4fitbodies.com

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.

At this time of year, a lot of people reflect on their lives and that includes their fitness, their appearance, their health and their eating habits.

All of these are great resolutions but I sincerely hope that you do not make broad statements that you will just blow off before Valentines.

Healthy eating and fitness lead to better health and a better body. So if your goals are to improve in those areas, then you need to look at the big picture and do some goal setting.

What is your goal?
– To lose 10 pounds
– To run a Marathon
– to drink 8 glasses of water each day
– to get to the gym 3 times a week

Those are all great goals and are better than making broad statements that you cannot measure like “lose weight” “get fit” “work out more” etc

When I talk to people about getting fit or weight loss, I like them to understand it is a lifestyle and an ongoing process. It may be sad to say but you will never have a license to eat anything you want in large quantities. With a properly balanced diet and a fitness plan, you will be able to include your favorite treats in reasonable portions.

So set your goal and start living your new life and very soon, you will start to enjoy your new body.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Sports Fitness, Weight Loss by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Staying in shape and losing weight are not mere things that you do from time to time. In order to achieve fitness and permanent weight loss, these pursuits should be lifestyle changes. So I realize that the time crunch and the feeding frenzy of the holidays can place extra pressure on you to keep it up.

Don’t drop your fitness routine and your healthy eating habits because of the holidays. Fitness and good healthy living is not something that you turn on and off.

Try modifying your routine in order to fit it into your time constraints. And hey, you could always try working out a bit harder. Maybe add some intervals to cut back on your time or in order to burn up some more calories.

As far as your eating goes, it can be obvious what to eat sometimes and sometimes not. Finger food such as celery, crudites, endive, chicken satays — those are all usually low in fat and good choices. But other party foods can be a diet nightmare. Pecan pie will set you back DAYS of working out. A small piece of pumpkin pie is forgivable at less than 300 calories. Get where I am going here?? Preplan your eating when you go to a party and respect your body enough to put good food into it.

I wish you the happiest, healthiest Christmas!!!!

Dave

Tags: Fitness, Sports Fitness, healthy eating by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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During the holidays, I see people every day here in Douglasville and at the gym who are trying to squeeze too much into one day.

But I have to ask you to HONESTLY answer if the 45 minutes to an hour of working out is something that you don’t “have time for”. Do you REALLY not have an hour a day? So you have dropped out all those activities like TV watching that don’t really add to your life.

So now that you have got honest with yourself, you need to find a time-saving way to knock out that workout.

So rather than try you usual workout, fitness class or group fitness activity, it may time for something quick to get yourself in and out of the gym. So here is my suggestion. Expedite things by focusing on YOU. So group fitness may not be the best use of your time if you don’t get an awesome workout from it. Classes like Ride or spinning are great cardio workouts and you are done quickly so if that still fits with your time allowance, DO IT. If the timing of the fitness class does not, then get on the treadmill and punch it out QUICK. Then you can get some serious weights done quickly too. Best way to get the strength training done, is to drop your rest periods and alternate between upper and lower body or do whole body moves (for example squats with a military press)

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Sports Fitness, fitness classes, group fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Sports Specific Training – Golf

David Hansey
NASM Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
NASM Certified Sports Fitness Specialist
NASM Certified Personal Trainer

As I mentioned last month, I will be highlighting some popular sports and how strength training can help you improve and prevent injury while doing these sports. This month, I am highlighting golf.
A recent study found that 62% of golfers will be injured while playing golf and that the most common injury is a back injury. This makes sense when you understand the mechanics of golf. Good golf comes not from pure strength but from proper mechanics and the ability to transfer force from your legs and core to the club. Are your mechanics poor? A few sessions with a golf pro will tell you if they are. But regardless of what you have learned, if you lack the strength and flexibility to perform the move correctly, your swing will still be lacking.

That is where a golf-specific strength training program comes in. It is not enough for you to do a general strength training program or to “wing it”. The first step is determining which muscles are weak and tight and how those impact your swing. This can be done with a simple posture alignment test and movement test and takes less than 10 minutes. Any Board Certified Personal Trainer has the ability to do this for you and it is a very important first step when you first start training. It allows the trainer to design your personal training program to be specific for what muscles you need to strengthen and stretch in order to improve.

Many golfers tend to overcompensate for weak and tight muscles in their hips, legs and core by overusing their arms. This results in your shots not going as far. It also puts strain not only on your back but also on your shoulders and elbows (and just like in tennis, there is a condition called golfer’s elbow which is pain normally caused by overuse due to poor mechanics)

Curiously, many golfers also lack basic overall conditioning. This can be seen if your back 9 is much worse than your front 9. Your body is failing you on the back 9 because it is tired. I say curiously because these are people that are out on the golf course walking for several hours (or are they?). If you spend a lot of time in the cart (due to you or the course) you could be not getting the workout that you think you are. So an overall conditioning workout may also be needed. Try to alternate walking and riding if your course allows it.

Don’t get all worried that I am telling you that you need hours in the gym. 2-3 strength training workouts a week which includes moves specific to your needs and to golf should do it for most people. That and a few cardio sessions every week and you will notice dramatic improvements not only in your game but how you feel during the game, after, and the next day (no more sore forearms and achy back).

For more information on Sports Specific Training, call me at 404-514-1896 or visit my website at www.4fitbodies.com.

Tags: Chapel Hill News, Douglasville, Fitness, Sports Fitness, golf by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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One thing I try to stress to anyone starting a new fitness routine is to find something that you like to do for your cardio. Do you enjoy the outdoors, then running the trails at some of Douglasville’s parks might be ideal. Do you hate cold weather, the rain, getting your shoes dirty, etc – then outdoor running is not for you. See where I am going here? Pick an activity that FITS YOU and your life rather than trying to force yourself to do something that you are not fond of.

Now — you actually have to DO IT. So be sure to pick something that time wise fits your lifestyle. Do you like to do things with other people? Then perhaps fitness classes. Although be wary of fitness classes whose schedules do not fit yours. You have to GO to be successful so if the fitness classes are at times that do not fit your schedule or that require a lot of rescheduling of the rest of your life, then that might not be for you.

Ok — now something that works for your fitness level. While personal training will be UNIQUE to you and is the ideal, some people cannot afford it. So if you decide to do a fitness class, pick one that meets all the scheduling criteria but ALSO is one that you can go at your own pace. The class at the Douglasville Gym where I work that I recommend most is Ride, it is a spinning type class on bikes. Great workout and great for beginners because you go at your own pace.

So remember these 3 things to make fitness a HABIT and a great change to your health
- FUN (you love it)
- FITS (into your schedule)
- FOR YOU (right for your fitness level and unique needs)

Remember to check out my great diet site for free yummy (and printable) recipes as well as a new feature showing you how to eat better http://www.douglasvilleweightloss.com/blog

Tags: Douglasville, Sports Fitness, Weight Loss, fitness classes by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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