Tag Archives: personal training

Have you ever wondered why listening to music while working out makes time feel like its going by quicker? By listening to music instead of silence, it will divert the mind from feeling fatigue and pain. This technique is called dissociation and it lowers the perception of effort. Instead of running on the treadmill for 45 minutes in silence, music will make the workout more enjoyable and easier on the mind. Be careful if you are listening to music while doing cardio outside. I usually only have one headphone in my ear so I can hear cars coming and be aware of my surroundings. Making a workout playlist that will keep you motivated is very important. Obviously a workout playlist is very person specific. For example, when I am doing my cardio workouts, I like a more upbeat type of music to get into a good rhythm with my running stride or cycling cadence. For weight training, I like a hard rock type of music to make the workouts more intense. Everyone is completely different. What is on your workout playlist that really motivates you? I am very interested to hear what songs work for you. Please feel free to share below!

The mind is a very powerful tool that is not utilized as much as it should be in order to reach your full potential. Try not to set the goal too low because you are afraid of not succeeding. Take risks and if you fail, learn and grow from it to better yourself. In order to reach your full potential and success, believe in yourself and be confident with everything you do. It will absolutely make a difference in your life. Be confident and more successful than you have ever been! Give it a shot, you have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

The core is more than just a six pack.  Yes, this looks good at the beach, but core is so much more useful than that. Core strength promotes proper spinal alignment and stability (posture). Without a strong core (good balance), it will effect sports and physical activity negatively. A simple way to think of exercises for the core is anything that engages the abdominal and back muscles. The core is the muscles of the spine, trunk, and pelvis. These muscles are the erector spinae (lower back), external and internal oblique, transverse abdominis, and rectus abdominis.

Core stability is the coordination of the major joints and muscles of the pelvis, spine, and extremities. The importance of core stability is that it improves neuromuscular performance, improves body control and stability, improves balance, and helps transfer more power to the extremities. For most people, the most important benefit of core exercises is that it helps prevent overuse injuries of the extremities and core (lower back pain is one example). So when you are working out, make sure you work your core. Instead of just doing regular sit-ups (which is still a good exercise), try doing a plank as well.

The plank is when you are in a pushup position, but you are resting on your forearms with your elbows bent 90 degrees. Try to hold your body in a straight line by engaging the core. If you are unsure if you are keeping your body parallel to the floor, you should ask someone to watch or execute the exercise looking in the mirror. You should perform this exercise for time. Start out slow with 15-20 seconds and gradually increase the time. If this is too challenging at first, you can perform the exercise on your knees. Try this excellent movement during your next work out and reap all the benefits of a strong core. Enjoy!