Author: joshua

The first step to overcoming obstacles of exercise is to identify them. What is keeping you from investing in your health and well-being? Top reasons include not enough time, insufficient energy and lack of drive. Whether you suffer from one or all of the above, with the right guidance and routine, your fitness goals are more achievable than you might think.

Not enough time

When your day to day is already slam packed, squeezing in time for fitness can feel impossible. If this is the case for you, instead of setting aside a full hour for exercise, try doing a couple of shorter sessions throughout the day.

If you cut down on time, remember to boost up your level of intensity. Incorporating just twenty minutes of high intensity exercise into your day can satisfy your body’s need to be physically active.

No travel time to get to the gym? Work out where you are. Save weight training for days when you can get there and do cardio on days when you can’t. Making small changes like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking to grab lunch instead of driving can also help boost activity without compromising time.  

Insufficient energy

Do you feel too tired to workout? It may seem counterintuitive, but the more physically active you are, the more energy you produce. Instead of viewing exercise as an energy drain, view it as a way to boost your energy level.

Exercise also helps provide mental clarity. If you lack inspiration on the job, try doing a few laps around the building. The endorphins your brain releases when you exercise reduce tension, so you can power through the rest of the day stress free.

Lack of drive

Low motivation is another significant barrier to exercise. The best way to overcome this is by setting an achievable goal and tracking your progress first hand. Once you see real results, any lack of motivation will be a thing of the past. If you need more of a boost, consider hiring a personal trainer. They will work with you to develop an exercise program that works with your schedule, no matter how busy it may be.

At Core Results Personal Training, you can rest assured you are working with an expert who decided to make fitness their career years ago. Get started on reaching your fitness goals. Meet our team of expert trainers today!

Track your fitness and seriously boost your chance of reaching your goals this year with wearable tech and mobile applications that monitor your physical activity. Sure, it’s easy to make a New Year’s Resolution to get fit. The hard part is keeping it. Staying in the game the whole year through can be a challenge for a lot of people. Fortunately, there is mounting evidence that the use of technology can be a major motivator when it comes to working out and continuing to work out the whole year through.

Many smartphones already have health and fitness apps preinstalled upon purchase. These apps show users how many steps they walk each day, the average number of steps they walk each week and more stats in an easy to view format. By looking at steps from a visual, birds eye view, users can see on average how much cardio they engage in and where they can increase the amount of steps they are taking each day. For visual learners, the insight provided in charts and graphs is particularly valuable.

Not a big fan of bringing your smartphone with you while you workout? Track your progress hands free with wearable tech. Wearable tech enables users to track activity levels, sleep quality, exercise and more. Wearable tech is also widely used by consumers. According to an Accenture consumer survey report, more than 1 in 6 U.S. consumers use wearable tech to monitor their physical activity, particularly those with chronic conditions that require ongoing monitoring.

Tracking your physical activity with fitness monitoring apps via smartphones and wearable tech is a great way to stay motivated long term. With quick, easy access to physical activity reporting, users can easily track progress, set personal goals and find the inspiration to beat them.

Nothing is more motivating than seeing real results, first-hand. At Core Results, our personal trainers are dedicated to doing just that – helping clients achieve the results they are looking for. “After ten months of training at Core Results with Aaron, I am back to running five days a week, averaging 20 miles a week at a 6 minute mile. Additionally, I am both muscle and core stronger with definition, and yes, a six pack. I just achieved two personal goals, 77 pushups in 60 seconds and 30 pushups on three medicine balls in 60 seconds.” Read more of our client testimonials.

Get started. Contact us for your first FREE session today!

After completing a post injury rehabilitation program, patients receive follow up instructions to continue their recovery process on their own at home. One of the most vital components of any follow up plan is exercise. Rehab exercises are designed to reestablish full range of motion, so you can get back into your regular activities without delay. While post injury exercise is vital for recovery, many individuals struggle to adhere to exercise plans for a sufficient period of time. Others, who do adhere to plans, may wish to invest more time and energy into exercise to maximize performance. In both of these cases, individuals can find the assistance they need with a knowledgeable and experienced personal trainer.

Adhering to Post Injury Exercise Plans

Post rehab exercise programs build serious strength, boost your performance and reduce the chance of future injury, all essential elements of a full recovery. Despite the benefits that post injury exercise provides, many people stop short of completing their follow up plans.

Studies analyzing patient adherence have found noncompliance with home exercises in musculoskeletal cohorts in thirty to fifty percent of cases, “making it a significant issue that places additional burden on patients and health care providers.” Nonadherence with post injury exercise programs can:

• Extend the length of treatment,
• Negatively impact the patient provider relationship
• Compromise the effectiveness of treatment.

Patients who did not exercise regularly prior to injury are more likely not to adhere to exercise plans post injury. Others list additional injury as a primary concern.

If safety is a concern for you, working with a personal trainer is your best bet. They will check your form, particularly in the area where you were injured, to ensure good posture and avoid overcorrection. Listen to your body. If you feel any pain, let your personal trainer know right away. One great advantage of working with a personal trainer post injury is that you will be provided with a wide range of exercises to choose from. If you detect pain, your trainer will either alter your position to limit the range of motion or have you switch to a different exercise.

Bridging the Gap Between Functionality & Performance

One of the best things you can do for your health post injury rehab is commit to a regular exercise program. Even post recovery, exercise is vital for ongoing health and well-being. For those who want to progress physical abilities from functional to optimal, personal training is the way to go. While rehab exercise is designed to get patients back into their everyday routines, regular, ongoing exercise programs are designed to build strength, lose weight and/or achieve additional fitness goals. Athletes who have recovered from injury, for example, can not only bring their performance level back up to where it was prior to injury, but also build on that performance level with ongoing personal training.

At Core Results, our personal trainers understand the importance of rehabilitation exercise and can help you safely transition from rehab exercise to a regular, ongoing exercise plan. Contact us for your first FREE consult today!

A positive workout environment helps motivate you to keep going strong for the long hall.  Just as with any establishment, when you spend time in a place you enjoy that makes you feel comfortable and provides the results you are looking for, you tend to come back. This concept can be applied to restaurants, movie theatres and even the workplace.

When it comes to exercise, much of what you accomplish depends on how comfortable you are with your surroundings. Your level of comfortability greatly impacts how often you work out, the duration of each session and whether you decide to stick with it for the long run. For the best results, consider these elements prior to choosing a personal training facility: the selection of the exercise equipment, the qualifications of the personal trainers and the quality of the space itself.

Selection of Exercise Equipment

By choosing a training facility with a wide selection of good quality equipment, you have the ability to engage in a broader range of exercise. When personal trainers have access to best in class equipment, sessions are always versatile. This is important for two main reasons.

1. Versatile sessions hold your interest, making it more likely that you will stick to your exercise plan long term. Whether or not you are a creature of habit, if you can do your routine with your eyes closed, it is time to switch things up.
2. Switching up your workout has major physical benefits as well. New workouts stimulate new muscle growth, helping you avoid the dreaded plateau. By exercising different muscles in different ways, the result is a stronger, more balanced body overall. Once additional strength is achieved, you are less likely to incur exercise related injuries and can more easily achieve your fitness goals.

Qualifications of Personal Trainers

The qualifications of the personal training staff also make a significant difference. Qualified personal trainers hold certifications from national accrediting agencies like the American Council on Exercise and the National Academy of Sports Medicine, are educated in the science behind exercise and nutrition, with degrees like Biological Sciences and Kinesiology and are extensively experienced in the field of fitness. Personal trainers often hold additional certifications, e.g. CPR Certified, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Corrective Exercise Specialist. They are also typically experienced in additional elements of physical fitness, like martial arts, weightlifting and sports conditioning, and bring their hands on experience to the table when helping clients achieve their fitness goals. When searching for a personal training facility, check the personal trainers’ qualifications to ensure their experience will meet your needs.

A Dedicated Space

Before settling on a personal training facility, check to make sure it has the amenities you are looking for. Common factors to consider include the quality of the equipment, any locker facilities, i.e. bathrooms, showers and your overall level of comfortability with the facility. By having a comfortable, well equipped space that is dedicated to working out with your personal trainer, you can focus more on achieving the results you want.

“The Core Results facility is always very clean and well-maintained, which has made for a nice environment to work out in.”

“I would highly recommend Core Results. Because they only open the gym to clients who are working with a trainer, the gym is never crowded. Since I’ve been working out there, I don’t think there has ever been more than 3-4 people working out at once.” Read more client reviews on our facilities.

At Core Results Personal Training, we understand the importance of being able to train in a positive, motivational environment and strive to provide just that. Visit one of our two studio facilities, located in Raleigh and Cary for total access to top of the line, best-in-class equipment and qualified trainers who will help you achieve maximum results.

When we move incorrectly, we tend to overuse certain muscles and underuse others, resulting in bodily imbalance. You do not necessarily need to be a fitness enthusiast to overuse or underuse a certain muscle. The bodily imbalance that calls for corrective exercise can stem from inactivity just as much as over activity.

Bodily Imbalance Is Widespread

The inactive lifestyle that most occupations and hobbies entail has contributed to an overly sedentary U.S. population. With the average person spending over ten hours each day in a sedentary position looking at a computer, TV or handheld device, it is no surprise that so many people suffer from postural imbalances.

Recent research even links average daily smartphone use with chronic health implications. Researcher and exercise physiologist Nathaniel Melendez of Orlando Health system explains, “people don’t realize the strain they’re putting on their body when it is not aligned correctly, or just how far corrective exercises and daily adjustments can go toward improving pain and postural issues.”

Corrective Exercise Helps Restore Balance

Essentially, corrective exercise is the method of training your body to move correctly. Most incorrect movements are done subconsciously. Therefore, the first step of corrective exercise is to identify and build awareness surrounding incorrect movements, body positions and postures.

Corrective exercise include drills and stretching methods to strengthen weaker areas and balance the body overall. Once the body is balanced, individuals generally experience a great reduction in aches and pains when completing everyday movements.  

Corrective exercise helps:

• Build awareness of posture and body movements that you make throughout the day

• Alleviate musculoskeletal pain

• Improve postural issues, balance and movement problems

• Create a balanced, high functioning body

• Boost strength and fitness overall

• And avoid future injury, keeping you on track with your fitness plans.

Corrective exercise is meant to be temporary, designed to strengthen or correct the weakened area. Once the area is balanced, you can skip the corrective exercise and continue on your regular exercise plan.

When you come to Core Results Personal Training for corrective exercise, your personal trainer will start with an analysis to identify any problem areas then develop an exercise program tailored to your individual needs. The difference in how our clients feel post corrective exercise is so positive that most people continue regular training even after their bodies are balanced. One: because they feel better, and two: because they don’t want to go back to the way they felt before. Visit our client testimonials page to learn more about the results you can expect to achieve at Core Results.