Let’s face it, life is busy for all of us. Between work, family and social commitments, it is a wonder we have time to work
out at all! Getting in that daily workout often takes a back seat to the rest of our ‘to do’ list. In fact, you might even put
on workout clothes fully intending to go to the club, only to end up checking email, making phone calls and running
errands that eat up your workout time. While we know all the reasons that working out is the best thing we can do to
keep ourselves healthy, energized and stress free, we struggle to make it a priority – unless we have someone else to
help us be accountable.
Studies show that having a workout partner or trainer to whom you are accountable improves adherence to your exercise program. When you know you should work out but just don’t feel like it, remembering that you have a workout partner or trainer waiting for you at the club or for your daily run will virtually guarantee that you show up. Enlist a friend or co-worker to join you at Greenwood or for a Saturday class and watch how many extra workout days you fit in each month. Extra workouts mean better results and better results usually mean a happier you! Working out with a friend or family member helps you catch up on the social side of life at the same time. What better way to multi-task your way to addressing two major priorities in your life – friends and exercise.
So choose an accountability partner. Ask a friend, hire a trainer or better yet, get a friend to join a small group class or program with you and discover that two (or more) really is better than one, especially when it comes to exercise.

Sheri Warren, Member Coach
sheri@GreenwoodATC.com

As long as humans have existed on this planet, they have needed to do just a few things to survive: eat, sleep and protect themselves from harm. In today’s society we have lost some of the primal needs of our ancestors, yet we have gained other needs – the need to be active, reduce stress and live a healthy lifestyle. For more than 2,000 years martial arts training has addressed these primal needs. One of the earliest forms of martial arts, Shaolin Kung Fu, was created as exercise and self-defense regime for Shaolin monks to practice between their daily meditations. The ancient Greeks practiced Pancrase as a form of exercise and preparation for warfare. Tai Chi is actually not only an exercise method but very effective martial art that has been practiced in China for over a thousand years.

Martial arts training has a myriad of different benefits:

• Cardiovascular training
• Flexibility training
• Balance training
• Hand to eye and foot to eye coordination training

Being a martial arts practitioner for over 15 years, I can personally attest to the benefits this form of training provides. I have trained in over 10 different styles of martial arts and each one has given me a different training benefit. In training in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Tae Kwon Do, I have received a great amount of flexibility and improved range of motion. While training and fighting in Muay Thai kickboxing and boxing, I have received huge gains in cardiovascular training.

Martial arts training also has an added benefit compared to traditional exercise formats; it is a lot of fun! Most classes bring a social aspect to the training that makes it a fun environment to not only get in shape but to enhance each other’s skills. Martial art classes also break the monotony of a traditional workout routine.

Greenwood’s martial arts program consists of classes in Tae Kwon Do, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts.

Vic Spatola, Director of Personal Training

If you have not heard of vibration training, let me educate you. Vibration training has been around for the last 50 years. Cosmonauts were using this form of training in the 1960s to cope with the negative effects of microgravity while in space. The Russian cosmonauts who used this form of training were able to spend three times as long in space with less severe side effects than those who did not use it. The side effects were primarily bone density loss and atrophy of muscles.

Since that time, vibration training has been thoroughly studied by researchers and universities. There have been over 180 clinical studies done on vibration training. Of those, 40 have been done specifically on the Power Plate models that Greenwood uses. The studies have shown significant increase or improved conditions in the following areas:

• Improved muscular strength
• Improved flexibility and power
• Increased bone density
• Improved circulation and recovery

Some people, even physicians, have concerns about vibration training and replacement joints. They believe that the vibration may harm the new joint or the existing insertion of the new joint. To dispel that notion, here is the conclusion from a study about TKA (total knee arthroplasty/replacement) and vibration training as an alternative to traditional strength training as a rehabilitative therapy.

CONCLUSION

Whole-body vibration strength training as a treatment in TKA rehabilitation showed equal strength and mobility improvement compared to traditional TKA strength training. Benefits proposed with WBV are that the unweighted exercises may reduce stresses on older individuals, while exhibiting equal strength gains to weighted progressive resistive exercises. Individuals have reported liking WBV, which may increase adherence to rehabilitation protocols. The influence of WBV on muscle activation levels remains unclear, because baseline values of the current study were near established normal knee extensor muscle activation levels. Functional mobility and ROM also improved in those individuals with TKA using WBV. Whole-body vibration needs further investigation to understand its influence on muscle strength and function in the treatment of other neurologic and orthopedic impairments.
- Summary of a study published in the German Magazine for Sportsmedicine – “Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin”, Vol. 56, No. 7/8 (special abstract issue), p. 228.

As a trainer, I can give my subjective and professional view on this tool and what I have seen with my clients; it works! Ask me if you would like more information or would like to sign up to become a member of the vibration training program.

Vic Spatola, Director of Personal Training
vics@GreenwoodATC.com

“People often use travel as a legitimate excuse for straying from their normal routine. However, for those who are committed, staying on track is definitely manageable,” shares Ali Van Heusen, a Colorado-based certified sports nutrition specialist. While it’s OK to splurge and have a few splurge meals, travelers should make a conscious effort to stick with their regular eating habits. It’s also important to pay careful attention to portion size at restaurants as they frequently serve portions well beyond the recommended amount. Finally, if you fall off the bandwagon, don’t stress about it. Just recommit to your goals and keep going!

-Max Sports And Fitness magazine

What does it mean to you to be fit? For some, fitness relates to being thin and lean. For others it means being strong and fast and for many, it means having the physical ability to run a marathon or hike a Colorado fourteener. Still, fitness includes other components like flexibility, stress management and blood chemistry levels to help insure a long, healthy, active life. Regardless of what being fit means to you, the truth of the matter is that your body needs a little of everything: healthy blood chemistry, healthy blood pressure, muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, stability, mobility, and stress management. Sound overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be! At Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club, becoming fit can be as simple as taking advantage of the variety of programs, classes and offerings available every day. I often meet with members to discuss the best plan of attack to help them reach their individual goals. Want to improve your strength or muscle tone? Try Power Hour, Body Pump or TRX. Need better stability, mobility, flexibility and stress management? Try yoga, willPower & Grace™, or Pilates. Want to improve your cardiovascular conditioning? Try Spinning™, CVI, PowerFit or swim some laps. At Greenwood, becoming fit is as easy as showing up! Make it your goal to try something in a new area of fitness this year. For instance, if you are always in weight room, try yoga or Pilates. Always taking yoga? Try Spinning™. Always on the bike or treadmill? Venture into the weight room or hire a personal trainer and watch your hill climbs improve. Can’t lose that last 10 pounds? Set up a meeting with our Registered Dietitian, Kristin Burgess, and get a clearer picture of how nutrition is impacting your desired results. The bottom line is – this can be the year you really get fit! Add variety to your fitness plan and I guarantee you will see positive changes in how you look, feel and move in 2013.

Sheri Warren, GATC Member Coach

Many of us find it difficult to maintain our regular workout schedule during the busy holiday season. So now that it’s the second week of January, hopefully you have gotten back into your old workout routine, or perhaps are starting a new workout routine.

Psychologists tell us that the initial 8 weeks of beginning any new “habit” are the most crucial, because once we have gotten through that period and have made an activity part of our daily life, we are much more likely to stick with it. Phil Campbell, author of Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness for Time-Crunched Adults, talks about the stages we all go through during the first 8 weeks of a new fitness program.

The four phases of learning something new are Form, Storm, Norm and Perform.

Form. The Form phase is marked with the excitement of beginning a new program. During the first week of your new fitness plan, sticking with the plan should be easy. You may even feel you can handle more training than you are doing. Don’t do this. Not only does it risk injury, it risks your motivation and continuation of the fitness program over time.

Storm. The Storm phase follows a week later. When we learn the program is hard work (on some days) and we just don’t want to train – this is the Storm phase. It happens to everyone. In the Storm phase, we begin to create excuses (conscious and subconscious) for missing workouts. This is, by far, the toughest phase.

How should you get through the Storm phase? Mentally prepare ahead of time. The key to overcoming it is to make the commitment now and press through the bad weather of the Storm phase. And this will happen. Plan on it! Just don’t let this natural human emotion deter you from reaching your fitness goal.

Consistency is a must during the initial eight weeks of your fitness program. Following your plan will improve your appearance and produce fitness gains rapidly. The positive results will increase satisfaction and motivation to continue.

Norm. The Norm phase is adapting to your fitness training commitment by learning that you can press though the tough days when you do not feel like training and still get in a great workout. Every successful, long-term training individual knows that feeling bad at the beginning of a workout often means this will be the best workout of the week.

Perform. The Perform phase occurs when you have experienced the first three phases and begin to train consistently. It is when fitness training becomes internalized.

Repetition eventually becomes habit. Training can’t be a choice. Fitness training is something you do because you are you! Training must become a part of who you are. This is the Perform phase.

During the first eight weeks, you will not only be making positive physical changes, but you will also be having positive mental changes as well. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you will bypass the first three phases and go straight to the Perform phase. This is a mistake. When this happens, the Storm phase seems forcefully to pop up and pull the person back into this phase for a few body slams before letting go.

A better strategy is simply to be mentally prepared for all four phases in advance. Identify the phase you are experiencing and with maturity and confidence work through the mental aspects of training by sticking to the plan on the tough days. When you reach the Perform phase maintaining the fitness plan is much easier, but you can’t get there until the first eight weeks are completed!

Phil Campbell, Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness for Time-Crunched Adults

As a group exercise instructor and personal trainer, I am often asked by participants and clients if they should invest in a heart rate monitor. My answer is always “YES!” Heart rate zone training is an easy and effective way to monitor workout intensity and get the most out of every workout.

Purchasing a heart rate monitor is the first step. Next, you need to figure out your personalized training zones. One of the most accurate methods is through a metabolic assessment. GATC offers two types of metabolic assessments, resting metabolic rate (RMR) and exercise metabolic rate (EMR). It is important to know your RMR so you can accurately regulate the amount of calories you need each day to reach your weight loss or fitness goals. The Exercise Metabolic Rate assessment determines the amount of calories and ratio of fat/carbohydrate your body burns as fuel, and the associated heart rates, while exercising at different intensities. The EMR will determine your aerobic base heart rate, which is the highest intensity at which your body still uses fat as its dominant fuel, and find your highest sustainable intensity threshold and its accompanying heart rate. The EMR will take this information and determine very accurate training zones to help you reach your goals.

Here are the characteristics and benefits of each zone:

Zone 1 is used for warm up, cool down, recovery between intervals, low intensity recovery workouts or long workouts that focus on training the body to use fat as its primary fuel. While training in zone one the body uses a very high percentage of fat as its fuel, but since the intensity is so low the total amount of calories is small. Competitive athletes or individuals who exercise most days may find this zone ideal for recovery. There is enough intensity for small gains, but not so much intensity that it further breaks down the body.

Zone 2 trains the body to burn fat efficiently and improves overall endurance. This zone produces the largest benefit for body composition improvement because the work intensity, fat utilization percentage and total calorie burn are all fairly high and can be sustained for long periods of time. Endurance athletes will spend nearly 80% of their training time in this zone because of its ability to build and maintain aerobic endurance.

Zone 3 (Race Pace) is where the body begins to transition to anaerobic metabolism and burns a combination of carbohydrates and fat to fuel exercise. Training in this zone will develop the ability to tolerate the low levels of lactic acid, the by-product of the carbohydrates used as fuel. Many fitness professionals do not recommend spending much time in zone three because it does not train the body to burn fat efficiently nor is it intense enough to increase threshold, but it is important to spend some time training in this zone as practice for an event. Most events of approximately 60 minutes or less will be raced in zone three.

Zone 4 is above anaerobic threshold, where lactic acid and other waste products accumulate due to the high intensity that requires the body to use carbohydrates as its primary fuel. As these waste products overwhelm the body, you will feel an increase in “the burn” as well as a feeling of breathlessness and a spike in the heart rate. If this intensity or work is maintained, the body will reach a point of failure and rest/recovery will be required. Training in zone four teaches the body to tolerate and remove excess lactic acid. Many fitness professionals believe that training in zone four is the most effective way to increase overall fitness.

Zone 5 is used to increase power and speed. It is often associated with maximum effort sprints. The heart rate is not the best indicator of intensity in this zone because it takes time for the heart rate to “ramp up.” Since these sprints are so short and intense, you will probably reach muscle failure before your heart rate reaches zone five. We recommend the use of perceived exertion when doing sprints of one minute or less. Zone five training is effective in increasing fitness levels but, due to its high intensity, should be used sparingly (two times per week) to avoid injury.

If you have a limited amount of time for cardiovascular training, interval training is recommended, alternating between high intensity (zone four or five) bouts followed by low intensity (zone one or two) recovery periods.

Heart rate zone training can be an effective way for you to meet all your fitness and/or weight loss goals. By knowing where you burn fat most efficiently, your base training heart rate and your maximum sustainable heart rate, or threshold, you can take the guess work out of your training.

Dennis Mellon, GATC Personal Trainer

Ask anyone who has ever discussed running with me and they’ll tell you the first two things I talk about are consistency and patience. Developing running efficiency takes time and requires consistent effort. It is important to start off right and cultivate the correct habits to establish consistency and stay patient. Here are just a few ideas on how to get your running started:

Run/Walk: Many people literally run themselves out of running before they even really start. They bite off more than they can chew and end up with injuries. As a beginner, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a run/walk regime. For example, run one minute, walk one minute and repeat. The duration of your running and walking intervals will vary depending on your fitness level, but the point is to start slow and build up. You have to get your body used to being on your feet and moving for an extended period of time.

Find a Friend: Misery loves company! Running is often more enjoyable if you have a buddy. Chances are you know someone else who runs and if not, you’re in luck. Colorado has many running clubs, including the upcoming
Greenwood Roadrunners Club, where you can meet other runners, find training partners and make new friends.

Combat Boredom: If you can’t find someone to run with or simply would rather be on your own, there are many ways to prevent your running from becoming stale. Personally, I like to keep my mind active while running and will often listen to audiobooks or podcasts to occupy my thoughts. If that’s not for you, try picking up the pace every now and then. Forcing your body to work harder will keep boredom at bay, as you will be focusing on your effort level. Another great idea is to change up your route. A change of scenery can be just what you need to revitalize your running.

These are just a few ideas to get you introduced to running and keep you running for years to come!

Tristan Mitchell, GATC Running Coach
Greenwood Roadrunners Club

The first step is often the hardest one to take. Greenwood member, Maria, completely understands. The pain in her joints had gotten worse over time, limiting exercise and causing weight gain and other health concerns. The thought of changing her habits and losing 30+ pounds was a bit overwhelming. Exercising on her own seemed to cause more pain, but with a family history of diabetes and arthritis, Maria knew she had to lose weight and lower her body fat percentage or live with the alternative; pre-diabetic counseling and increasingly painful joints.

“When I received Sheri’s Member Coach post card in the mail, I figured I no longer had an excuse to procrastinate in regaining my health. Sheri listened to my predicament and shared how specific exercises could help me regain my balance and help the pain in my joints. I had fallen several times in the previous year and felt very limited in what I could do. I felt that she understood and could provide a good plan to get me started. We went through the Group Exercise schedule and highlighted classes based upon my likes and limitations. We also went over other training options the club had to offer, such as private training, semi-private training and group programs.

I knew that I could not accomplish my goals without help and accountability and decided to invest in myself by hiring personal trainer, David Nutting. David built my workouts up at a pace I could handle and incorporated movements to help create stability and balance. The harder I worked, the better I felt. I then signed up for Sheri’s 10 Week Tighten Up program. I not only gained strength and lost inches; I gained friendships with the other ladies in the program. Sheri and David both showed me that with consistency and accountability, exercise can be both fun and effective.

I am now working with David again with a small group of ladies. I am working harder; my body is changing and breathing is less labored every week. I am also enjoying the new friendships. David’s attention and encouragement make me want to continue to push and reach my goals. I have added Deep Water Warrior and Pilates mat classes to my weekly routine, making friendships there as well. I have been watching what and when I eat, saving half of my restaurant meals for later and realizing that a square of dark chocolate is a very satisfying treat or dessert. Once the light came on in my head about certain foods, the weight began to drop. I am down 21 pounds and have lowered my body fat by 9.4%.

Taking that first step in replying to Sheri’s Member Coach post card, and agreeing to take advantage of the many options available to me at Greenwood, were the best things I could have done for myself. I cannot remember the last time I fell or tripped. The pain in my joints is significantly decreased and my ability to move comfortably through each day with confidence and balance is worth all the hard work I have put in. The only downside to feeling better mentally and physically…sore cheeks from smiling!

Sheri Warren, GATC Member Coach

by Aubree Allison, 303.770.2582 x416  :: aubreea@greenwoodatc.com

Lack of motivation and boredom are two common roadblocks to reaching fitness goals. When you find yourself at one of these roadblocks, don’t get discouraged or quit. Like any other problem in life, ask yourself, “What do I need to change?”
In terms of boredom, there are many options to make workouts more entertaining:

1. Create a playlist that will keep you moving. If you’re a cardio fan, find songs that will slow you down on
the verse and pick up your intensity on the chorus. Not only will you benefit from the interval training,
but the music will help you push yourself closer to those fitness goals.

2. Involve your friends. Grabbing a workout partner adds elements of both good company and competition.

3. Try something new. Your body adapts very quickly to the demands you place on it, so after a period of
time, switch things up. Try a new class or a new exercise instead of your typical routine. If you are bored, it’s likely your body is as well. TRX Suspension Classes are great for the beginner of the advanced exerciser too.

4. Challenge yourself. Set a new goal, make the seemingly impossible possible. It is hard work to achieve goals you set for yourself, but with proper progression you can get there! Aim for that first 5K, first pull-up or those extra three repetitions.

You may not be bored; you may simply not have the motivation to work out. Here are a few options to
motivate you to come to the club and work hard:

1. Plan trips/adventures with friends. If you have the slightest competitive gene in your body, you won’t
want to be the person holding up the group on a hike or falling behind in the charity race you
registered for together. Having these types of trips and activities planned will motivate you to stay in
shape and hopefully be the leader of your pack.

2. Mix it up! Keep things interesting by trying new classes or train with one of our challenging and
motivating trainers. Learning new exercises and being educated about your body and fitness can
keep you motivated to not only work out, but to live a generally healthier lifestyle.

3. Reward yourself for success. Take a trip if you lost that extra 20 pounds, buy yourself new workout
attire if you dropped that extra pant size. Whatever your reward may be, make yourself work for it.

4. Sign up for an event. Just as it is discouraging and frustrating to try to sell yourself to a prospective
client or employer if you aren’t prepared, you will feel the same if you pay $180 to do Tough Mudder
and go in cold and unprepared. Sign up and commit!

You are worth EVERY effort you make towards reaching your fitness goals. “Whether you think you can or think
you can’t, you’re right.”-Henry Ford

Visit Greenwood’s Personal Training Program Section to learn about new activities to do.