Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice. Now this week, we are talking to those of you who are looking to do the bare minimum. What is the least amount of exercise you should be aiming to get in each and every week in order to maintain and improve your health?
It is common knowledge that exercise is necessary for a healthy body, but what about for a healthy brain? While we would love for our skeletal muscles, joints, and heart to stay strong and functioning well as we age, making sure our brain stays sharp is of the utmost importance, too. Can exercise help us maintain or even improve our cognitive function as we battle Father Time? And, if so, what do various studies suggest in terms of the type of exercise to do as well as the frequency, intensity, and duration?
As a personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques® practitioner in Schaumburg, IL, using exercise to help my clients stay physically healthy as they age is a fundamental aspect of my business. I am well-aware of the potency of appropriate exercise when it comes to battling chronic illnesses and improving physical function and quality of life. However, I was not well-versed in the impact that exercise can have on cognitive function.
It is not uncommon for clients to report that they feel mentally “sharper” after beginning to exercise on a regular basis. But what does the literature have to say about this? Is there information to validate these seemingly subjective claims?
Fortunately for all of us, the answer is yes. Exercise does appear to have both a positive impact on performance during cognitive tasks as well as on the physical structure of the brain itself, as determined by functional MRI. And there is a mounting pile of research to back it up.
What is even more interesting–at least to me–is that not only are these changes in cognitive function dependent on the types of activity that are done, but the positive brain impacts are dependent on the frequency, duration, and intensity of the exercise, as well.
Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice. Now, this week we are talking to those of you who are interested in resistance training but are not sure how it might impact your life. What are some of the awesome benefits that you can see from resistance training if you start doing it on a consistent basis?
Welcome back to this edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays. This is our third video where we are talking about an exercise topic for two minutes and expanding upon it later. Today we are talking about three reasons why we suggest you move slowly when you are doing resistance training. You will Read more…
Welcome back to 2-Minute Tuesdays! This is the second edition of our weekly show. Today we are going to be talking about the number one thing you need to be thinking about when you are resistance training. And that is …. squeezing the muscles you are working. So, if you are doing a biceps curl, you aren’t thinking about moving the dumbbells up and down. You are actually thinking about squeezing the muscles you are working, which are your biceps. As personal trainers in Schaumburg, this is a HUGE focus for us when we are working with our training clients. (more…)
Welcome to our first edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we bring an exercise topic to you and talk about it for two minutes every Tuesday. Today we are talking about why resistance training is a MUST. Why you MUST include it in your workout plan. Why you can’t just do cardio. Why you MUST be doing some kind of weight training.
As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, I am often asking my clients what they did for exercise or physical activity since I last saw them.
“I played a round of golf over the weekend.”
“I went for a 45-minute walk yesterday.”
“I chased my grandkid all over the house.”
These activities can certainly be challenging, but what is the one thing they all lack? Specificity.
