O3 Health And Fitness – Asheville Personal Trainer
Expert Advise on Health and Fitness from Asheville's Top Personal Trainers

A friend’s mother would ask that question each and every time she heard one of us say “I’m done!” Dinner, doing a chore, completing homework — she was trying to teach us manners, I suppose. 

We’d tell her we’d finished, then take off to do something fun. 

Well, I’ve got your fun for you.  The root word “finish” means something else to me these days.  Just add an “er” to the end and you’ve got a short, intense burst of exercise that follows a training session or boot camp. 

You will probably have heard the term tossed around O3, and many of you have done finishers.  (no pun intended) Just in case you wonder why in the world we’d try to squeeze everything you’ve got out of you at the end of a workout, here’s the reason.

Simply put, you elevate your fitness level at a rapid rate.  If you want to shred, finishers increase your heart rate and metabolic rate so you burn more calories during the day.  If you’ve reached a weight loss plateau, these will blast you through it. Finishers are like interval training on steroids. Multi-joint exercises (whole body) with incomplete recovery will improve and increase energy, speed, strength, and recovery time.

Finishers are a buzzword around here right now, and you are sure to see them coming.

The best part is that they take only a couple to several minutes, so it’s easy to fit them in.

If you are training for a marathon, add a finisher right at the end of your run – don’t wait to recover completely.  Just see if you don’t find it easier to go farther after several of these workouts. If you need to work out at home or while you travel, use on one of our bootcamp routines and immediately add a finisher.  You’ll come back to the gym without breaking stride, and may even see improvement in your performance.

This is a finisher I used at a recent boot camp.  If you are interested in more variety, let me know and we’ll get you some routines.

Remember, you’re not done until the finisher’s over. 

Spiderman Tuck Jump Finisher

Do the following exercises one right after the other.  Rest 30 seconds and repeat 2 more times. 

1)      Tuck jumps – 20 seconds

2)      Spiderman pushups – 30 seconds

3)      Lateral jumps – 20 seconds

4)      Spiderman climbs – 30 seconds

Kick your own butt with this bootcamp — and all you need is 30 to 45 minutes and a space to do it in. 

If you are traveling or just can’t make it to the gym, it’s a great workout. I put together body weight exercises and explosive movements for an interval training that you can do by yourself.

It’s a great fat burner. If you are a beginner, boost your metabolism by doing this workout twice a week for a month, adding a set and working up to 1000 reps each week.  During the first week, do 2 sets of the following exercises, one right after the other, resting 1 minute between sets.  The second week, do 3 sets 2x per week; the third week do 4 sets, and the last week do 5. 

The goal is make it to 1000 reps in at least 45 minutes.  So if you’re a veteran bootcamper, jump right in and go for it!

CARDIO 1000

Bodyweight Squat                  20

Jump Squat                             10

Pike Pushup                            10

Alternating Lunges                 20 total

X-Body Mtn. Climbers           20 total

Burpees                                   10

Skaters                                                20 total

Atomic Situps                         10

Duck Unders                           20 togal

Close-Grip Pushup                  10       

Jumping Jacks                         50

Total: 200 reps

That is, with one exception: My cat, Charlie, will sit at the latched screen door for hours, tale flicking, ears pricked, watching a menagerie of squirrels, hawks, and birds on our deck rail. He doesn’t know how to get from inside the door to the prey; but he raises the bar of wishful thinking as they swoop in close to taunt him.

I’m happy to say that wishful thinking doesn’t extend to our gym. Today, as I taught bootcamp, talk circulated about the real goals many of you are setting.  Eight members of the O3 Nation are training for the spring Mud Run in April.  Several of you are training for the Dupont Half-Marathon.  Others of you are well on your way, through diet and exercise recommended by your personal trainer, to a leaner body and healthier lifestyle. 

You are setting goals and making maps to get there.  Too many of us treat goal-setting as something that sounds good; but if it becomes tough down the road, we let it go. We dream, but we don’t make the map. 

Every little step counts toward the bigger picture.  If you want to get in better shape, you need to take the positive steps your trainer suggests and don’t skip one of them.  If you want to walk on your hands across parallel bars during the Mud Run, you have to get stronger and get yourself to bootcamp or your training session to practice. If you want to run a trail half-marathon, you have to make a plan and set aside the time to increase your distance on trails. 

Come on in and find help to meet your fitness goals. For you, we open the door — to help you map out a plan, chart your progress, and meet your reachable goal.  Step-by-step.

By Owfred, Lord Tendon

Half a leap, half a squat,

Half a lunge forward.

Onto the mats of hell

Came the 300.

Flatten your backs, she cried.

Leap in the air!

No one must stop!

No one shall dare!

Ours was not to make reply.

Ours was not to reason why.

Ours was but to plank and die.

Onto the mats of hell

Came the 300.

Press fifty pushups!

Blast fifty burpees!

Backs to the wall, squat half-way down,

Burn through fifty push presses,

Again!  One more round!

Onto the mats of hell

Came the 300.

Dumbbells to the left of you,

Kettlebells to the right,

No sympathy here,

I don’t pity your plight!

Onto the mats of hell

Came the 300.

O When may our muscles rest?

When may we whine our dismay?

Give me fifty wide pushups

And we’ll call it a day.

Onto the mats of hell

Fell the 300.

Last week, Wendy circulated the new Healthy Eating Plate/Food Pyramid designed by the Harvard School of Public Health.  Wendy is a crusader for shifting the poor eating habits of both children and adults to filling our plates with proper nutrition; and she is adamant, as all O3 trainers are, that if you don’t know the facts you won’t make the changes. You can’t expect your body – or your children’s – to perform optimally and remain healthy if you remain unaware.

From Market to Table

If you don’t have foods on hand to make healthy meals, you may default to eating out or snacking on processed foods that are in your cabinet.  Below are foods you can keep in your pantry and refrigerator to make sure that doesn’t happen. For recipes using these ingredients, go to: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/recipes/. 

1. Produce: Choose locally grown vegetables and fruits whenever possible; they will contain optimum nutrition because they haven’t been stored or shipped.  As a general rule, the darker the color, the more nutrition they contain.  Cut up at least 5 veggies for your salad.  Vegetables and fruits should take up the largest portion on your plate.
2. Grains:  Keep these in your pantry: barley, cracked wheat (bulgur), quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and oatmeal. As pictured on the new Harvard Healthy Eating Pyramid, grains are as important as fruits and vegetables. White rice and other white grains (as in white bread) do not count; take them out if your eating plan.
3. Protein: Fresh fish (at least twice per week), an egg or two a day, tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, and a variety of dried, canned, or frozen beans are healthy proteins.  Try to move away from meals revolving around more than a fistful of meat, and rely on alternate lean proteins as a balance to your plate of veggies and grains. 
4. For sautéing and salad dressings, use canola, sunflower, corn, soybean, peanut, and olive oil.  To add taste to vegetables and grains, drizzle them with a splash of specialty oil, like extra-virgin olive oil, walnut oil, sesame oil, or truffle oil.  These “good” fats lower disease risk.  
5. Meal essentials: Keep these condiments and other food items on hand to spruce up your meals: tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, fresh and dried herbs, dried cherries or cranberries, Parmesan cheese for grating fresh over pasta and salads, unsalted nuts.

Let us know if you have any recipe secrets you’d like to share!

We’re serious: bring in a workout partner – free of charge for one week – any week, all next month. After all, who’s got the better chance of sticking with a fitness program:  Betty, who works out by herself?   Or Susi, who exercises with her partner? 

Studies show that couples who workout together increase their chances of long-term exercising by 90 percent. 

Here are some reasons why couples have more staying power:

1)      You have a common goal to work on, which creates an atmosphere for success to flourish.

2)      It’s more fun and encouraging to work out with a partner.

3)      Whether they shame you into going or drag you out of bed, you each have someone else to help get you to the gym.

4)      You’ll feel great and want to eat healthy foods.  Living well makes you both feel well.  The cycle continues and y’all are happier. You’ll find yourselves on the fit, happy train and not ever want off.

5)      You’ll have more energy, be more productive, and feel more patient. Your relationship will become stronger; you’ll have a lot to talk about. More, please!

Each February, we offer the O3 Nation a chance to bring in your spouse, partner, or friend to workout with you – for FREE for one week.  All you do is let us know, then bring them with you to your personal training sessions or boot camp.  All at no charge. Just bring them with you each time you come in to workout. 

Happy Valentine’s Month to you and a partner.  We care about you and the persons in your lives.

How would you like to have a personal trainer for less than half the cost and benefit from the camaraderie and accountability of working out with a couple of your friends?

One of the hottest fitness trends in the country is Small Group Training. It’s effective, affordable, and motivating. And O3 is the first in Asheville to offer this practical solution to one-on-one personal training on a budget.

Many people like the benefits of working out with a personal trainer as well as the motivation that comes with exercising in a group.  When you’re with friends, competing and working together towards a common goal, your mindset changes from “How many more do I have to do?” to “Come on, we can do this!” Friends push each other new heights.  

And if you are having fun, you’re going to keep coming back.  Pretty soon, you find yourself stronger, leaner, more energetic, and happier.

It’s this easy: Get together a group of 3 or 4 friends, family, co-workers, or whomever you choose, and sign yourselves up for a consultation. Or you can tell us you’re interested in small group training, and we can match you with a group when we have others sign up. Our certified personal trainers will find a time that works for your group and design a workout specifically for you.

You will receive the expert guidance to reach your fitness goals at an economical rate, and you’ll have company. It’s a win-win situation.

How’s a person to figure it out?  Weight loss is a complicated advertising-ridden jungle, and some folks struggle their entire lives to find the elusive answers.

We waste money and time in the pursuit of the perfect body. Well-known diets, often  based on some sort of deprivation set the hook and reel you in.  But you almost always find yourself back in the dieting rip current.

So what’s the right way to shed pounds and make your body healthy and strong?

Our resident Health Coach, Samantha Pollack, can sift through the jargon and decode the diet dilemma.

Discover what will truly work for you….and gain the tools to create a manageable plan of action for the new year.  Sam is hosting a free seminar on Wednesday, January 25, at 6 pm, at O3 Health and Fitness (Riverside location).  Learn to effectively reduce body fat,  boost your metabolism, and gain a positive body image through a lifetime habit of healthy decision-making.

Bring a guest with you, free of charge. Samantha’s approach is going to be the most effective effort you’ve ever made towards reaching your goal. Please RSVP by mailing Samantha directly: skpollack@gmail.com.

If you sit more than you stand, the answer is yes. 

Researchers have found that when people sit all day, their buttocks cells enlarge and form fat droplets. The longer you sit, the more the cells stretch and produce bigger fat droplets.

Even if you come to boot camp or are working out with a trainer, most likely it is, at the most, for 1 hour/day, 3 to 5 days/week. But the other hours in the week are important too. Working out is not a pass for being able to sit on your butt for the rest of the workday or on the weekend.

The fact is, prolonged sitting can even negate some of the positive effects that exercise provides.

The American Cancer Society has recently published the results of a survey of how prolonged sitting outside of work affected mortality rates. Participants had no history of major health issues and were studied over a 13-year period.  Mortality rates of men and women who sat more than 6 hours/ day were found to be higher during the study period who sat fewer than 3 hours/day.

New studies from the American College of Cardiology show that prolonged sitting is now being linked to increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and even early death. 

So what do you do? Get off your butt.  Get up from your chair any chance you get and walk around. Whenever you get the blood pumping and moving, it stimulates the organs to do things that are healthy.

Keep moving and stay healthy.

I wonder how my chickens get around on those skinny legs.  I can’t exactly get them to do calf raises to build up their muscles.  And they can get hurt, too, if they walk on slick surfaces or run into something (like a car or bear).

We humans have tricks to maintain healthy knees. Prevention is better than cure at this point, so listen up and you may well keep them in good shape as you age.

1. Warm up before you workout.  The synovial fluid that lubricates joints will start flowing through them; you will experience less friction than if you started working out cold. As you jump or run or squat, your knees absorb from 3X to 6X your weight; in time, that friction can wear on them.
2. Maintain a healthy weight.  If you’re thinking about a big ol’ handful of chips, don’t.  The more weight you carry, the more your knees get stressed.
3. If your hip function is good, your hips will absorb some of the pressure of standing, walking, lifting, etc.  The glutes and hamstrings we trainers love to work on support the hip function.
4. Listen to your trainer; we almost always have you position your knees at the same angle as your foot, with your knees behind your toes. 
5. If it hurts when you do a certain exercise, stop.  Whatever is causing you pain could damage your joints. 

Take a lesson from my chickens: stay away from something that will eat you and don’t eat what we tell you not to.  More holiday eating tips coming!