19Sep

R.J. is Back at Empower!

September 19, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 1

This is the best news we have had to share in a long time . . .

For those of you who have been at Empower long enough to remember R.J. Lisander, it thrills us to announce SHE IS COMING BACK to Empower!

For those of you who have yet to meet R.J., you are in for a real treat, one that will make an impactful difference in your life.

R.J. is an amazing yoga and mediation teacher and an all-around incredible human. Her practices are peace and love and understanding and nurturing movement all rolled up into one.

If, like so many of us, you are operating in a constant cycle of stress, R.J.’s new offerings are just what your body, mind and spirit need. She will offer 2 unique restorative yoga trainings and a movement and mediation workshop – all will be offered both in-studio and virtually through Zoom. So, whether you would like to experience these sessions in our beautiful studio or have the convenience and comfort of participating from home – we’ve got you covered.

R.J. joins us from Greece (where she is currently) with this message. R.J. takes it away:

Yoga at Empower:

Flow and Restore Yoga: Mondays 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Starting Oct. 4

Accessible In-studio and livestream through Zoom.

This yoga flow helps you focus and reset, even after the busiest of days. In this class, we’ll work the whole body in gentle Vinyasa-inspired moon salutations to work off some of the heat of the day and will wind down in longer held poses designed to bring the body and mind into alignment setting you up for a focused evening to be enjoyed with people and events you enjoy the most. No experience needed. All are welcome.

Blanket, Bolster, and blocks are recommended, but not required. Empower can provide for in-studio participants, but please feel free to bring your own.

Deep Stretch Yin Yoga: Wednesdays 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Starting Oct. 6th

Accessible In-studio and livestream through Zoom

Perfect for everybody, this class will remind you of the importance of longer held, deep poses that stretch tight muscles, lubricate the fascia and strengthen muscles around the joints. Because the class focuses on slow, mostly mat-based poses, the challenge of this class often goes beyond the pose itself and to the power of the mind-body connection. You will leave class feeling stronger, more flexible and agile in body and mind. No experience needed. All are welcome.

Blanket, Bolster, and blocks are recommended, but not required. Empower can provide for in-studio participants, but please feel free to bring your own.

Meditation at Empower:

Mindful Movement and Meditation: 4 Week Series – Sundays, 4:00 – 4:45 pm

Starting Oct. 17^th

If you are one of the majority who thinks you can’t meditate because you can’t sit still, we designed this class for you. By incorporating qigong and tai chi-inspired movements prior to meditation, you will release built up energy in the body, allowing the mind to settle so you can receive the benefit of a guided meditation. This 45-minute class is perfectly balanced with movement and meditation so you won’t get bored. No experience needed. All Welcome.

Blanket, Bolster, and blocks are recommended, but not mats. Empower can provide for in-studio participants, but please feel free to bring your own.

Registration coming soon.

More about R.J. Lisander:

Coming to yoga later in life, RJ was well aware of the physical modifications her athletic, yet aging body needed during yoga classes. Sadly, because of the size of classes, instructors weren’t always able to offer options to provide the ease she needed to practice with confidence. As her practice and interest in yoga continued, she completed yoga teacher training and began guiding others through class sequences. As a guide, RJ quickly witnessed the diversity in range of movement and desire for practitioners to push to a pose that was counter to the needs of not only healthy or aging bodies but also bodies moving with injury and/or dis-ease. While she did what she could to offer alternatives and modifications in class, RJ just knew there had to be a more inclusive way to offer yoga and meditation practices. From there, the seed for that inclusive style of yoga was planted. The result is a practice philosophy that considers the idea that not all bodies have lived the same lives, so it is unreasonable to expect all bodies to move and interpret poses in the same way. With this as a foundation to her offerings, RJ co-creates spaces and sequences with class participants in a way that offers challenge to all, while highlighting the importance of utilizing props and taking modifications to allow for an easing into poses through awareness and compassion for self.

As group and private sessions have grown with the philosophy of making yoga and meditation accessible, RJ has the honor of working with not only healthy, competitive athletes and weekend warriors, she also shares the same spaces and sequences with many individuals recovering from injury, surgery, new and old medical diagnoses (including auto-immune disease), trauma, and caregivers. As a natural extension of these interactions, RJ offers more than a space to practice yoga and meditation, she offers a schedule, mindset practices and online tools to help you make the practices of mindful meditation and conscious movement a more accessible part of your everyday life.

RJ speaks and teaches internationally on the topics of mindfulness and conscious movement. She is the founder of Lotus Seed Meditations and Lotus Seed Lifestyles. She is a certified wellness counselor, Cornell University. RJ completed her 200-hour Prana Flow® teacher certification from Evolve Movement, Raleigh, NC and a 200-hr certification in yoga therapy through Kripalu, Birkshires, MA. Additional qualifications in Divine Sleep® Yoga Nidra through Kripalu, and pre/post-natal care yoga through Asheville Yoga Center, Trauma Informed Yoga through Yoga International and Advanced Yin Practices through Yoga Medicine. She is a certified instructor and facilitator with LoveYourBrain’s six-week FUNdamentals Yoga and online Mindset Programs. She completed Shamanic Reiki I and II through Shamanic Reiki Worldwide and has certificates in hand and foot reflexology. RJ holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Creative Writing from West Virginia University.

Welcome R.J. we are so grateful and excited to have you back.

08Sep

Got Glutes?

September 8, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 4

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!

24Jun

Fueling for Performance, Recovery and Results

June 24, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 24

By Michael Raynor, MS, RD, LDN

Eating the right things at the right times around our workouts is one of the biggest things we can do to improve our performance for our workouts and improve our recovery from them—ensuring that we’re getting the most out of them. It also is one of the most neglected areas of nutrition for active people. The good news is, it just a few tweaks in the pre-, during, and post- workout periods can have a huge effect on our performance and recovery. It also doesn’t have to be complicated, so I want to keep this fairly simple and short so that it’s easier to remember and apply.

Background

Just a few reminders about the macronutrients before we get into nutrient timing around workouts. To keep things simple, carbohydrates are our body’s fast energy source and are the primary energy source during exercise. We can’t store very much carbohydrate in our bodies for future use, so it’s important to make sure we’re topped off on carbs before workouts. Fat is a good fuel source for lower intensity activity and inactivity, but it’s less efficient and less preferred by the body for high-intensity activity, so it’s less crucial right around workouts. Finally, protein is the building block of many tissues in the body, especially muscle, so it’s important to get enough protein in order to rebuild and repair from workouts. So, let’s look at how to time these nutrients.

Pre-Workout

Before a workout, the goal of our meals and snacks is to make sure we’re hydrated and fueled. We want to make sure we’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day; the best way to gauge your hydration is by the color of your pee. The goal is for our pee to be pale yellow (no darker than the color of pale lemonade), but not clear. So, if your pee is darker than that, drink some more water until it lightens up, and if it’s clear, lay off the water for until your pee is back to a pale-yellow color.

We also want to make sure that our pre-workout meal/snack is fueling and helping us, not bogging us down. The closer to your activity, the smaller and simpler a meal/snack should be. The further out from activity, the larger and more complex a meal can be. This is a simple issue of digestion. We take time to break down and process the food we eat, and protein and fat slow down the rate that food moves through our body—this is a really favorable thing outside of workouts because it helps our food keep us full for longer, but right around our workouts, we want to use the energy from our food in a timelier manner. Since digestion takes some time, if we’re having a pre-workout snack in the hour before our workout, we want to keep it a little smaller and simpler (like a piece of fruit, a piece or two of toast, an energy bar, or even a piece of fruit and some nut butter). If we’re eating a little farther out from our workout, say 2-3 hours in advance, that can be more of a normal meal with an emphasis on carbs (for example, a sandwich with a side of fruit or rice with protein and veggies).

Everyone is different, so it may take a little experimentation to find what works for you regarding what foods you eat before a workout and when. Don’t be afraid to test some things out.

During Workout

I always tell my clients that hydration is the key to success. I won’t go off on a tangent on all the ways dehydration negatively affects us, but proper hydration is one of the biggest things we can do to feel and perform better in our workouts. We can set ourselves up for success by heading into workouts hydrated, and by staying hydrated during our workouts.

If your workout is an hour or less, you can drink plain water during the workout to stay hydrated. For workouts longer than an hour, it’s a good idea to incorporate a sports drink that contains electrolytes and carbohydrates to keep you fueled and to prevent dehydration.

Post-Workout

Workouts do a few things to our body. They cause microscopic damage to the muscle, and they cause our body to breakdown stored carbohydrates (glycogen). We have three main goals with our nutrition after a workout. Remember that our glycogen stores are pretty limited, so one of our nutrition goals after a workout is to replenish that glycogen by making sure we eat carbohydrates. One of our other main nutrition goals after a workout is to ensure we’re getting protein in to help repair muscle damage and rebuild muscle. The amount of protein and carbohydrate you need after a workout is specific to your calorie and macronutrient needs, but a general rule that can help to maximize recovery is a 3:1 ratio of carbs: protein (for example, if you have 15g protein, aim for 60g carb).

Our third goal of our post-workout nutrition is to REHYDRATE. You may have gathered by now that I’m huge on hydration and really reinforce it. One easy way to do this is to weigh yourself before your workout and again after; aim to drink 16-24oz of water after your workout for every pound of weight that you lost. For example, if you lost 2 lbs over the course of your workout, aim to drink 32-48oz of water to help with rehydrating. Again, monitoring our pee color is a great way to check in with how we’re doing with rehydrating.

If you have questions or want to know the specifics of how to apply these recommendations, drop us a line HERE to set up a FREE initial consultation with Michael.

02Jun

Group Training is Back

June 2, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 11

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 12

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Description automatically generated

_{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.}

12May

Empower ON DEMAND Coming Soon!

May 12, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 7

Our team is excited to announce that our Empower On Demand Workout Central – a workout video library built by our expert trainers just for you – has gotten A LOT more user friendly. This new membership site offers a large variety of workout formats, intensity levels, and durations – so you will find sessions that fit your goals, your fitness level and your schedule.

Empower On Demand Workout Central is the perfect solution for your off-day workouts (when you are not meeting with your trainer) or as a standalone fitness solution (you do NOT have to be a current Empower client to take part). For less money than 1 dinner out to eat ($30/month) you can have the expertise of our training team on demand.

We are very excited to be launching this new membership option! Also, we’ll be adding new content regularly and because we want this to be THE BEST solution for your fitness needs, please let us know if there is anything you would like to see added.

Interested in learning more? Email me and I can answer all of your questions and put you on the waitlist for when it goes live.

03May

Mother’s Day Special

May 3, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 11

07Feb

Survey Response

February 7, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 32

As we moved into this new year, with so many changes afoot, I felt it was important to check in with you, our loyal clients, to see how we could serve you better.

We asked, you spoke, we listened!

Now, I would like to share some responses we received and our solutions to the requests or issues you raised, because after all – we do what we do for YOU! This is YOUR EMPOWER.

**These are paraphrased, and similar requests combined.

How Can We Improve In-studio Sessions?

Feedback 1: Would like an area where I could warm up before an appointment.
Our Response: We have two rooms (the smaller and larger group fitness rooms) that can be used for general warm up. The small room has a Peloton bike, ankle bands, and foam rollers. The larger room has a row machine, ankle bands and foam rollers. Please, just notify your trainer that you would like to arrive early to warm up and they can tell you which room is available.

Feedback 2: Would like general access to the studio at times I am not working with a trainer.
Our Response: We have taken the COVID-19 pandemic seriously and have tried to create the safest possible environment for our clients and trainers. With this goal, we created workout area “pods” for each client (or client small group) – so we could limit the amount of space sharing. Therefore and likely until positive test rates drop below 4% and the vaccination rate increases significantly. If we were to allow open studio access, we could not maintain our workout pod set up. However, we have other ways to help you stay active on the days you are not working with your trainer. Please see Your Off-Day Workout Options section below.

Feedback 3: I would like to come in to use the treadmill on days I am not working with a trainer.
Our Response: Our team has decided that we can make a special case for clients who would like to come in on an off day to use a piece of stationary cardio equipment with a few stipulations. Please contact your trainer to “reserve” time on a piece of cardio equipment. They will make sure someone will be present at the studio to let you in and be there for the duration of the time you are exercising. You must use the screens to create a workout pod around the piece of equipment you are using and if another client is in the studio working out you must keep your mask on. Again, our number 1 goal is your health and the safety of our community.

How Can We improve Virtual Sessions?

Feedback 1: I get better visuals when my trainer uses an iPad or computer versus a phone.
Our Response: Luckily, Empower supplies all trainers with an iPad and we addressed this issue in our last team meeting. The only time trainers might need to use their phone instead of an iPad or computer is if the Wi-Fi signal is weak or breaking up and they need to use the cellular signal on their phone to connect with you.

Feedback 2: It would be nice if the trainers had a better set up for the virtual appointments.
Our Response: We agree and as we recover from the financial effects this pandemic has had on our business, we imagine creating space within our studio with better visual and audio tech for virtual appointments. However, currently many of our trainers are training using this format and often are doing it from their homes. We will keep you posted as we improve and evolve our virtual training services.

Feedback 3: I worry about my form and getting injured if I am not doing the exercise correctly and my trainer can’t see me from all angles.
Our Response: This is definitely a concern of ours because seeing you on a screen makes you 2 dimensional and not 3 dimensional and sometimes clients go outside the camera view while exercising. Giving good cueing and helping to ensure suitable form is tougher when we are not in person, but we have addressed this issue at multiple team meetings and believe that a couple things can help. For starters, your trainer can give both verbal cues AND visual cues – so if you are not sure what to do, please ask for them to demonstrate the exercise. Also, our trainers will make sure they have a good view of how you are performing the exercise and ask you to reposition the web cam if they cannot see you. Hopefully, with a focus on form and diligence, all workouts will be safe and effective.

Feedback 4: Need more low-intensity workout videos.
Our Response: Oh, just you wait! We are completely revamping and reorganizing our Empower On Demand video library, and it will be so much more user friendly. And we will definitely add more moderate level and lower intensity workouts in all areas (yoga, strength, cardio circuit, mobility, balance). Stay tuned!
Feedback 5: I would like to know ahead of time what equipment I need for my workout, so I don’t waste time gathering things once the appointment has started.
Our Response: We totally get it, and anyone who feels this way just needs to let your trainer know. They can easily send you a quick text before your appointment so you can be set up and ready to sweat when the virtual sessions starts.

What other service or offerings would make us (more) excellent fitness partners for you in your health journey?

Feedback 1: Would love water-based workouts or if Empower had an affiliation with a local pool.
Our Response: This is a great idea! Empower will probably never have a pool of its own, but partnering with a local pool is definitely doable. This is something we can investigate later this year when COVID-19 is less of a threat and other organizations may be more amenable to having outside members coming into their facility. Thanks for the suggestion!

Feedback 2: Would love partner-based workout videos on Empower On Demand (both exercise and stretching videos)
Our Response: We love this idea – partners working out together at home! We are adding this to the list of videos to produce and will post them when they are ready. Again, we will upgrade the whole Empower On Demand service – stay tuned!

Feedback 3: Would love full locker rooms, sauna, steam room, cold baths etc.

Our Response: You might remember that just a few short weeks before this pandemic hit, we had just signed a lease extension that included an expansion and renovation of our studio. We were hoping to do a big locker room make-over. However, with months of forced closure and decreased business, it would not be fiscally responsible for us to take this on at this time. Our focus turned immediately to our employees and keeping their income stable. That remains the number one goal, but hey it never hurts to dream and put big goals out into the atmosphere. While we might not be adding a steam room soon, see the next section about recovery sessions.

Feedback 4: Would love boxing classes or individual workouts

Our Response: Boxing workouts are great exercise, fun and allow you to vent any pent-up frustrations (which we all have after a year of Covid-life). Almost any trainer should be able to create a fun but serious boxing workout for you, but we have a couple trainers in particular who have great experience and love this style of fitness. Please just let your trainer know this is your jam and they will either serve you up some hard-hitting boxing workouts or get you scheduled with Chuck or Amanda.

Feedback 5: Would love mindfulness or meditation videos

Our Response: YES! We all need more peace in our lives, and this could definitely help. I will reach out to three fabulous meditation guides I know to see if they would take this project on. Stay tuned, I will let you know what I get worked out.

Feedback 6: Would love recovery sessions where a trainer spends a full 30 minute passively stretching me and using the Thera-gun massage tool on problem areas.

Our Response: You read our minds! We are converting the small fitness room into more of a Recovery Zone and all of our trainers are already proficient or training on passive and PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching techniques. Soon you will be able to purchase add-on Recovery Sessions to make your workout experience complete. If you need pain relief, increased range of motion, reduced muscle stiffness and soreness, or faster recovery from workouts these sessions, that incorporate corrective exercise techniques, total body stretching or massage gun percussive therapy, are just what your trainer ordered.

We are launching a new Nutrition Services arm of Empower in 2021 – would you be interested in working with an Empower dietitian to bring more focus and attention to how you are fueling your body?

Feedback 1: 43% of survey participants said “Yes, please!”

Our Response: I am excited about expanding our Nutrition Services and I am meeting with a potential Registered Dietitian partner tomorrow! Again, stay tuned for details coming soon.

Thank you to all who took part in this survey. Your thoughts and opinions mean so much to us and we strive to provide the very best service possible. I always have an open door and ear so please email me anytime: Jessica@becomepowerful.com.

15Jan

Fab 4 Fitness Moves – Suspension Training

January 15, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 28

Suspension training is a fantastic way to spice up your workout. Try these Fab 4 moves and see.

Use these Fab 4 TRX Moves in the Workout:

15 TRX Rows
15 TRX Pushups
10 TRX Single leg squats – Right Leg
10 TRX Single leg squats Left Leg

REPEAT 3x

Spread the Empower love. Share this awesome workout with friends.

08Jan

Fab 4 Fitness Moves – Hamstring Strength

January 8, 2021 Jessica Bottesch 29

Hamstring strength allows you to move efficiently, improves posture, and helps prevent injury. Add these Fab 4 Moves to your workout.

Use these Fab 4 Hamstring Strengthening Moves in the Workout:

10 Deadlifts
20 Swings
15 Hamstring curls
15 Hip drops

REPEAT 2-3x

Spread the Empower love. Share this awesome workout with friends.

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

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