Posts Tagged ‘Emily Olsen’

Trainers’ Talk: Fast Food is Making our Nation Fat

Wednesday, November 28th, 2012

The Rite Bite’s new blog segment, “Trainers’ Talk” is a community of fitness instructors and trainers contributing to discuss some of the topics we see often in our field.

How outside of ourselves have we become? We are quick to point fingers and pass blame. We go to great lengths to avoid self reflection and admittance of any flaws.  Yes, our food needs to be regulated better. Yes, making unhealthy/unnatural foods affordable and obtainable is not great for us. But let’s be real, McDonald’s doesn’t make us fat!   The fact of the matter is, fast food chains are not forcing us to order heaps of processed crap and shovel it in their mouths.

No more excuses. Lack of self control and poor choices are the most common factors of weight gain. That being said, I am sympathetic to those who are genetically predisposition to hold more body fat, or are on necessary medications that include weight gain as a side effect. But for the majority of the population, it really is as simple as calories in vs. calories out. We must commit to doing something to break the weight gain cycle! Take responsibility for your health. Quit passing blame and take control!

- Emily Olsen B.S. in Exercise Kinesiology

Fitness Director at The Rite Bite

ACSM Certified Personal Trainer

AFAA/ZUMBA/TRX/SilverSneakers/WERQ certified Group Fitness Instructor

Trainers’ Talk: What your trainer won’t tell you-

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

I’m about to break every cardinal rule of sales, marketing & self-promotion, and tell you something most trainers would dare to admit:

You don’t need us. (more…)

Trainers’ Talk: A weekly contribution by The Rite Bite Fitness Staff

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

I have been an instructor and trainer in the fitness industry since 2002. More than 10 years of experiences has allowed me to observe a multitude of reoccurring trends, excuses, failures / successes and taught me life lessons. These experiences inspired me to start this blog segment. I wanted to share some of what I have taken away from my profession so far.

In The Rite Bite’s new blog segment, “Trainers’ Talk,” we will have a community of fitness instructors and trainers contributing to discuss some of the topics we see often in our field.  These posts will be updated every Monday, so check back for our first post!

Want to get fit? 4 MUST haves

Monday, July 9th, 2012

There are so many things people think they need to have in order to meet their fitness goals. Some of these include fancy workout gear, pills or supplements, expensive equipment, and lots of extra time. These things are absolutely NOT necessary to meet your goals. What is necessary is something Target cannot provide. (more…)

Beat the Heat….Ride Inside!

Wednesday, June 13th, 2012

Spinning classes are a great way to get in a vigorous workout without putting high impact on your joints.  A great cardio workout, high caloric burn and muscle building resistance are a few reasons why spinning helps keep a body in amazing shape!

 Bike Set Up: The Rite Bite’s spinners allow you to adjust your saddle and handlebar positions front to back and up and down to allow for the perfect fit. With the proper bike setup you minimize the risk of injury. If you are new to spinning, be sure to arrive to class at least 15 minutes early to discuss bike safety and setup with your instructor.

Eat Light before class: Eat a small snack or give yourself a few hours between your last meal and your spinning class. If you eat a big meal then jump on your bike, your stomach may turn faster than the pedals you’re pushing. (more…)

How to be a Sleeping Beauty

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

A common problem that I have never encountered is insomnia. As soon as my head hits that pillow I am out for a solid 10 hours (or more) if I don’t set an alarm.  I know; I am one lucky girl! But maybe it’s not all chocked up to luck? Maybe it has more to do with the lifestyle then people realize.

Statistics show that nearly 74% of Americans have problems sleeping, and the average adult gets less than 6 1/2 hours of sleep a night.  When looking further into this, I discovered that there are several factors or inhibitors that happen during the course of a day that can impact your sleep cycles and even the length of sleep you get a night.

It turns out exercising can have a big impact on how well and how long you sleep. Working out has been shown to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.  This makes total sense to me because I work out at a minimum of 1-2 hours, 4-5 days a week, and sleep has never been a problem.  Studies have proven that exercise has a direct impact on sleep. On average, people that exercise will get in a full night uninterrupted sleep and go through all 5 cycles of sleep.  However… and this is a BIGGY… exercising close to bedtime will speed up the heart rate and metabolism which in turn increases brain activity and can cause you to have a really hard time falling asleep. So if you are going to use exercise as a way to help you fall asleep, but sure to get it in at least 3 hours prior to going to sleep.

Keep in mind, everyone’s different. For some people, late-day exercise isn’t a problem. It may require some trial and error to see how working out affects the quality of your sleep. Without making any other changes that are likely to affect your sleep, take notes on how well you sleep after working out at different times. This can help you determine the time of day that’s best for your workout and the least disruptive to your sleep.

I am not claiming that exercise is the cure-all answer for insomniacs, but it is worth a shot! There are so many other benefits to being active, even if it doesn’t help you sleep better, it’s helping your body in a multitude of ways.  If you are not seeing sleep quality or quantity increase with exercise you may need to look into some other possible culprits.  Diet, caffeine consumptions, certain drugs, alcohol, stress level, smoking, and even age all have been correlated to insomnia.

May 25th is Senior Health and Fitness Day!

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

Consistent physical activity and exercising are two of the most important health improvement steps that older adults can take to maintain physical and mental well being as well as quality of life.

Aerobic exercise also referred to as “cardio” helps keep hearts strong and physical endurance high.  This helps with burning fat, improved sleep, better blood sugar control, and stronger bones.  Older adults should try to get in some form of cardio activity 3-5 days a week for a minimum of 20 minutes each time. Some examples could be biking, walking, swimming, and land and water aerobics classes.

Strength exercises are also safe and effective for the older adult population.  Lack of strength and poor balance puts older adults at a much higher risk for falls and muscle degeneration.  Regular strength training will help decrease arthritis, obesity, and osteoporosis.  Strength training helps keep muscles and joints strong, which will help lower joint and back pain. Having muscle mass will also keep metabolism higher.  Older adults should try to get in strength training 2 non- consecutive days a week.

It’s a good idea for anyone starting a strength routine to be sure to pay close attention to form and alignment to decrease the risk of injury.  It’s advised to start a new routine in a supervised environment with an instructor or trainer. Seniors should use light weights and or bands when starting a strength routine.

Check out these YouTube Videos for some free senior workouts:

Cardio and lower body work in a chair: http://www.youtube.com/user/StrongerSeniors?feature=pyv&ad=8653057536&kw=%22senior%20exercise%22#p/u/0/m7zCDiiTBTk

Balance Work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJisTCwzhJM&playnext=1&list=PLD8AEC46628441F3C

Chair Pilates for core and flexibility:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elOyApQYwuw&playnext=1&list=PLD8AEC46628441F3C

Always be sure to check with a doctor before starting any exercise program to be sure what you’re doing is safe and that you have no restrictions.

Monday, December 13th, 2010

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful,

But Staying Healthy is so Delightful!

Activities for an active holiday season

The kid’s are on break, the temperature is dropping, and that cozy couch and warm fireplace are oh-so appealing. Don’t let Old Man Winter keep you in this year!

Despite the inclement weather, there are plenty of healthy fitness-related activities to participate in. Around the Columbus area, plenty of activities exist to help keep us fit all winter.

Sledding:

Get on, have a blast!

Search hills by county: http://www.sledriding.com/Ohio.html#Franklin

Search by specific parks and suburbs: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/02/12/sledding.html

Area wide map of sledding hills: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/graphics/2010/sled.html

Ice Skating:

Chiller Ice Rinks operates throughout Columbus, including Downtown, Dublin, Easton, Worthington and Lewis Center. Bothe Chiller and OSU ice rinks offer open skates, along with ice skate rentals and private lessons.

Rather have some fresh air? Several Columbus area Metro parks, including Battelle Darby Creek and Blendon Woods, have ice-skating ponds during the winter.

Ice Hockey:

Want more action on the ice? The Columbus Chill Youth Hockey Association sponsors hockey leagues for boys and girls starting at age four all the way up to high school, states the Columbus Chill Youth Hockey Association website. The Chiller and OSU ice rinks both offer hockey lessons and leagues.

Snow Skiing and then some!

Snow Trails, Mad River Mountain and Clear Fork ski resorts are an easy drive from Columbus. These resorts also offer snowboarding and tubing. Columbus is also home to the Columbus Ski Club for skiing and socializing. Don’t have a need for speed? Local metro parks offer cross country skiing, winter hiking trails, and snow shoeing. Check out the Ohio metro parks to see more: http://www.metroparks.net

Winter Events:

Winter is the season for some really great local events, such as Wildlights at the Zoo, First Night New Year’s Eve Celebration, as well as Fantasy of Lights at Alum Creek State Park Marina and The Franklin Park Conservatory’s Holidays at the Conservatory.

For further winter adventures, The Beach Water Park in Mason, OH (just outside Cincinnati) becomes a winter wonderland for “Holiday Fest.” The water park becomes a huge ice rink, lights decorate slides and towers and guests can jump into a paddle boat to enjoy a winter cruise around the waterway. www.thebeachwaterpark.com.

Get Out and Get Moving this winter!

Music To Move To

Friday, August 27th, 2010

When I exercise hard, I like my music to also be hard… and loud! That is sometimes the only thing that gets me through the workout.  Music puts me in the mood and motivates me to push my limits at whatever it is I’m doing. This is why I have a variety of different playlists on my ipod at the moment.

There are websites and software out there that even let you make your worn workout mix to a set BPM (or meats per minute). Check out http://bestworkoutmusic.com/beatscanner.html to create specific tempos to the music you already have. Another website, www.technosweat.com has specific premade albums geared toward the exact activity you want to participate in.  Therefore the music speed (or BPM) is appropriate.

Of course everyone has different tastes in music what they prefer to listen while moving.  Scroll below for a sample of some playlists that I’ve created for specific types of exercise. Also, watch for more of my playlists to come in future posts. Share your favorite songs to work out to and I might include them in the playlists or at the next class I teach! Let me know if you have any specific songs you would to add to my lists.

Strength Training:

“Viva la Vida” – Coldplay

“Touch My Body” – Mariah Carey

“Bleeding Love” – Leona Lewis

“Human” – The Killers

“U Want Me 2″ – Sarah McLachlan

“Slipped Dissolved and Loosed” – Lambchop

“Chemtrails” – Beck

“Special Place” – Rootz Underground

“Girls Around the World” – Lloyd and Lil Wayne

“Let’s Love” – Matthew Sweet

“Right Hand on My Heart” – The Whigs

“Not That Big” (feat. Imogen Heap) – Temposhark

“Without You” – Shawn Hlookoff

“One for the Cutters” – The Hold Steady

“Believe” – Staind

“Click Click Click” – New Kids on the Block

“Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” – Darius Rucker

“Waterfall” – James

“Great Day” – Lindsey Buckingham

Dance Mix:

ANYTHING GAGA!

“We Run This” – Missy Elliott

“Chicken Noodle Soup” – Webstar and Young B

“Show Stopper” – Danity Kane

“Bounce” (feat. Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, and Dr. Dre) – Timbaland

“Bleed It Out” – Linkin Park

“Fergalicious” – Fergie

“Jump” – The Pointer Sisters

“Shawty Get Loose” (feat. Chris Brown and T-Pain) – Lil Mama

“Beep” – The Pussycat Dolls

“Cupid Shuffle” – Cupid

“Island in the Sun” – Weezer

“Damn Regret” – The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

“Handlebars” – Flobots

“Party People” – Nelly

“Maneater” – Nelly Furtado

“Dirty Little Secret” – The All-American Rejects

“Headstrong” – Ashley Tisdale

“Lose Control” (feat. Ciara and Fat Man Scoop) – Missy Elliott

“Pro Nails” (Remix) (feat. Kanye West) – Kid Sister

Less Cardio, Same Results

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

If you’re like me, then you are tired of using cardio equipment or just jogging for the aerobic portion of your workout.  What if I told you that you can get a great cardio workout and burn a lot of calories, and you will not even need a treadmill?  Well, I am here to tell you that you can through jumping rope. This chart shows the difference in calories burned  for walking, running, and jumping rope based on three different weight groups. You can see that jumping rope burns more calories than running!

150 lbs. 175 lbs. 200 lbs.
Walking-3 mph 225 Cal/Hour 262 Cal/Hour 299 Cal/Hour
Running-12 min mile 544 Cal/Hour 635 Cal/Hour 726 Cal/Hour
Jumping Rope-Moderate 680 Cal/Hour 794 Cal/Hour 907 Cal/Hour
***All are estimates from http://www.acefitness.org/calculators/physical-activity-calorie-calculator.aspx

There are some things you need to know before you begin jumping rope.  First, you need to make sure that you have the correct type and size rope.  A beaded rope for beginners is better because it holds its shape and it is easier to control.  As you progress, moving onto a vinyl rope will be beneficial as it allows for increased speed.  As far as size is concerned, stand on the rope and make sure the handles come to your armpits.  The next important variable is attire.  It is best to wear shorts, but if you do wear pants be careful not to trip on the legs of your pants.  Also, wear proper athletic shoes.  The surface you jump on is last, but certainly not the least factor.  Jumping on the carpet and grass reduces impact on your joints, but can grab onto your shoes and cause you to twist your ankle or knee.  Concrete and blacktop are going to be higher impact on your joints, but will not grab onto your shoes.  Preferably, place a piece of plywood or an exercise mat on the ground for an optimal jumping surface.

When you begin jumping rope, music can be a very helpful tool.  It can help you establish a rhythm, as well as subconsciously dictate your pace.  In most cases, the faster the music, the faster you’ll jump and you won’t even realize it.

If you are just beginning jumping rope or have experience already, but have not done it in a while, here is a workout to start with:

  1. 3 minutes as fast as you can
  2. 1 minute break
  3. 2 minute as fast as you can
  4. 1 minute break
  5. 1 minute as fast as you can
  6. 1 minute break
  7. 45 seconds as fast as you can
  8. 45 second break
  9. 30 seconds as fast as you can

10.  30 second break

11.  15 seconds as fast as you can

12.  Repeat backwards

This routine will give you 15 minutes of good cardiovascular exercise.  Once you have got it down, try and do it twice.  If you are doing resistance training, this would be perfect for a warm-up and for post-workout cardio.