Summer Shape-Up Series

An ongoing series of FREE health-fitness oriented informational sessions that include lectures and some participation for those who wish to participate.  All sessions are presented by the Swedish Institute Advanced Personal Training Faculty.  The sessions will take place at the Advanced Personal Training Functional Training Facility (151 West 26^th Street, ground floor) on Wednesday nights this summer from 6pm-7pm.  ALL ARE WELCOME to attend.  The presentations are suitable for all persons interested in health and fitness, from the novice to advanced exerciser, and from the fitness or health professional to those wishing to become fitness/health professionals. 

Schedule and Topics:

June 27:  Back to Basics

Back pain affects 8 of 10 people at some point in their lives.  Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on low back pain, the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work.  Back pain occurs most often between ages 30 and 50, due in part to the aging process but also as a result of sedentary life styles with too little (sometimes punctuated by too much) exercise.  What factors influence load on the low back and how can a well-balanced exercise program help reduce your risk of suffering low back pain.

July 11:  The Truth About Stretching

This presentation introduces the many different forms of stretching (passive, assisted, active, dynamic, ballistic) and discusses the pros and cons of each as well as criteria for inclusion in a fitness program.  How to get the most out of the different techniques by proper timing, application, and alignment with program goals.

July 18:  Fat or Fiction?  The Truth About Fat and Fat Loss

What really works for weight and fat loss seems to be a controversial issue in today’s fitness industry.  Things that used to work don’t seem to work anymore and people find themselves frustrated and ready to give up.  What does the research about weight and fat loss tell us and how can we find the right information for our age, gender and body-type?.  Does one size fit all for fat-loss or is a customized program the answer?  Find out how to maximize your efforts.

July 25:  Is Exercise Medicine?  Prevention or Treatment?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Failing to plan is like planning to fail.  What can exercise do to help decrease the risk of disease and dysfunction?  When is exercise too much of a good thing and is it ever really too late to start?  Find out what exercise can do for you and how to decrease your risk of disease through structured physical activity.

August 1:  Is Any Exercise Better Than No Exercise?

There are so many different ways to exercise and so many over-the-top advertisements and products that promise a ‘silver-bullet’ approach to getting fit.  What works and what doesn’t and is it really effective to do the minimum and expect the maximum benefit from exercise?  What exercises are contraindicated and are there really ‘bad’ exercises or just exercises that are more advanced?  How can you hedge your bets and get the most return on your investment of time and effort in the gym?

August 8:  What is Fitness and Physical Culture?

You may remember taking the “President’s Physical Fitness Test” in school as a child.  Where and how was this test developed?  How is First Lady Michelle Obama’s current fitness initiative an extension of this?  What other national initiatives have succeeded and failed in helping create and sustain an American Physical Culture?  Is America’s physical culture or lack thereof partly responsible for the current obesity epidemic, rise of metabolic syndrome, and increased incidence of musculoskeletal problems and low-back pain?  Learn the history and help change the culture!!!