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My 3 Favorite Core Exercises

/6 April 2021/ All MFN blog/

Core Exercises are always in style, right? If I had a $100 for every time I have been asked what is the best core exercise to help me get rid of my belly fat I would be writing this blog from the beach in Punta Cana!

Seriously, core exercises have their place and are important to do. Consider a few of the main reasons why they are important:

  1. They can help stabilize your spine.
  2. They can prevent low back injury or discomfort.
  3. They can help improve sporting activity.
  4. They help improve posture.

As a result of the benefits listed above for doing core exercises, here are my three current (yes, they do change) favorite core exercises:

Bridges

Preparation

Exercise preparation

  1. Begin by lying flat on floor in supine position with knees bent, feet flat, toes pointing straight ahead and arms by sides.
  2. Activate core by drawing navel towards the spine and squeezing the glutes.

Movement

With core activated and glutes squeezed, lift hips off ground to form a straight line between knees and shoulders.

Hold and slowly return back to floor, touching floor momentarily then repeat.

If your client feels their hamstring cramping, check their pelvis for correct alignment. Pelvis should be neutral – asis and psis should be even or horizontal. If there is a misalignment correct it. If you aren’t sure then gently stretch the quads and try the exercise again.

Prone Iso Abs (i.e. Planks)

Preparation

  1. Kneel on the floor on all fours.
  2. Align your hands directly beneath your shoulders.
  3. Align your knees directly beneath your hips.

Movement

  1. Lift and extend one leg to the floor behind you.
  2. Place the ball of your foot on the floor as in a push-up position.
  3. Maintain neutral spinal alignment in this semi-supported position.
  4. If you feel comfortable enough, extend both legs into a full plank position.
  5. Make sure to keep your shoulder blades down and wide on your back during all phases of the exercise.

Mecaback Wedge Crunch

Set Up (standard) 

Feet on the floor, Arms crossed at chest 

Execution 

  1. Maintain a stable pelvis. Tailbone gently pointing down. 
  2. Brace your abdominals and lift straight up. Only lift your torso 2-3 inches from the floor, 
feeling the point at which the abdominals are working hardest, pause.
  3. Slowly lower.
  4. Repeat. 

Maurice D. Williams is the owner of Move Well Fitness in Bethesda, MD, and Assistant Professor of Health & Human Performance at Freed-Hardeman University.  He is a NASM Master Instructor and Master Trainer,  and is also certified with NASM as a Corrective Exercise Specialist, Performance Enhancement Specialist, Senior Fitness Specialist & Weight Loss Specialist, and as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by NSCA.

woman-weight-lifting

Why Women Need to Lift Weights

/22 March 2021/ All MFN blog/

Traditionally speaking, when it comes to exercise, men have dominated the lifting weights world. This occurred mainly due to men being allowed to participate in sporting activities while women were not allowed to because it was not considered “lady like” and it was illegal. However, times have changed, as women are no longer looked at as being inferior to men; and it is safe, appropriate and very normal for them to exercise, particularly lift weights.

Here are a few reasons why women say they do not need to lift weights and my answer to their concern.

It Will Make Me Look Bulky

While this is a very legit concern, it is typically not true. In order for a woman (or man) to look “bulky”, they will have to do what is called a lot of “volume” in their workouts. Volume is the number of weight, repetitions, sets and exercises done in order to achieve mass or bulk.

If a woman follows the recommended numbers of days of weight lifting/week by ACSM (2-3 days/week, lifting weights for all the major muscles using 1-2 sets of 8-12 reps), they will not get bulky. 

Lifting Weights Does Not Help Me Burn Calories

Weight lifting has a high metabolic (ability to burn calories) rate. As a result, the more lean muscle a woman has, the less likely she is to gain weight and the easier it is to keep the weight off. Muscles are like the gas in our cars. The gas is used by the engine and keep the car moving.  Having muscle, by lifting weights, allows your body to keep moving and consistently fight off fat gains.

There is No Benefit For Me to Lift Weights

There are tons of benefits of women lifting weights! They include weight loss, improved mood and well-being, better posture and prevention of osteoporosis. These four are all major concerns for most women and lifting weights helps with all of them!

I Only Need to do Cardio to Be Healthy

While doing cardio activities (i.e. running, swimming, elliptical, spin class, etc.) is beneficial for the heart, it does not put the necessary stress on the bone and muscular system that our bodies crave. We were designed in a way that our muscles were meant to be moved beyond just walking and typing on a computer! While cardio is a great way to burn calories, oftentimes, it will burn away muscle because it is a catabolic activity. Lifting weights help to balance that out. 

Do I Really Need to Start Lifting Weights?

Yes, YOU do! I recommend that a woman looking to start lifting weights seek out professional help. A certified personal trainer is well qualified to provide safe and proper advice for her.

Also, I recommend home DVD workout programs such Power 90, Slim in 6 and Chalene Extreme that have all proven to help women strength train properly.

Weight training is important for everyone to do. It helps with posture, weight loss, prevention of osteoporosis and other metabolic diseases. It does not require a lot to do it, so why not incorporate two days/week for 30 minutes or less to lifting weights!

Maurice D. Williams is the owner of Move Well Fitness in Bethesda, MD, and Assistant Professor of Health & Human Performance at Freed-Hardeman University.  He is a NASM Master Instructor and Master Trainer,  and is also certified with NASM as a Corrective Exercise Specialist, Performance Enhancement Specialist, Senior Fitness Specialist & Weight Loss Specialist, and as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by NSCA.

sleep nightlight

We Need More Sleep

/2 March 2021/ All MFN blog/

We need more sleep because we were not designed to be awake each day for 24 hours. I know in today’s society, a lot of us try and are successful at staying awake for 24 hours. 

However, I am sure it came with consequences right? 

How much coffee or red bull did you have to drink to do it? How did you feel when you finally did get some sleep? I bet that the next morning when you woke up felt horrible, didn’t you? 

In today’s blog, I want to highlight three reasons why we all need more sleep. I hope these three things are simple enough for us to put into practice NOW!

#1. Growth Hormone

There is a hormone that our bodies produce called growth hormone. Without it, we make it harder for us to get bigger muscles. Growth hormone also helps with getting rid of body fat and it helps our bones retain calcium. Wow, sounds like pretty important stuff right? Well, if we are not getting enough sleep in general, and enough quality sleep, then, our growth hormone can’t work like it should. 

#2. Leptin

During good sleep, our bodies use something called leptin to control our hunger feelings. Well, this hormone can only do its job properly with a good night’s rest. Leptin helps to curb our appetites and gives us a satisfied feeling. However, if we are not getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night (ideal sleep time), then another hormone, ghrelin, will work for us. This is the hormone that gets released to let us know that we are hungry. 

We want ghrelin to work for us when we are actually hungry, not because we did not get a good night’s rest. If you’ve awoken starving, it could have been from a lack of quality sleep! 

#3. Exercise Suffers

Yep, all that hard work you’ve been putting into exercise becomes null and void without proper sleep. One of the great benefits of lifting weights is the increase in muscle size and as a result, better metabolism that leads to weight loss. Well, lack of sleep is an enemy to protein synthesis (how our bodies make muscle). If your muscles are not getting stronger and/or bigger, then, your metabolism is not working for you. 

Also, inadequate sleep leads to your body having a harder time recovering from your workouts. If you cannot recover from your workouts, then you could potentially 1.) injure yourself and 2.) have less slow-wave sleep.

Conclusion

We need more sleep. There is no way around this, folks! Sleep really does our bodies well.  I recommend we at least do the following to get more sleep: 

  1. Go to bed one hour earlier than you normally do.
  2. Shut down all electronics one hour prior to going to bed.
  3. Meditation
  4. Drink something soothing like chamomile tea

Maurice D. Williams is the owner of Move Well Fitness in Bethesda, MD, and Assistant Professor of Health & Human Performance at Freed-Hardeman University.  He is a NASM Master Instructor and Master Trainer,  and is also certified with NASM as a Corrective Exercise Specialist, Performance Enhancement Specialist, Senior Fitness Specialist & Weight Loss Specialist, and as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by NSCA.

back-pain

Three Steps to Ease Back into Exercise After a Back Injury

/5 November 2020/ All MFN blog/

According to studies, low back pain affects nearly 80% of all adults.  Most low back injuries come from the following: wearing high heels (women), performing manual labor and people who sit for long periods of time (greater than 3 hrs.). Although these statistics are alarming, there are some simple steps one can take to make sure that they avoid current and future back pain or injury. These steps all involve simple exercises that can be performed from anywhere, including one’s office.

Step 1: Stretching

In order to prevent further injury or a relapse, the first thing to do is stretch common muscles that are tight and may have caused the lower back pain in the first place. Tight muscles are known to overwork and when this occurs, they become overactive and let us know through pain. These muscles include erector spinae, hip flexors, calves and the lats (the big back muscles).

For each stretch, you want to hold the stretch for 30-120 seconds and perform the movement for 1-2 repetitions 3-5x/week. (Watch Five Back Pain Stretches from WebMD.)

Step 2: Strengthening

After you have stretched the tight muscles, now it is time to focus on strengthening the muscles that are weak or underactive. Typically, muscles become weak or underactive from lack of use or overuse by the muscles that assist or oppose the weak muscles. For example, if your hip flexor is tight, it could cause your glutes (butt) muscles to become weak. The muscles that tend to weaken with a lower back injury include certain core muscles, the butt and hamstrings.

For each strengthening exercise, you want to perform 1-2 sets of 10-15 repetitions 3-5x/week. (Watch Core Strength for Back Pain View and Good and Bad Exercises for Low Back Pain from WebMD).

Step 3: Integration

Now that you have isolated the lower back with stretching and strengthening exercises, it’s time to focus on integrating your entire body back into exercising. Integrated exercises involve using as many muscles as possible in one given exercise. By performing integrated exercises, you will ensure that the your hip joint (which can be misaligned with low back injuries) starts and remains in the right position and the proper muscles are working as they should be.

For each integrated exercise, you want to perform 1-2 sets of 10-15 repetitions 3x/week. (View integrated exercises: http://www.allthingshealing.com/Chiropractic/Corrective-Exercise-for-Back-Pain/8558#.VIoTN74zf8E)

If you follow these three simple steps, you can avoid low back pain setbacks and ensure that your back is strong enough to handle your daily activities of life.

Maurice D. Williams is a personal trainer and owner of Move Well Fitness, as well as a fitness educator for Move Well Fit Academy With almost two decades in the industry, he’s worked with a wide range of clients, including those with health challenges like diabetes, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease, lower back pain, pulmonary issues, and pregnancy. Maurice is also an Assistant Professor of Health & Human Performance at Freed-Hardeman University.

Young beautiful brunette sportswoman wearing sportswoman training over white background confuse and wonder about question. Uncertain with doubt, thinking with hand on head. Pensive concept.

Eight Exercises to do to Have the Body You Want

/14 August 2020/ All MFN blog/

I’m going to be honest – there’s a lot of hype in the exercise market today. It almost feels like whoever can do the most creative exercises wins some kind of award. But the truth is…that’s not a good use of your time because it’s not going to get you the results you probably desire – a lean, defined, healthy body that enables you to perform daily life functions and that will allow you to age gracefully.

deceive-1299043_1280

Challenge Your Truth

/4 March 2020/ All MFN blog/

Challenge your truth.

Do you wonder where your beliefs come from and why you believe certain things about life and the world to be true?

If not, that’s ok, but I want you to keep an open mind for me as you read this…

You see, many of the belief systems we have aren’t our own. They are imposed on us by parents, society, cultures, etc.

For example, what defines a successful life for most people is the traditional story: You go to school, get a great job, have a beautiful family, work hard until you can retire, then kick back and enjoy life.

Today more than ever that belief is being challenged. People are beginning to crave a different narrative. But that’s been the predominant one for over a century.

Another example more closely related to what I do is the common belief that people just don’t have time for exercise or preparing healthy meals.

Yes, we really do have time for exercise and preparing healthy meals.

But what’s true is that other people with just as busy of a schedule do find the time.

So, if the belief system around time was true, no two people with the same type of schedule should be able to find the time to take care of themselves…

Of course, the time belief system we are using here as an example is faulty and false.

I hope this is making sense.

Today I want to challenge you to challenge your truth.

Write down 5 beliefs that you have that hold you back from achieving the life you desire. Even if right now you believe the excuse or thought is 100% legit.

Then, ask yourself – “What else is possible? Is this really true?”

When your beliefs are deeply rooted by habit and by the people who surround you, it can be very hard to break free from them. But with effort, it’s possible.

Don’t hold on to false thoughts that keep you from creating the life and the body you desire.

Challenging your beliefs and the meaning you give them is the first steps to taking new action to create change.

So, what 5 beliefs did you come up with and how can you begin to shift them to create new, empowering belief systems?

Originally printed on Move Well Fitness blog. Reprinted with permission.

Maurice D. Williams is a personal trainer and owner of Move Well Fitness in Bethesda, MD. With almost two decades in the industry, he’s worked with a wide range of clients, including those with health challenges like diabetes, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease, lower back pain, pulmonary issues, and pregnancy. Maurice is also a fitness educator with Move Well Fit Academy and NASM. He also serves as the Director of Membership Services for the MedFit Network. 

lightbulb thought

Don’t Practice Positive Thinking… Practice POWER THINKING

/3 June 2019/ All MFN blog/

In his book, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker talks about positive thinking vs. power thinking.

Positive thinking is our default when we want to improve an area of our lives. We journal, recite affirmations, and work to build our positive thoughts. What Eker points out is that positive thinking implies that we accept our own thoughts as truth.

Instead, he suggests focusing on power thinking, which is an extension of positive thinking in that you are working to build your belief, but instead, you acknowledge that things only have meaning because we give them meaning.

You can attach a particular meaning to anything but that doesn’t mean it’s real.

For example, just because you’ve fallen off the wagon in your fitness and nutrition dozens of times doesn’t mean that you’re incapable of success.

Secondly, just because you’ve missed a few workouts last week doesn’t mean that your entire plan to lose weight has been destroyed.

But that’s the meaning most people give it right? In other words, we tend to be ultra hard on ourselves which ends up being sabotaging.

I bring this concept up in the hopes that the next time a situation arises where you feel “less than” or defeated that you stop and ask yourself “what meaning am I giving to this situation?”

By understanding this, you then have the power to change the meaning you assign for the better and propel yourself to new levels of commitment and success.

In conclusion, don’t practice positive thinking. Practice POWER THINKING!

Originally printed on Move Well Fitness blog. Reprinted with permission.

Maurice D. Williams is a personal trainer and owner of Move Well Fitness in Bethesda, MD. With almost two decades in the industry, he’s worked with a wide range of clients, including those with health challenges like diabetes, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease, lower back pain, pulmonary issues, and pregnancy. Maurice is also a fitness educator with Move Well Fit Academy and NASM.