NIFS Healthy Living Blog

Do Stretching Exercises

To maintain flexibility, stretching through dynamic movement patterns is ideal and can be done in a small area. Inch Worms, Knee Ups, and Jumping Jacks are all good examples of dynamic movement patterns.

Perform Simple Exercises That Use Multiple Muscle Groups

To simplify your workout, you can focus on a few great exercises that work multiple muscle groups. These exercises can range from beginner to advanced, with the functionally basic movement of sit and stand at a chair to the more challenging Burpees (add a pushup and squat jump for even more workload). The Plank exercise is also one of the best exercises for building endurance in the abs, back, core, glutes and hip flexor. To make the Plank easier add an incline or lower knees to the floor. For a greater challenge increase the period of time you hold the plank or add movement such as leg lifts or arm extensions.

Cardio Exercises at the Hotel

There are other “tools” you can use while on the go that you may not realize. For a cardio option, most hotels have a staircase. Use it! Avoid the elevator and take the stairs instead. For a challenge, run the stairs for ten minutes (and because most people use the elevator, it should be mostly empty for your use). Suitably known as a suitcase carry, your suitcase can be used for a one-sided farmer's carry walk that pinpoints your oblique (like a side plank), and a bathroom towel can be used to create an isometric static hold for countless upper-body exercises.

Whether or not you are on the go for the holidays, be sure to exercise the next time you travel; it’s easier than you think. See a health fitness specialist or personal trainer to help design a workout plan that is right for you.

“No Pain, No Gain.” This motto has been forever linked to wellness and fitness. We know that without a little struggle, there will be no progress, but is it really necessary to “bring the pain?”

We do know that when we workout, we create muscle soreness. This is, in part, due to overload of the muscle during exercise or even creating very small tears in the muscle fiber. There is good news though! Your body will repair these muscle tears and become even stronger, allowing you to better handle the workloads of your future workouts.

A concern does arise, however, if significant and repeated tissue tearing is happening frequently; a severe injury or tissue damage could take place. (See this article for more on the hazards of overtraining.) To prevent this from happening, you can start one of several pre-workout rituals, including foam rolling and dynamic stretching. A post-workout stretching is also equally important followed by good nutrition and adequate rest.

Creating a plan of action with a fitness specialist or personal trainer will help you develop a workout that is appropriate for your goals! Yes there may still be some pain at times but it's the gain you'll remember.

Evolve and rejoice,

Thomas

This blog was written by Thomas Livengood, Health Fitness Specialist at NIFS. To find out more about the NIFS bloggers click here.

BOSU Conditioning has been around for a decade now at NIFS. During this time, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to lead thousands of classes. With sizes ranging from 3 to 18, from 18 to 80 years of age —including athletes, non-athletes, former athletes, and new athletes—BOSU has the ability to make every exercise harder or easier so that it complements all fitness levels and everyone can enjoy it.

I have also embraced many of the BOSU philosophies that make BOSU a total body and cerebral mind challenge in my own workouts as well as with my training clients to enhance their overall fitness experience. These philosophies include balance, symmetry, and flow.

In the book The Art of War, Sun Tzu states that without struggle there is no progress. This statement can be used today with our training methods. Being within your comfort zone constantly allows the body to plateau. While it may seem challenging, being outside of your comfort zone will allow your body and mind to learn and eventually master new movement patterns. With your body constantly learning new movements, plateaus become less relevant and we see overall fitness growth.

BOSU is a tool that we use to create a fitness atmosphere where the body and mind are constantly challenged. You have the ability to reach new potential; give BOSU a try and  experience a new challenge today! Find a class on the group fitness schedule and attend this week for a new fitness challenge!

This blog was written by Health and Fitness Specialist and BOSU Conditioning instructor Thomas Livengood. Meet the NIFS bloggers.

There are numerous ways to overcome this bubble so that you actually make your resolution a reality. Here are seven of the best ones which, when used together, can help you keep your fitness resolutions.

Find fun ways to work out that don’t feel like exercise.

You can dance, swim, ride a bike…whatever is fun and doesn’t seem like hard work. Here are some more ideas.

Find a workout partner to share your experiences.

You can find partners at the gym, in the personal training programs, in various groups, and even online. When you have a partner, it not only makes working out fun, but it also adds accountability for everyone involved and a higher commitment level.

Create small competitions between yourself and friends or co-workers.

Create a body-fat or weight-loss challenge or a “who visited the gym the most during the month?” contest. NIFS has a program starting in February to help you get competitive, called Slim It to Win It.

Schedule your workout during times that last-minute excuses are least likely to pop up.

Minimize the chance of finding an excuse not to work out. Convince yourself that the workout is important and anything else can wait.

Celebrate your small accomplishments more often.

Do not celebrate with food! Make a reward chart for yourself with a list of things you want to accomplish and then add a suitable reward. For example, lose five pounds and buy a new CD, or go to the gym at least five times a week for a month and get new shoes. Make the rewards tangible items you want. Make yourself work for the things and you will recognize your achievements and feel motivated to continue.

1. Tell as many people as possible about your goals. The more people you tell, the more people there will be to hold you accountable. You could make an announcement at family reunions, work functions, and parties so people around you will be supportive of your decision and maybe not bring triple chocolate cake to the next function, but rather something healthy to show their support.

2. Write down all of your goals and put them in a place where you can see them frequently.

3. Identify and write down any and all compelling reasons you have for wanting to reach your goals. Examples of compelling reasons include something that moves you personally, such as extending your life so you will be around to see your grandchildren grow up, something as simple as bending over and tying your shoes, being able to climb stairs with groceries easily, and maybe losing enough weight to fit into your clothes again.

7. Reconnect with your compelling reason on a daily and frequent basis so that your mind is focused on always attempting to accomplish your goal.

The more you think about it, the more apt you will be to continue working on the goal. Remember, my fellow NIFS trainers and I are here to help you get there, too. Just give us a call at 317-274-3432.

Written by Thomas Livengood. Click here to meet Thomas and are other NIFS certified Personal Trainers.

Give me a rack of dumbbells, some benches, a squat rack, and two hours and I’m in heaven. For some reason, this could be it, every day for the rest of my life and I would be fine. Then again, after roughly 15 years of pounding the weights, certain everyday tasks that require little things like flexibility and balance, which in our youth are taken for granted, become noticeably more and more challenging.

For the record, yoga is not going to make you less of an uber-athlete. In fact, practicing yoga daily can help improve day-to-day functionality, from getting up off the floor to scratching your back. In all seriousness, yoga can benefit even the most fit bodybuilders, weekend warriors, athletes of all ages, and average Joes and jams.

For those muscleheads who would rather die than be caught dead in a yoga studio, there are literally thousands of yoga instructional videos to experience in the comforts of your own cave.

MUSCLEHEADS REJOICE! And evolve.

"Rome wasn’t built in a day.” An obvious observation that can transcend most of life’s challenges, I heard that somewhere. So, would that rule make any exceptions for your fitness goals? For “new to fitness” individuals, a major obstacle they must overcome is the reality that instant results are almost impossible to attain and that it takes a little more than six minutes of ab work to be ready for spring break (or your wedding, reunion, etc.).

Outside of hard work and consistency in the gym, to see results, we must factor in not only nutrition, but also gender, age, genetics, health issues, and training styles. Does this make you want to pack your bags? Well, please unpack your bags, friend, because there are some factors that are in your control. Keep coming to the gym; consistency is the key. Along with eating clean and training smart, you should have no problem seeing results―just not tomorrow.

Muscleheads, rejoice and evolve!