Archive for the ‘Sport’ Category

A New Year, a New You, a New Way

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Reflecting over the past year of diet fads and thinking about the New Year’s resolution season here and almost past, I think that it would be nice to address some of these fads. Here at GH Personal Training we like to remind our clients to focus on something to improve that’s achievable. Talk to your personal trainer about what you have in mind. Your personal trainer will be able to find and develop a program for you to reach that goal. Now should be the time to start your resolution, all holiday stress should be out of the way, holiday bills almost paid, family back on schedule and holiday snacks out of the house!

Being a personal trainer in Chicago and only have swimsuit season for a few months we want to deter those seeking that sleek body this swim SEASON, but encourage those trying for the YEAR!  If you want to improve your body you should start by improving your health first, the body will follow, by making simple healthier decisions. You have a choice with each decision you make, life is about choices. Your personal trainer will to direct your attention the right way. If you chose to make a commitment this New Year’s to better your health, make sure you are making the little choices that will lead you to the goal. Let’s try a new way with the resolution this year.

Make sure you eat your healthy filling breakfast, oatmeal with fruit or egg whites with veggies, instead of grabbing that donut! You will reap the benefits of that choice all day! You will crave more nutrient dense food throughout the rest of the day; you wouldn’t want to ruin the progress you started out with. You’ll choose that apple and unsalted nuts you brought to work instead of the candy in the machine, and you’ll feel amazing after having that healthy snack instead of the crash from the high sugar content of the candy. As a personal trainer in Chicago, these winter weather months really try to entice you into more starchy carbs, and comfort foods, but instead stick with your nutrition plan and when the workout comes along you can focus on building muscle to do the work instead of working off those extra carbs to maintain your physique.

Some fads insist on all liquids or all grapefruit as a way to diet, this is great if you want to lose two pounds this week and gain 10 next week and starve and be irritable! A better decision is to increase water intake and increase the amount of meals and decrease the portion size. This not only helps you make healthier choices but boosts your metabolism. If you are regularly feeding your body in small nutrient dense meals, small salad packed with vegetables, your body will love that it is getting fed more often and will not store the food as it would if you skipped a meal. Skipping a meal is much more harmful than you can imagine.

Some people may eat a less healthy meal and then decide to compensate by skipping the next. Your body will create starvation hormones which will hold that meal, instead of taking the nutrients and letting it pass. By eating small healthy meals 5-6 times per day will help the body take what it needs and let the rest pass, not holding on to more than necessary. When making this decision to better your health and eating smaller healthier meals more often you will notice that your body will truly enjoy the good you are providing. And will start to shift, and this change will become easier and easier.

Exercise is a great compliment to changing your diet. By eating healthy and exercising your body’s metabolism will increase in great amounts. Building muscle will increase the amount of calories burned at rest and you will doubly benefit, fueling your body with great nutrients and healthy calories as opposed to empty calories, those you get with out any gain in nutrients.

This year you if you are thinking of changing something you should choose something with long term benefits and let it change your lifestyle. It may be an absolute shift in your life or just a small change. But remember that you have a choice each time you walk past the cookie jar. Put the bowl of grapes, or fruit bowl right next to it, it will be harder to reach for that cookie! This will make your personal trainer proud and shift their focus from your nutrition plan to increasing your muscle size.

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Posted in Fitness, Goal Setting, Nutrition, Sport, Strength Training | 1 Comment »

What’s the interest rate with your body?

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Is putting an extra $20 into your savings every week going to make a big difference?  Just doing this small thing equates to an extra $1,040!

Changing little things everyday can add up to a large change over the course of the year… tiny tweaks made to your form make a huge difference. As a Personal Trainer, I always remind my clients that what may seem like minor changes to their form can make a huge difference over the course of the year! This could mean that you lose an extra few ten pounds, take off or put on and extra inch, or get that promotion at work just because of the extra edge!!!

Exercising efficiently can be done by isolating the muscle effectively. Turn off the muscles you are not trying to work. If you are let’s say on the bench press, you have to make sure you have your shoulders down and back to really decrease use of the shoulders and help focus on the pectorals. By making this somewhat small change to the exercise, you work your pectorals up to 40% more! When you use correct form, you only need to work that group once a week because you are working it almost 100%

Increasing the intensity of your cardio work each week, or getting outside of the comfort zone and pushing yourself could increase your confidence and self-esteem. Depending on your level, could it could also inspire you to take a 5k challenge head on!

One small nutritional change, changing from vegetable oil to canola or olive oil could mean lower cholesterol, or a few inches off your waist! Reducing your alcohol intake by one glass/pint per week, could also make a huge difference.

Think about your goals and things that you can change daily, WRITE THEM ALL DOWN, and post them on your fridge or mirror, or even inside your planner. Seeing these goals will remind you of why you do what you do every day and inspire you to think of more goals and stay on track.

Think of the small achievements as the $20, what do you think you save/lose/gain over the year?

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The Importance of Strength Training

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Did you know that the more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolic rate is at rest? With strength training it is possible to increase your metabolic rate by 15%. That means you will burn more calories while sleeping!

According to the CDC and Tufts University, exercises have been shown to increase the strength of your muscles, maintain the integrity of your bones, and improve your balance, coordination, and mobility. In addition, strength training can help reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic diseases, including arthritis. Here are some interesting facts to get you motivated today:

- Did you know that with reduction in muscle from lack of use, bone reduces too? Strength training can and will help maintain or improve your bone density.

- Did you know that muscle is more dense than fat? 5 pounds of fat is more than 3 times the size of 5 pounds of muscle. You may weigh the same, but you will definitely lose inches, fitting into your skinny jeans!

-Did you know that exercise can help improve your mood and self esteem? During exercise endorphins are released. Endorphins are chemicals, released during exercise that act as a natural pain killer and give a sense of euphoria. This not only helps your mood but makes you feel better about your self.

-Did you know that exerting energy can actually bring you more energy? Through exercise you can increase your stamina, reducing fatigue.

-Did you know that putting physical stress on your body can help you get a more restful sleep? Exercising reduces insomnia, and restlessness.

-Did you know that back pain can be reduced or diminished without pain medication? Working out and strengthening your back muscles through proper technique can build the muscle and reduce the pain caused by stress placed on the muscle.

-Did you know that by working your muscles you can work your heart muscle? It is very important to work your heart, this will make it stronger. Strength training will reduce your risk of heart disease.

-Did you know that exercise can reduce the signs of aging? Weight gain and muscle loss are great signs of aging. Strength training will increase muscle and help you’ll lose weight. The typical adult loses one-half pound of muscle per year after 20, that’s 5 pounds by the age 30! 20 pounds by age 60! When you lose muscle, fat often takes its place in the skin, 20 pounds of fat could result in a gain of 6-8 sizes! Yikes!

The best way to start a strength training program, is to identify achievable short term and long term goals, consult with your doctor, celebrate achievements but not with food! Take a vacation, go for a hike!
Starting a fitness program may be the best gift you can give yourself. It will help in the long run, as well as, in your daily routine.

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Take a bite out of one of the countless GH success stories

Friday, June 26th, 2009

GH Personal Training has e been long-term partners with Chicago Social Magazine and have had some of their key leadership as clients over the years. We are proud of Chicago Social’s  selection of GH and Greg Hahaj as part of the Chicago Social Make-over Maven Dream Team.

We continue to advertise alongside the best brands in Chicago – focusing our advertisements not on flash, ego, or beauty – but on the School for Healthy Living and what it means for our clients.

Our September advertisement tells the story of Corey Kaplan – the owner of the New York Bagel Deli in Chicago and a loyal client of GH’s. Corey came to GH, he was struggling with his weight and his health. He was taking medication for diabetes and high blood pressure while constantly battling low energy levels. At GH, we educated Corey on what to eat and how to exercise. We developed a customized nutrition plan to help Corey to make sustainable changes to his diet without going on a diet. The result? With Corey following the nutrition plan and training via GH’s long-proven, one-on-one  sessions with his trainer, Corey has shed over 65 pounds while increasing his energy levels, metabolism, and overall happiness. Now, Corey no longer needs to take medication for his diabetes and high blood pressure.

After running this advertisement, we got grateful calls and inquiries from people with diabetes looking for a way out! People are so appreciative that THERE can be an answer to taking control of your own health and improving it – but it’s not an easy fix.  Not a pill to pop.  Not a supplement to take.  Rather, it’s a process of educating yourself, changing behaviors and creating lasting change.

So many people want to take control of their health but they don’t know where to start.  We love helping them start and SUCCEED.  Just like Corey.  Oh yeah, and his brother.

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GH is excited to welcome Kim Cavill to our incredible team

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

After an extensive interview process involving more than 50 candidates, GH is proud to have selected Kim Cavill as part of the GH Personal Training Bucktown team.

Kim stood out from the other candidates because of her incredible professionalism, ambition to improve her clients lives, track record of helping clients, and her incredible knowledge of the assessment process that she developed during her years as a self-employed trainer.   She studied personal training and began her career  in Australia where personal training requires multiple years of study – more medicalized than the US version of personal training certificates.

Kim was a teacher and personal trainer in Australia as a community educator with a focus in health education.  She was also an educator here in the US helping low income students on Chicago’s southside with their GED preparation.

Kim started with GH on July 1st and has quickly established herself as a source of motivation and education for her clients. In addition, Kim will work with the GH team to examine our own internal assessment process and brainstorm ways to improve – as we are always revisiting what we do and staying at the cutting edge of Health and Wellness.

Welcome, Kim!

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