#exercise

Carol Michaels

Mar 5, 2022

Exercising with a Chronic Health Issue

The focus of this article will be on diabetes, a chronic disease that affects millions people. The American College of Sports Medicine released recommendations for exercising with diabetes in the February issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. They conclude that physical activity will not only help prevent type 2 diabetes, it can help patients manage the condition. #Exercise plays an important role in managing type 2 diabetes. Here are a few tips for how to exerci

Carol Michaels

Nov 21, 2021

Avoid Weight Gain This Holiday Season

The holidays can be stressful. There are holiday parties, family obligations, and eating temptations. Many people just take a break from their fitness program. Most of us overeat during the entire 5-week holiday season. If you do not exercise, you will just gain weight and be stressed. A slight increase in body weight each holiday season can add up over time until it becomes a potential health problem. Even though the average weight gain may be fairly small, the weight is usu

How Exercising Can Save You Time and Money

Carol Lane

Nov 17, 2019

How Exercising Can Save You Time and Money

“I’m too busy to workout” and “I can’t afford a gym membership” are two of the many excuses people often use to avoid exercising. It’s totally understandable why some people shy away from exercise. Having to juggle family, household, or work responsibilities can be exhausting enough without adding physical activity into the mix. Plus, not having the extra cash to spend on a fancy gym membership or exercise equipment can make fitness seem like a daunting prospect. However, the

Carol Michaels

Sep 28, 2019

How to Be Positive About Exercise

Do you have negative associations with exercise? If you want to have lasting success in sticking to an exercise plan, examine the reasons why and how you are working out. Start to think about exercise as an activity that will improve your life. It is human nature to want immediate gratification and instant results. Therefore, it may be difficult to stick with your exercise program because good results take time. Furthermore, to maintain the results, it is necessary to make

How Do I Find the Right Exercise Program

Carol Michaels

Jun 21, 2019

How Do I Find the Right Exercise Program

Start by taking a private session or a class before you commit. Do not sign up for a lengthy expensive program without checking out several sessions. You need to see how you relate to the trainer. Fitness professionals have different areas of expertise and experience. It is sad when people return to their gym because they have pre-paid and are not enjoying the experience. If you are in a group situation you need to feel comfortable with the other participants. If you do not

Carol Michaels

Nov 24, 2018

Working Out with a Chronic Illness

Exercise may be the furthest thing from your mind with a chronic illness. Even if you have never been active, exercise can become one of your favorite activities. Ask your doctor before you start to exercise. With more medical professionals recommending exercise to their patients with chronic illness, it is imperative to learn how to exercise safely. A good exercise program will help to reduce fatigue, neuropathy, weakness, lymphedema, and a significant emotional toll. Once

Carol Michaels Fitness

Jun 3, 2018

Is Soreness a Sign of a Good Workout

The only time soreness is the sign of a "good workout" is if you are interested in dramatically increasing muscle mass. For the client that asks about being sore after the workout, the answer depends on their goals, initial fitness level, and age. Why in the world would the average person who exercises want to be sore after every workout? You are exercising to get strong, fit, keep weight under control and decrease the risk of disease. Those that feel they need to workout unt

Sara Lindberg

Apr 28, 2018

Exercise for Heart Health

“You have six months to get these numbers under control, or I’m putting you on cholesterol medicine.” Those were the words my doctor used eight years ago at a routine checkup. Three months postpartum, 75 pounds overweight and a total cholesterol in the “high” category, I knew it was time to get my body moving.Three years prior to that appointment, my dad died suddenly from a heart attack. He battled high cholesterol most of his adult life and lived several decades on choleste

Using Light Weights May Not be Sufficient for Bone Health

Carol Michaels

Apr 26, 2018

Using Light Weights May Not be Sufficient for Bone Health

In order to keep our bones dense we must perform weight bearing exercises and strength training. Using light weights in your exercise routine may not be sufficiently helping your bones. The amount of weight bearing that causes the bone to become denser is called osteogenic loading. It takes a certain load to stimulate the bone. Bones can be loaded or unloaded from prolonged bed rest. Scientists have determined that the amount of loading required to stimulate the bone equals 4

Using a Personal Trainer if Over 60 -Private and Small Group Sessions in West Orange, New Jersey

Carol Michaels

Mar 26, 2018

Using a Personal Trainer if Over 60 -Private and Small Group Sessions in West Orange, New Jersey

Should someone over age 60 start to work with a personal trainer? You might feel fine. Your weight may be in an acceptable range. So why would you start working with a personal trainer? Some people over age 60 might not have grown up in an area where it was common to belong to a gym or participate in physical activity. The chance of remaining healthy while leading a stationary lifestyle is slim. Being inactive increases your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and s

Jason Lewis

Jan 13, 2018

Tips For Working Out When It’s Cold Outside in NJ

You know the value of exercise. That’s why you make the time to jog, lift weights, or take an exercise class. But when winter hits hard, it can be difficult to find the motivation. The cold, dark days make it tempting to stay home, eat some carbs, and rest on the couch. Thankfully, there are ways you can find your motivation and get some great exercise this winter. It starts by focusing on consistency. Finding Motivation Reminding yourself of the health benefits of exercise s

Carol Michaels

Dec 26, 2017

How to Have Lasting Exercise Success

One of my goals as a fitness professional is to motivate you to improve your fitness level. One way to do this is to find exercise routines that you enjoy. Physical activity needs to become something you like to do if you want the habit to stick. You may know that it is necessary exercise. But unless you find an exercise that you enjoy, there is a good chance that you will not continue. The physical activity should be fun. If stress is a problem, participate in the mind-bod

Carol Michaels

Dec 9, 2017

Working Out at Home vs the Gym

Can you get all the exercise you need by working out at home? It depends on the individual's discipline, knowledge and experience in fitness. In order to work out on your own it is necessary to understand what makes up a good fitness routine. It is important to know which exercises are helpful and to have perfect form. It is also important to know which exercise should be avoided due to past injuries or medical conditions. If someone has learned the proper technique there is

Carol Michaels

Sep 9, 2017

Exercise and Prostate Cancer

The rising rate of prostate cancer necessitates developing better methods to prevent and treat prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death among U.S. men, according to the American Cancer Society. The country’s 3.3 million prostate cancer survivors account for 21 percent of all cancer survivors. There are many reasons why a cancer patient should stay as active as possible through cancer treatment and recovery. I will begin by pointing out a few

New Jersey Recovery Fitness Cancer Exercise Program-North NJ

Carol Michaels

Jun 28, 2017

New Jersey Recovery Fitness Cancer Exercise Program-North NJ

As most of you know, my mother, father, other family members and close friends have had cancer. Having cared for and watched loved ones suffer from this disease, one of my life goals was to do whatever I could to help the healing process. This resulted in my creating the Recovery Fitness® cancer exercise program which was inspired by and is dedicated to these courageous people. The value of adding a fitness professional to the patient’s team is finally receiving the acknowle

Carol Michaels

May 6, 2017

Can Walking Reduce Breast Cancer Risk?

On way that walking may reduce the risk of breast cancer, is by helping to reduce the amount of fat in the body. Since estrogen thrives in the adipose tissue, if we decrease the amount of fat, we can decrease the risk of an estrogen based breast cancer. Most breast cancers are hormonal. Walking will help you control your weight. This is especially important since there is a clear correlation between obesity and breast cancer. Additionally, being over weight will also exacer

Carol Michaels

Mar 20, 2017

The Gym- No One Told You About........

Socializing at a gym can be a distraction. Are you working out for 1 hour or talking for 1 hour? The other gym members can be annoying: too friendly, perverts, or in need of a shower. Traveling back and forth to the gym and getting “dressed up” to exercise can be big time wasters. Some gyms are not cleaned regularly and are health hazards. Some people do not wipe down the machines. The small equipment is not cleaned regularly-weights bands, balls, etc. It is common to develop

Hope Anders

Jan 26, 2017

Tennis-A Great Sport for Those Over 50

Last December, Carol Michaels Fitness wrote about how people over the age of 50 should approach working out. We discussed how “over 50 exercisers should modify their workout due to potential physical changes associated with aging. Make sure to exercise to stay healthy not get injured.” As we get older exercise does become that bit harder (and for many it wasn’t easy in the first place), as the body is not as adept to recovering as it once was. Tennis is a one of a select ty

Carol Michaels

Jan 21, 2017

Are you Getting Injured at the Gym?

As most of you know, I am working out of a large fitness center this month where gym goers lifting weights with poor technique surround me. It is great that they are trying to get fit and healthy. Unfortunately, many weight lifters are not achieving their goals and are getting injured. People spend a lot of time and money to join a gym. While it is fine to strength train using the heaviest weight that can be safely handled, too many people are increasing weight while sacrifi

Carol Michaels

Dec 20, 2016

Barriers to Exercise

The socio-economic barriers that prevent some people from getting the recommended levels of exercise are: 1. Often times there are few gyms of health clubs in low-income neighborhoods 2. There may be inadequate public transportation to get to a gym or the person may not be able to afford public transportation 3. The residents of low-income communities often times do not own a car 4. There may be language barriers 5. Lack of education of the importance of exercise and its