyn has made great strides in all facets of her fitness program. She has gotten stronger, leaner, improved her cardiovascular conditioning, and coordination. Perhaps most importantly, she has gained confidence. She is a prime example of what someone can achieve through consistency, perseverance, and adhesion to a program that works."

Some of our clients seek FTCS personal training services after injuries have left them feeling discouraged and frustrated in maintaining a fitness regimen. Allyn is no stranger to such challenges. She is grateful for the support FTCS trainers have lent her as she has worked through such difficulties: "Fitness Together is a unique and pleasant place to exercise. Working with a personal trainer helps me strengthen injured and painful areas of my body in a slow and measured way. My trainer personalizes and varies my exercise routine to meet my body's needs. The owner and staff are friendly and encouraging. They provide motivation and support unavailable to me when I work out on my own at a gym or at home. I truly enjoy working hard there to meet my fitness goals. My sincere thanks to all of them."

Allyn is a pleasure to have as a client at FTCS, always upbeat and frequently wearing adorable hats! We want to congratulate Allyn for all of her hard work. You look great, Allyn!

Below is the link to our May newsletter featuring Allyn!

http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1410858953

It’s a Beautiful Day for a Strength Workout

Tue, 03 May 2011 15:01:00 -0500

As warmer temps invite you outside more for summer activities, you may think it’s a given that you’ll get more active and stay slimmer. But as you add cardio activities like biking, hiking, running or tennis, do you tend to slack off on strength training and figure it all evens out because you’re burning more calories?

Not so fast. Cardio alone isn’t enough for weight management or staying fit and healthy overall. Yet it’s so easy to let it slip, especially in the summer when you just want to get outside.

Stay on track this summer with the helpful tips in this Q&A with certified personal trainer and Owner Operator of 3 Oregon Fitness Together locations, Shelly Duncan.

Q. Why is it so important to include strength training (not just cardio) in a workout routine?

We actually like to refer to strength training as resistance training because it brings many benefits beyond just building strength. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, improve your mobility for sports, or simply move better throughout the day, incorporating resistance training into your exercise routine will give you added benefit than just doing “cardio”.
Understand that I’m not talking about “bulking up”; resistance training is about keeping the muscles strong and toned, while adding lean muscle. And, as you may already know lean muscle burns more calories throughout the day than fat, another benefit of adding resistance training to your routine.

Regarding strength building, research has shown that resistance training, more so than just cardio, is one of the best ways to build lean muscle. Cardio can build some muscle, but resistance training is the most effective method. Resistance training also helps to support your joints – especially the shoulders, knees, and spine — by strengthening the muscles around those areas.

Q. Why is it so easy to neglect resistance training?

It’s the perception that it takes too much time. Many people think that this type of training needs to be done separately. The fact is you can get an incredibly great workout by incorporating strength training INTO your cardio routine.

Q. What are the best ways to integrate resistance training into a cardio regimen without adding a lot of time to my workout routine?

There are three ways to do cardio and resistance training in the same amount of time as a typical cardio workout. Some of these are just as easy to do outside as inside.

Full-body exercises/Compound Movements
Instead of doing just a squat or just a shoulder press incorporate the two into one efficient energy burning set. Take a set of dumbbells that you can shoulder press about 12-15 times. Stand straight with your feet about shoulder width apart. Bring the dumbbells to the shoulder press position (dumbbells level with your ears or higher) Begin to perform a squat keeping the weight on your heels. As you squat down extend your arms overhead. Your arms should be extended at the bottom of the squat. As you squat up the arms begin to bend back to the starting position. If you haven’t done this exercise before it might feel a bit awkward so try it with no weight.
Increase the number of repetitions/Decrease Rest time.
A couple ways to get the heart rate up during your resistance training is to do two or three times the number of repetitions you’d normally do in a single set — and/or perform multiple sets with shorter rest times between sets. This will cause your heart rate to be higher during that same period. One note is that if you are increasing your reps and/or decreasing your rest you may need to decrease the weight you use as well.
Intervals
Alternate 30 second to two minutes sets of high, low, and moderate intensity cardio with resistance exercises. For example, start with a brisk walk, then do some lunges, then sprint, then do pushups, then jog or do jumping jacks, then do crunches…in this type of workout routine it’s less important the exact reps or rest. Rather, the key is to keep moving!

Q. What are the benefits a hiring a trainer?

People get personal trainers because they’re not sure what to do. If you try an exercise you saw on TV, injure your back and can’t work out for two weeks, that’s not gaining you anything. A trainer can observe and evaluate whether you’re at an appropriate level of conditioning for higher intensity, higher impact activities, and design a program specifically for you.

And if you’re getting bored with your routine you’re probably not working out as hard or as often as you would like, a trainer is a great way to add newness that gets you excited about working out again.

Not seeing the results you want? Not sure if you have good form? Just need new inspiration? Ask Fitness Together about a personal training consultation including an assessment of your health and fitness condition today. We’ll match you with the best trainer for you based on your goals, priorities and preferences, and we’ll even map out a Nutrition Together nutrition plan customized for you to help you maximize the benefit of your workout program. J

Consult a doctor before beginning any new fitness program.

Wine and Fine Dining Gala Event

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:15:00 -0500

Come out and bid on our private, personal training fitness package at the silent auction while supporting a great cause! The Wine and Fine Dining gala event takes place this Saturday, April 16th and benefits Camphill Soltane, an organization that helps young adults and adults with developmental disabilities. The evening features cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, an oyster bar, and a gourmet dinner prepared by Nick Farrell, owner and Executive Chef of Sovana Bistro of Kennett Square, whose cooking philosophy centers on using only local, seasonal ingredients. The night's honorary chair is Delia Viader, founder of the VIADER winery estate in the Napa Valley. Read more about the event and order your tickets here: http://camphillsoltane.org/wine-and-fine-dining.html

Q: Does the time of day (morning vs. evening) impact burning more calories?

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 09:01:00 -0500

A: Whenever you can burn calories—morning, evening or mid-day—is the best time of day as long as you do it! If your question is addressing weight management, then the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to spend mental and physical energy, day in and day out, eating healthy calorie-controlled meals and getting in that calorie-burning exercise. In short, balancing the calorie math. The goal for weight loss is to consume fewer calories than your body requires, creating what is termed a “calorie deficit.” A calorie deficit of 500 calories per day results in a one-pound weight loss of body fat in one week’s time.

Whichever time of day you get in a major “bout” of calorie-burning activity is up to your personal schedule. Ideally, you’ll want to get in a planned exercise bout in addition to being physically active throughout the day, such as parking farther away from the store and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. In summary, the time of day you eat or exercise does not impact calorie burning. Your best bet is to eat small, frequent, nutritious (calorie-controlled) meals throughout the day and combine that eating style with a daily exercise bout as well as making an effort to simply move around more. That is what is important for your personal calorie balance and the secret to lifelong weight control.

By Dr. Janet Bond Brill

Q: How can I tone up "fatty" areas?

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:50:00 -0500

...since turning 50 I have noticed a fat accumulation around the inside of my knees, making my knees look "fat." I realize this may be due to my age, but I believe it doesn't have to be. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

A: The bad news is that as we age, and with each passing decade, we lose more and more precious muscle mass and at the same time gain body fat. Where we gain fat tends to be genetically determined, so the fat accumulation around the inner knee happens to be one area where your particular body tends to store fat.

The good news is that there is a lot you can do to lessen the decline in muscle mass with age and tone up your inner knee area. The best type of exercise for hanging on to that nice, shapely muscle tissue is to get in regular strength training exercise—a minimum of two times per week for at least 20 minutes. A good program of muscle building exercises should include exercises that target the major muscle groups. There are plenty of muscle building and toning exercises that target the inner thigh and knee area. That said, you should also include a daily bout of calorie-burning aerobic exercise and combine that with a nutrient-dense, calorie-controlled diet to help you whittle away at extra body fat. Put this all together and you will be taking the best course of action for a lifetime of health and fitness.

By Dr. Janet Bond Brill

Is lettuce nutritional?

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:15:00 -0500

Lettuce is a leafy crunchy vegetable with substantial water content, some fiber and a negligible calorie count—all factors that are beneficial for filling up your plate and pairing down your waistline.

You should know that only certain types of lettuce are loaded with lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidant plant chemicals, whereas others contain virtually nothing in terms of nutrition. Hence, even though all types of lettuce are low in calories, the different varieties offer different valuable sources of nutrients. For example, romaine lettuce is especially rich in vitamins A, C, and K, folate, and manganese when compared to iceberg lettuce.

When making lettuce choices, be sure to get in the power lettuces, romaine and red leaf—the darker the leaf, the greater the amount of nutrients such as vitamin A and folate. Other salad greens, such as spinach, kale, arugula and radicchio, while technically not lettuces, are among the most nutrient-dense foods available.

So when it comes to good health and weight control, be sure to pile on the dark leafy greens (an antioxidant gold mine), and leave the iceberg in the bin!

By Dr. Janet Bond Brill

Whole Grain White vs. Whole Wheat Bread

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:52:00 -0500

Q: When it comes to choosing a healthy bread, is whole grain white any different from regular whole wheat bread?

A: The definition of “whole grain white” bread or flour is nebulous at best. It is a fairly new product that can consist of virtually anything, but generally comprises a mixture of 100% whole grain and white flour. The white wheat comes from an albino variety of wheat that differs from the traditional red wheat kernels. Furthermore, the white wheat is more heavily processed than the 100% whole grain flour to make the product taste more like its refined cousins, though the jury is still out regarding exactly how much nutrition is lost in the processing.

The product is marketed to regular consumers of white bread who want to consume more whole grains for the health benefits but just can’t quite take the plunge to eating 100% whole grain products. So, for those people, the new “white wheat” products are a better choice than refined white bread products. The bottom line is, nutrition-wise, your best bet is to routinely go for the 100% whole wheat products that have been less processed, contain all three parts of the original wheat kernel and have been shown scientifically to help prevent chronic disease.

By Dr. Janet Bond Brill

How to Battle Belly Fat

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 14:27:00 -0500

Why do some of us gain weight around the middle and others not?
Where you tend to store body fat is related primarily to your genetic disposition. If you have an excessive amount of body fat, and heredity dictates storage around the middle, then unfortunately you will gain fat in the abdominal area. That said, many women notice abdominal weight gain when they go through menopause. This is because hormonal shifts can change the way the body breaks down and stores fat—hence a redistribution of body fat and the tendency for it to accumulate in the belly as women grow older. This tendency is particularly unhealthy, as excessive abdominal fat, especially the deep abdominal fat—called visceral fat—increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
What really works to get rid of stubborn belly fat?
The good news in the battle of belly bulge is that there are three scientifically proven lifestyle changes you CAN make that when combined together are the best way to attack that fat around the middle and flatten your belly.
Three Tips for a Flat Stomach:
Eat a nutritious, calorie-controlled diet. Excess body fat, whether it’s in the stomach or the thighs, is the result of routinely consuming more calories than you expend. Now is the time to change those unhealthy eating habits. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and good fats. Eat breakfast, don’t skip meals, drink lots of calorie-free liquid, and eat small, frequent, lighter meals at home. Watch your portion sizes and calculate your daily calorie intake to ensure you’re eating the right amount to lose body fat at a safe rate.
Daily cardio exercise. Calorie-burning cardio exercise is one of the best ways to target stubborn belly fat. This is because stomach fat is more metabolically active and when you exercise, you target that area for fuel. What’s more, when you burn those calories up, you reduce your percentage of body fat, thereby shrinking those belly fat cells. This will allow you to see those abdominal muscles you’ve worked so hard in the gym to define.
Strength training. While you can’t “spot reduce” belly fat, you CAN strengthen and tone the abdominal muscles. That way, once you lose that extra fat around the tummy, you’ll be able to clearly see that toned flat stomach. Keep in mind that a single abdominal exercise won’t make a flabby stomach into washboard abs! Plus, there are certain abdominal exercises that are much more effective in strengthening and tightening the middle than others. Your flat tummy workout should incorporate exercises that target both the deeper and the lower abdominal muscles. For example, the rectus abdominus muscle is the most common target of abdominal exercises such as crunches. This is a postural muscle; it’s also a paired muscle that runs vertically and has distinct segments on each side. The rectus is responsible for the “six-pack” visible in toned athletes. Another important “core” muscle is the transverse abdominus, buried deep beneath the rectus. This muscle, though often neglected, also helps flatten the stomach. It runs horizontally and acts like a girdle, strengthening the core and decreasing risk of back injury.
You can achieve your health and fitness goals with the help of Fitness Together Chester Springs. Fitness Together offers one-on-one sessions with experienced personal trainers who will develop an abdominal workout program tailored to your needs and goals. An important part of their program is Nutrition Together, which provides nutritional counseling to complement your workouts. Let Fitness Together and Nutrition Together help you flatten your belly once and for all!
By Dr. Janet Bond Brill

Question: Is Coffee a Good Energy Boost for a Workout?

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:40:00 -0500

A: Let's clarify the question, is it smart to down a cup or two of coffee before you work out or is it better to refrain until after you get your exercise in?

Caffeine is the most widely used ergogenic aid (a substance that can purportedly enhance sports performance) and has been scientifically proven to be a highly effective sports aid. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant that can help you perform better because it acts to increase alertness as well as lower your perception of effort during exercise—so you can exercise harder and it won’t feel as difficult.

The science has shown that caffeine is most valuable for endurance-type athletes involved in sports such as cycling and long-distance running. Caffeine has been shown to increase the amount of fat floating in the bloodstream of endurance athletes, which would theoretically improve endurance performance by helping to spare muscle glycogen.

When muscle glycogen runs low, endurance athletes need to slow their pace, so an ergogenic aid that enables athletes to “spare” the glycogen in favor of using the fat for fuel would be highly beneficial and potentially delay fatigue.

If you do decide to drink a cup of coffee before exercising, there are a few caveats. Caffeine is a diuretic, so if you choose to consume it before exercising in a hot, humid environment, be sure to drink extra fluids to compensate. Furthermore, many people are caffeine sensitive and can have negative side effects from consuming caffeine, such as nervousness, upset stomach and a rapid heart rate. If you are caffeine sensitive, I would suggest that you abstain.

By Dr. Janet Bond Brill

How to Get the Most from Your Workouts

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:12:00 -0500

If you’re already working out regularly – congratulations! You are certainly on the right track to staying fit and healthy for life. But did you know, there are most likely several things you can do to make your workout routine even more effective?

Make these positive changes to your workout program:

Most likely, you’re doing your cardio workout after your weight lifting. This is very common as many trainers or health clubs instruct clients to structure their workouts that way. The best practice is to immediately transition to either a piece of cardio equipment or go for a long, brisk walk after you’ve stretched or cooled down. This takes advantage of an elevated metabolic state and lower amounts of available calories and sugar, forcing your body to burn fat as a fuel. Don’t wait to do it later in the day because but you will have missed that great opportunity that happens right after your workout has finished. Do your cardio while all the right pieces are in place to burn fat.
On ‘non-workout’ days, it is critical that you exercise. Whether it is a run or brisk walk or swim, you need to try to keep the calories burning. And the earlier in the day the better. Why? Because you start the fire burning again! It generally takes a day or two to recover to a resting state, but if you keep the body moving, you will condition your body to burns at a higher metabolic rate forever!
If you are able to shock your body with a brief sprint or two (climb a few sets of stairs without resting!) or some pace changes in your normal walking (go fast 30 seconds, then EZ for 60, then repeat), you are getting your metabolism back on track from the previous day’s workout. Nothing is going to replace an active workout in the gym, but you can help encourage better results by staying active. Even the Surgeon General said that a 60 year old woman should workout DAILY for an hour to stay fit.
Work at daily workouts. Warm up to it, even 20-30 minutes at a time. 2-3-4 days in the studio, 2-3-4 days on your own and you will have the body (and energy and vitality) you’ve always dreamed about.
After your workout, try to wait at least 45 minutes before eating carbohydrates, especially any ‘sugary’ drinks. If you must eat, try something like a whey protein shake with very few carbs in it. Definitely stay away from bagels, toast, cereal (even fruit) for a while post-workout. This can potentially turn your body away from burning fat by providing an easier, faster fuel.

Make your workouts the best that they can be this year…and you’ll stay fit and healthy for life. And remember, you don’t have to revamp your workout routine on your own! A certified personal trainer from Fitness Together Chester Springs will develop a 1 on 1 workout specific to your goals and needs. They will also provide nutritional counseling that complements your workout plan.

Spring Into a Summer Body!

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:12:00 -0500

Spring is in the air, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the grass is getting greener… all signs that summer is right around the corner. Summer is beach body season, so START TODAY to shake off the winter doldrums and “spring” into your health and fitness action mode.

Perhaps you’ve gotten off track with your New Year’s resolutions or maybe you still have a little work to do getting your body ready to bare some skin this summer season (think bathing suits and shorts—yikes!). Yep, the long days of summer fun are nearing, but fortunately there’s still plenty of time for your summer shape-up. Here are five tips to get you looking buff on the beach:

1. Get out your summer clothes NOW, try them on, and take a good hard look in the mirror. This simple act will help you focus, take control, and get motivated to set up an action plan with your fitness trainer TODAY.

2. Be realistic. If you want to lose some weight for summer, aim for a maximum of 1 to 2 pounds a week. This way you will not be losing any of your hard-earned metabolism-boosting muscle mass along with the fat.

3. No fad diets required! Get your body beach-ready, living by the mantra Eat healthy, eat light, and eat often. Practice this approach with the support of your nutrition and fitness consultant and you’ll be getting fit for summer the healthy way.

4. Make strength-training sessions a priority in your life. There is no better prescription for minimizing the jiggle and maximizing the shapely muscle tone than getting in strength training sessions a minimum of three times per week.

5. Remember, there is no quick fix or magic bullet for achieving your health and fitness goals. The best recipe for success and looking your best on the beach this summer is a three-pronged approach:

Strength-train a minimum of three times a week.
Get in at least 30 minutes of cardio most days of the week (and preferably daily).
Eat healthy, eat light, and eat often.

Follow these five tips with the support of Fitness Together and you’ll surely be “springing” into action. A Fitness Together trainer will develop a program designed to meet your specific goals. You’ll also receive nutritional counseling through the Nutrition Together program, which will complement your workouts.

Let Fitness Together help you make this “summer of ‘11” your best yet!

Monitoring Heart Rate

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Monitoring your heart rate during exercise is a helpful tool for getting the most out of your workouts. Reaching your target heart rate ensures you are working effectively. If you don't reach your target heart rate in a workout, you're missing out on strengthening your cardiovascular system. And, if you're sustaining rates higher than your target, you run the risk of over-tasking and injuring yourself.

Calculating your target heart rate and discussing your fitness goals with your trainer is the best way to make sure that you're on an exercise program that will meet your cardiovascular health goals. Staying within 50-80% of your maximum heart rate is the only way to insure that you are getting just the right amount of exercise.

An easy way to gauge your heart rate during a workout is, if you can walk and talk at the same time, you aren't overdoing it. If you can sing while maintaining your level of exercise, it's time to kick it up a notch!

Fitness in full swing!

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Warm weather is just around the corner!

The weather this week has been absoultely gorgeous - a clear reminder that summer is on the way and it will be soon time to break out the shorts, short-sleeves, and - BATHING SUITS!

If you're dreading trying on your summer wardrobe, now is a great time to come in, tour the facility, meet the trainers, and schedule your Summer Jump Start sessions.

One thing to get you started right now: What is one small change you can make today that will help you feel better?

Fitness Together Opens in Chester Springs

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Fitness Together is opening the doors on January 3, 2010. A former happy client who was saddened by the sudden closing of this studio in October 2008 has purchased the rights to the franchise and is opening the doors again. It is an exciting time for Fitness Together/Chester Springs. Come in to see our new equipment and some old faces as well as new additions!