There’s a long-standing myth that strength training is just for athletes and bodybuilders with big muscles. But the truth is, strength training is practical and useful for all ages, body types and abilities! It can drastically improve your quality of life, reduce your risk for disease and even help you live longer. 

Think about it: What can you do without strength? We use our muscles for almost everything on a daily basis. We carry groceries inside the house. We lift our suitcase into an overhead bin on an airplane. We play games with our kids outside. We throw a tennis ball for our dog to fetch. So, as we improve our strength, we improve our ability to live and interact well.

The benefits

Strength training will make you stronger, of course, but it also has many other benefits. Incorporating strength training into your workout routine reduces your risk of injury by strengthening the bones and muscles you use for everyday tasks. From greater mobility and flexibility to improved posture, small gains in muscle make a big difference. Strength training also helps you maintain a healthy body weight, a strong heart and sustainable blood sugar levels. In combination with these things, strength training helps burn calories efficiently and encourages endorphins so you can feel good both physically and emotionally. Are you having issues with sleep? “Strength training causes fatigue within the muscles and triggers a recovery response,” says the Y’s Director of Healthy Living, Elizabeth Boles. “The recovery response involves various chemicals and hormones that can cause drowsiness and promote better sleep.”

On the wellness floor

At the YMCA of Middle Tennessee, we have plenty of ways for you to incorporate strength training into your workout routine. On the wellness floor, some of our strength training equipment includes plate-loaded machines, pin-loaded machines, kettle bells, dumbbells and resistance bands. Whether you plan to lift, bench-press or squat, rest assured that we have the tools you need to build muscle!

Group exercise classes

We also offer year-round group exercise classes that are included in your membership. With unlimited classes at your disposal, we have offerings for all ages and abilities. Some of our most popular strength-focused classes are Les Mills BODYPUMP, Total Strength, Barre, and Plates and Weights. If you’re looking for a lower-impact class, we also offer H2O Cardio classes that naturally build strength as you work against the water’s resistance. Our group exercise classes not only help you to build strength—they connect our members to community, which leads to increased accountability, new friendships and that extra support you need to reach your goals. Each class is designed to help you become stronger at a pace that is comfortable to you. Learn more about group exercise class offerings here.  

Personal training

If you don’t know where to start or need some extra motivation to jumpstart your wellness journey, try a consultation with one of our personal trainers. YMCA Personal Trainers help hold you accountable to your fitness goals and provide extra encouragement to reach them. Ready to get started? Take advantage of our 3 sessions for $99 deal for new personal training clients! You will get three hour-long sessions with one of our nationally-certified trainers to work on your unique wellness plan-of-action. You can sign up at the Welcome Desk at your local center or online here. 

No matter where you are on your strength journey, the Y is here to help. Visit your local YMCA of Middle Tennessee center and start improving your strength—and your quality of life—today.
 

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Her friend’s 86-year-old dad, Odus Sikes, wanted to start using the Therapy Pool at the Clarksville YMCA and needed a ride.

Since she wasn’t working at the time, Donna offered to take him on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. At first, she would sit by the pool, hand him towels, and drive him back home. But after a few weeks, Mr. Sikes asked her if she would also like to get in the pool and exercise with him. With neck and back issues from previous surgeries, fatty liver disease, unfavorable blood work, and neuropathy from diabetes, she thought it couldn’t hurt to try.

She explained, “I got into the therapy pool and it felt great to move and work on muscles in the water.” But Mr. Sikes wasn’t finished. He also signed them up for the Weight Loss Program that met every Tuesday.

Donna agreed but didn’t think much of it. She shared, “It all started with me helping out a friend and becoming friends with an 86-year-old man. In return, it has helped both of us.”

As a result, the weight loss program helped her lose 30 pounds!

“My numbers had dropped over 60 points on my fatty liver number and My A1C within ‘normal’ range,” she said. “It had been over 20 years since I had a ‘normal’ reading and ALL of my bloodwork was normal! My doctor said that whatever I was doing was paying off!”

Additionally, she has dropped four sizes and is only taking insulin twice a week instead of four to six times a day.

Donna has continued to live a healthier lifestyle with new motivation and direction. She goes at least 2-3 days a week to exercise with her personal trainer and is eating much healthier. She has learned to create reachable goals and how to practice mindful eating.

She shared, “not everyone has the mindset to do what I did, but they can and are very capable. I did it and I am doing it! You have nothing to lose, but you can gain knowledge, and support and feel better.”

Join the Weight Loss Program today at your local center by visiting https://www.ymcamidtn.org/programs/health-and-fitness/support-groups/ymca-weight-loss-program.

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Bill Huggins decided to join the YMCA of Middle Tennessee in 2017 and worked out three days a week. However, he was still not able to keep his weight under control. 

In fact, even at 71 years old, Bill was still struggling. 

He had completed several diets and programs and was even able to lose weight at times — but he was unable to keep the weight off. 

As a result, after hearing about the YMCA’s Weight Loss Program, Bill decided to join. 

Although he had been unsuccessful in the past, something was different this time. “The program was well-planned and executed…and enjoyable. Unlike other programs, this [the Y’s Weight Loss Program] trains you for lifestyle changes,” Bill said. 

The program not only helped to keep him accountable to his goals, but also taught him how to use new apps to track what he ate and drank. He began tracking his food intake daily and increased his workout schedule to six days a week at his local Y.

These new habits did not go unrewarded. As a result, Bill shared, “It has now been six months since I began this journey and I have lost 45 pounds.”

Feeling better than ever, Bill explained that he can now do things that he hadn’t been able to do in a long time. He is climbing steps without shortness of breath and, more importantly, his self-esteem and confidence have improved tremendously.

 “For the first time in a very long time, I am proud of what I have been able to do and enjoying life more fully,” he shared.

To his amazement, his new habits even followed him to the beach while he was on a two-week vacation. He continued tracking his food and drink intake and worked out every day at a local fitness center. “I only gained three pounds over that two-week period,” he said. “As we learned in the class, as soon as I returned home, I began losing those three pounds. This experience showed me how my lifestyle has truly changed and encourages me to continue my journey.”

Amazingly enough, Bill still isn’t finished. “I set a goal when the class began of losing 100 pounds in a year,” he explained. “I am almost 50% there and will continue to work towards that goal.” 

Take control of your weight loss journey and find a routine that fits your lifestyle, just like Bill found. Learn more about the YMCA’s Weight Loss Program and sign up today.

The post At 71 Years Old, One Member Lost 45 Pounds Through The YMCA’s Weight Loss Program appeared first on David Prince Reedy.

As a natural salesman, I have a lot of empathy for people whose strong suit is not sales. After all, nothing gets done without it. From our politics, to our jobs, and even to our families, NOTHING gets done without some form of sales. 

So if you don’t like sales, it can really be a tough world to live in. 

On the other hand, I have discovered that most people don’t really have a problem with selling. They really just have a problem with sellers taking advantage of people. 

Maybe it was the person who called them about their extended car warranty that has just expired.

Maybe it was the politician who lied. 

Maybe it was the insurance company that didn’t follow through on a payout due to a minor technicality. 

When they think of sales, this is what comes to mind. Someone that is dishonest and immoral. 

But I have great news. That is not what selling is. 

True salesmanship is not about taking advantage of people and lying for your personal gain. Selling is about solving a person’s problem. It is about meeting someone’s needs. Simply put, it’s about helping. 

That’s why asking questions is so important. It tells us if the customer is in need of our product. 

Will the product that you’re selling help the customer? Will it solve their problem? 

You are not an immoral, dishonest, or evil person when you sell products that truly help to solve a customer’s problem. 

You are a problem solver. You are a helper. You are a friend.

It is vital to know the difference. 

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As a short and skinny guy, this song made me feel invincible. I sang it all the time because it made me feel so cool and tough. 

“I ain’t never scared.” I ain’t never scared. I ain’t never scared!”

The lyrics made me feel so powerful because truthfully, I was scared all of the time.  I was scared to watch scary movies. I was scared to talk to the girls. I was scared to approach bullies. And the list goes on and on. 

And if I’m honest, I still get scared all of the time. Everybody does. It’s apart of what makes us human.

Growing up, I used to think that being powerful and courageous was about never being scared. But I’ve learned that courage isn’t the absence of fear. Courage is being afraid and choosing to do it anyway. Courage is when that fear is fully present and you still choose to go for it. 

You do it anyway. 

In other words, fear is what you’re feeling. Courage is what you’re doing.

Although the fear may never go away, we don’t have to allow it to to continue to hold us back. We can choose to be courageous. 

We can choose to dream bigger. We can choose to make better products. We can choose to come up with better ideas. We can choose to be better than we were yesterday. 

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We had to have know that this day was coming. Free marketing and advertisement to customers everyday? Surely, Mark Zuckerberg had a plan to get paid eventually. 

And that he did. 

According to CNBC, Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users. It’s a marketer’s dream come true because it’s free and you can essentially sell directly to your followers. 

However, although the app may be free to use, the organic reach is not. 

It is now becoming pay to play. Take a look at your analytics and you will see that you are reaching about 10% of your followers. And if you want to reach the other 90%, guess what you have to do? 

Paid advertisement through boosted posts.

So unless you have the proper budget, you will not be able to compete. As a result, it is vital for marketers to create their own channels for companies to directly connect with their customers

• Channel 1 : Email

This is a proven method that works, but you will most likely only have 10% of your email list open those emails. (Same as Instagram)

• Channel 2: App

Companies can create an app where customers can shop and learn about new products. It will even send the customer notifications on their cell phone if they allow it. 

• Channel 3: Text

This is a new phenomenon. But in today’s world, we are all attached to our phone. As a result, text messages have a 98% open rate! 

Obviously, it would be best to use all 3 channels. But what is needed most is a shift in our thinking. We can no longer allow social media to do all the work for us us.

Instead, we should use social media as a tool to get customers into OUR channels so that we can directly connect with them.

We may have to pay to reach our customers on Instagram now. But let’s not continue to be solely dependent on them. Instead, let’s use boosted posts to direct customers to OUR CHANNELS where we have more control.

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