How to Safely Return to the Gym in 2022
The New Year is a great time to start focusing on your health and fitness goals. Part of your plan for achieving these goals may include joining a gym, working with a personal trainer or attending fitness classes. While fitness and wellness centers are starting to open up in many areas of the country and some are offering fitness classes, personal training and other fitness activities, you may be concerned about whether it is safe to join or return to these facilities due to the risk for COVID-19 transmission.
When weighing your options, it is important to consider both the risks associated with exercising at an indoor gym and steps you can take to keep yourself safe.
It can be helpful to understand some of the risks associated with exercising at an indoor gym:
- Air droplets can travel farther during exercise: The recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is to maintain social distancing of at least six feet from other individuals to avoid inhalation of virus-containing respiratory droplets. When someone is exercising, they breathe with more force than while at rest. Therefore, heavier breathing during exercise can result in an increased concentration of air droplets traveling farther, thus increasing the risk for COVID-19 transmission.
- It is difficult to maintain social distance at all times at the gym: While many fitness facilities are following guidelines by spacing out equipment and encouraging social distancing, you may find yourself in a situation where another member decides to exercise on the cardio machine next to you or several members are having a conversation right next to where you are completing your set of bench presses. Even with limits to facility numbers, weight rooms and cardio areas can get crowded, making it more difficult to maintain social distancing throughout your workout.
- Inadequate air ventilation: Some fitness and wellness centers may not have ventilation systems that can adequately remove viral droplets and particles from the air, thus increasing members’ risk of infection, especially in smaller indoor spaces.
- Using shared equipment: While COVID-19 is most commonly spread through close contact with an individual who has the virus, it is possible to become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. Therefore, using shared equipment such as weight and cardio machines, mats, or dumbbells that are not cleaned before and after each use may increase your risk for COVID-19.
Now that you have a better understanding of the risks, here are some ways to mitigate that risk and keep yourself safe at your fitness facility:
- Choose a gym where you feel comfortable and safe: Fitness and wellness facilities must follow state guidelines; however, some may take more precautions than others, such as implementing additional temperature and symptom assessments, cleaning and mask-wearing protocols and limited fitness class sizes. Therefore, visit a few different facilities and join the one where you will feel safe and comfortable to exercise. It may be beneficial to choose a facility that also offers online personal training, virtual fitness classes, and/or outdoor classes so that you can create a weekly exercise routine that includes workouts that take place at the gym, outside and at home to limit the number of times per week that you are exercising at an indoor gym.
- Wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose while exercising: Although it may be uncomfortable to exercise with a mask, it can help keep you and others safe from COVID-19. Also, a recent study found that heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation were not adversely impacted in healthy individuals who performed aerobic exercise while wearing a mask. When exercising with a mask, it can be helpful to bring several disposable masks and change them throughout the workout.
- Maintain social distancing: Maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet to avoid close contact with other facility members or employees. Work out in areas of the gym that are less crowded and avoid attending the gym during peak hours.
- Bring your own equipment: When possible, bring your own equipment such as mats, dumbbells or bands to use during your workout or when attending fitness classes.
- Bring your own water bottle: Some fitness facilities may not allow access to water fountains. Therefore, bring your own water bottle to make sure you have safe access to water.
- Clean equipment before and after use: Clean each piece of equipment before and after you use it, and avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes throughout your workout.
- Wash hands before and after your workout: Wash your hands before and immediately after your workout with soap and water.
- Limit indoor high-intensity exercise: When possible, perform high-intensity activities outdoors. If performing high-intensity exercise indoors, increase distance.
Beginning or maintaining an exercise routine is paramount for both physical and mental health and it is especially important during this health crisis. Make sure you choose a place and format that will best support your health-related goals and level of comfort for safely starting or returning to an active lifestyle.
Exercising at a gym or fitness facility, outdoors, or from the comfort of your home can help maintain a healthy lifestyle, and taking appropriate precautions can reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in all settings. What is most important is that you find a way to safely keep moving during these challenging times to stay focused on your health and fitness goals.
Via: www.acefitness.org
Lemon Water for Good Digestion, Detoxification
One of our favorite (simple!) wellness practices to add to your healthy morning routine is a glass of lemon water. Taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, it’s a simple and effective way to boost your health in many ways all at once.
the health benefits of lemon water
In addition to re-hydrating your body (important first thing in the morning!), the vitamin C and other antioxidants in lemon water also help to:
- aid digestion
- promote regular elimination (poo)
- improve immunity
- enhance your body’s natural detoxification processes
- provide an alkalizing effect that helps maintain a proper pH balance for overall health
Because it boosts the body’s natural digestion and detoxification processes, many people find that a glass of lemon water each morning also aids in supporting weight loss and skin health.
how to make lemon water
Lemon water is oh-so-simple to make:
Squeeze half a lemon into a full glass of water & enjoy first thing each morning.
(No lemon on hand? A lime works just as well!)
You can squeeze the lemon by hand or use our favorite lemon/lime juicer (which helps get more juice from your lemon, and keeps those seeds out!).
how to properly wash your lemons
It’s a good idea to wash your lemons (or other citrus) before cutting them open for juicing. They’ve been a lot of places (and touched a lot of hands!) on their way to you, and their grooved peel is particularly good at carrying wax, agricultural chemicals, germs and other “handling residue.” (Ick!)
Use a produce wash like Veggie Wash, or soak your lemons for 15 minutes in a large bowl of water with 1 teaspoon baking soda. Scrub the peel with a produce brush, rinse and dry, and you’re ready for juicing!
Via: www.fourwellness.co
5 Benefits of Training for Dynamic Balance
When we hear the word balance, we usually think of standing still on one leg or trying not to fall when walking on a slippery surface. While standing on one leg can certainly help improve static balance, maintaining control of a moving center of mass over a changing base of support is probably more relevant to many of life’s activities. This type of training is known as dynamic balance, and can help enhance skills that are relevant to a number of sports and activities of daily living. Dynamic balance training is also an effective way to help you achieve your fitness goals.
Optimal balance is achieved when multiple sensory systems provide information about the body’s position as it moves over the ground. The eyes (visual), inner ear (vestibular) and skin (kinesthetic) contain numerous sensory receptors that provide important feedback to the central nervous system (CNS) about which muscles to activate and when. Maintaining static balance as the body remains in one position is relatively easy because you can concentrate on which muscles to contract to remain stable. However, many activities of daily living happen quickly, which means you have to rely on conscious thought to control which muscles to activate.
Here are five reasons why it’s important to train dynamic balance and how adding it to your exercise program can produce results.
- Training for dynamic balance could help you improve your running technique. The gait cycle, whether walking or running, requires the body to maintain control of its center of gravity as it changes position over a constantly moving base of support. During the gait cycle your body must maintain control of your center of gravity—usually found near the belly button—as you transition from one leg to the other. As your right foot hits the ground, the left leg prepares to swing forward; at the same time your left arm is swinging forward while your right arm is moving backward. The motion created by the swinging of the arms and legs results in a counter rotation between the upper back and pelvis to generate the momentum to move the body in a forward direction.
- Dynamic balance training is an effective way to strengthen and tone the obliques and the muscles of the hips, thighs, glutes and low back. These muscles connect your hips to your pelvis and your pelvis to your spine. Increasing the strength of the core muscles can help improve your balance and coordination, while also improving your appearance.
- Having good dynamic balance can help improve your coordination and ability to react to sudden changes of direction, both of which can help reduce the risk of an accidental fall. Controlling dynamic balance should be a reflexive response that happens automatically. If you feel that you don’t have good balance, it is extremely important that you do the work necessary to improve it.
- Dynamic balance exercises can easily be added to the warm-up phase of a workout to prepare for lower-body strength training, a long run, an obstacle-course race, or for recreational sports such as tennis, basketball or soccer.
- Dynamic balance exercises can be used as low-intensity recovery exercises between sets of high-intensity interval training or as a low-intensity bodyweight workout to help promote recovery the day after a challenging training session. These exercises can also be used on those days when you can’t make it to the gym, but still want to do something active.
Adding balance exercises to your workouts can help improve your overall energy expenditure and enhance your ability to perform your favorite activities. Here are six dynamic balance exercises to help you improve coordination and strengthen your muscles. Try adding this program as a warm-up at least two times per week for four weeks and you will be surprised at the difference you will feel and see.
Via: www.acefitness.org
Benefits of a Dynamic Warm-up for Running
Given its simplicity and accessibility, running is an extremely popular method of exercise—all you need are a pair of running shoes, some appropriate clothing, a route to follow or access to a treadmill and you can start exercising. Want to maintain a healthy bodyweight? Running can do that. Want to improve your health or reduce stress? Running can do that. Want to test your fitness level or need some additional motivation to exercise? Register for a running race or event and you’re set.
Of course, while running is easy, accessible and beneficial, you have to know how to do it properly so you can enjoy it for years. One of the ways you can help prepare your body to perform its best once you start running is to first perform a dynamic warm-up, which offers the following six benefits:
- For many runners, a warm-up may consist of only a few stretches or some slow jogging before starting to move at a steady running pace. While this is better than nothing, it does not adequately prepare muscles for the forces experienced during a run. If you run regularly or are returning to running after taking some time off, avoid the risk of an injury and make your workouts as effective as possible with a dynamic warm-up.
- Cold temperatures require a car’s engine to idle for a few minutes to allow it to warm up before driving. Warming up a car is a fitting analogy for the benefits of a dynamic warm-up; allowing a car’s engine to run for a few minutes ensures that oil is circulated through the engine to lubricate the pistons responsible for generating the power that makes the car go. Muscle, fascia and elastic connective tissues are more elastic at higher temperatures, which allows easier, unrestricted motion of the joints used in exercise. Taking the time to perform a complete dynamic warm-up, starting with slow movements before progressing to rapid, explosive exercises, allows blood to circulate to the working muscles. This also activates the central nervous system (CNS) so it functions more efficiently to control the muscles involved in running.
- There are two general types of muscle fibers in your body: slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow-twitch fibers use oxygen to metabolize free fatty acids into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the chemical used for energy, via a process called lipolysis. Slow-twitch fibers are mostly involved with endurance activities such as running for distance. Conversely, fast-twitch fibers use carbohydrates (called glycogen once it is stored in muscle cells), either with or without oxygen, to produce ATP. Because they can generate more force than slow-twitch fibers, fast-twitch fibers are used when muscles need to produce greater amounts of force. Glycolysis, which is the process of metabolizing glycogen to ATP, takes less time than fatty acid oxidation; for this reason, it is the primary source of energy when running at a moderate-to-fast pace. The different movements of a dynamic warm-up helps facilitate glycolysis so that you can produce energy efficiently for your run.
- Several hormones, including cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine (commonly called adrenaline because they are produced in the adrenal glands), are used to help metabolize fats and carbohydrates to ATP. The gradually increasing intensity of a dynamic warm-up allows the adrenal complex to produce these hormones so that you have the energy to fuel your run.
- Reciprocal inhibition refers to the physiological action that occurs when the shortening or contracting of one muscle sends a signal to the muscle on the other side of a joint to lengthen. The controlled contractions of a dynamic warm-up apply reciprocal inhibition to allow muscles to lengthen and joints to lubricate to properly prepare for activity. In addition, joint capsules and ligament endings contain numerous sensory receptors that measure and identify pressure, movement and the rate of movement of their respective joints. Slow, controlled movements through a complete range of motion allows the nervous system to learn how to regulate the degrees of freedom, or amount of movement, allowed in each individual joint.
- A byproduct of glycolysis is carbon dioxide, which causes your rate of breathing to increase because the lungs are trying to expire carbon dioxide while drawing in more oxygen to use for energy production. In addition, glycogen stored in muscle cells attaches to water. As glycogen is metabolized to ATP, it releases that water in the cells. Low-intensity body-weight exercises use free fatty acids for fuel; as the exercises of a dynamic warm-up become more intense, the working muscles gradually start using glycolysis to produce ATP. This causes your breathing to speed up and sweat to start appearing, which is a signal that your muscles are ready to go, the warm-up is over and it’s time to start running!
Whether you’re a longtime runner looking for a more effective way to train or you’re a beginning runner, the following dynamic warm-up will help make sure that every step you take counts. Note: These exercises are also very effective for an active recovery workout the day after a really hard training session, when your muscles are still sore and you want to move but you don’t want to overwork your body. In addition, they can also be used for a stand-alone mobility workout on those days when you might be dragging a little bit and want to work out but don’t want to push yourself too hard.
Via: www.acefitness.org
7 Benefits of HIIT for a Busy Schedule
To achieve substantial health benefits and to produce the results you want, exercise must be done frequently, with enough intensity, and for an appropriate length of time. For long-term results, however, you need to find a form of exercise that you enjoy and that will actually fit into your schedule. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has become increasingly popular over the past decade or so because the workouts don’t require a lot of time and are extremely effective.
If you’re not yet convinced that you can fit regular exercise into your already overcrowded schedule, here are seven reasons HIIT workouts may be the answer you’ve been looking for:
- The human body expends about 5 calories of energy to consume 1 liter of oxygen. When an activity uses multiple muscle groups at a high level of intensity, more oxygen is needed, and more calories are burned. HIIT workouts that involve both the upper and lower body can be particularly effective for those who want to lose or maintain weight.
- HIIT primarily uses the anaerobic energy pathways, which run out of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the chemical muscle cells use for energy, rather quickly. So, not only do you use energy during the work interval, but during the recovery interval, muscle cells continue to produce and replace ATP for the next high intensity bout. Whether you are exercising your hardest or taking a few moments to catch your breath during an active recovery interval, your muscles are always working during a HIIT workout.
- With HIIT, you will not only burn calories during the workout, but will continue to burn calories after the workout is over, making it an extremely effective use of your time. Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is the term that describes how your metabolism continues to consume oxygen (and burn calories) for hours after a HIIT workout. Once you are finished with your workout, your muscles will continue to use oxygen, along with fat, to replace the ATP and repair the tissues damaged during the exercise.
- When performed at the highest intensity possible, HIIT can support muscle growth with short workouts. HIIT produces a significant amount of metabolic byproducts, including inorganic phosphates, hydrogen ions and lactic acid, all of which help promote the increase of hormones such as insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) or growth hormone (GH) used to repair muscle proteins. This could, in turn, result in an increase in muscle size or definition without having to spend hours lifting weights.
- A short HIIT workout not only makes it possible to burn calories and build muscles, but it could also have important benefits for your brain and cognitive performance. When compared to moderate-intensity, steady-state exercise, HIIT may be more effective at producing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are proteins that support the growth of new cells and blood vessels, respectively, in the brain.
- Many health clubs, exercise studios and online fitness formats apply the science of HIIT to their group workout programs to create instructor-led formats that deliver an effective workout in 30 minutes or less. Logging on to an online HIIT workout or taking a HIIT class at your favorite fitness facility allows you to achieve these benefits with the guidance of a qualified instructor.
- When it comes to HIIT, intensity is more important than time; performing a workout at the highest intensity possible allows you to get results in a relatively short amount of time. From start to finish, including both the warm-up and cool-down, most HIIT workouts can be done in less than 30 minutes, making them the go-to solution for when your schedule is out of your control.
While it’s always nice to have a long, stress-reducing workout session, there will be days when time really is a factor. For this reason, it’s nice to know that time-efficient workouts really do work and produce results.
Via: www.acefitness.org
12 Minutes to Better Health and Fitness
When time is tight, it can be difficult to do your usual 30- to 60-minute workout. For those days, a Tabata-style workout may be the answer. Tabata is a form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that requires just four minutes to complete. In fact, research suggests this form of HIIT could actually be more effective than three, 30-minute sessions running on a treadmill for improving aerobic capacity.
Researchers organized 55 healthy, young male participants into three separate training groups for a 16-week workout program:
- HIIT-T (High-intensity interval training on a treadmill): Seventeen participants performed a Tabata protocol on a treadmill. They ran at a velocity associated with 130% of VO2max for 20 seconds, followed by a 10-second rest, and repeated this pattern for eight cycles for a total of four minutes.
- HIIT-WB (High-intensity interval training with whole-body exercises): Nineteen participants conducted Tabata intervals using body-weight movements including burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks and squat thrusts with 3-kg kettlebells.
- MICT (Moderate-intensity continuous training): Nineteen participants ran on a treadmill for 30 minutes at an intensity associated with 90% of the heart rate at the second ventilatory threshold (VT2), a training intensity associated with an increase in breathing rate and an inability to talk comfortably while exercising.
For the warm-up to each workout, the HITT-T group did a four-minute warm-up on the treadmill, the HIIT-WB group used the same body-weight exercises but moved at a much slower tempo for four minutes, and the MICT group gradually increased running tempo.
At the end of the 16-week training protocols, each group had improved their fitness levels, which was measured by time to reach VT2 and the time to reach exhaustion. The HIIT-T group demonstrated better results than the HIIT-WB or MICT groups, supporting the idea that HIIT is a time-efficient workout solution. This is great news for those days when time can be a factor and a gym workout just isn’t feasible. In other words, when time gets tight, a four-minute Tabata workout may be sufficient for maintaining your current level of fitness.
Here are two options for applying this research to your own Tabata-style protocols:
- At a health club, use a rowing machine to complete a four-minute Tabata consisting of 20 seconds of sprinting followed by 10 seconds of resting while standing on the side rails. Repeat this pattern eight times. (A rowing machine is recommended because it involves both the arms and legs working together and does not place additional stress on the knee or back joints.)
- Use body-weight exercises for a Tabata, which can be perfect on those days when your schedule doesn’t allow time for a trip to a gym or when you’re traveling and are stuck in a hotel. The following circuit (patterned after the one used in the study) is ideal. If you don’t have weights available, replace the squat thrusts with ice skaters (hopping laterally from one foot to the other).
The entire workout should take about 12 minutes because you should allow some time for a warm-up and cool-down with stretching for the involved muscles. For the warm-ups, follow the workout protocols from the research study outlined above.
Here are some general guidelines when performing the body-weight exercises:
- Keep your spine long. When your spine is extended, you use more of your hips.
- Move from your hips. Whether you are hinging forward or rotating, make sure that the movement comes from your hips, not your spine.
- To increase activation of your core muscles, press your feet and hands firmly into the floor when they make contact. Imagine you are trying to push the floor away from you, which can help improve activation of your deep core muscles.
While it’s always nice to have a long, stress-reducing workout session, there will be days when time really is a factor. For this reason, it’s nice to know that time-efficient Tabata-style workouts really do work and produce results.
Via: www.acefitness.org
5 Healthy, Quick and Easy Breakfasts
It’s not easy to get out the door on time in the morning, let alone with a nutritious breakfast in your belly. We hear this time and again from our personal training clients. Luckily there are a lot of quick and healthy breakfast options – that are delicious and will keep you fuelled ‘til lunch. Here are five of our favourites:
1) A SMOOTHIE
There are a million ways to make a great smoothie. In the Nielsen household, this is our go-to recipe (all amounts are approximate – no need to measure!). Blend it up in whatever kind of blender you have and bring it with you in a travel cup. You can even put your ingredients together the night before – just store in your blender in the fridge until morning.
- ½ cup frozen berries
- ½ a banana
- Handful of spinach
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (the flavoured varieties are chock-full of sugar – stay away!)
- ¼ cup pure pomegranate juice
- Enough unsweetened vanilla almond milk to cover most of the other ingredients – about ¾ of a cup.
- Any add-ins you like. We usually add some probiotics as well as a high-quality protein powder.
2) BREAKFAST MUFFINS
There are many recipes for muffins on Pinterest. This one is our current favourite. These are easy to make, nutritious, and pretty tasty to boot. Make them on the weekend and keep them in the freezer for the week.
Mix the following ingredients together, then bake at 350 Fahrenheit until then look done (about 15 to 20 minutes):
- 3 mashed bananas (the riper the better)
- 1 cup vanilla almond milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 3 cups quick oats
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Handful of chocolate chips or blueberries
3) AVOCADO TOAST WITH EGGS
Here’s an easy no-brainer breakfast full of healthy fats, protein, and fibre.
- 1 small ripe avocado (sliced or mashed)
- 2 slices of bread toasted (we recommend sprouted, rye, or flax)
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: pepper, red chilli flakes, tomatoes, other topping of preference
- 1 or 2 poached or hard-boiled eggs
4) OVERNIGHT OATS
Get a head start on breakfast the night before by simply throwing a few ingredients in a jar, and pop it in the fridge overnight. We like this recipe from BBC goodfood. The night before serving, stir the cinnamon and 100ml water (or milk) into your oats with a pinch of salt. The next day, loosen with a little more water (or milk) if needed. Top with the yogurt, berries, a drizzle of honey and the nut butter. Eat cold or warm depending on your preference.
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 50g rolled porridge oats
- 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 50g mixed berries
- drizzle of honey
- ½ tbsp nut butter (we used almond)
5) HAM AND EGG CUPS
This low-carb high-protein breakfast is quick and tasty. All you need is a muffin tin, your oven set to 400 Fahrenheit and a few ingredients. Line 2-3 cups in your muffin tin with a slice of ham, crack an egg into each ham cup, add a few spinach leaves (optional), and season with salt and pepper. Bake until eggs are cooked through, 12-15 minutes (depending on how runny you like your yolks). Garnish with parsley, cilantro, sliced green onions, or another topping of your preference. Vegetarians can sub vegetarian “ham” slices and double the slices.
- Oil, to lightly coat muffin tin
- Ham slices (can sub sliced turkey or salami, but double the amount)
- Eggs
- A few spinach leaves (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Parsley, cilantro, green onion, for garnish (optional)
STAY ON TRACK
If you’re in such a rush that you don’t have time for the above recipes, go for a piece of fruit and some nuts or nut butter. Alternatively, keep a few to-go cups of plain Greek yogurt in your fridge handy for those extra busy days. Don’t forget the spoon!
If you’re looking for more diet advice and motivation to help you get and stay on track, Nielsen Fitness Platinum clients enjoy nutritional consultations as a part of their training sessions. Be sure to take advantage of these consultations and ask your trainer for more quick and healthy meal ideas. If you aren’t a client, you can click here for a first free workout and assessment. Our team of highly trained professional trainers and nutritionists look forward to helping you lead a healthier life.
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