Spinning is an exercise that involves cycling on a specially designed stationary bicycle. The bicycle, called a spinning bike, plays music and includes motivational talk that assists you through a visualization of an outdoor cycling workout. Originally designed by a word class cyclist to help train for races, spinning has since become a popular exercise for fat burning and general endurance training. It is estimated that a one hour spinning session will burn approximately 400-700 calories. The reason the exercise can achieve such significant results is due to the nature of the exercise. Spinning involves intense sprinting for 30 seconds then a short rest period followed by another intense sprinting session. This interval based training method is very effective for losing weight.
Social Dynamic
Spinning is a group exercise that is usually taught in classes. For people who need motivation to keep in shape, spinning classes are worth a try. Spinning is an interactive experience that not only involves other students, but special music and lighting to keep the experience fresh and varied.
Structured Exercising
One of the nice things about spinning is that it is a structured exercise program. Sessions usually last between 45 min - 1 hour. Spinning bikes are designed to offer a variety of training paths that include: sprints, climbs and long distance tracks. You are also given control over resistance which allows you to control the difficulty of the spinning session; this is especially useful for beginners who need something challenging enough to provide a workout, but not too demanding to discourage future sessions.
Year Round
Another appeal of spinning is that it can be done year round. For people who regularly cycle outdoors, spinning offers the option of keeping up a challenging workout and routine even during off seasons. The options offered by spinning bikes allow a great deal of flexibility in designing an effective indoor workout. Spinning bikes can be customized for cadence (pedal rate), resistance, and body position. All three of these will influence the relative difficulty or ease of the workout.
Burn Calories and Build Muscle
Spinning can be both anaerobic, short, intense bursts of energy that builds muscle strength or aerobic, slower, longer, and less intense exercise that builds muscle endurance. The type of workout can be adjusted by simply increasing resistance, pedal rate or workout path. Spinning is great for both endurance and cardiovascular training. It can also be used to build significant muscle in the quadriceps or upper thigh region.
There are very few exercises that are as enjoyable and effective in burning calories as spinning. For this reason alone, it's worth giving spinning a try. Spinning is offered at least once everyday at Fitness For You.
Source: yext.com
Fitness and health articles, exercises of the week, trainer and staff posts, club updates, and more...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Protect Your Skin YEAR ROUND!
Winter is upon us - but just because the air is cool, and getting cooler, doesn't mean you shouldn't wear your sunscreen! The highly reflective surfaces of ice and snow nearly double a person's exposure to damaging rays (as do higher altitudes, like those on ski slopes.) Keep these tips from the Skin Cancer Foundation in mind before you take a winter walk:
> Lips are vulnerable to skin cancer, too. Choose a lip balm that will protect your lips from chapping and damage.
> Rain and snow don't let you off the hook! The sun's rays penetrate the clouds and can be just as damaging on hazy days as sunny days.
> Wearing sunscreen on your face in the winter helps to keep skin moisturized and smooth in the dry air, as well as free from ultraviolet rays.
*Remember - Even in the winter, don't forget your sunscreen!
source: Janice Markley
> Lips are vulnerable to skin cancer, too. Choose a lip balm that will protect your lips from chapping and damage.
> Rain and snow don't let you off the hook! The sun's rays penetrate the clouds and can be just as damaging on hazy days as sunny days.
> Wearing sunscreen on your face in the winter helps to keep skin moisturized and smooth in the dry air, as well as free from ultraviolet rays.
*Remember - Even in the winter, don't forget your sunscreen!
source: Janice Markley
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
THIS SATURDAY ONLY
This Saturday December 5th ONLY...
TASTE OF TARGET TRAINING - Come get a great 30 minute core workout with Totally Torso followed by 30 minutes of burning out those triceps with totally tri's. Program taught by Dean Tridenti starts at 8:15AM
CARDIO HIP HOP: This is a fun and exciting dance class that incorporates cardio training with modern popular music. A great workout is achieved through the use of high-energy dance combinations. What’s better than grooving your way to a lean, toned dancer’s body? Come check out CARDIO HIP-HOP with Courtney on Saturday morning @ 9:25AM
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Truth about Diet Soda
Is diet soda really the healthier option?
We talk a lot about ''watching what we eat,'' but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life. (Yes, nearly a pound of fat loss a week!) Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.
When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons:
Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.
It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages--even if they're artificially sweetened--may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert--everything.
Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.
Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.
There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.
Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes.
Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you wrong!
source: David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding (Men's Health)
We talk a lot about ''watching what we eat,'' but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life. (Yes, nearly a pound of fat loss a week!) Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.
When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons:
Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.
It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages--even if they're artificially sweetened--may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert--everything.
Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.
Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.
There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.
Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes.
Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you wrong!
source: David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding (Men's Health)
FIRST EVER HIP-HOP CLASS AT FFY!!!
Fitness For You will be offering CARDIO HIP-HOP!
*SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, December 5th at 9:25 AM
This is a fun and exciting dance class that incorporates cardio training with modern popular music. A great workout is achieved through the use of high-energy dance combinations. What’s better than grooving your way to a lean, toned dancer’s body? Come check out CARDIO HIP-HOP with Courtney on Saturday morning!
Courtney is FFY’s new marketing intern from Merrimack College. With 19 years of dance experience in the fields of ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and more, Courtney is ready to take her dance workout to the next level. So come join us this Saturday, December 5th at 9:25 AM to dance your butt off!
*SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, December 5th at 9:25 AM
This is a fun and exciting dance class that incorporates cardio training with modern popular music. A great workout is achieved through the use of high-energy dance combinations. What’s better than grooving your way to a lean, toned dancer’s body? Come check out CARDIO HIP-HOP with Courtney on Saturday morning!
Courtney is FFY’s new marketing intern from Merrimack College. With 19 years of dance experience in the fields of ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and more, Courtney is ready to take her dance workout to the next level. So come join us this Saturday, December 5th at 9:25 AM to dance your butt off!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving- Club Hours
Thanksgiving Hours:
Wednesday: 4am-6pm
Thursday: CLOSED
Friday: 8am-6pm
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Benefits of Sauna
Don't forget! Fitness For You has state-of-the-art saunas in the locker rooms. Check out all the benefits below, and remember to take advantage of our saunas during your next gym visit!
Our modern lifestyle makes most people's skin inactive. Many of us don't sweat, especially during the winter months. Our skin is exposed to hundreds of chemicals during the course of our life, and is affected by them. From innocent bath products such as shampoos, shower gels, lotions and soaps to deodorants. Household cleaning solvents, detergent residues on clothes and chemicals from the bath or shower water also affect the skin. Regular use of the sauna gradually restores the skin's elimination ability. Sweating removes toxic chemicals and metals faster than any other detox method. It is a good habit that pays many health dividends.
The sauna's benefits are numerous. It is extremely relaxing, leaving your body soothed and your mind serene. However, its main advantage lies in the fact that it promotes sweating, helping the body to rid itself of toxins. It is also believed that exposure of the skin to heat stimulates the production of white blood cells and strengthens the immune system.
Other benefits of the sauna include:
• Improved blood circulation: The sauna increases and improves the rate of blood circulation and breathing.
• Weight Loss: Sauna is similar to mild exercise. It burns about 300 calories per average session. Regular sauna treatments combined with a healthy diet and moderate exercise will help you lose weight and stay fit and healthy.
• Skin cleansing: A profuse sauna-induced sweat followed by a shower cleanses your skin far more thoroughly than just taking a shower. It makes it soft and healthy with immediately noticeable effects
• Body relaxation: The heat and humidity of the sauna diffuses the pain caused by stress build-up and relaxes tired muscles. A sauna in the evening will leave tense muscles and sore limbs totally relaxed. Sauna also temporarily relieves arthritic pain.
• Mind relaxation: Regular sauna adepts all agree that it effectively helps relieve physical and mental fatigue and stress.
Source: pureinsideout.com
Our modern lifestyle makes most people's skin inactive. Many of us don't sweat, especially during the winter months. Our skin is exposed to hundreds of chemicals during the course of our life, and is affected by them. From innocent bath products such as shampoos, shower gels, lotions and soaps to deodorants. Household cleaning solvents, detergent residues on clothes and chemicals from the bath or shower water also affect the skin. Regular use of the sauna gradually restores the skin's elimination ability. Sweating removes toxic chemicals and metals faster than any other detox method. It is a good habit that pays many health dividends.
The sauna's benefits are numerous. It is extremely relaxing, leaving your body soothed and your mind serene. However, its main advantage lies in the fact that it promotes sweating, helping the body to rid itself of toxins. It is also believed that exposure of the skin to heat stimulates the production of white blood cells and strengthens the immune system.
Other benefits of the sauna include:
• Improved blood circulation: The sauna increases and improves the rate of blood circulation and breathing.
• Weight Loss: Sauna is similar to mild exercise. It burns about 300 calories per average session. Regular sauna treatments combined with a healthy diet and moderate exercise will help you lose weight and stay fit and healthy.
• Skin cleansing: A profuse sauna-induced sweat followed by a shower cleanses your skin far more thoroughly than just taking a shower. It makes it soft and healthy with immediately noticeable effects
• Body relaxation: The heat and humidity of the sauna diffuses the pain caused by stress build-up and relaxes tired muscles. A sauna in the evening will leave tense muscles and sore limbs totally relaxed. Sauna also temporarily relieves arthritic pain.
• Mind relaxation: Regular sauna adepts all agree that it effectively helps relieve physical and mental fatigue and stress.
Source: pureinsideout.com
Monday, November 9, 2009
Massage - It's Real Medicine
Here at Fitness For You, we offer 15 and 30-minute chair massages with Laurie from Advanced Health and Wellness. Having your honey rub your back is sweet, but it's tough to compete with the hands of a pro. A good massage therapist can make you feel like a new person. Here are some of the other benefits:
1. Reduce Pain
Rubdowns are especially effective for aches like lower-back pain. Researchers have found that massage works better than common treatments including chiropractic therapy and acupuncture. It's not clear why, but several studies show massage reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol while boosting the feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine. Those changes slow your heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and block your nervous system's pain receptors. Massage also increases blood flow to the muscles, which may help them heal.
*A bonus: Massage seems to ease distress from migraine, labor pain, and even cancer, as well as the body tenderness seen with fibromyalgia. Plus, the benefits may last as long as a year after just a few treatments.
2. Improve Sleep Quality
Fluctuations in several types of brain waves either relax you or wake you up. Massage increases delta waves -- those linked with deep sleep. That's why it's easy to drift off in the massage chair.
3. Increase Brain Power
A 15-minute chair massage boosts alertness. Many people report that it feels like a runner's high. Tests also show that brain-wave activity stimulated by massage is linked to improved attention.
4. Fight off Colds
Massage helps ward off bugs by boosting your "natural killer cells," the immune system's first line of defense against invading illness. The stress hormone cortisol destroys natural killer cells. Therefore, since massage decreases cortisol, your immune cells get a boost. Massage even seems to boost immunity in those people with severely compromised immune systems, such as breast-cancer patients.
5. Get Rid of the Blues
Less cortisol and more serotonin and dopamine in your system may also mean less stress, anxiety, and depression. The sense of well-being people feel after a massage is a big reason why some hospitals offer it to anxious patients preparing for surgery and cancer patients going through chemo.
6. Reduce PMS Symptoms
A small study of 24 women with severe PMS found that massage reduced symptoms such as pain, water retention, and mood swings. Try it with proven remedies such as exercise (and “who-cares-if-they-work” solutions like a little dark chocolate).
Try out a chair massage next time you come to the gym! For more information, e-mail Kristin@FitnessForYouGym.com
Source: Kristyn Kusek Lewis (Health.com)
1. Reduce Pain
Rubdowns are especially effective for aches like lower-back pain. Researchers have found that massage works better than common treatments including chiropractic therapy and acupuncture. It's not clear why, but several studies show massage reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol while boosting the feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine. Those changes slow your heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and block your nervous system's pain receptors. Massage also increases blood flow to the muscles, which may help them heal.
*A bonus: Massage seems to ease distress from migraine, labor pain, and even cancer, as well as the body tenderness seen with fibromyalgia. Plus, the benefits may last as long as a year after just a few treatments.
2. Improve Sleep Quality
Fluctuations in several types of brain waves either relax you or wake you up. Massage increases delta waves -- those linked with deep sleep. That's why it's easy to drift off in the massage chair.
3. Increase Brain Power
A 15-minute chair massage boosts alertness. Many people report that it feels like a runner's high. Tests also show that brain-wave activity stimulated by massage is linked to improved attention.
4. Fight off Colds
Massage helps ward off bugs by boosting your "natural killer cells," the immune system's first line of defense against invading illness. The stress hormone cortisol destroys natural killer cells. Therefore, since massage decreases cortisol, your immune cells get a boost. Massage even seems to boost immunity in those people with severely compromised immune systems, such as breast-cancer patients.
5. Get Rid of the Blues
Less cortisol and more serotonin and dopamine in your system may also mean less stress, anxiety, and depression. The sense of well-being people feel after a massage is a big reason why some hospitals offer it to anxious patients preparing for surgery and cancer patients going through chemo.
6. Reduce PMS Symptoms
A small study of 24 women with severe PMS found that massage reduced symptoms such as pain, water retention, and mood swings. Try it with proven remedies such as exercise (and “who-cares-if-they-work” solutions like a little dark chocolate).
Try out a chair massage next time you come to the gym! For more information, e-mail Kristin@FitnessForYouGym.com
Source: Kristyn Kusek Lewis (Health.com)
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Exercise of the Day
Medicine Ball Lunge Crossovers
1. Stand with feet hip width apart. Take left leg and step back approximately 2 feet standing on the ball of the foot.
2. Start position: Feet should be positioned at a staggered stance with head and back erect and straight in a neutral position. Hold medicine ball in front of your chest.
3. Lower body by bending at hip and knee until thigh is parallel to floor. Body should follow a straight line down towards the floor. As you are lunging reach to one side of the leg with the ball.
4. Return to start position and repeat by reaching to the opposite side with the ball. Alternate or switch to other leg after prescribed reps
1. Stand with feet hip width apart. Take left leg and step back approximately 2 feet standing on the ball of the foot.
2. Start position: Feet should be positioned at a staggered stance with head and back erect and straight in a neutral position. Hold medicine ball in front of your chest.
3. Lower body by bending at hip and knee until thigh is parallel to floor. Body should follow a straight line down towards the floor. As you are lunging reach to one side of the leg with the ball.
4. Return to start position and repeat by reaching to the opposite side with the ball. Alternate or switch to other leg after prescribed reps
Source: Sports Fitness Advisor
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Exercise More, Sneeze Less
As the cold and flu season kicks into high gear this winter, it's good to know that regular exercise may be your first line of defense.
Although there has been some debate about the effects of exercise on immunity, a new study suggests that being active may actually reduce the number of colds people get each year.
Researchers from the University of South Carolina in Columbia surveyed 547 healthy adults at regular intervals over the course of one year.
Participants noted both their activity levels and the number of colds they had experienced. For this study, moderate or vigorous exercise was defined as anything more strenuous than a walk, including household chores and leisure activities.
The average adult will suffer through two to five colds per year. However, study participants who reported being most active had 25 percent fewer colds than those who were the least active.
The caveat to this study is that previous research has demonstrated that too much or too little exercise can have an adverse effect on the immune system, which could up one's risk of developing a cold.
Marathon runners, for example, appear to be more likely to develop a cold in the week immediately following a race than non-runners.
The key is to strike the right balance between exercise, good nutrition and adequate sleep.
Source: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2002; 34, 1242-1248
Thursday, October 15, 2009
FFY on Facebook
Are you a fan of Fitness For You on Facebook? If not how come? Become a fan today! :) Each month one fan is chosen at random and wins a prize! The winners will be contacted on the last day of each month and winners will be announced on this blog!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Participate and WIN!
Fitness For You is starting a blog and we need your help! Participation is highly encouraged to be able to create our FFY Online Community and grow it. Comment on the posts and that automatically enters you to win the prize of the month.
OCTOBER PRIZE OF THE MONTH: 1 Free Personal Training Session
On October 31st we will enter everybody's name who commented on the posts and we will draw the winner.
Happy Birthday Fitness For You!!
Fitness For You turned 4 years old yesterday(10/10/05)! Thanks to all of you.
"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip"
"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip"
Friday, October 9, 2009
Article of the week: Exercise and Low Back Pain
Back Pain Although usually not life-threatening, back pain is one of the most common conditions experienced in America. It is also one of the most frequent complaints that doctors receive and one of the top reasons people give for missing work every year. According to the government's comprehensive report of Americans' health called Health United States 2006, which was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, it is estimated that four out of five people will experience recurring back pain at some point in their lives. Additionally, one in four U.S. adults say they suffered a day-long bout of pain in the past month, and one in ten say the pain lasted a year or more.Causes of Back Pain Back pain is different for everyone and it can be caused by a variety of factors such as muscle strains or spasms, ligament problems, other structural problems or underlying illnesses. Therefore it’s hard to pinpoint the exact source of all back pain. However, there are several known risk factors that greatly improve one’s chance of developing back pain, which include obesity, smoking, anxiety or depression, strenuous physical labor and a sedentary lifestyle or working environment. It’s no wonder that back pain is so common given that so many Americans sit at a computer desk for eight or more hours per day! The Role of Exercise Exercise is helpful in both the treatment and prevention of back pain. Any physical activity, but particularly strength and flexibility work, increases muscle tone and supports healthy posture and alignment for reduced pain. Exercise is also beneficial because it promotes weight loss; excess weight is harmful because it increases the strain on the back muscles and produces more pain. Research Studies
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Friday 10/9/09 6:30 AM
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