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Three Ways to Turn Piedmont Park Into Your Gym

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Piedmont Park is known for outdoor fun and recreation, but have you considered using the Park as a core part of your fitness routine? Fitness partner Saidah Jones of Love You Healthy Fitness shares her top recommendations for infusing Piedmont Park into your health goals.

1) Plan Regular Walks around Piedmont Park

Walking is one of the most important things that one can do for their bone density, heart health and sanity. Walking is a full-body exercise as it requires every body part to be able to step and pull your body forward, which is why walking outdoors is better than walking on treadmills. Incorporating daily and/or weekend walks is the number one way to prioritize your health. Not to mention, walking outdoors is one of the safest forms of exercise during the pandemic.

2) Take Advantage of the Piedmont Park Active Oval

The Active Oval is perfect for walkers and runners of all fitness levels. Tracking time and steps is easy because the track measures slightly over a half mile and it level. In addition there are two sets of stairs that offer an additional fitness boost for those of high fitness levels who want to increase their caloric output. Here is the Piedmont Park Conservancy Active Oval Workout Plan that I often complete with family, and friends of ALL fitness levels.

  1. Walk one lap around the track
  2. Complete 10 pushups on the elevated stone wall by the stairs
  3. Walk five flights of stairs
  4. Complete ten push-ups on the elevated stone wall
  5. Walk one lap around the track to complete the workout

3) Participate in a Group Fitness Class

In addition to using the Park’s pathways and Active Oval for daily movement, try a group fitness class to work on your strength and toning! Piedmont Park Conservancy partners with Love You Healthy Fitness to offer group experiences at Piedmont Park (temporarily offered via Zoom during the pandemic). Adding classes will ensure you are getting a well-rounded fitness routine.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it should be that health matters. Being healthy doesn’t have to be complicated. Know that you are capable, understand that you are equipped and realize that your body is ready to be the vision of health that it is meant to be. Take care and love yourself to health in 2021. Oh and don’t forget, hydrate and veg up!

Author: Saidah Jones

Please consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen or workout plan. 

Learn More about Fitness in Piedmont Park

How to Stay Active During the Quarantine with Northside Hospital

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Many of us have grown used to the self-quarantine lifestyle. Most of our days are spent at home, either helping young family members with their schooling, working from home, or immediately returning home from your job. It can be hard to focus on your physical activity and move every day, especially after what could potentially be months of a sedentary lifestyle.

To increase access to health professionals and expert advice, the Piedmont Park Conservancy is collaborating with Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute-Sports Medicine to host Move! Mondays in 2020, a virtual series on how to increase your physical activity during quarantine. 

In this special interview with Orthopedic Surgeon John Andrachuk, MD, we learn about how sports medicine is for everyone, advice on getting back into an active lifestyle and more.

 

About Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute-Sports Medicine:

The team at Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute-Sports Medicine offers comprehensive care and personalized services based entirely around the needs of athletes. As a center for orthopedics and sports medicine, their team takes care of your every need – from injury prevention to performance services and athletic training to orthopedic surgery. They provide services for athletes of all ages, including orthopedic and sports medicine care for children, across a wide range of specialties. Learn more.

Check out some of their videos: Nutrition Tips for Runners and Injury Prevention Running Tips.

Strength is Sexy…Time to Flex

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In the past women had been taught to think that lifting weights will make you bulky or masculine.  It wasn’t until recently that we began to dabble in light toning and strength training.  The beauty of strength training is that you are always in control of how and what you want to look like.  It is important to have a systematic way of strength training that is both sustainable and safe.  Systematic, safe weight training means lifting an appropriate amount of weight while applying the proper repetitions through the full range of motion.  This is how my clients and class will move into weight lifting in the coming month.  I encourage everyone to take a reputable fitness class or work with a certified fitness trainer to ensure a proper training protocol when doing strength training.  In the meantime, here are some tips for the proper way to begin a strength training program with weights:

  1. Begin with light weights, high repetitions and full range of motion. Moving through the exercise with weights in the full range of motion is how to prep the ligaments, joints and tendons.
  2. All workouts should be full-body.  Encompassing low-body, upper-body and abdominal work.
  3. Back and Biceps, Chest and Triceps. Don’t forget legs and core. Although I advocate full-body workouts be specific as to how you group your exercises.
  4. The heart is a muscle too. Begin or end your workout with some form of exercise that is solely to increase your heart-rate, i.e a pre-workout run, 20 minutes on the bike after etc.
  5. Slightly increase either in volume of intensity every 3 to 4 weeks.  This is sure you are accomplishing steady gains.

Begin your strength journey with the Piedmont Park Conservancy and Love You Healthy’s LIFT classes! Learn More

Guest Post by Saidah Jones, Love You Healthy