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Think you are healthy? Check out the following list of healthy habits and see how you are doing.

Do you smoke?

This is a death nail in your coffin. If you smoke, do everything you can to quit. It makes all other health problems worse!

Do you drink alcohol?

A couple of drinks on occasion with friends may not have long-term effects on most people. If you have other health problems, you should discuss your drinking habits with your doctor as they affect other conditions and medications. An example is diabetes. Alcohol is a NO-GO for diabetics as well as some other conditions.

When was the last time you went to the doctor?

There are MILLIONS of men in the US who have not seen a doctor in more than 10 years. If that is you, go for a check-up. Hypertension and diabetes can cause you lots of problems without being obvious so if it has been a while, go for a visit.

Is you plate colorful and full of a variety of foods?

A healthy diet has lots of variety and lots of natural foods like fruit and vegetables. If you aren’t eating a good variety of veggies EVERY DAY, you should have a hard look at your diet.

Is your workout full of variety?

If your workout is stale or you do the same thing every time, you are not making forward progress. You need to work your body in a variety of ways in order to not stop progress.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Being busy, you need to look at doing efficient moves to reduce the amount of time that you spend without sacrificing your workout. Multi functional moves may be your best bet. They make you work hard and they do double duty. Some great moves combine upper and lower body, such as side lunges with lateral raise or squats with a bicep curl. These moves really make you work so you will continue to burn calories at a higher rate than if you split them into separate moves.

Another great time saver is to cut out your rest periods. You need to be careful here! You want to ensure the body part still gets a rest – so you move on to another body part. An example would be doing one set of push-ups (upper body) and then moving right into a set of squats. This way, your upper body is resting while you work your lower body.

Be sure you are lifting enough weight to make a difference. A study by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that participants chose a weight that was only 42 to 57 % of their one-rep maximum. You need to lift more than 70% of your one-rep maximum to gain strength. You want to be efficient, but it is also important to be effective and using heavy weights is the only way to get that done.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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I know you think it is hard but fitness, especially weight loss is a matter of numbers. It is math, basic math. Calories in LESS Calories out = Amount of weight gained.

In order to lose weight — you need to reverse the numbers and make a deficit. Best way is to approach that deficit in a multiple of ways. Reduce the calories you are consuming and burn off more.

Getting fit here in Douglasville, especially this time of year, is full of variety. And variety is the best way to ensure you stick to your program. Not only are there lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in season to add to your new eating program. There are also lots of fitness options. Hiking in all our great parks, biking on the silver comet, swimming, rowing — the list of great summer workout options goes ON AND ON. And of course, when it gets really hot and you know it will, the wonderful air conditioning of the gym is the perfect place to ensure you get that workout.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Personal Training, Weight Loss, fitness classes by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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I get a lot of people tell me how much they want to lose weight. How they would do anything — really?? – to be fit and healthy. It borders on depression and obsession but sadly, it does not always lead to fitness success.

Getting and being fit requires a lot of hard work. There is no magic bullet, no magic plan, no magic pill, no magic surgery. And even if you choose to add surgery or pills, these will only do so much.

So that said, here are some examples of what I mean.

- Don’t “say” you are coming to the gym 3 times a week but then blow each one of your appointments off for something more urgent. Most people can make it to the gym 3-5 times a week without a major life adjustment. You may not be able to attend specific classes at specific times but somewhere in your week — there is time. For people who are very busy, I suggest working out on your own or with a trainer as opposed to doing fitness classes. There are some amazingly awesome fitness classes here in Douglasville. But if you can’t be there at 5 or 6 or whenever the class starts, it becomes really easy to just blow it off completely.

The concept of personal training is to do something different. FIRST, you have an appointment so there is — or should be! – an incentive to show up. Don’t show and lose not only that chance to get professional help with your fitness, but also lose the money you invested in that session. That’s right — personal trainers are like any other service professional, don’t show up and you still pay for it.

But there really is not a reason why you should be blowing it off. You should put your appointments at days and times when it works for you. Is Monday a horrible day with getting kids to school and long work hours from the weekend — hmmm, then maybe not Monday — you get the idea.

There are extremely busy people in the gym every day getting and staying fit and you can be one of them if you learn that it is a priority.

Here are a few time saving tips to “find’ your free time:
1-How much time do you spend social networking online. While MySpace and Facebook are fun things for young kids, they should not be eating HOURS per week of adult time. If they are, you have time to workout.

2 – How much time do you spend watching TV. If you spend, like most adults, several hours per evening, then guess what, you have time to work out. Learn to get your shows on demand or tivo or Itunes or watch a program on the tv at the gym.

3 – How much time do you spend checking e-mail and reading blogs. Limit this to a once a day activity.

A few of these things are items that have only been around for the last decade or so. And they are major time drainers. I am not asking you to be less social, I am just asking you which is more important, a MySpace layout for people you either already know or don’t know at all — or your HEALTH.

Tags: Douglasville, Fitness, Weight Loss, fitness classes by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Running — The Sport for you?

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

As you read this, I will have – hopefully – completed my 6th Marathon, the ING Marathon right here in Atlanta. As I write this I am making the last minute preparations for the race. Since it is not my first race, I know what I need to do so overtraining and undertraining are not really issues anymore.

I remember my first marathon and getting ready for my first marathon. I overtrained. Yet, mentally I was still not prepared for how difficult a marathon is. 26.2 miles is a long run and for most people I suggest a training program that is at least 6 months. But for some people, shorter races might be better if you want to race. Racing is not only a great way to stay in shape but a great sport for many people. It allows you to release of stress and enjoy the “runner’s high”. But for many people, running and racing can be difficult or impossible due to body mechanics or previous injuries. If you have bad knees or a weak back, you want to give some serious thought as to whether you should consider running as a sport. Walking may be a better choice.

For those who can run, the first step is a visit to your doctor – like you should when you start any new fitness plan. He can tell you if this is appropriate for you. The next step is learning how to run. Running is demanding and you can’t just go out and run. You need to build up your endurance so you can run. The best way to do this is using a run-walk-run system where you run for a few minutes and then walk until you catch your breath. Then, you resume running. This will help you build up until you can run for the entire time. If you are planning to train for a race, seeking some professional advice on a training program so you train appropriately for your goal. A Board Certified personal trainer also has the knowledge to look at your posture and movement to be able to give you strength training exercises to ensure you become the best runner you can be.
All runners need one important piece of equipment whether they run indoors or out. That is SHOES. Don’t cheat yourself with cheap shoes (unless you fancy a visit to the orthopedist or podiatrist). Good shoes made specifically for running that are properly fitted to your foot and your gait are critical. Shoes are really the only equipment that a runner cannot do without. Shorts, shirts and socks are all comfort items that become necessary the more you run but the average runner can get by with whatever they find comfortable. Ask experienced racers for race tips on socks, shirts, shorts and preparation so you can avoid anything unpleasant. But for shoes, seek professional help and get fitted for your running shoes. Shoes should also be replaced regularly (for the average runner, this is every 4-6 months). The higher the mileage, the more often you need to replace the shoes.

Tags: Chapel Hill News, Douglasville, Fitness, Running by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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