NW Women's Fitness

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Best Group Fitness Classes To Get Your Summer Bod Ready!

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Exercising regularly and getting in shape without help can be a struggle. It’s easy for many people to get bored with their routines or just lose motivation. Fortunately, group fitness classes for women can help you have fun in a supportive environment. Every time you attend, you can catch up with your classmates and meet new people who have the same fitness goals as you. Here are some of the most popular group fitness classes available at NW Women’s Fitness.

Yoga

Yoga blends physical exercise and meditation to help you improve your body and mind. A variety of poses and postures boost your flexibility and strength. Meditation reduces stress, turning your fitness routine into a way to relax. Yoga is ideal for people who aren’t used to strenuous exercises, but there are plenty of advanced poses for more experienced individuals.

MELT

MELT stands for Myofascial Energetic Length Technique. It provides therapy for your body’s connective tissues to eliminate pain and stress, and it mostly involves stretching and massage techniques.

Zumba

Zumba workouts combine aerobics and dancing, usually to Latin or world music. You can lose weight and get ready for summer while learning some new moves to show off at your favorite dance club. Moving to the music is also much more entertaining than just following your instructor’s directions.

Qi Gong

Qi Gong is a Chinese technique more than 4,000 years old. It’s similar to tai chi and yoga and can reduce stress and improve strength, balance, agility, flexibility, and injury resistance. This class can benefit anyone, from athletes to seniors to office workers.

NW Women’s Fitness also offers Pilates, indoor cycling, muscle conditioning, and more. We provide child care for an additional fee, and the locker room includes a sauna. Contact us at 503-287-0655 for help choosing the best group fitness class for you.

4 Health Benefits of Running

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If you’re looking to shake up your daily exercise routine, consider adding a nice run. Along with several physical health benefits, running is also good for your mind and mental health. Discover even more benefits of running, and then lace up those running shoes and head out for your own excursion.

Running Can Help You Lose Weight

You probably already know that any exercise you do will burn calories and help you lose weight, but running is particularly effective. In fact, it’s one of the best exercises for burning calories, a leading factor in weight loss. On average, a 160-pound person can burn more than 850 calories with one hour of running.

Running Helps With Depression

Runners often talk about “runner’s high,” and for good reason. When you go for a run, your brain releases a flood of feel-good hormones called endocannabinoids. In fact, researchers have found that just 30 minutes of exercise can help instantly lift your mood. So even if the last thing you feel like doing today is going for a run, remember that you’ll feel better when you’re done.

Running Helps Prevent Certain Diseases

Running can also help you fight or even prevent certain diseases. For people in the early stages osteoporosis, diabetes, or high blood pressure, many doctors recommend a running regimen. Running has also shown to help reduce the risk of a heart attack. One large study showed a link between regular exercise, such as running, and a lower risk of certain cancers.

Running Strengthens Muscles and Joints

For years, people believed that running might be bad for your knees. However, new studies actually suggest that running may improve the health of your knees. Researchers are beginning to believe that running stimulates the cartilage to repair minor damage to the knee joints.

If you’re ready to enjoy the benefits of running yourself, contact NW Women’s Fitness to meet with a personal trainer and learn how to incorporate this great exercise into your routine.

5 Fun Outdoor Workouts

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It’s that time of year again! The weather is getting warmer, the skies are less cloudy, and the sun is breaking out its beautiful rays of sunshine! After work or during your weekend breaks, it’ll definitely lift your winter blues if you can do your workouts outside while soaking in some vitamin D!

Here are some of our favorite outdoor workouts:

Bootcamps

If you’re looking for a total body workout – this is the right class for you to target all muscle groups! Whether you are looking to lose weight, get stronger, or shape up, the workout is a great challenge for strength & endurance. Modeled after old-school military training, these classes generally include a fairly intense mix of strength training and aerobic elements. Depending on the class, you can expect to do lots of calisthenics such as pushups, lunges, burpees – usually in interval training. Check our website for our latest Bootcamp class.

Make Your Own HIIT Class

Have an outdoor basketball court nearby? Grab a friend and use it as your own personal outdoor gym!

Here are some workouts to practice:

(The cool part is you can do it alone or with a friend!)

  • Sprints (5): Sprint from one end of the court to the other, running forward and then jogging backward. Repeat 5 times total.
  • Side Shuffles (6): Do side shuffles the full distance of the court and back. Repeat 6 times total
  • Lounges (3): Do lounges (switching right vs left legs first) there and back three times.
  • Lateral Hops (30): Jump over and then back along the full court line, facing forward the whole time. Do 30 hops total.
  • Squats: Do three sets of 20 squats each

BALL OUT!

Did you know playing sports can be a total-body strength and cardio workout? Playing sports is one of the best workouts because especially in soccer, basketball, or tennis, you are not only endurance training with an hour of cardio, but you’re also targeting specific muscles you may not with your usual weight training. Even with a regular arm routine, after playing tennis you’ll be sure to feel the burn in your forearms the next day!

Make your own Outdoor Crossfit

Here’s an example:

Workout #1 (Five rounds)

  • 5 pushups
  • 10 sit-ups
  • 15 squats
  • 8 burpees

Workout #2 (5 Rounds)

  • 20 Bench Jumps
  • 20 push ups
  • 40 Squats
  • 25 Lunges

Go For A Run on a Trail or in a Park

Tired of running on a treadmill and monotonously staring at a wall or TV screen blaring politics that are putting you to sleep? Well then you’ll be happy to know summer is around the corner! Running in the park can spice up your usual treadmill jogs and give you more fresh air and visual stimulation to keep you going! There are also great running apps that can track your mileage, speed, and even calorie burn (for running and bike rides).

If you want to boost your calorie burn without having to run way longer, you can also give running on a rougher terrain, like a trail in the Portland area, a try! Your body has to work harder with every step because of the uneven terrain and more distinct turns/shifting. Trail running is usually a more intense and effective workout than just pounding pavement.

If you’re looking for some motivation to workout or even some personal training, contact NW Women’s Fitness today! We’d love to have you!

Modern-Day Portland Moving Checklist

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Moving to a new city in the 21st century is a completely different experience than it used to be. You’re no Christopher Columbus, but it can sometimes be difficult to explore a new ‘territory’ and find your favorite places that make you feel like home.

Aside from the basic moving checklist with your general reminders of things you might need like a welcome mat or closet hangers, it’s also important to establish your new lifestyle in your new city. Here are some of the staples we value highly when moving to Portland:

Supermarket.

Whether you’re a one-stop shop kind of gal or you prefer to be more selective, everyone has their go-to grocery stores. If you’re looking for organic fruits and veggies or the best prices for quinoa, it’s important to scope out all of your options and explore what Portland has to offer in your neighborhood.

Fitness Center.

When moving to a new city, it can be stressful to acclimate to the new environment and adjust to the new city you now call home. Exercising is a physical as well as mental activity, so it’s important to workout somewhere you feel comfortable. A women’s only fitness club provides a safe, ideal space to workout that is free of judgment and loud grunting men. NW Women’s fitness can feel like a home away from home, where women can meet new people in our small, intimate classes or even pamper themselves with the spa-like amenities. Our group fitness schedule ranges from peaceful yoga classes to upbeat Zumba dance classes. There is something for everyone!

Parks and Trails.

Portland is one of the greenest cities in America. There are endless amounts of hikes to discover and parks to picnic in. When a new city is unfamiliar it’s common to be nervous about stepping out of your comfort zone. Having a go-to park for your morning jog or meet friends for picnics will help you establish your new life and look forward to things during the week! The top 7 hikes in Portland don’t even begin to scratch the surface of all there is to do outdoors, but it’s a start. Try to do a new hike per month and you’ll be discovering why everyone loves Portland so much in no time!

Restaurants.

What brings people together better than a love of food? Whether you consider yourself a foodie and are trying to add to your latest food Instagram with a blend of cultures and flavors, or you simply want to find a place to enjoy a warm cup of coffee and read your book, Portland has more options than you’ll ever be able to explore. If you’re lucky, you’ll have some delicious options near your home that you can walk or bike to. Nutrition and Exercise – two birds one stone!

Everyone’s priorities and hobbies differ from one another, but you can’t deny a love for great food, staying fit with exercise and the beautiful outdoors of Portland. If you’re new to Portland, or just looking to explore your options in the Portland area, check out NW Women’s Fitness for a comfortable exercise environment that feels like a home away from home!

4 Healthy Habits For The New Year

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There’s a reason why every year the most popular goal of everyone’s New Years Resolution List is ‘To Be Healthier!’ It’s because being healthy is important and the results are always positive. Check out these Healthy habits to pick up during the 2018 New Year.

Make Your Bed When You Wake Up

Sounds frivolous, but it gets you doing productive tasks first thing in the morning. It takes minimal exertion but the act of completing this small task immediately instills a sense of accomplishment at the starting point of your day.

Eat A Healthy Breakfast

Breakfast kick-starts your metabolism, helping you burn calories throughout the day. When you wake up, the blood sugar your body needs to make your muscles and brain work needs to be replenished by breakfast foods. By skipping this morning meal, you can throw off your body’s rhythm and you will most likely resolve to snack on high-sugar foods to get something in your system.

Exercise

Exercise has both short-term and long-term benefits. In no time you’ll notice mood improvement, stress reduction and better focus. Over a longer period of time, exercise can prevent health problems like diabetes and heart disease. In addition, getting your body fit and losing weight is always a great way to start the new year.

Get Enough Sleep & Develop a Sleeping Ritual

Sleep is when we recover and reset. When your body doesn’t get enough sleep your cognitive performance slows down, you become irritable, anxious and depressed. Loss of sleep can also lead to weight gain. By developing a sleeping routine, your body gets accustomed to going to sleep at a certain time. Whether it’s using an app that plays ambient sounds like ocean waves or just simply reading a few pages before bed, your body has circadian rhythm that you should listen to and get into a healthy sleep pattern.

If you’re interested in becoming your healthiest self in 2018 and would like some advice or someone to talk to, contact one out personal trainers to see how we can help you achieve your fitness goals.