Your Fitness Together Newsletter

You may not be able to find them at Scarborough Fair but you surely can get them at your local grocery store. Herbs and spices are absolute antioxidant powerhouses. I suggest you learn to love the spectacular taste that herbs and spices can bring to your dishes. Rosemary in particular is a culinary delight that research has shown contains more than two dozen antioxidants, and has also been implicated as a powerful disease-prevention agent. Perhaps whole-grain focaccia bread fresh out of the oven seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and roasted rosemary and complemented with a dark rich cabernet? Doesn't get any better than that!

Video Testimonial

(click on image to watch demonstration)

Mimi

Fitness Together 4

Please follow us on Facebook. We give out several health and fitness tips througout each week.

Plus: look for specials for our Facebook followers.

Studio Specials

Fitness Together will be expanding their market to small (2-4 people) group training. We will not be changing our personal training program at all.

The new PACK training program is a fun and energetic way to work with our personal trainers and feed off the energy of others working out beside you.

Keep your eyes open this fall for this new program. We will be offering trial sessions.

Dynamic & Static Stretching Exercises

Overview

Stretching is an important part of any fitness program. Before physical activity or any kind of sporting event, it loosens muscles, allows for better movement and reduces your risk of injury. Incorporate the two types of stretches -- dynamic and static -- into your regular workout. Dynamic stretches involve slow and controlled movements through a complete range of motion, and should be specific to the exercise you are about to do. Static stretches apply force to a muscle and are held for 15 to 30 seconds at a time.

General Information

The three components to an overall fitness program are cardiovascular or aerobic activity, strength training and flexibility training -- or stretching. The American Council on Exercise recommends that a fitness program include 30 minutes of stretching three times a week. Stretch before and after physical activity to minimize injury and soreness. Before stretching for any reason, warm up your muscles for five to 10 minutes to prevent injury. A short walk while swinging your arms can work as a warmup.

Dynamic Stretches

Perform dynamic stretches before a workout to prepare the muscles you plan to use. For example, do arm swings to stretch and loosen your arm muscles before an upper-body weight-training session. To perform arm swings, stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Swing both arms in a complete, overhead rotation six to 10 times. After completing the overhead rotations, cross your arms over your chest, swing them out to your sides, then cross them over your chest again six to 10 times.

Static Stretches

Perform static stretches after an athletic activity. Static stretches provide a slow cool-down period for your muscles and will help reduce soreness. To perform a static shoulder stretch, stand straight with your feet a bit wider than shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Position your left arm across your chest so it is parallel with the floor. Place your right hand under the left elbow and move the arm closer to your chest until you feel your shoulder stretch. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat with the right arm.

Stretching Mistakes

Avoid stretching cold muscles as this increases the risk of injury. Avoid bouncing a stretch. It is better to hold a stretch or move in a slow, controlled way to minimize the risk of injury. Finally, listen to your body and don't push a muscle too far. If it hurts, stop.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/466280-dynamic-static-stretching-exercises/#ixzz1UkvZaG3m

Day at the Race!

Clients often ask us why we (trainers and fitness professionals) work out the way we do. Obviously our trainers want to live a healthy life and look good but some of them have other reasons for pumping insane amounts of iron or logging crazy amounts of miles on their own two feet.

For instance check out this article (Click Here) on Bill Coleman, Assistant Manager of FT Cohasset. Bill competes as a powerlifter at the age of 52. We also have Kate (Dedham trainer) and Ashley (Westborough trainer) who both take part in road races ranging in distances anywhere from 5K to a marathon. Stan (Dedham trainer) is a competitive natural bodybuilder. Personally, I am a triathlete. So why do we torture ourselves through high levels of exercise just to compete in these types of events.

We all have different reasons for doing what we do and personally my primary motive is my competitive spirit, as my wife so kindly puts it. This past weekend I had the opportunity to enter a local triathlon as a late entry. The late entry is due to the fact that we had our first child 5 weeks ago and my swim, bike and run training has been at a minimum. So I was unsure how well I would do. Because I still find the time to fit alternative workouts into my schedule I felt my fitness was at a point that I could still finish the race strong. There were no expectations to get on the podium but at least I could get some of that competitive energy out of my system.

After each race I like to cool down by stretching near the finishing chute because I can see others finish the race. I always get goosebumps when I see someone come across the line with emotion because I can imagine the type of dedication that person had to train for this event. Most of the emotional finishers that I am referring to are not your typical skinny athlete and clearly it took a huge commitment for them to even get to the starting line. My hat always goes off to those people, more so than the winners.

This particular race really changed my perspective on why I toe the line. Yes I am still competitive, but after finishing 2nd in my age group, which most people would be more than happy about, I found I was more excited that I ran into a client after the race. She was there supporting her husband in his first triathlon race. So why was I excited to see her if she wasn't racing? There are two main reasons:

She verbally committed to doing that exact race next year. She was clearly inspired by watching the race and somewhere found her motivation to commit to a new goal. That is exciting!
She was with her daughter who is at an age where she absorbs everything around her. She just witnessed her mother get excited about committing to this race next year and her father finish a race and have fun doing it. This is leading by example.

The reason why Ashley pounds the pavement or Bill lifts large amounts of weight is no better than the other. The important thing is that they have a reason or inspiration to achieve something. As a new father the driving force behind my long workouts is no longer competition, but rather inspiration. I want to show my son how to live a healthy lifestyle and I want to inspire others the way our client was inspired by her husband finishing the race this past weekend.

What drives you to be active? Visit us on FaceBook and tell us what inspires you. Maybe your story will inspire someone else!

In Health,

Michael

The Best Ultimate Strengthening Leg Exercise

Overview

The barbell squat offers your legs the most ef

fective muscle-strengthening workout. Resistance training p

laces stress on your muscles, introducing a force which builds muscle strength and power. Compound movements like squats recruit multiple muscle groups, helping work out the many muscle groups in your legs. Before starting a resistance workout regimen to strengthen your legs consult a physician.

Anatomy

The major muscle groups within the legs are the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus maximus, adductors, gastrocnemius and soleus. The quadriceps spans across the front of your thighs and the hamstrings run along the back of your thighs. The gluteus maximus, also called the glutes, stretches across your rear hips. The adductors run along your inner thigh. The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles make up the calves. Barbell squats work out each of the main muscle groups in the leg, making this exercise the best movement to build strength in the leg muscles.

Exercise Form

Step under a racked bar and place your shoulders under the bar. Push through your legs, dismounting the bar from the rack. Take one step back, keeping your torso straight. Maintain a shoulder-width stance, keeping your head up throughout the movement. Bend your knees and slowly lower the bar. Lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push through the heels and extend your legs until you stand up straight. Do four sets of 12 repetitions to develop strength in your legs. Rest for 90 seconds between sets to allow for adequate recovery time.

Other Exercises

Doing squats alone won't help you develop optimum leg strength. Include exercises like leg presses, dumbbell lunges, leg extensions and leg curls in your resistance training regimen to power up your legs. Jumping rope and running are two forms of aerobic activity which increase leg strength, improve heart health and promote weight loss.

Tips

Keep your knees behind your toes throughout the movement to avoid placing stress on the knee joint. Warm up with five minutes of light jogging to bring blood into the leg muscles. Stretch for 10 minutes to reduce the risk of injury.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/486956-the-best-ultimate-strengthening-leg-exercise/#ixzz1UkqQwunK

Healthy Recipe of the Month

Peas and Dill

Peas are a superfood-a legume packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Cook them up with dill--an antioxidant filled herb and extra virgin olive oil and you have a super healthy plant cocktail!

Food weight: 2.0

Ingredients:

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/6thof recipe, 241 grams or ~ 1 cup)

½ cup fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen sweet peas
3 medium red potatoes
¾ cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions:

Chop onion and lightly fry over medium heat in large frying pan with olive oil until translucent. Add in peas and dill. Quarter potatoes and add to pan. Add water until just covering peas. Cover pan and simmer until potato is soft but not overdone, stirring occasionally. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh lemon wedges.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (~ one cup):
Food Weight: 2.0, Calories: 190, Fat: 5 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 258 mg,Carbohydrate: 31 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Sugars: 9 g, Protein: 6 g