As an experienced and Certified Fitness Trainer, I developed a unique, safe, effective, and affordable small class core fitness training program. This small-class approach offers my clients individual attention and customized training to fit their special needs. By allowing no more than 4 to 8 participants in each class, I ensure the “Personal” is a reality in often used “personal training” fitness business moniker. I work with my clients one-on-one so that I can monitor their fitness status and progress or regress any of the core exercises to meet their individual needs.

Traditional Weight Training Machine Limitations
Weight Training Machines are limited, with most allowing only one exercise for a specific muscle or muscle group. In addition, most mechanized weight trainers are sized to the average person’s dimensions, if a user is shorter or taller than average, they may find it difficult and uncomfortable to use some machines properly or to use them at all. Also these machines by there very nature invite unsupervised use resulting in strains from improper settings or limited knowledge of repetitions rate, speed and posture required to achieve the desired strengthening. Working on single muscle groups at a time does little for improving body balance and stability that is so necessary to prevent injury and falls as age progresses.

Movement required strength and coordination of core muscles in the trunk and limbs. Movement is essential to being able to perform activities of daily living and our ability to move efficiently requires control of the body’s postural alignment or balance. The Heart of Fitness especially targets the crucial strength-development and maintenance needs of older adults. This goal is achieved by incorporating special “core exercises” that mimic or improve activities of daily living; such a running to catch a bus, reaching up to cupboards, getting in and out of bathtubs. The Heart of Fitness system perfectly fits a population that traditional weight training fitness trends do not touch.

Faddish Fitness Trends
Current fitness trends offer fitness clients the latest and greatest “tough” “body sculpting”, “major-muscle bulging” exhausting workouts. These approaches fail to interest or meet the real fitness needs of those “new to fitness” or those that are not able to do “tough” workouts such as: spinning, kickboxing, high impact aerobic classes, boot camp style workouts & heavy and repetitive weight training, to name a few. What is needed are more functional, movement based fitness programs that teach persons of all ages how to move better based on the findings of physiology, kinesiology, cellular biology, and gerontology

A Better Approach
The “Heart of Fitness Core Training” approach is based on a simple but powerful premise: core muscle strength development and maintenance is essential to maintain efficient and balanced body movement especially as age advances. Or to say it another way: To train to balance you must be out of balance.

Body Balance has two components: static and dynamic balance. Static balance refers to stabilization to maintain center of mass within the base of support (or is the point around which all weight is evenly distributed).

Dynamic Balance, on the other hand, refers to the ability to move outside of the body’s base of support, while still maintaining postural control. The role of robust, static and dynamic balance in daily living has been grossly underestimated in fitness circles. But no longer. Heart of Fitness realizes that by exercising to maintaining an optimum level of balance-strength appropriate for each age plays a vital role in the successful and safe completion of every day movement.

Heart of Fitness Core Balance training works through a specially designed regimen of exercises designed to improve speed, power, prevent injury, coordination, skill development, joint reactivity, agility and much more. Research shows balance is highly trainable in all populations: youth; elite athletes; adults recreationalists, and seniors. Core Balance training is not a fitness fad, but a rigorous, research-based training methodology that has been shown to strongly impact movement performance in many ways:

• Dynamic Joint Reactivity: helps prevent injuries and improves performance by increasing and improving the reactivity of joints and muscle so that they are more responsive.
• Transitional Balance: The perfect balance position between stopping and starting.
• Skillful Movement: Tuning up the body and allowing for more fluid action.

Why Heart of Fitness Specializes in Fitness Training for
Those 45 and Older?
Our Core Fitness program is designed to help clients fight against physiological processes that begin a subtle decline in strength that becomes obvious to most around age 55 or less if a sedentary lifestyle is followed.

Muscular System Age Decline
Study after study shows that as age advances muscle mass decreases and later muscle strength decreases. However, research also confirms that men and women of all ages can increase their muscle size and muscle strength as a result of progressive core balance and strength training.

Reduction in Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
This is the calories your body burns at rest. As we age there is a gradual reduction in the BMR which can result in an increase in body weight by a 1/2 pound of fat per year. Thus, older adults typically have a higher percentage of body-fat. Exercise can help compensate this trend by increasing daily caloric expenditure, maintaining muscle mass and slowing the weight gain.

Joint Mobility and Flexibility Changes
Aging impairs muscles, tendons, and ligaments, so that they lose elasticity. Stretching and flexibility exercises are important and can restore flexibiltity.

Skeletal System Adaptations to Aging
Both men and women lose bone mass and strength with age. Women are at higher risk after menopause. Most importantly osteoporosis is a potentially life-threatening condition. A high proportion of older people die as a result of complications from fragile broken bones. The good news is that weight-bearing and progressive resistance will increase bone mass. My Heart of Fitness program works to provide the right kind of exercise to help fight osteoporosis.

Slowing Aging Affects
For many the activities of daily living become more difficult with age exacerbated by the lack of core fitness exercise and stretching. However, Heart of Fitness programs can help clients eliminate and/or slow the physiological process by prompting healthy lifestyle changes.

Heart of Fitness Workout Details
I provide my clients with:

• Constant and clear communication both verbal and non verbal regarding the program, goals, and techniques
• Equipment appropriate for the client’s level and ability.
• A spotter if necessary (myself or client’s partner up).
• A logical progression from stable to unstable environment to safely and easily build balance skills.
• A customized program that Increases balance complexity exercises one step at a time to achieve optimum, safe coordination.