Blog - Commence Fitness | Fitness, Health and Wellness

The Blog

Dec 13, 2019

How to Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Medication

Raise your hand if someone if you know someone with high blood pressure. This is the part where if you were in a crowded room, every hand would go up. According to the CDC, 1 in 3 American Adults have High Blood Pressure. People with HBP are at high risk for stroke, heart attack and heart disease. Over 70% of people who suffer their first heart attack, stroke or chronic heart failure have high blood pressure (CDC). Only half (54%) of people diagnosed with high blood pressure

Feb 21, 2019

All About Strength Training and HIIT

There are some misconceptions about strength training and HIIT that we'd like to address. Strength training and HIIT should be done by the vast majority of people as the two of them can help you reach your goals, whatever they may be. We're taking the top 5 concerns/questions we get and letting you know whether or not they're actually true! 1. STRENGTH TRAINING WILL MAKE WOMEN BULKY FALSE. Strength training will NOT make women bulky unless they are purposefully working towar

Dec 3, 2018

Health and Fitness Gift Guide

The holidays are almost here! Cue the stress about finding gifts that people will like! Have a sister that loves going to Crossfit? An uncle that makes alllll the healthy food? Don't know what to get them this year? We've got you covered. Here are some of our top picks for gift giving this year: Foodie Things: An Airfryer Air fryers are the new king of health gadgets (and for a good reason!). These little round ovens blast air around your food giving it the crispy, fried text

Oct 16, 2018

Are Fitness Trackers Worth It?

Fitbit, Jawbones and even Apple Watches are literally tracking your every move...and that's the way we want it! In this technological age, it's become more common to see someone walking around with a fitness tracker on their wrist than an actual watch. But do these watches actually do anything? Are they actually that helpful? Before getting into the nitty gritty of the individual watches, it's important to note the overall importance and abilities that all of them have, the m

Oct 3, 2018

Say Goodbye to "Bat Wing" Arms (Forever!)

[Imagine: Wo/man grabs area beneath arm and pinches. "I want to get rid of this"] We've heard many different names for the jiggly bits underneath the arms. Whether you call them "bat wings," "bingo flappers" or just "flab," we're here to tell you how to reduce that underarm wiggle and start feeling better about your arms overall! The answer to how to get rid of bat wings is actually very simple. There are two things that need to be done: 1. Lose weight 2. Build muscle While i

Sep 19, 2018

How to Get the Best Sleep of Your Life

If you currently get 8-9 hours of sleep, don't wake up in the middle of the night, and get up in the morning naturally feeling rested then we owe you some congratulatory applause. If you're the person shaking your head and saying "I wish!" to all of those things above then we've got you. Keep reading. ---- "Sleep is overrated" is actually one of the most overrated statements that exists. This is extremely false and just bad for your health. You need sleep to function. Most he

Aug 16, 2018

Gut Health and You (+ How to Help)

Hippocrates once said "All disease begins in the gut" and to his credit, he was right. Your gut is responsible for almost everything when it comes to your health and wellbeing. What is your gut exactly? Well, it's "your digestive, or gastrointestinal (GI), tract is a long, muscular tube that runs from your mouth to your anus. It’s about 30 feet long and works with other parts of your digestive system to break food and drink down into smaller molecules of nutrients. The blood

Jul 24, 2018

Why High Intensity Interval Training is Good for You

We've revealed our latest challenge in a new video! One month of High Intensity Interval Training is on deck to see how we can change our bodies by incorporating more high intensity work in addition to the lifting and cardio we already do. (Click the photo below to be taken directly to our video) What is High Intensity Interval Training? If you've been working out, you've likely heard of High Intensity Interval Training described as HIIT. HIIT is essentially exactly what it s

Jul 10, 2018

How to Tell You're Making Progress Without a Scale

“I need to lose weight” or “I want to lose weight” is an ever common statement that we hear from everyone. At meetings, at parties, in the personal training studio. The question really is though, do you want to lose weight or do you want to lose fat? Your physical weight is a reflection of many things. The water in your body, food, hormones and musculature, among some others. Depending on the time of day, what you’ve eaten, stress, etc., your weight might fluctuate up to 5lbs

Jun 19, 2018

The 5 Best Items to Have for Fitness at Home and Traveling

Whether you workout at a gym or with a trainer, or get your sweat on in your living room, we're giving you some of the best items to have for fitness at your home or hotel. These pieces of small equipment can help you get in a great workout in 10 minutes or an hour. 1. Resistance Bands: Resistance bands are some of the most versatile pieces of equipment you can have and use when it comes to working out from home. Generally, bands come in sets of differing weights which allows

Jun 12, 2018

Why You Should Walk After Dinner

If you've ever tried to go swimming after eating, take a run after breakfast or exercise at night and been stopped in your tracks, then this article is for you (and for you to share with those that slowed you down). The age-old adages that say cramps, fatigue and other ailments that will occur when engaging in activity after eating have proven to be mostly false. In fact, it's been shown that walking after a meal is not only safe but incredibly effective for losing and mainta

May 22, 2018

Why You Aren't Losing Weight

If weight loss is your main goal but you feel that you aren't reaping the rewards of your work, then it might be time to get to the bottom of what's really going on. You might be doing all the right things but there are small changes you might be able to make to really jumpstart what you're looking for. 1. You Don't Know How Much You're Eating Whether or not you're tracking your calories, macros, points, etc., right now, food journaling can be an important aspect when it come

Apr 12, 2018

Should I Hire a Personal Trainer?

Chances are you're opening up this blog post a little skeptical. Yes, this post is written by personal trainers, on a personal training business website, however, we're not here to tell you that personal training is for everyone. When people contact our studio or come in for a free training session, they are generally thinking "Do I need to hire a personal trainer?" or "should I be hiring a personal trainer?" Often times this question is presented after a lot of trial and err

Mar 28, 2018

Online Personal Training and YOU

With the launch of the Commence Fitness Weight Loss Challenge , we are introducing Online Personal Training to Commence Fitness. Online Personal Training is versatile: you can do it from your home, hotel room, ANYWHERE! We've been doing Online Personal Training with a few of our current clients and have found that online training can be just as effective and enjoyable as an in-person session. Our online sessions are done from the Southington, CT studio to Pros: 1. You can do

Mar 20, 2018

Healthy Lifestyle Choices That Make a Difference

Leading a healthy lifestyle is important for so many things: reaching your goals, feeling your best inside and out, learning new habits. It can be hard to get everything in order for leading a healthy lifestyle but we're here to help. Here are our 5 tips for making health a lifestyle to work with everyday. 1. Plan to Eat You may have read our post on food prep and discovered that food prep can be an important part of success when trying to be healthier. Even if you can't do

Mar 12, 2018

Weight Loss Challenge Beginning April 2

Have you heard the news?! The first Commence Fitness Weight Loss Challenge is starting April 2, 2018! This challenge will be done completely online: posted workouts (videos and written), tips and tricks, nutritional guidance and a private Facebook group for community building. All you need to join is a set of resistance bands (we suggest these), a before photo and a positive attitude. The challenge will run for 8 weeks (through May 28th) and the person with the greatest trans

Mar 6, 2018

Five Exercises You Can Do Almost Anywhere

At the average desk job, sitting is an issue. Sitting for hours a day not only decreases your metabolic rate but also increases your risks for diseases. When your Apple Watch or FitBit tells you it's time to get up, try some of these easy exercises to get your heart rate up for even just a few minutes. Tricep Dips: 1. Position your hands on the edge of a chair or bench with your palm down and fingers pointing towards your body. 2. Bend your knees into a sitting position (to c

Feb 13, 2018

No Quick Fixes

If you've picked up a magazine geared towards a specific gender over the last several years (think Men's Health, Cosmopolitan, etc.) it's almost certain that there's a headline on the cover guaranteeing a way to "lose weight fast" or "get toned in 7 days!" These articles are easy to fall into--they sound good, they have the research to back it up and they generally provide a plan however, don't let yourself fall into the trap. Quick ways to lose weight aren’t effective. It's

Jan 29, 2018

What to Eat Before and After You Workout

Eating prior to working out isn't the "no-no" that many people seem to think it is. Reasons from stomach aches to fat gain all come up often when it comes to discussing food timing prior to exercise. In fact, eating 30 minutes to 1 hour (even up to 2) before you plan to get your exercising done will actually provide you with some energy benefits that will have you questioning why you haven't tried it before. To get the maximum benefits out of eating before exercise, you want

Dec 30, 2017

Resolution Success

Happy 2018! It’s a new year and for many, that means setting resolutions, new projects, new goals and most often, anticipated changes. Resolutions related to health are some of the most popular seen. With the start of a new year, many vow to stop eating sugar, exercise more and finally do “the thing.” Most often though, these resolutions don’t see it past the paper they’re written on or they’re forgotten within a few weeks. You CAN stay on track with your health resolutions b

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The Blog

How to Lower Your Blood Pressure Without Medication

All About Strength Training and HIIT

Health and Fitness Gift Guide

Are Fitness Trackers Worth It?

Say Goodbye to "Bat Wing" Arms (Forever!)

How to Get the Best Sleep of Your Life

Gut Health and You (+ How to Help)

Why High Intensity Interval Training is Good for You

How to Tell You're Making Progress Without a Scale

The 5 Best Items to Have for Fitness at Home and Traveling

Why You Should Walk After Dinner

Why You Aren't Losing Weight

Should I Hire a Personal Trainer?

Online Personal Training and YOU

Healthy Lifestyle Choices That Make a Difference

Weight Loss Challenge Beginning April 2

Five Exercises You Can Do Almost Anywhere

No Quick Fixes

What to Eat Before and After You Workout

Resolution Success

Training Clients In Their Own Homes | Personal Training Session Tips and Tricks!

Personal Training Pricing | How To Figure Out Your Rates

Becoming A Successful Personal Trainer | Your Mindset Guide

How to Design Personal Training Sessions For Clients With Knee Pain or Injuries

NASM CPT Certification Review | Is It Worth it? (2021)

Personal Training Studio Tour | Should YOU Open One?

I Got Certified As A Personal Trainer...Now What Do I Do!?

How To Deal With Imposter Syndrome | Strategies From A Personal Trainer

Strength Training For Personal Training Clients | Simple Steps For Trainers