DANA ~

Strength Training

2011-03-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

Strength training is not only for building muscle. It builds bone mass and strengthens connective tissue (cartilage and tendons). A natural part of the aging process is muscle loss, bone loss and joint wear and tear. You can fight this process by strength training. The older you become the more important strength training becomes. Bone fractures, joint instability, weakness and loss of balance are the things that lead to frailty as we age. Fight it! Be the best you can be.

Building Muscle

2011-03-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

This post is specifically for women. Please don't be afraid to build muscle. So many people I work with will say "I just want to be toned, I don't want to have muscles". Then they will quickly look at me and then say, "well, I mean, you look good and all, but....." :)

Ladies, in order to become toned you need to grow muscle. No, you don't have to be bulky, unfeminine, tough. Did you know the more muscle tissue you have the higher your resting metabolic rate is? Your resting metabolic rate is the amount of daily energy you expend at rest, the number of calories you burn just staying alive. Because of our natural hormone levels, it is nearly impossible for women to gain too much muscle. Believe me, that would take ALOT of work, a specific diet, and maybe even some help from specific suppliments. Muscle tissue is a good thing. Work for it, embrace it!

Strong is the new Sexy

2011-03-19T09:50:00.001-07:00

Remember the days of everyone wishing to be skinny? The skinnier the sexier? I am so glad we are so much smarter now! The word "skinny" makes me think of weakness, hunger, frailty. I admire women and men who are strong, confident, healthy. Your body is your machine. Feed it, work it, love it! It's all we have so be the best you can be, not the least you can be. Now that's sexy!

TRX Suspension Training in Kalispell

2011-03-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

My new favorite tools to shake up a workout is TRX Suspension Training. Suspension training can be used to improve strength, core stability, range of motion and balance.

TRX allows an individual to use their own body weight and gravity to exercise while engaging stabilizing muscles and your core. There is really nothing like it. With every exercise you engage your core muscles and engage all four extremities. This forces your entire body to participate in each exercise. Can you imagine a biceps curl that is also strengthening your abs and low back, improving your posture, and enhancing your balance? That is exactly what TRX does. No kidding!

TRX suspension training was developed by a Navy Seal. It is challenging enough to train elite athletes and every exercise can be easily adapted for beginners. The system hangs from the ceiling and by changing the angle of your body you are able to adjust the difficulty. Conventional exercises are just not able to encorporate all the body systems which need to be activated while suspension training. While completing each exercise you are also establishing a balance between your upper and lower body, the right and left side of your body.

Anyone who has ever trained with me knows I believe in changing it up. By no means would I recommend TRX replacing conventional strength training. But as a suppliment.....you bet! I love it. And honestly as a way to strengthen your core, I can't think of anything better.

Fit Camps

2011-03-10T07:36:00.000-08:00

The next fit camp at Access Fitness starts this Monday, March 14. Fit Camp is small group personal training, 4 days per week and is a great way to fire up your metabolism, get toned, lose weight and get ready for swim suit season. Call Access Fitness in Kalispell for more information. 406-260-4112

ACSM

2010-11-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

My personal training certification is through the American College of Sports Medicine which is arguably the most difficult accreditation to obtain. It is a medically based certification which means we had to pass a test showing we could train healthy individuals and also people with metabolic diseases, such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, etc.

Fighting the fight

2010-11-20T21:02:00.001-08:00

If nothing changes......then nothing changes

2010-11-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

There are lots of things in our lives that we have little control over. Fortunately, fitness is not among those things. You ultimately get to decide if and when you are going to work out and what you are going to fuel your body with. No one can take that away from you but this also means that you need to take responsiblity for where you are now and where you are going. Embrace your power.

It is important to get rid of the "all of nothing" mentality. You can have a dessert, a glass of wine or skip a workout .....on your terms. Enjoy life and then get back to the process.

Remember that your level of fitness, your weight and your health are all transient, always moving and changing. Health and fitness should not be looked upon as a means to an ends. Health and fitness should be a desired way of life. So enjoy the process. Don't be in too much of a hurry to get it over with. The process never ends.

My name is Dana and I am an ACSM certified personal trainer living in Kalispell, MT. I, like you, am fighting the fight. Remember, if nothing changes.....then nothing changes.