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Planks are an exercise you will see clients do a lot at Axio Fitness. Planks are an isometric core exercise. An isometric exercise is any exercise that forces you to contract the muscle without lengthening or shortening the muscle through joint movement. Core exercises are exercises that strengthen your abdomen, back, hips and pelvis. The benefits of planking include: • Better posture • Injury prevention • Reduced risk of chronic pain and back pain • Improved mobility and balance • Improved metabolism If you cannot plank on the ground from your toes and your forearms, you can modify a plank in a way that you can do it. You can start with planking on a chair or bench, or planking with your hands on the ground with your arms extended. Try holding a plank as long as you can each time, and progressing into more advanced plankingas your time improves. If you start with a modified plank, try progressing to a traditional plank. If you can already do a traditional plank, try progressing the movement into lifting one arm or one leg at a time, or attempting side planks. To ensure you get the benefits, be sure to plank consistently and advance your plank to keep it challenging for you.

Worried about your fitness goals during Halloween season? Don't let the spooky holiday haunt your healthy lifestyle! At Axio Fitness, we believe you can create lasting memories while staying on track with your wellness journey. Here's your complete guide to enjoying a healthy Halloween without sacrificing the fun. Finding Balance: Smart Strategies for Halloween Treats The secret to managing Halloween treats isn't complete deprivation—it's mindful moderation. One candy bar won't derail your progress, but smart choices make a difference. Try these strategies: Practice Mindful Indulgence: Savor each treat consciously instead of mindless snacking Control Portions: Enjoy individual pieces rather than unlimited access Choose Smarter Swaps: Satisfy cravings with these healthier alternatives: Frozen grapes for sour candy cravings Apple slices with natural peanut butter and dark chocolate chips instead of peanut butter cups Dark chocolate squares (70%+ cocoa) for milk chocolate bars Homemade yogurt bark for toffee cravings Halloween Themed Fitness Activities Transform traditional Halloween activities into calorie-burning opportunities: The Great Pumpkin Circuit (15-25 minutes) Try this full-body workout using a pumpkin as your equipment: Pumpkin Squats (45 seconds) Russian Twists (45 seconds) Overhead Press (45 seconds) Farmers Carry (45 seconds) Walking Lunges (45 seconds) Rest 15 seconds between exercises, complete 3-5 rounds 10 Fun Fall and Spooky Activities to Get You Moving Pumpkin Patch Adventure - Get your steps in while searching for the perfect pumpkin! Walking through a pumpkin patch can be a great low-impact workout. Plus, carrying your chosen pumpkins back to the car adds some strength training to your day. Apple Picking Excursion - Reach, stretch, and climb as you pick apples from trees. This activity provides a full-body workout, especially for your arms and core. The walking between trees adds some cardio too! Scenic Fall Hike - Take advantage of the beautiful fall colors with a hike. This excellent cardiovascular exercise works your legs and core while allowing you to connect with nature. Remember to choose a trail that matches your fitness level. Trick-or-Treating Adventure - Whether you're chaperoning kids or participating in an adult version, trick-or-treating can rack up serious steps. Add some lunges or high knees between houses for an extra fitness boost! Corn Maze Challenge - Navigate through a corn maze for a fun mental and physical workout. The constant walking and decision-making keep both your body and mind active. Race against friends for added excitement and intensity. Haunted House Exploration - Believe it or not, walking through a haunted house can be a workout! The combination of walking, sudden movements, and an elevated heart rate from the scares can burn calories and improve agility. Spooky Scavenger Hunt - Organize a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt in your neighborhood or local park. This activity combines walking, problem-solving, and possibly some running if you make it a race! Fall Yard Work - Turn fall chores into a workout! Raking leaves, cleaning gutters, and preparing your garden for winter all provide excellent functional fitness benefits. Remember to use proper form to avoid injury. Fall Festival Fun - Many fall festivals offer activities like hay rides, bobbing for apples, or pumpkin rolling contests. These events often involve walking, bending, and using various muscle groups in fun and unexpected ways. Halloween Themed Runs - Many communities host Halloween-themed 5Ks or charity walks. Sign up for one in your area. Fuel Your Halloween Adventures Keep your energy high with these themed pre and post-workout snacks: Pre-Workout Energy Boosters Pumpkin Spice Energy Balls (oats, pumpkin puree, almond butter, honey) Ghost Toast (whole grain toast, cream cheese, banana slices) Pumpkin Patch Oatmeal (with real pumpkin and pepitas) Post-Workout Recovery Witch's Brew Smoothie (spinach, banana, protein-packed Greek yogurt) Jack-o'-Lantern Stuffed Peppers (quinoa, black beans, lean turkey) Tips for a Healthy Halloween Plan Ahead: Eat a protein-rich meal before parties or trick-or-treating Stay Active: Include movement in your Halloween celebrations Choose Wisely: Pick your favorite treats and skip the ones you don't love Stay Hydrated: Balance treat consumption with plenty of water Keep Moving: Use Halloween activities as opportunities for exercise Remember, Halloween is one day (or season) in your year-round fitness journey. Focus on enjoying the festivities while maintaining a balanced approach to health and wellness. By incorporating these tips and tricks, you can have a Halloween that's both fun and fitness-friendly! Want more personalized guidance for navigating holiday fitness challenges? Book a session with an Axio Fitness trainer today!

If you plan to go to a personal training session or do a workout in a gym, it should include both cardio and weight training. Cardio includes walking, jogging, biking, rowing, etc. Weight training includes squats, lunges, bench press, etc. There has been a debate for years about which should be done first, cardio or weight training. Many physical therapists recommend doing your cardio first to avoid injury. However, some research suggests that if you have a goal of weight loss, it is best to do cardio after a weight training workout because you use more stored fat as fuel while doing cardio. Although there seems to be mixed opinions about both, the most logical recommendation is to consider your goals and start your workout with whatever you want to focus on or improve. If you want to improve the amount of weight you can squat, you should start with squats and do them before fatiguing your legs with cardio. If you want to improve your run time, you should run first before you wear out your legs with squats or lunges. More than anything, keep in mind that all physical activity is good! It is important to include both cardio and weight training in your physical activity for optimal health. So, no matter the order, it is best to ensure you spend time doing both.

At Axio Fitness, we see a lot of clients who deal with low back pain. Personally, I have dealt with low back pain, and I can empathize with our clients who get it. Whenever we get clients dealing with low back pain, here are some things we consider when writing their workouts: First, avoid upper body, unilateral movements. Meaning, an exercise that works one arm at a time. Unilateral movements include single arm dumbbell rows, single arm curls, or suitcase carries. Even outside of the gym, try avoiding things like vacuum cleaning. Also, avoid lifting any weight above your waist while standing. So, when you are doing an overhead dumbbell press or a bicep curl, be sure to be seated. Hinging movements tend to aggravate a tender low back as well. Deadlift, kettlebell swings, or leg raises should be avoided. Along with avoiding those things, try stretching your hips, hamstrings and back regularly. Many people enjoy dead hangs to help alleviate back pain as well. Finally, listen to your body! If there is an exercise that just doesn’t feel right on your back, abort the exercise! There are so many great exercises that will not hurt, so there is no shame in skipping that and moving on to a different exercise. If you need help getting a good workout around your aches and pains, Axio Fitness can help! Our team of trainers will give you the guidance and customize support you need to not let injuries slow you down.

Consistency is key to making progress and seeing significant changes in your fitness. Last week I was on vacation and did not work out for six days. When I returned home, I did a workout that made me sore the next day. But that workout was light compared to what I was doing just before leaving town. I would not have been sore had I done that same workout the week prior. When we stop moving, our bodies start regressing. It can feel a little disheartening if your mindset is to exercise to get to a goal and then stop. Meaning, if you are only training hard and eating right to get to a certain weight or fitness level, then the reality of having to continue to avoid regression can feel discouraging. If that is you, and your mindset is to figure out how quickly you can get through all these disciplines so you can achieve what you set out to do and then stop, you need a mindset shift. As I like to say, healthy is way and not a place. Meaning, it is a way of life and a part of your lifestyle. Not something you decide to add to your days or weeks for a season for a specific reason. It is certainly easier to see progress when you have a goal weight or a goal 5k time. Once you hit those goals, it is also much easier to maintain your current weight or fitness levels. But as soon as you stop all together, you will start losing everything you worked for. Vacations and time off are fine, but you need to embrace and accept the fact that getting active and staying active is a lifelong journey. Perfect consistency for the rest of your life is unrealistic. But persistency for lifetime is required to be healthy. If you need help getting started, Axio Fitness is here to help! Our mission is to help clients achieve their short-term goals as well as a genuine lifestyle change.

The suitcase carry is a compound exercise with a lot of benefits. A proper suitcase carry is simply walking while carrying a kettlebell or dumbbell in one hand. For proper form, you should keep you head up, core tight, walk tall with good posture, and take short, natural strides. To walk around with a kettlebell in one hand sounds very simple. But this is very good exercise for you when done regularly. Not only will you strengthen your core, hips, shoulders and grip, research and real-world testing has discovered there are also many other benefits to this exercise. Regular suitcase carries will also help improve balance and posture, and some experts believe it reduces the risk of injury or aches and pains while walking and jogging through improving your gait and running form. Try including suitcase carries in your workout for a few weeks to see if you notice the benefits! If you need help learning exercises that are beneficial for your body and goals, Axio Fitness is here to help!

Do you have any road trips planned this summer? Many people, including me, love a good road trip. Although road trips can be fun and adventurous, sitting in a car all day is obviously not helpful for your health and fitness goals. The unfortunate thing about car rides is that you barely move a muscle! However, there are a few things you can try to help offset the inactivity during a road trip. First, increase your activity for a few days leading up to and after your road trip. At Axio Fitness, we hold our clients accountable for minutes of activity per week. This works well with clients because not every day unfolds the exact same. We tell clients to do just 10- 20 minutes of cardio on days they are busy and stressed, but then do 40-50 minutes on weekends or days they have a little more time. Minutes per week gives you the flexibility to work around things like entire days in the car. The second thing you can try is getting a little activity during stops. A 15 minute walk, some high knee marches, stair climbs or squats are a great way to get your blood flowing and get your body a little work after sitting for so long. Another thing you can try is prioritizing a workout before your road trip. Although sleep is always important, if you can get up early and get a 30-minute hard workout before sitting in the car all day, you will be so glad you did. An early morning workout should help you sustain your energy and focus for the day. If you need help getting in better shape during the vacation season, Axio Fitness is here to help! We can give you the guidance and accountability you need to stay active through the different seasons.

It is finally summertime! The heat and humidity is upon us, making our activities such as walking, yard work, and even hanging out outside a little sweaty. Many of us hate to sweat, especially when we don’t want to or aren’t trying to. But there are lots of health benefits to sweating. Especially when you sweat during exercise. Three major health benefits include: 1. Detoxification- Sweating is a natural and wonderful way to detox. Your sweat contains toxins such as metals, alcohol, cholesterol and even BPAs. Sweat is a great way to rid yourself of harmful toxins that could otherwise cause negative health effects. 2. Boosts Immunity- When your body rids itself of toxins, it will also help to boost your immunity. Also, when your body temperature is raised, it can help to kill pathogens. 3. Healthy Skin- Believe it or not, sweating can actually help keep your skin healthy and glowing. You may think sweat causes your skin blemishes, but the opposite is true. Sweat helps to eliminate dead skin cells and serves as a natural pore cleanser. Although you can get the health benefits of sweating from a sauna or steam room, exercise is the best way. Exercise will give you so many more benefits to add to the ones you experience through sweating. When you sweat, it is so important to make sure that you hydrate! Drink lots of water before, during and after you plan on exercising and working up a sweat.