Merritt Clubs Blog

COVID-19 sent many of us scrambling to set up a home office. And if you’re like most people, it’s been a love-hate thing. You love the flexibility and the 15-second commute. But you may not always love the isolation or the frequent interruptions from members of your household. As someone who’s been teleworking for over 23 years, I’ve experienced most of the ups and downs. As with anything, I think success and happiness in a home office comes from developing healthy habits and in making a conscious effort to strike a good balance between your personal and professional life.

As the summer months continue to trek along, many of us have started leaving the safety and isolation of quarantine and are venturing back out into the world, slowly and cautiously. As we walk the fine line between staying safe and returning to some sort of normality, we are faced with the concerns and fears of contracting the virus and keeping our families safe and healthy. In a measure to protect ourselves and our loved ones, it is vital that we take all the precautions we can to boost our immunity and maintain optimal health.

Exercise and rest are both vital to your wellbeing, and 24 hour gyms may help you sleep better. If you’re tossing and turning because your schedule doesn’t match the nine to five world, maybe you need a new fitness club.

You’ve probably heard advice about not exercising vigorously right before bed, but you may not have known why. It’s based on the theory that intense aerobic exercise increases stimulating hormones like adrenalin in your blood and raises your body’s core temperature slightly. Once elevated, your body temperature stays higher for a while and then falls to a temperature a bit lower than normal about six hours later. That cooling off makes it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

This is all great if you get off work at 5, squeeze in a kickboxing class and loll around for several hours before bed. If you travel extensively or have a schedule that varies due to shift work or different classes each semester, it gets a lot more difficult.

A 24 hour gym will let you work out whenever is ideal for you. In addition to avoiding intense activity before bed, you may also want to work out as soon as you wake up no matter what time that happens to be. Some studies show that people burn more fat during workouts before breakfast or anytime their stomachs are empty.

We should mention that some experts think that working out regularly is the important thing and don’t attach much importance to the time of day so experiment to find what works for you. Almost everyone does agree that reducing your exposure to light for a couple of hours before you retire promotes better rest. That’s because TVs, computer screens and other sources of light trigger your brain to stay alert making this another good reason to visit a fitness club earlier in your day or evening.

Merritt Athletic Clubs is the largest fitness center operation in the Baltimore area with several 24 hour gyms to fit your lifestyle. These include the 24 HR Downtown Athletic Club, Buckingham, Canton, and Cranbrook facilities. Contact us to learn more.

As an ACE Certified Trainer I was very skeptical with the A.L.I.V.E. Protocol. It challenged everything that I had studied and practiced, and how could that be, I have received praises and witnessed results through my clients hard work. So, I had to challenge the "Phil Kaplan" way. I set out to earn my Certification as an A.L.I. V. E. Trainer all the while checking and double checking my learnings with registered Nurses and family Doctors. When I couldn't find discrepancies in his material, I set out to run the program in my own personal workout sessions. And here we are today. I am proud to report that I am lighter, leaner, more flexible, and overall a much happier person. My weight dropped from 152 to 143 and my body fat plunged. At 42, and a Personal trainer, I looked great for my age. After including the Phil Kaplan's A.L.I.V.E. protocol, I am still a personal Trainer, Still 42. The difference is I look like I’m 24, I cannot wait for my next physical. I am excited to see the results of my blood work and the look on my Doctors face! HA. I am so proud to be an A.L.I.V.E. Personal Trainer.

To learn more or to reserve a spot for A.L.I.V.E. visit http://www.merrittclubs.com/alive/index.html

Get to know Karen by visiting http://www.merrittclubs.com/fitness/eldersburg/karen-martinez.html