In This Issue

3 Exercise When Sick?

4 Teens: Finding Support

5 Keep Your Resolutions

What is Your BMI?

Refer A Trainer

Best of Manhattan 2014 for Personal Trainers

Please Welcome to the
Neighborhood

Lisa Lawston

Antoinette Padilla

Gabriel Serra

Tyrone Thomas

"People ask this all the time. It's not rocket science but I believe it is a couple of key things I did to meet clients and keep them. (Including posting on NeighborhoodTrainers

I have gotten 5 clients from your site!!)"- Jessica

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CONTINUING THE SUPER SHORT WORKOUT TREND OF 2014, IN 2015?

By Jessica Milliken, personal trainer

Amidst diet resolutions and drink photos on New Years Eve, Gretchen Reynolds, the Phys Ed columnist for The New York Times posted a great read: "The Super Short Workout and Other Fitness Trends" recapping interesting scientific finds of 2014. The One Minute Workout was featured, so was continued fame for the 7 Minute Workout, and supporting research for small exercise bouts.

We all want to know- are short workouts enough to create the bodily appearance desired? Nope, not for most. They are effective daily supplements to health though, and can keep your momentum going on the days you are not at the gym.

As a fitness professional, I'm very pleased with the recent attention to the One Minute Workout ("Got a Minute? Let's Work Out," New York Times). I believe when exercise is in the forefront of our minds, the more likely we are to live a fit lifestyle with less physical difficulties. Reynolds cited research arguing that extremely high daily exertion rates for 1-5 minutes actually do make a difference for diabetics, Alzheimer's candidates, and on lifespan for everyone. As a Kinesiology undergraduate student, I often reviewed research on the impact of small doses of daily exercise and the preventative effects it has on memory loss, stress, and depression. I was always surprised just how much fitness could improve seemingly every aspect of life, even a little at a time.

It should be common knowledge (though I'm still not sure that it is) that people who engage in daily exercise are more functional in their cognition, energy level, and ability to see tasks through- especially at midlife and beyond- increasing the heart rate can make a dramatic difference in preserving the brain and a youthful appearance.

Having those traits on your side, it's obvious a person would feel better about themselves, and combined with looking the best they can, the value of exercise needs no more selling. Regardless, it's still the first activity most people cut when tasks pile up (and speaking for myself- it even happens to trainers). Because of that, the interest in short term workouts is no surprise and encouraging!

Therefore in 2015, why not commit to something everyday, even if it's just breaking from an exploding inbox to jog the block or challenging your colleague to a pushups match? Enticing others to join in your fitness commitment can build camaraderie and be the excuse to summon enthusiasm in office post lunch, when you'd rather zone-out than face the screen anyways.

I'm a huge fan of some exercise vs. no exercise, so I'll be joining you in daily dedication (my goal is an hour a day: 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes at night). Additionally, if you've chosen to invest in yourself this year, and honestly know you don't have time to figure out a new gym routine to keep your interest- hiring a trainer may be one of the smartest choices you can make for your life, your work, and your relationships. Better health will help your quest to give everything the attention you'd like to offer it. If you're unsure there's time to workout on top of everything you are doing, maybe you'll find a trainer who will do half hour sessions to assist your schedule.

If all else fails, remember the One Minute Workout! You definitely have time to do that everyday. See you in the gym!

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Learn Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Body Mass Index (BMI) is essentially a height to weight ratio. Am I a healthy weight for my height.

Figure out your BMI now.

Underweight = < 18.5

Normal Weight = 18.5-24.9

Overweight = 25-29.9

Obese- 30 or higher

Remember, speak to your doctor before starting a fitness program and then seek out the right personal trainer for correct program design. Enjoy your workout!

Want more?

Find more great fitness tips from previous issues.

"I thought neighborhoodtrainers was a fantastic resource - I'm so glad I stumbled across it in my googling! - and I've already shared the site with several friends."- Marie

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Stepping out of a comfort zone is what many New Year's resolutions are about. Making a positive change occur.

Mr. King may not have been thinking about the gym, but for many the gym is "the whole staircase." Take your first step with the help of a fitness professional. Quickly find personal trainers, fitness instructors, and nutritionists to help. Use our side by side trainer comparison feature to find your perfect trainer.

This month Michael, Lisa, Jessica, and Lisa have some fantastic, wide-ranging healthy advice. For teens, Alex talks about how important a supportive friend can be for your fitness goals.

Healthy regards!

Glenn

P.S. For daily fitness tips and advice,

3 TIPS ON HOW TO KEEP YOUR FITNESS NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

By Michael Buckley, personal trainer

Be specific with the goals you set for yourself. True fitness is a lifestyle and your exercise program is a constantly evolving process. To obtain and maintain your fitness goals (and to eventually surpass those goals and create new goals) requires hard work and discipline, of course, but it also requires a lot of patience. A big reason why people fall off the fitness wagon is that they don't see the results they seek fast enough.The best way around this is to have an idea of your long-term goals but to also set really specific, realistic short-term goals for yourself every week. You want to set short-term goals that are challenging but attainable. That way, rather than being frustrated that you don't have an 8-pack after your first week, you can see your fitness journey as a series of progressive victories. For example, if right now, you can hold a plank for fifteen seconds, a solid goal for next week would be to increase that to twenty seconds. Before long, you'll be planking for a minute. When you set your benchmarks too far apart, you not only deprive yourself of celebrating your achievements, you also make it more difficult to track your momentum.

Schedule your workouts to the minute If you had to make an international flight and decided you needed to be at the airport by "about 4-ish," you MIGHT make it through security on time-ish to board. Being overly-casual about the start times of your workouts leads to missed workouts. Once people accrue a string of missed workouts, they tend to stop going to the gym entirely. Put them in the calendar, set an alarm and stick to it. As a caveat to this tip I need to say that if you are running late or if you are pressed for time on the day of one of your scheduled workouts, it is better to get in a 15 minute workout than to miss the workout entirely.

Hire a trainer. No, seriously, if you can afford even a small package with a knowledgeable personal trainer, it is money well spent. If you can't afford a package, most gyms will offer a complimentary session so you can learn some fundamentals. If that isn't a possibility, perhaps you have a friend or acquaintance that knows what they are doing and would be willing to show you a few things. Working out under the supervision of an expert will allow you to safely maximize your time in the gym to attain your goals faster, which will make it easier to keep your resolution.

If working with a trainer is absolutely not an option and you need some guidance, you can Tweet questions to @BuckleyBodyGuru

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"Thanks to your website, I'm starting to get back into a healthier live style. Sincerely, Joe"

Personal Trainer Tips to Ring in A Healthy New Year

By Lisa Snow, Personal Trainer

Instead of a "New Years resolution", why not try something more creative this year? Visualize how you would like to feel at the end of 2015. Not how you would like to look, but how you would like tofeel. Is there a trip you'd like to take? A sports activity or class you'd like to try? A friend, family member, or pet you'd like to be able to keep up with? How would being fit help you make those dreams happen? Once you have that mental image of where you'll be and how you'll feel at the end of next year, here are 3 action steps you can take to make it happen.

1) Share your vision with at least one other person that you actually talk to in real life (not just with Facebook "friends"). This could be an old friend, your spouse, or a personal trainer.

2) Define what being "fit" means to you. Being healthy-not just skinny-involves having the energy to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. So get specific about what you want to be able to do. ("Keep up with my grandkids." "Feel great about jumping rope now, even though I wasn't good at it when I was a kid." "Have as much fun running as my dog does.") This is so much more empowering than having a goal weight!

3) Try one activity you've never done before. Is there something you've always wanted to try but never gotten around to? Or something fascinating you just recently heard about? Here are some examples to ignite your imagination:

Take a dance class

Attempt a rock climbing wall

Try a new style of yoga (or basic yoga for the first time)

Go ice skating with friends

If you're a gym person, try going to the pool

If you're a swimmer, try the gym

Sign up for a martial arts or self-defense class

Go bowling

Take a horseback riding lesson

Walk a scenic trail in Central Park

Lisa is ready to show you how to use the BOSU Ball to reach your fitness goals.

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Should I Exercise While Sick?
By Lisa Lawston, personal trainer

The question is how sick are you? You're body knows what it needs so pay attention to how you feel and work with it. These guidelines should assist you.

Avoid exercise:

If a fever is present, accompanied by body aches. Your body will become more stressed by a vigorous exercise program and you don't want to raise your internal temperature. Staying hydrated is imperative. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, dizziness or any illness that has weakened your system enough to distract you, also puts you at risk for a potential physical injury because focus is not present.

Get moving:

If you're experiencing a stuffy nose, light congestion or a minor sore throat and your energy level has slightly waned, it might serve you to do a low intensity workout. Many times it will help clear your head leaving you feeling better for it. Instead of doing a sixty-minute workout, consider doing a thirty-minute program. Most importantly, trust your body's intuition! If you truly don't feel up to working out, take the time off and you'll come back stronger and rejuvenated from the rest.

Remember your gym etiquette:

Gyms are ripe for passing along virus's so avoid spreading your germs and wipe down any equipment that you use.

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Teen Fitness: The New Year & Finding Support

By Alex Discolo

As it's the beginning of the New Year, many teens have made New Year's resolutions. Every year, adults and teens alike, pledge to be healthier and become more physically fit. (This is even evident by how many new faces are in the gym these days). With new resolutions often comes new motivation. If you are inspired to be the best version of yourself this year, you're not alone!

With so many people resolute to become healthier this year it is often easy to find new support! It is always encouraging to have a companion for support. So, this year don't only make a resolution to become healthier, but be resolute to find a person you can rely on to help you reach your goals. The best person to fill this role is someone with a common goal.

A friend can be a motivator. You can rely on one another to get you up, out and moving together. The two of you can go to the gym, go for a jog, or a walk, or even play a game or tennis or squash together. Many people dread the thought of exercising but with a friend it makes it more exciting. Instead of meeting your friend for a cup of coffee or lunch, go on a walk together. You'll still get the social time with one another but you'll be burning calories instead of gaining them! Another way a friend is your motivator is by their constant encouragement. Everyone has those days where they would opt to pass on their exercise, but if your friend is expecting you to be there with them, it is much more difficult to let a skip day fly.

A friend or "health buddy" can also be a positive influence an your diet.

As a support system for each other, you can inspire each other with better food choices, healthy recipes, and watch the types of food each other buy. With recipes, it's great to have someone to share them with. This way you can bounce ideas off one another. Not only that, but you can help each other to change your old, unhealthy favorites into new meals you are both proud to eat. One of the best ways for you to support each other with eating habits is to go grocery shopping together. For example, if you're in the grocery store and you plan on only buying healthy food, but you lose your focus as you start to walk down the cookie aisle, with a buddy there, they can help you stick to your original grocery plan.

Today I challenge you to add to your resolutions by promising yourself to find a good support system for yourself, and also be supportive to someone else.