Member Spotlight: Rick Morrison

Hometown: La Crosse

Occupation: IT Project Manager, Application Owner at Ingersoll Rand (Trane)

What is your favorite exercise: Lawn Mower Rows or Pushups, or Thursday’s stations in general.

How about your least favorite: Has to be burpees, burpees, burpees, with Turkish getups as a close second.  And I can’t stand that Moby song anymore!

Describe your favorite workout: Any upper body workout, as I am still working on those “beach muscles”!

What is favorite healthy meal: I have enjoyed switching to eggs for breakfast vs cereal which was my 7-days-a-week breakfast.

And favorite “cheat” meal: Oh, there are so many… General Tso’s chicken, taco pizza, DQ, etc.

What keeps you coming back to Eupraxia: Primarily having a trainer to lead the classes, it is just too easy to slack off at home.  I do like working out as a group and seeing everyone, too. 

What are your goals you are shooting for: I was planning to lose weight but I have not lost more than a few pounds over the last year.  I have lost inches and I do look better.  My posture has improved a lot.  I still could lose 10 pounds and I can if I watch the evening snacking.  And I want to look like the guy on the poster on the front wall.

Any advice for newbies: Know that you have to push yourself, increase the weights as you can, but listen to your body and don’t overdo it.

What is your favorite hobby: I am a tech geek: astronomy, electronics, computers, etc but I also ride my bike often (recumbents rule!) and walk to work every day.

Tell us an interesting fact about you: My hair is not prematurely gray, no matter what I say.

How has Eupraxia helped you the most: Feel better, look better, both from the exercise and the diet changes.  I have been coming 3-4 times a month for over a year, I can’t think of many things that I have stuck with for that long.

Meet Your Trainers: Erica

Hey all! My name is Erica Boland.  My husband, Kyle, and I have three boys ages 6 ,3, and 1. As you can imagine, there is never a dull moment at our house. Exercise is a very important part of our life and we hope to instill that in our boys as well. I started Eupraxia last July when I moved back to the area after finishing Chiropractic college in Iowa. I was usually running 5-6 days a week but needed something more.  I had heard of Eupraxia and read and saw others' great results and decided to give it a try.  I ended up loving it after the first week and have ever since. A couple of months later I started teaching classes and I know not only get the benefit of the great workouts but I am able to see first hand the life changing results others have! It may sound cliche but the group truly is a second family; from fitness to nutrition to parenting questions, it is one big support group. If you haven't yet, I hope you will give Eupraxia a try (be careful, it's addicting)! I look forward to meeting and working with all of you!

Stretching. How Important Is It?

Although it is hotly debated whether or not stretching helps prevent injury, the other benefits of stretching are numerous and factual. Heavily utilized in pilates and yoga, stretching is widely supported today as a vital part of fitness. With the ability to reduce stress, ease lower back pain, increase flexibility and more, stretching should become a part of everyone's exercise routine.

1. Increased Circulation

While it is widely debated whether or not stretching prevents injury, it has been proven to increase circulation. Although stretching does not directly prevent injury from overuse, it does increase the blood flow and supply of nutrients to muscles and cartilage. This reduces muscle soreness after working out. The less sore your muscles are, the less painful it will be to work the same muscles and to exercise in general, and the more comfortable your day-to-day life will be.

2. Flexibility

There are four main measures of overall fitness: aerobic, muscular, body composition and flexibility. The main way to increase your flexibility is via stretching, especially AFTER a workout.

As you age, your muscles gradually become shorter and tighter, reducing your overall flexibility. This restriction makes you more susceptible to muscle, tendon and joint injuries. Stretching is primarily responsible for increasing flexibility, and reduces these risks. Increased flexibility also allows you to exercise more easily.  A general recommendation for stretching is to perform 2-3 sets on each major muscle group for 30-60s (i.e. quads, hamstrings, hips, chest).

3. Increased Range of Motion

Stretching has been shown to effectively increase range of motion in joints. Better range of motion enables you to keep better balance. Better balance means you are less susceptible to falls and the resulting injuries to falls. Increased range of motion also helps to keep you up and moving.

4. Reduce Stress

Everyone has stress and is constantly looking for new methods of relief. Like all types of exercise, flexibility exercises like stretching have powerful stress-busting abilities. Stress causes your muscles to contract and become tense. This tension can have negative effects on just about every part of your body. Gentle stretching exercises relax those tense muscles that are associated with stress. Also, since stretching is an exercise, it improves your mood in an energetic and euphoric way.  Stretching relaxes you and leaves the limbs you’ve stretched feeling nice and limber.

5. Alleviate Lower Back Pain

Millions of people struggle with chronic lower back pain. Stretching is an excellent way to strengthen the lower back muscles, alleviating soreness and pain. Since many muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, lower back muscles and hip flexors) contribute to your posture, stretching these muscles has the ability to greatly reduce or eliminate lower back pain.  Low back pain is associated with tightness in your hamstrings, hips and back extensors, therefore it is especially important to take time to stretch those muscles each and every day to help alleviate chronic pain.

The truth of whether or not stretching prevents injury can change from one day to the next, depending on what expert you're consulting. However, the fact still remains that stretching has numerous benefits outside of preventing injury. You can live a more comfortable daily life, increase your flexibility and alleviate stress and pain just by doing a few stretches AFTER your workout.

Check your member portal for ideas on proper ways to stretch and to start your total body stretching routine!!

Member Spotlight: Karen Olson

Name: Karen Olson

Hometown: Menomonee Falls, WI

Occupation: Civil Engineer

What is your favorite exercise: 
Any kind of squat exercise.  I even enjoy Bring Sally Up.

How about your least favorite:  Of course, burpees…

Describe your favorite workout:  
I love doing partner workouts with my husband Joe.  He pushes me and makes me laugh while I am working hard.

What is favorite healthy meal: Fish Boil with freshly caught northern pike, carrots, rutabaga, and onions

And favorite “cheat” meal: Bruschetta on a toasted baguette and adding little red potatoes to the fish boil.

What keeps you coming back to Eupraxia: The trainers and my friends at the gym.  Eupraxia is very welcoming and friendly.  I am fairly introverted and would never have believed I would look forward to working out in a group setting, with Lindsay occasionally calling me out for not working hard enough, love you Lindsay.  I can honestly say I love the workouts and the people! 

What are your goals you are shooting for:  My goal is to maintain a healthy diet and exercise program for the rest of my life.  Eupraxia has changed how I think about food and how I think about my body and what it is capable of doing.  I no longer have to ask my kids to lift heavy things; I am as strong and healthy as I was in my 20’s.

Any advice for newbies:  The first couple weeks are hard, but push through the pain, and there will be a lot of pain.  The results are amazing.

What is your favorite hobby:  Being on the river, on a pontoon, flat bottom, kayak, dock, or the ice with family and friends. 

Tell us an interesting fact about you: My husband and I and our 3 younger kids live on the same city block, on the river, in La Crosse, as my parents, Joe’s parents, and our oldest son Evan and his girlfriend.

How has Eupraxia helped you the most:  It has given me confidence in both my mind and body.

Meet Your Trainers: Brady Warner

Hi everyone, 

If you haven’t had the joy of being in one of my classes yet, my name is Brady Warner.  I am one of your trainers here at Eupraxia and never thought I would have such a role.  I’m originally from Grand Rapids, MN, and despite living in this state filled with Cheeseheads, I still love the Vikings!  I have always been pretty active and enjoyed physical activities and sports, but never anything as intense as what Eupraxia offers.  My workouts generally consisted of going to the Y, doing my own thing for an hour, and feeling okay when I’d leave.  My wife, Katie, who many of you know, finally talked me into trying it here after about nine months of her working out here and loving it.  I had my doubts and wasn't overly excited about exercising in a group setting. I was skeptical whether I would get anything out of it, but I WAS WRONG!  I happened to try Eupraxia on a Tuesday, which many of you know is frequently an "upper body" day consisting of a lot of pull-ups and push-ups.  I seriously thought I had injured my arm after that initial workout and kept asking Dr. Steve about it for a week afterwards.  The fact was that I simply had not worked those muscles that hard in my entire life!  I was sold on Eupraxia after one 35 minute workout, and continue to enjoy that fact that most sessions here are about the same length of time and go quickly - you come in and get an awesome, effective workout in far less than hour.

I look forward to seeing you all in the mornings at the Onalaska location!

Member Spotlight: Brittany Amundson

Name: Brittany Amundson

Hometown: Hillsboro, WI

Occupation: Stylist

What is your favorite exercise: Squats

How about your least favorite: Burpees

Describe your favorite workout: Any Friday workout (they are short and sweet)

What is favorite healthy meal: Steak and sauteed veggies

And favorite “cheat” meal: Buffalo wings

What keeps you coming back to Eupraxia: Feeling like it's a family and not just a gym

What are your goals you are shooting for: Feeling great in my own skin

Any advice for newbies: The workouts and nutrition plan seem hard, but if you stick to it, you will see results

What is your favorite hobby: Anything with animals

Tel us an interesting fact about you: I had previously lost 30lbs before joining Eupraxia, and I needed more motivation, which is why I will keep coming back

How has Eupraxia helped you the most: 1) motivation 2) healthier lifestyle

Meet Your Trainers: Courtney

Hi, my name is Courtney. Ever since I can remember, I was a runner and even spent my college years running cross-country and track and field at the Division-1 level. I have always enjoyed exercising and the natural euphoric high you get after accomplishing a solid workout. Running will always be a valuable part of my life, but I have come to realize how much healthier and innate Eupraxia workouts are for the human body. Before joining Eupraxia, I thought I was eating the perfect diet. Little did I know, the “whole grain” breads and cereals I was eating were far from perfection. I have done my best to revamp to the Paleo lifestyle and it has not only been feeding my body what it needs and genetically programmed to ingest, but it has also increased my energy levels. I also learned how unnatural repetitive long distance jogging is, and how much better muscle building workouts are for the body. Muscle mass results in increasing the amount of calories you burn at rest. Eupraxia has all the right tools and resources for a healthy lifestyle because it follows everything that our hunter-gatherer ancestors did. I hope you find the fun and excitement these workouts and lifestyle can bring to you. No doubt, you won’t be disappointed. Look good – feel good :)