It is that time of year again when everyone is setting goals for the New Year. An extremely popular New Year’s resolution is to become healthier, to “eat better” or “work out more often.” While these goals are great, and it’s never a bad time to improve your health, these goals can be hard to measure and keep up with. Here are a few tips to making goals and resolutions that are achievable.

Firstly, make sure the resolutions you make are specific. For example, instead of “eat better” make your goal to include more fruits and vegetables into your diet, or to eat smaller portions at meals. Another way to do this is to eliminate one unhealthy or “junk” food from your diet at a time. As you become comfortable with that adjustment, remove another junk food.

Similarly, make sure to set realistic goals. It will make achieving the desired results easier. For example, making it a resolution to “go to the gym everyday” is unrealistic. You miss one day and you feel like you haven’t met your goal, and once you skip one day, it’s a whole lot easier to skip more. Set a goal to get in 30 minutes of cardio three times a week. That way you can be flexible and not too hard on yourself when something goes wrong. You can always increase the time or frequency as this becomes routine for you!

Finally, set smaller goals to meet your end goals. If you want to lose 15 pounds this year, start your goal that you would like to lose 3 pounds by March 1st. Achieving these smaller goals will make you feel accomplished and give you more motivation towards your end goal. This resolution is both specific and realistic, and the best part is you get to cross off this goal, reward yourself, and set a new goal in a short period of time!

Rittenhouse Women’s wellness center is here to help you create goals and follow through with them. Make an appointment for the New Year now!

Holiday season is upon us! It is full of friends and family, but also tends to be a time when we are unable to keep up with our fitness routines. Cold weather, traveling, and a plethora of events can culminate in a few additional pounds. To keep unwanted weight and the lethargy that comes with this season there are a few things to be mindful of. First of all, stay active. This can be difficult, but take a walk with friends, park in the furthest section of the parking lot while holiday shopping, take the stairs instead of elevators, or do some yoga from a video in your hotel room. This will help you feel better about the extra goodies you eat, keep up your energy levels, and help to stave off winter weight.

When attending parties, make sure you do not show up hungry. Eat something healthy before leaving the house. Then nibble or have a slice of pie, but you won’t be as tempted to go overboard. Lastly, enjoy yourself. Don’t let the stress this time of year can bring get you down. Stress is a huge contributor in weight gain and can make you even more tired and run down. Take a deep breath and don’t forget to celebrate those near and dear to you. Have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season!

As we know, the next few months are usually hectic with the holidays approaching. There is much preparation and stress that goes into our family functions and traditions. In order to keep fit during the holiday season, you can workout at home and burn lots of calories with this quick workout when you do not have time to hit the gym.

• • 15 push-ups (regular or modified, depending on fitness level)
  • 15 burpees
  • 1 minute plank
  • 20 lunges
  • 20 power squats
  • 15 tricep dips (You can use a chair as long as it is immobile)
  • 25 high knees (running in place with “high knees”)
  • 1 minute wall sit – place your back up against the wall and drop down to have your legs in a 90 degree angle. Once you make sure you are in the correct position, count 1 minute before breaking.

Depending on your fitness level:

• Beginners: 1x repeat

  Intermediate: 2x repeat

  Advanced: 3x repeat

  *Be sure to have a water bottle with you. Finish your mini workout with a healthy meal high in protein.

What is it?

The National Strength and Conditioning Association defines Plyometric Exercise as a “quick, powerful movement preceded by a pre-stretch, or counter movement, and involving the stretch-shortening cycle.”  The stretch-shortening cycle consists of an eccentric muscle contraction (lengthening) immediately followed by a concentric muscle contraction (shortening). Plyometric Exercise tends to involve explosive, powerful movements that mimic actions used in sports such as basketball, skiing, tennis, volleyball, etc. This type of exercise has typically been used by athletes but benefits the everyday person as well.

Benefits?

Plyometrics provide numerous benefits when performed correctly such as improved neuromuscular control by causing your muscles to fire more quickly, improved functional movements such as jumping and landing capabilities, decreased risk of injury, and increased general fitness. Overall, this type of exercise improves speed (how fast you can go in one direction), agility (ability to change direction and/or start/stop quickly), and quickness (reaction time).

Things to Consider

Plyometric training is not for everyone and should be done after consulting with a Personal Trainer or Physical Therapist. When performing Plyometrics, you should focus on landing lightly in a controlled manner. The knees should not buckle inward; instead, they should track straight ahead in line with the hips and feet. If you are unable to perform the movements without your knees buckling, a better baseline of strength is needed before adding Plyometrics to your work-outs. Lastly, due to the high impact nature of this exercise, someone who has joint issues or arthritis should probably not participate unless she has her doctor’s permission.

Exercises

Jumping rope, butt kicks, and high knees are examples of low intensity Plyometrics. Medium intensity includes box jumps, broad jumps, and scissor jumps. High intensity Plyometrics includes depth jumps, bounding, and double scissor jumps.

Progression

The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends that beginners start with 60 to 80 foot contacts (amount of landings). After about four to six weeks of training progress to 80 to 120 foot contacts. Advanced exercisers and athletes can do upward of 150 foot contacts. You can safely participate in Plyometrics once or twice per week on nonconsecutive days. You should also steer clear of a Plyometric work-out (whether upper body or lower body) if you have strength trained the same body part the day before. Before beginning (as with any exercise regimen), do a 10-minute light cardiovascular warm-up to increase blood flow to your muscles and help prevent injury.

Contact us at the Rittenhouse Women’s Wellness Center if you want to improve general fitness and functional stability by adding Plyometrics to your work-out routine!

Shannon Feck, ACSM
Certified Personal Trainer and Collegiate Women’s Basketball Referee
sfeck@rwwc.com“>sfeck@rwwc.com

As summertime approaches, you may be thinking of how you’re going to tone up and get in great shape for that beach vacation you have planned. If you haven’t added several strength training routines to your work-outs each week, you should! While a lot of females believe that strength training will cause their bodies to bulk up, the fact is that it’s very difficult for a female to achieve significant gains in muscle mass and size for several reasons. To get that toned look, burning body fat and creating lean muscle mass through proper resistance training is the key!

In order for a female to greatly increase muscle mass from strength training, a few things would have to take place. First, her diet would need to consist of a large number of calories and a high quantity of proteins. She would also need to have a high level of testosterone and most likely be consuming some form of muscle building supplement, such as Creatine. She would also need to perform “high volumes and intensities of strength training over a long period of time” (www.thetitusreport.com). Lastly, a female would need a genetic predisposition for muscle hypertrophy, which is the growth and increase of the size of muscle cells.

Genetically, females have higher levels of estrogen and lower levels of testosterone than men. This results in women having higher amounts of body fat and lower amounts of lean muscle mass. Because men possess higher levels of testosterone and thus higher amounts of muscle mass, they have a tendency to bulk up during strength training. Female bodies will NOT react the same way to resistance training that male bodies do. Given genetics and the extra supplementation and caloric intake needed to achieve muscle mass gains, it is virtually impossible for a female to bulk up from weight training.

So, in adding resistance training to your work-outs each week, how much weight should you use, how many repetitions, and what types of exercises should you perform to get your best results? Many fitness magazines such as “Self” or “Women’s Health” will tell you to focus on low weights and high repetitions so as not to get bulky, however we’ve just discussed that it is nearly physically impossible for females to bulk up. Instead, pick a weight if you’re using dumbbells (or a color if you’re using resistance bands, etc.) and perform 2 sets of 10-15 repetitions. The last 2-3 repetitions should be difficult to perform (but always with good form) – at this point you’re reaching a point called muscle fatigue, which is where you feel like you cannot perform one more repetition. If the last 2-3 repetitions are easy, it’s time to bump up your resistance load! Lastly, make sure your work-outs have a balanced approach and include exercises that hit all of the major muscle groups.

Remember as you approach bathing suit season, the best way to increase muscle tone is to make strength training a priority and don’t worry about developing big, bulky muscles because it’s physically not in the cards for the majority of women. Even females who have more of a genetic predisposition to muscle hypertrophy have to make sure they’re consuming a large number of calories and taking muscle building supplements to build mass! Contact us at the Rittenhouse Women’s Wellness Center if we can help you introduce strength training to your routine!

Females reach Peak Bone Mass, which is the greatest amount of bone mass a person will ever have, between the ages of 18 and 25. Studies have shown that having high levels of Peak Bone Mass (which indicates high bone density) during this time becomes important because it decreases the chances of developing osteopenia and osteoporosis later in life. These conditions, which cause brittle bones and increase risk for fractures, tend to occur more frequently after menopause. In fact, during the first few years after menopause, most women experience rapid bone density loss (a loss which continues at a slower pace throughout the postmenopausal years). How do we combat this ‘natural’ loss of bone density over time? Studies have indicated that weight-bearing exercises play a huge role in maintaining and even increasing bone density mass!

Similarly to muscle, bones are a living tissue that adapt to the stress that we put on them, which means the more we use them or exercise, the stronger they become. Ideally, women should perform consistent weight-bearing exercise (strength training in particular) long before menopause begins to benefit our bones the most; however women can experience these benefits to some degree at any age. For instance, one study showed that intensive strength training allowed women in their early post-menopause years to regain bone as they built muscle. They actually gained an average of 1.5% in bone mineral density in as little as nine months with rigorous strength-training regimes — a huge difference from the 2% of lost bone that might have otherwise occurred. Another study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Associations showed that even women who were in their 70’s “avoided the expected loss of bone and even increased their bone density slightly” after lifting weights twice a week for one year!

So, if weight-bearing exercise is the key, what types of activities does this include and how often should you perform them? Weight-bearing exercise is defined as anything you do on your feet which forces you to work against gravity. Strength training, as mentioned in the above studies, has been found to be the most effective for increasing bone density. However, other activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, hiking, and dancing are all forms of weight-bearing exercises and can benefit bone density as well. While swimming and biking provide health benefits, they are not considered true weight-bearing exercises. Weight-bearing activities should be performed at least 3 times per week for 30-60 minutes at a time.

While the biological propensity of females to lose bone density mass over time, which often leads to the development of conditions like osteopenia or osteoporosis (especially after the onset of menopause), may seem daunting, know that you have the power to prevent this process and/or fight the effects of it! Strengthening your bones by loading your muscles and joints, whether through strength training, walking, dancing, etc. can maintain and even significantly increase bone density. No matter what age in life, it is never too late to start battling this natural process – let us know if we can help you get started at the Rittenhouse Women’s Wellness Center!

If you had to guess, how many hours per day would you estimate you spend working at a desk, listening to teachers, using a computer, eating at a table, riding in a car, flying on an airplane, watching television, attending sporting events, etc.? Some medical research reports that the average person spends 9 hours of their waking hours (roughly 60%) performing these types of “activities” – and the one common denominator among all of them is SITTING! According to several researchers, the very “act” of sitting for prolonged periods (even among those who may exercise routinely) decreases metabolism, impedes circulation, and increases your chances of developing certain diseases.

The human body was not designed to hold one posture for 8-9 hours per day (such as sitting at a desk at work). Studies have shown that holding this inactive posture for long periods of time disrupts metabolic functions and circulation. Because your legs, which include the largest muscle groups in your body, do not contract while sitting, metabolism decreases. In fact, you burn more calories chewing gum than you do while sitting! Poor circulation can also occur, which can lead to issues like blood clots.

Furthermore, recent studies have linked prolonged sitting to higher levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, blood sugar, and waist size – all of which increase the risk of developing obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. One study conducted by Epidemiologist Steven Blair, a public health professor at the University of South Carolina, found men who reported more than 23 hours a week of sedentary activity had a 64 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than those who reported less than 11 hours a week of sedentary activity.

While federal health guidelines suggest a minimum of exercising 30 minutes per day 5 days per week, achieving this minimum amount of activity may not be enough to combat the effects of the amount of sitting we engage in every day. In fact, the scariest findings of Steven Blair’s study were that most of the subjects routinely exercised!  So what does this mean for our everyday lives and how can we possibly overcome the inevitability of sitting, which affects our work, transportation, and social lives? Get up and MOVE!! In 2012, a Duke University study demonstrated that people who got up for 2 minutes out of every 20 minutes improved their glucose levels and circulation within weeks! Here are ways you can easily move every hour of your “seated” day:

• Get up and talk to a co-worker instead of emailing
• Pump your feet/circle your ankles at your desk, on an airplane, etc.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Sit on an exercise ball at your desk
• Schedule “walking” meetings with your co-workers
• Do 5 squats every half hour at your desk or while you watch television
• Park further away in the parking lot
• Stop every couple of hours in your car and take a walk around a rest stop
• Do stretches on the floor or couch while watching a movie

The key to combating the effects of sitting, which is what the average person spends most of their waking time doing, is to get up and MOVE!! Even if you can only fit in a few minutes per hour, these small steps pay off in big ways when it comes to your health – let us know how we can help you get moving at the Rittenhouse Women’s Wellness Center!

We all know exercise provides many external physical benefits, such as slimming waistlines, toning muscle, and improving mobility and strength, but does it provide internal benefits as well? The answer is YES – to our brains!! The simple act of contracting a muscle requires brainpower, and beyond that, the positive effects of the communication between mind and body are numerous. In fact, many studies have shown that exercise can elevate cognitive functioning, prolong the onset of some degenerative diseases, and alleviate conditions like depression and anxiety!

When we exercise, communication between neurons from our brain and our muscles occurs at what is called the neuromuscular junction. Here, acetylcholine (which affects memory and attention) and dopamine (which helps control fine motor movement) are transmitted from the nerve to the muscle fiber’s surface. This process “initiates a chain of events that lead to muscle contraction” (www.fi.edu). The process of contracting muscles, which is essential to exercise, demonstrates the synergistic relationship between the mind and the body in its most basic form.

Because exercise stimulates the nervous system, it enables our minds to perform at a higher level. Studies have shown that movement can stimulate the Hippocampus in the brain, which primarily controls memory and learning. For instance, Charles Hillman, a professor at the University of Illinois, conducted a study called “Cognition Following Acute Aerobic Exercise” and discovered that only 30 minutes of moderate exercise “resulted in a 5-10% improvement in cognition” (www.abcnews.go.com). Evidence also suggests that the cerebrum, responsible for “memory, intelligence, and language” increases in size after physical activity (www.livestrong.com).

Not only does movement improve cognitive functioning, it can also delay the onset of degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In one study published in the “Annals of Internal Medicine,” adults who exercised at least three times per week were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Medical professionals theorize that these results are directly related to the fact that exercise can positively impact the Hippocampus (where Alzheimer’s typically begins).

Lastly, physical activity can mitigate the effects of depression and anxiety. One study suggesting this was published in “The American Journal of Preventative Medicine” and demonstrated that adults who exercised for 30 minutes 3-5 times per week reduced their symptoms of depression by 50%. While all the reasons for these results may be unclear, one theory is that exercise increases two chemicals in the brain, Nerve-Growth Factor and Brain-Derived Nerve Factor, which contain anti-depressant properties.

Exercising stimulates more than just positive physical responses from your body; it also stimulates very real responses from your brain! Even 30 minutes of moderate exercise 3-5 days per week can have both short-term and long-term impacts on cognitive functioning. Make physical activity a part of your life today and let us know if we can help you reach your goals at the Rittenhouse Women’s Wellness Center!

Fitness circles have historically tossed around the term “aerobic” in reference to a form of exercise, specifically cardio exercise. However, “aerobic” actually defines one of the two ways in which our bodies produce energy while exercising, the other way being an “anaerobic” process. The aerobic and anaerobic metabolic processes involve different types of exercise and provide different benefits for our health. In order to maintain a balanced approach to fitness, you should make sure to include both types in your weekly routine.

Definitions

Our bodies produce energy aerobically, which means “with oxygen,” and anaerobically, which means “without oxygen,” during exercise. Aerobic metabolism occurs during endurance-minded exercise and involves slow-twitch muscle fibers. In order to produce energy for this type of activity, our bodies break down carbohydrates “with oxygen.” Once the carbohydrate or glucose supply diminishes, the oxygen in our bodies begins to use stored fat as fuel. Anaerobic metabolism occurs during activities involving short, powerful bursts of speed and utilizes fast-twitch muscle fibers. Different from aerobic metabolism, anaerobic metabolism uses glycogen from blood sugar to fuel our bodies instead of oxygen (www.livestrong.com).

Activities

The aerobic process occurs during activities that moderately raise the heart rate for an extended amount of time ranging anywhere from several minutes to several hours. Some examples of these activities include running, cycling, and swimming. For instance, depending on your fitness level, walking at 4.5mph for 30 minutes would be considered an aerobic activity. The anaerobic process happens when exercise is performed at a high rate of speed for a short period of time followed by a rest period. This type of exercise greatly increases your heart rate and includes things like strength training, weight lifting, and interval training while running, cycling, swimming, etc. For example, pick the quickest pace you can go for 30 seconds on a treadmill then switch to a moderate pace for 2 minutes. Alternating between these speeds in this manner is considered an anaerobic activity.

Benefits

The aerobic and anaerobic metabolic processes provide different, but essential benefits to our health. Exercise focused on the aerobic metabolic process, such as running or biking, increases heart health by lowering blood pressure and your resting heart rate. It also improves circulation and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Activities involving the anaerobic metabolic process, such as strength training, help increase muscle strength and muscle mass, which helps the body to burn calories more effectively. It also improves bone density mass, thus aiding in avoiding fractures. Lastly, studies have shown that engaging in exercise involving both forms helps to improve mental health!

The best approach to your fitness health is a balanced approach that involves both low to moderate intensity and high intensity exercise regimens so that your body engages both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. Come see us today at the Rittenhouse Women’s Wellness Center so we can help you achieve this balanced approach!