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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Partner Up! The Benefits of Working Out with a Buddy

Do you remember using the buddy system as a child? You can still use it today, but instead of holding your buddy’s hand during an elementary field trip, invite them to work out with you.  Exercising with a friend can help you focus more on your training, and it’s especially helpful for those who lack the motivation. For example, if you plan on working out at a specific time, but aren’t really feeling up to it, the fact that your friend is waiting for you will spark that motivation. If you are ever struggling during the workout, your friend may also encourage you to push through. Partnering up with someone can make your workout fun and enjoyable. That 3-mile run can seem like 10 miles when you intensely focus on the finish line.  A little chitchat will pass the time, boost your mood and get you caught up on the latest gossip, all while getting in a great cardio workout. You may even find yourself getting a bit competitive during your run. If your partner is starting to pick up speed, you won’t want to lag behind.  Challenge each other by changing up the pace once and maybe even reward the winner with a favorite meal or snack. One of you may just score a free juice or smoothie after the workout! Other benefits of working out with someone are that they can help you correct technique issues and recommend new exercises or variations from original ones. When you are getting in shape on your own, it’s difficult to tell if there are any flaws in your technique, especially if you aren’t in front of a mirror. Having someone around to give you some guidance can help you improve your form so you can start seeing better results.  Changing your workout routine can also help you see better results, as you will continually be challenging your body. Start adding new exercises to your routine. Your workout buddy may be able to introduce you to new exercises that will get you both seeing results. 5 Buddy Approved Exercises Grab a partner and try these exercises. Be safe and be sure to have your gym staff or trainer first show you how to do the exercises  properly. 1. Medicine Ball Slam: Face your partner with your feet shoulder width apart. Your partner should be standing the same way.  Grab the medicine ball and reach as far back as you can, then slam the ball to the floor towards your partner. Your partner will catch the ball after one bounce, and then reach the ball over their head and slam it on the floor toward you. 2. Stability Ball Twists: Stand back to back with your partner. Hold the stability ball and extend your arms in front of you. Turn your torso to one side, as your partner turns to the opposite side so they can grab the ball. Your partner will repeat this, passing the ball back to you. Keep repeating. This is a great core workout for both you and your partner. 3. Boxing: Put on a pair of boxing gloves and have your...

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Q&A with Fitness Trainer Eraldo Maglara, NSCA-CPT

Have a fitness-related question? Fitness Trainer Eraldo Maglara, NSCA-CPT will be answering questions about fitness and exercise on Thursday, April 25th at 3:30PM during a live Q&A session on the Fitness Training by Eraldo Facebook page and Twitter page. To join the party on Twitter, follow Eraldo Maglara at @EraldoMaglara. Include the party hashtag in your tweet to join the discussion – #AskEraldo. Ask a question and Eraldo will reply back to you with an answer. If you are not on Twitter, he wil be answering questions on Facebook, too. Just leave a comment on the discussion post and Eraldo will answer you ASAP! Sample Questions: How do I get in shape quickly for summer? What home workout equipment is the best and most affordable? What are the best ways to warm up before a workout and cool down...

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Get A Great Workout in Less Time

As hard as it may be to believe, spending too much time at the gym is not the answer to a better you. Training is about quality, not quantity. You can actually achieve your goals faster and more efficiently in less time. Generally speaking, the length of a workout session for the average person (not including your warm up or stretching) should vary somewhere between 30 to 40 minutes. Research has found that testosterone and the growth hormone, the hormones responsible for building muscle and burning fat, continue to rise until about the 30-45 minutes mark. After that, cortisol, which is released in response to stress, begins to suppress the immune system, decrease bone formation and aid in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. In other words, it becomes counter productive. Make the most of your training time by focusing on your objectives. Exercise with more intensity, proper technique and progress accordingly. Even professional athletes follow these principles! This is your health we’re talking about, so make every second...

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Stepping on the Scale : How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?

As a certified personal trainer, I am always asked many different questions pertaining to fitness and health. One question I am frequently asked is, “Should I weigh myself on the scale every morning?” My answer is no, because you will only be disappointed the majority of the times you step on the scale. As we continue with our new year resolutions, it is important to keep in mind that even small changes happen over time. Because we usually have high expectations for the results, we tend to get discouraged when we see very little progress at first. By doing this, we’re only bringing down our self esteem. My recommendation would be to put the scale away at least for a month. If you follow a sensible diet and exercise regularly you should see a noticeable change in about a month. By simply eliminating 500 calories a day for 7 days your total fat loss for the week is 1 lb, which is 3,500 calories. Try not to fixate on figuring out how much weight you are loosing every day.  You will be more satisfied with your results if you weigh yourself once a month, rather than every...

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