Jersey Fit Health and Fitness Videos

The Jersey Fit health and fitness series of videos has launched on YouTube! Eraldo Maglara, NSCA certified personal trainer, shows you how to exercise and care for your body the right way as he demonstrates specific exercises to get you focused, strong and tone your body with  fitness equipment to get you the best results. You can read about many of the exercises demonstrated in Eraldo’s book The Real Fountain of Youth: Simple Lifestyle Changes for Productive Longevity.   Introduction to Jersey Fit Eraldo introduces and explains the Jersey Fit health and fitness video series.                                         Jersey Fit! Squat  Eraldo demonstrates the proper way to perform a squat. The squat is a great lower body exercise that works the glutes, quads and hamstrings. Strengthening these muscles over time can help protect your knees and improve your performance. Squats also add more functionality into your life because they promote mobility and balance.   What’s great about Jersey Fit is that it allows you to perform quick and simple exercises right at home. Jersey Fit believes that by living a healthy, fit and balanced lifestyle you will feel and look your best. There’s always time to get in a workout or even just a few exercises. Make the most of your training time by focusing on your objectives. Jersey Fit will help you integrate fitness and wellness into your life. Stay tuned for more health and fitness videos! Visit the Jersey Fit website...

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Exercise Helps Cancer Patients Deal with Side Effects of Treatment

A diagnosis of cancer is certainly a life-altering event. Dealing with cancer and the side effects from aggressive therapies used to treat it is never easy, but with a positive outlook and support from family and friends it becomes a little more bearable to cope with. It may come as a surprise to some, but another effective way to help deal with side effects is to exercise. In the past, people being treated for a chronic illness were often told to rest and reduce their physical activity; however, too much rest can lead to loss of body function, muscle weakness, and reduced range of motion. Exercising may be the last thing on the mind of someone who is dealing with cancer, but according to the Oncology Nursing Society, research has found that exercise has proven to be an effective management tool for dealing with side effects from cancer treatment. Side effects from cancer treatment include weakness, fatigue, nausea, pain and depression, often resulting in a decline in the quality of life for patients. Exercise can improve the quality of life for patients and also improve how well they function physically. As awareness advocate Melanie Bowen states in the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog post on exercises for cancer patients, staying active while going through treatment can be a tremendous challenge. I recommend patients have a health care provider guide them through an exercise program to meet their interests and needs. Melanie suggests a low-impact summer exercise program for cancer patients, which include the following fitness activities: Walking: Start with 10 minutes a day and work your way up from there. Walk outside to enjoy the fresh air and scenery. I recommend a walk along the beach. The ocean can give you a feeling of relaxation and tranquility. If you are not able to get to the beach, a stroll in the park is also a nice idea. Swimming: This is a great way to tone all your major muscle groups and strengthen your heart. Go swimming in an outdoor pool or join a health club. Dancing: Dancing is a great form of aerobic exercise. Melanie recommends line dancing, zumba or dancing in your living room. Lifting light weights: A personal trainer can work with you on how much weight you should be lifting, depending on you are capable of. Before you pick up any weights, seek advice from your health care provider. Yoga: This will get you stretching, moving and feeling good. I recommend looking for a beginner’s yoga class in your area. You can also do yoga right at home with an instructional video. The key is to start out slowly. You can build up your strength and endurance a little bit at a time. Doing too much too soon is never a good thing. Also, be sure to keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water, especially if you are outside in the heat or doing an activity causing you to sweat.  If you are in any severe pain while exercising, stop the activity and contact your health care provider...

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Father’s Day Gifts to Keep Dad Fit and Healthy

Before you run out and get dad the usual tie, socks, aftershave or cologne this Father’s Day, reconsider and get him a gift you know he’ll love that will also encourage a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity is good for dad at any age, so use this Father’s Day as an opportunity to get him motivated and moving. Whether he’s a health and fitness fanatic or he’s only just begun to make healthy lifestyle changes, you can’t go wrong with these Father’s Day gift ideas: Sports Equipment Some brand new sports equipment might be the ideal gift for an athletic dad. Whether he’s into golf, tennis, bowling, cycling, ping pong etc., get him something you know he’ll enjoy using. If he’s into running, hiking or walking, give him a pair of sneakers. I recommend the Nike Air Max Cross Trainers. Now that he’s outfitted to enjoy his favorite sport, spend some quality time with him by joining him in the activity. As a fit father myself, I guarantee he will truly appreciate it. Spa Package Years ago a trip to the spa was thought to be a gift just for mom, but times have changed. Treat your dad to a day of rest and relaxation. Not only will he enjoy it, but it will rejuvenate his body and ease the stress, he’s built up over the years. You may want to consider a gift card for a full body massage or even just a back massage. Maybe dad needs a foot massage, too. Reflexology sessions also help to stimulate circulation, untangle sports-tortured tendons and detox. Heart Rate Monitor If dad is into cardio, I guarantee he’ll appreciate a heart rate monitor. It can be used to follow cardiovascular ups and downs during either recreational or competitive activity. There are a variety of heart rate monitors available that track your progress, evaluate your workout routine, and count calories burned. Basic heart rate monitors are designed to help you stay in your optimal heart rate target zone for your entire workout. Restaurant Gift Card or Gift Basket Is dad a health-conscious foodie? Take him to a new restaurant where healthy options dominate the menu. For a more creative gift, make him a gift basket filled with his favorite healthy foods, such as fresh-baked goods, fruits and vegetables, cheeses, and snacks such as nuts or granola bars. You can also purchase a premade gift basket from certain grocery stores such as Whole Foods Market and Wegmans. Pre-Paid 12 Session Package with a Personal Trainer If dad is looking to get in shape, but hasn’t made the commitment yet, a great gift to consider is a pre-paid 12 session package with a personal trainer. This will help him to start on the path health and fitness. At Fitness Training by Eraldo, we offer several training packages that might interest dad. No matter the gift you give Dad this Father’s Day, make sure you give him the gift of your time. There is no greater gift than the love of your child. My children are the inspiration for my training path as well as my...

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The Inspiration Behind The Real Fountain of Youth

When you think of yourself aging, how do you imagine yourself? Have you embraced aging or are you having a hard time acknowledging or planning for it? Are you living life to the fullest and feeling the best you’ve ever felt? We all know there’s no such thing as the rumored Fountain of Youth, and we can’t just sit back waiting for doctors and research scientists to find new drugs and therapies to stop the hands of time. After reading my book The Real Fountain of Youth: Simple Lifestyle Changes for Productive Longevity, you will realize that aging doesn’t have to feel dreadful and it is possible to keep living life feeling lively and productive without any medications or therapies. Extended youth – longevity – is available to everyone; however, it doesn’t come easily. In order to feel your best throughout your whole life, you must work for it and keep motivated. It won’t always be easy and at times you may lose focus, but you don’t have to work for it on your own. There are professionals that dedicate their lives to helping others achieve productive longevity, such as personal fitness trainers, nutritionists and chiropractors. USA Today reported that according to recent government statistics, most adults in the USA aren’t meeting the federal physical activity recommendations for both aerobic exercise and muscle-strengthening activity. About 79% of adults don’t meet the physical activity guidelines that advise getting at least 2½ hours a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as brisk walking, or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as jogging. Plus, the guidelines recommend that adults do muscle-strengthening activities, such as push-ups, sit-ups or exercise using resistance bands or weights. I witnessed how much a lack of physical activity can affect the human body while I was visiting a rehabilitation facility to check up on my friend’s mother after she had knee surgery.  This is also where much of the inspiration to write my book came to me.  As a walked down the hallways, I could not help but notice how many senior citizens were present, and that for some of them, nothing appeared to be physically wrong. While I was waiting for my friend’s mother, I asked one of the nurses about what I had observed. She informed me that many of these people were there because they had either accepted the fact that they were getting old, were unmotivated or had simply neglected themselves. As I thought about what I was told, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for these people. Instead of enjoying their golden years like they should be, they had simply given up because they lacked the motivation to live their lives to the fullest. At that moment, I realized that as a personal fitness trainer, I had an obligation to educate and teach as many people on the enormous benefits of exercise. I could also give them motivation and confidence by showing them that the sad acceptance of aging is not inevitable. That’s when I decided that in addition to training my clients, I was going to...

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No Pain, No Gain? Think Again.

Everyone has heard the motto “No pain, no gain,” which basically means the road to achievement runs only through hardship. It has certainly been a popular saying among competitive professionals for many years. Back in my early days of fitness training, that was all I needed to hear to get pumped up and ready for a workout. Easy enough, right? Well, yes and no. When you develop the knowledge and learn the proper skills of weight training, you are bound to encounter some pain that will lead to a gain. This kind of pain is a natural response the body goes through when you place an overload on the muscles. The first “good pain” you will feel is the one that occurs at the end of a set. It starts as a slow burn when you are about 3/4 of the way done with your set and the pain slowly increases with each subsequent rep until the end when the pain is quite intense. This is actually considered a  good pain caused by the lactic acid buildup in your muscles. The reason this pain is good is that it’s an indicator that you are pushing yourself hard enough to cause muscle growth. Another good pain  is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), where tiny tears are formed by your muscles when you lift weights and the repair phase will cause most lifterposis to take the elevator instead of the stairs. On the other side of the spectrum, we have what we call the “no good pain”. Generally speaking, any kind of pain that prevents you from performing at your best should be considered serious. Without overstating the obvious like chest, back and head pain, it’s considered less threatening if you have joint pain and bad muscular pain. This type of mistake can cause serious issues for an individual. Left undiagnosed and untreated, you will most definitely find yourself at the doctor’s office. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, any pain that is persistent and gradually worsening over a two-week period should be considered serious and examined by a physician....

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