Two guys walk into a gym once a week, guess what happens 17 years later?

Jim is 84 years old. His friends no longer exercise. One friend who couldn’t get out of squat position asked Jim if he could still squat. He responded, “Hell, I can do it with weights”.

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John is a 82 year old psychologist. One of his patients is the same age and lives in a senior care facility. John conducts sessions with him at the facility. John lives at home.

Both Jim and John have been coming to our Austin Fitness Training location for once-a-week 30 minutes exercise sessions for going on 17 years. If John or Jim had not exercised the past 17 years it is likely they’d be in the same diminished physical state as some of their contemporaries. 

Both have faced serious health challenges - cancer and heart valve replacement. Had they faced these challenges in weakened states the likelihood of positive outcomes would have been far less likely.

Do nothing about your physical fitness, and a year from now you will get a downgrade in your ability to engage in physical activities - to do them well, without injury, for longer, or even enjoy them. Instead, imagine making a small positive change each week; do that for a year, and you will get an upgrade.

One session a week has been shown to be optimal for strength gains for seniors.  It is not how much exercise you can tolerate it is how little you need to produce positive change.  Do a little more each week, and over time, it will be transformative. This exercise program has a very high compliance rate (17 years for Jim and John), and the positive results are there to see (We track the results).

If you do nothing, you’ll be weaker, have less energy, and be more prone to sickness and injury. When injuries do occur the outlook for recovery will not be encouraging. With proper strength training you will:

The gift you can give yourself that keeps on giving

So you haven’t exercised consistently in years, and each year, you have gained a pound or two. That fat gain is accompanied by a decline in fat burning hormones, foremost among them testosterone.  Weight gain leads to lower testosterone; lower testosterone leads to even more weight gain - a vicious cycle. 

With that weight gain comes elevated blood sugar and cholesterol levels, plus the threat of metabolic syndrome and all that the syndrome entails - type-2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and a life cut short.   

You become less active. With that comes a decline in mitochondrial capacity  (your cells’ capacity to produce energy).  The result is even more inactivity and another vicious cycle.

Because you have not done sustained demanding work in years you become weaker. Human growth hormone - necessary for maintaining muscle and bone mass - declines quicker than age would otherwise dictate. Your muscle mass decreases, muscles become weaker, and bone density loss accelerates. 

Your heart becomes weaker. Strong muscles push the cardiovascular system and are necessary to condition the heart. Maintaining strong muscles results in a long list cardiovascular benefits.   

Weaker muscles make it harder to keep your balance. This leads to falling and possible serious injury. 

Your respiratory system becomes weaker.  Your forced expiratory volume (how much air you can forcibly exhale) goes down; pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses pose bigger threats than there should be. 

Cognitive decline begins. Without vigorous exercise there is less neurogenesis (the production of new brain cells), and there is a decline in brain-derived neurotrophic factor - important for the growth and survival of those brain cells. 

Aches and pains prevail. Pains dictates your range of motion.  That range becomes increasingly restricted.  Pain is associated with inflammation; chronic inflammation of joints results in arthritis. 

Pain, inactivity, and declining health can lead to depression.  You are not powerless to change this course. There is good news:

  • All this can be reversed, sometimes dramatically.

  • Unfit subjects’ relative improvement from exercise will be far greater than fit subjects’ improvement.

  • It takes as little as 30 minutes of exercise a week to see that improvement.

While that is not the prevailing wisdom regarding the frequency of exercise, the proof is in the results.  We have clients who have experienced these benefits:

Start now. If you don’t have the time for exercise now you will have to make time for sickness and injury later on. At our Austin Strength Training facility we can guide you through a workout suitable for your age and condition.  Each week you will lift a little more, lift a little longer, and take a little less time between exercises.  Over time these small steps add up. You will reverse the path you are on, and best of all, as your fitness improves you will be more inclined to be active, further enhancing your health and quality of life.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

Complimentary first workout

*Before you stop by please call us. We operate by appointment.

What If...

Ten years ago, I asked a 65-year-old friend of mine, “When was the last time you went all out?” He responded that it had been decades. He had been a member of a health club for years, but he seldom went. He was very busy and at the peak of his income earning years. I made my case to committing to ½ hour of high intensity strength training just once a week. I told him that if you push your body to a little more than you are used to, you get an upgrade. If you don't, you are guaranteed a downgrade. He listened but he wasn't biting.

If you don't make time for exercise now you just might have to devote considerably more time to sickness and injury later on.

I saw him again recently. A lot can happen in ten years. He now has a laundry list of health complications, significant enough that exercise to correct those complications is untenable. I ask myself, what if he had committed to exercise a decade back. Would he have any of these complications?

What if?

What if you committed to a properly designed full-body strength training workout once a week?

  • Where each week you do the exercises just a few seconds longer or do additional repetitions on at least some of the exercises.

  • Where each week you spend a little less time between exercises - rest when you are finished.

  • Where you progress in the amount of weight you lift. You might not go up in weight each week, but over the long-run the progression is toward increasing the amount of weight you lift.

Extrapolate these small improvements out over years, and the improvement is often dramatic. There is a very long list of benefits from proper exercise. Here is a list of 35 of those benefits.

This workout would not be designed to see how much exercise you can tolerate, but what is the least amount that will produce the largest marginal return. Such a workout will have a higher compliance rate – you will stick to it. The personal trainers at Kelly Personal Training have designed just such an exercise program. A good personal trainer will know how to structure such a workout. You do a little bit more than you are used to handling, and as self-protection, your body, if given adequate time to recover, will improve. With these improvements you will find you’ll likely become less sedentary. You will increase physical activity that will further enhance your well-being. It is a great feeling to still be doing those activities years later.

A decade from now you could have more strength, mobility, mental acuity, resilience, protection from injury, plus stronger bones and stamina or... not.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself at our Austin Personal Training facility

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Adding it up

“I would eat peanut butter sandwiches the rest of my life to keep doing these workouts. I get that much good out of it.” – Donna, a Kelly Personal Training client. [Note: she doesn’t, but she said she would for all the good it does her.] The good is an enhanced health span – living well, doing everyday activities easily, living without pain and sickness - not just existing, not just another year added to your lifespan but another year of vitality. Along with an enhanced physical state comes an improved mental state as well.

Examples of those who significantly improved their health span with proper exercise:

·        When Mary turned 80, she stopped using her up-stairs bedroom and made make-shift sleeping arrangements downstairs. Climbing the stairs was too difficult. After she began strength training, she returned to sleeping in her upstairs bedroom, a room that had given her comfort for most of her adult life.

·        Glenn has multiple sclerosis.  To manage his symptoms, he has been taking “an ungodly amount of corticosteroids” for 13 years – not good for bone health.  Doctors expected his latest bone scan reading to indicate that his bones would be like “Swiss cheese”. A T-score in the range of -1 to +4 is considered normal.  He was surprised to learn his test result was 3.  The doctor said his bones were like “aged parmesan”.

·        At 72 years old Bojack was slowing down; he could no longer play golf every day. He could play nine holes but lacked the stamina to play eighteen holes. He began strength training. A year later Bojack would play 18 holes of golf, and the next day he would play 18 holes again. He was hitting the ball farther and enjoying the game he had played for so many years.

·        Nancy, 74 years old, was stiff and found it difficult to get down on the floor to play with her grandkids.  She began exercising.  She now spends hours with her grandkids playing on the floor – a simple pleasure perhaps, but meaningful.

·        Carole suffered from scoliosis pain every day. She began strength training at aged 58.  Her pain disappeared.  Carole began attending dance classes again, something she had not done in decades.

·        Chris rides motorcycles.  Once a year he takes a week off with friends for a road trip. By the end of the week his friends were suffering in pain after the long rides.  Not Chris, he enjoyed the ride.

·        Sarah was 87 and wanted to go on one more cruise, but she felt she would be too weak to handle the rigors of travel.  She began strength training.  She went on that cruise, and subsequently, four more cruises.  She is 94 now and still trains at KPT.

To travel, to ride, to dance, to play, to work, to not hang up those cleats just yet, to maintain an uncompromised life - what is that worth? Is it worth 30 minutes a week of vigorous exercise to enjoy a life of vitality? We are convinced that it is. All those above trained 30 minutes weekly at Kelly Personal Training, guided by experienced trainers using a program specially designed to safely produce significant results with minimal time in the gym. This is a program people can stick to. Each week clients improve a little. Those small weekly improvements add up; they add up to a better life.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself at our Austin Personal Training facility

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Change, more than I imagined possible

I had been taking high blood pressure medication for 39 years. Four months ago, I stopped taking my asthma, gout, cholesterol, and high blood pressure medications. These are the medications I am required to take to “stay healthy”.

The standard medical protocol: If you have unwanted symptoms you take a pill. You wheeze, you take asthma meds; your feet hurt, you take your gout meds … The root cause of those symptoms is not neglecting to take a pill. If not hereditary, the root cause is more likely something in your environment – stress, toxins, lack of sleep, something you did or didn’t do, or something you ate or didn’t eat. It may be that addressing the causes of those symptoms will make those symptoms go away. Quite unexpectedly, I discovered that the cause of my maladies was what I ate.

I began eating in a way I had never eaten before. I began a strict low carb diet primarily to lose weight; all the other positive changes, I had not hoped for or even imagined possible.

Before the diet there were a bunch of small annoyances that I figured came with age. Example arthritis, I figured it will progress, and I will deal with it as it comes. Now throughout the day I open and close my fists – yep, still no pain and arthritis-free. That and a bunch of other conditions I had been enduring are totally gone. The list:

Double vision gone

As it happened at the end of day while driving, my eye doctor said it was probably because my eyes were tired. Well, my eyes don’t get tired anymore, no double-vision regardless of time of day.

Vertigo gone

This occurs infrequently, sometimes throwing-up bad, but usually mild. Still, it is something I would rather not deal with and have not had to since this diet.

Gout gone

Infrequent, but when it does occur it can be acute – not one single episode.

Brain fog gone

This has been a profound change. Possible reasons:

  • Consistently high insulin levels make the brain insulin resistant resulting in not enough glucose to the brain. This diet results in lower insulin levels and more ketosis with more ketones as a result.

  • The brain does well on ketones.

  • Brain fog is a potential side-effect of statins (cholesterol medication) – I no longer take statins.

  • Increase of hormones essential to growth of new brain cells (Neurogenesis). Those hormones are human growth hormone HGH and Brain Derived Neuro-trophic factor BDNF.

Arthritis gone

Some days arthritis, especially in the hands, was more bothersome than others. Now all days are good, not even a trace of arthritis.

Asthma gone

Something I was first diagnosed with as a child. It is usually mild. It is often exercise induced and usually more pronounced in the winter. I have not resorted to my rescue inhaler before or after any exercise in months. In the past with any long, forced exhale there was anyways a bit of a wheeze at the end – no more. I am anxious to see how I fare this coming winter.

High blood pressure for 39 years – Gone

In 2020 I was on the largest dose of blood pressure meds my doctor would prescribe. My average of BP reading with meds was 139/81. My doctor said that my high blood pressure was part of me, it was in me, there was nothing I could do about. “Idiopathic”, he called it.

Today, my average blood pressure reading without meds for the last four months is 121/73. This change is so unanticipated and so outside my experience that I expected this to be a temporary anomaly, but after four months the lower readings persist. Doc said it is unlikely I would ever need to go back on the meds. Doc said that I had been living in a milieu of underlying inflammation, and with the inflammation and excess weight gone so is the elevated blood pressure.

LDL cholesterol up

While my HDL cholesterol and triglycerides moved in the right direction LDL cholesterol did not. Besides stopping statins, there is another reason that LDL rose; it is a byproduct of ketosis - explanation here. There are benefits to statins, and there are potential side-effects. I am not willing to risk those side-effects. I am considering a non-statin alternative should dietary intervention not succeed.

Sugar/carb cravings gone

I could eat a whole pie and/or a quart of ice-cream in a day. Large scoops of Ovaltine were required for my milk. When I finally purged the stockpile in my cabinets I found six jars of Ovaltine and pounds of pasta. I really liked sugar and carbs. That has changed. See below.

Taste preferences change

My omelets have up to four different vegetables in it, my salads up to eight different ingredients. All sauces and dressings I use are high in fat, and importantly, have no-sugar added. It tastes so good it is surreal. I always thought drinking black coffee was torture. No more.

40 pounds gone

It took about four months. I have lost this much weight before. In fact, I have done it repeatedly the past 40 years, and each time I gain it back. Each time I say this time is different. This time it is different. See next item.

Hunger pangs gone

A few years ago, I was talking to a client, Shirley. She had lost 53 pounds, and I had lost 20. I told her I was hungry “all the damn time”. I asked her if she was always hungry. She said no. In the months that followed, I managed to gain the 20 pounds back, but Shirley did not. For 40 years I was stuck in the yo-yo land of weight loss followed inevitably by weight gain until now. Like Shirley, I am now keeping the weight off and I don’t suffer hunger pangs. I eat what I like, eat as much as I care to, and I don’t gain weight. Since getting to this point, my world has changed.

I have more energy and an overall improvement in my well-being. Maybe not carrying around 40 extra pounds has something to do with that. With fewer aches, no wheezing, and more energy I am more inclined to exercise. I have been walking farther and exercising more.

I am no longer, as my doctor put it, “living in a milieu of underlying inflammation”. Interestingly, the type of strength training we do at our Austin Personal Training facility exponentially produces myokines, an anti-inflammatory agent produced by the muscle in response to demanding exercise. Result: even less inflammation! An added benefit, demanding exercise stimulates and further increases HGH and BDNF – more neurogenesis. Life is good.

The Transformation of Bojack - a True Story

The following story is true, only the identities were changed.  Chaz and Bojack had long played golf together, and both had knee replacement surgery the same week.  Chaz had exercised religiously at Kelly Personal Training before the operation and resumed shortly thereafter. He has been strength training 30 minutes a week for years. His recovery was swift, and he was ready for duck hunting season.  He had no problem getting in and out of a boat. Meanwhile, Bojack who did not exercise was still using a walker.

Chaz stuck to the exercise program for the years that followed.  Chaz, now 78 years old, was still an avid golfer but had few golfers his age to join him.  Bojack, five years younger, could play just nine holes and the next day was too rundown to play again.

Chaz insisted that Bojack try the same exercise program.  Chaz said, “You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Anybody can stick to one half hour a week.”  

Bojack began exercising. A year later Bojack was playing 18 holes, and the next day, 18 holes again.  He was hitting the ball farther and enjoying golf again. Bojack results were extraordinary, but others have had similar results. In fact, those who are more drastically out of shape typically show more improvement. They have more upside potential for improvement compared to those who are already in shape. It is also important to note that Bojack was getting the additional health benefit of playing several more rounds of golf each week.

For 20 years we have been working to help those who are recovering from surgery or injuries get them back to a full life. Best of all, it doesn’t require endless hours in the gym.

Proper strength training enables one to do more that just exist, but to thrive. People aren’t usually put in nursing homes because of a lack of aerobic conditioning; it’s because they’re too weak. Loss of strength ultimately leads to life compromising conditions such as herniated discs, osteoporosis, arthritis, type-2 diabetes, weight gain, injuries from falling, or heart disease - a diminished life. Proper strength training can lead to an enhanced active life.

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Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself at our Austin Personal Training facility

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Doggie Disney

I was asked by Redfin to contribute to an article about my favorite place to go in Austin; they called the article Hidden Gems in Austin. My hidden gem is a place I go to at least weekly, Veterans Memorial Park. My dogs love it; I love it. The Redfin article is here: Hidden Gems in Austin: Locals Reveal the City’s Most Underrated Spots | Redfin

 Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

Complimentary first workout

*Before you stop by please call us. We operate by appointment.

Caution, Danger Ahead!

Is this where you are headed-> You gain a pound of two a fat each year. That fat gain is accompanied by a decline in fat burning hormones, foremost among them testosterone.  Weight gain leads to lower testosterone; lower testosterone leads to even more weight gain - a vicious cycle begins.

You become less active. With that comes a decline in mitochondrial capacity   and nitric oxide availability (Both necessary to perform demanding work).  The result is even more inactivity - still another vicious cycle and more to follow.

Because you have not done sustained demanding work in years you become weaker. Human growth hormone - necessary for maintaining muscle and bone mass - declines quicker than age would otherwise dictate. Your muscle mass decreases, muscles become weaker, and bone density loss accelerates.  

 Your heart becomes weaker. Strong muscles push the cardiovascular system and are necessary to condition the heart. Maintaining strong muscles results in a long list cardiovascular benefits.   

Weaker muscles make it harder to keep your balance. This leads to falling and possible serious injury. 

Your respiratory system becomes weaker.  Your forced expiratory volume (how much air you can forcibly exhale) goes down; pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses pose bigger threats than should be. 

Cognitive decline begins. Without vigorous exercise there is less neurogenesis (the production of new brain cells), and there is a decline in brain-derived neurotrophic factor - important for the growth and survival of those brain cells. 

Aches and pains prevail. Pains dictates your range of motion.  That range becomes increasingly restricted.  Pain is associated with inflammation; chronic inflammation of joints results in arthritis. 

Pain, inactivity, and declining health can lead to depression. 

 You are not powerless to change this course. The good news:

  • All this can be reversed, sometimes dramatically.

  • Unfit subjects will improve much more from exercise than fit subjects. They have more upside potential compared to those who are already in good condition.

  • It takes as little as 30 minutes of exercise a week to see that improvement.

While that is not the prevailing wisdom regarding the frequency of exercise, the proof is in the results.  The key is to provide the minimum effective dose of exercise necessary to stimulate change and then allow adequate time to fully recover. We have clients who have experienced these benefits:

Start now. If you don’t have the time for exercise now you will have to make time for sickness and injury later on. At our Austin Strength Training facility we can guide you through a workout suitable for your age and condition.  Each week you will lift a little more, lift a little longer, and take a little less time between exercises.  We monitor that progress. Over time these small steps add up. You will reverse the path you are on, and best of all, as your fitness improves you will be more inclined to be active, further enhancing your health and quality of life.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

Complimentary first workout

*Before you stop by please call us. We operate by appointment.

"I'm literally crying happy tears"

Once a week, This client uses our neck machine, a piece of equipment rarely found in gyms.

(Laney is the client who wrote this text. Once a week, she uses our neck machine, a piece of equipment very rarely found in gyms.)

Laney is 56 years old; her bone density improvement came without taking any supplements or medications for osteopenia. Wendy, Carole, Glenn, and Debra had similar improvements in their bone density as a result of strength training 30 minutes once a week at our Austin Personal Training facility. Their results demonstrate that it doesn’t require hours in the gym each week to achieve results. Adequate time is needed for recovery and restructuring to enable ongoing improvement. It also helps to have state-of-the-art equipment (See video below.) with knowledgeable trainers.

Proper strength training can slow, stop, or reverse the progression of bone loss.  We have worked with a many clients with bone density issues over the years. We would like to report that all our clients have increased their bone density, but such is not the case. Results do vary. A lot depends on how much your bone density has deteriorated already. Don’t wait until your condition deteriorates from osteopenia to osteoporosis, as the likelihood of a favorable result diminishes.

What will your health be like a ten years from now if you don’t take preventative measures? Cathy started exercising ten years ago primarily for her bone health. Reflecting back on the ten years she said, “It is the best thing I have done for myself. It’s phenomenal”.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself at our Austin Personal Training facility

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

Low testosterone males face a six-fold likelihood of dying of Covid - how to change those odds

Quote from this research article: “The lower the levels of testosterone, the higher the likelihood that male [Covid] patients would need intensive care, be intubated on a ventilator, and remain in hospital over a longer period. Their likelihood of dying increased six-fold”.

Increasing strength and lowering one’s fat level has been shown to increase testosterone levels. One subject strength training at our Austin Personal Training facility had an 35 percent increase in his testosterone level without hormone therapy.  His training sessions took about an hour a week.  He also lost 30 pounds.  It turns out that testosterone is the most potent fat burning hormone we have.

The body adapts to its environment. It does this using feedback loops.  The outcome of a feedback loop can be negative – inactivity leads to muscle loss, increased fat, and a lower testosterone level, followed by even more inactivity.  This has been the plight of many during the recent pandemic. 

A feedback loop can be positive – proper strength training leads to added strength, more muscle, less fat, and a higher testosterone level.  This higher testosterone level results in greater potential strength gains and fat loss. There is the added benefit of a much greater likelihood of surviving Covid. 

In addition to increasing your probability of surviving Covid there is an incredibly long list of benefits to be gained from proper strength training.  These additional benefits further decrease your overall mortality risk. Is proper exercise worth your time and effort? We think it is. 

Another Covid-related blog post - I prepared for Covid and didn't know it.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself at our Austin Personal Training facility

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

The secret to actually looking forward to exercising

“I have never stuck to an exercise program in my life.  I have stuck to this program for five years now, and I have the numbers to show my improvement.” ~ David, 56 years old.

Are people who stick to their exercise programs special?  Do they have exceptional drive and discipline?   Maybe it is not the person; maybe it is the exercise program.  

secret.jpg

An exercise program, no matter how good it is, is useless if you do not go.  You are more likely to stick to an exercise program that has these features:

·       Designed for compliance. If you start from the premise that it is not how much exercise you can tolerate, but how little is needed to produce ongoing measurable improvement, you are more likely to stick to that program.

·       Accountability.  Without accountability you don’t even have to show up. It helps to have a set appointment with a trainer who will monitor your progress and know what adjustments to make to keep the improvements ongoing.

·       Avoid trial, error, and injuries. Proper instruction and a watchful eye can help you there.

·       Measurable results.  Seeing those results is a powerful motivator to stay with it.

Following such a program you will find that it does not take that much exercise to see ongoing improvement. Exercise will not become drudgery. You will actually look forward to exercising. 

The average renewal rate at health clubs in 30%, and the average commitment to personal training is less than six months.   At our Austin Personal Training facility most of our clientele has been training with us for years.  Our exercise program is designed for safety, compliance, and results. It takes just a few hours a month, and it will change your life.  Five years from now, wouldn’t it be great to say, “This is the best I have felt in years”? 

Don't Be Humpty Dumpty

If you fall down will you get up again? This iconic photo is of Y. A. Tittle.  He sustained a concussion and a cracked sternum that game and still played in all the remaining games of the 1964 season, his last. He was 38 years old at the time, and he got up again. If you are older and get knocked down you might not get up again.

Y+A+Tittle.jpg

Falling is the fourteenth cause of death for the elderly. Each year, more than one-third of Americans over 65 sustain falls.  Total cost of fall injuries for people 65 and older was to reach $32.4 billion in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

When you increase your strength, you decrease your chances of injury from falling, as the following changes occur: 

1.     More muscle facilitates increased limberness.  Those who lack the limberness to sufficiently rotate one’s torso, or the ability to sufficiently and quickly raise one’s arms to a stabilizing position are more prone to fall. 

2.     Increase in gait speed results in increased balance. 

3.     More muscle.  Those characterized as being “all skin and bone” lack the muscle cushion to absorb the impact trauma from falling.

4.     More muscle occurs concurrently with an increase in strength of connective tissue. If you do fall and land in a potentially damaging position to your joints or connective tissue you are more likely to walk away without a major injury.

5.     An increase in bone density makes for stronger bones that break less easily.

6.     Fewer aches and pains results in increased limberness. Pain causes us to limit our range of motion. With the right exercise, aches and pains will subside. As a result, we regain our range of motion, have more control, and avoid that life-altering fall that would take us to a whole new level of pain.

Strength is important to avoid falls, injuries, pain, and a life cut short. These strength increases don’t require hours in the gym; do just enough to stimulate a positive change, and then come back and do it again in a week.  Over time these positive changes add up.

If you do nothing changes will still occur. Each year you’ll become a little weaker and more prone to injury from falling. Is it worth the time and effort to avoid that major fall that can adversely affect the rest of your life? At Kelly Personal Training we are convinced that it is.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself at our Austin Personal Training facility

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

To Help or Be Helped, That is the Question

helping.jpg

A car pulled up to the valet in front of the restaurant, the car door opened, and a voice called out, “Hey Jack, can you help me?” Jack helped the man get out of the car and situated onto his walker.  It turns out the two men had graduated from high school together 55 years earlier. I asked Jack what was wrong with the man. Jack said, “He is just old”. 

That reply really struck me then and looms larger in my mind as I get older. At some point in my life, I will be the one being helped. I would like to put that off as long as possible.  Diet, lifestyle choices, and exercise, particularly the right strength training exercise, can put off the inevitable so that you can live more years as the helper rather than the one being helped.

Below is a list 35 benefits of exercise from the article Train for Life: Exercise is Medicine in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.  Most items on the list would tilt the scale toward being the helper.

The list:

Mind

·        Improved cognition such as sustained attention, short term memory etc. in older adults AND brain health

·        Decreased cognitive decline.

Mood

·        Reduced depression

·        Reduced anxiety

·        Team sports promote involvement in the community to improve overall health and happiness

·        Improved self-esteem

Musculoskeletal

·        Moderate exercise beneficial for cartilage

·        Often weight control

·        Often strength, endurance and power,

·        Often flexibility and coordination

·        Increased bone mineral density

·        Reduced pain and discomfort from arthritis. Exercise is important in reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis.

·        Reduces pain and discomfort from fibromyalgia

·        Reduced back pain

·        Enhanced flexibility

·        Increased physical function

·        Favourable changes in genes associated with aging

·        Hip fracture risk decreased by 30-60%

·        Benefits of exercise outweigh risk for osteoporosis

Visceral

Heart:

·        Decreased risk of cardiovascular disease

·        Exercise is better than primary coronary intervention for cardiac event free survival.

·        Improved resting blood pressure

·        Every 200 step/day increase in physical activity is associated with an 8-10% reduction in CVD risk

·        Regular exercise is more effective than heart stents

Colon

·        Decreased gastrointestinal transit time

·        Improved outcomes from colorectal surgery

·        Reduced side effects from chemotherapy

·        Lower 1-year mortality rate

Breast cancer

·        Regular exercise can reduce breast cancer risk by 20%.

Diabetes reduction

·        Improved glucose/insulin metabolism

Overall

·        30% reduction in all causes of mortality and increased life expectancy

·        Reduced body fat mass

·        Reduced abdominal fat

·        Improved blood lipids

·        Increased resting metabolic rate

·        Improved sleep quality

These 35 items are the impetus for a healthy life. Failure to achieve many of items on this list will necessitate serious compromises in your life. An example is being compelled to avoid physical activity to minimize joint pain. This inactivity brings about more problems, and a downward cycle begins. 

We can improve these parameters, but we face obstacles. Maybe you hate exercise, or you don’t know where to start, or your attempts at exercise have not been successful in the past.  An exercise program only works if you do it. Start with a feasible approach to exercise, one that you will stick to, and set your course toward being the helper and not the helped.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself at our Austin Personal Training facility

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

How to keep your New Year's resolution to exercise this year

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You have not exercised in months, maybe even years. That status is likely to remain so unless you can make a realistic New Year’s resolution you can actually keep. If you start from the premise that it is not how much exercise you can tolerate, but how little is needed to produce ongoing measurable improvement you will find:

·       It does not take that much exercise

·       You will more likely stick to the exercise program

·       You will see more improvement and be motivated to continue

It doesn't have to be all-out. Just do a little more than you are used to handling.  Progress each week - do a little bit more weight or have the duration of the individual exercise be a few seconds longer. Eventually a 30-minute session will have you totally out of gas.

It doesn’t have to be every day.  Allow plenty of time for recovery between bouts of exercise to ensure that you come back stronger. With less time in the gym, you will have more time to do those physical activities you enjoy.

It doesn’t have to be drudgery. Knowledgeable trainers at our Austin Strength Training facility will take care of all the details based on your individual needs, age, and past performance - exercise selection and order, setting of the equipment, the goals for the day, and recording reps and/or time under load.  They will attend to your form, breathing, and exertion levels to ensure safety and ensure reliable measurements of improvement.  

You just show up each week and go.  This is a resolution you can keep!

Do this on a weekly basis and you will have:

·       More energy (Enhanced mitochondrial capacity)

·       Increased capacity to do demanding work (An increase in nitric oxide availability)

·       Improved cardiorespiratory fitness

·       Increased strength. Those who are older will likely make greater strength gains.

The above improvements serve to make your workouts even more productive - a positive feedback loop.  Over time you’ll be at a higher exertion level, produce more lactic acid, and as a result, have a significant endorphin response. Endorphins produce a relaxed state of euphoria. Endorphin levels can remain elevated for hours and even into the next day. Your aches and pains will subside, you’ll be less stressed, your mood will improve, and you’ll sleep better.  Your life will change, and you will look forward to your workouts. 

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

Got Neck Pain?

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Many of us spend hours each day in front of our computer screens. Often our head and neck are not in optimal alignment. Years of this will eventually takes its toll; the result is chronic neck pain.

To avoid this neck pain, we’ll often restrict our movements. The body adapts to this restricted range of motion by restructuring. Calcium deposits form and arthritis ensues. The result can be a permanently decreased range of motion, diminished strength, and poor neck-head alignment (head tilts forward). Once that forward head tilt becomes your “normal” posture, gravity bearing down on the head will make the situation worse.

This can be avoided with just a few minutes a week of proper exercise for the neck.  It is a rare to find effective neck exercise equipment.  We have that equipment at our Austin personal training facility.    

Proper neck exercise can help:

  • Avert the onset of osteopenia of the cervical vertebra.

  • Decrease the likelihood of sustaining serious neck injuries.

  • Maintain the strength and mobility necessary to support proper neck-head alignment.

  • Deter the onset of arthritis and avoid years of chronic neck pain.

In the video you can see that the MedX neck exercise machine tracks an arc. Bow your head and then lift up and look at the ceiling. Your neck follows an arc too. When the movement of the neck and the resistance follow the same arc, this makes for a much safer exercise. There is no vertebral compression; you don’t have weight bearing down on the top of your head.  It is one exercise that feels good to do, and your neck feels better afterwards. It feels less like exercise and more like therapy.

Is it worth a few minutes each week to maintain neck strength and live pain-free? We think it is.

In addition to the MedX neck exercise equipment Kelly Personal Training has a full line of MedX equipment that will safely strengthen your entire body, and qualified trainers to guide you through the whole process.

PS1: How rare is this piece of equipment? I had a man inquire about our neck machine and insisted on coming in to use the equipment. He lived in Plano and still wanted to come in. I was able to find a physical therapy facility that had the equipment about an hour outside of Plano. He went there instead.

PS2: We do have a massage therapist on staff for neck and full-body massage.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

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I prepared for Covid and didn't know it

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My asthma doctor wanted to know why I did not go straight to the emergency room.  He called my cardiologist on the spot; he was worried that I might have had a silent heart attack.   There have been times in my life when I had focused on things other than my health.  This was one of those times.  It was a year marked by significant injuries, very little exercise, and a lot of inactivity. It showed in my declining health, as was made clear by the following numbers:

·       Resting pulse was 98 bpm

·       Oxygen level was in the low eighties.  That is dangerously low.

·        Forced air expiratory rate (how much air you can expel) was 40% of what it should have been.

·       Blood pressure poorly controlled

·       30 pounds overweight

·       Sugar levels were the highest they had been in my life

·       Testosterone levels were depressed. It is notable that the majority of male patients admitted to the hospital for Covid-19 present low testosterone levels.

After my stress test my cardiologist informed me that fortunately I did not have heart disease. If I did not make changes, I faced the possibility of living with heart disease, poorly controlled high blood pressure, and a compromised respiratory system.  I began consistently strength training with a trainer, not by myself.

Today, three years later:

·       Resting pulse is 23 beats lower

·       Blood pressure is under control

·       Testosterone level is 35% higher

·       Oxygen level is 98%.

·       20 pounds lighter

·       My forced air expiratory volume is the highest it has been in 12 years

·       I am stronger than I have been in years. 

My asthma doctor said my improvement was “remarkable”.

I know Covid-19 is out there.  If today I were in the same state of poor health I was three years ago, I would be sweating bullets and kicking myself for not sticking to my strength training program.

It is easier to stick to the program when you are made accountable. You have a set weekly appointment, you have standards to achieve, and once that is achieved the bar is raised just a little bit more. I love my workouts now; I just show up and go. The trainer takes care of all the details. This a program that most people can stick to.  If you get a little bit stronger week by week the improvements can add up to a life-changing or possibly life-saving difference. 

The type of strength training conducted at our Austin Strength Training facility has also been shown to strengthen the immune system. For more information on that and how the right strength training can reverse health conditions that make Covid-19 more deadly, follow this link.

If you change nothing, what does the future of your health hold? Make a positive change. Schedule your first free session.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

Like a fountain of youth for older adults, the numbers prove it

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Two groups of men and women strength trained for six months. One group was older and the other younger. At the start of the study the older group was 59% weaker than the younger group. After six months the older adults were only 38% weaker than younger adults. Both groups improved, but the older group improved much more. 

From this study Resistance Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle

“We conclude that healthy older adults show evidence of mitochondrial impairment and muscle weakness, but that this can be partially reversed at the phenotypic level, and substantially reversed at the transcriptome level, following six months of resistance exercise training”.

Mitochondria, found in most cells, is where energy production takes place. Six months of strength training partially reversed mitochondria impairments to a level consistent with a younger stage in life. In another study older older participants saw a 69% increase in their mitochondrial capacity. It is like drinking from the fountain of youth.

Both young and old benefit from strength training, but those who are older will show larger relative improvements. At our Austin Personal Training  facility we use MedX equipment with its special medical rehab features.  We can accommodate those with limiting conditions and can work with people of any age.  Our oldest client was 95; one of our trainers has four clients in their 80s. It is never too late to start a strength training program. It can add years of vitality to your life.  

Pictured is Stella, an old dog, in a field of icy grass.  She was a fixture at the our training facility.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

*We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

I am going to miss my connection because you are too fat

The plane was delayed because the flight attendant could not find a seat belt extension for Eric. The person sitting next to Eric turned to him and said with complete disgust, “I am going to miss my connection because you are too fat”. That was the turning point for Eric. Eric, overweight with a number of health issues, had been told by his doctor to buy a funeral plot because he would need one in the next five years. He was 51 years old. On the advice of a doctor, he went to the animal shelter and saved a dog, an overweight middle-aged dog he named Peety. They made changes, and in a year they were transformed. People need the right motivation to change their lives. Eric credits Peety with saving his life. Eric’s story is inspiring. The video, Eric and Peety, is poignant and well worth watching; it certainly made my day. It has been more than five years since the change. Eric is still here, and he runs marathons. While Eric is not one of our clients, it’s positive changes like his that motivate us at Austin Personal Trainers. You can make big changes, but you have to start. We can help you. We are fortunate and grateful to have the opportunity to help clients make changes in their lives.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787

Yes, we are open with Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

Don’t sign that health club contract just yet

Many health clubs (not all of them) offer contracts with attractive monthly rates because they fully expect members not to use their health clubs. They are right. 70% of members don't regularly use their health clubs. The average renewal rate hovers around 30%. No doubt, the clubs offer a great deal for those who use it, however for most people health club memberships are not a good option.

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There are a number of problems with many of these health club contracts:

  1. They often give you the hard sell to sign the contract. You have to sign that day to get the special yearly rate. I told one salesperson that I wanted to think it over and come back another day. She told me I had to act now. She said, “We want decisive members.” I walked out.

  2. The automatic bank draft continues even if you don’t use the gym.

  3. Stopping the bank draft will cost you. There can be as much as a $200 processing fee to stop it.

  4. The fine print can be tricky. You might decide to bear the burden of the monthly bank draft until the end of the contract only to find out that the month after your contact expires contract dues are still be withdrawn from your bank account. When you ask why they inform you, “Oh yes, your yearly contract ended and your contract stipulates that you will be automatically switched to a month-to-month payment”.

  5. They permanently close or change hands often. I worked at three different health club locations over a 15-year period. During that period, ownership changed hands collectively six times at those locations.

There is a simple solution to avoiding the problems that many health club contracts present. Do not sign them. Instead find an exercise program that is:

  • Pay as you go. You can stop at anytime – for vacations, holidays, change in employment status, sickness, whimsy, or even pandemics – and you can restart again anytime.

  • Designed to produce the most results in the least amount of time spent in the gym. Your marginal return for time spent will be higher, and over all your cost will be lower. You will have more time to enjoy physical activities outside the gym, and that won't cost you a dime.

  • One that is produces real, measurable results. Those results serve as motivation to stick to the program.

  • Offers a program you cannot do on your own*. If you can do it on your own why bother joining.

  • Involves having regularly scheduled appointments. You are more likely to go if it is on the books. A set weekly appointment for one half hour is a commitment that most people can keep. You will improve each week. Imagine what your health could be like ten years from now with that regular commitment.

  • One that does not have a cancellation fee if you don’t show.

  • One that offers no-obligation complimentary sessions to see if the program is suited for you and is something you want to pursue.

We offer such a program at our Austin personal training location.

*At Kelly Personal Training we have state-of-the-art MedX equipment and experienced trainers that work with those who:

    • Don’t know where to start. Which exercises? How often? How long? How many times? You can spend a lot of time and incur a lot of injuries figuring out what is safe and optimal.

    • Are overcoming injuries such as back operations, knee, hip, and shoulder replacements. We have the specialized equipment and expertise for it.

    • Dealing with medical conditions such as stroke, MS, or Parkinson’s. We have been working with those clients for 19 years now.

    • Are already in good condition. With the equipment and the experienced trainers taking care of every little detail the clients can safely work unimpeded to a very deep fatigue that stimulates further improvement and get that endorphin high to the degree you just can’t get on your own.

Request a complimentary first session at Kelly Personal Training

 Click here to schedule a session to try it yourself

Complimentary first workout

We operate by appointment. Before you stop by please call us at 512-964-8787