The Importance of Core and Stability Training: A Chat with NASM CPT Chris Blackwell

By Andrea Scarberry

I recently sat down with Chris Blackwell, one of the JCC's own NASM certified personal trainers. Growing up, Chris was big into sports, and played everything under the sun, including football, basketball, baseball and tennis. Once he graduated, he was active in the Marine Corps for 22 years. Chris got involved with the fitness programs there, and ended up in charge of the Weight Control Remedial Program during the last half of his career with the Marines. In this role, he helped others to achieve a healthy level of weight and physical fitness, and realized it was something that he enjoyed and wanted to continue once his career with the Marines came to an end. In the last couple of years he spent with the Marine Corps, Chris started scouting training positions at gyms, got certified as a trainer through the NASM CPT program, and eventually got a position as a trainer.

Since his initial certification as a trainer, Chris has achieved multiple additional training accolades: He is also certified in Corrective Exercise, Senior Fitness, Performance Enhancement and Golf Fitness. Aside from offering one-on-one and group personal training at the JCC, Chris has spearheaded or been involved with several of the other fitness programs offered to the community. These include Urban Warrior (a military style training course), Pickleball, Body for Life and Team Lean.

Chris is a firm believer that anyone and everyone can benefit from good core strength and stability, and these are his starting points with all of his clients, from athletes to seniors. Chris follows the NASM model of training: Stability, Strength, and Power. Once good stability has been achieved, all the rest will follow.

"In my experience, people come to trainers wanting something, whether it be to get fit, lose weight, increase athletic performance, etc. A good majority of people seeking out a trainer for the first time often don't realize that they can have major issues with muscle imbalances and stability. I have guys that come to me, and all they want to do is to lift 300 lbs., but they don't realize the importance of good posture, core strength and stability and how all of those things play in to lifting heavy," Chris said.

Chris went on to explain that injury is much more common among people who jump into programs too quickly, or want to lift too much too soon. Starting with the basics is key, and having the patience and dedication to focus on things like stability, joint movement and core strength can give an athlete just the edge they are looking for.

"Young athletes always want these three things: to be stronger, faster and more powerful. At first they wonder why I have them doing basic balancing exercises, but after a few weeks, when they are pivoting more quickly, jumping higher and running faster, it all starts to make sense," Chris said. "If you think about it, in almost any sport, you are on only one foot most of the time. Take soccer: you're running, shifting the weight from foot to foot, keeping control of the ball, planting a foot to kick, etc. If you have good strength and stability, you're going to be light on your feet, making sharp movements and getting the job done. If you don't have those things, one side of your body could be compensating for an imbalance you have somewhere else. You have that heightened chance of rolling an ankle when you step on some uneven grass, causing you to lose precious seconds of ball control, and you might possibly even injure yourself in the process."

To challenge and improve stability, Chris recommends starting with an unstable but safe surface. This will vary depending on age and ability. Creating an unstable environment for an athlete is a lot different from creating an unstable environment for a senior - athletes may start with a balance disc or BOSU Ball, while a senior may start with something as simple as trying to lift a foot off the ground without holding on to anything.

Chris also talked a bit about exercise choices. "When you are working out, learn what you're doing and why you're doing it. I see a lot of people in the gym jumping from machine to machine, exercise to exercise, with no rhyme or reason as to why they are doing what they're doing. The only way to get the most out of a workout is to know a little something about how to pair exercises, and how to execute proper form. Form, technique and tempo - These are the three most important things to understand about any exercise before you attempt it."

One last point Chris touched on was posture. Good core strength and corrective exercise training can only do so much for our poor posture. Chris says posture is more mental than anything - the more you think about sitting and standing up straight throughout the course of the day, the better your posture will be.

Chris is at the JCC most mornings, and is available for consultations and personal training sessions. If you are interested in working with Chris, visit the membership office and set up an appointment with him! I hope you enjoyed my chat with this incredibly experienced and knowledgeable trainer, and until next time, have a happy and healthy week ahead!

10 Minute Countdown Challenge

By Andrea Scarberry

If you're looking for a fun way to push yourself, or just need to get in an effective, sweat inducing workout in under 20 minutes, give this challenge a try! Whether you're a little out of shape or an experienced athlete, this is a workout that almost anyone can do - Based on your personal fitness level, pace yourself accordingly. Incorporate this challenge into your routine once each week, aiming to improve your finish time, with the final goal of getting the workout done in ten minutes or less. To make things even more fun, do this one with a friend! You can challenge and motivate one another to push through the hardest parts.

COUNTDOWN CHALLENGE!

Complete all of the following exercises, in succession. No formal "breaks" are given, so stop to catch your breath or shake your legs out when needed, but don't rest for too long!

100 jump rope (Don't have access to one, or feel like you're way too clumsy? Use your invisible rope!)
90 butt kicks (One each side = One rep)
80 high knees (One each side = One rep)
70 jumping jacks
60 body weight squats
50 mountain climbers (One each side = One rep)
40 uppercuts (Weighted, if possible - 2, 3 or 5 lb. dumbbells. One each side = One rep)
30 sit ups
20 push ups
10 burpees

This is a common format, so if there are movement patterns in this particular workout that you're not familiar or comfortable with, simply modify or swap those out for other exercises! This one is totally open to modification where needed.

I hope you all enjoy, and have another happy and healthy week ahead!

The "Get Up and Move" Workout

By Andrea Scarberry

Who else is hooked on the World Cup? I sure am. This past weekend, my family spent all day Sunday glued to the TV. I knew I wanted to watch the games, but I also knew that I wanted to get in some healthy activity. Here's a little something fun that I came up with to get my blood pumping and my muscles working while I cheered on my favorite teams. The best part - this workout uses only your own body weight and requires no extra equipment! If you have a carpeted floor and a sturdy chair or coffee table, you're all set up for this one. Try it next time you're parked in front of your favorite show!

THE "GET UP AND MOVE" WORKOUT

Complete 50 reps of each of the following, taking small rests where they are needed:
- Sit-ups
- Push-ups (from the knees is fine if necessary)
- Lateral leg raises (50 each side; can be done standing or lying down - lying down is more challenging)
- V-ups (sit-up variation where straight arms and legs lift skyward simultaneously and meet at the top of each rep)
- Tricep dips (took a sturdy chair from my dining room table, but a good sturdy coffee table would work too)
- Split squat (50 each side; for an added challenge, elevate back foot slightly for a Bulgarian split squat)
- Calf-raises (use a step if you have stairs, or grab a step-stool, so that you can get full flexion and extension of the ankle)

Finisher - Squat Series:
- 20 seconds bodyweight squats
- 20 seconds jump squats
- 20 seconds squat hold

With the games to distract me, this workout seemed to fly by, but was still challenging enough to leave me feeling nice and sore the next day. For the squat series, I had my husband time me, but it would be easy to time yourself with a clock that has a seconds hand or using the stopwatch on your phone.

I hope that you give it a try! Until next time, have a happy and healthy week ahead.

A Chat With Nick Martinez, Competitive Cross-Country Mountain Biking Cyclist and Personal Trainer

By Andrea Scarberry

This past week I had a chance to sit down and chat with JCC trainer Nick Martinez. Nick is a familiar and friendly face here at the JCC, and if you're a member, chances are good that you've met him. Chances are also pretty high that he's made you laugh, or at least smile, with a dose of his infectious charm. Nick is well-known as a dedicated member of the JCC's personal training staff, but here's something you might not know about Nick - he participates competitively in the extreme sport of cross-country mountain biking. Read on to learn more about Nick, and how his passion for fitness and cycling was ignited and realized!

Nick has played sports in some form or another, pretty much ever since he learned to walk. He was active in baseball, track, and varsity basketball during his high school years. He was also first introduced to cycling as a senior in high school, and with his team sports days coming to a close with graduation, he took up mountain biking as a way to stay fit and active as he entered college. Nick attended the University of New Mexico, where he studied education. He worked briefly as a substitute teacher, and was eventually hired on to work exclusively with the ED (emotional disorder) program at McKinely Middle School - one of only two ED programs in the entire APS system. At the same time all of this was happening, Nick was interning with the JCC. He knew that ultimately, he wanted to be in a position to help others, and just wasn't quite sure that teaching in a classroom environment was his personal niche. Eventually, Nick made the transition from APS to the JCC complete, began working as a consultant on the fitness floor, and completed his certification through ACE to become a certified personal trainer. Nick has now been with the JCC for close to six years.

At the JCC, Nick wears many hats. Along with his titles of personal trainer and staff-on-duty, he also runs a corporate wellness program for the Albuquerque Journal, which includes weekly fitness classes on-site at their office. He is the trainer in charge of the Kid-Fit program, and also worked with the Team Lean program. He represents the JCC as a part of APS's Title 1 program, providing fitness and fun for low-income students during their after-school programming. In the past, he worked with Shalom House providing group fitness for seniors and briefly worked as a personal trainer for a charter school and a preschool.

As mentioned earlier, Nick picked up cycling as a senior in high school. A buddy was selling his old mountain bike, and Nick jumped at the opportunity. He immediately fell in love with the sport. "You don't have to be training to race or compete on the bike - I love it because it's a fun and adventurous way to stay fit outdoors," Nick said. "I am in total control of the bike, and my current fitness level is really my only limiting factor. I think cycling is great for the mind-body connection, and mountain biking specifically gives me a front row seat to nature. I've seen things on my bike that I probably never would have seen otherwise."

I wasn't too familiar with the cross-country mountain biking scene, so I had Nick break it down for me. In a cross-country mountain bike race, there is a distance course set up, just as there would be in any other type of race. The big difference is that the majority of the course is made up of mountainous terrain. Where in a road race things like "riding with the pack" and "drafting" are used to pace participants, a mountain bike race typically requires all-out max effort through the duration of the course, and expert handling is a must. There are several categories as far as race participants are concerned, and it's all based on standings. Elite is the highest ranking, and below that are categories 1, 2, 3 and 4. Nick has worked his way up to the prestigious title of a category 1 ranking, and hopes to gain elite status in the future. He was also named the 2009 state champion in his category.

When I asked Nick about race training, and what is most important in preparing for a cross-country mountain bike race, he had some important things to note. In Nick's eyes, nutrition and hydration are of the utmost importance, especially leading up to race day. When he's training for a race, he is very regimented in his nutrition, fueling himself consistently the same exact way before each training ride, and again on race day. This way, he's not in for any surprises, and he knows how the food is going to make him feel and what kind of energy it's going to provide. Aside from fueling, Nick says working on his flexibility, balance, conditioning and just taking good care of his body overall keep him feeling great on the bike.

Nick attributes a lot of his success to his opportunity to work here at the JCC. He says that the people that he works for and with have helped shape his success. "For me, I think the JCC has always been an environment where I have been given every opportunity to grow and excel in my career. It's given me a chance to let my natural abilities shine through."

Nick's Kid-Fit program begins June 16th, and is open to kids ages 8-12. The class meets twice a week, on Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:15-6:00 p.m. Classes include games, obstacle courses, and other fun fitness-related activities for children. Cost is $79 for JCC members, and $99 for non-members. See the membership office for more details or to get your kiddos signed up!

Nick is available for one-on-one and group personal training sessions, and tries to stay involved in many of the other programs that are available at the JCC. If you are interested in training with Nick, don't hesitate to say hello when you see him, or set up an appointment through the membership office. I hope that you enjoyed this week's chat with a trainer, and until next time, have a happy and healthy week!

Food for Thought: A Chat with JCC Wellness and Nutrition Coach Genevieve Hawk

By Andrea Scarberry

I recently sat down with the JCC's incredibly knowledgeable Wellness and Nutrition Coach, Genevieve Hawk. Our chat left me thinking, and provided me with a whole lot of inspiration to make some small changes for the better in regards to my own family's nutrition. I hope that you find Genny's food and nutrition journey and tips as inspiring and informative as I did!

Genny graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2008 with a bachelor's in nutrition and dietetics. She is also a licensed massage therapist (LMT) and is in the process of completing a certification through the Integrative Nutrition program, giving her the title of Certified Health Coach.

Genny started working as a nutrition coach for the JCC while she was finishing up her degree at UNM. She started small, working with JCC programs like Transformed and Back to Babes, educating and coaching participants on making better food choices for a healthier lifestyle. She also did some one-on-one nutrition counseling through the JCC. Last year, Genny was diagnosed with cancer, and took a year to herself to be with her family, go through treatment, and in her own words, "find healing through food." Genny has always believed in the importance of a healthy, well-balanced diet. She says that her experience over the course of the past year has ignited a passion in using food as a tool not only for weight-loss, maintenance, and overall health, but also for wellness and even healing.

"Nutrition seems to be such an unapproachable topic," Genny says. "People are easily overwhelmed with the thought of implementing better eating habits into their lifestyle - for many reasons. There are such strong emotional, and even social, connections with food. No one wants to be on a 'diet.' What I found in my own journey, and what I think works well for so many others, is a step-by-step approach. Even if the first change is something as small as beginning to take a daily multivitamin. Those small changes eventually add up."

Genny is a mother to four young children, and being a mom myself, I was curious what techniques she uses to get her kids excited about healthy foods, and also how she plans ahead to make healthy choices readily available over the course of a busy week. One thing that she has found to work well with her own family is to talk about the nutritional value of different types of foods. She used the example of her daughter asking for ice cream. She says she likes to strike up a conversation about it - what will we get out of ice cream, nutritionally, vs. what we could get out of a bowl of fresh berries. Armed with the vast amount of knowledge that she has, and the consistency she enforces, her kids understand the benefits and importance of healthy diets even at such a young age.

"My daughter wasn't feeling well recently, and she said to me, 'Mommy, I had better not have any sugar today, because I need foods that are going to make me feel better.' She is only in preschool, but she understands the concept," Genny says. She went on to explain, "I don't keep unhealthy foods in the house. If we want a treat, we will go out as a family and treat ourselves, but at home we stick to real, healthy, wholesome foods. I always have lots of fresh fruits and veggies on hand, so that we have lots of options, and it's easy for all of us to make good choices."

To make the availability of fresh choices convenient in her own home, Genny has a farm box delivered each week from a local organic farm. This way, she doesn't even have to think about that part of it. She says that she likes to use the "crowding out principal" - when the farm box arrives on the doorstep, they have an entire cooler full of fresh fruits and vegetables that have to be used up before they go bad, and before next week's box is delivered. She has no other choice but to make sure she's using the items in her farm box, whether it means cooking with them, chopping them up for snacking, throwing them in salads - you name it. "Surrounding ourselves with healthy choices lessens the desire for unhealthy things, because we don't want all of our fresh produce to go to waste," she says.

Genny is also big on weekly menu planning. "If you have a fridge stocked full with fresh, healthy choices, but no there's no plan in place, you're probably setting yourself up for failure," she says. "No one wants to come home from a long day only to open the fridge and have no idea what to do with what you have. It can be overwhelming. Take stock of what you have available at the beginning of each week, and take a few minutes to plan ahead, so that you know what you're in for when meal time approaches. This simple step can make a world of difference."

Genny is working with the JCC to begin offering a whole list of new and exciting nutrition counseling services. There will be something for everyone - from online counseling via email for those with a tight budget or less time to spare, all the way to a complete fridge/pantry makeover with trips to the grocery store included. Also in the works - the JCC will be offering several free nutrition seminars led by Genny herself! More information is coming soon, so keep an eye out for these. Genny is equipped with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and is ready and willing to share with the JCC community!

If you would like to set up nutrition counseling sessions with Genny, please see member services, and they can schedule an appointment for you. I hope you enjoyed our chat with Genny, and until next time, have a happy and healthy week ahead!