Recently at Fitness Solutions, the joke has been ‘treadmills and cardio equipment are broken.’ The truth is we don’t have any exercise machines that require electricity. This is for good reason.
Sure, we realize a good warm-up is important prior to exercise. We do utilize rowers and bikes. But we also do a variety of calisthenics among other things. The learning curve for all this type of warm-up is easy for all populations. Our drive is to teach people how to exercise anytime and anywhere with limited or no equipment. Health and wellness should be attainable.
Terre Haute is blessed with fantastic city and county parks, not to mention miles of running and biking paths. That, my friends, is your treadmill, ellipticals, and stair-climbers. While enjoying our great outdoor venues, leave the music at home. Taking a phone for safety is smart. Taking it for entertainment value is not smart. Be comfortable with quiet time. Unplug, empty your mind, and unwind. Fresh air and an elevated heart rate are good medicine.
Now that we’ve tackled your dependence on cardio machines, your new form of resistance exercise utilizes your own body weight. Push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and a ton of other bodyweight exercises will get you fit, help you lose weight, and add healthy years to your life. I say that with a slight reservation. It should be done correctly to be safe and effective.
You see as we age, without strength training, we lose muscle mass at a rate of about one percent each year. We start to get lazy and try to do activities while exerting the least amount of effort. This leads to losing functional abilities since we are not fully utilizing them. The above exercises which used to be easy when we were younger, now have become more difficult for many. That’s where professionals come in.
Learning something as basic as a body weight squat is incredibly complex and challenging for some. Learning to do it correctly from a fitness professional saves you time, money, and frustration from soreness and potential injury. In addition, you learn to structure your own workouts and understand benefits or warm-up and cool-down. Learning flexibility activities also benefit everyone in any phase of their lives.
So, you may be asking yourself, how can I endure exercising with no bell and whistle equipment. There is no time to be bored. Body weight workouts are fun, challenging, effective, and safe. You can finally sell all your underutilized exercise equipment and learn a more effective way to get in shape.
Occasionally we’ll utilize Olympic weights, dueling ropes, heavy bags, kettlebells, dumbbells, and other toys. But there is still an emphasis on performing exercises that can be done anywhere.
The best part of this type of training is we have members from 18-81 years-old doing similar workouts and improving their health and fitness. Of course, any workout can be tailored to match an individual’s ability.
Body weight resistance training is making our runners and other athletes faster and stronger while performing better. Participants are losing weight and making strides to better health.
Chris Davies, MS, owns Fitness Solutions at 1101 Walnut St. and can be reached at thfitnesssolutions.com or fitsolutions1@msn.com. He is a Master Trainer for Revo2lution Running.
Congrats to our March Member Spotlight – Kristi Penn!
Kristi gave us some insight as to why she trains at FSI, what she likes best and talks about her results.I enjoy working out with others and find the motivation from them that they are working just as hard to achieve their best/goals. From the first day I joined, I have felt welcomed as FSI, Chris is a wealth of knowledge and pushes me to give it my all!!! He is patient with me and ensures that I am completing the movements correctly as to not injure myself.
The most important thing I have gained since starting FSI in October 2018 is confidence. I look forward to going to FSI and have a newfound confidence. I have more energy in my day to day activities. I have dropped one size so far and feel so much stronger. Can’t wait to see what the future brings working out at FSI.
I love to play TATER**!!!!. The best part of my training is the results that I am seeing. I like how everyone in the class is positive and encouraging to others. It isn’t a competition.
To me, FSI is a welcoming fitness center that does not judge you by size or age. FSI is a safe and encouraging atmosphere that will push you to do your best and help each person achieve their goals. I have been to many gyms and this one is by far my favorite
(**Everyone needs to experience TATER!)
Will you be next month’s Member Spotlight?
Chris Davies, MS, owns Fitness Solutions at 1101 Walnut St. and can be reached at thfitnesssolutions.com or fitsolutions1@msn.com.
What makes the event so special? Imagine 100 of Terre Haute’s most notable men (bankers, attorneys, physicians,educators, and business leaders from every endeavor, or anyone who is well known to the public) retreating into their respective kitchens to concoct their favorite dish. After a careful and loving preparation, the chef creatively decorates his serving station, dons his favorite costume (Hmmmm, wonder what Chris will be??) in an effort to entice the crowd of friends, family, and fellow community members to take a nibble of their specialty cuisine. The prize: The coveted title of “TOP CHEF” and bragging rights for the next year!
For $75 per person or $500 for a table of eight, guests at 100 Men Who Cook will be treated to music, dancing, cash bar, a silent auction, and all the usual offerings of a gala setting, but at this event they will also have 100 options for their tasting pleasure. Remember – It’s all for the Terre Haute Children’s Museum!