“In the bottle before you is a pill, a marvel of modern medicine that will regulate gene transcription throughout your body, helping prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and 12 kinds of cancer — plus gallstones and diverticulitis. Expect the pill to improve your strength and balance as well as Read more…
Today marks our two-year anniversary in Remington Office Court! Julie and I wanted to take this opportunity to share the story of how Muscle Activation Schaumburg has evolved over our first years.
Prior to opening our very first office on Martingale Rd., Julie was an employee at Lifetime Fitness and I was seeing clients in the city as well as at the fitness center of our Schaumburg apartment building. After a few short months, I was told I was no longer allowed to see clients at our apartment. That Christmas, I contacted every place in Schaumburg looking for a location to see my clients. Nobody was interested in the idea. (more…)
Why do you exercise?
For health reasons? For enjoyment? For stress release? For YOU time? For camaraderie/social reasons? For a mental and physical challenge? For aesthetic reasons? For self-confidence? Because you were told you should?
As a certified personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, IL, this is a question I ponder from time to time. For myself, I exercise largely for the short-term and long-term health benefits. This was not always the case, though. When I was younger, I exercised almost exclusively to improve my athletic performance. Then, I exercised to increase my strength and build my physique.
A lot of times when we go to the gym we are focused on what we are going to do right then. “What exercises am I going to do? How many sets and reps? What weight will I be using?” All of these are valid questions to consider. However, as a personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, IL, I often have to talk with my clients about the value of investing intelligently into their exercise account, which means exercising for tomorrow and not just for today.
“Should I use more weight?”
“That would depend on your goal…”
As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, I realize that a lot of times we get caught up on the idea of more is better. If we can use more weight, we should. If we can perform more reps, we should. If we can eek out a couple more sets, we should. But here’s the issue: the value in exercise is not actually found in the doing of the exercise, but rather in your body’s response to doing the exercise.
Whether you consider Memorial Day to mark the start of summer or you hold off until it officially turns in late June, almost one thing is for certain: flip-flops season is now in full swing. While this lightweight form of footwear can have you feeling footloose and fancy-free, there are potential repercussions on the horizon by sporting the open-backed staple of summer.
Over the past month, I have been taking golf lessons every couple weeks. One thing I quickly learned was how much movement has to occur through the feet in order to efficiently perform a golf swing. As a personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, I often consult with golfers who are having knee, hip, and back issues. Rarely, however, do I consult with golfers who are complaining of foot issues. This leads me to believe that (a) their feet are actually fine and their issues are elsewhere, or (b) they have a significant case of “golfer’s foot” and their discomforts are being caused by foot issues.
**“Golfer’s foot” is not a real diagnosis by medical standards. In fact, it is a term that I just made up. Since I am in no way licensed to make medical diagnoses, I am simply using this made up term to highlight a point.**
A few weeks back, a warning popped up on my car’s dashboard. Snow tires on. Do not exceed 65 mph. Seeing this, I slowed down and the warning went away. Every time my speed would get up too high, the warning would come back on.
As a personal trainer in Schaumburg, I am often asking my clients what they did for exercise or physical activity since I last saw them.
“I played a round of golf over the weekend.”
“I went for a 45-minute walk yesterday.”
“I chased my grandkid all over the house.”
These activities can certainly be challenging, but what is the one thing they all lack? Specificity.
When I was 14 I rolled both of my ankles within a couple weeks of eachother. “You must have weak ankles,” is what my coach told me. The solution? Bilateral ankle braces.