Fitness PR Division

McConaughey gets pumping for fitness video

It looks like Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey is the latest celebrity to jump on the fitness video bandwagon. The Sahara star can be seen here toning his beach body ready for his new role as a DVD fitness instructor. According to The Sun, McConaughey and his friend, cycling legend Lance Armstrong, are creating a lifestyle and fitness video for men. In a bid to practise what they preach, the pair are getting themselves into shape ready to advise others on how to get the perfect physique.

If you have ever been one to make that New Year’s resolution to lose weight and head right over to your local gym on January 2nd (or really any time of the year), you may know about the steps a good gym puts into place to customize your workout to achieve maximum results. Now there is an improvement on this customization called Functional Fitness to tailor make a fitness program specifically designed to help you incorporate it into your life, whether it is at the gym or a Saturday at home.

A while back I had joined Bally’s Total Fitness and a personal trainer went over my fitness and weight loss goals with me and designed a plan that I would follow each time I came in to work out; 2 miles around the track, 12 shoulder press repetitions, 12 leg curl repetitions and so on. While the program helped me focus on what I needed to do at each workout once I walked through the door, it certainly was difficult to apply on the days I was not in the gym. This is where Functional Fitness steps in and has made the individualized fitness program even better.

From PRWeb: Today, SPORTSMITH, the nation’s largest supplier of fitness equipment parts and personal training products, announced the addition of Rubber Coated Kettlebells to their product line up for the 2007 spring fitness season. Kettlebells and Kettlebell Training have a long and rich international history beginning in Russia. In the early 1900’s Kettlebells became the training tool of choice for early bodybuilders and strongmen. Now Kettlebell competitions are becoming a major sport throughout the world as the popularity of Kettlebells and Kettlebell Training increases.

SPORTSMITH Kettlebells are the ultimate tool for all-around fitness and cross-training benefits. Kettlebell workouts increase strength, endurance, agility and balance, challenging both the muscular and cardiovascular system with dynamic, total body movements.

"Our goal is to help the health and fitness industries grow and retain their customers by continually looking for the products that help health and fitness clubs grow and retain their customer base by stocking the latest products health and fitness club members need to reach their fitness goals.” Brad Schupp, SPORTSMITH President.

SPORTSMITH Kettlebells are encased in a solid rubber coating to help improve the users grip and help protect fitness facility floors. The kettlebells are extremely durable and available in weights of 8kg/17.6lb, 12kg/26.4lb, 16kg/35.2lb, 20kg/44lb, 24kg/52.8lb, 28kg/61.6lb, 32kg/70.4lb and 40kg/88lb. Traditional non rubber coated Russian Kettlebells are known for ruff ridges on the under side of the grip, resulting in the users hand becoming ruff or callused.

The SPORTSMITH kettlebells are available for order now via the SPORTSMITH website. Visit www.sportsmith.net for more information.

We all lead busy lives and time going to a weight loss meeting could easily be time spent at the gym. Convenience is a hot commodity and with obesity on the rise, more people looking to lose weight and implement a fitness program around their lifestyle are turning to the internet for support and inspiration, and these online programs are capturing the attention of a determined market.

Many states are beginning their own diet and fitness programs and featuring them online for residents to participate in such as INShape Indiana’s 10 in 10 Challenge. Where I live, Blue Cross of Northeastern PA has collaborated with local television affiliates WBRE (NBC) and WYOU (CBS) to create a program called, “The Million Pound Meltdown.” Residents sign up online and follow tips for better eating and fitness habits. By committing to the program, you feel you are part of a collaborative effort to reach the goal of one million pounds lost in the region. The goal is to make you feel like a team player and keep you on track with a diet and fitness plan that is right for you.

Other online programs include Weight Watchers online, e-diets, Changing Shape, Fitness Online and even The Biggest Loser based on the television series. My girlfriend and her husband chose to commit to Weight Watchers online and implemented a fitness routine that included jogging and swimming laps. In 10 months time her husband lost 110 pounds and she lost her goal of 30 pounds. Now that she feels healthy and physically fit, she is training to run a Triathalon this June in Philadelphia through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training.

The David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition began in 1982, when the Ranger Training Department designed a "Ranger Olympics" to identify the best two-man team in the Army. Over the years it has expanded to include members from other services such as the Marines and occasionally members from foreign military units. Best Ranger Competition is the original Amazing Race and Survivor where teams definitely have to “Out Last” each other in this grueling fitness and skill competition.

In 1986 my husband, an Army Ranger, competed in this competition and is still something he watches religiously on The Military Channel, however in the past it could be seen on ESPN and The Outdoor Life Network. The conditioning of the men who compete in this competition is compared to that of world-class athletes. Besides testing the participant’s military skills, it also tests endurance, strength and mental fortitude. The competition is done over 60 hours, day and night, of non-stop events where the participants get little rest or food.

Best Ranger Competition involves running, swimming, push-ups, pull-ups and navigating grueling obstacle courses among many other events that you often find in the Iron Man competition. The intensity and duration of the event sequences pushes even the most elite Special Operations troops, who are at the peak of physical fitness, to the point of physical exhaustion. One such event, that is also a crowd favorite, is the Helo Cast. The Helo Cast involves jumping from a helicopter over water in full uniform and with all of your equipment keeping it afloat and swimming to shore, which is immediately followed up by the next event.

Each time that I am pregnant, my husband mysteriously develops Shingles. It’s something that no one can quite understand and has baffled us each time, as it is very rare to develop Shingles more than once in your lifetime. Shingles is a painful skin rash, most often only surfacing on one half of your body, and occurs in people who have had the chicken pox. Although I don’t plan on having any more children (4 is enough thank you), I found interest in a new study that has surfaced that indicates the possibility that tai chi may help in warding off Shingles.

The study was geared at those 50 years and older since Shingles is usually most common in this age demographic (although my husband is an exception since he began developing it at age 35). Tai chi is a low impact exercise that anyone can participate in at any age. To do tai chi, you perform a defined series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner. Each movement or posture flows into the next without pausing. Many see tai chi as a way to tackle many physical and mental conditions such as stress, reducing high blood pressure, increasing stamina, and muscle strengthening and definition.

This recent study was done by UCLA and involved 112 healthy adults, ages 59 to 86, who have had previous cases of chickenpox. The study was split into two groups with one group taking tai chi classes three times a week for three months and the second group attending health education classes where they were taught good diet habits and stress management. Both groups were vaccinated against chicken pox.

After 6 months, the tai chi group showed nearly twice the level of immunity than did the health education group and the study found that tai chi paired with vaccination showed a 40% increase in immunity against Shingles. It is definitely interesting to say the least and something that should promote further study regarding tai chi’s affects on physical and mental health.

Just as the Leapster gave children fitness for the mind, some of the latest video games for your console have video games geared towards getting your couch potatoes up and moving. One of the most popular being Dance Dance Revolution, which made its way from the arcade into living rooms and now even gym classes across the country.

With child obesity rates rising, it is games like Dance Dance Revolution that can make fitness fun for kids. Schools are taking note of the benefits of incorporating this video game into the gym class curriculum. It gives the children the best of both worlds, incorporating the technology of video games in with physical fitness to keep them active and healthy.

PowerGrid Fitness is another innovator when it comes to video games and fitness. They designed the KiloWatt in 2004, which was very large and very expensive. They have now come out with the Exer-station which is little less expensive than the original KiloWatt and geared towards home use. The Exer-station is a full body video game controller made to work with just about any game. So if you are playing a race car game, the harder you push, the faster your car goes. The Exer-station utilizes their ISOCOR technology, which allows isometric muscle contractions to control computer and video games. While you never have to get up and put any pressure on your joints, you still endure a muscle strengthening work out.

The Sony Playstation EyeToy is another video game component meant to be a fitness-related game. The EyeToy is a camera you attach to your television and Sony Playstation 2 while you use your body to play the games such as Play, which incorporates Kung Fu and dancing; Play2 which has 12 different physical games such as blocking soccer balls and hitting homeruns. There are several other games in the series, all meant to be interactive, fun and worthy of being deemed exercise.

As gaming continues to be part of our culture, it seems only natural to allow the transition from sedentary game play into one that can become part of your child’s daily exercise routine.

I’ll never forget the day several years ago when Curves arrived around the corner from my house. My membership at Bally’s Total Fitness was coming to an end and I was unsure if I wanted to renew it. The advertisement for Curves was intriguing: 30-minute workout, no men, no mirrors, no makeup. The price for membership was about the same as the one I had at Bally’s, but the idea of a convenient workout without worrying about my insecurity over my body in front of men at the gym is what drove me to finally go check out the facility for myself.

Pace is another facility that offers a 30-minute workout on hydraulic equipment otherwise known as circuit training. Pace was the original circuit training center, however, Curves for Women’s star has shown much brighter through all of their advertising campaigns and PR. These 30 minute circuit training fitness centers are becoming very attractive to those of all walks of life, from the business woman with a hectic schedule to the senior looking to keep in shape without a strenuous fitness regimen, Curves and Pace are becoming their fitness clubs of choice.

30-minute fitness centers offer many benefits both mentally and physically. Many women are intimidated by all of the different exercise equipment the typical gym has to offer. With circuit training, there are only approximately 10 pieces of equipment which offer strength training and sustained cardiovascular activity through safe and effective hydraulic resistance. There is no wondering which piece of equipment you need to use for what, you simply begin on one machine and make your way around the circle in 30 second timed intervals. The guesswork is taken out of the equation with a “follow the leader” type workout.

30-minute fitness centers make exercise convenient and easy to fit into a busy schedule. With Curves, there are 10,000 fitness centers worldwide, adding to the convenience of the business traveler looking to stay fit even when on a business trip. While you won’t get that muscle definition or body builder look that you would at gyms like Bally’s and Gold’s, a 30 minute fitness center is ideal for those who are already in shape looking to maintain it and for those looking to lose weight and inches and build stamina in order to divulge in a more rigorous workout at the gym.

I had never heard of Pilates until I was up late one night several years ago unable to sleep and began watching infomercials. On came the famous Daisy Fuentes endorsed Winsor Pilates. It looked easy enough and was much different from the exercise routines I was following at the time that were rendering little results, so I hopped online and ordered the complete Winsor Pilates set of DVD’s.

Much to my surprise, Pilates was not as easy as it seemed on the infomercial at 2am, in fact it was pretty challenging. However the thing I noticed most was that it worked my entire body and left me energized afterwards (and a little sore). After two weeks I noticed that each move was easier to do and soon enough I dropped 10 pounds and the tone to my muscles had a leaner appearance.

Some of the great benefits of Pilates are:

* Gives more support to your spine and creates more mobility.
* It puts no stress on your joints, doesn’t wear down the ligaments and cartilage around your    joints and never overstresses your muscles.
* You only need to do Pilates 3x a week consistently to see results.
* Promotes better balance and better coordination.
* Improves your mental outlook and creates a feeling of calmness, balance and rejuvenation.
* Builds strength without bulking up.

Oftentimes when we are ready to take the plunge into a fitness program, we forget the basic do's and don'ts to working out. Below are some simple tips to keep in mind, as put together by Penn State University:

DO Start Off Moderately
Work your way into a routine. Going overboard after a long respite from exercise may result in injury, or at least disappointment. Your workout shouldn't do either, so build up from a moderate beginning.

DON'T Over-Exercise
For maximum benefit at minimum injury risk, the body needs to rest and recover. At least a 24-hour rest after heavy muscle strain is advised. Stagger workouts between heavy and light strain. For example, you can alternate a weight training routine with biking.

DO Warm Up and Cool Down
A low-impact warm-up before any exercise is essential. It warms the muscles, makes them more limber and easier to stretch, which results in a better workout. It also helps to prevent injury. Cooling down after exercising is also important as it relaxes the muscles, lowers the heart rate, and helps the body to recover from the stress of a workout. It'll make you feel better immediately after the workout, and the next morning.

DO Stretch
Flexibility is one of the most important factors of fitness. Stretching before, during and after a workout will result in better performance, good posture, fewer injuries, and overall better fitness.

DON'T Push an Injury
Listen to your body. If you feel pain, stop. Muscle and joint pain can mean many things -- pushing a small hurt can lead to big problems later on. If pain persists more than a few days, see a doctor.

DO Consult a Trainer
If you belong to a gym, you may have the opportunity to consult a certified trainer. He or she can help you craft a reasonable workout plan, tailored for your goals. A trainer can also teach proper form with exercise equipment. Even if you are experienced, bad habits can be developed.

DON'T Get Bored
Don't get bored with your workout. New exercises can break the monotony, and the excitement of perfecting new skills can help motivate. Since different exercises work different parts of the body, a diverse workout will aid overall fitness.

DO Find a Workout Partner
If motivation is your problem, a workout partner might be the solution. A partner can motivate you to workout when you normally might not, and can help improve your workout by watching form, encouraging extra effort, and pacing. Try to pick a partner with abilities equal to your own.

DON'T Lose Concentration
Preoccupation with outside situations can counteract the benefits of a workout. For example, you might decrease intensity as you lose concentration. And not paying attention to a workout can lead to sloppy style and potential injury. Instead, use the time to concentrate on proper form and control. It will lead to a better workout, greater benefits, and a more relaxing experience.

DO Watch What You Eat
Diet is just as much a part of fitness as exercise, and what you eat will affect every aspect of your workout. A proper diet also influences the results of you fitness plan, since it helps build muscle and decrease the percentage of fat in your overall body weight.

DON'T Dehydrate Yourself
When exercising, the body needs four to eight ounces of water every 20 minutes to replace water loss. If you become thirsty during a workout, you've already passed out of a "safe" stage of hydration. Take fluids immediately. If you are working out for more than an hour, you may want to consider sports drinks, as the extra carbohydrates help retain body water. But try them out first, as not all work, and some may cause unwanted reactions. Always avoid caffeine or alcohol when exercising, both of which further dehydrate your body.

DO Have Fun!
The benefits to working out don't pay off if you don't enjoy yourself. This isn't an excuse for not exercising, as it's still vital to your health. But finding a workout that you enjoy will make the difference when setting a workout schedule that will stick.

The one thing I have noticed about fitness routines, is that you need to spice it up every now and again or else you'll find yourself simply going through the motions lacking motivation or the determination to continue forward to your goal. One such fitness regimen that just about guarantees you'll never proclaim boredom again is boot camp style fitness.

This unique fitness class draws its roots from military style strength training and cardiovascular techniques. It is designed to allow participants to get into the best shape of their lives without having to be in a traditional gym setting. The strategy combines strength training, cardiovascular exercises, balance, and coordination as well as modified Yoga and Pilates activities. Everyone begins with an acclamation period, so that everyone can work at their own pace and level.

Benefits of Boot Camp Fitness:

* Increased flexibility.
* Stronger core muscle to prevent back pain.
* A more sculpted butt, thighs, hips, and abs with lower body fat.
* Improved balance and coordination.
* Results usually seen quicker than gym workouts.

For Boot Camp style fitness in LA try Optimum Fitness or in NY try Pure Power Boot Camp.