Genesis Health Clubs Blog

  (HINT: DIETING ISN’T THE ANSWER)   How do you know if your child is at risk for obesity? It can be confusing to tell if your kid is packing on some extra pounds before a growth spurt or if they’re truly at risk for becoming overweight or obese.   DON’T SELF-DIAGNOSE!   Your pediatrician should be your first point of contac… Read Article

Chicken nuggets. French fries. Mac n’ cheese. These “American staples” are seen on almost every children's menu around the country, appeasing picky eaters and young foodies alike. While tasty, these delicacies may be doing our children more harm than good. THE FACTS ABOUT CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN AMERICA You’re likely aware that the United States has a childhood obesity proble… Read Article

Our backs are part of our core, which makes up everything except our arms and legs. Almost every movement that we make can be traced back to our core, which is why it needs to be the powerhouse of our bodies. A strong, well-conditioned back can withstand more stress, and protect the spine better, than a back that has not been conditioned through exercise. Here are five back-strengthening exercis… Read Article

Most people would agree that with Winter comes dining out and overeating. Why? Here are five reasons why. With all those game days, holiday get-togethers, family gatherings and more, it’s safe to say that when we come together and it’s cold out, we do what’s convenient and easy, and we eat out. But with this, comes complete blind trust in your menu des… Read Article

It's time to grab your corkscrews… Drink Wine Day is today, February 18, 2020! Having alcohol in its contents, you wouldn’t expect the delicious Pinor Noirs and Cabernets of the world to have many health benefits. But I’m here to tell you that a glass of red wine, and red wine in moderation, is widely recognized and doctor-approved, as a way to keep yourself healthy and prevent your body… Read Article

This Valentine’s Day, make sure to show yourself some love! And we don’t just mean with decadent chocolates and flowers... Although, yes! What we really mean is to show your heart some love. Keep your heart healthy and ticking for many more holidays to come! Keep your Heart Healthy this Valentine’s Day 1. Pump Up Your Cardio The American Heart Association recommends moderate to intense exercise for… Read Article

What's the saying? Couples that play together, stay together? Paxton Noll, a certified Personal Trainer at our East Central Genesis gym in Wichita, and Gina Cole, Group Fitness Instructor, have demonstrated some dynamic duo workouts, just in time for Valentine's Day. These workouts can be done really anywhere. So, before you head out with your Valentine for a romantic dinner or whatever activity you have planned, consider br… Read Article

At the end of a long day, the last place you want to go to is the gym. Between cleaning the house, working a full day, and cooking dinner, life is stressful. When your brain experiences stress, it releases a surge of hormones invoking the fight or flight response. In the high-paced world we live in, tuning those hormones is difficult and long-term stress can have negative effects on your health and personal life… Read Article

For many people, the end of winter is known as crunch time. You may find yourself rushing to try to look your best before the dreaded bikini weather hits. Maybe you’ve indulged a little too much over the holidays, workouts became increasingly infrequent, or maybe you just want to get more out of your workouts before swimsuit season. The experts at Genesis Health Clubs are … Read Article

Don’t just wait for the weather to warm up to get you out of depression. Genesis Health Clubs is here to help! Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is real and can really bring you down. The definition of SAD is a type of depression that relates to seasons. Most of the time, people are affected in the fall through the winter season. Less often, people are affected by SAD… Read Article

Summer is the perfect time to rejuvenate, get in shape, and reinvent your life. Summer’s not over yet, and there is still time to feel your best before the season’s over! Here are our best tips:   Low Sugar, High Protein It’s amazing how great you can feel the second you alter your diet to eat healthier. Choose foods that are low in sugar to avoid afternoon crashes, and replace them… Read Article

There are many direct and indirect benefits to massage therapy, and the different levels and types of bodywork can have different goals. Not only does massage therapy feel good, but it also accomplishes profound changes in the body’s soft tissue (muscles, fascia, tendons, etc.), leading to improved range of motion, injury rehabilitation, a more balanced body, decreased pain, and better p… Read Article

In the 1930’s a research study released findings that those who consume more calories weigh more than those who do not. Ever since diets that promote calorie counting have used this model to inspire weight loss through cutting calories. What is a calorie? Calories are not a measure of how much food you have consumed, they are a measure of energy. One calorie contains approximately enough heat/energy to r… Read Article

Prepping your meals every week can save you loads of time in the morning before work or in the evening preparing dinner. So, why doesn’t everybody do it? It makes sense, right? Spend three to four hours one day preparing meals for the entire week so you can sleep in that extra 30 minutes in the morning, or spend that extra hour in the evening playing with your children. But, let’s be honest, who… Read Article

Backbends (or heart openers for us yogis) are a common pose that, when done properly, can increase mobility, strength, improve posture and help alleviate pain. Let’s take a look at whether the backbend you're doing is truly a backbend, or if it's something else entirely. What Does ‘Opening the Heart’ Mean? When we backbend, the goal is to ‘open the heart’, not literally, but rather to in… Read Article

John, the Fitness Manager at the Genesis Health Clubs Tara Plaza location, walks through the form and technique to perform a bench press properly. The bench press is an upper body exercise that consists of pressing a weight upwards while your body is in a supine position. This exercise targets the pectoral muscles, or pecs, and triceps. To start a bench press, sit on a bench with your feet on the ground … Read Article

It’s 9:00 p.m. You just put the kids to bed and it’s time to finally squeeze in your workout for the day. You walk to your dresser to grab your workout shorts when your spouse asks if you want to get caught up on Games of Thrones. You can always work out double hard tomorrow, right? Unfortunately, you’re developing a bit of a pattern. You skipped your morning workout … Read Article

– How exercise reverses the effects of aging As we age cardiovascular health slowly declines. The heart rate of a 25-year-old produces the ability to pump over 2 ½ quarts of oxygen per minute throughout the body. Each year heart rate begins to decline, dropping 5 to 10 percent over the course of a decade. This decline is what creates diminished aerobic capacity over time, resulting in breathlessnes… Read Article

The importance of eating healthy goes beyond making sure that you have a balanced diet, are avoiding high caloric meals and drinking enough water. Every food you consume brings with it nutrients and vitamins that build muscle, improve the immune system and protect the brain from the effects of aging. The brain is made entirely of fatty tissue, 40 percent of which is DHA, the one of the fatt… Read Article

Downward Dog | Upward Dog |Tadasana | Warrior I Tying yourself in knots may be the solution to what ails you. Researchers around the world have been exploring the lasting effects of regular yoga practice on health and have discovered that yoga may provide assistance in the treatment of high cholesterol, insomnia, menopause, anxiety, depression and high blood pressure. Breathing techniques (Prana… Read Article

As you go about the hustle and bustle of your daily life, the last thing you should have to worry about is running the risk of getting injured or having difficulty performing the most basic tasks such as carrying groceries or lifting your toddler out of a car seat. Going to the gym and lifting weights may not be working out the muscles and tendons you need to perform everyday tasks. Th… Read Article

Here’s the short answer: vegetarians don’t eat meat (including poultry and fish) but may eat dairy, eggs or both. Vegans take it a step further and don’t consume any animal products. Many vegans also avoid clothing, personal care and household products that are tested on animals or contain animal products. All vegans are vegetarians, but not all vegetarians are ve… Read Article

We’ve all been through it—you just had an embarrassing gym moment and you're 100 percent positive everyone else saw it. You either tripped on the treadmill, or even tripped just walking toward the treadmill, or maybe you put too much weight on your bar and now you’re struggling to lift it. Embarrassing gym moments happen to the best of us, but how we deal with them truly shows our cha… Read Article

With the craziness of day-to-day life and that inevitable extra project that has to be done today, we can all agree that life can get a little stressful. Don’t let yourself get bogged down with the stressors in your life, take a deep breath, and try a few of these easy ways to wind down:   Get moving Exercise releases stress and tension-reducing hormones and helps your body’s ability t… Read Article

A low carb diet can be hard to navigate, especially for beginners that are just getting familiar with the idea. Studies show that low-carb diets can result in weight loss and improved health markers, and just about everyone knows someone who has tried it once or twice. If you’re curious about hopping on the low carb train too, here’s where to start. What Is a Low Carb Diet? A low carb diet is one… Read Article