Union Studio Reno

Personal Fitness Training

Category: Blog

  • Life-Changing Benefits

    Life-Changing Benefits

    The Life-Changing Benefits of Working Out: Why Exercise Is More Than Just a Way to Look Good

    In today’s busy world, it can be hard to find the time—or motivation—to work out. But whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or getting back on track, the benefits of regular exercise go far beyond just aesthetics.

    If you’ve ever Googled something like “why should I work out” or “how to get fit”, you’re not alone. The truth is, working out regularly isn’t just about burning calories or building muscle—it’s about transforming your entire life, physically and mentally.

    Here’s what consistent exercise can do for you.

    1. Boosts Mental Health and Reduces Stress

    One of the most underrated benefits of working out is its ability to improve mental health. Exercise triggers the release of endorphins—your brain’s feel-good chemicals—which help reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.

    Even a short daily walk or a 30-minute workout can help you feel calmer, more focused, and emotionally balanced.

    2. Improves Energy and Fights Fatigue

    It might sound counterintuitive, but expending energy through exercise actually gives you more energy in return. Regular physical activity helps your heart pump more efficiently, improves circulation, and boosts oxygen delivery to your tissues—all of which leave you feeling more energized throughout the day.

    3. Aids Weight Loss and Fat Burning

    If you’re looking to lose weight or burn fat, consistent workouts are key. Cardio, strength training, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) all play roles in helping your body burn calories more efficiently—even while you’re at rest.

    Exercise also helps regulate your appetite, making it easier to control portions and make healthier food choices.

    4. Strengthens Your Heart, Muscles, and Bones

    Working out does wonders for your cardiovascular system and muscular health. Strength training builds lean muscle, which not only makes you stronger but also supports your metabolism. Weight-bearing exercises like resistance training also increase bone density, reducing your risk of osteoporosis as you age.

    5. Improves Sleep Quality

    Struggling with insomnia or restless nights? Regular exercise helps regulate your sleep patterns and increases the amount of deep sleep you get. Just be sure to avoid intense workouts too close to bedtime.

    6. Boosts Confidence and Self-Esteem

    When you feel strong, capable, and energized, it naturally boosts your confidence. Working out regularly helps you develop discipline and pride in what your body can do—not just how it looks. It’s an empowering experience that spills over into every area of your life.

    7. Supports Longevity and Healthy Aging

    Exercise has been shown to extend life expectancy and improve the quality of life as you age. Staying active helps maintain mobility, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, and keeps your mind sharp well into your later years.

    Final Thoughts

    The benefits of working out reach far beyond the gym. From boosting your mood and energy to improving your sleep and long-term health, regular exercise is one of the most powerful tools you have to improve your life.

    Whether you’re doing yoga at home, jogging in the park, lifting weights at the gym, or simply moving more each day—every bit counts.

    Start small. Stay consistent. Your body and mind will thank you.

  • Are crunches the best Ab exercise?

    I have recently suffered from a low back injury. It’s completely rocked my exercise world. In the past I have called myself the core queen and implemented a lot of core work into my personal training, which is structured with super setting. A super set is back to back exercise which involves different muscle groups. I would target one muscle group in my first set, like your legs and arms and then almost always your abs in the second set. Now, I am a very creative personal trainer. So, the ab work did not always include crunching. After I have had to get an examination for my back and undergo physical therapy it has made me rework my approach to core work and limit the amount of crunches I add to my clients work-out. Some of the best ways to work your core are plank and dead bug because they keep your spine in flexion. A sit-up or crunch compresses the spine and too much of that can be a bad thing. Also remember the Yoga pose, Spinx pose is a great way to maintain the health of your spine. One thing I’ve learned in my healing process is everything in moderation.

  • Yoga Keeps You Young

    The average lifespan of a Yogi is around a 100 years old. Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar (helped to introduce the practice of Yoga to the Western world) lived to be 95 and at 80 years old was still in better shape than a lot of 40 year olds. There are some fairly obvious physical benefits to practicing the yogic lifestyle that influences health and aging.

    Yoga helps to slow down the aging process by gradually improving key factors in your physical health. Here are five reasons you should keep up your practice for optimal health, and get on it if you aren’t practicing already.

    1.) Stress

    High levels of stress leads to increased cortisol levels, which is associated with higher levels of abdominal fat. Yoga helps with relaxation and stress reduction, which results in a healthier distribution of body fat. A study published in Behavioral Cognitive Psychotherapy showed that yoga increased mindfulness, which the authors define as attention to the present moment, having an accepting and open attitude toward experiences, and insightful understanding. This indicates that yoga may help prevent negative emotional states of anxiety and depression. How can that not decrease the stress in your life?

    2.) Balance

    I’m sure you’ve heard the saying,” If you don’t use it you’ll lose it”. Balance is one of those things and a key component in the practice of Yoga. I’m not referring to holding balancing poses like the classic Tree Pose, but instead lifting from a Crescent Warrior into a Warrior Three. That is balance in action. The ability to balance involves both our body and our brain; when not practiced one or both facilities diminish. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons estimates One out of every Two women and One out of Four men over 50 will suffer a fracture related to a fall. The balancing poses we use in our practice are very important to keep the communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain in sync, improving our agility.

    3.) Flexibility

    So many people tell me they don’t do Yoga because they aren’t flexible. A big part of practicing Yoga is to increase your flexibility. Working the asanas in your practice brings about a lot of physical rewards. It decreases stiffness by creating greater spinal flexibility. Scientists have found that yoga helps straighten a hunched over back we can get from age, called kyphosis. Kyphosis makes doing everything harder because it puts a lot of unneeded stress on the body we aren’t designed for. Leading to more injuries and disabilities. A regular Yoga practice reduces low back pain and can increase the functionality for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

    4.) Strength

    Yoga builds strength slowly and safely. It is the perfect exercise for total body resistance which slows the loss of muscle that we all experience as we age. Yoga works both small and large muscles against gravity with your own body weight in postures like Down dog to Plank to Up dog. Yoga is a much safer option than high impact or high intensity exercises that can put stress on your cartilage and joints.

    5.) Breathing

    In every class and in every article I am always going over the importance of breathing; not only in our practice but in everyday life. The connection to our breath allows us to be in the present moment and improves our ability to take in more air and increase the energy flow to all our cells. It also helps to lower our blood pressure and improve digestion.

    Yoga is an ancient practice that has stood the test of time. Practicing Yoga will keep you feeling youthful and help to combat the effects of aging along with the overall mind/body benefits.

  • Tabata Yoga

    For those of you that have never heard of Tabata, it’s not a bread that goes great with hummus, but it just might be your new favorite exercise. In Japan Dr. Izumi Tabata started a study showing that short bursts of high intensity training had superior aerobic and anaerobic training affects compared to longer moderate intensity training. These benefits were shown in already well conditioned elite athletes. This study was published in 1996 and has become known as “Tabata Training”. Tabata is a great method of exercising because it allows you to achieve better results in a shorter amount of time. Research has also shown that the metabolic effect of exercising at high intensity can continue long after training, which results in more calories being burned. Who wouldn’t love a work-out that keeps killing calories even after you’ve physically stopped? It’s a very simple formula, where your work out only takes four minutes to complete: You go hard for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds in a total of eight cycles. This might sound fairly easy when you are looking at it on the page, however, if you actually do it for the full four minutes you will be pleasantly surprised how challenging it is to finish.

    Tabata lends itself well to Yoga, but remember it is still Yoga. It’s important to use proper form, follow your breath and as you start to get fatigued avoid the temptation to muscle through. Honor and listen to your body and use modifications. In this case, feel free to drop to the knees if your arms are getting to the point of failure. I have put together a easy workout you can do just about anywhere. If you come through each flow twice that should take you roughly 20 seconds and then you can hold in Down dog or Child Pose for 3 breaths and that’s about 10 seconds of rest. If you prefer to keep time, you can use a timer on your cell phone or other device.

    The flow is easy to follow, but don’t let that fool you. Remember one breath one movement. Starting from Down dog – Inhale- High Plank – Exhale – Chaturanga – Inhale – Up dog – Exhale – Low Plank – Inhale – High Plank – Exhale – Down dog. For 20 Seconds. Then hold and rest in either Down dog or Child Pose for 10 seconds. Do this for for eight rounds and it will take you a total of four minutes. Maintain your mind-body connection and if you feel the need to drop to your knees to finish the Tabata, always honor where you are at.

    As the holidays are approaching I hope you utilize this fun and effective work-out to keep you fit in this busy season and burning lots of calories as we come together to celebrate.

Call Now