Sharon Gould Northbrook Illinois

People start working out for a variety of different reasons. For people seeking professional help with their fitness routine, it's important to find a trainer who respects those reasons and will help a client reach his or her goals. Not all trainers are created equal. There are trainers who focus on bodybuilding and trainers who focus on a specific sport, like running. Some have an extensive dance background. It's important to find a trainer whose experience gels with the client's goals . Someone with insight and experience in the sport a client wants to master is likely to be a good fit. Someone with an unrelated specialty may be difficult to build rapport or explain goals to. Some trainers work exclusively through a gym, while others are willing and able to make home visits. Depending on the clients' schedule, flexibility and a willingness to travel may be important qualities to look for in a trainer. Someone just starting out in a career may be able to meet ...

Triathletes use just about every muscle head to toe, but certain muscles and movements can super-charge performance and prevent injury. Functional training for triathletes focuses on spot strengthening these critical muscles. Successful Ironman athletes like Mark Allen and even Team USA attribute improvement to mixing in weight lifting with their cycling, running and swimming workouts. The trick? Make sure your weight lifting is done in service of your tri goals. The way to do that is to focus on functional training. Strength training should be done one 1-2 non-consecutive days with at least 1 day of rest in between for the muscles to recover. Aim for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise. The weight should be heavy enough that for the final few reps you struggle to maintain proper form. If you can't hit 8 reps with proper form then go down in weight. Also, it should be noted that unlike distance swimming, running or biking, strength-training is not an endurance activi...

One of the best parts of functional fitness is that you don’t need a lot of equipment! Many of the exercises, such as squats and pushups, you can do without anything extra. Sometimes, however, you want to vary your routine a little bit. If you’re looking to incorporate some new equipment, the following pieces will be a great place to start.  Medicine Balls Medicine balls come in a great variety of weights and sizes, so there are plenty of options to choose from depending on your specific goals. For example, you can  use medicine balls for reaction drills . You can also use them in activities such as lunges or curls to take those seemingly simple exercises to the next level.  Platforms or Risers Steps are inexpensive, which is one of their many benefits. Through the height difference, they provide your exercises with increased intensity. Stepping up and onto something will work different muscles than just walking or jumping up and down. Vary up your routines so ...

As people age, they lose the ability to perform at the same level of activity they could in their youth. They also become invested in other things such as their career or raising a family and a focus on physical fitness can sometimes fall by the wayside. The truth is, however, that staying active is important at any age and is a critical component of good health. Staying active as you age, however, can be a challenge for many as their stamina and endurance fade and energy levels decline. Here are three keys to functional fitness and how to create an age-proof workout. Do What You Enjoy There is a great deal of discussion over what the “best” type of workout is. The fitness world can be obsessed with what kind of workout burns the most calories or gets your heart pumping the fastest. The truth is, however, that all activity is beneficial in some way. The key is to focus on doing what you enjoy, which will generally provide motivation in and of itself. If you don’t like going to...

Millennials have brought fitness classes to another level. The generation that brought about such group exercise schemes as CrossFit, Orangetheory, and Hot Yoga have formulated a new kind of community:  the fitness community . The millennial generation has made  fitness more accessible . Companies such as ClassPass make going to the gym and trying new activities fun and easy. More and more millennials are moving into cities, and many millennials realize that trying fitness classes is a great way to explore their new home. Today, working out is fun. You don’t just spend time running alone on a treadmill. Instead, you can try a variety of classes and activities stress-free. You’re also more likely to meet new friends who will encourage you to stick with it. Fitness classes are a great way to build community and meet new people. Think about it. If you’re attending a class or session on a regular basis, you will likely get to know the people you see multiple times a wee...

Being physically fit doesn’t mean having the ability to run marathons or climb a mountain. It can simply mean being able to walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath or having strong enough muscles to protect your skeletal system from injury. The reality is, the more generally physically fit you are, the healthier you are. The healthier you are, the less prone you will be to illness or injury. Here are three great functional exercises that will help improve your everyday life. Housecleaning It turns out, you don’t have to go to the gym to get a good workout and you can actually accomplish something useful while you are getting fit. For instance, sweeping floors burns 156 calories per hour, vacuuming burns 170 calories per hour and if you have to carry your groceries up any stairs, it burns a whopping 440 calories per hour! While you may not engage in any of these tasks for a full hour, a  few hours of housecleaning  really adds up. Extra Walking Walki...

Functional fitness doesn’t just help you physically. Exercising will also benefit your mental health! Functional fitness will help reduce stress, boost your mood, and much more. The following highlights just a few of the benefits. Why not start a functional fitness routine today? Reduces Stress Exercise helps reduce both physical and mental stress. Working out releases chemicals that help your brain moderate your levels of stress. Functional fitness exercises require you to put your body through routine physical stress. Through this, your body learns to adapt to physical stress. This adaptability and flexibility also carries over to how you handle mental stress. Mood Boost Functional fitness exercises also help make you happier. Exercise releases endorphins, chemicals that make you feel happy. When endorphins are released naturally through exercise, you’ll be  less at risk for depression  and more likely to have feelings of euphoria post workout. Opting to exercis...