OLYMPIC TRAINING

Hello everyone! My Senior Olympic training program began in earnest on February 1st. The following is an overview:

1. Six days per week...Monday thru Saturday...three hours a day.
2. Weight lifting...lower body 2x a week and upper body 2x a week...0ne hour each session.
3. Plyometrics 3x per week...one hour each session.
4. Sprinting and speed bursts 2x each week...one hour each session.
5. Yoga...2x each week...45 minutes each session.
6. Spinning...5x each week...45 minutes each session.
7. Abs 3x each week...30 minutes each session.
8. Racquetball 2x each week...one hour each session.

As the outdoor track season draws near (April) I will change my routine. I have attempted to address some of the questions I have received over the past two months. Two other questions: Why do I train like this and do I get bored with training. No I do not get bored, I love to exercise. Simply stated...I love the challenge of training, becoming better and I hope being a role model for young and old alike. I love to compete. It is my lifestyle...a healthy lifestyle. Working out sure beats the heck out of growing up on a dairy farm as a young boy .

Have a great life everyone!

Reference:www.secondwindfitnessfilm.com

THERAPY

Hello everyone and happy Superbowl weekend! I teach a fitness class several times a week and my Friday morning class is turning out to be my favorite...35 seniors with an average age of 70. Half dozen people exercise from a chair. What a great group! I can see the eagerness and excitement in their eyes. Constant movement for 45 minutes. These seniors are serious about fitness and exercise. No fooling around no goofing off. If I make a mistake..I hear about it. They all bring a partner...someone to support the other..."come on you can do it." That is the attitude they all have. All of them come to class with an attitude...a positive attitude. Its a pleasure to be around each and every one. Mental fitness, attitude and motivation =a healthy life style. One person at a time, one exercise at a time, one day at a time. We draw strength from one another. Imagine if just one more person begins to exercise right now. Exercise and work = great therapy.

Have a great life everone! JIMMY O

Reference: www.secondwindfitnessfilm.com

fitness challenge, senior fitness, fitness trainer alert

Hello everyone! This message is directed to senior citizens (age 50 and over) and fitness/personal trainers working with that age group. After observing and working with seniors over the past 5 years I feel confident in sharing my opinion with you. Oh, I am in that age group.

Trainers....We don't want to be treated as though we are just visiting the human race and not actually a part of it. In assessing our physical fitness, it is equally important to assess our mental fitness. All of us want to get the most out of our sessions. We want to be challenged...we need more than just a treadmill for 20 minutes. Balance, coordination, hand and foot exercises, range of motion, perception and stamina are important. Some of us even need to practice going up and down a step ladder, reaching and bending. Weight training and conditioning exercises are critical. Many of us live alone, so encouraging family members or a friend to join in some of the sessions (a support group) would be wonderful. The support creates a "greater dynamic" to the process of wellness. Some trainers may already be aware of this, but may not be utilizing the aforementioned to the fullness.

SENIORS...be open and voice your feelings in your assessment prior to starting the fitness process. You know your body and how you feel better than anyone. Fitness training is not a one day thing...it is a lifetime process. No matter what age you are, you can get better and be a better person. Physical fitness begins in the mind. We need to be challenged! Leave "pity" for another time. Stop feeling sorry for yourself...do something positive for yourself before its too late. People have long admired our generation. Now it is up to us to attain yet on more goal...a FIT generation.

Have a great life everyone! JIMMY O

Reference:www.secondwindfitnessfilm.com

FITNESS BAROMETER, CHECKPOINT

HELLO EVERYONE!

WE ARE THREE WEEKS INTO THE NEW YEAR AND IT IS TIME EVALUATE OUR PROGRESS. YES...TIME TO EXAMINE OUR WEEK BY WEEK PROGRESS...OUR REPORT CARD. THE REPORT CARD SHOULD INCLUDE:

1. HOW MUCH TIME DID I DEVOTE TO MY FITNESS PROGRAM?
2. DID I STAY ON TARGET WITH MY GOALS? YOU DID WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS DIDN'T YOU?
3. DID I EXERCISE AT LEAST 3X A WEEK FOR AT LEAST 45 MINUTES EACH?
4. AT LEAST 20 MINUTES FOR CARDIO.
5. WHAT ABOUT MY DIET?
6. DO I HAVE A PARTNER TO TRAIN WITH?
7. AM I ON TARGET WITH MY GOALS? IF NOT, WHY NOT?

REMEMBER THAT FOR MANY, A FITNESS PROGRAM IS CREATING A NEW HABIT...A NEW AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. REMEMBER WHERE YOU WERE, WHERE YOU ARE NOW AND WHERE YOU WANT TO BE.

HAVE A GREAT LIFE EVERYONE...JIMMY O

REFERENCE: http://www.secondwindfitnessfilm.com/

HEALTH HAZARD

HELLO EVERYONE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!



Perhaps the greatest threat to our health is the lack of movement. Webster defines exercise as "an act of putting into use." Lets use that definition as our premise. Getting started...to begin... is the toughest part about exercising...at any level of exercise and fitness. Why? Fear factor, (fear of the unkown) is greater than the motivation. Also, remember, if we are comfortable...we do not move. The road to fitness will always be under construction...our health, is in large part, dependant on our mental fitness. If we think politics is confusing, take a hard look at the world of fitness. Supplements, diet pills, fitness centers, home fitness programs, cardio, pilates, yoga, tai chi, aerobics, anaerobic exercise, running, walking, work and family schedules and so on. Whew! No time...yah thats it. Wrong! When our health is at stake...we make time. Some closing thoughts...for starters...walk, jog, bike, stretching and do some research regarding types of exercise. Talk to others including your physician, find a partner to push you a little. One final thought...exercise for 30 minutes a day 7 days week for 30 days and you will be a winner! FIT, FIRM, HEALTHY, AND ENERGIZED! HAVE A GREAT LIFE EVERYONE! JIMMYO



Reference http://www.secondwindfitnessfilm.com/

motivation, change, fitness and health

Hello everyone! One of the airlines has for its slogan " freedom to move about." I thought that would be quite fitting for fitness and health. Having worked with physically and mentally challenged people as a personal trainer I felt compelled to note and remind myself just how fortunate I am to be in excellant health. I hope this is a reminder for many of you also. People faced with health restrictions have the "will" to forge ahead. They have a "I can do it attitude." I don't hear them complain or have self pity. That attitude is a lesson in life that all of us should embrace...every day! Why is it then that we lack the motivation to preserve and enhance our mind, body and spirit via a healthy life style.

TO CHANGE...WE HAVE TO CHANGE. Consider this credo: there are three people in each of us...the person we were yesterday, the person we are today and the person we want to grow into...the vision of the person we want to be. The difficulty, change creates conflict...internal conflict. We have to replace our comfort zone with challenge. This is where self-motivation comes in to play. Once we accept and understand this, we begin to gravitate toward the person we want to be. Thus, in this subject matter we gravitate toward fitness and a healthy life style. We let go of that "comfort zone" that held us captive. We achieve that wonderful lifestyle of "freedom to move about." We begin to think and act as though we are already there.

In my preparation for the 2008 Senior Olympics I visualize myself as already being there...already competing. I call this "goal gravitation." Motivation equals change and change equals fulfillment. Growing and maturing toward the person I not only want to be but, the person I need to be. The intangible...being a role model for someone who may be watching.

Do we really need a New Years resolution to become a better person? I truly believe that most of us fear having the annual physical because we think something might be wrong with us. If a person can't be self-motivated to take that first step, then all the words and ideas I express are worthless. Do we have a responsibility to pursue a healthy lifestyle? I believe we do. It is the unending quest for a "freedom to move about." BEFORE ITS TOO LATE. The journey for me, is just as exciting as the actual achievement.

My Christmas message..wishing all of you the strength, the will and the vision to move toward the new you. Happy holidays to you, your loved ones and your friends. Have a healthy and exciting journey toward fitness in the new year. Have a great life everyone! jimmyo

reference:www.secondwindfitnessfilm.com

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

Remember, as a youngster playing games, all sorts of games, from hop scotch to beanbag to any kind of game played with a ball; and yes we can't leave out jumping rope. Sure beats drinking cod liver oil for a healthy mind and body. Oh yes, we also possessed a "I can do anything" spirit. Wonder what would happen if we revisited (to a lesser degree) a few of those fun things. For many of us I think we lack that daring "I can do it" attitude. Obviously, some of us can't for health reasons. However, most can do something in the way of exercise to some degree. When interviewing people of all ages I have discovered that people don't exercise because the disease "I am comfortable" sets in. Status quo. If I am comfortable, I do not move. I don't find many books on "self comfort controll". Just because we age does not mean we have to get old or allow our mind to become addicted to the mind set of "don't have to exercise...its my life." Until we change our thinking we will not change our life style...unless tragedy strikes, then we our forced to change.
TODAY...LETS CHANGE the comfort zone to a I'm going to do it attitude. You can begin with a folding chair, a stretch band and a ball...and right in your own home if you like. I call this my portable gym. If you did not know your age, how old would you be? Take care of yourself so no one else has too. We look out for ourselves financially...what about our MIND...BODY...AND SPIRIT. HAVE A GREAT LIFE EVERYONE! jimmy o