to purchase 24 one-on-one personal training sessions designed to help you lose inches and body fat in 12 weeks
Original Price: $1,440; Discounted Price: $1,199 You Save: —Expires September 15, 2011.
Five Fit Tips
Quality, not Quantity: Although portion control is important, and being at a calorie deficit is crucial for weight loss, you also must consider the quality of your calories. Let’s say there is pizza in your office and you limit yourself to only one slice, which is about 180 calories. Not bad, you might say to yourself. However, those 180 calories are full of fat and sodium. You could use that same 180 calories and eat a nice, big, healthy salad filled with different kinds of veggies and grilled chicken. Really can’t stress this enough, healthy eating DOES PAY OFF!
Plyometrics: A fancy way of saying jumping around, plyometrics are the most effective way to strengthen and tone your legs and butt, while also raising your heart rate for a cardiovascular benefit. If you are an athlete, or just someone who wants to improve agility and explosiveness, plyometrics are crucial to your exercise program. For plyometric exercises, check out the April Exercises of the Month.
Proper Form: One of the greatest benefits of personal training is learning how to do exercises properly. Having correct form is more important than how many reps you can do or how much weight you can lift; i.e. one proper push-up is about a million times harder than 50 improper, half-hearted push-ups. Not only does proper form prevent injury, but also ensures that the correct muscles are being used and getting the full benefit from the exercise. See the exercise of the month video below for a tutorial on how to do a proper lunge.
Take 5 Minutes to Stretch: Why is it so easy to skip your after- workout-stretch? It doesn’t take long and it has so many benefits. Aside from improving flexibility, stretching will help with post-workout soreness. A healthy body is a functioning body, and you need flexibility and range of motion to have a fully functioning body without aches and pains. So take the 5 minutes (it’s not that long!) and stretch.
Do Something Different: Plain and simple, you cannot do the same thing and expect different results. Exercise, like life, is all about variety. Mix it up! Are you bored with a certain exercise? Stop doing it! Substitute it with something else. Ask one of our qualified trainers for exercise substitutions (our brains are exercise encyclopedias, after all). Keep your mind interested, and your body will respond with equal eagerness.
Jennifer's Gems
Strawberries: Go to your local farmers market and pick up some fresh strawberries. Not only are they ridiculously delicious this time of year, but they’re good for you too! An amazing source of vitamin C (1 cup is 150% of your daily value), and fat-free…And did I mention delicious?
Salads with Lean Protein: Salads are underrated. A fresh salad with lots of veggies and grilled chicken (maybe some feta cheese?) is a delicious and nutritious meal. And filling! You don’t need pasta or bread or rice to feel full. Don’t poo-poo a salad until you have made yourself one with all your favorite ingredients. You can have an amazing, tasty, filling meal without feeling guilty afterwards. Great, now I’m hungry.
Green Tea: There’s lots of talk about the health benefits of green tea, and for good reason! Green tea has showed to have anti-oxidant benefits, as well as helping to lower cholesterol. It provides a good energy boost, without calories or toxins.
Fitness Q & A
Q:
I want to gain weight, but in a healthy way. How can I put on pounds, but in muscle only?
A:
Arguably, it’s harder to gain weight (healthily) than to lose weight. Gaining muscle mass takes a lot of meal preparation, training, and patience. First and foremost, you need to increase your calorie intake; however, these need to be healthy calories-- low-fat, low-sugar, low-sodium, high-protein calories. Fish and chicken are your new best friends. Strength training is also crucially important to gaining weight; you need to strength train 3-5 times per week to make a weight increase. Your strength program needs to be geared towards muscle gain, i.e. lifting heavier weights at a high-volume (3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions).
If you are truly set in this goal, you cannot skip workouts and you cannot skip meals. Period. Also, it is important to note that you still need to train your cardiovascular system. I recommend doing short, sprint intervals (3 minutes or less) throughout your strength workout (jump rope is a great option for this). You should have a meal ready, complete with protein and a carbohydrate, to eat within 30 minutes after completing your workout.
August 2011 Member of the Month
Congratulations to Jill Gossard!
Even before joining Fredericksburg Fitness, Jill lost 50 lbs. on her own. Since she’s been training with us, she’s lost another 10lbs, over 8 inches, and 2 percent body fat. Jill is always on time and ready to train. She fills out her food journal faithfully and is always willing to try new exercises. Jill is very receptive to learning proper form of exercises, she is actually invested in what it takes to live a healthy lifestyle. Her hard work has paid off in her 60 pound total weight loss!
Exercises of the Month
Having proper form is crucial in getting the most effective workout, not to mention avoiding injury. Here, Allison demonstrates how to do a lunge correctly.
Simple to make and delicious in the summer time!