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No, I am not getting soft or waxing poetic. It is a reality. Cardiovascular exercise is an expression of caring for yourself. Often we put ourselves last in the sacrifice of family and work and community but the reality is that we will fail to be able to do our best at our roles in those families and professions if we are unhealthy (or dead). Harsh? Perhaps. But cardiovascular exercise promotes health, weight loss, immunity and a strong heart — do I really need to continue?

Love yourself and your family enough to take care of yourself by doing your cardio EVERY SINGLE DAY. And nagging those family members who are not is also an expression of love.

Tags: Fitness, Motivation, obesity, Weight Loss, Wellness by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Are you packing a few more pounds than you should be? Be honest! Is it a few? Like 10. Or is it a small child? I have a favorite story about my wife’s former boss. Every time he golfed, his back hurt for days. If he carried a bag, it hurt. If he played too often, it hurt. If he played too many holes, it hurt. The poor man bent over in the hotel hallway on a business trip (in his underwear) and couldn’t get back up. That is how messed up his back was. Did he learn anything from this? No! It took him more than 5 years of this pain cycle before he decided to lose some weight. Of course the fact that he kept getting bigger and bigger did not help. He probably had a hundred pounds of extra weight hanging on him by the time he did anything about it. He also had high blood pressure and digestive problems by that point too. All this and he is only in his forties. This man was not new to the game of golf. . He had been playing with the pain for years and even with his back pain, he maintained a 12 handicap. But the weight did not make the sport enjoyable.
I don’t tell this story simply because it is so colorful. It points out a paradox that you can see on most golf courses in the U.S. A lot of us could afford to lose a few pounds. A lot of us think we can just bound out onto the course with extra weight and not have it affect us. WRONG.
Not being in shape and being overweight is a terrible combination for golf. You end up putting even more strain on your joints and muscles. This strain can result in injury. Keep playing with the pain and you could be visiting the orthopedic surgeon if you aren’t careful.
Being overweight puts a lot more stress on every part of your body. I know you see some very good players who pack some weight. My father-in-law is one of them. He is chunky and plays well. Of course, he plays a lot and rarely carries his clubs. So, he is probably in better shape than he looks. But, in any case, anyone who is carrying excess weight is putting undue strain on their body.
A study by the American Obesity Association found that people who are overweight have a much higher risk of lower back pain. One reason for this was that extra weight around the mid-section tended to pull their pelvis forward putting additional strain on their lower back. The study also found that being overweight can cause damage to discs and more pain from herniated discs due to the disc compensating for the excess weight.
In conclusion, it would seem to make sense that for better golf, you should consider losing those extra pounds. A good conditioning program can help. If you aren’t sure where to start, give me a call and we can discuss some options. One great option is to leave the cart (if your club allows it) and pull your clubs.
To feel your best and to ensure great play for many years to come, have a good hard look at your body and see if it would help your health and your game to drop a few pounds.
I WISH YOU GOOD HEALTH AND GREAT GOLF!

Tags: Fitness, golf, obesity, Sports Fitness, Weight Loss by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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I have been training a lot of clients lately who have been seasoned gym goers. They have been able to adjust their routines dramatically and not only improve their routine, but reduce the time they spend in the gym. While I enjoy seeing all of you, I don’t enjoy seeing any of you frustrated by your routine.
Let me share something with you that I share with these clients. It is my own workout routine. I work out every morning at the gym prior to starting work. I do three days of strength training and two days of cardio at the gym. I do an additional cardio routine on the weekend by going for a run. This program works for me. I am thinner with better muscle development, better balance and better abs than I had when I was in the military. WHY?
My current workout is balanced and when I work out, I work hard. I keep it fresh by changing it often. I have an advantage because I know the proper tempo and form for the exercises that work. If you are not sure of your form or you don’t have a tempo, let’s talk!
Tempo is INDIVIDUAL! Did you know that if you have hypertension, you can get HURT if you don’t understand tempo. You cannot have an isometric phase if you have hypertension as it is stressful for your body.
Form is what makes the exercise work. If you are performing the move without proper form, you are not only minimizing the result, you are risking hurting yourself!
We are all UNIQUE and what I hope you take away from this is how you need to build a unique approach to your workout that suits your special needs. WE ALL HAVE SOMETHING! Whether it is a bad knee or you just had a baby (or you want to!), there is something unique for all of us that our workout should HELP us with. I wish you good health!!

Tags: Fitness, Motivation, Nutrition, obesity, Sports Fitness, Weight Loss by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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Basic nutrition seems to be common sense, but so many people struggle with it. Part of the struggle is temptation. Part of the struggle is that we don’t have a lot of time to plan and prepare nutritious, delicious meals. And yet, another part of the struggle is that we don’t know how to make nutrition delicious.
To have your meal plan evaluated, you need to visit a Registered Dietician. There are lots of nutrition programs out there, but only a registered dietician has the training to design a program for you. So, if you need serious help, don’t hesitate, get a referral from your doctor.
For some basic ideas, there are a few simple, easy things that work for pretty much everyone. They are:
- eat less processed food.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables
- Watch your portions
- Drink water
Processed foods are convenient and often very tasty. They are also usually loaded with calories and the serving size may not be enough to satisfy you. Try reducing the amount of these that you have in the house.
Once you have unloaded the processed food, you can replace it with filling vegetables and fruit. By making wiser choices, you can lower your caloric intake and still enjoy what you eat. Take breakfast for example. Would you rather have a bagel and cream cheese or scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, rye toast with jam and fresh pineapple? It might surprise you that the egg breakfast has fewer calories (see details below)
Now, it is time to look at your portions. This is a tough thing for a lot of people to do. You need to read the label. Is one serving 6 potato chips? Are you only going to eat 6 chips? If you are, put the 6 in a bowl and walk away. Or, choose an alternate that will satisfy you. Maybe instead of the chips, you would be happier with vegetables and dip (again, put the portion of dip in a bowl and walk away!)
Drink more water should be my mantra. I say it all day long. I feel better when I drink more water. Have a look at your water intake and decide if you need to drink more. Water is a better drink for your body than a lot of the drinks that we love (juice, sweet tea, soda) because it is just water. Have a look at it and see if you should consider drinking more.
I wish you the best of health!

Tags: Fitness, Motivation, Nutrition, obesity, Sports Fitness, Weight Loss by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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This is a bit of a loaded question, but it is a good thing to ask yourself when you are looking to lose weight. There are a lot of nutrition and diet programs that cost up to $100 per week. This is a LOT to pay for one to two pounds per week!! 20 pounds of fat could end up costing you $2000. Use your gym membership and maybe a few personal training sessions and not only will you lose the weight, you will reap the health benefits for THE REST OF YOUR BODY (heart, lungs, cancer prevention, bone health, disease prevention, etc)
If you think the diet centers were expensive, the cosmetic surgeon is REALLY EXPENSIVE. Cosmetic surgery has its place, but as any plastic surgeon will tell you, it is not a replacement for working out. Let’s face it, at the gym or anywhere else in your life, THERE IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR GOOD HARD WORK!

Tags: Fitness, Motivation, obesity, Sports Fitness, Weight Loss by David Hansey, Personal Trainer
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