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There are MANY different ailments and conditions and diseases that affect the back. Your spine is CRITICALLY important to your entire life! Back pain is exhausting and can be extremely painful. If you have a healthy back, you should do everything you can to stay that way. If you have issues with your back, there are a few things that you should do:

1) Go to the doctor and get a diagnosis. Once you have this, ask your doctor to help you develop a plan for getting better.

2) Follow the plan. Did your doctor tell you that you would feel better if you took some of the weight load off your back (by losing weight)? Then, do it!

Some general things that can help you feel better (and prevent pain in the first place) :

• Get active. Just like your car doesn’t fix itself in the driveway, your back won’t fix itself when you are in bed!

• Strengthen the muscles that support your back. If you only do crunches, your abs are not properly developed to support your spine. You need to work on your core.

• Consider losing weight if you are overweight. Additional weight on your body causes more stress on all of your muscles and joints as well as your back. You may find that not only does your back pain go away, but also so does your knee pain and your foot pain!

• Drink water. Studies by the Jack M. Blount Foundation found that chronic dehydration is a contributing factor in muscle spasms. It also makes spasms more painful. You know all the other good reasons to drink water, so if you aren’t doing it yet, make it an easy resolution that you can keep!

Tags: Back Care, Douglasville, Fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Well, it is that time of the year. Thanksgiving dinner and all those parties for the holidays are looming.

First, I wish all of you a great Thanksgiving!!!!

Next, it is not that one dinner that is going to destroy your diet or weight loss goals. It is “the season of eating”. So enjoy the turkey and trimmings and even have pie. Try to make good choices like pumpkin pie over pecan and watch your portions — but really — the dinner will be fine. Just don’t get sucked into eating all the leftovers all week long and going crazy on the season of eating.

Tags: Sports Fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Thanksgiving morning I will be running the Atlanta Marathon – yes the full 26.2 miles. Last year was a great race and it was hard not to want to do it again. So I will be there running so come out and wave!!

I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!!

Tags: Sports Fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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With the holidays approaching, many people will be heading out of town. And many more will be forgoing their workout. The holidays are a challenging time to keep your workout in your schedule. Adding travel to the mix only compounds that difficulty. But, it does not make it impossible.
There are many things you can do. If you are staying at a hotel, call ahead and see what facilities they offer. Is there are gym? How well equipped is it? Is there a pool? Swimming can be a great change of pace from your regular workout.

If there aren’t any facilities, bring along your “emergency workout kit”. This fits in any size suitcase so if you don’t think you have room, consider dropping some of your other items (you don’t need 10 shirts if you are only going away for 5 days.) People who travel regularly are very masterful at cutting down on what they bring. Take a lesson from them. If you always come back from vacation with lots of clean clothes, you are packing too much. Drop some of that weight in favor of things you will use, like workout clothes and your “emergency workout kit”.

Here is what I mean by the “emergency workout kit”. It consists of:
- a yoga mat
- one or two exercise bands
- your workout shoes
With those items, you can perform a very basic routine in any hotel room. (Japanese and European rooms can present a challenge but it is still possible)

The exercises are simple. You can do squats with a press (using your band.) You can do push-ups, walking lunges, tricep dips and all kinds of ab work. Use your imagination, you may just ENJOY IT!

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Personal training should be JUST THAT — personal. If your trainer is not giving you a unique workout for you – then what exactly are they doing for you.

A great personal training routine starts with an analysis of YOU. What are your goals, your medical conditions, your specific weaknesses and strengths.

There is nothing that bothers me more in the gym than someone paying for personal training and not getting professional training. As a consumer, you should demand the following from your personal trainer:

1 – A unique workout to you — If they don’t make one and keep notes on you – they are shortchanging you

2 – A copy of your workout if you want — You should be able to get a written copy so if you need to or decide to “fly solo” for a while, you can.

3 – An analysis of your strengths, weaknesses and goals and a benchmark. This will usually be your weight, but also measurements (if you are comfortable with that), fat analysis and posture and movement analysis. This should also be a medical history. If you have high blood pressure or other chronic condition — IT IS CRITICAL you disclose that. A trainer that does not have you fill out a medical form is not professional. Here is why:

- A person with high blood pressure needs to have their workout adapted. They have a lower maximum heart rate which requires a different measurement than cardio machines provide. They also need to not do isometric exercises.

So really — there are so many great trainers out there and a lot of really “fly by night” ones so use these as guidelines to get the most personal training, results and safety for your money.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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