Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

What if a single metric could help predict your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or even early death? Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) can do exactly that! In a world focused on numbers on the scale or BMI metrics, simply comparing the circumference of your waist to your hips can provide insight into fat distribution within the body that weight and BMI cannot, a key factor in understanding overall health. Two people of the same height, weight, and body fat percentage may face disparate health risks due to fat distribution. WHR has become an essential and helpful tool in preventative medicine.

How does one measure WHR?

WHR is the circumference of the waist divided by the circumference of the hips. To measure the circumference of the waist, start by standing upright and exhale. Measure the circumference of the waist with a tape measure, placed above the belly button, at the smallest part of the waist. Measure hip circumference by positioning the measuring tape around the widest part of the hips. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people may have abdominal obesity if their WHR is above 0.85 for women and 0.90 for men.

WHR allows for a clearer picture of fat distribution. Where the fat in your body is located could have a direct impact on your risk for specific health conditions. Too much fat around the waist, abdominal obesity, may be indicative of visceral fat, adipose tissue that surrounds the organs. This dangerous fat distribution can cause systemic inflammation, leading to higher cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, and triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood, increasing the probability of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, kidney disease, and type 2 diabetes. WHR is a superior determinant of these health risks than other metrics, including BMI, obstructive sleep apnea in males without obesity, and infertility in females.

How can we help maintain a proper WHR?

Setting realistic goals, portion control, balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and exercise are a great start. If your WHR is above the standards set by the WHO, consider speaking with a medical professional. Abdominal obesity could be a result of underlying health conditions such as thyroid disease, PCOS, Cushing’s Disease, stress, anxiety, or depression. Exercise can help manage the symptoms of these diseases. Try to achieve a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week.

While weight and BMI have long dominated health conversations, WHR allows for a clearer understanding of metabolic health and disease risk. WHR is not just about aesthetics but instead, preventative maintenance on our bodies. Understanding and monitoring your WHR are important steps in improving your overall health. With WHR, your shape tells an important story.

You are scrolling through social media for entertainment and inspiration, and you see the person you want to be like. They are fit, energetic, happy, and have been consistent with their workouts for years now. Maybe you’ve been exercising on and off for a while but can’t find the routine that you can stick to. Well, it’s a new year, so… “New year, new plan!”

The first step is determining your SMART goal:

S: Specific – A specific goal adds clarity to a broad statement. “I want to be fit” is a great goal, but the specific goal needs to add depth to what being fit means to you. “I want to improve my muscular strength” is more specific and leads us into the next letter…

M: Measurable – You need to be able to measure your progress. For the previous example, you can use a one rep max to test muscular strength and easily measure before, during, and after results.

A: Attainable – Make sure you are honest with yourself. Your goal needs to be challenging, but doable. Is gaining muscular strength attainable if you only go to the gym once every other week? Probably not. But it would be if you know you can commit to lifting three times per week.

R: Realistic – Similar to the attainable aspect, you need to know yourself when setting goals. Can you realistically set aside one hour a few times per week? Are you realistically going to go to the gym at 5am?

T: Time-Sensitive – If a goal doesn’t have a start and end point, it’s hard to measure progress or ever feel like the goal is complete. Pick a duration that makes sense to you and then add that to the calendar.

Sticking with the example, your goal could look something like this: I want to improve my muscular strength to feel more fit. I’m going to go to the gym at 5am three days per week for 8-weeks.

So, now that you have your smart goal, how do you stick with it?

Tip #1: Accountability Partner

Exercise with your spouse, friend, or a personal trainer. If you commit to a plan with them, you are more likely to follow through. You get the additional benefits of social wellness and can improve your mental health as well. I can vouch for this one. I have been trying for a while to find a routine to stick with. Who knew that all I needed was a workout partner for my 5:30am swims!

Tip #2: Plan & Prep Ahead

Whether you goal is to exercise in the morning, afternoon, or evening, you can make a commit to tomorrow’s workout by setting out your clothes and gear the night before. Additionally, have an idea of your meals and/or snacks to make sure you are getting the nutrition your body needs when it needs it. Gym bag packed – check. Water bottle filled – check. Alarm set – check. Determination – check.

Tip #3: Mini Goals & Celebrations

It is quite helpful to celebrate small wins along the way. Was it hard for you to wake up early for your first ever morning workout? Then set a mini goal to wake up early three times this week. If you can do that, you will buy those colorful running shoes you’ve been wanting. A celebration should make you feel accomplished but try to celebrate in a way that does not deter you from your end goal. Yes, waking up is tough, but no, your celebration shouldn’t be an extra day off of exercise.

I hope you are eager to set a SMART goal and start working hard on what really matters to you. This is your year. The time is now! Are you ready to commit?

Popularized by James Clear in Atomic Habits, habit stacking involves pairing a desired action with something you already do daily. Examples of routine actions include waking up, brushing your teeth, or putting on your shoes. By adding a desirable action directly before or after these existing habits, it becomes easier to incorporate into your life.

Sounds simple enough, right? However, a bit of planning will help, especially if we take advantage of a natural motivator: dopamine.

Dopamine is a hormone and neurotransmitter involved in several body functions. Here, we’ll focus on its role in the reward system, or pleasure feedback loop. This system is designed to reinforce positive behaviors. When we perform an action that brings a positive feeling, our brain releases dopamine, making it more likely we’ll repeat that action.

Let’s dive into the strategy and how you can use it to replace a habit you don’t like with a more desirable action.

Example 1: Attach Your Desired Action to an Everyday Task

At the end of each workday, you may check your email, turn off your computer, and pack up your bag. To kickstart a fitness habit, try adding “put on gym shoes” as the last step. In the beginning, you don’t even need to go to the gym afterward—just build the habit of putting on those shoes. Once this becomes routine, you’re ready for the next step!

Example 2: Link a Desirable Action with a Less Helpful Habit

If you tend to eat unhealthy snacks and watch too much TV in the evenings, try replacing this with a new habit. Schedule cooking dinner first, making it a necessary step before you unwind with screen time. Cooking requires a bit of effort, but it comes with a built-in reward: a tasty meal! Plus, stacking a desirable action with a habit that triggers dopamine can help phase out the less desirable habit over time.

Example 3: Build on Your Routine with Additional Desirable Actions

After a few days of swapping work shoes for gym shoes, add a walk past your fitness center on your way to the car. With the reward system in full effect, you can keep adding steps to your routine. Soon, finishing your workday with a workout will feel natural.

Habit stacking is a powerful, practical way to transform your routine and achieve lasting change. By linking desired actions to existing habits and utilizing the brain’s natural reward system, you can create a pathway to your goals that feels both manageable and motivating.

Start small, stay consistent, and allow each new habit to build on the last. With time, effort, and the right mindset, you’ll develop routines that serve you well, benefiting both your body and your mind.

Habit Stacking with the Holiday Hustle

The Holiday Hustle program is a perfect example of habit stacking in action. The three core tasks—taking 50,000 steps per week, drinking 64 ounces of water daily, and carving out 5 minutes for yourself—are simple habits that can be linked to your existing routines. For example:

• Take steps during your lunch break or while making evening phone calls.
• Drink a glass of water with every meal or coffee break.
• Practice mindfulness or relaxation for 5 minutes right before bed or after brushing your teeth.

Once these habits become part of your daily rhythm, you can build on them by adding more healthy actions, like stretching after your walks, incorporating a morning gratitude journal, or prepping balanced meals for the week. The Holiday Hustle sets a strong foundation for your well-being, helping you maintain your health through the busy season and beyond.

Why wait until New Year’s to start building better habits? Start your habit stacking today and take the first steps toward a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle!

You wake up one day, and something feels "off." You helped your friend move into their new apartment yesterday, so you expect to be a little sore. As you take your first step out of bed, a jolt of electricity shoots up your leg, and your knee buckles. You stay down on your bad knee, staring at the ground in shock. It's happening.

I call this the "Awakening." Simply put, you are realizing that your body is feeling the wear and tear of life to this point. It’s that realization that at 40 years old, you shouldn't move through life like you're 20. The point at which an individual becomes self-aware of these aches and pains varies from person to person. Some people don’t have substantial damage to their body and can probably make it well past their 20s before being bothered. My experience, like a lot of other athletes I've talked to, is one where we start to feel the damage a bit earlier than expected. It's like a car that is supposed to be driven ten thousand miles a year but is instead driven twenty thousand. The good part of the awakening process is that it is your call to action!

Awareness is often the first step in meaningful change. If we can acknowledge that we aren’t getting any younger and that our bodies are going to break down as we age, we can start to put a plan together to at least slow down the process. I am a firm believer that movement is medicine, so in the rest of this post, I will address fitness regarding aging. Here are three key principles to help you combat the wear and tear on the body as you age through health and fitness:

1. Warmups and Mobility Work Are Your Best Friends
   Just as a newer car can heat up quickly, an older car might need a few minutes to warm up. The same applies to our bodies. If I went to play soccer without warming up like I was a teenager, I would need a stretcher back to my car. Be sure to include a solid dynamic warmup before any form of exercise. Mobility drills, especially for the shoulders and ankles, can also really help with injury prevention and aging gracefully.
2. Be Honest with Yourself
   You wake up and look in the mirror every day. For the most part, we all can at least generalize what fitness level we are at. If I had a scale of 1-5, with 5 being a professional athlete-caliber workout, why would I try those at level 1? Be real with yourself and scale the intensity and exercise selection to your current fitness level.
3. Consistency Is the End Goal
   From my experience working at a retirement community, the people who were in the best physical condition at seventy-plus years old were those who got their exercise in daily. Whether it was group fitness, individual time on the stationary bike, or walking the dog, they made sure to make it work for them. Consistency trumps all because it will allow the body to build strength and resiliency to combat the inevitable weakening that comes with time.

While becoming aware of one’s own limitations may seem discouraging, a slight shift in perspective can help. Imagine having the freedom to move through life without restriction. Ultimately, I believe we desire freedom. Our body is something we have control over, so take matters into your hands and liberate your future self today.

Beginning in the early stages of life, everyone is told to drink water, water, and more water. With everyone instructing individuals to consume more water, what are some methods to increase our water intake? Staying hydrated is vital for the human body to continue to perform activities that we wish to engage in. The human body is roughly fifty percent water, which may emphasize the instruction to consume more water even more than before. We are going to discuss three tips to increase the overall consumption of water so that everyone can reach their desired goals. I encourage you to implement one of the three tips and analyze whether your daily water intake increased. To determine that optimal amount of water your body may need daily, reach out to your primary physician for guidance.

Three tips that may help in increasing water consumption:

• Flavored Water – Drinking plain water on a consistent basis may result in an individual getting “bored” of drinking water. A fantastic method to increasing water intake may be to invest in flavored water. Depending on the individual, the individual may want to change the flavor of water they consume daily or even weekly. This is a method to keep your choice of water nice and fresh to stay consistent. As an example, an induvial may desire to consume “grape” flavored water one week and then the next week, they may want to consume “lemon” flavored water.
• Utilizing a Labeled Water Bottle – Water bottles made via certain companies include reminders on the side of bottles regarding the time of the day. As an individual consumes water, the bottle will have the next time slot with the recommended amount of water to have consumed by that time in the day. As an example, one water bottles with labeling may encourage an individual to consume 16 ounces of water by 9:00 AM. This method has become popular for many individuals as the importance of water intake continues to grow across the nation.
• Reminders – Utilizing technology in the form of smart phones or smart computers, an individual has the capability to set electronic reminders throughout the day to consume water. This is an alternative method available in the event an individual does not have a labeled water bottle as previously discussed. With this method, individuals also have the capacity to set the amount of water to consume daily at their own desired pace throughout the day. This method is perfect for individuals who want to be in complete control regarding the management of their water intake.

Which of the three tips will you continue to practice, add, or share with a friend? Let’s all stay hydrated together!

A vacation is great to “get away from it all.” It is up to you if that includes your normal exercise routine. Most of the research indicates that one week off from exercising will not take away from the progress you have made. In some instances, a week off can increase your performance by allowing lingering injuries time to heal. More than one week off can lead to declines in cardiovascular and muscular ability. During your vacation take these steps to not lose the progress you have made.

Staying active is the best way to avoid losses in physical ability. This does not have to be the same intensity as your usual workout, all movement counts. Try to do something most days of the week, it can be as simple as taking a walk or playing beach games with family and friends. If you are wanting to keep your progress and do not have access to a gym, set a goal for the week. For example, on the first day of vacation see how many pushups you can do in a row. Every day after that try to increase that number. Do the same thing for the number of squats you can do.

Stay mindful of what you eat. A couple of nice meals are a great change of pace. Try to limit the number unhealthy snacks. Extra salt and sugar are known to increase water retention and add extra pounds. Keeping your diet in check will make it easier to get back into the routine when returning from vacation.

Your vacation is a great get away but that does not mean you have to abandon all things fitness. Plan and you will be able to rest recover and set yourself up for the next round of post vacation goals.

3 tips to keeping active on your summer vacation:

1. Explore new places. Renting kayaks is a great upper body and core workout. If water isn't your think, climbing to the top of a lighthouse will engage leg muscles you may not have used in a while.  
2. Keep it simple. Bodyweight exercises like pushups and squats are great to keep the muscles moving.
3. Make it Fun. Play games, incorporate family and friends, bring a ball and be a kid again.

On the Go Workout:

20-minute get moving routine

Speed walk 5 minutes

10 Squats

10 Standing knee raises per leg

10 Pushups (incline pushups on a bench)

10 Triceps dips (on bench)

Repeat 2-3 times

Are you striving to accomplish a new health goal this new year? Whether it is eating healthier, exercising more, or beginning a new health routine, you will need to create habits to help you achieve your goal. When deciding on which habits you want to form heading into the new year, you may want to first consider WHAT a habit is. A habit is a behavior that is repeated on a regular basis whether it is an action, routine, or lifestyle and often we don’t even think about it.

So, why do you want to form that habit? How will it help you accomplish your health goals? Finding the motivation to form healthy habits can sometimes be the most challenging part of accomplishing that New Year’s Resolution you’ve been promising yourself. To be successful in forming that healthy habit, you first need to understand what motivates you and how that will impact the outcome. To find your motivations, first ask yourself:

What are you motivated by internally and externally?

• External Motivations:
  • Seeing physical results – weight, circumferences, toned muscles, mileage
  • Paying for a service to help you in achieving your goals
  • Receiving a discount for striving to be healthy – going to the gym, attaining healthy lab results
• Internal Motivations:
  • Boosting your confidence and feeling good about yourself
  • Feeling better – more energy, stronger, healthier

Every individual is motivated differently. We can identify those external motivators easily, but really homing in on the internal motivators will help you stay on track and maintain motivation for longer. On the days that motivation might be hard to find, there are a few tips you can follow to really help put your best foot forward towards accomplishing your goals.

• Include Others or Find an Accountability Partner – This will provide not only accountability but a support system as well. You will be more likely to follow through if you know there are others counting on you.
  • Examples: attend group fitness classes, work with a personal trainer, partner up with a friend or family member for workouts, meals, or whatever health habit you are trying to form!
• Visualize Your Success – Imagine what your life will look like once you are following this new health habit.
  • Keeping the positive picture in mind can motivate you to turn that vision into a reality.
• Keep Track of Your Progress – Find a way to track your results so you can visually recognize your hard work.
  • Set up check points for yourself to create accountability.
  • Celebrate your successes and reflect on your setbacks.
• Be Patient and Give Yourself Grace – Remember that changes take time and not every day will be full of huge strides forward.
  • Embrace the changes and be patient with your results.
  • Recognize the little wins each day that you work towards forming a new health habit.

 Finding motivation to form new health habits can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Keep the above tips in mind, and your chances of success will improve. This is your year; share your habit you are focusing on in the comments!

Do you drink enough water throughout the day? The body and all of the systems in it require a certain level of water to preform everyday activities. Staying hydrated can help move waste out, maintain a normal body temperature, and cushion your joints. Here are six tips to make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day.   

Carry a water bottle. A reusable water bottle is a fantastic way to increase fluid intake while reducing plastic waste. You are going to be more likely to drink water if you have it with you than you would if the water fountain was right down the hall. A water bottle makes water readily available to you whenever you feel thirsty. You could even personalize your water bottle to make it an accessory, like a purse or watch.  

Add flavor. I get it, water can be bland, flavorless, and not all water tastes the same. Give your water a touch of flavor by adding produce. There are water bottles that are made for fruit infusions! Citrus fruits, berries, cucumbers, mint, or rosemary added to your water can bring delicious flavors to your drink. Water flavoring packets like crystal light or electrolyte water additives can be a low-calorie way to add flavor to your water. You will be more likely to drink it if the water is not bland. 

Make it part of your routine. Become attached to your water bottle just like a cellphone. When you wake up in the morning, grab your water bottle and take a drink. You can add sips of water into your day after something you do often throughout your day. If you answer phones all day, take a sip of water after you hang up. This will become a habit if you stick to it. Soon you will catch yourself taking a drink of water because your desk neighbor’s phone rang. Just remember to refill the bottle when it is empty.

Alternate your drinks. You do not have to give up your juice, smoothie, coffee, or favorite tea. These drinks do have water in them although not enough to keep you hydrated. Try having a glass of water the next time you go to fill up you cup. A cup of water every other drink can help keep you hydrated without you craving tea or juice later. This method can also help you cut back on the caffeine and sugar intake. 

Eat your water. Hydration does not always come from drinking water. Certain fruits and vegetables contain high levels of water that can aid in hydration. Melons, cucumber, apples, lettuce, and others can help keep you hydrated if eaten throughout the day. When drinking water gets bland or you are in the mood for a healthy snack, give fruits and vegetables with high water contents a try.

Try sparkling water. If soda has become the first thing you reach for when you are thirsty, then flat water is not going to appeal to you. Switch out your soda for a can of sparkling water to quench your thirst. Sparkling water has less sugar and less calories than soda. Regular water does not contain the carbonation your body is so used to from drinking soda. Sparkling water contains that carbonation and comes in different flavors to satisfy your thirst while keeping your taste buds happy.

Have you wanted to create a healthier lifestyle, but don’t quite know how to get there? Maybe you have tried before, but haven’t been able to stick to your goals? Or life has thrown you a curveball (hello COVID-19 lockdowns) and you got knocked off track. It can be hard to keep yourself motivated to make good decisions every single day. Instead of relying on self-discipline to make these changes, studies have found that taking those healthy goals and turning them into habits might be the most efficient way to enact the changes you want to see! Do you have any habits you want to add to your routine?

• First things first, start slowly! No matter how good your goal is, no matter how much you want to achieve it, working slowly helps ensure your new habit will stick. All behavior change comes with its highs and lows but working slowly helps keep you from losing your focus when things get hard. Embrace each level of success when developing a new healthy habit!
• Be sure your goal is clearly defined. Did you lose your exercise routine during the COVID-19 pandemic and now want to exercise more? Exercising more is a vague goal. You’re more likely to make progress towards your goal if you have a clear goal post. Think about how often and what kind of exercising you want to do.
• Break goals into smaller, more actionable steps. Creating a new habit can be intimidating. See if there is way to reduce your goal into smaller pieces. Maybe exercising more means you need to start with staying hydrated. Start carrying a water bottle around with you, so you’re reminded to drink water throughout the day. I like to make a pitcher of fruit infused water and leave it in my fridge, so I always have a refreshing drink at hand! As you adjust to these new, small habits, you can move on to the next step towards your goal.
• Try to make it easy for yourself! Decrease the barriers that slow you down, so good habits can become automatic. Do you find it hard to get up and go to a morning exercise class? Try lying out your workout clothes before you go to sleep. When you wake up, you know you’ve already committed to going to your exercise class, so it’s easier to get up and go.
• Give yourself cues to remind you of your new healthy behavior. Are you trying to add lateral exercises to your daily routine? Habit stacking is a great way to incorporate new behaviors. If you make coffee every morning, you can stand at the counter and take lateral steps back and forth while your coffee brews. That way you are working towards your larger goal of exercising more without even having to think about it.
• Get a friend on it with you. Having a partner to help encourage you to reach your goals can help them become that much easier to reach.

New habits are hard to form; that’s a part of life. Keep going and set yourself up for success. Healthy behaviors don’t have to be about will power. Take the effort out of healthy living and make healthy lifestyle decisions into habits. What new healthy choices are you working towards making a habit?

There are many reasons to work with a personal trainer from NIFS, and in this blog we cover the top five: forming habits, fun, accountability, comfortability, and safety.

F: Forming Habits

One of the many benefits of working with a NIFS personal trainer is forming healthy habits. When you decide to start personal training, you and your trainer will being with some goals by picking a set number of days and times to meet each week. Your NIFS personal trainer will encourage you to stick to this schedule every week in order to develop a habit. By sticking to this new habit of “every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1pm, I will work out with my trainer,” you will start to develop the habit and some consistency. Eventually you will feel more energized (and hopefully excited) around that time every week and look forward to the health benefits that you are gaining.

F: Fun!

Going to group fitness class and exercising can be fun as well, and it is something that many people prefer. Your NIFS trainer will ensure that your workout is educational, appropriate for your goals, safe, and enjoyable! When doing any kind of physical activity, it is important that you are doing something that you enjoy. When you are having fun with your workout, you will more than likely perform better—and most importantly, come back for another session!

A: Accountability

Having a NIFS personal trainer also provides a sense of accountability. Your trainer can help you stay on top of your appointments by sending reminder cards and personal phone calls. It is also encouraging to know that someone is counting on you to be there, which increases the sense of accountability. We do, however, know that life happens and things pop up. When this happens we are willing to work with your busy and ever-changing schedules and life scenarios. Your trainer will be empathetic and flexible to your needs and can reschedule as needed.

C: Comfortability

It is also our job as NIFS personal trainers to provide an environment where our residents are comfortable. This entails many aspects. During the exercises themselves, we want to avoid any exercise that causes you pain either during or after your workout. We will ensure a strong line of communication throughout our sessions in order to avoid painful experiences. We also strive to create an environment where you feel comfortable with us as your trainer. For every session and with a smile, we will explain what we will be doing for the day, educate you on our focus and how it helps you, and maintain a positive and encouraging attitude.

S: Safety

The most important part of having a trainer is their knowledge and ability to train safely. Falling is a risk, but with a NIFS personal trainer, that risk is always considered and mitigated to the best of our ability. Beyond that, we look for exercises to help reduce this risk, and are right by your side every step of the way. No matter what task you are taking on that day, you can trust that your trainer will be there to help keep you safe. We always look for safer ways to perform exercise and are there in case you stumble. Our number-one priority is to help you safely improve your quality of life and provide the tools for you to succeed.