The frequency, duration, and type of exercise necessary to achieve optimal health depends upon several factors including the intensity of effort, as well as individual needs, goals, and limitations.  As of 2007, the American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association amended their Physical Activity Guidelines and now recommend the following:

Guidelines for healthy adults under age 65

Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Or
Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week
And
Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

Guidelines for adults over age 65
(or adults 50-64 with chronic conditions, such as arthritis)

Do moderately intense aerobic exercise 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Or
Do vigorously intense aerobic exercise 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week
And
Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, 10-15 repetitions of each exercise twice to three times per week
And
If you are at risk of falling, perform balance exercises
And
Have a physical activity plan.

Both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity is considered critical for healthy aging.  Notice how the current recommendations now include at least twice weekly strength exercises, as well as more vigorous cardiorespiratory exercise as an alternative to the standard moderate intensity activity to be performed most days of the week.

For more tips and information, please refer to the ACSM Physical Activity and Public Health Guidelines.

Stop in and check out our beautiful 90 gallon cichlid tank!

Relaxation or therapeutic massage…just what the doctor ordered!

Entering our state-of-the-art fitness studio.  Looking at Fit Keys, which direct cardio exercise.

If you’re not worried about gaining holiday weight, perhaps you should be. Despite the popularity of New Year’s weight loss resolutions, research shows that most people who tend to gain weight during the holidays, don’t lose it once they’re over.

So the trick is to avoid weight gain this year and simply go into maintenance mode, enjoy the holidays, and come out the other side the way you went in. Believe it or not, you can actually get more fit over the holidays, if you are willing to put in a little effort.

Here are some can’t fail tips to get you through the holiday temptation:

1. Stay Active

There are tremendous benefits associated with regular exercise, not the least of which is it generally keeps you more health-minded and making better food choices. If you are exercising regularly, stay on your schedule through the holidays and if not, get started on a program before Thanksgiving!

 2. Keep a Food Journal

If you are really serious about avoiding weight gain over the holidays, you will keep a food journal to keep yourself accountable. MyFitnessPal.com is a free online nutrition journal that will make you aware of how many calories and what types of foods you are eating. You will think twice before making poor food choices, or at least several of them, if you know you have to write them down.

 3. Don’t Skip Meals or Arrive at Parties Hungry

Remember to eat something every few hours to keep your metabolism hummin’ along and to prevent the holiday binge that often follows a missed meal or two. If you go to a party or sit down for a holiday meal when you are famished, you are likely to overdo it and make up for everything you didn’t eat earlier in the day…and then some!

 4. Use Small Plates

Using a smaller plate limits how much you can load up on at one time, even if you stack it full. Remember to eat more slowly and thoroughly enjoy everything you are eating.

 5. Wait At Least 30-minutes Between Meals or Snacks

It takes some time for your brain to let you know you are full so give it a while before deciding whether or not to go back for another plate full.

 6. Limit Alcohol Consumption

While alcohol consumption is certainly part of the holiday season for some, keep in mind it provides lots of empty calories and often leads to less control over what you eat. Remember, all things in moderation and watch out for those super high-calorie holiday drinks.

 7. Take it One Day at a Time

Take each day individually and do the best you can to stay on track with your exercise and better food choices. As mentioned above, try not to skip meals, but if you know you will be eating more later on in the day, try to go a bit lighter on the calories earlier. You can’t go wrong with lean protein, fruits, and vegetables.

 8. Avoid the Party Snacks and Calorie Culprits

Don’t waste calories on salty and sugary snack foods, dips, cream sauces, rich fillings, or lots of cheese. Wouldn’t you rather enjoy more for dinner and perhaps a nice piece of dessert to top it off?

 9. Plan for Indulgence

Okay, so there may be a little overindulgence going on, but ask yourself what you’re willing to sacrifice in exchange for that freedom. Perhaps spend a little more time exercising that day or give up your breads or some of the other unnecessary carbohydrates from the meals or snacks earlier in the day.

 10. Focus on Family, Friends, and Fun…Not Food!

Spending time with family and friends is one of the greatest things about the holidays. Try not to place too much emphasis on what you eat and drink, but rather the quality time you spend with those you care about most.

 These tips are not meant to deprive you of anything or prevent you from enjoying the holidays. However, if weight gain is hard on you, use them to keep you feeling better over the next two months and get you off to a great start in 2012!

Fit Keys are programmed to guide you through the cardio circuit and track progress. 

Exerbotics is the most advanced strength equipment available.  Give it a try!

Avoiding Muscle Loss

Interval training, sometimes called high-intensity interval training (HIIT), involves a combination of high and low-intensity training within a single workout session. In this session, a higher intensity effort is followed by a lower intensity or “active recovery” period and then repeated. This type of training is in contrast to the more familiar “steady state” exercise where the intensity is much lower but longer in duration. Interval training can be  excellent for fat burning, as well as cardiovascular conditioning, but let’s have a look at some more reasons to use interval training for your cardio workouts.

Benefits of Interval Training:

1. Intervals vastly reduce boredom. Traditional steady state cardio training can become quite boring. Interval training offers more variety and excitement to your workouts.  In addition, the variable intensity nature of the exercise is more consistent with most recreation and daily activities.  Essentially, training through a much broader range of cardiovascular demands.

2. Interval training increases post-exercise energy expenditure (calories burned following exercise) more than steady-state exercise, which means that more fat is burned. After intense exercise, the body needs extra calories as it works to repair muscles, replace energy stores (i.e. carbohydrate) and restore the body to its normal state (e.g. reduce heart rate). This can take many hours so you will burn more calories long after the workout is over. While the precise duration of elevated post-exercise metabolism is debatable, research shows that metabolic rate can be higher for several hours following interval training compared to steady state exercise.

3. Interval training stimulates the respiratory system, cardiovascular system and nervous system to a greater degree. Therefore, more fat and carbohydrates are burned to support the expanding energy demands of the body during, and after intense exercise.

4. Interval training increases the activity of enzymes involved in fat burning. Research has shown that after a bout of interval training there is more fat in the blood (i.e. free fatty acids), which is an indication of more fat, being used for energy production.

 5. HIIT burns more calories. As an example, 30 minutes on an Elliptical machine using a steady state program will burn roughly 292 calories, whereas 30 minutes of intervals will burn approximately 584 calories!

6. HIIT is heart healthy and causes a greater increase in VO2max (aerobic capacity). By stimulating your cardiovascular system to work closer to its maximum capacity for a longer duration than steady state exercise.

7. HIIT allows for better time efficiency. For instance, a typical 40-minute steady state ride on a bike could be reduced to 20 minutes of HIIT, due to its demands on the aforementioned systems.

8. HIIT results in increased amounts of circulating growth hormone (GH) following exercise. This promotes an increase in lean body mass and increased fat burning. This does not occur to the same extent with steady state exercise. This is particularly beneficial for those looking to maintain their muscle mass and at the same time reduce body fat.

9. Interval training makes use of both aerobic (type 1) and anaerobic (type 2) muscle fibers. This is in contrast to steady state exercise that only makes use of type 1 fibers. By increasing the conditioning of these type 2 muscle fibers you will greatly increase your capacity to tolerate high-intensity exercise/activity, which means an increased opportunity to exercise at levels that burn more calories.

10. Because of the high-intensity of this exercise and the increased use of anaerobic type 2 muscle fibers there is an increased use of the body’s glycogen (muscle-stored carbohydrates) stores. This is very beneficial for fat loss as the body will conserve carbohydrate following exercise and thus use fat as an energy source for the body’s energy requirements. The more glycogen you use during exercise the more fat you will burn following exercise!

In addition, some other potential benefits of interval training when compared to steady state endurance training are as follows: increased anti-oxidant protection, improved immune function, reduced risk of joint wear and tear, reduced muscle wasting, increased residual metabolic rate following exercise, and an increased capacity for the heart to handle life’s every day stressors.

While interval training is certainly no substitute for properly performed strength training, it is an ideal complement and provides everything needed to achieve optimal cardiovascular health.  The Appleton Fitness for Life, Inc. staff of personal trainers develop personalized interval programs so that each individual can safely reach his or her fitness goals as quickly as possible.   In addition, the AFFL Condensed Cardio Program provides this method of trainer-directed exercise without the distractions associate with a multi-service health club and at a fraction of the cost of other personalized programs.

Remember to always consult your physician and a qualified fitness professional when starting any fitness program or changing the demands of your existing program.

“Exercise Smarter and Harder!”