Merritt Clubs Blog

Summer is here and the heat is red hot. I have a workout scheduled for tonight, but I am on the fence. Part of me doesn't want to skip the workout but the other part says, "Take a break and just relax by the  pool with the kids.”

Well it’s that time of year – bathing suit season. Pause for a moment and don’t scream.  Having dealt with this for years I have uncovered a few simple ways to electrify your workouts to get faster results in the next 6-8 weeks before full-fledged summer arrives.

Foam rollers are a common sight at the gym. Why? No less an authority than the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) notes that working a foam roller, either before or after your main gym workout, improves your range of motion in both muscles and joints, decreases muscle pain (particularly after a workout), and reduces tightness in your muscles so you can exercise at peak efficiency.

Have you hit a rut or reached a plateau in your workout regimen? Then it is time to exercise your options. Try implementing these new strategies in your weekly workout plan to boost metabolism, burn calories, and increase lean muscle.

Sprinting - Sprinting is an excellent way to rev up your metabolism and burn calories. It is simple and effective. The key is quality over quantity; too much sprinting can lead to injuries. Start off slowly and progress over time; try working in one sprint workout a week to start. An example workout might be a 50 meter sprint followed by a 2-3 minute rest. 5-10 sprints is plenty to start, when your conditioning improves, step it up a notch.

Interval Training - Interval training is a popular and effective workout routine. Interval Training can be performed with a simple exercise like walking by varying speeds, for example fast walking for 20 meters followed by slow walking for 20 meters. For a more advanced fitness level, high intensity interval training, or HIIT, can be very effective. Be sure to consult a fitness professional prior to beginning a HIIT program.

Full Body Movements - Compound and Quadrupedal movements (using both hands and feet for movement) make for excellent and effective total body workouts. Start by adding a few crawls to your workout and build up to more advanced movements, it is a creative and challenging exercise that is also effective.

Body Weight Exercises - Utilizing body weight exercises such as squats, push-ups, lunges, or chin ups are very effective exercises to implement to improve relative body strength. By working with our own body weight it enhances coordination, balance, and relative body strength. In addition, the flexibility provided by body weight exercise makes it a great fit for busy schedules or tight budgets.

The key to any effective exercise is proper technique and intensity. Focus on starting slow and improving in these exercises; keep workouts short and intense. When you feel comfortable with them then progress into circuit training or interval training for awesome workouts that will burn calories and build lean muscle for an improved physique. Remember to be patient and progress over time, no exercise is effective with poor technique. It is recommended you consult with a personal trainer or fitness professional to learn proper technique for these programs, contact us to get started!

People that get into exercise often neglect to pay attention to the health of their joints. As a result, they often do serious damage to these vital parts of the body. Learn how to exercise your options by keeping your joints as healthy and as stable as possible.

Keep Your Joints Steady When Exercising

Most severe joint damage (especially in your elbows) occurs when you aren't keeping them as tight and as close to your body as possible when exercising. Letting them wander during exercise will put undue strain on them that can lead to serious injury.

Take a Break from Repetitive Exercise

Repetitive exercises, such as jogging, playing tennis, or kayaking can often put difficult strain on your joints, especially if you're relatively new to the activity. Limit yourself to 15-30 minutes of this type of exercise before taking a break. If necessary, ice and warm the joint to alleviate pain.

Build Your Strength

Exercises that build strength, especially those with resistance, build the strength of the muscles and ligaments around your joints. This helps to take away some of the strain and pressure that they feel and keep them as pain-free as possible. This is especially true if you focus on exercises for the muscles surrounding each joint.

Quit Smoking

As if you needed any more reason to quit, it turns out that smoking actually steals nutrients from your bones and joints and considerably weakens them. If you're struggling to quit, try a smoking cessation aide and do your joints a favor.

If you liked these tips or are want to know more information about joint health, please don't hesitate to contact us to learn more.

Beat Holiday Stress With These Easy Steps

Tis the season for in-laws, sugar infused children, butter and skipping workouts. Most of us have a hard time deciding whether to postpone our fitness goals until after the holidays or to stick it out and hold steady. To me, there is an obvious choice. Honestly, you owe it to yourself and everyone around you to stay focused on your health this holiday season.

Those who are searching for easy sports that they can do for a healthy lifestyle and to put themselves on the fast track for weight loss are in luck. There are a large number of sports that have been scientifically proven to aid in weight loss while increasing your overall sense of well-being.

Hoping to find your way towards living a healthier lifestyle but clueless about where to even begin? Read the following post for three easy to implement tips that will have you living a much healthier life. You don't have to follow all of the tips to see result. However, the more that you can incorporate into your life, the better off you'll be.