Work Outs

24 03

Cardio: Form or Speed?

2021-03-24T15:14:41-04:00March 24th, 2021|

Both form and speed are important depending on what you want to gain from your exercise regimen. These factors have an impact on the effectiveness of your cardiovascular health.

If you do not have the proper form, you will be prone to injury. Injuries can sideline exercise, and thus your progress. Nobody wants that. Working out at a snail’s pace may not be the best idea for everyone, but for those who are overweight or are recovering from injury, this is the best approach.

What Should I Do?

Listen to your body. Tailor your exercise to you.

The speed at which you run should match your fitness level and your goals. Period. Don’t overdo it. Thinking about your overall health, you should consider what makes the most sense for your goals.

Bursts of high-intensity running, for example, have been proven, in study after study, to be more beneficial than a longer, prolonged aerobic activity at a slower pace. A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that brisk walking is better for overall health than those who walk at a slower pace. But, there is an alternative: Those who are overweight or suffering from injuries, should walk slower to prevent injury, and then work up to a faster pace over time.

The short answer: Know your body.

The Science Behind Your Cardio Routine

If you’re able to talk on your air pods or to your partner while running, you’re likely not working hard enough. Over time, this pace just won’t cut it if you want to get the full benefits of healthy exercise.

Low-intensity cardio doesn’t burn fat or carbohydrates properly. If you’re only running a couple of times a week, running for speed will get you more bang for your buck in terms of fitness benefits—as long as you give your body time to recover in between runs. You must also be aware of your form, as it is essential to staying in the game.

Switch up your pace, but don’t limit your intensity level because you prefer the slower, longer jog. To get the full benefit of exercise, you will need to push yourself. Going at an easy pace uses fewer muscle fibers while pushing yourself places a good kind of stress on your muscles—the kind that encourages your body to adapt accordingly and improve over time.

The bottom line is you’ll burn more calories per mile when you move faster—even if it means you’re doing your cardio for a shorter amount of time.

An Exercise Plan

Depending on whether you are looking to tone up, lose weight, or simply maintain the body you have, the two types of cardio for you to consider are interval training and longer, slower cardio.

Interval training requires intervals between one and five minutes as a rule of thumb (try two minutes fast, three minutes slower, repeating the cycle for a full 30 minutes).  Long, slow distance runs are self-explanatory running longer distances at an easier pace. Your heart rate should stay under 150, and you can most likely hold a conversation.

Even if you’re not looking to gain muscle mass, you should also make sure that you are completing strength training consistently enough in tandem with cardio training to prevent injury. This could just mean adding some strength training to your workout schedule two to three times a week for about 20 minutes at a time. This should be enough to keep muscles limber to prevent injuries.

 

18 03

Exercising with Limited Time

2021-03-18T14:04:21-04:00March 18th, 2021|

Good afternoon everyone!

It’s Dan Roan with the YMCA back for our third installment of Blogs w/ Dan. Today I am looking forward to discussing a very important topic and probably the number one excuse I hear on a daily basis. Do you ever find yourself wanting to work out, but the day just gets away from you? You constantly tell yourself that it’s not your fault that you don’t have time and this is something that becomes a pattern and keeps dragging on and on and on. Listen, we are all busy and I don’t doubt that you truly don’t have the time when looking at your schedule. I’m here to share some tips with you on how we can better improve our time management to fit in that ever so important element of exercise.

  1. Prioritize walking or biking

See your proximity to your workplace. If it’s within a mile walk or so, leave your car at home and make that walk. Grab a bike if it’s over a mile or so and wear a backpack. Incorporating these types of priorities are going to make your commute so much sweeter.

Park in a spot that is the furthest away from your building. On average, people go to their car 3 times per day, so that is getting a significant walk.

  1. Exercise at lunchtime

Lots of people take advantage of this skill. In a normal office, employees are given at least 30 minutes and sometimes up to an hour. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of exercise. Go on a walk to the nearest trail. Drive downtown and walk up and down the streets. You can even walk and eat your lunch at the same time.

  1. Incorporating exercise in a daily routine

 Use the stairs more often, ask your boss for a standing desk when at work. Even replacing your chair with an exercise ball is a good alternative option.

These are just a few to name. But they are all very good when we think about the option to get some exercise in our daily activities. Join me next week to go over some more tips and tricks to living a better life.

12 03

Healthy & Wellness tips

2021-03-12T12:41:53-05:00March 12th, 2021|

Good morning!

My name is Daniel Roan, and I am back for my second blog of the week. I am here today to share some knowledge with you in the world of fitness. Thanks for coming along with me on my journey! Since taking this position, I have been asked a lot of fitness-related questions. I’ve started this blog to help answer those questions and to help everyone find more information on fitness.

Today’s post is about helpful tips pertaining to exercise and dietary needs. Please check it out!

  • Eating past 8 pm, especially things of high caloric intake (desserts, high fatty snacks, foods saturated in oils, etc.) can lead to weight gain. The reasoning behind this is because it is often called “mindless” eating. Mindless eating can refer to just snacking when you really are not hungry, or when you are bored. Our body wants to shut down around the 8 pm threshold and if we put these types of food into our bodies, we can gain weight rapidly.
  • Exercises that increase the heart rate, but do not have the intensity or strain on the joints like jogging or running could, such as an incline walk on a treadmill can be just as good for someone who has joint pain or arthritis. It is a lower intensity, but the incline suggests that we are enduring the muscles for longer periods of time rather than a flat treadmill walk.
  • Sometimes working out with a friend or family member can be all of the motivation you need! Working out alone can get boring and lonely. Often you find that you don’t have the motivation to complete the workout or go as far or as long as you may originally want to. Bring a friend to the workout with you and get the most out of it!

Remember to check back at these blogs weekly to find out some more fitness tips and other topics that we will continue to discuss. If you want to discuss a specific topic or want to dive into a topic deeper, please reach out to me via email at danielroan@icymca.org. Thank you!

4 03

The Importance of Fitness

2021-03-02T14:29:16-05:00March 4th, 2021|

Welcome to my first blog!

My name is Daniel Roan, and I am the Director of Health & Wellness at the YMCA of Indiana County. I started this blog to help bring some knowledge and know-how to the Indiana Community and to help anyone begin their fitness journey.

I have been the Director of H&W for over a year now and I love every second of it. Especially getting to meet new people every day and see the impact that our facility can have on someone. It is a very rewarding position.  Today, I want to touch on the importance of fitness and why it should be a priority in your household. Fitness is great for many reasons, but I have highlighted some of the specific ones below.

·         Working out helps you to fall asleep faster

·         Working out helps you to wake up easier

·         Working out gives you more energy

·         Daily fitness activities can help you control your weight

·         Working out can help your mental health and mood

·         Exercise improves your chances of living longer

·         Exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease

And these are just to name a few! Exercise is so important in our daily lives and that is the reason why places like the YMCA exist.

Our job is to help you to better your life! We can do this by showing you all the things we offer here. We have a swimming pool, a fitness center with new cardio and cable equipment. We offer group exercise classes every day. We also offer adult sports so there is a little bit for everyone in the family. An important thing to note is that not all these things that are highlighted above happen automatically. Exercise is a commitment that takes some time for the results to show, but when they do, you will know and feel them!

So, what are you waiting for!? Come into the YMCA today and see for yourself how we can better your life.

I will be sharing a different blog each week in the coming months with exercises, recipes, and fitness notes. If you have any questions or concerns, please give me a call or an email at 724-463-9622 or danielroan@icymca.org. I am excited to meet you and help you with your fitness goals as you come and check out our facility!

22 04

Workouts for the Week!

2020-12-16T15:53:30-05:00April 22nd, 2020|

Let’s work out together! Join us this week as we spell out different YMCA words in this fun and great workout activity. Don’t forget to share with us how your workouts went on Facebook.

Monday- CARING

Tuesday- RESPONSIBILITY

Wednesday- NATIONWIDE

Thursday- REFLECTION

Friday- HONESTY

Saturday- COMMUNITY

 

18 04

Workout of the day!

2020-12-16T15:53:37-05:00April 18th, 2020|

Let’s work out together! Join us as we spell the word FAMILY in this fun and great workout activity. Don’t forget to share with us how your workouts went on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/indianaymca/

9 04

Work out of the day-Tammy

2020-12-16T16:05:36-05:00April 9th, 2020|

Our third workout of the day on YouTube is now available. Join our group exercise instructor, Tammy as she leads you through four different block workouts. No equipment needed.

Tammy’s class is about 50 minutes long. Join her workout here

8 04

Workout of the Day-Terry

2020-12-16T15:53:44-05:00April 8th, 2020|

Our second workout of the day on YouTube is now available. Join our group exercise instructor, Terry as he leads you through a yoga workout. The only equipment you need is a chair/sofa & a pillow to use for props.

Terry’s class is about an hour long.  Join his workout here

 

 

 

31 03

Workout of the Day-Rashmi

2020-12-16T16:05:57-05:00March 31st, 2020|

Our first workout of the day on YouTube is now available. Join our group exercise instructor, Rashmi as she leads you through a chair workout. The only equipment you need is a chair & some weights. If you do not have weights at home, grab a can of soup, veggies or something out of our pantry to mimic the weights. You can also just use your own body weight during the workout.

Rashmi’s class is about 20 minutes long.  Join her workout here

27 03

WORKOUT OF THE DAY- HIIT WITH SARAH

2020-12-16T15:53:52-05:00March 27th, 2020|

Build Your Own HIIT Routine By Sarah King
Choose 3 exercises from Upper Body and Lower body, 2 Exercises from Core and Seven Exercises from Cardio. Mix and Match Exercises so that cardio exercises follow strength exercises. Do each exercise 1 minute before moving on to the next move—-rest then repeat routine up to 3 time for complete body HIIT!

Upper Body( Choose 3)
Push ups
Bicep Curls
Tricep Dips
Upright Standing Row Kettlebell Renegades Kettlebell sumo high pulls Lateral Raises
Shoulder Press
Overhead Tricep Extension Reverse Fly

Lower Body ( Choose 3)
Plie Squat to calf raise Reverse Lunges Walking Lunges Kettlebell Swings Deadlift
Pulsing Squat
Side Lying Leg Raises Donkey Kicks
Curtsy lunges to side leg lift

Core (choose 2)
Plank Side Plank
Reverse Crunch Russian Twist V-ups
Bicycle Crunches Supermans Spidermans
Frog Crunches

Cardio (Choose 7)
Burpee
Mountain Climbers Jumping Jacks High knees
Speed Skaters Tuck Jumps
Sprint
Heinsman Diamond Jumps High knee Jumps Straight Arm Jack

Contact Us

60 N. Ben Franklin Road
Indiana, PA 15701
724.463.9622 YMCA Phone
724.463.7622 Mack Park Pool Phone
724.465.2656 Fax

Hours of Operation

Monday – Thursday:
5:20 am –9:30 pm
*pool closes at 9:15 pm

Friday:
5:20 am – 8:00 pm
*pool closes at 7:45 pm

Saturday:
7:15 am – 6:00 pm
*pool closes at 5:30 pm

Sunday:
11:30 am – 4:00 pm
*pool opens at 12:00 pm and closes at 3:30 pm

*Please see the facility hours page for holiday hours*