Tips from our educated, experienced instructors and Personal Trainers

Digital Detox with Certified Personal Trainer

Breanne Walsh

Now more than ever, we are being overloaded with information and it can be draining. Technology offers incredible benefits but can easily become addictive. According to a Global Mobile Consumer Survey, adults check their phones an average of 52 times per day. Overusing technology may lead to an inability to concentrate, memory struggles, loss of social skills and issues related to anxiety, boredom and sleep disruption. 
-Try a digital detox: Exercise (without a smartphone) 
- Practice mindfulness (yoga, meditation, etc.) 
- Explore nature
- Eliminate "optimal" apps that you don't use on a regular basis (or that consume too much of your time)
- Use a monitoring feature like Screen Time for iPhone or Digital Wellbeing for Androids to track and improve your habits. 
- Set a time each day  where technology is put away

Unplugging can boost present-moment engagement. Studies show that we are happiest when we are actively participating in exactly what we are doing! 

Mindful Eating with Certified Personal Trainer

Kerri Kleeman

A few tips to remember:
- Ask yourself if you are actually hungry.
- If you, make your plate/bowl of the food you want and sit down to eat, even if it's a snack!
- Eat in a calm environment with no (or minimal) distractions. This means no phone, TV, loud conversations, etc. 
- Pay attention to each bite. Does it taste like you thought? Are you enjoying it? Is it doing for you what you thought it would be?
- Stop eating when you are satisfied. Slowing down may help you realize when satisfaction sets in. 

Just Breathe with Certified Yoga Instructor 

Brandy Hopkins

I often tell my class that breathing is the most important exercise they will ever do. Breathing techniques can condition you to use more of your lung capacity. Deep breathing in particular is an exercise that benefits your whole body. Unfortunately, it is seldom practiced unless the doctor has their stethoscope on our back! Don't wait until then to practice your deep breathing. When we are stressed, tense, angry or even excited, we tend to hold our breath. This deprives our body of the oxygen it desperately needs. It is especially crucial for you to be mindful during stressful times. When you begin to feel overwhelmed or anxious, take a few minutes and practice the exercise below. You can even take it a step further and practice it daily. In doing so, you will begin to automatically go into breathing exercises in a difficult moment. 

Breathing Exercise:
- Stop what you are doing (even if it's for 3 minutes)
- Close your eyes, shut off your surroundings
- Inhale through your nose as deeply as you can
- Count to 3 and exhale out like you would if you were fogging up a mirror
- Repeat until you begin to feel relaxed
- Take it a step further and with your inhales, inhale peaces, positive thoughts. Exhale stress and anxiety. 

Motivational Tips with Certified Personal Trainer

Tabatha Fentress

A few tips to remember:
- Have everything prepared the night before: clothes laid out, coffee in the pot, music ready
- Don't overthink things or you will talk yourself out of it 
- Don't hit that snooze button. Better yet, place you phone across the room so you have to get up to turn it off. 
- Find a friend to join you and hold each other accountable
- Play music  that will get you pumped & out the door
- Treat yourself to a non-food reward when you are finished or have reached a certain goal
- Just think how good your will feel when the workout is finished

Nutrition Tips with Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach

Felicia Sillings

A few tips to remember:
- Put food that's hard to control yourself, in a spot that's hard to get to. 
​- Find a healthier alternative to food that draws your attention (salty, sugary, fatty, etc.). 
- Organize the pantry to make healthier options easy to access.
- Prep healthier choices to have on hand so you don't justify the unhealthy treat because it's easier. 
- Continue to drink plenty of water.

Start Moving with Certified Personal Trainer

Russ Christensen

First thing you'll want to do is get the body and muscles ready for the workout by doing dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching uses controlled movements to loosen up your muscles and increase your range of motion. Start at your neck and work your way down. (shoulder rolls, arm pull backs, hip rolls, high/low jabs, high knees, lunges, etc.)
Keep your capability in mind. Know what you're capable of doing without hurting yourself. 
It's your workout. Do something that makes you feel good and gets you moving for at least 30 minutes, 3-4 days a week. 

Switch It Up with Certified Personal Trainer

Laura Schilling

There’s no shortage of different types of exercise to try. If you tend to gravitate toward more traditional activities — like running, biking, or swimming — look for ways to change up your workout. For instance, instead of running on the treadmill or the road, head for a wooded trail or local park. Not only will you experience an enjoyable change of scenery, but you’ll work your body in a different way that can enhance your overall fitness level.
Here are seven benefits to tweaking your exercise routine:
- Challenge your body in a way that it’s not used to. By doing so, it forces your body to work harder as it adjusts to the new activity, which means that you’ll burn more calories.
- Prevent overuse injuries. By mixing it up, you give those overused muscles, joints, and ligaments a chance to rest.
- Build new muscles. For recreational exercisers the best approach is to do a little bit of everything! 
- Beat workout boredom!
- Help keep your brain healthy. The key is to choose activities that keep you engaged.
- Meet new workout partners. 
​- Get excited about exercise again. When you’d rather hit the snooze button, it’s definitely time to make a change. It may take a little trial and error but stick with. Then, change up your routine so that you include several types of activity every week. You’ll see better results and have a lot more fun doing it.