We may no longer be able to work right alongside you, but we are here to let you know, we have not left your side. All the staff at Adirondack Health Medical Fitness Center are excited to announce to you that we are now virtual!
We understand more than anyone how important your fitness, health and wellness routines are to you. When we say we are here for you, we mean it in every possible way. Our worlds changed in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Workout routines suddenly disrupted and vast space forced between you and your supportive connections. That is why we have worked tirelessly to bring to you the core of what we are right to the comfort of your own home.
Starting Monday you will be able to attend our virtual group fitness classes, continue to work with your fitness coach online and begin to engage with staff and each other once again.
Visit our new website at AHMedicalFitness.org. Here you will be able to access our online class schedule and attend classes!
Attending classes are simple all you have to do is find the class you are interested in and click on the link! This will bring you to a ZOOM meeting. Like everything new, it might take some getting used to, but not to worry, we will walk you through it if you need the assistance.
We now offer online fitness coaching.
Working with a fitness coach virtually is no foreign concept to the fitness industry. But we understand it might be to you. Having a coach work with you virtually is different from being able to physically work with your coach in person. Besides the obvious, you may be surprised to find out virtual training isn't all that different, and in many ways provides even more value. When working with a coach virtually your coach is able to adapt to your complicated life schedules and be there for you in far more ways than just one hour a week.
There is no more important time to continue working with your coach than now.
Our coaches are here for you no matter what; here to help guide you and find new routines, new ways to exercise and new ways to continue the progress you have already been making. So don't stress about how you are going to continue to work out, let our coaches do that for you. You also don't need to be a member to take advantage of our online coaching services. Do you have a family member or friend who could really use the support right now?
We are offering FREE online fitness consultations for anyone who is interested in finding out more.
To set up online coaching, or find out more go to our website or contact April and Liz at medicalfitness@adirondackhealth.org or Erik Lewish at elewish@adirondackhealth.org
Embrace all the little positive things and feel your way into healthier habits
The full story...by Traci Marie WagnerForming good habits can be far easier said than done. When your world changes suddenly in unexpected ways it can be difficult to embrace all the little positive things that are to be found with it. I'm here to say, now is your time. What if you decided during this time to look at how your life changed in different ways? Maybe before you were so busy you didn't have time to even notice how your diet had slipped and you suddenly weren't eating all day and then having one huge dinner at night. Sound familiar? Maybe now life is actually suddenly somehow even busier than ever - still working a full-time job but now only from home while also magically turning into a full-time school teacher. Be observant, perhaps these changes are here to show you things you never realized about yourself before. Everyone's lives have changed over the past weeks in one way or another and with that change can be the perfect time to evaluate other changes.
Habits can be a scary word. It can bring up feelings of frustration, guilt, and failure. Instead of viewing your 'bad' habits as bad or your 'good' habits as good, let's instead wash that standard view of good and bad and begin to see everything that we are as neutral. There are no right or wrong ways to be. Then, instead, allow yourself to evaluate how you feel when you do things a certain way over another. This will allow you to be able to begin to form new ways of doing things that are specific to what works for you, and most importantly makes you feel good!
Have you ever said, "I need to stop eating all foods that are bad for me."? Well, that just sounds awful and torturous. What if we rephrased that and said: "I'm going to start paying attention to what I eat and decide what makes me feel good when I eat it and what doesn't." Or, how about the next time you workout observe how you felt at that time of day. Do you feel like your workouts are much more difficult in the morning? Or, do you habitually end up skipping workouts when you wait till the afternoon to do it? When we make changes based on facts, and I mean facts in regard to how it makes you feel, these changes suddenly become much easier; they become a natural way of being. That is because instead of listening to your mind, that is likely altered by misguided information, you are listening to your body. Our bodies are amazing, and if you listen, it will tell you exactly what to do.
During this time where life all around you has changed, start observing your daily routines and pay attention to what is working, and what just maybe is not actually meant for you after all. As you begin to slowly uncover what works for you, and what doesn't, you will then be able to successfully make lasting habit changes. The key is always said to be in setting small obtainable goals. The true key is actually to set small observational goals first based on the things you want to change. Observe how you feel, experiment and allow yourself to find the right answers. Forming good habits doesn't have to be torturous, let it be the thing that makes you feel better instead of worse.
Stuck at home? Erik Lewish has the first-hand experience on how to stay active when in quarantine.
The full story...By Erik Lewish
My first-hand tips for quality at-home workouts
Two weeks ago I was put under a mandatory 6-day quarantine by the New York State Department of Health. My girlfriend had just returned home from Europe and had developed a fever. To be proactive, she went to the hospital to get tested for Covid-19. She ended up testing negative, but we had to be in isolation while we awaited the test results. During this time I experimented with different at-home workouts and based on my experience here are my tips:
1. Try a Simple Circuit
My most effective workouts were simple circuit routines combining a few basic exercises. At the gym, my workouts can last one to two hours, but at home, it’s hard to stay focused for more than 30-minutes! There are a lot of distractions and it’s easy to lose motivation, so keeping workouts short, simple, and continuous is key. Try picking two to four exercises that you enjoy and repeat them three to five times.
2. Get back to Basics
Without any machines, equipment, or weights, I resorted to the “tried and true” human movements: exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks. In a way, it was refreshing and fun to do some simple exercises. We often get so caught up at the gym trying to use all the new and exciting equipment that we forget how effective these basic movements are.
3. Increase Range of Motion
At the gym, I often challenge myself by adding weight, but at home, without any weights, I shifted my focus to form and range of motion. As a result, my typical strength routine expanded into a stretching and mobility routine as well. This is a really great time for us to shed the distraction of the gym and focus on our own movement limitations, whether they are due to strength or flexibility. Being able to do things like get our hips below our knees during a bodyweight squat, touch our back knee to the floor during a lunge, or touch our chest to the floor during a push-up, will help us to make greater progress in the gym when it reopens.
These three tips may be enough to get you going with your at-home workout, but if you already have a good routine, or if you want to take your workouts to the next level, then follow these next tips: 4. Increase Sets and Repetitions and Decrease Rest Time
Once you have mastered an exercise at its full range of motion, then you can consider adding more repetitions. I think the maximum number of repetitions one should do in a single set is 20. Once you can do 20 repetitions at once, then it is time to add an extra set. Once you can do five sets of 20 repetitions, then you can decrease the rest time between sets to increase the intensity of the exercise. By decreasing rest times, our bodies are unable to fully recover and therefore the fatigue will accumulate throughout the workout and increase the intensity.
5. Add Instability
Adding instability requires us to work harder to maintain balance and posture during a movement. We have to recruit more muscle fibers in order to work against instability. A great example of this is doing a push-up with one leg lifted off the floor. We’ve turned our stable quadruped position into an unstable three-legged position that requires a lot more core strength. Adding instability also helps work our postural and balancing muscles.
6. Add Explosiveness
As with adding instability, the goal of adding explosiveness is to recruit more muscle fibers. When we do a light-weight exercise, we only recruit our smaller muscle fibers. But if we try that same light-weight exercise with explosive speed, we recruit much larger and stronger muscle fibers. A great example of this is modifying a bodyweight squat into a jump squat. We have to produce a lot of force in a short amount of time to propel our body upwards to leave the ground. We get this extra power by using the larger muscles in the legs that would normally be less active during a bodyweight squat.
With these tips, I hope you can challenge yourself at home as you would in the gym. A 30-minute circuit of body-weight exercises has endless possibilities and will help to keep you fit, powerful, and energized. If you need more ideas or motivation, remember you can always schedule a one-on-one virtual fitness coaching session or participate in our on-line class offerings. Good luck and have fun!
From April's Kitchen To Yours
One of April's all-time favorites.
Oatmeal Peanut Butter Protein Balls
Ingredients
2 cups quick oats
1 cup Rice Krispie cereal
1 cup ground flaxseed
1 cup peanut butter (or any other nut butter)
2/3 cup honey
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and then form into balls and chill. April suggests keeping some in the freezer because they only take a few minutes to thaw. These protein balls are excellent pre and post-workout snacks! The importance of nutrient timing and exercise is something that goes often under-looked. If you have easy nutrition on hand, it will help you to make sure you're giving your body the right nutrients at the right times!
If you want to learn more about fitness-specific nutrient timing, Joni Gerken our Registered Dietitian is now doing online counseling.
Emailmedicalfitness@adirondackhealth.orgto find out more.
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