Revolution Athletics

Sometimes I hear jokes from clients about getting liposuction or taking extreme diet pills to loose weight must be easier than my training. True, I usually hear this when they are in the middle of a particularly difficult workout, but I can understand this rational. The thing that many people don't realize is that exercise does a lot more than help you look good in an outfit. Your body was designed to function, to lift objects, to hit a golf ball, to walk up hills or cradle your child. In our fast paced lives we forget to move. Instead we get stuck behind a desk or in a job where physical activity is not far off of what you do on a Sunday while watching football on TV.

Personally I find exercising to be the best part of my day. I turn my cell phone off put my iPod on and get busy with a workout. Distractions, stress and worries fade away (at least during the workout) and it's time for me to do something good for myself and my health. Most of all I think it puts everything in order and lets me think clearly during the rest of the day. Actually I find my mood and outlook on life changes when I don't exercise for several days. Here are some of the more important things that regular exercise and diet can accomplish for you...

Increases Daily Energy

One of the first things that new clients report when they begin regular training is the noticeable increase in energy each day to perform the daily routine. I have not had a client ever report no change or a decrease in energy (despite what they might have thought before training began).

Improves Your Attitude

A Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully that standard counseling did. With training there is a natural increase in self esteem and confidence as you see improvements on a regular basis (increasing your strength and improving body composition). Over time I see people feel more confident and capable as a result of regular workouts. With all the stress and depression that attacks millions of people a year this is a huge benefit that everyone should enjoy.

Lose Body Fat

People who start working out gain lean muscle mass as they lose fat. In a recent study women who trained three times per week for two months gained on average 2 pounds of muscle and lost 3.5 pounds of fat. When your lean muscle mass increases it jump starts your metabolism (burning about 50 to 75 extra calories a day per pound of lean muscle). If a pound of fat equates to 3500 calories, think of the fat burning effects of strength training. The result is a defined and shapely body.

Reduces Your Risk of Heart Disease

Cardiovascular health improves with training as the heart increases in size (both in weight and volume) which allows more blood to pump with each beat of the heart (improving efficiency). This is seen with a reduction in resting heart rate. There is also a lowering of resting blood pressure to more normal levels (110mmHg systolic and 80mmHg diastolic). In addition the blood cholesterol improves with a lowering of LDL (bad) cholesterol and an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol. These are all good things!

Increases in Strength

Imagine how much more you could get done in a day if you were physically able to lift, move or carry items with less strain. With female clients at my Orange County facility I see an average increase in overall strength of 45% in less than 2 months. This helps protect you from injuries and soreness. A recent 12-year study showed that strengthening the low back muscles had an 80% rate in eliminating back pain. With stretching and other therapeutic modalities you can bring this closer to 100%. Other studies have indicated that strength training improves joint stability, builds connective tissue, increases bone density, as well as easing the pain of osteoarthritis. In talks with my female clients I have also found that strength training helps reduce basic aches and pains associated with everyday life. You don’t think this translate into a better quality of life?

Boosts Your Immune System

If I told you of something that could help you resist illnesses, would you be interested? Sure you would because we are all way too busy in our lives to come down with a cold. Exercise is the key. Regular exercise helps to boost the immune system so that general colds and flu’s that are floating around don’t bring you down.

Improves Your Mental Focus

Regular training also does something for your mind that is of great benefit to many people. It allows us to concentrate on a singular purpose with intense focus over and over again. As the body relaxes following the physical training the mind is able to recreate and reproduce the level of concentration during other activities. This improved level of focus allows us to enhance our daily lives. Let me know if this works for you too.

Improves Your Sex Life

Think about this carefully. When you workout you look better, you feel better, you are more self confident and have a higher self esteem. Add to this greater energy and more circulating sex hormones from all your workouts and you have a “sex-life-enhancement cocktail” (no pun intended). This is worth the price of admission with just this point alone!

Improves Athletic Performance

If you are athletically inclined then working out will definitely improve your performance. I have several clients who play tennis with each other and are always looking for an advantage over their competition. Endurance athletes can perform at a higher level with less fatigue. Sports with a lot of technique such as cross country skiing or tennis will be able to be more stable, improve technical function and greatly influence performance with strength training. Whatever sport you play I can guarantee that you will see an improvement in performance in addition to decreasing your risk of injury. The bottom line is that this stuff works wonders for your athletic pursuits.

Reduces the Risk of Diabetes

As of 2004 there were 16.7 million people in the United States with type 2 diabetes (adult onset). Training helps increase the glucose utilization in the body, which can lower your risk or reduce your reliance on insulin if you have diabetes. I often say that in the next 20 years diabetes will be the number one health problem in the United States. Regular training can help reduce your risk of developing diabetes, so my advice is to get busy.

Take Care of You!

In our fast paced world we don’t often have time for self improvement. If you don’t take care of yourself with regular exercise, healthy eating, stress relief, etc., who will? Think about it in these terms, if you loose your health then all the important things you may have in life (family, children, a fancy house, great job, etc.) will all be compromised. Your health is the most important thing in your life and you simply can’t take it for granted! It’s like servicing your car. You wouldn’t dream of driving more than 5000 miles without an oil change, but think nothing of going to the doctor every couple of years; eating fast food 3 to 5 times a week or getting 4 hours of sleep a night. This is your chance to take care of yourself…don’t miss that opportunity.

"Fortitudine Vincimus"
(by endurance we conquer)