Okay, I am going to sound like that nagging mom who reminds you to eat your vegetables, but this missing component of fitness – MOBILITY – is as important as veggies (almost). No matter your age or your fitness level, maintaining or increasing your mobility is very important, especially if you want to prevent injuries, correct muscle imbalances, build more muscle, or even simply move well and pain free.
While HIIT studios and heavy lifting gyms are super popular right now and those intense workouts are a bit more “sexy” for social media posts, there is a lot more to overall fitness than pools of sweat and big muscles. In fact, having good mobility may be one of the most important factors as you age. There are 5 really important components of fitness, and all of them deserve some time and attention in your overall fitness plan.
Let’s review:
5 Critical Comments of a Well-Rounded Fitness Plan:
Strength Training
Cardiovascular Endurance
Mobility Training
Corrective Exercise & Balance Training
Rest and Restorative Practices
Today we are focusing on MOBILITY because it is often the forgotten component (or the one we skip out on). One of the first things you need to understand is that mobility differs from flexibility. Flexibility is the ability of a muscle to temporarily stretch when needed, whereas mobility is the ability of a joint to actively and with control move through its intended range of motion. So while flexibility helps us become more mobile – it is only one part of the equation.
Other contributing factors are the structure and biomechanics of our joints, tendons and ligaments, and the strength we have to stabilize and control motion around each joint. There is little you can do about the structure of things, but here are some things you can do to help your overall mobility:
3 Ways to Increase Mobility
Perform soft tissue work like self-myofascial release (foam rolling, for example).
Perform full range of motion compound exercises. Compound exercises are big multi-joint movements like push-ups, pull-ups, bench press, squats and deadlifts.
Perform isolated exercise for specific muscles or body parts. Especially where you have muscle imbalances or weakness. Focusing on stretching what is tight and strengthening what is weak.
Do you know what areas of your body need some work? If not, talk to your trainer so they can help you develop a mobility plan – and then it’s up to you to make it happen. We promise it will pay off in the long run. All you need to do is dedicate a few minutes a day to doing a little mobility work. One of the simplest solutions is to add the recommended exercises to your pre-workout warm up or post-workout cool down.
Here is one of many mobility exercises that can help with movement at the hip, which is essential for almost everything we do – from standing up to walking, climbing, and jumping – to sitting back down.
As I mentioned above, MOBILITY is not the same thing as FLEXIBILITY and therefore not all mobility exercises are stretches.
Please check out this video and the others we have included in our Mobility Exercise Library. Start incorporating these into your weekly routine and be on your way to more fluid and pain-free movement!
Boxing is an impressive addition to your fitness toolbox. Benefits include increased hand eye coordination, upper body/ core strengthening, and boosted endurance. Try these Fab 4 moves and see.
Use these Fab 4 Boxing Moves in the Workout:
Back hand x 15ea Jabs x 30 Upper cuts x 30 Monkey x 20
This Benefit Shouldn’t Be Underestimated . . . Personal Trainers Hold You Accountable.
Why did you invest in a personal trainer? Was it . . .
“I needed to lose weight,”
“I wanted to get stronger,”
“To prepare for a certain athletic or life event,” or
“Just to be healthier and feel fit.”
All great reasons because as personal trainers we provide exercise plans that are specific to your goals. We help you keep correct form and ensure you’re performing exercises safely, and give you guidance on what to eat or other healthy habits. However, there’s something else that a personal trainer provides that might be the ultimate benefit: accountability.
I have worked with Lori Ireland as her trainer for over 20 years. She will be the first one to tell you she would not be as consistent or as thorough in her fitness plan if it wasn’t for our weekly appointments. Not only is she committed to her health, she feels committed to me for showing up – it works both ways.
Here are some ways in which a trainer helps you stick to your fitness plan.
Never skip a workout.
Okay, so maybe not NEVER, but once you have committed to your trainer, you’re more obligated to show up. Whether that is at the studio or on Zoom. We are all more likely to keep the commitments we make with others than the ones we make with ourselves. You can also get this kind of accountability from a good workout partner, but with a trainer you get the added benefit of having them expertly guide each workout and overall fitness plan. Not to mention, your trainer has a vested interest in helping you achieve your goals. They care deeply about you and your health, and it is their job, their passion, their livelihood – if you succeed, they succeed.
Money talks.
Most of you believe that investing in your health and wellness is the best money you spend, but let’s face it no one wants to waste hard earned money. Statistics show there is more follow through when services are being paid for – there is more skin in the game, so to speak. Why pay for something that you don’t plan on taking full advantage of, right?
Showing up is only the beginning.
Exercising can be hard work, and not everyone looks forward to a tough sweat session. However, when you have a trainer there guiding you through, you not only get a customized workout that is aligned with your fitness goals, but you also have someone by your side motivating you through every rep! They will ensure you do the right exercises, with the right amount of weight to reach your goals and they should also make it FUN!
Life happens, but we are always here.
Our trainers deeply care about each one of you and that doesn’t end when you leave the studio (or the Zoom session). Your trainer will probably encourage you to adopt other healthy habits and help keep tabs on those as well. How is your nutrition, do you sleep well at night, are you staying hydrated throughout the day, etc. So even when life happens and you slip up, or you fall off the workout train for a little while, your trainer will continue to check in with you and help you get back on track when you feel derailed.
Would you or someone in your life value the accountability a trainer can provide? If so, we would love to help you/them keep their health on top of their priority list.
When this pandemic first hit and we were forced (willingly for most) to shelter at home, we had to reimagine, among many things, how we would keep exercising. Some immediately jumped into virtual exercise programs or virtual personal training, some met with their trainer or exercise group outside, some stopped their normal fitness studio/gym routine but took advantage of the nice spring weather and started walking, running, biking or working in their yard for exercise, and others might have become A LOT more sedentary.
As fitness experts here is one thing we are emphasizing with our clients is strength training (aka resistance training or lifting weights) and here’s why:
“Over 30 years of clinical research has shown that muscle-strengthening exercise increases muscle mass, strength and bone mineral density. It improves our body’s capacity to clear sugar and fat from the bloodstream, and improves our ability to perform everyday activities such as walking up stairs or getting in and out of a chair. It can also reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.”
Now in pandemic life more than ever with fitness facilities closed or going out of business, the realistic fear of contracting the coronavirus if you were to go to a public gym, and the way so much of life has shifted to sitting behind a computer, finding ways to safely and effectively strength train has become a challenge for many people. This is where Empower can help.
Who in your life needs strength training?
One of our longest standing clients, Asila, who is also our BFF and “Auntie Si” to our children, recognized this exact predicament for her mom Annis (who is also “Nama Annis” to our girls).
Annis is an active, go-getter and very in tune with her physical and emotional health. However, when the pandemic hit and her gym closed, so did her strength training routine. While she was still walking, doing a little yoga and even purchased an elliptical, when Asila asked her mom what she was doing for resistance training, Annis knowingly responded “Well… not enough.”
Asila’s brutally honest reaction: “Mom, that is NOT okay!”
And she had a perfect solution in mind. Asila already knew firsthand how impactful working with an expert Empower trainer had been for her, and she immediately called us. Annis now trains with Nestor weekly (virtually from California) with a customized resistance training program that incorporates full-body strength training and postural corrective exercises designed specific to her needs.
If there is someone in your life who:
Has never really established a solid strength training plan
Has had their resistance training routine interrupted during the pandemic
Suffers from osteopenia, osteoporosis, age-related muscle atrophy (sacropenia), or decreased strength and function
One blessing of this pandemic is it catapulted our Empower team into virtual personal training, something we had been doing a little, but it wasn’t the norm. Now, we have a seamless and effective way to offer our personalized training services to people around the globe – and we are on a mission to EMPOWER more folks.
Together we are STRONG and as we build strength, we build health.
Having strong legs increases cardiovascular function, decreases risk of injury, and can improve speed and power. Add these Fab 4 Moves and take leg day to the next level.
Use these Fab 4 Leg Strengthening Moves in the Workout:
Tempo Reverse Lunge – 10 each leg Lunge Jumps – 30 seconds Tempo Squats – 15 Jump Squats – 30 seconds
A plank doesn’t always have to be just a plank. Use variations to keep yourself amused and motivated while you work that core. Try our Fab 4 moves and see.
Use these Fab 4 Plank Variation Moves in the Workout:
Plank Jacks x 20 Shoulder Taps x 20 Plank Up Downs x 10 Spiderman Plank x 20
Thank You for Celebrating our 15th Anniversary with Us!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but we would need 1000 pictures (and this is just a small sample from Sunday) to capture our gratitude for all of you – our clients, our team and our fitness community! Thank you for all the years of sweat and support. We are excited for what comes next, even through the uncertainty of this pandemic, because TOGETHER WE ARE STRONG!
Cheers to 15+ more years . . .
Shout out to these small businesses that made our celebration more special
Not only are Adam of Adam Lee Decker Music(and his band) and Kathleen Pace of Amelya Jayne Photographyamazing at their craft, superb human beings and our dear friends – they are also fitness professionals themselves (and both worked on our Empower team in the past).
To say we LOVE them is an understatement, and we HIGHLY recommend that you follow their work and hire them if you need their services. (click links below to learn more)
Thank you Adam, Chuck, and Oren. Thank you, Kathleen. You have been part of our story and we are eternally grateful!
The seasons are shifting and now with one less hour of daylight you may need more options for fast, effective, INDOOR workouts.
Your Empower TEAM has your back and we’ve carefully designed over 150 workouts that you can do anytime/anywhere with minimal equipment.
This on-the-go solution is perfect for those days when you are not meeting with your trainer or when you don’t want to think about what to do. With a wide variety of high intensity workouts, low-intensity options, strength training, cardio training, and flexibility and mobility routines, there is literally something for EVERYone. Here’s a sample of the content available and 3 workouts for you to try this week:
If you are reading this then you have been a part of our amazing fitness journey. Through ups and downs, though many of life’s milestones, through great times and tough times, we have continued to workout together, sweat together, laugh and sometimes cry together and care about each other.
We are grateful. We are proud. We are ready to CELEBRATE! (Covid-Style)
YOU’RE INVITED November 1st 2:00pm – 4:00pm Join us for a socially distanced, drive-by type celebration of our 15 years of workouts, friendships, and a stronger, healthier, happier Empower community.
The most important exercise we can all do between now and Nov. 3rd is to vote, and since there is power in numbers we are trying to encourage everyone to get to the polls.
We are launching a bit of an Exercise Your Right To Vote campaign and we need your help.We want to showcase our Empower Community flexing their power through voting in hopes that we can motivate more people in our community to let their voice be heard through their ballots. Please send us any pics you have of you or your family members voting or with their “I VOTED” sticker. Simply send pics to owners@becomepowerful.com.
When we vote we are not only representing the individual power we have as a constituent, we also highlight the power of our local community, city and state. #EmpoweredCommunity
Three Free Workouts to Try
We hear from clients all the time that they just don’t know how to structure their workouts from home. Let us help you!
Here’s 3 workouts you can do this week besides your routine.
Whether you are a regular personal training client, you prefer our on-demand training portal or you are just looking for something new, you’re going to LOVE having on less thing on your plate.We took the planning out of what to do when you carve out the time to workout. besides
Like what you see here? Did you know we have an entire On Demand library with over 150 workouts that you can access anytime, anywhere. Interested – just email us. Or if you are missing being TOGETHER . . . We also have opportunities to workout with others in our community via Zoom