Keeping up with your fitness routine is difficult enough without the added stress that the school year brings. For parents, back to school means extracurricular activities, carpools, homework and expectations. With all those responsibilities, it can be easy to neglect your own health and fitness. Here are five tips to keep that from happening, and to keep up with your fitness routine during the back-to-school madness.

Make a Schedule and Stick to It - As Best as Possible

Let’s face it, you’re not a free-spirited college student anymore. You have a job, kids, and other obligations. If you want to get or stay in shape, you’ve got to make exercise a priority. The best way to do this? By working it into your schedule. Jotting down a specific time each day to work out helps keep you motivated, even if you don’t manage to fit your sweat sesh in at the exact scheduled time.

Just remember, don’t stress out if something comes up and you miss a session once in a while. Life happens. Simply pick your routine back up the next day.

Implement Activity In Your Daily Life

Opting for the stairs instead of the elevator is just one of the ways you can get some exercise in your normal, everyday life. Taking small steps toward fitness in this way may not seem like much, but it actually makes an impact on your overall health. It also keeps you from feeling too guilty on those days you simply can’t fit in an hour-long workout session.

Get Your Kids Involved

In the midst of all the sports, algebra, sleepovers, and pep rallies, it’s important to spend quality time with your kids. These are the years that influence the rest of their lives, so be a part of them. Make exercising together fun – go for a hike, go rollerblading, throw the football around, or anything else your kids might be interested in.

Find Something You Enjoy

If you don’t enjoy working out, you won’t be motivated to fit it into your busy schedule during the school year. If you enjoy running, for example, wake up half an hour earlier in the morning to get in a quick run around your neighborhood. If group fitness is more your thing, check out some classes at a local gym. There are even classes that let you dance to burn calories, if that’s your thing.

Don’t let back-to-school madness keep you from making fitness a priority. When you’re ready to take charge of your health, check out the Downtown Athletic Club. We offer several group classes at varying times to fit into your busy schedule. Reach out to us today!

Do you feel like you spend a lot of time at the gym but you aren't getting much accomplished? Did you know that there are certain pieces of equipment and exercises that aren't going to get you anywhere? If you want to see results, streamline and focus your workouts and avoid time wasters that won't get you the results you want. Here are a few exercise to skip and a few to opt for instead; make every minute you spend at the gym count so you get the body you want.

Leg Presses

You may think leg presses are a must. However, leg presses are a time waster. This is due to the fact that leg presses are a single-plane exercise, which means your body isn't getting the full range of movement it needs to truly make a difference. If you want to work on your legs, leave leg presses behind and opt for squats. Squats get more of your joints involved for a fuller workout and better results.

Kettlebell Swings

Using the kettlebell to do swings is a very common exercise. However, it's not a very good one. Kettlebell swings aren't doing enough to define your muscles. Get rid of the kettlebell and focus on your entire body by combining lunges with dumbbell front raises for a more effective workout.

Crunches

Think crunches are the best way to get a flat stomach? Think again. Crunches just aren't as effective as many people think. Instead of crunching, try doing planks. Planks use more of your core muscles, creating a more intense experience and sculpting and defining your abdomen more efficiently.

Abduction Machine

Touted as a thigh toner, abduction machines aren't really doing much at all to help you. Since the machines are isolating specific parts of your body, they aren't providing the overall workout you need. Instead of using an abduction machine, try old-fashioned squats or lunges to get the leg and thigh definition you seek.

Weighted Side Bend

Want to work on your obliques? Skip the weighted side bend, which puts undue stress on your lower spine and creates a thicker middle. Instead, hold a dumbbell and do woodchoppers, which creates a slimmer silhouette.

Leg Hover

It feels like it works, but the leg hover isn't anything fab for your abs. Instead of doing this painful exercise that is hurting your back, opt for a 90-degree toe touch, which gives you the results you need without the strain.

Looking for a personal trainer to keep you on task? Head to the Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo to talk to one of our personal trainers about designing a personal workout just for you.

Many of us are obsessed with stepping on the scale to chronicle our weight loss and health. However, the numbers that come up aren't always the best representation or indicator of our overall well-being. Since muscle weighs more than fat, intense workouts could bring higher numbers that may seem disappointing, when in reality they mean you're toning and tightening.

Step away from the scale and take inventory of your body in other ways that may be more rewarding and productive.

• How do you feel? Frequently when you incorporate exercise into your life, you begin to feel refreshed, rejuvenated and energetic. These are much better indicators of health than the number on the scale.

• Put on your clothes. Many people choose to focus on how they feel in their clothes rather than the scale. If your favorite pair of jeans is starting to get loose, you're losing weight. If they tighten up, you could have put on a pound or two. Measure your weight by how your clothes fit and feel for a more precise look at your health and fitness – and a less stressful one than weighing yourself.

• Daily activities may feel different as you begin to lose weight and get in better shape. Did you used to run out of breath running up the stairs and now you don't? Maybe you needed help lifting heavy items and now you have the strength to lift them yourself, or parking far away from the supermarket doesn't seem as daunting as it used to be. Consider the small changes that fitness has made in your life as a barometer of success.
  
  
• Snap a selfie. Document your progress in pictures and you'll be able to see what the scale doesn't tell you about how your weight loss and exercise regimen is improving your body (and your self-esteem).
  

• Sleep it off. Frequently, we tend to sleep badly when we are out of shape. We may snore, toss and turn, or our bad habits (caffeine, alcohol, late night snacking) keep us awake at night. Good nights of sleep are a good way to measure health. 
  

Need some help putting the perfect workout together so you can become a success story, too? Head over to the Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo, which offers everything from personal training to group fitness classes.

Finding time to fit in a full-on sweat session is difficult in today’s hectic world. It’s all too easy to skip your daily workout when work, family, and house chores are screaming your name. But getting a little exercise doesn’t have to be a struggle. There are several small life changes you can make that will help you feel the burn in your daily life. Check out these simple tips to get fit gradually.

Don’t Sit Still

It can be hard to tear yourself away from work. Fortunately, even small movements make a difference in your health. Stop occasionally to grab a cup of coffee from the break room, reorganize your office shelves, or walk into your coworkers office to say “hi.”

Skip The Elevator

One of the most effective changes you can make is to skip the elevator in favor of the stairs. Climbing steps each day gives you enough cardio to help shed some of those extra pounds.

Get On Your Feet

Studies show that being sedentary not only keeps your from getting fit, but it actively causes your body harm. Sitting for long periods of time has negative effects on your overall health, so be sure to take “standing breaks” every half-hour or so.

Walk To Work

Walking has numerous health benefits, and studies have shown that walking 10,000 steps a day can help you lose weight. Walking to work is a simple way to increase your daily number of steps. But if you can’t do that, consider parking farther away than usual from your office.

Phone A Friend

Whether it’s walking to meet a friend for lunch, or convincing a coworker to take a walk around the parking lot with you while discussing work, having someone join your fitness efforts is a good way to stay motivated.

Clean To Burn

Those everyday chores you dread? They can actually help you stay fit. Vacuuming alone burns about 75 calories in a 30-minute period, and washing your car almost doubles that number.

Have A Date Night

We all know date nights are important for the health of a relationship, but they can also be beneficial to your physical health. Challenge your spouse to a game of tennis or take a romantic stroll through the park.

Go Dancing

Need a night out with the girls? Hit the dance floor to get fit – just 30 minutes burns between 180 and 266 calories.

Working out doesn’t have to be a time-consuming downer. Try these tips to incorporate movement into your everyday life, and you’ll soon reap the rewards. For more information on how you can get fit and stay healthy, reach out to Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo today.

Ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut with the same old workout routine? Sure, it’s great that you’re making it to the gym three times a week, but what benefits do you see by sticking to the same exercise each session? You may be maintaining your weight or shape, but you’re not improving anything. When it comes to fitness, change is king.

How To Know If It’s Time For A Change

Because the human body adapts quickly to exercise stimuli, switching it up is crucial. While doing the same routine day after day will keep you healthy (after all, any exercise is better than no exercise), you won’t experience continuous progress without change. How do you know when your regimen needs refreshing? Watch for the following three signals to determine what your body’s trying to tell you:   

1. Your body remains the same. This is the most obvious sign that you’re not progressing in your fitness goals. Many people complain of hitting a weight-loss plateau, but what they don’t realize is that they’ve lost all the weight they can with the same exercises. In order for your body to continue its fat loss, introduce new workouts that challenge different muscle groups.
   
   
2. You get bored. While being bored with your routine isn’t directly tied to physical progress, it can certainly hinder you from reaching goals. If your routine doesn’t excite you and leave you happily anticipating your next session, then you’re more likely to give up altogether – especially if you’ve hit a plateau (see No. 1). Keep things interesting by taking a new dance class at the gym, working out with a partner, or sprinting instead of jogging.
   
   
3. You’re sore and tired. A bit of soreness is to be expected after an intense workout, and you’ll certainly be tired. That said, if you’re experiencing extreme soreness and fatigue, it could mean you’re pushing your body too hard. Overtraining can lead to burnout or injury, keeping you out of the game and resulting in a halt on your progress. To prevent this, change up your regimen to include lighter workouts or more days of recovery between workout sessions.
   
   

Tips For Making The Transition

Change isn’t easy, which is why so many people hesitate to try new exercises. But the benefits far outweigh the risks. For the best results, ease into change; don’t do too much of a new exercise at once, especially one you’ve never done before.

It’s also beneficial to ask for help from a professional. At the Downtown Athletic Club, we offer personal training as well as group classes, both of which are great avenues for finding the help and support you need to stay on track with your fitness goals.

For decades, fitness experts preached stretching before exercising to prevent post-workout muscle pain. Recent research, however, suggests that stretching has no impact on muscle soreness related to exercise. Even so, experts agree on the importance of regular stretching.

Stretching Benefits

While studies about the benefits of stretching vary in their results, proper stretching plays a crucial role in physical fitness. Although stretching is now known not to prevent muscle soreness, it does improve range of motion. Why is that important? Aside from making your everyday life more simple, good range of motion has a positive impact on athletic performance and helps decrease the risk of injury.

Think of it this way: increased range of motion equals increased flexibility. This means your muscles are able to flow through the entire range of a move without incurring damage or causing you to stop. The result? Better performance and less injury.  

Stretching Dos And Don’ts

Proper technique is just as important for stretching as it is for the rest of your workout. Failing to use caution while stretching may cause more harm than good. Here are three tips to keep you safe and help you maximize your stretch.

• Warm up first - The old way of stretching before you do anything else is one exercise myth that has been debunked. Injury can occur if you try to stretch cold muscles, and you won’t get the most improvement in flexibility from that kind of stretch. So before you reach for your toes, take a light walk, jog, or bike ride for five to 10 minutes.
  
  
• Don’t bounce - When you stretch, reach for your goal and then hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds. Try not to bounce back and forth, as this may injure the muscle being worked. Aim for a smooth movement and continue to breathe as normally as possible while in the stretch.
  
  
• Keep pain at bay - It’s natural to feel tension when you stretch; it’s simply a side effect of the movement. However, back off when that tension turns into pain. Remember that, just like weight-lifting or cardio, stretching gets easier over time. So be patient. Do as much as you can without pain now, and gradually you’ll be able to deepen the stretch.
  
  

Stretching Support

If you’re not sure you’re headed in the right direction when it comes to stretching, consider seeking the support of others. At Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo, we offer yoga classes several times a week to engage you while you stretch. Reach out today to learn more.

Those who strive to stay active have an assortment of high tech devices at their disposal. There are all sorts of fitness trackers, pedometers and apps that monitor your behavior and provide feedback regarding your health. New to the market, one of the best health-related devices is Athos smart apparel. Unlike many other fitness gauges, smart apparel focuses on providing feedback regarding how you perform while exercising and whether you are performing your physical activity in the proper manner.

Smart Apparel Helps You Exercise The Right Way

For many, heading outside or going to the gym to get in a workout is not enough in and of itself. The manner in which you exercise is much more important than the actual activity itself. Smart apparel plays a key supporting role in helping active people achieve fitness success as most people are unaware of the complexities required of perfect exercise techniques. Smart apparel provides all sorts of information about your workout, including whether you are exercising the proper parts of the body, the fundamentals of your exercise form and much more. Perhaps you constantly favor one side over the other and don’t even know it. Smart apparel will raise your awareness of this type of flaw as well as a myriad of others so that you can make the most of your workout.

How Smart Apparel Works

Athos smart apparel contains built-in sensors that are engineered to monitor your physical activity and the effort of each of your body's individual muscles. The recorded information is collected, analyzed and sent to an app on your smartphone. This data is quite helpful in terms of studying your workout efficiency and your overall fitness performance. You can access the information while you are in the midst of your workout or study it after you have finished your exercise routine. Smart apparel is currently available in shorts or shirts that measure the efficacy of lower body and upper body activity, respectively. There is also an Athos core device available as well.

Sign up for a membership at the Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo and you will find health conscious people who embrace fitness technologies like smart apparel. We offer personal training, group fitness classes, massage therapy, racquetball, an indoor running track, basketball training, free weights and so much more. We invite everyone in the greater Amarillo area to join the Downtown Athletic Club. Contact us today to learn more.

If you’ve grown tired of going through the motions when you work out, it is time to change things up. You will be motivated to engage in physical activity on a regular basis if you have fun while doing it. Let's take a look at a few ways to help you enjoy your workout.

Enjoy The Process

If you find yourself bored with your exercise routine, it’s probably become too static. Incorporate new sports and activities to spice it up. Some people will even enjoy the approach dubbed “Primal Play” in which re-purposed childhood games are paired with functional movements. The key is to live in the moment and stop watching the clock. If you are not into sports, join an exercise group, like step aerobics or Zumba.

Know Your Personality

Some people prefer to exercise alone with a long walk or bike ride. Others can't get motivated to exercise unless they’re surrounded by others. Figure out which type of environment works best for you and stick to it. Do not resort to the most easily accessible activity. Find a sport or means of exercising that matches your style. If you are highly competitive, racquetball might appeal to you. If you are more laid back, a brisk walk might be best.

Establish A Diversity Of Activities

If you find a sport or activity that matches your personality and tastes, do not stop there. Keep searching for additional activities that you can enjoy as you’ll eventually grow tired of the same sport/exercise after you repeat it hundreds of times. Your body needs a diversity of exercises for a comprehensive workout. Bodies eventually fall into a lull if exercise habits remain the same. Strive to introduce new activities to keep your mind and body stimulated.

Your Motivator

Spend some time thinking about what really motivates you to exercise. Some people only exercise to maintain their physical appearance. Others exercise for health reasons. Another segment of people engages in physical activity because they love a particular sport. The trick is to find a sport or activity that you are naturally inclined to participate in. If you find an exercise that you determine to be “fun,” you will be less inclined to go overboard with sugars, fats and salty foods afterward.

You can find a myriad of exercise equipment and activities at the Downtown Athletic Club. We have personal training, group fitness classes and all sorts of cardio/weight machines. We invite all residents in the greater Amarillo area to visit us to learn more.

If you are looking for ways to maximize your workout, or you are just looking to get started, you may be wondering when the best time for your workout is. A lot of people prefer to work out in the early morning hours to get it out of the way or to start their day right. Some can't squeeze it in until evening, but wonder if exercise will inhibit sleep. Still others may not be able to do it at the same time every day. Is this OK?

What Is The Best Time For Me To Work Out?

As it turns out, it does make a difference when you hit the gym. A phenomenon called diurnal variation seems to influence how effective exercise can be at different times of the day. Research indicates that for those looking to increase strength, muscle mass and workout efficiency, afternoon and evening workouts may be better.

While there was little difference in endurance found from morning until nighttime, strength was increased during the later hours. More strength equals a more vigorous workout, for starters, so it makes sense that exercise later in the day would increase both performance and results.

This seems to apply mostly to strength-based workouts such as weight lifting or bodyweight workouts. A study that analysed fat loss in groups of walkers found that the people who walked in the evening saw more progress than those that walked in the morning.

Should I Work Out At Night?

With all that said, if you prefer or only have time to work out in the morning, don't turn your schedule upside down because of this.

When it comes down to it, the best time to work out is when you are most likely to do it. If getting exercise out of the way first thing in the morning works for you, by all means, keep doing it. If you enjoy doing your fitness routine in the evening, then keep doing it.

Will Working Out At Night Interfere With Sleeping?

This is a common concern, and while it makes sense that physical activity in the late afternoon or evening might mess with your sleep schedule, this doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, some people seem to sleep better after a workout. Again, this is highly individual, and you might find the opposite to be true for you.

If you are trying to get fit and healthy, and would like some pointers and some motivation, head on down to the Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo, a state of the art fitness facility with friendly personal trainers.

The question of how heavy weights should be, and how many reps should be performed is a common one. The answer depends on what your goals are for your workout.

Should I Use Heavy Or Light Weights?


If your fitness goal is to build muscle mass, then you should opt for heavier weights. Not only that, but you should periodically increase weight to keep your muscles challenged.

If your goal is to increase healthy muscle tone, but not see any drastic increase in mass, then keep with lighter weights.

How Many Reps Should I Do?

Again, this depends on your goals. For those who are striving to increase muscle mass and bulk, fewer reps is ideal. If you simply want to maintain healthy tone, more reps is better.

So remember, heavier weights with fewer reps is what will build and increase muscle mass. You want to move slowly, as well. An ideal number of reps for increasing muscle gains is 4 to 6.

If your goal is to simply have healthy, lean and toned arms then keep weights light and do lots of reps. A good amount is 14 - 16 reps.

It is also important to increase weight if you are trying to increase results. Too many people get frustrated when they aren't seeing results, and it's because they aren't challenging themselves.

In order to see increased gains in muscle, strength and endurance, you must increase your efforts. If you are doing the same routine, with the same weights and the same reps, day after day you will only maintain your current level. If you want more, you have to do more.

Increase your weights. If you aren't struggling a little with your last two reps, you aren't challenging yourself.

If you are feeling like you have hit a fitness plateau and aren't making progress, consider consulting a personal trainer. He or she may suggest you increase your weight, slow down or do fewer reps. Sometimes, the answer is to change up your routine and do some completely different moves.

Overall fitness means challenging yourself, trying new things and proper nutrition. The Downtown Athletic Club in Amarillo is a full-service gym with weight training, a variety of classes and equipment and personal trainers who can help take you to the next level in fitness by providing you with a custom workout to get you results faster.