26Sep

How to Exercise for Weight Loss

September 26, 2022 Jessica Bottesch 2

Exercise comes in many different forms, all of them with unique effects on your physiology, health and physique. Given such a wide variety of options, how does someone choose the right exercises and exercise types to optimize weight loss?

Resistance Training

While all exercise is going to involve some kind of resistance, here what we’re referring to is movements with enough resistance that they stimulate muscles to become larger and/or stronger. While these workouts might not immediately seem to impact weight loss, increases in muscle mass will raise your body’s basal metabolic rate, or calories that your body burns while inactive. Targeting increases in basal metabolic rate is arguably the most important consideration for weight loss, as basal metabolic rate is estimated to be responsible for 70% of all calories burned. In addition to increased muscle mass and basal metabolic rate, resistance training done properly also results in increased strength, bone density, and reduction in posture and poor movement based ailments.

HIIT Cardio

HIIT, or High-Intensity Interval Training, refers to cardiovascular exercise where heart rate is highly elevated for a set interval before being allowed to recover for another set interval. These workouts are uniquely equipped to burn more calories than any other form of exercise in the same span of time, which may be one reason why it also seems to be the most effective exercise intervention in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of correlating conditions including high cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, all of which are associated with obesity.

LISS Cardio

LISS cardio, or Low-Intensity Steady-State cardio, can be a vital piece of a weight-loss strategy. While this form of cardio doesn’t burn as many calories per session as HIIT, low intensity exercises are characterized as being easily accessible and measurable. For example, the average person burns 100 calories per mile walked, and walking can be done essentially anywhere anytime. 150 minutes a week of zone 2 cardio, where the heart rate is maintained at 70% of its maximum, is associated with a drastic decrease in all-cause mortality, and is recommended by the American Heart Association for that reason. However, some of these minutes can be replaced with time spent resistance training or partaking in HIIT workouts for similar effects.

So What’s the Solution for You?

For almost anyone, some mix of all of these will be included in a comprehensive weight-loss plan. These are also plans that will change with time given multiple considerations; poor posture and low cardiovascular capacity might mean starting with more resistance training before even including strenuous cardiovascular workouts, or a hectic work schedule might mean very frequent but short bouts of brisk walking.

For maximum educated guidance, motivation and accountability, click here to schedule a Free Initial Session to see how our team of professional trainers can best help you.

24Aug

Low Back Pain? Tight Hip Flexors? Here Are 3 Stretches to Help

August 24, 2022 Jessica Bottesch 15

If you’re experiencing low back pain, tightness in the hips, and posture where your hips seem to live angled behind your spine, you’re likely experiencing something called anterior pelvic tilt. Here, we’ll detail 3 stretches you can do to help alleviate that pain and bring comfort back into your day-to-day.

Hip Flexor Stretch

We’ll stretch what you came here for first, the hip flexors. To do so, get into a deep lunge with your knee touching the ground. If this is too uncomfortable, you may want to use a folded towel or yoga mat for support. Bring your torso upright. If you feel a stretch in the front of the back leg, you’re in the proper position! If not, take a step forward with the front foot, bring your torso upright, and repeat until you feel a stretch in the front of the back leg.

Each of the stretches detailed should be held for thirty seconds, on both sides of the body.

Adductor/Groin Stretch

The next stretch is in a similar kneeling position as our hip flexor stretch, but now with the front leg turned outward so as the stretch the adductors/groin area. Lean your body into the outreached leg, trying to keep torso upright. If you feel too much pressure in the groin area, have something in front of you to place your hands on and take some of the weight off.

While you might have not known these were tight, tightness in the adductors is incredibly common as a result of a sedentary lifestyle and weak glutes, one of the main muscles that requires strengthening in the treatment of anterior pelvic tilt.

“Lazy” Child’s Pose

Traditional Child’s Pose can be tricky for targeting the low back, so “Lazy” child’s pose is meant to make the job easier. Start in a kneeling position with your knees together. Sink your hips back, and lean your torso over your legs in front of you. Reach your arms out overhead on the floor.

Stretching Advice!

When it comes to stretching, frequency is your friend. Studies show that while there’s no difference in muscle length after a 30 second stretch compared to 1 minute stretch, there are substantial increases that come about via increased frequency those 30 second stretches. If your experiencing low back pain caused by anterior pelvic tilt, I would recommend partaking in the exercises above every day for 30 seconds each.

Another important consideration is that tight muscles are often a result of opposing weak muscles: a tight low back could come from a weak core, and tight hip flexors could be the result of weak glutes. While these stretches should bring some relief, they won’t address the underlying issues that should be addressed in a holistic exercise program. While these weaknesses may only be resulting in low back pain at the moment, they could result in impediments to walking and carrying light objects in the future. If exercise is something that you’re uncertain about, you can sign up for a Free Initial Session at Empower and meet with one of our highly qualified trainers to develop a plan to future-proof yourself.

11Aug

Strength Training for Women

August 11, 2022 Jessica Bottesch 20

_{Today and every day we are focusing on Women’s Health…}

_{More specifically we are highlighting why it is so important for women to resistance train. There are countless reasons why strength training is beneficial for women but here are a few upsides. And, why Empower provides personal trainers for women.}

_{1. Increased Metabolism!}

_{Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is basically how many calories you burn while you are at rest, or an easy way to think about it is how many calories you would burn if you laid in bed all day and did absolutely nothing. Now everyone’s RMR is different based on a few factors: Gender, height, weight, age, muscle mass, just to name a few. A big one that is in your control though is your muscle mass! You could be burning less calories at rest than someone who weighs exactly the same as you but they are practicing resistance training and therefore gaining and maintaining lean muscle mass. While cardio is very appealing because when you get done with a bike ride, run, or long walk and you might see a higher calorie burn at the end of a workout than your typical strength training session. However, the muscle you are building during those strength training session will increase your muscle mass and your overall calorie burn towards the end of the day will be much higher over time than strictly doing cardio.}

_{2. Increased Bone Density!}

_{While the obvious and most apparent benefit of resistance training is muscle gain, you are also increasing your bone density. Resistance training puts stress on your bones which increases the overall bone density. Osteoporosis is a huge threat for women, especially menopausal women. The hormonal change that women go through during menopause puts them at a greater risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis.}

_{3. Maintaining your Independence!}

_{Balance is something that everyone struggles with time to time. What happens if you fall and can’t get up on your own? You don’t want to lose your independence. Most of the time people think of balance as being able to stand on one foot without falling over. While that is one example of balance, there is so much more to it than that. Balance allows us to do so much – walk on uneven surfaces, walk in the dark without falling, be able to walk in the grocery store and scan the shelfs and walk without having to look down at our feet.}

_{It has such an impact on our life that we don’t even realize we are going it. As we age our balance has a natural decline, doing balance exercises and core exercises can help slow down that part of the aging process and even help prevent falls as you get older. What if you do end up falling? Can you get up on your own? Do you have the strength to get up without help from an object or another person? The answer may be no, which is scary. Resistance training can help give you the strength you need to get yourself back up after a fall where you find you are by yourself.}

_{4. Increased Hormonal Response}

_{As we age and go through life stages such as menopause, it is natural for the anabolic hormones in our body to decrease in function which can accelerate the lost of muscle mass and bone density. However, it is well known that an acute bout of exercise can stimulate an increase in anabolic hormone response. Studies in both Cardio and Resistance Training have shown to increase levels in Estradiol, Prolactin, Testosterone, Thyroid and many other anabolic hormones. Estradiol (the precursor to estrogen) and Prolactin (hormone for milk production and lactation) are both key to the development of women across all ages.}

_{5. Prenatal/Postnatal Exercise Response}

_{Regular exercise has been shown to have important health benefits after childbirth. A few published studies suggest that postpartum exercise improves aerobic capacity, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and insulin sensitivity. In prenatal and lactating women further studies have shown that there are no adverse effects to regular exercise.

These a 5 great reasons to start (or increase) a strength training program, and there are more including weight loss (but we didn’t want that one to steal the show). 😉}

Want to get started today? Try this Trip-Set Strength Training Workout:

Try this one!

Interested in working with an Empower Personal Trainer?

Book a FREE Session Here!

16Mar

Group Fitness is Back!

March 16, 2022 Jessica Bottesch 51

Drum Roll Please . . .

Something great is returning to Empower, and we are so excited.

As you know, we made a lot of big decisions throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and one of those decisions was to halt all group training sessions to minimize exposure to people from different households. However, as we emerge from the state of isolation that Covid has caused, we are re-launching our Small Group Training Classes. Yippee!!

Here’s what to love about this:

Small Group Training at Empower differs greatly from your typical group fitness studio class. You are not just another number in a large crowd because we limit our group size to 8 (for indoor sessions).

Our sessions are led by fully certified, very experienced, expert personal trainers or instructors. The best of the best!

Small Group Training is like personal training but with friends and more affordable. While personal training offers you the ultimate level of personalization, these small group sessions are small enough that the instructor can still help each individual person and with a much lower financial investment.

There is something for everyone with Small Group Sessions like:

Empower Circuit Training

Flow and Restore Yoga

Muscle Gaining Functional Training

Greatest HIIT’s

Barre – Yoga Fusion

and MORE . . .

Starting the week of March 21^st our new Group Fitness schedule will be in full swing and we offer a couple lunch time classes and several that start at 5:30pm so you can fit it in before heading home for the day.

REGISTER HERE for Small Group Training Classes: First Class is Complimentary!

(remember full class schedule begins 3/21so scroll to that date to see all classes)

SCHEDULE

Monday

12:30pm- 1:30pm – Empower Circuit Training with Brooke (in studio only)

5:30pm – 6:30pm – Flow and Restore Yoga with RJ (In-Studio and Virtual)

Tuesday

5:30pm – 6:15pm – Muscle Gaining Functional Training with Marques (in studio only)

Wednesday

11:30am – 12:30pm – Empower Circuit Training with Marques (in studio only)

5:30pm – Deep Stretch Yin Yoga with RJ (In-Studio and Virtual)

Thursday

9:00am – 9:45am – JAR Barre – Yoga Fusion with Judy (virtual only)

6:00pm – 6:45pm– Greatest HIIT’s Training with Marques (in studio only)

Friday

9:00am – 10am JAR Barre – Yoga Fusion with Judy (in studio only)

15Dec

Youth Athlete Development

December 15, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 19

Youth Athlete
Performance Development Program
By Dr. Chris Bruscato in partnership with Empower Fitness

Empower is thrilled to be partnering with Dr. Chris Bruscato PT, DPT, LAT, ATC, XPS to bring this NEW and exciting program to the Empower community.

Chris is a physical therapist, athletic trainer, and performance coach with a special interest in sports medicine, performance, and the development of youth athletes. He has created this specialized program to help youth athletes (and those who would like to become more athletic):

Develop robust levels of athleticism
Reduce risk of injury
Enhance health & well-being

Based on the latest scientific research on long-term athletic development in youth athletes, this program is unique in that we perform a detailed evaluation to understand what stage of development your child is in. From there we provide the most appropriate exercises that have been proven to improve:

Strength
Coordination
Balance/stability
Fundamental movement skills (squatting, pushing, pulling)
Sports specific skills (speed, agility, jumping, landing, sprinting, cutting)

How Does It Work: The Process.

STEP ONE: Evaluation – $129
Comprehensive eval and consultation assessing maturational age, flexibility, balance, movement competency, strength. Email Chris to Schedule Eval.

STEP TWO: Assign to training group
Based on the findings from evaluation, we will place your athlete into the correct training group.

STEP THREE: 8-Week Training Blocks – $209 / $389
Choose to train 1 or 2 times per week. This is an ongoing and progressive program that runs in 8-week blocks. First training block starts Jan. 23rd (limited spots)

STEP FOUR: Reevaluate
Reevaluate every 16 weeks, and continue to monitor for changes in development and make advancements to exercise programming.

The Training Groups

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Youth Academy (FUNdementals)
The FUNdementals training group is our foundational training group. For younger athletes with a focus on improving a wide variety of fundamental movements and developing self-esteem. We work on coordination, balance, and light resistance training and create a fun environment through the utilization of games, structured play, competition, and positive encouragement.

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Varsity Performance (Learn to Train)
The Learn to Train group is our intermediate training group. Adolescent aged athletes we focus on improving both fundamental movements skills, sport specific movement skills, and developing self-worth and confidence. Specifically, working on balance, jumping/landing/running technique, and moderate resistance training with a focus on core strengthening.

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D1 Performance (Train to Perform)
The Learn to Perform group is our advanced training group, where we focus on improving both the movements and psychological skills required for success in sport. These teens will move through a systematic sport progression, encompassing mobility, stability, speed/agility, power, and strength.

The Schedule

Evaluation appointments available starting December 11th

Deadline to schedule your child’s eval is Jan. 9th
Spaces are limited in each group, scheduling your eval secures your spot
Email Chris to Schedule Eval.

First block of 8-Week Training Groups begins January 23rd:

Academy

Sunday 9:30am
Wednesday 6pm
Friday 5pm

Varsity
- Sunday 10:30am
- Wednesday 7pm
- Friday 6pm
D1
- Sunday 11:30am
- Wednesday 8pm
- Friday 7pm

Meet the Coaches

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This Dynamic Duo bring years of experience, expertise and a ton of fun!

Learn More about Chris Bruscato and Cierra Dunston on their bios

Spaces are limited. Schedule your eval to reserve your spot!

Email Chris to Schedule Eval.

08Sep

Got Glutes?

September 8, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 25

There is far too much talk about what our backside looks like and not enough talk about what these muscles actually do.

Let’s look.

There are three different glute muscles:

Gluteus maximus

Gluteus medius

Gluteus minimus

Together, these muscles are the primary movers for hip extension, hip internal rotation, and hip abduction (moving the leg away from the midline of the body).

While the glute maximus is the largest and most powerful of the three, (and what I like to call one of your “pretty muscles” that gets a lot of hype because it contributes to what our bodies look like), the glute medius and minimus also play a really important role in controlling the motion of the pelvis and the femur, (they might not be as “pretty” but their function is key to smooth and pain free movement).

Our glutes do so much more than just produce movement at the hip. Strong glutes are important for proper pelvic alignment during running, and even support and balance when standing on one leg. And here is what might grab your attention:

Strong glutes help to support the lower back anytime we lift something

Strong glutes prevent knee injuries and pain during lifting and walking/running

Strong glutes are key to increasing power and athletic performance

Say that again–glutes help:

1. Reduce Back Pain:

Your glutes handle hip extension, but when your feet are fixed to the ground when standing, your glutes assist with raising the torso upward, like when you pick up a package from your front porch. Therefore, when your glutes are strong, you have a more stable pelvis and better support for your lower back. This means any load can be more evenly distributed through the lower back and lower extremities.

**One sign of weak glutes is a rounding of the back when you pick something up off the ground or perform a deadlift.

2. Reduce Knee Injury and Pain:

The pelvic stability the glutes provide is important for other reasons as well. Our lower extremities function together in a closed kinetic chain. When your pelvis isn’t stable, it puts a lot of pressure on your knees and ankles to compensate.

Instability at the hip can cause excessive medial rotation of the femur, which creates lateral tracking of your patella (kneecap). This improper lateral movement is a common source of knee pain.

3. Increase Power & Athletic Performance:

It doesn’t matter if you are an Olympic athlete or a weekend hiker, your glutes are essential to many active pursuits: acceleration, jumping, climbing, lifting, and more. Your glutes not only help you prevent injury, they are also your powerhouse. If you let your glutes get weak, you may find yourself less powerful and less effective on the golf course, the tennis court, your next road race, or the hikes you like to take.

So, how do you get stronger glutes?

Strength training, my friends (I know, that is my solution for almost everything).

Here are 7 of Empowers’ Trainers’ favorite Glute Strengthening Exercises (one for everyday of the week–hint, hint):

Clam shells

Lateral ankle band walks

Hip thrusters

Single leg squat

Single leg deadlift

Curtsey lunge

Lateral step-ups

If you would like more instruction on how to do these exercises or even better, a whole body fitness plan to help you reach your goals, we can help.

Schedule a FREE session with an Empower trainer and get started Today!

Want a quick Fab Four Fitness Moves workout to strength and stretch your glutes at home?

Check out this video and challenge yourself with this workout:

Single Leg RDL x 15 each leg

Curtsy Lunge x 15 each leg

Lunge with Forward Reach x 15 each leg

Figure 4 Stretch – hold 60 sec each leg Workout:

Repeat this circuit 3 times!

16Jun

Personal Training for DADS!

June 16, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 24

June is the month we celebrate Father’s Day and all the support and love our dads (and dad figures) pour into this world. They are strong beyond our concept of strength and loyal to the end of time. They are our biggest fans, our rocks, and often they are the ones to bring the FUN. In their arms we feel protected and loved.

Empower wants to help you show your special Dad (or dad figure) how much you care about them – by offering this Father’s Day Gift Card special.

Buy your favorite Dad, Grandfather, Friend or Uncle a gift of health and fitness and SAVE with these special Father’s Day Gift Card offers.

Gift cards can be purchased and delivered electronically–simply click the one of the offer links below to purchase a gift of 5 personal training sessions (either 30 minute or 60 minute sessions) with one of our expert fitness professionals and then personalize your gift card with a message and graphic of your choice.

And, with Empower’s virtual training services, he doesn’t have to live locally!

Special Offers

5–30 Minute Personal Training Sessions

Normally $245–Special offer $215

5 – 60 Minute Personal Training Sessions

Normally $400 – Special offer $350

02Jun

Group Training is Back

June 2, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 26

PERSONAL GROUP TRAINING IN DURHAM–WE’RE BACK AT IT!

We are so super excited to announce that we are adding 2 IN STUDIO group training sessions to our schedule as we tip-toe back toward “normal”! YAY!!

We would love to have you join us. You don’t have to be a client or have a membership to attend group training sessions!

STARTING THIS WEEK!

💪🏽 Mondays 12:30pm – Empower Circuit with Brooke – Sign Up Here

🧘🏾‍♀️ Fridays 9am – Barre to Yoga Fusion with Judy–Sign Up Here

Our Group Training sessions differ from classes in big box gyms or even group fitness-focused studios because you are not just a number in a crowd. At Empower we strive to personalize every experience. Our group training sessions are led by certified trainers who know you (and your body) and can help change every exercise for every person in the group.

Get an excellent personal trainer-led workout, sweat with friends, get fit together!

25May

Empower ON DEMAND Training

May 25, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 27

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_{Whether investing in a personal trainer isn’t in your budget right now, or you don’t live close enough to Empower to come in to our studio, or you simply need the convenience of working out anytime and anywhere –}_{Empower On Demand Membership}_{is the perfect fitness solution for you!}

_{Empower On Demand Membership allows you to stream expertly designed workouts whenever and wherever you need them…}

_{Unlimited access to over a hundred workouts}
_{Wide variety of exercise formats from strength training and cardio circuits to balance and yoga – we have it all!}
_{Dynamic mobility videos for a pre-workout warm-up}
_{Stretching sessions perfect for post-workout cool-down}
_{New content added weekly}
_{Guidance and motivation from the expert trainers at Empower}

_{If you want well-programmed workouts from a team of professionals but need the convenience of an on-demand format, this can very much be your stand-alone fitness solution to help you achieve a stronger and healthier lifestyle.}

_{So, how is Empower different from any other streaming fitness service out there?}

_{At Empower, fitness is personal!}_{We are designing this membership}_{just for you,}_{so if you would like a certain type of workout that you don’t see in our library, simply send us an}_email_{and our team will create a workout based on your request! You will have 24/7 email access to our team so we can help change workouts and motivate you along the way. Just another way we personalize every Empower experience.}_{Are you ready for committing to YOU, your health, your fitness with the help of the Empower Team?}_{For less than one dinner out per month – you can have unlimited access to a wide variety of workouts to help you become stronger, healthier and happier. Plus, we add new content every week so you will never get bored.

What are you waiting for? Give this a try this month and don’t forget to let us know how we can tailor any workouts to your specific needs.}

22Apr

Metabolic Syndrome: Danger Ahead

April 22, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 29

Over the years we have had several clients come to us because they had recently been told by their doctors that they had (or were approaching) metabolic syndrome. You’ve probably heard of this condition, but you may not completely understand what it is. The best way to think about metabolic syndrome is as an advanced warning system. We can compare it to the lights and warning sounds at a railroad crossing.

This railroad warning system is telling you that unless you respond appropriately (you should stop your car before you drive across the tracks), you will risk being hit by a train.

That is exactly what metabolic syndrome is. It is a warning system that lets you know unless you respond appropriately to the warning signs; you are going to be putting your health in danger.

What is Metabolic Syndrome?

It’s called a syndrome because it isn’t a formal disease per se. Rather, it is a cluster of conditions that signal and lead to chronic and life-threatening illnesses. There are several conditions involved and in order to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome you must have at least three of them.

These conditions include:

A waistline of 40 inches or more for men and 35 inches or more for women (measured across the belly)
A blood pressure of 130/85 mm Hg or higher or are taking blood pressure medications
A triglyceride level above 150 mg/dl
A fasting blood glucose (sugar) level greater than 100 mg/dl or are taking glucose-lowering medications
A high-density lipoprotein level (HDL) less than 40 mg/dl (men) or under 50 mg/dl (women) ¹

Even if you are just barely in the risk categories of three conditions, such as having slightly high blood pressure, slightly increased blood sugar and a belly measurement of just over 35 (for women) and 40 (for men) inches, you are still in the danger zone. Your body is signaling to you that the environment inside your blood vessels, heart and other organs is toxic and under great duress. Even though it is still early, damage is occurring. The lights are flashing; the horns sound.

What is the risk?

So what’s the danger? What is this toxic environment producing? Someone with metabolic syndrome is at high risk for developing heart disease, diabetes, stroke, kidney problems, blood clots, reduced insulin production and even dementia.

The most at-risk people are those who have extra fat in their abdomen and waist, who have a family history of diabetes, and who have skin changes called acanthosis nigricans (darkened skin on the back of their neck or under their arms) and skin tags (usually on the neck).

Reversing Metabolic Syndrome: You can do this!

And now for glorious news: metabolic syndrome is not only preventable, but even if you already have it, you can reverse it with lifestyle changes.

The first thing to do is lose any extra weight that you are carrying. I know this is difficult – but Empower is here to help. We recommend eating a whole-foods, balanced diet that is high lean proteins & vegetables, as well as some fruit and nuts. Of course, limit the processed stuff! You really are what you eat! If you would like help to create a nutrition plan that will help you lose weight and feel great, we highly recommend you schedule a FREE get to know you session with our Registered Dietitian, Michael Raynor. Remember, weight loss is probably 80% diet and 20% exercise.

Second, be sure to get regular exercise (at least 150 minutes per week). Not only will this burn extra calories and help to prevent further weight gain, but it will really condition and strengthen your cardiovascular system. You will also use insulin more efficiently as you increase your exercise. There is also good evidence that metabolic training is helpful in preventing or fighting metabolic syndrome – so if you have any of the conditions listed above, please ask your trainer about it. If you aren’t currently working with a trainer – we know of some great ones who can help you! Sign up for a FREE initial session today!

Preventing and reversing metabolic syndrome is a lifelong commitment:

You are changing your lifestyle. If you already have some of the warning signs, respect those signs as you respect the flashing lights and blaring horns of a railroad crossing. It’s time to take action, and we are here to help!

Sources:

¹ http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/metabolic_syndrome/hic_metabolic_syndrome.aspx