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Getting Out of His Wheelchair After 35 Years

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Some of you have heard this story before, but I think it is worth repeating. Here it is:

Once upon a time, there was a man who entered our club via his dirty old well used scratched up wheelchair, wearing his tattered clothing, torn old gloves to protect his hands, long dirty white beard, old baseball cap, smelled like cigarette smoke and had alcohol on his breath. You can imagine the thoughts that went through my head as I saw him enter.

Not to judge, I greeted him just as I would any new visitor and asked him why he came to us. As I listened, he told me his story.

Once a prominent dance instructor, Kevin’s vocation came to a grinding halt as he was tragically maimed in a terrible motor vehicle accident at the young age of 23. He was now 58.

While lying in the hospital in a coma for six days on life support, with a shattered ankle and pelvis, broken ribs, broken neck and a badly broken arm, broken back, punctured lungs and brain damage, the doctors where asking permission from his mother to amputate his arm. She would not allow it.

After waking from the coma and two brain surgeries, Mr. Clarke spent the next six months in hospital, and was able to move only his eyes as he listened to the doctor tell him that he would never walk or talk again. Now, after 35 years, his doctors had pretty much lost interest in him and had given up.

So there he was, sitting in his wheelchair, looking up at me, and these words came out of his mouth: I could barely understand him as he struggled to ask “Can you help me?”

I had only one question to ask him: “Can you stand up out of your wheelchair?” He said “Yes, but I can’t walk around.” That’s all I needed to hear. “Yes”, I said, “I can help you.”

We started very slowly with a few select exercises. Mr. Clarke’s first challenge was to try to keep his muscles from going into spasm. We slowly and gradually worked more exercises into his routine and then as part of his routine, Mr. Clarke was to walk behind and push his wheelchair out the door. He was not allowed to be in his wheelchair on his way out.

He was spent at the end of his workout, but I still made him walk down the hall and out the door. There were times when I didn’t think he would make it to the front door but he did.

Not being on a regular schedule because of his inability to get to the club in inclement weather, we would miss each other sometimes for weeks at a time, but Kevin was determined to get better and would come in on his own without me.

My biggest surprise came when I got back from vacation and ran into Mr. Clarke at the gym. I shook his hand and asked him where he parked his wheelchair. He just shook his head with a grin on his face and said, “There’s no more wheelchair. I got rid of it.”

I must say that this was likely my biggest achievement as a personal trainer and although Mr. Clarke is no longer a member, I hope and pray that he is still well and happy.

This is personal training at its best. This is what we do. This is what you need if you have specific goals in mind that you wish to achieve. Showing up consistently is one thing, but doing what you really need to do when you show up is quite another. Let us help you.

Gino

The Power of Regular Activity

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What if we told you that you have the power to add years to your life span, perform daily activities easier or prevent disease and sickness?

The truth is we all have this power and it can all be accomplished through consistent, regular physical activity!

This can be planned exercise or any activity really that requires you to expend energy.

The power of regular movement, be it planned exercise or not, has many proven positive benefits. The more consistent the physical activity is, the greater the potential benefits.

Here is a brief list of what you can expect to achieve by introducing regular physical activity and movement into your lifestyle:

  • Lower blood pressure
  • Lower blood sugar
  • Improve cholesterol
  • Reduce your risk of heart disease
  • Reduce your risk of diabetes
  • Lose weight
  • Gain strength
  • Improve bone density
  • Improve range of motion
  • Stronger joints
  • Improve joint conditions (eg. arthritis)
  • Help with depression
  • Improve sleep
  • Increase longevity
  • Perform daily activities better/easier
  • Maintain independence
  • Reduce risk of some types of cancer
  • Improve cognitive abilities

This list could go on and on.

The human body was meant to work. Today we sit more then ever in the history of our existence so building regular physical activity and exercise into your life has become a necessity. The more we move and challenge our bodies, the more fit we become, the more efficient and effective we are and of course the healthier we are. So, get moving!

What Are The Best Exercises?

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There are literally hundreds of different exercises you can do and incorporate into your regular exercise routine. Some are better then others, and some we see are ridiculous and useless. We want you to use your time wisely and efficiently in the gym. To get the most out of your workout routine you want to incorporate exercises that will build strength in functional everyday movements so that you will not only look better, but perform and feel better doing everyday tasks. Here are the exercises/movements we would recommend.

  1. Bent and Lift Movement. (Squats)
  2. Single Leg Movement. (Lunges or Split Squats)
  3. Horizontal Press. (Chest Press or Pushups)
  4. Vertical Press. (Overhead Press)
  5. Horizontal Pull. (Rows, One Arm Row, Bent Over Row)
  6. Vertical Pull. (Pullups, Pulldowns)
  7. Twisting. (Woodchops, Haybailers)

Try including exercises like these into your routine on a regular basis. For most of us, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions will do. Just remember to use enough resistance to challenge yourself!

Exercises like these incorporate multiple joints, where muscle groups work together to move a load, just the same as in everyday life!

If you need any help incorporating exercises like these into your routine let us know, we are here to help!

Thinking of Taking the Summer Off? Think Again!

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At this time of year, we hear this from a lot of members: “see you in the fall, I will be working outside all summer”. Then in the fall we hear this from the same members: “why does it feel like I am starting all over again?”

It’s pretty common to take the summer off from the gym because we feel like we are being more active outdoors, which is great. But there is a big difference between “being active” and strength training.

Being active golfing, fishing, gardening, cutting the grass, walking, biking is all encouraged, getting more activity is great for all of us, but it doesn’t come close to what strength training does for you.

In strength training you are using an amount of resistance that challenges you to complete a set, that challenge on your muscles breaks them down and then your body rebuilds your muscle stronger. That process only occurs when you have enough resistance. A golf club is not enough resistance to keep or build strength, neither is pedaling a bike.

So, when you take the summer off and come back in the fall and it feels like you are starting over, it’s because you are. It only takes a couple weeks off of training for the effects of detraining to occur. Studies show these effects beginning with as little as one week off and noticeably getting worse after just 2 weeks off. The longer you go without that stimulus to the muscle, the more strength you will lose. One study showed 3 months worth of strength training gains was completely wiped out after 1 month of no strength training!

So here is what we would recommend. There is no doubt summer is a busier time and getting workouts in may be more challenging, especially when it’s so nice outside. We encourage getting out more and being active. But if you are serious about this health and fitness thing, find a way to get 2 full body strength training workouts in each week. Just a quick warm up and 8 or so exercises focusing on the major movements and you are in and out in 45 minutes or less. At twice a week that’s just an hour and a half a week to maintain (and even increase) your muscle and strength through the summer.

You will feel, look and perform better all summer long and come fall you won’t feel like you are starting over any more! Not to mention that you will also stay in the routine of going to the gym because let’s face it, once you take 2 or 3 months off, it becomes very difficult to get back on track again.

It’s Just Human Nature

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Human nature can serve us very well in most cases, but truth be told, if you are not paying attention, human nature can also work against us, at least in regards to health and fitness. Let’s face it, most people automatically, without thinking, choose to do things the easiest way.

Last week I was at City Hall for a meeting. I entered the lobby and headed for the stairs. On the way, I encountered a City staff member who was headed for the same meeting which was to take place on the third floor. The stairs and the elevator are no more than fifteen feet apart, stairs on the left, elevator on the right. This staff member was half my age and knowing her position, this person likely was sitting most of the day. We walked together until I went left (towards the stairwell) and she headed right (towards the elevator). I said “I’ll see you up there, I’m taking the stairs.” I guess I guilted her into taking the stairs because she followed me up the stairs and mentioned something about her shoes as an excuse for heading for the elevator.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to judge or make fun of anyone for making the decisions they make all day long, that’s not my intent. My intent with this example is to show you how, if you are not thinking, you are being a detriment to your own health, in my humble opinion. I see things like this go on all the time.

Easier is better. Well, not so. I’ve seen grown men cutting their grass on a riding lawn mower that they could cut in 10 minutes flat with a push mower. I see people drive around shopping mall parking lots forever just to try to find a closer parking spot to the entrance. I see people all the time leaving their shopping carts in a parking spot next to their cars just so they don’t have to walk to the cart return to put it away like they should, just to save a 20 second walk. We think we are so smart finding these short cuts but in reality, we’re not so smart.

Why am I writing about this? Well, coming from a health enthusiast, and a professional trainer, most people don’t realize what a difference it would make in their lives if they just incorporate a few simple things into their lifestyles. Here are a few examples. Sure, one of these may not make a difference, but a combination of these things consistently will change the way you feel.

1. If you are headed to the second floor or even the third floor of a building, take the stairs, both up and down!

2. Stop looking for the closest parking spot to the entrance of wherever you are going, especially grocery shopping, It’s not like you have to carry your groceries. You have a cart to do that.

3. Speaking of shopping, take your shopping cart back to the cart return like you’re supposed to.

4. Depending on how large a yard you have, cut at least some, if not all of the lawn with a push mower and don’t buy the ones that drive themselves! Push it.

5. Get outside in the winter and shovel your sidewalks.

6. If you’ve been doing your cardio workout on the treadmill for ages, try an elliptical or even better a stair climber for a change.

7. Walk faster.

8. If you work, don’t sit around during your lunch break, especially if you sit at your job all day. Have a good healthy lunch and as soon as you are done, get outside and go for a brisk walk.

9. Again, unless you have a substantial amount of property, get outside in the fall and rake up the leaves using a rake, not a leaf blower.

These are some of the examples of how easy it is to make a difference in the way you feel and how your body stays fit. Stop looking for the easiest way to do things. We need to challenge ourselves physically more often than we are or Mother Nature will inevitably take over and before you know it, you will have no choice but to find the easiest way to do things or someone else to do them for you because you no longer can do them. Sad but true.

Gino