Group fitness is oh-so popular

Posted by: BeneFIT Corporate Wellness
Date: December 6, 2019

Credit goes to our “pack mentality”

Have you ever gone running with a friend and found yourself running longer simply because your friend wanted to? Or, have you pushed yourself to exercise harder because of the person next to you at the gym? When this happens, you’re tapping into psychology, which tells us that pack mentality – or behavior influenced by peers – is real. What’s interesting is that it can work to your advantage when exercising. Here’s how.

Fitness in a group:

Increases your commitment to a routine. Working out as a part of group has been shown to increase motivation, consistency, and duration. Psychologists say it’s because when you’re in a group you’re making a commitment and you’ll be noticed if you don’t stick to it.

Encourages you to push harder. This boils down to not wanting to be the weakest link in the chain. When working out with others, people tend to push harder. One study showed those working out together did so twice as long as those working out alone.

Speaks to our competitive edge. Seeing what others are capable of can inspire us to do better, or try new things. This can help us uncover our own barriers to progress. Would you have spent 15 minutes standing up on the bike in cycling class if the person next to you wasn’t doing it so effortlessly? Maybe not.

LVHN Fitness has a whole range of group fitness classes to get you motivated and help you through a long, cold winter season.

The benefits of massage
More than just relaxation

Massage has long been associated with pampering at the spa. Through medical science we’ve learned that it can be so much more. Manual manipulation of the skin, muscles, tendons, and ligaments for therapeutic purposes was recorded in Chinese medical texts as far back as 3,000 years ago.

Some current studies have reported definite health benefits, such as one trial that explored the effects of massage on anxiety. Results were a 31% drop in cortisol (a stress hormone) and a 30% increase in dopamine and serotonin (feel-good hormones) after a massage. Separate research showed that soreness in muscles was reduced by 30% when a massage followed a workout.

There is also evidence that massage can improve immune system function in cancer patients, while helping to reduce their physical and emotional pain. The key is that rubbing the skin puts pressure on the vagus nerve, which plays a major role in heart rate, breathing, and digestion. Increasing blood flow and activity in that nerve can have a meditative, calming effect.

Massage therapy helps everyBODY

By Sallie Urffer, MHA, PTA, LMT, CNMT
Rehabilitation & Massage Services

Has fall gardening got your body screaming? Back, shoulders, necks, even legs get tweaked from the heavy loads of mulch or through raking and sweeping. Experienced licensed massage therapists can help your body heal its aches and pains. Massage Therapy @ LVHN Fitness is staffed by professional licensed massage therapists that are highly skilled. Each one has a different skill set, but can be equally effective in helping you.

Clients are asked to complete a health questionnaire and consent at the first visit. Appointments are in private rooms where clients can be fully dressed or completely undressed. (Bulky clothing should be avoided if staying dressed.) Drapes/sheets are used to expose only the area being worked on. Lotions are used when undressed to help glide across the skin, reducing friction and avoid pulling of the skin.

The amount of pressure used is to the client’s tolerance and preference. If the pressure is not to the client’s liking, the client should let the therapist know. Additionally, if an area refers pain to another area, the therapist should be told. Care is given to everyBODY in an appropriate manner with healing hands.

Massage is available at the Fitness Centers at 1243 S. Cedar Crest, 1770 Bathgate, and 1 City Center six days a week at various times throughout the day. Please call 610-402-3699, or visit the Fitness Center closest to you for more information.

A successful spin-a-thon!

 

LVHN Fitness at One City Center hosted the third annual Spin-a-Thon on Saturday, Sept. 28, for Community Bike Works, which teaches life lessons through bicycles to students. The spin-a-thon raised $34,536, surpassing the original goal set at $30,000.

A total of 14 teams participated in the event to tag-team cycle while fundraising. A huge thank you and congratulations to all those who participated!

Among special guest riders were Allentown Mayor Ray O’Connell, Rep. Mike Schlossberg, Rep. Pete Schweyer, and Olympic cyclist, Kim Geist, who auctioned off her miles to the highest bidding team. “Being involved in something greater than ourselves, beyond our day-to-day work, is what makes LVHN Fitness staff proud,” says Brielle Weida, LVHN Fitness Program Manager.

For more information or to join LVHN Fitness, contact Thomas Young at 610-969-0421 or [email protected]