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Special populations, oh, you might be skipping over this article thinking it does not pertain to you but it pertains to MOST of us. There are very few people in the world who have not had an injury or a chronic illness or a bad back or knee or high blood pressure or diabetes — and ON AND ON the list goes.

So accept your challenges and understand that we are all unique and have to consider them when we are talking about training.

If you have SOMETHING that affects you, you need to consider that in your training. Your routine should be custom to you. This sometimes clashes with your budget but this is your health and you can do a few sessions of personal training and get a custom routine that does not harm those things that are special about you and helps you to correct anything that you need to work on.

It is time to accept and embrace that you are special.

Tags: Sports Fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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A Fit Family in 2009!!!

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

This time of year, many people make resolutions about getting in shape, losing weight and getting healthy. Sadly, many of those resolutions fail. There are many reasons people cannot keep them. Sometimes they are too vague. People say “I will lose weight” instead of something more specific like “I will lose 20 pounds”. Often, they also fail because people do not help effect change in their family. If you have to cook separate meals for you and your family because you are on a diet, it is going to be even more difficult to stick with it. My answer to that is to make 2009 the year that your whole family gets fit and healthy.
Childhood obesity is at an all-time high. Kids don’t play outside like they used to. As parents, we play a key role in helping our kids to learn how to become healthy adults. This does not mean forcing them to do anything. It also does not mean depriving them of some of the joys of life such as ice cream or a piece of fine chocolate. It does, however, mean being a responsible parent and truly caring about your child’s health.
The best way to start is to look at fitness options that work for each family member. While the gym may be fun for you, it may not be best for each member of your family. It is important that each family member have a fun activity, especially kids. If your kids think it is a chore, they will not want to do it. If you are not sure what everyone wants to do, try a variety of things. Swimming, biking, rollerblading, tennis, golf – the options are endless. Some kids do well in organized classes such as martial arts, soccer, football, etc. Other children do better in individual activities or activities that seem more like play. Remember to do this same analysis on your own workout options. Decide on something that fits your life. There is no point in making it more difficult than it needs to be. While your intentions might be good in choosing to swim every morning at 5 am, if you have never been up at 5 am ever, then that is not the best option. Making it a part of your life is a KEY to making it last.
As far as an eating plan for your child, speak to your doctor about your child’s needs. Most children today eat way too much sugar, fat and calories. Their diets are loaded with soda and processed foods. Their diets are lacking in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Every family should cut sugar filled soda from their diet. It is bad for your teeth, your weight and your health. All children need to learn portion control, especially with luxuries such as chocolate and desserts. Teach your child that candy and sweets are a TREAT. A bite or two tastes GREAT but they are not supposed to eat enough cake or candy to feel full. Don’t deprive them. This will only set them up to be unprepared when they have to make choices on their own. Teaching your children to sample new foods is one of the greatest gifts you can do as a parent. They will hesitate but if you don’t force them, you will find that children actually like salad, fruits, veggies, etc. They just don’t like you telling them to eat it or the feeling that they are being forced.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how you and your family can get a healthy start to the New Year and the rest of your lives.

Tags: Chapel Hill News by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Back Pain – Advice for Everyone
David Hansey
NASM Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
NASM Certified Sports Fitness Specialist
NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Lots of people suffer from back pain. One study found that 62% of golfers suffer from lower back pain and one third of adults had back pain severe enough to warrant a visit to the doctor in the last five years. And if those statistics are not enough to make you think about your back, how about the financial impact, 30-40% of work absences are due to back pain and it is estimated that 50 billion dollars is spent each year in the pursuit of ending back pain.

Back pain can affect anyone so it is in your best interest to evaluate your risk and work on prevention even if you have never suffered from back pain. First, and I really can’t say this enough, if you suffer from any kind of pain, visit your doctor. It is his job to diagnose you and help you find a course of treatment. So let him do that for you by making an appointment. There are many causes of back pain, from disc issues to muscle weakness or tightness to issues with nerves or the spinal cord itself. So for people currently suffering from pain, visit your doctor to find out, you could be doing more harm if you put it off.

If you are not currently suffering from back pain, it does not mean you are off the hook. Do you ever hear stories of people whose “back went out” doing the most mundane tasks such as picking up their children or getting out of a car? Well those people are not necessarily more prone to injury than anyone else. Maintaining a healthy back is something that people should look at their whole life, not just when they injure it or when they are in pain.

Some really basic ways to help keep your back healthy:

learn to lift objects the proper way. This advice goes for a variety of objects from light to heavy as well as oversized objects and placing items on a high shelf. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has a great chart on how to lift on their website (www.orthoinfo.org)

Wear flat shoes. Yes, high heel lovers, those shoes are bad for your back. A heel lower than 1 inch is best.

If you sit for extended periods of time, get up and stretch and walk around often and learn how to sit. In the car, this means not having to lean forward to reach the controls and at work, it means adjusting your seat or putting your feet up to have your knees slightly higher than your hips. And make sure your back is supported by your chair.

Review your sleeping habits as well as your mattress and pillow. Sleeping on your stomach or back is not as good as side sleeping for back support.

If you are overweight, lose the weight. You are placing undue pressure on your back not to mention your hips, knees and ankles.

There are also a lot of exercise options for strengthening your back from swimming to Pilates to Yoga to Strength training. So pick one that you like or ask a Certified Personal Trainer to design a custom program for your back conditioning. I hope this helps you prevent back pain.

Tags: Chapel Hill News by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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First — HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Resolutions make everyone motivated and I love having goals. Goals are critical to actually getting yourself to achieve something but they work best when they can be QUANTIFIED. I get a lot of personal training clients and members at the Douglasville gym where I work telling me they want to lose weight or get in shape but those are vague dreams more than goals. Sit down and really think about what you want and write it down. Is it that you want to lose 50 pounds or is it that you want to climb a few flights of stairs without getting winded? Find that SPECIFIC goal and then you can lay out the steps to accomplishing that goal.

Tags: Sports Fitness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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