Psychological Benefits to Exercise

Hey guys! As a psychology minor, I’ve been learning a lot about mental health. While exercising and taking care of our bodies is important, it is equally imperative that we maintain healthy mental states. By working out, we are flooding ourselves with endorphins. This helps us mentally because endorphins trigger a positive feeling in our bodies. Other than exercising on a consistent basis, there are several things that we can do to improve our mental well-being. Here are five that we should all remember:

1. We have to value ourselves – We should treat ourselves with kindness and respect, and avoid self-criticism. This includes making time for our hobbies and favorite projects, or broadening our horizons.

2. We should surround ourselves with positive people – People with strong family or social connections are generally healthier than those who lack a support network. We should make plans with supportive family members and friends, or seek out activities where we can meet new people – For example trying a new group exercise class here at W3!

3. We all need to learn how to cope with stress – Unfortunately, many of us are stressed from our day to day routines. To cut down on stress, we need to carve out time for ourselves. Also, remembering to smile and see the humor in life is important. Research shows that laughter can boost your immune system, ease pain, relax your body and reduce stress.

4. We must set realistic goals – Decide what you want to achieve academically, professionally and personally, and write down the steps you need to take to realize your goals. We should aim high, but be realistic and not over-schedule.

5. We should ask for help when we need it – Seeking help is a sign of strength, not a weakness. We all need a little TLC from time to time. There is no shame in turning to others for help and asking for support and advice. I hope everyone finds these tips somewhat helpful! I know I’m going to try and apply them to my daily life.

~ Caitlyn

W3 Intern

The HARDBODY You and I Deserve

What is W3’s Hard Body?

Walking into this group exercise class I wasn’t sure what to expect. I mean β€œHard Body” right? It could be a million of things! I wondered if there was a specific focus, and in the back if my mind hoped and prayed it wouldn’t be arms…because well…mine are like a big sack of Jell-O. Of-course right after this thoughtΒ ran through my head the trainer Susan announced to grab weights.

Skeptically I walked over like a newbie and attempted to put weight onto my body bar (which I had never used before). The lady next to me noticed I hadn’t a clue at what I was doing and introduced herself, telling me she was Diane, while pointing at the correct weight I should be using. Immediately a rush of relief flooded me and I told her I was new (as if she hadn’t noticed). Diane giggled and showed me the right way to adjust the bar.

In no time I was set up with a body bar, 2.5lb weights, and another pair of 7.5lb ones. I had a step stool in front of me and Susan in the background with her MIC.
Now let me tell you Susan is a little petite lady with bright blonde hair, almost as bright as her smile. Her voice was sweet with motivation as she started the warm-up. The warm up got us pumped and ready to go. Susan may be tiny but that lady does not mess around. She started us off on abs and didn’t stop until we experienced a full body workout!

It was amazing! I felt my quads, biceps, triceps, abs like never before! She knew how to keep the muscles focused, while strength training them with body bars and free weights. We focused on a group of muscles to the fullest and adjusted by moving into different body parts to create an easier rhythm for our muscles to adapt.
During her resistance training routine she did each and every step with us. She guided us by creating a visual for our class to follow.Β  It made the women work even harder watching her do it so effortlessly. She is a BEAST. Her physique and attitude only motived me to push more than ever before.

Not only did I leave the class with a stronger mind and body but with new knowledge about my health. Not only does Susan count of each step as she goes but she inserts fun facts about your body.
For example, I have really bad knees, so while she was showing us a new hip flexor stretch she informed us that strong hips means healthy knees, therefore they’re key in every stretching routine!
Susan is truly empowering through Hard Body and strongly focuses on Energy, Stamina, and Progress.
I never experienced a brand new class of such welcoming ladies. Everyone was there for one another and worked together to push through the class feeling, stronger, happier, and healthier.

Oh and my arms?
No more Jell-O by the end of the summer.
That’s my Goal with W3Body.

Now what’s yours? Because trust me with W3 it’s easy, motivational, and attainable!

-Vanja, W3 Marketing Intern

Women’s Workout Chicago to Introduce Small Group Personal Training

The Women’s Workout & Wellness on Lawrence Ave in Chicago and the W3 on the south side, 51st and Kedzie, in Chicago now offer small group personal training! All W3 locations have always offered one on one personal training services and large group training (aka TEAM functional training), but these 2 locations now offer something more unique. We have taken the concept of one on one personal training and infused the group dynamic. Women are social creatures! We love working out in groups, but some of us prefer more special attention. Some of us need more special attention due to a medical issue, injury, etc. Or some of us just need that extra push. Yes, we could receive these services in one-on-one personal training, but #1 it’s a little more costly and #2 we miss the social dynamic of exercise and working out. So, small group personal training is the perfect option. We hope to bring it to all of the Women’s Workout & Wellness locations soon. For now, check it out at the W3 on Lawrence and the W3 on 51st and Kedzie. Included in these 55-minute sessions of small group personal training is our TEAM training on some of the other days. Different options available- please see the staff and PT manager at the club for more information! You receive 5x the amount of training of 1x1s all for a lower price!!! Check it out.

W3’s training philosophy is centered around functional training: everyone should train functionally. Therefore, no matter if it’s small group personal training, one on one personal training or large group TEAM training, you will be training your body functionally and LOVING the benefits! Check out some of the pictures below of our 51st and Kedzie location and some of the W3 training TEAM! Come be a part of this amazing atmosphere! Members and guests always welcome~

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Why Women Won’t Change their Fitness Routines

Since we started our group functional training program over 3 years ago, we have had many women take the ‘risk’ and try this great exercise program. It was definitely new to them with all of those functional training toys…. tires…. battling ropes… carpet sliders….kettlebells… Little did they know, they would come to love the program. The same women who took the leap of faith 3 years ago still participate in the program today. Why? Because they love the workouts. They can’t imagine doing anything else but functional training. Most importantly, they have felt, experienced and understood how it has helped them and changed their bodies, how they have gained strength and lost fat, how they have increased their energy levels, and how they just don’t want to do any other type of workout. So with their testimonials, why don’t more women follow their lead? Why go backwards when you can go forward?

That’s precisely what this blog post is about. If we as the women’s fitness gurus in the Chicagoland area are telling you THIS program is the latest and greatest, THIS program will get you results, and we have overall found a way to exercise better and smarter, why won’t our women change? Especially if they are frustrated because they are not seeing results, why won’t they CHANGE what they are doing and do what the experts recommend for them? It comes down to this: women perceive the risk of changing their fitness regimen and failing is TOO high, so they stay where they are, what they are comfortable doing. Here are the issues and the irrationality of this dilemma:

1) If what you’re doing isn’t working, do something else. If you’re not getting results with what you’re doing, what really is the risk of trying something else? (especially when the trainers are telling you it’s what you should be doing!)

*Remember the definition of Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results!

2) The real problem comes into play when the member experiences burnout. She won’t change her fitness routine… so she continues to do the same thing… and continues to NOT see results… so what happens? Frustration levels increase and she drops out of the program completely, which will set her back even further. It’s a vicious cycle.

3) If we have found a better way of doing something, why stick to ancient philosophy? Granted, that’s a little extreme. Fixed equipment and cardio machines aren’t necessarily ancient. We know it’s hard to keep up with an ever-changing fitness industry, but we have found something now that makes sense. Functional training simply makes sense. Why wouldn’t you train your body functionally to perform your daily activities with ease? with no pain? without injury? Men and women were not created to sit and work one muscle group at a time in a fixed plane of motion. We were meant to run, jump, crouch, crawl, lean, squat and move easily without pain. So why wouldn’t you train your body to be strong and do those daily activities without ever being injured?

Sometimes it’s hard to believe new research when it comes out, but in this case, this new research just.makes.sense. If a new technology came out that made life so much easier and you had access to it, would you honestly just keep using your current technology that isn’t enhancing your life at all? That doesn’t make sense! It’s the same case with exercise and functional training. If functional training will get you results and literally make your life easier AND you have access to it, are you honestly going to keep doing things the old way? Think about it…. Why go backwards when you can move forward?

Shift in the Fitness Industry Toward Functional Training

Traditionally, health clubs have been known as a “big box” …. “rent a treadmill” …. “churn and burn.” But now, the trends are changing toward smaller gyms, towards results and programming and towards a huge focus on retention. Of course, you still have your big box players- those clubs that came into the market during the recession as the low-price competitors, but what are those gyms, really? They discount the price we should put on our health, and they don’t offer the services that the higher priced gyms do. Now, that’s great for those who are self- motivated and know exactly what they need to do and how to do it. But that doesn’t help the average American, and unfortunately, it sets them up for failure. Intimidation is a big factor along with the lack of knowledge, help, and in turn, the lack of results they’ll receive.

It’s unfortunate because these low price competitors have really changed the market. Less than 20% of the US population works out. When you take those out of the 80% who make the leap of faith and try it, only to fail, they are WAY less likely to ever join a gym again. It’s sad and frustrating, especially coming from a gym (we at Women’s Workout & Wellness πŸ™‚ who truly care about our members. We have shifted our focus to learn new ways of helping our members and giving them service. We don’t want to be a ‘big box’ anymore, and we DEFINITELY don’t want to be known as the “churn and burn” club. We want our programs, especially our group exercise classes and group functional training, to be popular among our members because we know that’s how our women will get results. Group atmospheres for women make exercise FUN! And this dynamic keeps our members coming back to maintain the health they have achieved here at W3!

As mentioned, group exercise throughout our Chicagoland locations is a huge part of what makes W3 successful and what gives the Women’s Workout World (& Wellness) name strong brand recognition, even 30+ years later! We pride ourselves on excellent group exercise programs throughout our 5 locations. We know it’s a great bridge for the beginners and a great way to ease everyone into fantastic programs. However, also as mentioned above, we have looked for ways to better service our members and give them the attention they need to get fit, healthy, and see results. They need guidance and a GREAT program, and we have found a way to do that through our group training programs. Not only is it group training; it’s also functional training. Work on core, strength and metabolic movements- many times all at the same time! Much of our equipment is what you’ll see on the Biggest Loser show, too! For those who don’t want to fully jump into the program, we offer bootcamps to get a short-term taste of what success feels like!!! (and an awesome workout!) If you are thinking about functional training, ask to set up a fitness assessment where one of our fitness professionals/trainers will go over with you, step by step, what’s involved in the program, what you can expect, and then he/she will take you through a mini-workout so you can experience that personal attention first hand!

Fit Tip: How to Make Exercise a Priority

With only 20% of the population working out, it’s obvious that exercise for the typical American is not a priority. It’s not necessarily that the majority of people don’t want to lose weight or get fit and healthy… it’s more that they don’t fit exercise into their everyday lives. The point is, if you don’t actively work to make sure you workout 3-5x/week, you most likely won’t just stumble upon the time to exercise.. unless you work in a gym of course!

Whether you’re part of that 20% of the population or not, you most likely struggle from time to time to make it to the gym. It seems more convenient than not to just skip today… β€œoh, I’ll get there tomorrow!” Easier said than done. How do you KNOW you’ll get there tomorrow? What are you doing to make sure you will step foot in the gym and workout hard? If the answer is nothing, you might just keep putting it off another day.

So what do you need to do to get fit and healthy? Make exercise a priority! Do this by tackling the reasons or excuses you come up with for not working out. Are you tired? Workout first thing in the morning. And not only that, but you have to plan how that workout will fit into your day. You can’t go to work and say you’ll workout on your way home if you don’t bring any exercise clothes with you. It’s not just going to happen… you have to make it happen! Here are a few examples of overcoming those excuses. If you know you are tired at night after work and you’ll most likely skip your workout, PLAN to workout in the morning. Do what you need to do to workout in the morning. This might consist of going to bed earlier, laying out your clothes the night before, preparing your breakfast if you’re in a hurry, and having a backup plan. Another example is if you tell yourself you’re not going to workout because you’re hungry after work…. Bring a snack with you! Another big one is β€œI don’t have time.” That’s the whole point- you have to MAKE time! Do you have time to watch TV? Surf the web? Talk on the phone? Trust me, you have time to workout.

As always, you should have a backup plan. To make exercise a priority, you have to put it FIRST before doing other things. If you have the mindset that you can’t do any other activities until you workout, you will plan ahead and fit that workout where you need to! Make exercise a priority TODAY! It will benefit you in more ways than one.

Stay fit~ Stay fabulous~