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A Word From Jackie

Welcome to 2025 at Lakewood Fitness! The newsletter this month is chock full of great health/fitness information for you to review as well as a few changes to our current small group training program expanding the programming you have access to, and additionally my intention to continue to grow this business for you throughout this year.

The article featured this month delves into  “Authentic High Intensity Interval Training” (HIIT) providing you with “Indicators” which define authentic HIIT and discusses what HIIT is not. There is a great deal of misinformation floating around social media these days, so as always, caveat emptor!

Our exercise video of the month is a “Squat with Shoulder Extensions” performed on the multi-gym (i.e., cable/pulley system). This compound exercise trains the quadriceps/hamstrings/glutes, latissimus dorsi, rear deltoids and nose to toes core.

Begin by selecting the long rope to allow a full and complete range of motion, set the cable/pulley at shoulder height, choose a moderate to heavy load on the weight stack and holding the rope, walk back far enough from the pulley so that your arms may remain fully extended throughout the exercise. Shoulders/hips/knees/toes all facing the same direction, shoulders packed down, rib cage lifted off of the waistline, navel pulled toward the spine and the pelvic floor pulled up and inward. Feet are positioned shoulder distance apart so that you may properly perform the squat component.

Simultaneously, squat back, tailbone to the wall behind you, as you engage the lats (wide part of the back), pulling the rope straight back with no movement in the elbow joint. Make certain that as you perform the squat you avoid allowing your hips to internally rotate—maintain a neutral femur position throughout. Then, press through to the standing position and bring the arms back into the flexed forward position. Perform 1-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions on two-three non-consecutive days/week. *Avoid leaning backward with the body as the cable/pulley system is not intended to support body weight.

Marci Steiner, R.D., will be presenting our “Weight Management and Physical Activity” workshop on Saturday, February 22nd, from noon-1PM. The cost is $25/person and is open to the general public. Marci is a consummate professional registered dietician and nutrition professor at Metropolitan State University, and we love having her present solid, cutting-edge nutrition workshops which are always fun and interactive. You will walk out with excellent information regarding what a healthy weight is, how weight is assessed, energy balance, physical activity, and lifestyle applications for weight management. As we draw closer to the date, you will be able to book on Vagaro. Please plan on joining us!

A couple of “housekeeping” reminders—one please remember to remove your wet or snow-covered shoes before walking back into the changing room. You may leave your wet shoes in the reception area and retrieve those following your sessions. A good strategy is to wear a pair of boots or slides in, then change into your workout shoes. Also, please remember that we strive to begin and end our classes on time. Consequently, if you are taking an 8:15AM WTC, then please arrive by 8:05 or 8:10AM as there are always pre-class instructions prior to our 8:15AM begin time. Thanks so much!

The current 9:30AM Thursday class was begun as a private group session for several clients who wanted to work out together.  This special class has ended and we will now offer a 9:30AM WTC in its place for all to enjoy.  The 8:15AM Thursday WTC will continue per usual.

Additionally, the 9:30AM Wednesday Pilates Reformer class has been changed to a 9:30AM Functional Strength class format.

Rather than a recipe of the month for January, I am including a short article regarding “Ultra Processed Food intake tied to chronic insomnia” that I thought might be of interest to you!

Thank you again for your continued support and referrals! And please take a moment if you are pleased with your experience at Lakewood Fitness and submit a review on our Google Business page, just 
CLICK HERE.


Have a fantastic month!
Cheers,
Jackie

SEE OUR NEW 2025 CLASS SCHEDULE - CLICK HERE!

Calendar at a GlanceJan / Feb

Monday, January 20th
Open for all classes and sessions for Martin Luther King Day
Wednesday, January 22nd
New 9:30AM Class begins
Thursday, January 23rd
New 9:30AM Class begins
Monday, February 17th
Closed for Presidents Day
Saturday, February 22nd
“Weight Management and Physical Activity” Workshop
Noon-1PM - $25/per person; open to the general public

Squat with Shoulder Extensions

Authentic High Intensity Interval Training

By: Jackie Wright, Owner/Manager Lakewood Fitness

High intensity interval training (HIIT) programming plays a major role in the design of many fitness programs. As fitness professionals, we integrate HIIT into many of our program formats for small and large group exercise programs as well as the personal training programs we create for our one-on-one clientele. 

However, what is authentic HIIT? There really is not a spectrum or gray area when it comes to performing HIIT. You either are, or you are not and there are several indicators of whether you are actually performing HIIT featured this month. If your intention is to perform HIIT and to receive the plethora of benefits specific to this type of training, then doing so authentically is critical. While HIIT is not for everyone, the vast majority of our clientele are able to perform at least some HIIT during their fitness programs. Follow these indicators to ensure you are performing authentic HIIT and enjoy the results! As always, prior to beginning any exercise program, please consult your physician.


Indicator #1    During your training are you able to speak, wipe sweat, drink water? Then you are not performing an authentic high intensity interval. This does not mean that you are not working intensely, it simply means that it is not a true high intensity interval. Learn to differentiate between training intensely and training all out at HIIT levels. *If you are new to HIIT, then establish a solid aerobic foundation of training first to ensure your safety and effectiveness of training.     

Indicator #2    Are you completely winded, breathless, literally gasping for air by the end of the exertion interval? If so, then you are most likely performing at an exertion level which rises to the heights of authentic HIIT. However, how quickly are you recovering? If the exertion interval is 30 seconds and the active recovery interval is 30 seconds and you are recovered in ten seconds, your body is communicating with you indicating you may be able to exert harder during the exertion interval. While it is generally true the fitter you become the quicker you may recover from exertion, once you are recovered sooner than would be expected, it may be time to kick it up a notch during the exertion interval.

Indicator #3    On the other side of the coin, if you are failing to recover during the active recovery interval, you may be exerting too hard during the exertion phase. You may either skip the next high intensity exertion interval to provide the body with the time to adequately recover enough to exert again or lower the exertion level during the exertion interval slightly so that you may recover adequately during the active recovery interval.

Indicator #4    Think of HIIT as the hardest you are physically able to exert during a short period of time. HIIT is not training at your threshold two (which is intense but does not rise to HIIT levels). Although threshold two training is hard to very hard, it is not “hardest.”  And, while it is very uncomfortable at threshold two, it is somewhat sustainable for a few minutes. HIIT is not sustainable. The very essence of HIIT is that it is unsustainable, short, explosive bursts of power intervals (i.e., strength/speed combined) followed by varied active recovery intervals. 

Indicator #5    Since the body is only able to exert all out (i.e., completely gassed) for 0-30 seconds, authentic HIIT exertion intervals may not exceed 30 seconds, since that is the amount of energy typically stored at the muscle site. Consequently, while you may work very intensely for 1-3 minutes, the very nature of HIIT is not addressed since HIIT exertion intervals are explosive power with a duration of 30 seconds or less. Keep HIIT separate from your other training modalities so that it has the desired impact on explosive power and reaction time.

Indicator #6    Performing HIIT, similar to any other training modality needs to be spaced properly throughout your workout week. Structurally, physiologically, and psychologically we need adequate recovery between true HIIT sessions. Consequently, performing HIIT two or three non-consecutive days/week may be a good strategy. It really depends upon what other training modalities you are performing, so discuss the frequency of HIIT with your qualified, certified personal trainer.

Ultra-Processed Food Intake Tied to Chronic Insomnia

By: MATTHEW KADEY, MS, RD, compliments of IDEA®

A fast-food habit could be causing people to spend nights tossing and turning.
It’s not just late-night screen time that could be messing up people’s sleep, but also the amount of nutritionally poor grub that they are eating. Consumption of ultra-processed foods is independently tied to poor sleep in the general population, according to an epidemiological  study published in the
Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The analysis included 38,570 adults who had completed a sleep questionnaire and at least two 24-hour dietary records. The investigators from Sorbonne Paris Nord University in Paris, France found that a little more than 19 percent of participants had symptoms of chronic insomnia, and on average, ultra-processed foods represented 16 percent of overall dietary intake. Ultra-processed food consumption was associated with higher odds of chronic insomnia with greater odds seen for men than women. Findings were independent of sociodemographics, lifestyle, and mental health status. Future research needs to reveal the reasons why eating too many pastries, chips, and fast-food can disrupt sleep, but in the meantime fitness professionals with clients who are struggling to get adequate shut-eye should mention the possible importance of eating less of the heavily processed stuff. And, of course, other health and fitness benefits come with that.

Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.

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