AFPA Health and Fitness Blog

We all want to hit the gym at some point in our lives in an attempt to get the perfect beach body for the summer, or simply to tone our muscles and stay in shape. Building muscles might be our goal, but how often do we think about building our brain? Chances are that most of the people don’t even realize what a great impact exercise has on our brain and how greatly it helps to boost brain power.

Working out is not easy for many people. Keeping yourself motivated to stick to your exercise regimen is even harder. Working out has many great benefits such as weight management, improving your energy, reducing stress and anxiety, and other health advantages.

The benefits of regular exercise are impressive: they help strengthen the joints, build muscles, improve immunity, and stave off illness. But, there is another enticing reason why you should work out daily – they make you look and feel younger. No matter how many birthdays you’ve celebrated, exercise can make you look younger and fitter for your age when done on a regular basis. 

Staying fit and mobile is essential, especially for senior citizens. As we get older, healthy, frequent movements are paramount for staying balanced, stable and in control of our minds and bodies. With all of the trends out there, however, it can be difficult to decide which ones are truly best for seniors.

Break out of your normal workout routine and celebrate the start of summer with our summer bucket list. Whether you hope to tone your body this summer or just soak up the sun and try out new activities, we have you covered.

For a lot of us, this past winter was the season of hibernation. Now that it's June, the official start of summer is only days away. This, of course, calls for trips to the beach, cocktails on the porch and barbecues on the weekends. While this all sounds like the perfect start to a memorable summer, low self-esteem can ruin the enjoyment of trading winter layers for a summer-inspired wardrobe. To bring that summer bliss back, we have culled six (three for men and three for women) of our favorite total body workouts to inspire your clients to gain the confidence that they so deserve to enjoy one of the best seasons of the year.

Back in December, we took a look at some of the trends we were confident would take off in 2015. Now that we're almost half way through—yes, really—we want to check in on your resolutions and make sure you're also keeping your clients' routines fresh and effective for the spring and summer seasons. And if you were off to a great start this year, but you have fallen into a fitness rut, don't worry. It happens to everyone. We have just the thing to bring a little excitement back to each workout.

Having a good workout routine is a key part to staying healthy and losing weight. Having the right gym items is important to making sure your workout is as effective as possible. Here’s a list of the 5 essential gym bag items that are must-haves if you want to enhance your gym experience.

Your clients who are suffering from high blood pressure, aka hypertension, are not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 29 percent of American adults have high blood pressure—"that's 1 in every 3 American adults." What's even more concerning is that hypertension is often referred to as the "silent killer," because it typically doesn't trigger any symptoms. But you can help.

As a personal trainer, we all have our favorite way to get and stay in shape, whether it be going for a run, challenging your core in a Pilates class or working up a sweat in the SoulCycle studio. While all of these workouts seem achievable to you in a day or two, what about your clients? Since they likely don't have unlimited access to the gym or the time in their schedules to book a session with you every day, you may have to guide them in the right direction on your off days.