This program will train participants to complete a 5k race.  We will be running in the Cat Caper race, which is held in Clintonville on Sunday September 25th.  The cost of this program is $85, which included a 6 week training program with tips on how to map runs and long their distance and the registration fee for the Cat Caper.  The group will do one run together (on Wednesdays at 7pm Lane Ave. studio location) each week and each participant will get homework to complete by next meeting. If you have felt like a  5k may be too difficult this program is not too strenuous and will fully prepare you if you put in the work.
To sign-up or for further questions contact Kari at kari@columbusfitness.com

My friend Megan is who approached me about doing it together…the problem was it was only one month out on the day that I actually signed up for it.  But I figured now was as good of time as any.  The events were .25mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and 2 mile run.  I’ve been working out consistently for months, so all I would just have to do is get focused on the swimming and practicing the transitions from swimming to cycling and cycling to running.  Which is exactly what I did ….2 weeks before the event….ooops!

The morning of the triathlon I was so amped up!  4:30am did not seem early at all.  I was wide awake, excited to get my bike and gear together and enjoy a hot cup of coffee.  I was just so excited that I had commited to doing this and not all too concerned with achieving any sort of record breaking times.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect.  A bit overcast, warm and calm winds.  The event took place at Alum Creek.  Once we were there and had registered and gotten our numbers I started to get nervous.  But it was a good nervous, I just wanted to get going already!

Finally it was 7:36am and it was time for the 30-39 age group t get in the water for the start line.  I should mention this was an all women’s tri and everyone was excited and cheering each other on.  The whisthle, blew and we were off.  It is really exciting and scary to be with so many other bodies in the water all swimming as fast as they can.  I remember distinctly thinking to myself as I go going and looked around, “What the hell am I doing!”  But that thought soon vanished and it was go time!!

I knew my swim would be my weakest point because I had only started practicing laps one week before the event and I have never swam laps in my life.  My strategy was to do the best I could at the swim and make up time on the ride and run.  Which is exactly what I did.  Everyone had killed themselves so much on the swim that they were just walking out of the water to their bike transition, I used that opportunity and sprinted out of the water and to my bike.

I killed it on the bike passing most everyone.  When I transitioned to the run that was definatley challening because my hamstrings were SO tight.  However, after the first mile I loosened up and picked up my pace.  I simply ran as fast as my legs would go because I knew the end was near.

Beat red in the face and breathing like my lungs were going to explode I made it to the finish.  I was so excited not to be last.  Well, later on that day, after my friend Megan and I had already left and driven home we found out that each of us won 2nd place in each of our age groups AND I won 5th place OVERALL!  I couldn’t believe it.  I was not expecting to place that well at all. My total time ended up being 1:07:41

So what’s next? Another triathlon of course!  I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.

Columbus Fitness Consultants

Lunch Break Bootcamp

• 45 MINUTES OF strength and cardio exercises designed to torch fat

• All Fitness Levels welcome

• Convenient location: 1640 W Lane Ave. Upper Arlington, Oh 43221

First week: Mon Aug. 8th, Wed Aug. 10th & Fri Aug. 12th at Noon

For More Info and to sign-up call (614)353-4581

Columbus Fitness Consultants

Kids’ Fit Camp 2011

Fred Beekman Park

August 8^th, 10th & 12^th

Ages 6-12 – $35

Call 614-488-2994 for info & to Sign-up

“As the market in this sluggish economy becomes even more crowded and competitive, the need for regulation, either from within the industry or from external sources, is growing,” said the lead author of the survey, Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM. “For example, a number of states and the District of Columbia are considering legislation to regulate personal trainers just as it does physicians, lawyers and pharmacists.” Thompson, an exercise physiologist at Georgia State University and a Fellow of ACSM, is also spokesperson for the ACSM American Fitness IndexTM.

The survey, now in its fifth year, was distributed to ACSM-certified health and fitness professionals worldwide and was designed to reveal trends in various fitness environments. Respondents around the world returned more than 2,200 completed surveys. Thirty-one potential trends were given as choices, and the top 20 were ranked and published by ACSM.

The most surprising findings, experts say, are the trends that have fallen off the list for 2011 – balance training, stability balls and Pilates. Pilates suffered the worst fall, disappearing after a ninth place ranking in 2010.

“It appears from this survey that Pilates may not have been a trend at all but may be considered a fad in the health and fitness industry,” said Thompson. “Next year’s survey will either embrace Pilates as a trend or will answer this question.”

New trends to the list include worker incentive programs, clinical integration and reaching new markets. These additions directly reflect some of the work ACSM is doing to globalize the Exercise is Medicine® initiative.

“Interest in medical fitness, worker incentive programs, and worksite wellness programs may be a direct result of health care reform measures and Exercise is Medicine,” said Thompson. “With an estimated 80 percent of Americans not having a regular exercise program or a place to exercise, health and fitness professionals must search for news ways to deliver their services to people who need them.”

The top ten fitness trends predicted for 2011 are:

1. Educated and experienced fitness professionals. Due to increases in the number of organizations offering health and fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through programs that are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, such as those offered by ACSM.

2. Fitness programs for older adults. As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, some of these people have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts. Therefore, many health and fitness professionals are taking the time to create age-appropriate fitness programs to keep older adults healthy and active.

3. Strength training. Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete physical activity program for all physical activity levels and genders.

4. Children and obesity. With childhood obesity growing at an alarming rate, health and fitness professionals see the epidemic as an opportunity to create programs tailored to overweight and obese children. Solving the problem of childhood obesity will have an impact on the health care industry today and for years to come.

5. Personal training. More and more students are majoring in kinesiology, which indicates that students are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and proper credentialing for personal trainers have become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them.

6. Core training. Distinct from strength training, core training specifically emphasizes conditioning of the middle-body muscles, including the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen – all of which provide needed support for the spine.

7. Exercise and weight loss. In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss program. Health and fitness professionals who provide weight loss programs are increasingly incorporating regular exercise and caloric restriction for better weight control in their clients.

8. Boot camp. Boot camp is a high-intensity structured activity program modeled after military style training and led by an instructor. Boot camp incorporates cardiovascular, strength, endurance and flexibility drills in both indoor and outdoor settings.

9. Functional fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living. Functional fitness and special fitness programs for older adults are closely related.

10. Physician referrals. Physician referrals, a key component of the Exercise is Medicine initiative, partner medical professionals with heath and fitness professionals to seamlessly integrate exercise into their patients’ lives.

The full list of top 20 trends is available online in the article “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2011.”

Source:
American College of Sports Medicine

1.      Park in a spot furthest away from the door to your building.  This allows you to add more walking time in your day to help make up for sitting at your desk for hours on end.

2.      Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Again this allows you more time to walk and use your leg muscles.  Remember, you will expend more calories walking up the stairs then you do standing in an elevator.

3.      If you need to print a document, if possible, don’t print it to the closest printer.  Try to use a printer that is in another room, that way you are able to get up and walk around and stretch your legs.

4.      Do some simple, short exercises at your desk.  Every hour take a one minute brake from sitting at your desk and pick an exercise to do, choose a different exercise for each one minute break or choose 3 or 4 different exercises and rotate between them during the breaks.  Here are a couple exercises you can do at your desk during your break, however, there are definitely more that you can find and do at your desk.

A.  Toe raises- Stand by your desk, either slightly touching your desk or chair for balance, or stand with your hands by your sides.  Slowly raise your heels up so that you are only on your toes.  Once you reach the top, slowly bring your heels back down but stop right before they reach the ground, then repeat.  You can make this exercise harder by doing 1 leg at a time, or holding a weight of some sort in your hand (dumbbell or heavy book).

B.  Squats- Stand beside your desk with your arms to your sides and feet a little more then shoulder width apart.  Bend at your knees and push your butt back like you are going to sit in your chair (you can put your chair behind you if it will make you feel more comfortable doing the motion).  Make sure that your knees do not go past your toes! keep your weight in the back of your heels and make sure you squat down nice and slow.  Keep your abs tight and back straight (slightly leaning forward).  Once your thighs are parallel with the floor (or you barely touch the seat of your chair), slowly stand back up and repeat.

C.  Arm dips- Stand so that your back faces your desk and place your hands on your desk with your fingers facing towards you.  Walk your feet out in front of you some so that you are using your arms to hold your self up on the desk.  Bend your elbows until your arms are parallel to your desk and your body will dip down.  Once you reach the parallel, slowly straighten your arms again.  Make sure that while you are slowly moving up and down that you are keeping your stomach tight so that you are not arching your back.  You can do this with bent legs or for more of a challenge with straight legs.  The further you walk your feet out from your body, the harder the exercise becomes.

5.  Invest in a new chair for your desk.  There are alternatives to the regular desk chair that is at your office currently and they are actually designed to help keep you moving. An article from Sparkspeople.com called “4 Fitness-Friendly Alternatives to Your Desk Chair” discusses some of these chairs and gives some of the benefits and disadvantages to them.  One of these chairs is actually a ball sitting in the frame of a chair, which requires your body to use more muscles to stay balanced (mainly in your stomach and back) then what is required in a regular chair.  This chair also comes with instructions for different exercises that can be done with the chair at your desk!  For more information go to: http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=4%5Ffitnessfriendly%5Falternatives%5Fto%5Fyour%5Fdesk%5Fchair

If the link does not work go to www.sparkspeople.com and type the title of the article in the search bar.

Not only are the above tips good for your body physically, they are also good for your body mentally.  When you get up and move, you increase your heart rate and the blood flow in your body.  This helps your brain receive more oxygen which helps keep you more aware, awake, and alert.  This then leads you to being more productive during your work day and slightly less stressed by the end of the day.

Written by: Brittnay Deroche (Spring Intern)

1.         Make an overall goal.  Before you start your exercise routine make an overall goal of what you want to accomplish, whether it be running a marathon, biking a century, lose 30 lbs, bench press 150 lbs, or to work out 5 days a week for 30 minutes.  Once you make your goal, set up a time frame for that goal.  Make sure this is a reasonable goal/time frame!  Don’t set yourself up for failure by making a goal that is impossible to accomplish, or impossible to accomplish in a short period of time.

2.         Break your goal up into several small goals.  If your goal is to work out 5 times a week for 30 minutes in 3 months, then make smaller goals to help you start of slowly.  For example, I will work out 1 time for 30 minutes during the first week, and work out twice a week for at least 30 minutes during the following three weeks.  During the next few weeks I will work out 3 times a week for 30 minutes.  Meeting the little goals helps to give you confidence that you can meet your overall goal, and works as a plan to help you reach that goal.

3.         Identify and plan for your obstacles.  Before you start to work toward your goal, think of things that may become a road block on the path to your goal. Some common obstacles are time, being too tired, not enjoying working out alone, and forgetting something necessary for the workout such as a water bottle.  Once you identify potential pitfalls, come up with a solution for each one. For example, time may seem like a problem but if you make a schedule and include an hour for exercise and a shower, you will find that as long as you manage your time well, you should be able to fit it in.  If you don’t like to work out alone, find a work out buddy so that you have someone to work out with and have someone who can keep you motivated and focused.  Another time saving trick is to gather all of the workout necessities the night before so you don’t have to worry about forgetting something in the morning.

4.         Tell someone your goals.  Find someone who is supportive and let he or she know what your goals are.  That way they can help you find ways past obstacles that come up and help to keep you motivated.  Also it helps keep you accountable if you check in with them weekly to see if you met your goals or not.

5.         Reward yourself!  If you meet your goals but don’t reward yourself, then it will be harder to stay motivated and reach your goals.  Yes it feels good to reach your goals, but buying yourself that new movie or book, or going on a vacation is much more motivating.

6.         Do something you like.  If you like the exercise you are doing, you are more likely to continue doing it.  For example, if you extremely dislike running, don’t make your goal to run a marathon.  Make sure what you are doing will be enjoyable to you, because you are making time out of your day to do it.

Keeping a regular workout schedule can be hard, especially at first.  Remember to make sure you enjoy what you are doing and your goals are reasonable.  Also remember to stay flexible, things happen and life gets busy.  If for some reason you cannot work out on Wednesday like you usually do, then fit it on Thursday.  Don’t get discouraged if you miss one of your goals.  Just move on and focus on your next goal. Don’t give up!

Written by:  Brittnay Deroche (Spring Intern)

Moose has often been called the hardest working dog in Fitness.  He gets up early with Jerry everyday to come into work and is often the last to leave.  He fills his day accepting packages from UPS and FedEx (which are usually accompanied with a bone), observing Jerry with his clients to maintain quality control and supporting other local business by making a stop at the frozen yogurt shop across the street to get a healthy tasty treat.

Come on in and join the Moose fan club.  He would love to sniff…I mean meet you.