Archive for the ‘Fitness’ Category

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Spring Cleaning! A good way to get the family moving.

Monday, February 25th, 2013

Cleaning any day of the week, is a good exercise. You use muscles, stretch, lift and work up a sweat. Well, spring is just around the corner, and spring cleaning is always a good idea. Having a clean home, help keeps your life in balance. A balanced life is important. Here is a few tips from us to help you get moving and get cleaning.

  1. Get the whole family involved. Many hands make light work. Instead of having the kids sit down and watch TV, have them help do age appropriate cleaning tasks. This will get them active, and it will make the tasks more fun.
  2. Make sure you’ve properly prepared to clean. There is no need to get injured while cleaning. If you’re on the shorter side, make sure to have a good step ladder close by to keep yourself from straining while reaching.
  3. Make sure you’re properly hydrated while cleaning. Believe it or not, cleaning is exercise, and it is always important to drink fluids while exercising.
  4. Lastly, have fun! If you’re looking at cleaning like too much of a chore, then it won’t be something that you’re doing with great conviction. If you involve the family as we suggested in item 1, then you are bound to have fun. Cleaning is a great way to keep active during the weekend while you are at home

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Variety, the spice of your exercise routine.

Monday, February 25th, 2013

We’re going to revisit and old topic that we covered a few years back. But it’s an important one. A well rounded training program has variety! We get stuck in exercise routines that can leave us not only bored, but can also lead to injuries. If you go into any gym most of the time there are a lot of people doing bench presses, biceps curls, and abdominal exercises. Over time, this can lead to poor posture, rounded shoulders, and a variety of other injuries. In order to see the best results, make sure to vary your, try some of these suggestions:

  • Try swimming once per week. Swimming is a great low impact exercise
  • Join a yoga class to improve flexibility and posture. Yoga can also help you relax and de-stress.
  • Play basketball or a recreational sport like volleyball, softball, or flag football. Your local park district can be a great resource for this.
  • Try a martial arts class. It can help improve your focus, concentration and stamina.

To keep active, and to keep your body happy, it is important to keep your body guessing. You can do this by changing up your exercise routine. This will help you and improve athleticism and body function by giving it a variety of stimulus. All of this will lead to a body that is not as prone to injuries, healthier/better looking in the mirror!

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Off-Season Training Tips for Motocross/ATV Riders

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

Unlike sports such as football and basketball, motocross riders typically do not have year round coaching or strength training programs available.  However, off-season training is essential for improving a rider’s strength, balance, endurance, and flexibility.  All of these aspects affect rider’s capabilities on the bike, which can lead not only to decreased lap times, but decreased injuries as well.  As a general rule, you should be working out 3-4 times per week for 45-60 minutes.  Some specific things to target include:

  • Grip strength-Do Olympic style lifts to improve overall body strength, but make sure not to use lifting straps.  Also aim for sets of 15-20 to improve conditioning and endurance. You will also work the same muscles that you will need to pick the bike up in event of a crash.  Some exercises include: Power Cleans, Overhead snatch, Dead Lifts, and Front Squats .  If you do not have access to this type of equipment, or want some different exercises, you can’t go wrong with Push Ups and Pull Ups; try different grip variations to emphasize different muscles.
  • Leg Strength/ Endurance- In addition to the Olympic lifts, try adding in Spinning, or climbing a Jacob’s Ladder.  Both of these will build up leg endurance for when you’re in the middle of a race.  Try to vary intensity up and down while working up to 30-45 minutes straight to simulate riding.  If you are on a budget or don’t have equipment available, do squat/lunge jumps and jump rope to work similar muscles.
  • Core Strength- In order to stay on the bike, one must have a strong core.  The most effective exercises will be done in a standing position to mimic the riding position.   Some suggestions are: Cable Press/Row, Wood Chops, and Planks.  If you do not have a Cable Machine available, exercise bands can be anchored to doors/walls.
  • Balance- Make sure to incorporate balance training into your workout.  Try doing single leg exercises like lunges, or squats on one leg.  Try doing some Range of Motion exercises on a BOSU ball, Balance Pad, or Wobble Board
  • Flexibility- Don’t forget to stretch! In order to be nimble on the bike, and limit injuries in case of a crash, make sure to allocate at least 10 minutes of every workout to stretching!

Hopefully this helps and gets your riding to the next level! If you have questions, or would like help on making a detailed workout plan, please contact us at chicagofamilyfit@gmail.com

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Tips for Keeping Your New Years Resolution!

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

If you’re like most of the us, the idea of sticking to your  New Year’s Resolution is getting tougher and tougher by the week.  Have you already given up?  Think back to the end of December, when you were ready to start working out and eating healthier, what was your goal? Was it to lose weight, get in shape, or be healthier? If so, how are you doing so far?

When it comes to reaching a your New Years resolution or any other goal, developing a well thought plan will greatly increase your chance of being successful.  More often than not, people just wing it and end up quitting/failing by February.  In order to have an effective fitness plan, we need to be specific.  For example, instead of, “I am going to start working out” we should specify which days and what times, what type of workouts, and make plans you can commit to.  For some people, scheduling a personal trainer or joining a team really helps them stay on track.  Whatever you decide, it’s essential that you stick to it!

Next is the dietary side of things…While “eating better” sounds great, it’s not really going to be a great long-term strategy.  Instead, make small daily goals like:

  • Eat X servings of fruits and vegetables
  • Limit fast food to X times per week
  • Cut back on high calories condiments such as mayonnaise, ketchup, bacon, ect..
  • Make a goal of cooking something new a couple times per week
  • Limit greasy snacks
  • Cut back on Alcohol intake

These are just some suggestions to get you thinking, and as each person’s goals are different, so should your approach to attaining them.  If you would like some help making a plan or scheduling an appointment, feel free to contact us at chicagofamilyfit@gmail.com

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Try Off-road Motorsports for an Unconventional Workout

Tuesday, October 9th, 2012

Just because your not in the gym, doesn’t mean that you can’t get a good workout by doing other activities.  Have you ever thought of riding a Dirt Bike or ATV?  While it does take some practice to get the hang of, this sport challenges your strength, endurance, balance, and coordination…Plus it is a fun hobby that you can do as a family.   Over the past weekend I saw husbands and wives, kids and adults, and friends, riding their ATV’s and Dirtbikes for a fun time.  Just make sure to wear the proper safety gear and start slow if you’re new to the sport.

The biggest question for those who live in the Chicagoland Area is, Where can we ride at?  Below you will find a couple of local locations.

1. The Cliffs Insane Terrain- They allow Dirt Bikes, ATV’s, UTV’s, Jeeps, and 4×4 SUV’s for those looking to have a good time.  There are a variety of obstacles to ride on ranging from trails, hills, woods, and a motocross track.  If that’s not your thing, they are also the home of Zip Chicago which has cool Zipline Course set up.  The link is http://www.thecliffsinsaneterrain.com/

2. Fox Valley Off Road- This is open to Dirt Bikes and ATV’s only. In addition to open riding, they also offer motocross racing for all ages.  For more information, the link is http://www.foxvalleyoffroad.com/

3. Badlands Offroad Park-Located in Attica Indiana, this 800 Acre Park has the largest variety of riding conditions ranging from trails, to motocross, mudding, and even sand dunes.  Badlands is also open to Dirtbikes, ATV’s, UTV’s, and 4×4 SUV’s. For more information check out http://www.badlandsoffroad.com/

 

Whether you’re looking for a new family hobby, or get back into offroad motorsports, it can be a great way to stay active and develop new skills.

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