May 7th, 2009 / Uncategorized

Sean O’Brien here. So it’s spring time and even though it’s been cold and rainy the last couple days we are definitely past the worst of it and headed for the sunshine, a great time to really commit to a health plan. To motivate you, I’ve compiled a few articles that might just get you going.

In case you didn’t know, “running is good for you” (I know it’s from Shape! but it’s still good). And in case you missed it, check out this health article from the New York Times.

It was real hot earlier this week and that means you must make sure that you’re getting enough water, but also making sure that you don’t let your sodium levels get to low.

Finally, I have had a couple requests for info about my running days so I decided to put this to the TV broadcast of last year’s Penn Relays. If you want to see my race just skip to almost exactly the halfway point. I ran the anchor leg of the USA vs. The World Distance Medley Relay. Spoiler: I did not win but it was still one of my better races.

Tags: fitness, health updates, health updates dc, MINT Private Trainers, personal trainer, running, running dc, Sean O'Brien

April 28th, 2009 / Uncategorized

Mary Duke Smith

Greetings! For many of us, summer means more time outside – including trips to the beach, swimming, hiking, and playing and socializing. To tone up and be ready for all those occasions, it’s a great time to engage in regular conditioning at MINT! A great strategy to help you get ready for all this outdoor fun is circuit training that combines both strength and cardio exercise into one, fast-paced, effective and efficient workout.

Basically, you do 8-10 consecutive exercises, each for a period of time, such as 1 minute, with very little rest in between. You can go through a circuit once, twice or even three times for a supercharged workout that is a very efficient way to help you to tone and build endurance, coordination and agility without bulking up. And it’s fun! Circuit style training is also a great way to utilize our new express training sessions: 25 minutes of jam-packed exercise for a great price.

Tips to maximize your workout

Before:Do your flexibility and core activation exercises. Do about 5 minutes of light cardio as a warm-up During: Have fun, be safe, maintain good form! Repeat circuit if desired. After: Follow with abdominal exercises. Cool down and stretch. (more…)

Tags: fitness, health, Mary Duke Smith, MINT Private Trainers, persona trainer dc, Workouts