1. Calorie Counter by FatSecret: not sure how many calories you just ate? How about how many you just burned? It’s easier to work toward your fitness goals if you know your exact caloric balance at the end of each day. The Calorie Counter will also help you determine how many calories you should be shooting for.
2. “The Daily”: this video app serves up a new exercise to try out each day so you don’t have to do the same workout over and over.
3. miCoach: A more built-out workout planner, miCoach allows you to input your fitness goals, then spits out a workout plan that should work well for you. One feature we like especially well? It tracks your shoe usage so you can know when it’s time to buy a new pair!
4. Nike Boom: Designed specifically for sports training, Nike Boom focuses on providing you with exercises to help you become the best you can be in your sport of choice.

Don’t try to go it alone when trying to get fit. For fitness training and sustained motivation, check out your local Riviera gym today.

Recovery is the term applied to the process of growth and regeneration that occurs when you heal from the stress of an exercise session.

During exercise, especially resistance or weight training, you cause microscopic damage to your muscles. This why you’re sore the next day and sometimes even the day after that.

Sleep, nutrition, age, gender, and daily lifestyle are all factors that will contribute to your ability to recover and the more balanced these factors are, the faster you recover. If you are maximizing the balance and are still looking for an easy way to improve your recovery ability, get a massage.

Massage is the manual manipulation of the soft tissues of the body done to correct structural imbalance, increase circulation, prevent or heal injured tissue, and generally increase your sense of “well-being”.

The healing that occurs between training sessions is an inflammatory process. Similar to what happens with non-exercise related injury, your body sends fluids to the injured area to help it heal. Massage can break apart these restrictions, increasing mobility and thus prevent or reduce the risk of joint injury.

Waste products are produced during exercise; your body uses oxygen to do work and produces lactic acid and carbon dioxide as bi-products. These waste substances need to get out of your tissues and excreted away from the body to keep you from getting sick.

Massage mimics the circulation that happens naturally via movement, and the pumping action of the heart, helping get rid of toxins. Freshly oxygenated blood travels to the soft tissue with less effort, speeding up the healing process.

Remember that exercise is only part of the picture when it comes to staying healthy and fit. What happens in between each workout is equally important to your ability to stay active and fit. Give proper attention to your body and recover faster by getting massaged regularly and start seeing results now!

Your body is a machine. You need fuel (sugar and fat) to keep you moving. Sugar (carbohydrates) is the body’s primary and immediate source of energy while fat is your body’s secondary and long term source of energy.

Getting lean requires TWO things…

1. Prevent fat from accumulating on the body. • Limit dietary fat intake to 20% or less – Read food labels to make sure that the fat calories in a serving size is less than 20% of the total calories.

• Cut out saturated fats (solid at room temperature) such as butter.

• Eat lean proteins like white meat poultry, fish, shellfish, and fat free dairy.

• Eat every 3-3.5 hours and be consistent – This will keep blood sugar stable. Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar levels. If your blood sugar goes up too fast, large quantities of insulin are dumped into the bloodstream and can promote fat storage while shutting off the hormones that release fat to burn.

• Limit or eliminate simple sugars (table sugar, fruit juices, extremely sweet fruit or dried fruit, candy)

• Eat unprocessed carbohydrates that are high in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber slows down digestion and this helps to stabilize blood sugar.

2. Tap into already existing fat (energy) that is stored on your body.

• Work out to reduce your stored sugar – When you work out, you reduce the sugar (glycogen) that is stored in your muscles. In a depleted state your body is more likely to burn stored fat as energy.

• Build more muscle – Muscle is the “furnace” where fat is burned. More muscle means greater potential to burn fat calories.

• Change the structure of your meals – Change the ratio of carbs and protein in a diet will stimulate your body to burn more fat throughout the day.

Get ready for the SUMMER and look and feel great while doing it. Follow these simple rules and see the fat melt off!

To achieve success in fitness you have to create a balance between your diet, resistance training, and cardiovascular exercise.

We are all different and unique.

A cookie-cutter workout isn’t efficient or thorough enough if you are looking to get the best results from a fitness program/lifestyle. You have to fit the program to the way you live your life in order to get the best results possible.

The 3 dynamics of fitness

Resistance Training (a.k.a. weight training) helps keep and maintain muscle mass. Fat that we want to get rid of has to free itself from where it is stored, and then be transported to the muscle, where it actually is burned. Aging causes us to lose muscle mass so we need to challenge the body to keep our muscles from degenerating. A challenging training routine, combined with periods of recovery, allows the body to grow and maintain that muscle mass, while also promoting fat burning energy usage.

Supportive Nutrition is more than eating healthy food. When adding exercise to your lifestyle, your physiology (how your body functions) changes and your food intake must support these changes. Typically the best diets promote eating 5-6 times each day, every 3-3.5 hours. They limit simple and processed carbs, and ensure that you get adequate and quality forms of protein and nutrients.

Cardiovascular Exercises are the activities that you do to strengthen your heart and lungs to improve their ability to deliver oxygenated blood to your body while removing waste materials from your system. We need oxygen to burn fuel (what we eat) which provides nourishment to our body’s organs and tissues providing the nutrients that they need to function properly.

Keep in mind that even though you may be doing all three parts of a complete exercise program, you may not be balancing them according to your individual needs. If you sense that you are doing things correctly but are not getting the results that you want, you have a choice. You can educate yourself and develop the personal sensitivity that you need to find your balance, or you can ask one of our Fitness Directors.

We help our members every day and are happy to show you what you need to know to develop awareness, identify resources, create a game plan, and begin the actions that you need to balance your routine.

Create balance in your exercise routine and lifestyle, get your mind right, and make sure that you are on the path to feeling and looking the best you can be!

Jonathan Kaufman

Kettlebells are a great alternative to other types of free weights or machines.

What is a kettlebell?

A kettlebell is basically an iron ball with a handle. They can vary in size or weight. Kettlebells are unique in the fact that they can be swung around creating resistance to your muscles in a controlled fluid movement.

Why use kettlebells?

1. They allow for training that mimics actual human movement patterns. This means that you can train for activities that take place throughout your day such as; lifting groceries, carrying items to the car, playing with your children, etc.
2. Works many muscle groups in unison. Typically free weights and machines move in a single plane of motion. This eliminates the use of stabilizer muscles so you don’t get to work as many muscles as you would if you use kettlebells.
3. Working more muscle means a faster workout. Since you are moving so much muscle at once, you get more done in a shorter period of time.
4. Postural muscles are also used. In addition to stabilizing your body because you are moving in different planes of motion, you are typically doing kettlebell work while standing. This engages the muscles that assist or account for you being upright on two legs. Training this way will keep you moving correctly as you get older.

How to get started.

1. Get the appropriately weighted kettlebell for you. Typically a woman with average strength can start with a 10-15 lb. kettlebell while a man with average strength will use 25-35 lbs.
2. Wear proper footwear. Since balance and movement are key to kettlebell use, you want to wear shoes that are flat on the bottom. This helps you to be more stable during training.
3. Safety first. Train outdoors if possible. You are moving the kettlebell and need to make sure that there are no objects around you that you may connect with. a 10 x 10 foot space is a good amount of room to begin. If the kettlebell falls or slips from your grip, let it drop and move out of the way. This is also a good reason to work outside so that you don’t damage your flooring.
4. Learn the two handed swing. This is the basic primary movement of kettlebell training and must be learned first to develop the sense of movement and strength that all of the other movements are based on.

Finally, have fun with it and enjoy what you’re doing. Get your mind right!

This is a great article about one of our Riviera Fitness members Tamaria Brown. A double amputee, Tamaria is an inspiration to us all. A New Orleans native, Tamaria had to relocate after Katrina to Alabama and has since joined our health club. We are so proud of her and would encourage all to read and share her amazing story…

http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2012/04/double_amputee_doesnt_let_anyt.html

Television and the media are everywhere; from the cars we drive to the treadmills in our health clubs. We use this convenience to keep up with the world around us and to stay entertained while we sweat it out as we exercise.  Multitasking has become a necessary skill.  During our busiest days we may experience the chaos of life, it’s at these moments that you should slow down and take a moment to “center yourself”.

When times get chaotic, everyone has the ability to become calm, focused, and regain order.  As a kid we watched cartoons where the character turned beet red in frustration, a thermometer would fill with mercury and pop, then steam came out of their ears. Eventually this character would count to ten and became calm once more.

Here are 3 ways that will help you find your center…

1.    Take time for yourself.

Even if you schedule and manage your time wisely, you might still fail to set time aside to nourish yourself. We all need exercise, food, rest, and mental relaxation to keep from getting sick or burned out. Set aside at least 30 minutes a day to catch your breath, eat something nourishing, EXERCISE, or take a nap to revitalize your mind and body.

2. Breathe.

The first thing a newborn does after birth is breathe. Focus on your breath as it enters your nose, travels to the lungs, and then leaves through the mouth. You breathe thousands of times per day. Take time to focus on this key component to life.

3. Notice the ground beneath your feet.

Even though life will get hectic, the solid ground will always be there. Try to incorporate this physical awareness in your life. This will subconsciously reassure yourself that when chaos begins to manifest itself in your life, you will know that in reality, life is solid and supportive.

The world today is moving faster and faster with advances in technology and convenience. Take the time to nourish your body, mind, and spirit. Teach yourself to be aware, focused, and detached from the negative stressors that affect you. Follow these three simple rules every day and enjoy your life as it falls into place.

Jonathan Kaufman

Many people begin a fitness program to meet certain goals and immediately drop the program as soon as those goals are met, or burn out quickly without accomplishing their goals. How do we keep exercising through the tough times or create the consistency that’s necessary for the level of health we desire? These three guidelines will help you develop a lifetime fitness lifestyle:

1. Choose the right reasons. If you’re exercising to lose weight, that’s great. But if your reasons don’t change, you’ll likely stop exercising as soon as you hit your goal. Exercise because you love the way it feels to get up and move, because working out makes you feel better about yourself, or because you know you’re good at it: you’ll have a much stronger chance of continuing your workout program for the rest of your life.
2. Exercise for you. Much as your mom, dad, personal trainer, professor, or the cute guy or girl at the water cooler might give you the push to start exercising, eventually the burden of motivation needs to fall on you. In fact, being motivated by others often leads to resentment or demotivation. Exercise because it feels good: exercise because you deserve good health.
3. Add the social element. Without leaning on others for motivation, get a running buddy or someone to spot you at the gym. Take a class, join a league team, or just find someone to get up and out with you in the mornings. And then, have the courage to keep on the path even if others around you don’t.

No matter where you’re at, it’s fundamentally important to get started. Every time you come into the fitness center, your lifetime health habits improve.

Running a marathon is one of the most rewarding endeavors in fitness. But if you train incorrectly, it can be a perfectly miserable experience. If you can’t run a mile today and intend to run a marathon in three months, now is the time to redesign your plan. Follow these three steps to train smarter:

1. Give it some time. If this is your first long race, give yourself 4-6 months to train before the race. Training too fast is a recipe for burn-out. After all, it’s not a sprint – it’s a marathon.
2. Taper. It may seem logical to simply run a little farther each day, but don’t fall for it! First, your body will adapt better if you run different distances on different days of the week. Designate one week-day for long runs, two for middle distance runs, and two for short, fast runs. Your body will thank you, your fitness will improve globally, and you’ll perform better on race day.
3. Eat right. You may have heard of runners “bonking” or “hitting the wall” during a race – suddenly losing all energy and focus midway through the race. This occurs because a runner’s muscular glycogen stores run out when under constant duress. It’s important to consume lots of complex carbohydrates while training to build up glycogen stores. Cut back on simple sugars, and eat like your mom taught you to.

It never hurts to get the experts on your side. Many of our personal trainers are marathoners themselves – stop into a Riviera gym to get the skinny on marathon training from a pro.

1. Start small. If your wedding is coming up in two months and you’d like to walk up the aisle
   looking like Rambo, that’s fine (just don’t injure yourself). The best thing, however, is to create a
   lifetime habit of anaerobic health. It’s healthy to take small steps every single day – consistency
   is key! According to many psychologists, it takes twenty-one days to make a habit: make sure
   your daily fitness goals are reasonable enough that you’ll be able to make it through those first
   three weeks.
2. Determine your goals. Do you want to focus on a particular area? Are you most concerned with
   strengthening your core? If you want to improve your tone and endurance while maintaining a
   lean physique, you’ll want to focus on doing more reps with less weight. However, if you want to
   bulk up, you’ll want to do fewer reps with more weight. Ask one of our personal training experts
   to help you draw up a plan to create the body you’ve always wanted for yourself.
3. Get help on your side. Muscular training can be dangerous business – torn muscles, tendons,
   and worse are common occurrences among those who aren’t careful. The personal trainers at
   your gym will help prevent injury while providing encouragement and showing you the smart
   way to exercise.