Archive for the ‘inspiration’ Category

The Power of Strength Training

Posted: November 7, 2012 by Eric at Prime in challenge, dedication, fat loss, fitness, group exercise, health, inspiration, lifestyle, personal training, weight loss, wellness, womens' fitness
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Welcome back to the Prime Fitness Blog. After some time away, Christy and I are back and ready to reconnect with everyone on all things health, fitness and wellness. I start this new blog era with yet another story of inspiration from one of Prime’s very own. If you have ever been to one of Prime’s large group training sessions, you more than likely have met Gina. If not, allow me to introduce her to everyone. Once you meet Gina you will quickly recognize her warm heart, her endless generosity and her unyielding desire to help others. Gina has been one of Prime’s stars and also one of our biggest supporters. Gina herself is a fitness professional, she has been teaching yoga and Pilates for 7 plus years. Gina realized back over the winter this year that even fit pro’s sometime need a kick in the butt to jump start a change in their body. She noticed a rise in blood pressure and like many of us, pure vanity was another motivating factor. With her motivation driving her she took a leap into a new world of exercise.

Gina discovered the realm of strength and metabolic training. Jumping in with both feet she started working out in this new way 3-4 days a week. The results were quick and dramatic. Changes in her shrinking waistline and leanness were clearly visible to all those around. Gina was already a relatively healthy eater so with the addition of weight and metabolic training she made these great changes( by the way, when I say weight training I don’t mean little 5lb weights, Gina used weights that were challenging and in many cases body weight exercises were some of the most challenging…. Think pull ups and push ups!). From these changes, Gina was hooked and she wanted to see if she could push the envelope a little further and continue the change. The next logical step was to analyze her diet and see how to tweak that. A few simple changes of limiting sugars and breads to increasing protein intake have taken her to the next level. Since this journey started back in Feb/March 2012 Gina has lost an astounding 7% of her body fat(that is a great deal for an already fit woman!), she is stronger and in much better health. She feels great but is ready for her next challenge. She is now starting to increase her cardio(just ran her first 5k this past weekend!!)

Needless to say we at Prime are very proud of Gina and are very grateful to have her as one of the Prime family. So proud, we made her our first employee and Gina now teaches a series of TRX based classes.

At the end of the day, we want everyone to recognize the importance of strength and metabolic training. Both types of training can be accomplished by people of any fitness level you just have to be ready to start and commit to making the change.

I Scream, You Scream….

Posted: May 15, 2012 by christyatprime in challenge, dedication, fat loss, fitness, health, inspiration, lifestyle, weight loss, wellness, womens' fitness
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We ALL scream for ICE CREAM!  Yes, it is that time of year when it’s hard to drive past the frozen yogurt shop or resist the temptation of a fantastic twisty cone!  If ice cream isn’t “your thing”, I am sure you can relate.  You have one special treat that seems almost impossible to give up…whether it be something salty, your nightly glass of wine, a weeknight beer, or pizza Tuesdays….so how do we live life in balance where we can still enjoy our “treats” and reach our goals?  I have found that as I continue to get lean I am wanting ice cream more often….almost as if my mind is playing some trick on me.  I am committed to starting my “get serious plan” on June 15th as I approach the 8 week mark to our wedding.

I am now coming to YOU, my clients and friends, to find out what advice you may have to fight my nightly ice cream craving….you have all made fantastic progress over the last 6 months and I couldn’t be more proud.  How are you finding balance between a little self indulgence, eating well, and exercising?  Are you setting daily, weekly or monthly goals?  Please share your success stories!

Music and Exercise

Posted: April 4, 2012 by christyatprime in fitness, group exercise, health, inspiration, lifestyle, Uncategorized, weight loss
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It is rare these days to walk into a health club or to drive down the street without seeing an iPod in the ears of someone exercising.  In all honesty, I don’t know if I could make it through one of my runs without some type of tune pumping into my head.  But what are the effects of music on exercise?

I looked to Dr. Len Kravitz for some more information on this.  “In a well-designed study, Ellis and Brighouse (1952) noted that respiration rate increased significantly with the onset of jazz music and tends to return to pre-music levels with the cessation of music. Heart rate was only moderately effected by the introduction of the music. The average heart rate is between 72-80 beats per minute while music tempos may range from 70 to 170 beats per minute. A review of studies indicates that heart rate tends to only moderately follow the music; increasing in response to fast music and decreasing in response to slow music (Dainow, 1977) . Dainow cites several investigations that actually show any type of music (sedative or stimulative) will show a moderate increase in heart rate. Much of this increase in heart rate by all types of music can be explained due to the fact that music does produce some kind of emotional effect, thus increasing the heart rate.”

What are your thoughts on working out with or without music?  Do you benefit more from the energy?  Does it allow you to “keep time” throughout your workout?

As Confucius says, “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”  So whether you like to pump the jams while you workout or you prefer silence, just KEEP MOVING!

The Importance of Commitment

Posted: March 16, 2012 by christyatprime in challenge, dedication, fitness, health, inspiration, lifestyle, Uncategorized, wellness, womens' fitness
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“There’s a difference between interest and commitment.  When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit.  When you’re commited to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

When is the last time you truly commited to yourself?  We spend so much of our time commiting to family, work, friends, really anything but ourselves.  It is often easier to give energy to others rather than to ourselves.  We feel like if we take time to do something for ourselves, we are being selfish.  Why is that?

It seems easy to commit to a two year contract at our local health club, but how many of us commit to going at least 12 times per month?  We generously spend our hard earned money on supplements, gym memberships, new workout clothes, new shoes, and iPods, but never make it to the gym.  How will we ever achieve our goals?  It is important to set goals whether they are daily or more long term goals like your first 5K or losing 10 pounds before your tenth wedding anniversary.

My plea is that over the next 8 weeks, you commit to YOU!  Make yourself a priority!  Focus on proper nutrition, not diets.  Be consistent with your workouts.  Drink water throughout the day.  Tell yourself that you are important and that you deserve results!  Be happy!  Love yourself.  Commit, no excuses.

A Client’s Take on Fitness by our very own Barbara Root

Posted: March 14, 2012 by christyatprime in dedication, fat loss, fitness, health, inspiration, lifestyle, muscle, personal training, weight loss, wellness, womens' fitness
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A Client’s Take on Fitness

Written March 1, 2012

I’ve always considered myself a fairly fit person, even if my favorite form of exercise was a “brisk read” as Phyllis Diller once said. When I could drag myself away from a good book, however, I walked every day, did aerobics, yoga, and qigong and ice skating—at least sporadically, and took the occasional dance class. This approach seemed to work pretty well until I hit my early fifties, when my formerly flat stomach went squishy and I started getting recurring rotator cuff and deltoid injuries to my right shoulder, on top of arthritis and spinal stenosis. I gritted my teeth and asked my daughter Kathy, who’s a personal trainer, to teach me to lift weights. I might be getting older, but I was determined not to be decrepit.

Thus began my adventures in high-intensity intervals, balance, and strength training—and my obsession with Jillian Michaels! Kathy trained me for about 4 months before she liberated me—or was that, fired me? Evidently, even great trainers who love their work don’t want to train their moms when they get home! After getting over my shock, I realized that it was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me. Kathy had laid the groundwork and taught me things I never thought I could do, but no one else was going to take charge (I thought)—I was going to have to be responsible for my own fitness.

Enter Jillian, who’s not quite the screaming meanie in her videos as she was on Biggest Loser. Well, Jillian was great… and Tamilee, and Jackie… until the knee injury. Nothing dramatic, just bone on bone arthritis. Sidelined by my doctor, who said, “No more squats and lunges, ever!” but also said “strengthen your quads” without telling me how, I quickly sought referrals for personal trainers from Kathy. I’ve been blessed over the past year to work with three amazing trainers, including two from Prime Fitness. It’s taken about 6 months, but the swelling in my knee has finally gone down and I now have two perfectly matched knees! In the process, I’ve lost body fat and gained a lot of strength—AND I do squats and lunges. I can’t say enough about how important knowledgeable trainers are in teaching you proper form and in finding creative ways to work around injuries and in making you work harder than you might on your own.

Barbara Root

Fit vs. Skinny Part Deux

Posted: March 9, 2012 by christyatprime in dedication, fat loss, fitness, health, inspiration, lifestyle, muscle, personal training, Uncategorized, wellness, womens' fitness
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After my post on fit vs skinny last week I decided it was time to get personal and talk a little about my own journey over the last 3 months.  It has always intrigued me when I talk to our clients about fat loss versus weight loss, being fit versus being skinny, positive versus negative self talk, and the notion that trainers are working towards their own personal goals and even we as fitness professionals aren’t always 100% self confident in the way we look or feel.

On December 8th I had my body composition taken.  It was a whopping 22.79% and I weighed in at 143 pounds.  That being said that’s 32.6 pounds of FAT and 110.4 pounds of lean body mass(LBM).  I set up my action plan as to how I could LOSE fat!  I didn’t care so much about the number on the scale, but I was definitely not happy with my body fat percentage.  Okay, okay, truth be told….I really did care about the number on the scale, because I knew that if I could just hit 138 pounds I would look great!  I decided that I would increase the number of days I was strength training.  I incorporated TRX Suspension Training, TRX Rip Training, kettlebells, bands, med balls, and a bunch of fun “toys”.  My cardio consisted of high intensity, short duration bouts of running a couple times per week.  Within four weeks I had lost 2% body fat, 3 pounds of fat and had gained 2 pound of LBM!  The weight on the scale didn’t budge.  Determined to continue on a path of fat loss, I really took a look at my nutrition and realized that I was eating as much as my boyfriend, Eric, at each meal….I realized that I really like to eat!  Without changing a lot of my food selection, I cut back on my portion size and increased the amount of protein I was consuming daily.  I began tracking my food consumption using the Daily Burn Tracker and found that there were days I actually wasn’t eating enough!  Could that be?  I needed more food (fuel) per day to increase my fat loss!   So YES I had to start eating more, to lose fat!  The other major factor, in my opinion, is cutting down on the alcohol consumption.  I allowed myself 1-2 alcoholic drinks per week if I chose.  Instead of my usual, delicious pint(s) of Blue Moon beer with a whopping 171 calories per 12 oz, I settled for a small glass of pinot noir at 120 calories.  I found that not only was I not consuming empty calories, but I felt much better!  I was sleeping soundly and my energy levels increased.

I did my final weigh in and body composition check on March 6th….12 weeks after first starting.  I am happy to report that I am now 16.96% body fat and am 139 pounds; with 23.57 pounds of fat and 115.42 pounds of LBM.  In 12 short weeks I have lost 9 pounds of fat, gained 5 pounds of LBM and the scale only changed by ~4 pounds.

I know how frustrating it can be when we put so much emphasis on the scale.  It makes you wonder why you drag yourself to the gym five days per week, why you sacrifice your weekend mornings for the long runs, and why you ever thought about giving up alcohol.  But trust me, it’s NOT about the number on the scale.  That’s not the important number….instead focus on body composition….fat loss, not weight loss.  Once you set your sights on this, you will find success!  And I now have the mindset that FIT is so much more important than skinny.

Fit or Skinny?

Posted: February 29, 2012 by christyatprime in dedication, fitness, health, inspiration, muscle, Uncategorized, wellness, womens' fitness
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As a female I have struggled with body image throughout my life.  We are bombarded with media images of “perfection”, health, and what it means to look good.  Of course without being airbrushed before we leave the house, we don’t look like what we see in the magazines.  This can be quite disheartening for the female psyche.  We bust our butts in the gym only to not like what we see in the mirror?  Why is that?

I know over the past six months I have done a lot of mindset shifting to realize that I would much rather be FIT than skinny!  A fit body looks amazing naked, while a skinny body may look good in this month’s latest fashion trend.  Strength training has lead to increased muscle tone, muscle definition, and overall strength.  When we begin to alter the way we view ourselves by choosing a positive mindset of self acceptance, the world views us the way we view ourselves!

Choose the healthy approach to body image and realize that FIT is much sexier than skinny fat!  Love yourself.  You deserve it.  You work hard for it.  Continue to work hard.

It all starts with a positive mindset….

Posted: February 27, 2012 by christyatprime in challenge, dedication, fat loss, fitness, group exercise, health, inspiration, lifestyle, personal training, Uncategorized, weight loss, wellness
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Ralph Marston says it best:  “You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.”

Having been in the fitness industry for over 12 years I am always asked if I actually like working out.  When I respond yes, the next question is how in the world could you like working out?  I have found it all starts with a mindset.  Approaching anything in life with positivity will yield positive results.  As a society, we are caught in the rat race with an expectation of immediacy.  Instead of focusing so much on the end result, why  not enjoy the experience?  Set an extremely short term goal.  For example:  I will enjoy my workout today.  I will smile during burpees.  I will feel better when I complete my workout.  What you believe becomes reality!

Try not to allow frustration to take over.  Instead view each task as a challenge that you can overcome knowing that you are becoming stronger, more balanced, more healthy.  Look in the mirror each morning and be excited that you have the chance to do anything you set your mind to.  You are in complete control of your day!

The next time you find yourself frustrated with whatever life has thrown at you, choose a positive mindset.  Go for a walk.  Plank on a TRX Suspension Trainer.  Register for your first 5K.  Know that you are powerful and you can do whatever you set your mind to do!

True Commitment!

Posted: February 13, 2012 by Eric at Prime in dedication, fitness, inspiration, lifestyle, personal training, weight loss, wellness
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Commitment and dedication, those are two concepts that can be uniquely individual, because they may mean something completely different to everyone. This past weekend at PRIME FITNESS we witnessed yet another way one person demonstrated his dedication to a fit lifestyle.

John “Biggie” Bigatel began training at PRIME back in October 2011. John has always worked out but had never experienced the types of workouts that he started at PRIME. He was hooked after his first and John quickly became a true ambassador of what PRIME’s philosophies are. First, John’s mobility and flexibility increased so well he was able to move more and more athletic every day. Second, his joint pain and his “sore” muscle recovery time was greatly reduced. Now lets talk about looking better. John set a goal to reduce his body fat to 15% by April. Well, he crushed his goal by getting to 14% by February! John kicked some serious butt and we could not be more proud. Consistency and dedication!

What really showed us John’s commitment to the fit lifestyle was his special request for his 30th Birthday. He wanted a Birthday Bootcamp held for him on his actual birthday this past Saturday, February 11th. PRIME FITNESS was moved by this and thought what better way to reward one of our own then to give him and his friends a grueling 60 minute boot camp for his birthday. So, we did and the result was a group of exhausted yet exhilarated participants and of course a very happy John! PRIME wants to recognize “Biggie” for his devotion to fitness and his drive to always push himself!

To see a sample of the boot camp click JOHNS BDAY BOOTCAMP

Here’s to you John! Congrats and Thank you.