When Fitness is a Lifestyle

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the referrals in January. We had an incredible month! I feel so blessed that I can get paid for doing what I love. The support I receive from the medical community, as well as my current and past clients, is something I am very proud of. Last, but not least the support I get from my wife. She is an amazing person. She does my books and website. Not to mention keeping our family on track. Fourteen years ago I met her and truly believe she is my soul mate. Plus she can put up with me!!!

A new look: One of the best parts of being a fitness trainer is the level in which you get to know people. More than 4 years ago I worked with a great guy (John Tobey) at the Cherry Creek Athletic Club. For Christmas 2001 he purchased personal training gift certificates for his mom (Patricia), and aunt and uncle (Bill and Kathy). I have been seeing them ever since. In 2002 Bill had prostate cancer. Since Bill has always taken care of himself, he made it through surgeries and procedures in a remarkable way. In December, Kathy was diagnosed with double breast cancer. Kathy also is someone who always has taken care of herself. She can do more push ups than most men. I want to show my love and support for her and her family. In order to do so, I shaved my head. Please pray for the health and well-being for your friends and family. Life is short and you never know what can happen.

If you don't like working out with others, the hassle of driving to the gym and just the “gym” scene, then one option you have is to put together your own home gym. I will give you my opinion about what is important, and where to get equipment. I don't mean to offend anyone, or any manufacturer of fitness equipment. I have been in the fitness industry for the past seven years, and I can only tell you from experience what may be best for you.

1. Making your exercise area pleasant. If you set up your gym in a dingy basement with no lighting, chances are you will not want to spend time there. Your living room works fine if your exercise equipment is mobile.

2. A television and good stereo system. Have you ever noticed that when you are listening to good upbeat music the workout seems to be more energetic?

3. Now let’s talk about actual equipment. First and foremost, an exercise ball should be the first item in your home gym. We carry a very high quality ball from Italy. I would stay away from the cheap fitness balls found at discount stores. Chances are they are made in China and not burst resistant. So, if you get a small hole in your ball it pops and you are sitting on your butt. You can do countless exercises on the ball. Fitness balls start at $23.95.

4. Resistance bands with handles and a door strap. We carry resistance bands for all different strength levels. What I like about the resistance bands is they are very portable. Also, they help build strength faster because of the time the muscle is under tension. The bands have the same resistance throughout the range of motion of the muscle. Resistance bands start at $6.95.

5. An exercise mat. I think that is self explanatory. Plan on spending at least $30.00

6. Balance discs or a BOSU. Both of these can help with balance and coordination doing upper and lower body exercises. The balance discs are about $45.00 and a BOSU will run you about $120.00.

7. Powerblock dumbbells. These are one of the coolest things I have ever used. Instead of having racks and racks of dumbbells, these take up little space. Depending on the model you chose the weight varies from 5lbs up to 45lbs (you can get a 20lb handle to take it to 60lbs). These will cost from $239 on up. Check out the website http://www.powerblock.com/

8. Cardio equipment. Lets look at our choices:

A. Treadmill: Here is definitely where you get what you pay for. I am not saying to drop $2,000 on a treadmill. I don't believe in double buying. Stay away from treadmills at department stores. They tend to be low quality and higher maintenance. The brands I like are Vision Fitness, True, Life Fitness, Precor, Star Trac and Landice. I think you can get a good treadmill for $1,500. Lace up your running shoes and get on different ones. See which one feels better. They have different decking and program functions. Never buy one without trying it first.

B. Elliptical Machine/Cross Trainer: A cross trainer is the same as an elliptical except with arm handles. Again, you get what you pay for. Department store ellipticals/cross trainers are not designed and built as well as the commercial brands. Plus, the stride and mechanics is not as well developed. My personal favorite is the Octane ( www.octanefitness.com). It has the correct positioning for the hips, knees and feet. Almost all other elliptical/cross trainers have made my feet fall asleep. I have had my Octane for more than 2 years now and I still love it. An Octane is about $2,300. If that is too rich for your blood, then look for a machine that you can adjust the stride length. Other brands I like are Precor, Life Fitness and Fitline. Get on different machines, and see what feels the best. If you would like to try my Octane, just let me know.

C. Upright stationary bike. What I like about an exercise bike is you can add a bunch of resistance, and get a good interval burn for your legs. I still recommend buying a quality bike. I have a client who owns a Life Fitness bike that is 18 years old and still running strong. The brands I like are the Stairmaster, Nautilus Schwinn, and Life Fitness. Plan on spending about $750 or more for a good quality stationary bike.

D. If you are on a shoestring budget buy a jump-rope. Or just walk/jog/run outside. Be sure you have good shoes. You should replace your exercise shoes (depending on how often you wear them) every four to six months. My personal favorite shoes are New Balance. They seem to do a better job making shoes that are functional, more than just a fashion statement. Expect to pay at least $50 to $100 for a good pair of shoes.

9. If you have the room, and money then next item you need is a multi station gym. Make sure it is high quality, it has a lat tower, leg extension and leg curl. An added feature is a middle pulley for doing abs and a lower pulley for doing back, shoulder and bicep exercises. One of my favorite machines is the Bowflex. I had one at my office for 3 years. What I liked about the Bowflex was the ease of use, and the motion of the Power Rods. The Power Rods are very similar to the natural strength curve of the muscle. I like the Ultimate, which will run about $2100. Most commercial exercise retailers carry good quality multi gyms for all budgets.

10. Squat rack and Olympic Weight Set with Bench: As most of you know, my favorite exercises are squats, chest presses and dead-lifts. When using Olympic weights, safety should come first. You need to do squats in a squat rack. That way, if you were to lose control, the weights would not come down on top of you. The Olympic bar is nice, because you can add more weights down the road with out the bar bending. As far as a bench goes, I would recommend one that can go from a decline position to a full upright military press position. Having equipment that is flexible is key to keeping things balanced. Plan on spending anywhere from $450 to $1,000 for a squat rack, $300 for a bench, and about $200 for the Olympic weight set.

So, as you can see, with a little space and some discipline you can create a great place to workout. Start off with the basics, and then add more to your home gym as you go. Get into the habit of exercise. If you workout after work, change into your exercise clothes before leaving the office. Get into the mindset of going to the gym. When you get home, go right away into your workout. Don't sit down to watch a little TV or go through the mail! Those distractions will pull you away from what you should be doing. My home gym list is just a sample of things. Medicine balls, push up bars, pull up bars and many, many other items are available.

Client of the Month

Dave started with Functional Conditioning in September 2005. He had already been exercising for quite a long time. Dave has a great home gym, he just needed some guidance. Dave is a VP in a large corporation that requires him to travel and work many hours. He also has a wonderful family that keeps him busy. So what we needed to do was to make his workout time efficient. First was correcting his muscle imbalance. Dave, like most guys, liked to do a lot of chest work. However, he had not done as much with his back muscles. Posture, muscle balance, improving flexibility and decreasing body fat were our priorities. I see Dave once a week and put him through a workout. He does exercises and stretching on his own. Dave has made better food choices while traveling and entertaining. He knows that failure with the fork will keep him from achieving his goals. I am proud of his accomplishments. Not only has he lost body fat, increased lean tissue, and added more flexibility to his low back and hamstrings, but he is more balanced. You can tell by his posture! Dave looks and feels better than he has in years.

Keep up the good work!!!