Strength training is a vital part of health and strength now and as you age. But what if everytime you try it, you feel weaker, sore, or injured? You are not alone. There is a lack of proper instruction on how to lift weights safely and effectively. This leads many Read more…
One question we get all the time is, “Am I doing the right core exercises?” It’s a great question with a straightforward answer. Consider working to strengthen all four motions of the core when exercising specifically for health goals. Exercise For Life is about using exercise to live the life Read more…
Everyone talks about relaxation techniques to improve flexibility. But really, lacking flexibility is a sign from your body that it needs to be stronger, not more relaxed. I know, I know. In your head, building strength and building flexibility mean entirely different things. But they aren’t. Building strength and building Read more…
The least appealing thing a personal trainer can say to you is that to be healthy you have to change your lifestyle. Really, I should take that back. This is only unappealing if you are not up for changing or ready for big changes.
Today I am writing to those people that are in this boat. I am going to highlight 4 things you can do that are SO SIMPLE and will change your health for the better without completely inconveniencing yourself.
Check out this fantastic testimonial below from one of Julie’s rock star MAT™ clients, Sue! Sue had been suffering from leg and knee issues when her friend reccomended she look into Muscle Activation Techniques™ at Muscle Activation Schaumburg.
As an avid tennis player, Sue wanted to get back to playing the game she loves on a regular basis. Julie started working with her to improve her muscular system through the Muscle Activation Techniques™ process in addition to specific resistance training for her hips and knees.
After seeing Julie consistently for a number of months, she has been able to not only return to the tennis court, but keep her body tuned up and feeling great with homework exercises to compliment her maintenance MAT™ sessions at Muscle Activation Schaumburg.
Imagine this. You meet a new friend and this friend has never eaten a strawberry. As you hear about this craziness, you realize that you must describe to this person what it is like to eat a nice, juicy strawberry.
Think about that for a moment. How would you fully describe to someone what it is like to eat a strawberry?
When I think about this, my ending thought every time is “well, you really just need to try it yourself.” Were you thinking the same thing? Probably.
This is because eating something as simple as a strawberry is an experience. It’s not something that can be fully experienced by another person through a description of it. You actually must experience the experience of eating a strawberry to fully understand and to fully relate.
Working with a personal trainer is like this. It is an experience indescribable with words. BUT, I am writing this blog post to share parts of the personal training experience that individuals that have never worked with a personal trainer may not consider…. Since they have never worked with a personal trainer.
Check out this awesome testimonial from one of Julie’s amazing MAT™ clients, Sadie! Sadie had been suffering from an IT band issue as well as a knee issue for a year and a half before she found Julie. She had tried everything she could find to help with her issue, but it wasn’t until she tried MAT™ that she noticed significant improvement. Now she is back to running over three miles and is running faster than ever!
Check out this awesome testimonial from one of Julie’s rockstar personal training clients, Kaili Harding-Kaminski! Kaili and Julie have been working together for over four months now and Kaili has seen some awesome results. Kaili describes the changes with how she looks and feels throughout the day as well as while she is working out. She also speaks to the importance of the accountability that Julie provides for her on a regular basis and how that impacts her decisions when she is not at Muscle Activation Schaumburg.
When my personal training clients start working with me on exercise related tasks, they quickly realize that I am always preaching about moving slowly, moving with control, using as much support as possible, and lifting with significant weight. There almost always becomes a time when a client will ask, “Will we always train like this?”. This is such a legitimate question for two main reasons. 1) I don’t know of any other fitness professionals (except my colleagues from my path of study) or gyms that endorse this, and 2) people always want to know that they are doing the best thing for their body to help with their goals.
Here is my answer: We will always have a significant portion of your training be like this (slow, controlled, lots of support, and significant weight). Why? This is the Gold Standard of exercise, in my opinion. Let me tell you why. (more…)
Check out this fantastic testimonial from Cindy, one of Julie’s rock star personal training clients! Cindy has been working with Julie for the past three months and has noticed some drastic changes in her body. She describes the challenges she faced while trying to exercise once she turned 50 and how Julie has helped her with those. She speaks to the importance of lifting weights in a mindful manner and not just doing cardio to support her health. She also talks about how the strength training she has done with Julie has helped her joints feel better and has improved her self-confidence.
