There’s bad news about new year’s resolutions, and then there’s good news.

First, the bad news: Most of them fail.

Now the good news: People over 50 have more life experience and tools to succeed at them. You’re more realistic, focused, and balanced.

As fitness experts, we know that plenty of people start each year wanting to get in shape. So, they join a gym or studio like ours, determined to stick with it, lose weight, eat better, etc.

That’s great. We want everyone to gain the benefits of exercise. But not as many incorporate fitness habits into their lifestyle for the long term.

We’re here to help. We look forward to answering any questions you have. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking on track.

1. Embrace Your Hard-Earned Wisdom. Nobody knows you better than you, especially at this point in life. You’ve set and reached many goals before. You know which kind of exercise you like, what time of day works for you, etc.
2. Forget Anyone’s Expectations. Along those lines, shake loose society’s standards about what your body is “supposed” to look like. If for no other reason, move your body because it makes you feel good. The rest will follow.
3. Focus on Movement, Not Weight. That number on the scale is not the most crucial factor.
4. Slow Your Roll. By now, you’ve probably learned the value of starting with one specific goal. It can be as simple as walking around the neighborhood three times a week or joining one of our sessions a certain number of times per week.
5. Revel in Your Freedom. People over 50 tend to have fewer children at home, so there’s less pressure to rush back to the daily grind after the holiday break. And retired people get even more freedom from the onslaught of job stress after the period of holiday bliss.
6. Remember What You Want – Specifically. Get specific. (“I want to play ball with Timmy this spring,”… “I want to feel stronger on the golf course,”… “I want to look good when I walk my granddaughter down the aisle.”). Remember this goal whenever you’re frustrated or need motivation.
7. Count Your Blessings. Exercise is a celebration of what we can do – not punishment for other actions. It’s a chance to show you want to be here and happy for as long as possible. Gratitude is a much better motivator than complaining or channel-surfing.
8. Grab a Buddy. Many people are more likely to succeed with someone than alone, whether with a friend, adult child, or spouse. Or come in and make new workout friends here. The social component is one of the countless blessings of being a member.
9. Avoid the Label. Don’t think of it as a “New Year’s Resolution.” That’s too much pressure! You’re moving that body every day, one day at a time.

Remember, we’re here for you! Let one of our functional aging experts help you reach your goals. You can start now by trying our 21-Day Strength and Longevity Program.

Why Fitness Bands Are Soaring in Popularity

Sales of home fitness equipment have skyrocketed this year. Fitness bands are among the hottest items, with sales up about 400 percent, according to Google Trends.

It’s easy to see why.

Elastic exercise bands have been common in physical therapy offices, gyms and fitness studios. They’re a low-cost, lightweight option for resistance training, which is crucial for people over 50.

Staying strong is essential for staying independent, performing daily tasks and enjoying sports and hobbies. Resistance training – or weightlifting – is necessary to maintain muscle, strengthen bones, and prevent falling.

You can buy resistance bands for cheap online and in many stores. You can keep them at home, pack them in a bag, or take them outside.

Bands are made of plastic, rubber or fabric, and provide different levels of resistance.  You can use bands for arm curls, presses, seated rows, squats and all kinds of stretches, moving at your own pace.

Bands provide more resistance the harder you work them. And they’re conversely easier when you get to the point of a repetition that has the least tension or resistance. That’s good if you have a joint issue to work around.

Bands help with muscular endurance and joint stabilization, says the National Academy of Sports Medicine. They help you move in multiple planes of motion and achieve greater range of motion.

Talk to us about strength training, including resistance bands and the safe, effective activities we can help you with.

Hey there! Functional Aging Specialist, Lisa Wright from Your Personal Best Training Studio here. I’ve got a fact-filled article for you today about a topic that I think we will hear a lot more about in the future. But first I have a pop quiz for you! Do you know when the magic from your workouts happens?  That is, when your body CHANGES as a result of your workout? If you said AFTER, you get a gold star!

That’s right. It’s not DURING your workouts. Your body gets stronger and fitter BETWEEN your workouts. That makes your recovery super important, won’t you agree? And that’s pretty ironic because boosting workout recovery is one of the least-studied aspects of fitness. I think maybe that’s because there’s so much worry that we’re not working out enough, that there’s been less concern we’re doing too much.

But scientists are starting to dive into this topic a lot more now, which is great news. When you work out, especially with weights, you are causing damage to your muscles. When your body repairs that damage, it gets stronger. I have some simple and time-tested recovery tips for you that can help you make the most of your workouts and the time between them!

First, getting enough sleep – especially deep sleep – is important. And it might also be why your body spends more time in the deep sleep phase when you work out regularly. Make sure you schedule in enough time each night to get a full 7 to 8 hours of sleep as often as possible If you need help with improving your sleep, whether you need to get MORE of it, or improve the quality of the sleep you DO get, you need to check out my ebook, Supercharge your Sleep. You can get it by following this link to download my FREE eBook as a gift to you 

But what else can you do to make the most of your recovery?

Here are some other ideas

My second tip is to eat enough protein because it forms the building blocks of your muscles. I’m not talking about eating big protein-rich meals. Your body can only process so much protein at a time, so it’s better to have smaller amounts throughout the day. The best times are for breakfast, right after your workout, and also a light protein snack a couple of hours before bedtime. Have a protein shake, some nuts, pumpkin seeds, a Greek yogurt parfait with fruit, grass-fed jerky, some organic free-range chicken, mix it up!

Tip 3: Drink enough water!  Make sure to drink at least half your body weight in ounces every day to keep your muscles supple and boost your body’s ability to repair itself. (water that you drink DURING your workouts doesn’t count toward this number!) So if you weigh 140 pounds, you’d want to get at least 70 ounces of water a day, and more when you exercise.

Here’s one way to keep track.

Get a 20-ounce water bottle, and put one rubber band around it for how many times you need to fill it up to get your water quota for the day! Again, say you weigh 140 pounds. That means you would have to drink around four bottles, right? So you would put four rubber bands around the water bottle. Every time you finish a bottle, you would take the rubber band off. Pretty cool, right?

Tip 4: Skip the post-workout beer. Research shows that alcohol can get in the way of your body’s ability to recover, plus it can mess with your sleep. Just say, no!

Tip 5: Try foam rolling. Using a foam roller is a form of self-massage, and can help ease knots in your muscles and fascia, which is your body’s connective tissue. Rolling out your body’s biggest muscles, like your glutes and back gives you the most bang for your buck, so I like to focus on those.

Lay on your side on the floor and extend your bottom arm up over your head, and place the roller below your armpit, and roll out those tight muscles! Make sure you keep your core engaged, and you don’t hold your breath!

Tip 6: Get a massage. A massage is a lot less work than foam rolling and a lot more pleasurable. If you can schedule a regular massage, your body will thank you for it! Plus, your massage therapist might be able to tell you if there are any spots on your body that need to spend more time with the foam roller.

Tip 7: This one has to do with taking rest and recovery days. There have been several great studies comparing passive recovery – which is a rest day with very little physical activity  – and active recovery. It’s pretty clear that doing light to moderate exercise helps flush out waste from your muscles and can speed up your recovery between sessions. A recovery day doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. It can mean going for a walk or hike, playing golf, or taking your bicycle out for a spin.

Tip 8: If you’re lifting weights, you should take at least two days off between training the same muscle group. The bigger the muscle group, the more time you need before training it again. So, after doing a lot of leg exercises, you want to take a minimum of 2 days off before working your legs again. Does that make sense?

Tip 9 is probably the most important recovery tip of all.

Listen to your body.

If you’re tired but still want to work out, do something that’s not so taxing on your system, like an easy cardio session or even a walk. If you are feeling wiped out or you need a little break, respect that – but make sure to get back at it tomorrow!

I hope these tips have been helpful! As always I’m here if you have questions. Just leave a comment below or call the studio anytime! 361-857-5087

Talk to you again soon!