• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Peak Performance Fitness

Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

  • Home
  • Why Peak Fitness
    • About Us
    • Meet Our Team
    • Our Facilities
    • Testimonials
  • Our Programs
    • Weight Loss Program
    • Personal Training
    • Sports Specific Training
    • VO2 / RMR Analysis
    • InBody Body Composition Analysis
    • ACL Rehabilitation
    • Classes / TRX Training
    • Insurance Reimbursement
  • Free Trial
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Gift Certificates
  • Physical Therapy Center
  • Home
  • Why Peak Fitness
    • About Us
    • Meet Our Team
    • Our Facilities
    • Testimonials
  • Our Programs
    • Weight Loss Program
    • Personal Training
    • Sports Specific Training
    • VO2 / RMR Analysis
    • InBody Body Composition Analysis
    • ACL Rehabilitation
    • Classes / TRX Training
    • Insurance Reimbursement
  • Free Trial
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Gift Certificates
  • Physical Therapy Center

Sports

Exercising with Rheumatoid Arthritis

July 5, 2018

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory, autoimmune disorder that most commonly affects your joints. Based on recent data around 1.3 million adults across the United States suffer from RA. Along with prescription medications and therapy, properly prescribed exercise can also alleviate symptoms of RA and improve quality of life for those suffering with the disease.

A major symptom of RA is pain in joints, along with stiffness and loss of mobility. Developing a stretching routine can greatly improve mobility in affected and unaffected joints, decrease join stiffness, and could lead to less pain with certain movements. Doctors have recommended yoga and/or Tai Chi classes to help patients improve joint range of motion and to decrease stress.

Low-impact aerobic exercises are great for improving heart health and cardiovascular endurance while avoiding placing too much stress on your joints. Low impact dance classes, walking, or stationary bikes are some examples of aerobic exercises that are joint friendly. Swimming is also a phenomenal way to build endurance and strengthen muscle with almost no stress on joints.

It is also very important to include resistance training in your exercise programs. The goal being to relieve stress in affected joints by strengthening the muscles around them. Resistance bands, machines, free weights and body weight exercise can all be used/performed to achieve strength and mobility goals. Free weights may be better than some machines since they allow you to move in your body’s natural path of motion and do not force your joint into specific movement patterns. A physical therapist or exercise physiologist with proper experience can give guidance for appropriate exercise selection.

Final tips:

  • Don’t forget to stretch and strengthen smaller joints/muscles such as your ankles, wrists, and fingers.
  • Wear appropriate work out attire (for example proper footwear and insoles to avoid any slips or falls and to promote optimal joint alignment and stability).
  • Listen to your body! Learn the difference between soreness and pain and avoid anything that causes the latter.

 

By David McCalla, CSCS

 

 

“Best Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis.” Www.arthritis.org, www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/rheumatoid-arthritis/articles/best-exercises-for-ra-2.php.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Diet, Exercise, Fitness, goals, health, healthy, holiday, motivation, Nutrition, physiologists, Sports, sports performance, strength training, success, tips, weight loss, Workout

Recipe of the Week: Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

June 21, 2018

All you need is one sheet pan lined with tin foil! Pop it in the oven to get nice and hot so when the sliced peppers, onions, and chicken are placed on it, they start to sizzle. The preheated pan speed up the cooking time, which means dinner is ready to go in only 30 minutes!

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 black pepper
  • 3 bell peppers (any combination of colors), cut into strips
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced
  • 8 small flour tortillas

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with tin foil and place it in the oven while you prep the vegetables and chicken.
  2. Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet until they are of even thickness. Coat the chicken with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and then sprinkle over the chicken in an even layer (both sides). Slice the chicken into long strips, about 1 – 1/2 inches wide.
  3. Toss the bell pepper slices and onions with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Remove the hot sheet pan from the oven and spread the peppers and onions in an even layer. Place the chicken strips among the vegetables. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. Serve with warm tortillas, fresh guacamole, or salsa on top and enjoy!
  5. Optional: Try swapping the tortillas for quinoa, brown rice, or mixed greens for a deconstructed fajita!

 

Original recipe from Amanda’s Cookin’ can be found here!

Filed Under: News, Recipes Tagged With: chicken, Diet, Exercise, Fitness, goals, health, healthy, motivation, Nutrition, recipe, running, salad, Sports, strength training, success, tips, vegetables, weight loss, Workout

Exercise Considerations for Parkinson’s Disease

June 12, 2018

There are more than 200,000 new cases of Parkinson’s Disease seen in the United States per year. Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a disorder of the central nervous system that usually presents itself in people over 60 years old. PD is typically a slow progressing disease that causes impaired movement and functional mobility. Keeping good range of motion is vital for maintaining strength and mobility. As an example, stretching the front of the hip, such as a hip flexor stretch, may help improve walking mechanics which will further help improve gait (see picture).

People with Parkinson’s often present with tremors, rigidity, and bradykinesia (slow movement). These clients should try and improve their gait quality by focusing on taking proper strides and maintaining a heel-toe pattern to avoid shuffling their feet, which often leads to falls. An ideal exercise program for those with PD would be include stretching of the lower extremities, overall strengthening, postural awareness, and balance training.  For people with mild to moderate PD, targeted exercises address specific symptoms for example: aerobic exercise improves fitness, walking exercises assists in gait, resistance training strengthens muscles.

So when should you start exercising? Right now! Exercise to improve mobility, improve thinking, memory and reduce the risk of falls.  By avoiding complications from falls you can prevent further injury.  Consult with your physician and set up an appointment to meet with an exercise physiologist to get started today.

 

By Brandon Ayala, CSCS

 

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Exercise, Fitness, goals, healthy, motivation, physiologists, recipe, Sports, sports performance, strength training, success, Workout

What Does It Mean to Be Actively Inactive?

May 8, 2018

What does it mean to be actively inactive? Sounds like silly concept, but the fact of the matter is, there are a lot of people who are actively inactive. This concept is based off people that might come to the gym for a half hour or hour and work hard and then go home or to work and be very sedentary.

When you work so hard at the gym, you really want to take advantage of that hard work and continue in everyday life being more active.

Some things you can incorporate into your everyday lives are pretty simple:

  • Achieve that 10,000 step goal per day.
  •             +you can do this by parking a little further away
  •             +taking stairs rather then elevator or escalator
  •             +setting a timer at your desk so you get up every hour
  • Changing your lifestyle to more active down time activates like hiking and gardening. This is the perfect time of year to go outside!

There are 168 hours in a week and if you spend only 1 or 2 hours during the whole week exercising and the rest not very active then your still left with 166-167 hours per week you’re missing out on physical activity. We obviously have to take into account sleep and important rest time, but when you decide to change your lifestyle is when exercise and eating right all fall into place and you see the best results!

 

By Corynne Duprey

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Athlete, Diet, Exercise, Fitness, health, healthy, motivation, Nutrition, physiologists, running, Sports, sports performance, tips, weight loss, Workout

What’s my RMR? More importantly, what is an RMR?

April 10, 2018

Okay, what is an RMR? Why is it important? Is it the ‘secret ingredient” to help put on muscle or lose weight? Let’s start from the top and work our way in.

RMR is an acronym for Resting Metabolic Rate. Your RMR is a sum of all the calories your body burns in order to keep itself alive; i.e. heart beating, breathing, and digesting food. On a surface level, that’s it. Your RMR will not be all the calories you burn in a day because you also have to factor in your daily activities. These are going to be everything else you need to do, such as walking, the gym, laundry, brushing teeth… you get the point.

What factors influence your RMR? Can it be changed?

The RMR is completely unique to you. It is influenced by things like body composition, height, weight, gender, muscle mass, and age. A bigger person, with more muscle mass will tend to have a higher RMR than someone who may be shorter, lighter and have less muscle mass. There are also ways to change your RMR, for example, losing weight (both fat and muscle) will yield a lower RMR while putting on muscle will increase your RMR (how much energy you burn).

Is my RMR the golden ticket to changing my body composition?

Not entirely. There are many calculators online you can use to find an RMR, but the numbers vary and may not always be accurate. At Peak, we have a calibrated metabolic cart that will calculate your RMR more accurately. Once you’ve completed an RMR, how can this information be used? Now is when you contact a health professional to move forward with a caloric range based on your future goals. Utilze this information in conjunction with your nutrition and exercise plans. Put in the effort and stay consistent toward your goals to feel better and healthier!

 

 

By Matthew Rhodes, MS

 

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Diet, Exercise, Fitness, goals, health, healthy, motivation, Nutrition, physiologists, running, Sports, sports performance, sprinting, strength training, success, tips, warmup, weight loss, Workout

Strength Training with Orthopedic Limitations

February 26, 2018

 

Strength and conditioning and physical therapy go hand-in-hand in the rehabilitation process, but they are often seen as separate or opposing entities. Physical therapy helps individuals to recover from injuries, surgeries, impairments with the use of manual therapy (massage, myofascial release, joint traction etc.), electrotherapy (used for pain relief and passive muscle activation), and the implementation of an exercise program (depending on the severity of the injury/impairment). Most patients enjoy the benefits of the manual therapy and hands-on treatment from the therapist and feel better after relaxing with ice and electric stimulation. However, building the strength required to return to daily activities and beyond comes from performing resistance exercises with periodical progression.

Injuries, surgeries, and diseases leave us weakened and/or physiologically imbalanced. The initial focus following a diagnosis is to alleviate the impairment, enhance tissue repair, and improvement of range of motion. When appropriate, basic therapy exercises can be progressed by adding resistance to increase overall strength and correct imbalances. Both physical therapy for injured or orthopedically limited population and strength training for healthy individuals use the same principle of progressive overload to achieve the common goal of strength improvement.

Outside of the physical therapy office, individuals should continue to follow a resistance training program to continue the recovery process and make improvement even beyond where they were pre-injury. Although it is important to isolate a single muscle or muscle group during the recovery process, total body and bilateral exercises should be performed to prevent further imbalances and to improve overall fitness. Building strength in the muscles surrounding a joint can lead to less pain in joints during certain activities. Strengthening opposing areas of the body and learning better techniques/ movement patterns can lead to better habits that will aid in future injury prevention.

 

By David McCalla, CSCS

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Exercise, Fitness, health, healthy, monday, motivation, physiologists, running, Spine, Sports, sports performance, strength training, stretching, success, tips, warmup, weight loss, Workout

Recipe of the Week: BLUEBERRY OAT MUFFINS

February 22, 2018

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cups quick gluten free oats
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1 tbsp coconut or canola oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • baking spray

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a muffin tin with liners and lightly spray with oil.
  2. Place oats in a food processor or chopper and pulse a few times. Soak oats in milk for about 30 minutes.
  3. In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, honey, apple sauce, vanilla, egg whites, oil and mix well.
  4. In a third bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and whisk to combine.
  5. Combine oats and milk with sugar, applesauce mixture and mix well.
  6. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Fold in blueberries.
  7. Spoon into the muffin tin and bake for 22-24 minutes. Enjoy!!

NUTRITION INFORMATION:

Makes: 12 servings, Serving Size: 1 muffin

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 148 calories, Total Fat: 2.5g, Sodium: 168.5mg, Carbohydrates: 32.5g, Fiber: 2.5g, Sugar: 18g, Protein: 3g

 

Original recipe comes from Skinny Taste and can be found here! 

Filed Under: News, Recipes Tagged With: Diet, Exercise, Fitness, fruit, goals, health, healthy, motivation, Nutrition, recipe, Sports, success, tips, weight loss, Workout

Strength Training with Kids

February 13, 2018

Once a controversial topic, strength training within the younger population has been proven to be beneficial in a number of ways. There are several positive effects of strength training including, teaching the “mind to muscle connection,” improving coordination, and injury prevention. When done properly, young athletes can greatly benefit from a properly constructed strength training program. However, the right programming is essential to keeping kids healthy and injury free.

Most children have yet to develop muscular coordination and therefore will find it extremely difficult to maintain proper form under the stress of outside resistance. Free weights or machines may not be appropriate in many cases, this is where body weight comes into play. A proper program for a child should be comprised of several body weight exercises and avoiding complex exercises; meaning excluding those that involve lifting free weights in a complex manor. Body weight exercises are not only good to help build them a muscular foundation, but to help develop their coordination and highly mitigate the risk of injury. Risk of injury in young athletes is very high and this is frequently due to lack of muscular development which does not support their joints and ligaments. This injury risk can be prevented by starting to develop strength and sport specific skills at an earlier age. The following are some example of body weight exercises that may be appropriate to incorporate into an adolescent strength training program: squats, walking lunges, wall sits, box jumps, push ups, dips, planks, and/or leg lifts.

Not only will beginning an exercise routine early on help kids to develop muscular coordination and strength, but it will help them excel at their sport. The decreased risk for serious injury will give them a great foundation to further develop later into their teenage years.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Exercise, Fitness, goals, health, healthy, motivation, physiologists, running, Sports, sports performance, sprinting, strength training, success, tips, warmup, Workout

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • Page 8
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 11
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • RECIPE OF THE WEEK: EYEBALL MEATBALLS
  • RECIPE OF THE WEEK: HARVEST CHICKEN CASSEROLE
  • RECIPE OF THE WEEK: TURKEY SWEET POTATO CHILI
  • RECIPE OF THE WEEK: SALMON RICE BOWL
  • RECIPE OF THE WEEK: THE BEST HEALTHY TURKEY CHILI

Categories

  • News
  • Recipes

Get Started: (516) 548-7443 | fitness@peakptfitness.com

Footer

Peak Performance Fitness

  • Home
  • Why Peak Fitness
  • Programs
  • Free Trial
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Gift Certificates
  • Physical Therapy Center

Our Programs

  • Weight Loss Program
  • Personal Training
  • Sports Specific Training
  • VO2 / RMR Analysis
  • Classes / TRX Training
  • ACL Rehabilitation Program
  • Insurance Reimbursement

225 Merrick Road
Lynbrook, NY 11563
USA

T +1 (516) 548-7443
T +1 (516) 599-8734
F +1 (516) 887-0803
E fitness@peakptfitness.com

Mailing List Signup

Join our mailing list to stay up to date on the latest news, events and exclusive offers!

Join Us Online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Peak Performance Fitness | Visit the Peak Physical Therapy Center
Lynbrook: 225 Merrick Road, Lynbrook, NY 11563
Copyright © 2025 Peak Performance Fitness