Tag: fitness

MAXIMUM OUTPUT CYCLE

Meg Paradis' MAXIMUM OUTPUT CYCLE is BACK!

Join this high intensity/maximum output cycle and strength class, that focuses on power, perceived exertion, speed, and strength! TWO new sessions!  Each individual will be building from their own base gear on the bike, and will have to reach specific watts designated for intervals. Short bursts on the bike, to follow with short intervals of strength exercises off the bike, with all receiving a high cardio intense full body workout.

Class each week will have a different format, more intensified and personal to the participants.

Summer Session 1

Tuesdays • 5:45am-6:45am
May 8 - June 12
5:45am-6:45am

Class Fee- $119-6 Weeks

Open to Members & Non-Members
Limited to 8 Participant

Summer Session 2

Tuesdays • 5:45am-6:45am
July 10 - July 31
5:45am-6:45am

Class Fee- $80-4 Weeks

Open to Members & Non-Members
Limited to 8 Participant

Reimagining Athletic Performance for Young Female Athletes

By Janine McCarthy
Contact Janine with Questions 
 
Worcester Fitness is proud to announce our brand new program especially designed for young female athletes, Girls EmPowered!
 
This athletic development program is designed to develop well-rounded & strong female athletes with an emphasis on core stability, proper movement patterns, balance and strength. Increased confidence during practices, games, and most importantly during non-sport times. Specifically designed for Middle School aged girls (grades 6,7, and 8).
 
The head coach for this program is Worcester Fitness Master Trainer Janine McCarthy. Janine is a lifelong athlete with a passion for leading young women into positions of strength and power on the court, field or diamond and off. She played soccer & track/field at St. Peter-Marian and went on to play soccer & track/field at Lock-Haven University. She is the head coach of the girls varsity soccer team at Notre Dame Academy.
 

"We have a special group of young female athletes who play soccer, field hockey, basketball, softball, dance, and lacrosse. They are here to build up the foundation of what they need to succeed", says Program Director Janine McCarthy, "That's core stability and strength, balance and proper movement patterns. All the while, we are instilling the solid message that they are super strong girls with super confidence and strength!"
 
 
Class Details
 
Mondays
November 13th - December 18th
3:30PM-4:30PM
 
Tuesdays
November 14th - December 19th
3:30PM-4:30PM
 
Program Fee
$50.00 per athlete
Maximum of 20 athletes per session.

Tricia Stepanski Plouffe

By Andy Sharry
Worcester Fitness
 
"Worcester Fitness has and will continue to make a huge positive difference in my life!"

In January of 2017, I was extremely ill with the flu and almost died.  It took 6 weeks of bed rest to regain strength, energy and to start to feel “normal”.   Due to the 6 weeks of bed rest, my knee area showed signs of atrophy, thus resulting in my inability to walk well or use stairs.  I was in constant pain.  Once completed with my physical therapy at Saint Vincent Hospital, they referred me to Worcester Fitness.  Before joining Worcester Fitness, however, I chose to visit 5 gyms in the city and assessed St. Vincent’s was correct in sending me to Worcester Fitness.  Worcester Fitness stood out tremendously from the other gyms. The environment is professional, clean, calm, attractive and totally focused on service.

I joined the gym in May and a program was initiated on my behalf.  Janine became my personal trainer; Dani became my massage therapist.  By meeting with Janine and Dani at different and regular intervals, I started a personally tailored program that has proven to be of enormous help for major health improvements.   The combined efforts of Janine, Dani and I, have turned my health around for the better.

I am no longer in pain.  I can walk up and down stairs with confidence and comfort.  I can get up from sitting on the floor without needing assistance or something to hold.  I have returned to country western line dancing, something I had missed for years.  My balance is greatly improved. My posture is totally different.  My strength and stamina greatly surpasses when I started.  I ride the stationary bike 5 miles a day and continue to increase my walking time on a treadmill.  Emotionally, I feel happier and more centered. I now am at the gym 4-5 days a week (with or without individualized attention) and have changed my lifestyle to ensure even greater health.   I also have been motivated to change the foods I eat and thus have lost 30 pounds and counting!

I am grateful to the professionals and patrons at Worcester Fitness who have helped me alter my life.  I now understand the benefits of creating healthful time for myself and providing tutelage on body enhancing techniques that literally have resulted in no pain and excellent physical health. 

The Mom Olympics

By Steve Dozois, LMT, Worcester Fitness
Contact Steve 

Here at Worcester Fitness, everyone is an athlete.  Today I'd like to highlight the moms who do so much in what I call the Mom Olympics.  One big difference from the real Olympics is that mom's don't compete for medals or even recognition.  Many moms out there may not consider themselves athletes if they don't get to the gym often or have any other regular fitness training, but I'd argue otherwise!

Every Day Power Moves

Here are just a few things that mom's do or have done regularly that require some physical activity that don't include fitness training.  Carrying babies and toddlers, bags, and bags, and bags!  Racing strollers from place to place, lugging kids in and out of the car to all kinds of events like sports, dance, gymnastics, play groups, school, and more.  There is the constant running around the house to get things for the rest of the family, cleaning up after everyone, and hurdling over toys.  

Every Day Lifting

Some moms spend half the day cleaning the house until they can't clean any more.  Shopping for groceries and preparing the meals can often be a contact sport, especially when their kids are around.  Think of all the heavy lifting involved with doing the laundry!
Now, I know not all moms do all of these things and sometimes they have help, but let's face it...all of our mom's deserve a gold medal for everything they do every day.  

If you are interested in Worcester Fitness, we want to meet you!

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Picky Lanigan MS Exercise Specialist

By Roland Hamelin, Contributing Writer
Worcester Fitness 

Worcester Fitness is very proud to announce that Personal Trainer Picky Lanigan has recently become a certified Aquatic Exercise specialist for clients with Multiple Sclerosis through the Aquatic Exercise Association and MSAA Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.

Latest Certification

Picky has been working with clients with serious pre-existing conditions for many years utilizing her experience as a nationally recognized water fitness expert. She has also been certified through the AEA for over 25 years!

What is MS?

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society "Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.The cause of MS is still unknown – scientists believe the disease is triggered by as-yet-unidentified environmental factor in a person who is genetically predisposed to respond.

The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease."

Aquatic Therapy and MS

Benefits of aquatic exercises*

The unique qualities of water provide exceptional benefits to people with MS. Water helps people with MS move in ways they may not be able to on land. Here is why:

Buoyancy: The feeling of being lighter in the water; of floating.

Provides support for weak limbs.
Movement takes less effort. A greater range of motion can be achieved.
Promotes muscle relaxation.
Viscosity: The sensation that there is resistance to your movements; that you move slower through the water.

The resistance of water can be used to improve muscle strength.Slower movement in water provides an opportunity to work on skills such as balance and coordination which may be harder to do on land.
Hydrostatic pressure: The sensation of compression while the body is in the water. Pressure increases with depth.

Compression can provide support for standing activities, such as walking, with less effort than on land.
Temperature control

Cooler water can help maintain lower core body temperature even during vigorous activity. This is especially helpful for people with heat sensitivity issues.
*Information obtained from National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Congratulations Picky!

Now Picky will be working with Physicians who specialize in treating patients with MS by offering on-site exercise programming right here in the Worcester Fitness pool. Congratulations Picky and thank you for your continued passion for making the lives of your clients better and putting smiles on EVERYONE'S face here at the club EVERY day!

If you have MS or know someone that has MS, please use the contact form below to find out more about how Picky may be able to help you with Aquatic Exercise Therapy at Worcester Fitness.

Practicing Yoga

By Robyn dos Santos, Yoga Instructor, Licensed Therapist and Counselor
Worcester Fitness 

As the winter months come to a close, many of us begin to plan a well-deserved vacation. Good vacations often include a chance to renew ourselves, to simply exist in a relaxing environment without the demands of everyday life and the expectations of others. We look forward to new experiences of our choice, and opportunities for play. We never want vacations to end.

Beginner's Mind

In many ways, the practice of yoga can be like a vacation from the stressors of life, the demands put upon our bodies and minds which can become excessive and cumulative. When we choose to enter a yoga practice with the simple intention of being curious and open to new experiences, free from expectations (called “a beginner’s mind’), each class has the potential to put us in touch with ourselves at a deeper level, increasing self-awareness of the sources and sensations of our stress.

Asanas

Practicing the yoga postures, (asanas) encourage us to attend to the multiple sensations; the slow, rhythmic movements of the body, as it moves in and out of the postures.  This asks us to be attentive to the present moment, the “here and now”.  It allows the opportunity to let go of repetitive thought patterns and worries.

The breathing component of yoga practice focuses on energizing and relaxing with the cycles of inhale/exhale.  This simple, yet profound action assists in releasing tension and improving vitality.

Relaxation

Finally, complete relaxation of body and mind allows for integration of the yoga practice on a more holistic, complete level.  For this reason, relaxation pose is often done as the final component of a yoga routine.

Yoga has often been described as a natural prescription for health and stress management.  It has numerous benefits, one of which is renewal at the levels of mind, body, and spirit.

Robyn dos Santos is a professional, licensed therapist and counselor.  She is a yoga instructor and therapist.
 

Weight Loss 75% Diet, 25% Exercise

By Emily Creamer-Collins, Master Trainer
Worcester Fitness 

If fat loss is your goal, both nutrition and exercise are important. Generally speaking, weight loss is 75% diet and 25% exercise. An analysis of more than 700 weight loss studies found that people see the biggest short-term results when they eat smart.

Calories in/out

On average, people who dieted without exercising for 15 weeks lost 23 pounds; the exercisers who didn’t diet lost only six pounds over about 21 weeks. It’s much easier to cut calories than to burn them off.* For example, if you eat a fast food steak quesadilla, which can pack 500-plus calories, you need to run more than four miles to ‘undo’ it!

So what should you eat? It’s true that low-carb diets tend to be the most popular because they offer the fastest results, but they can be difficult to sustain. I recommend striving for a more balanced plan that focuses on real food - fruits, vegetable, lean proteins and whole grains.

*Huffington Post 2014

Less Meat, More Plants

One of my favorite quotes is from Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”  There’s no room for processed food in that rule!

But do yourself a favor and try focusing more on the FOOD you’re eating and less on the CALORIES you’re taking in.  Most people think controlling portions means counting calories, but there’s a better way.  Leading nutritionists at Precision Nutrition developed this cool Hand Measure System to use instead of getting bogged down by the confusing art of calorie counting. 

Palm of your hand

And your hand is all you need!

Your hand is proportionate to your body, its size never changes, and it’s always with you, making it the perfect tool for measuring food and nutrients – minimal counting required. 

Here’s the breakdown:

A serving of protein = 1 palm

A serving of vegetables = 1 fist

A serving of carbs = 1 cupped hand

A serving of fats = 1 thumb

Here’s how to use this method to build a plate of food:

 

Step 1 = PROTEIN (meat, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt)

Men: two palm-sized portions [~ 40-60 g protein]
Women: one palm-sized portion [~ 20-30 g protein]

Step 2 = VEGETABLES (broccoli, spinach, salad, carrots, etc.)

Men: two fist-sized portions
Women: one fist-sized portion

Step 3 = CARBOHYDRATES (grains, starches, beans, and fruits)

Men: two cupped hand-sized portions [~ 40-60 g carbs]
Women: one cupped hand-sized portion [~ 20-30 g carbs]

Step 4 = FATS (oils, butters, nut butters, nuts, and seeds)

Men: two thumb-sized portions [~ 15-25 g fat]
Women: one thumb-sized portion [~ 20-30 g fat]

Calories

Men eating 3-4 meals as outlined would get around 2,300 – 3,000 calories each day.

Women eating 3-4 meals as outlined would get around 1,200 – 1,500 calories each day.

This system is easier than counting calories and nearly as accurate.  Just like with counting, though, pay attention to results and adjust as needed.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

How Focusing on Self-Love Can Help You Reach Your Health and Wellness Goals

By Dana Harrison, MS
Worcester Fitness
 
It’s the first week of January and health and wellness goals are in full throttle. While most people are interested in resolutions related to food and fitness, let’s shed light on what’s really important in succeeding with these goals—love. Without love, there’s not much; no health, wellness, drive, or positivity.
 
I truly believe that love trumps all; hate, anger, depression; love wins.

Don't Wait

Let's not wait for a horrific or disturbing event to serve as a reminder to spread that love. Love more; hate less. Get ahead of it.
 
It doesn't have to be big [but it can be]. And don't just do it for others and the fact that you have faith in humanity. Do it for yourself. Love yourself. Self-love and love for others is what keeps us going. So why not take advantage of that and apply it to your New Year’s resolutions.

Focus on Love

As you make some positive changes to your lifestyles try taking the time to reflect on how you treat yourself and others. To focus on love’s importance in the health and wellness puzzle, try the following challenges:
 
1) Spread some love and kindness, even small, this week to those you know and others you don't. Your actions and words are contagious; spread love and it keeps spreading.
2) Find one thing about yourself that you want to love but aren't there yet-- this one might be tough to come to terms with, but in order to love and grow, tap into that vulnerability.
 
How do you work on improving this?
 

Move FORWARD

Once you’ve reflected, move forward and apply this idea of love to your health and wellness goals by falling in love with the process of changing for the better. It all starts with loving yourself and others. Loving your body allows for appreciation of what it can do now and what it will be able to do in the future. Loving your mind raises the bar higher. Applying this can only set you up for success when aiming towards creating health and wellness goals that are sustainable and fit into your lifestyle.
 
Applying this can only set you up for success when aiming towards creating health and wellness goals that are sustainable and fit into your lifestyle.

Take a Minute to Prepare for your Workout

By Emily Creamer Collins
Master Trainer
Worcester Fitness
 
Remember to “get set” before you “GO!”
 
A few weeks ago I did a 5K race. At the start line, I had my usual pre-race jitters and was doing my usual pre-race routine to calm those jitters: jumping up and down, rotating my feet, taking the obligatory selfie. As the start time approached, the announcer on the loudspeaker called out “Ready…?” Everyone around me yelled and cheered. Then he called out “GO!” And everyone around me took off.
 
I was still standing standing there, wondering what happened to “Set?”

Set!

The phrase “Ready, set, go” is synonymous with “On you mark, get set, go!” It’s a phrase that describes a process.
 
On your mark, get set, go! is used to begin a competition. It was originally used in England in the 1800s to begin running races.
 
The word mark referred to the place on the running course where the runner would start, whether a line or a set of starting blocks. Get set is a sort of warning that the signal to start running is about to occur, though today when a runner “gets set” he usually raises his hind quarters and tenses his legs in preparation to run.
 
The word go, of course, means that it is time to start running.
 
See how getting set is the equivalent of getting prepared?

Be Prepared

Over the past year or so, I’ve observed that very few people take time to get set in their workouts. They get ready and then they go without getting prepared. Why is that?
 
To explore this question, let’s look at similar phrases/processes. For example, there’s “Lights, camera, action” and there’s “Ready, aim, fire.” I want to focus on the importance of the middle step. A filmmaker would never complete a movie if she skipped camera. Similarly, a marksman would never hit the target if he skipped aim. So why, as athletes, do we expect to be successful in reaching our goals if we skip getting set?
 
So what do I mean by getting set for a workout? First, warm-up. Second, focus on your form.
 

Serious Warm-Up!

Before your workout, take your warm-up seriously! It will prepare you for the best training session possible and it will help to keep your body healthier. A good warm-up works on range-of-motion, activation of muscles, and movement preparation. It can be done in only 10-minutes and should include exercises such as:
 
Foam rolling
Hip-flexor stretches
Floor bridges
Child’s pose with rotation
Wall slides
Squats
Lunges: forward, back, side-to-side
 
During your workout, focus on your form! It will take just a second and will help get the most benefit from your exercise while reducing the risk of injury.
 
Here are some examples of check-points that people tend to skip:
 
Are your hands in the correct position for a push-up?
Are your elbows and hips in the correct position for a plank?
Are your shoulder blades in the correct position for a kettlebell swing?
Are your knees tracking correctly in your lunges?
Are your heels down in your squats?
Are you breathing?
Are you focusing on your movement or are you thinking about something else?

As we head into the New Year, let’s all make an effort to “get set” before we “GO!”

Kid's Korner at Worcester Fitness

Did you know that Kid's Korner, Worcester Fitness' popular children's babysitting service, is FREE to members?

Free is as good as it gets price wise, but don't let the word fool you. Your children will have an amazing time with our professional Kid's Korner team in a safe and secure environment right next to our cardio center.

Not a member---Come in for a tour and see our club AND Kid's Korner for yourself! https://worcesterfitness.com/kids-korner/

 wf-kidskorner

Worcester Fitness 5K for Planting the Seed Foundation

Worcester Fitness Wellness Team at F&D Plastics

The Worcester Fitness Wellness Team was on the road yesterday visiting F & D Plastics in Leominster. This great local company hired Worcester Fitness to present employees with health and fitness information as well as the opportunity to have their cholesterol and blood glucose levels tested. Worcester Fitness Nurse Educator Sandy Knight, Personal Trainer Picky Lanigan and Director of Fitness Andy Sharry had a great time working with the F&D Team. Worcester Fitness can bring wellness to YOUR company too!

Contact andy@worcesterfitness.com to schedule a visit!

#worcesterfitness #worcesterma #fitnessatwork

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Worcester Fitness at Worcester Public Schools

Worcester Fitness Out and About

Recently, Worcester Fitness was invited to present to the Worcester Public Schools Physical Education and Health Education Department's professional development day.

Kat Butterfield, Picky Lanigan and Andy Sharry introduced these local educators to Worcester Fitness and our diverse programs.

The WF Team then took the educators through a 45-minute Cardio Sport class in the Worcester Tech High School gym. There were 40 physical education and health education teachers participating. It was a huge success and a fun time was had by all!

Each educator came away with something new to bring back to the children that they teach.

Director of Fitness Andy Sharry spoke for 30 minutes about the importance of Community Partnerships for health and wellness related endeavors in the Worcester area and how deeply service is ingrained in the Worcester Fitness culture.

 

 Worcester Fitness at Worcester Tech