1. Add Weight to Lose Weight
Should I do more reps with less weight? Or use more weight and do fewer reps?  If you are looking to shed pounds, the answer is to use more weight and do fewer reps.  Select a weight heavy enough that you are able to do 15 reps maximum.  Work up to completing three sets of 15 reps.  It seems contradictory – but increasing lean body mass is the best way to lose excess fat and maintain a long-term healthy body weight.

2. Best Butt Workout
Get on the EAGLE Leg Press and adjust the back to position #4.  Adjust the footplate so that when your toes are at the top of the footplate, your knee is at a 90 degree angle.  Select a weight where you can’t do more than 15 reps.  Repeat 15 reps three times.  (Extra tip: for added variety, do one leg at a time placing less stress on the back and greater emphasis on the glutes.)

3. Flattest Tummy
Get on the EAGLE or VR3 Ab machine.  It may not look like it is going to work your abs – but from the first lean-forward you will know it is working just the area you need to tighten up those ab muscles.  (Extra tip – REALLY IMPORTANT: Always work opposing muscle groups in tandem.  Do 10-15 reps on the ab machine and then 10-15 on the Back machine.  Repeat 3 times.)

It’s that time of year again … the Sam’s Club begins on Tuesday, October 7 at 6:30pm.  Sam’s Club is open to students in 1st-7th grade.  In addition to providing full privilege YMCA memberships, every Tuesday night from October-April children are transported by YMCA buses to the Y for physical activities, swimming, fellowship, mentoring and Christian education.   Registration is required!  Registration forms are available on the website.  For more information stop in or contact April Braxton at 263-8508.

The YMCA’s competitive swim team has been in existence since 1956. Over the years the team has provided a steady diet of structure, exercise and life lessons to hundreds if not thousands of local boys and girls. The sport of swimming is unique in that young athletes compete in an individual sport in a team environment. There are many physical, social and psychological benefits to participating in competitive swimming. At the Chambersburg YMCA swimmers ages 5 – 18 who are already members of the Y can register as  members of the Charger Swim Team. The new season begins on 9/15/08. Please contact Coach Chance at extension 105 for further information.

The Many Benefits of Joining a Competitive Swim Team

Physical Development:

Swimming provides aerobic endurance and is the most beneficial form of cardiovascular exercise. It is the best sport for overall muscular development. It enhances natural flexibility, develops coordination, and it is the most injury free sport for children. It is also the only lifetime sport you can carry into old age.

Mental Development:

Learning proper technique engages the thinking process as new skills are learned. Swimmers must develop and plan movement sequences. They learn that greater progress results from using their creative talents and exploring new ideas. Structured programs of physical activity develop a stronger self-image. The commitment of time required for competitive swimming teaches time management skills. Swim team members learn about self-discipline and sportsmanship. Swimmers learn that excellence can be continually sought. Charger swimmers are taught respect, responsibility, caring and honesty.

Emotional Development:

The nature of the sport dictates that swimming is a self-achievement activity: the responsibility of the performance ultimately lies with the individual in any given lane in a race. That individual, over time, will have many experiences positive and negative, encouraging and discouraging. Learning how to handle the success and failure and self-achieving responsibility develops self-confidence. Through perseverance,
swimmers learn courage, dedication, commitment and how to overcome adversity. Swimmers learn to handle pressure and stress, sometimes self-imposed, sometimes by others. Through experiences in swimming, swimmers learn attitudes and habit that will remain with them throughout their lives. Most swimmers learn to be “can do” people.

Back to school time is often a great opportunity for families to get a handle on their morning routines by minimizing the morning rush.  Use these tips to help you get started.

Make breakfast simpler and quicker by scheduling daily themes.  For example, make Monday’s egg day, Tuesday’s waffle day, Wednesday’s yogurt and fruit day, etc.  Breakfast schedules make grocery shopping easier, prep time quicker, and are a great way of teaching and introducing routines to kids.

Set out all breakfast non-perishables and utensils the night before.  Things like cereal, vitamins, bowls, spoons, cups, etc can easily be set out on the counter and table the night before and make the morning breakfast prep calmer and easier.

For parents who can’t start their day without a cup of coffee, go ahead and make the coffee the night before and set the timer so it is ready when you wake up.  If your coffee pot doesn’t have a timer, go ahead and just add the water and coffee so that all you have to do is hit the brew button when you get up.

Teach kids to rinse their own dishes and place them in the dishwasher.  If they are too young to rinse their own dishes, try having them at least place them in the sink or have an older sibling help.

Try and pack as much of the kids’ and your lunches the night before.  Sandwiches can be made the night before and placed in the refrigerator and all non-perishable snacks and fruits can easily be placed in the lunch bag the night before as well as napkins and milk money.

Last but not least, use a chore chart to get the kids involved as much as possible, and to seal the deal add all of these tips to your daily routines.
Excerpt from “Our Busy Family Life” by Polly