Genesis Health Clubs Blog

Spinach and pancakes, you ask? Before you go running for the door, consider giving these simple yet nutritiously delicious pancakes a try. Much like a smoothie, the other ingredients quickly hide the taste of spinach, and the same happens with these pancakes. The spinach flavor takes a backseat and you're left with a nice, slightly sweet pancake packed with protein and whatever toppings you desire. Try this … 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

With butterflies in my stomach, I read the bio again and again, “Slow and steady or a sprint to the finish line; either way, we’ll take it one step at a time.” Although this potential suiter seemed a little out of my league, the words ignited the feeling I get when I hold a 4th of July sparkler—alluringly simple with the potential to burn me. Like a sprinter poised on the… Read Article

Yoga and Pilates are often put into the same category, but they each have key differences. They both look like a relaxing way to exercise, so how do you choose between them? Pilates and yoga both use a mat, both are available as a group fitness class at the gym and both help to create a lean, toned physique. Here are the main differences between Pilates and yoga so you can decide which is best fo… Read Article

BMI stands for Body Mass Index Body Mass Index (BMI) is the calculation of body weight in relation to height. It’s used to indicate whether a person is underweight, overweight, obese, or at a healthy weight for his or her height. BMI isn’t as accurate as methods that directly measure body composition, like hydrostatic weighing or Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA). But, it provides a reasonable estimate of body fat for most… 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

Increased heart rate, perspiration, and rapid breathing are all physical effects of exercise; however, these are also indicators of fear. Taking charge of your health can be empowering, but what happens when someone’s knee-jerk response to coming to the gym for the first time leaves them weak in the knees with anxiety? Genesis Health Clubs Personal Trainer, Brad Jenson, explains that recognizing a… Read Article

After learning that Omaha ranks in the bottom 25% on an America’s healthiest cities study done by Niche in 2016, we decided to do our part in helping the city of Omaha creep higher on the list. We provide easy gym access, but what about nutrition? As we all go to restaurants (hopefully in moderation!), it’s important to know which ones won’t leave you helplessly craving the wrong meal. Here are… Read Article

“Why don’t we ever do those”? a client asked me. She pointed across the fitness floor to another PT client performing burpees, as prescribed by his trainer. “Because you don’t need them,” I replied. “Why would we waste time on exercises that aren’t beneficial to you and your goals?” I’m a personal trainer. I charge by the hou… Read Article

We often don’t think about how our posture affects our everyday life when it comes to exercise, walking, sitting and balance. Our physical appearance and fitness goals can easily derail with bad posture. To maintain proper body alignment, strength and muscle flexibility is key. Practicing proper posture habits daily in the workplace and at home will help you acknowledge poor posture and correct i… Read Article

It’s 5:00 a.m. on a Thursday and your alarm goes off. You roll over and hit the snooze button, just like you did every day so far this week. And last week. “That’s ok,” you think, “I’ll get in a good workout tomorrow.” Well, you’re not alone. The hardest part of reaching your fitness goals can be just getting started and developing good habits. There is good… 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 can sometimes feel as though it’s hard to have a social life while being conscious about what you’re consuming. Keep in mind that indulgence is the key to leading a balanced life, so it’s good to live a little every now and then as long as you don’t overdo it. Here are the best low calorie alcoholic drinks so you can enjoy your friends and family, relax and unwind. M… Read Article

If you’ve ever had sore muscles, you know how they can prevent you from sticking to your normal routine. For the lives of many, this simply isn’t an option. Professional athletes claim that cryotherapy works to speed muscle recovery, and now that it’s readily available to the public, it’s important to know if the results are worth the price tag. What is Cryotherapy? Cryotherapy … Read Article

So, you just signed up for a membership at your local gym. What now? Maybe you have never stepped foot in a gym, or maybe it’s just been so long that it all seems like a distant memory. Whatever your exercise situation may be, there are a few rules that everyone should follow when it comes to the shared space at the gym. So, what is proper gym etiquette? While some of these aren’t set-in-stone r… Read Article

Known as the “Immortal Health Elixir” by the Chinese, kombucha is a beverage with many health benefits. The fermented drink has been around for centuries but recently became popular in the U.S. because of its reported perks. What is Kombucha? Although you may hear it referred to as mushroom tea, kombucha is not actually made from mushrooms; the bacteria and yeast that grow on top of kombucha result in… Read Article

Our bodies are made up of 50-75% water, so it makes sense that we need to replenish the water that’s lost. When we fail to do that, whether it’s because of sweating, overexertion, hot weather or just not enough water, we can begin to feel sluggish and weak—or worse. Here are nine signs that your body may be experiencing dehydration. Fatigue When your body is experiencing dehydration, your blood pr… Read Article

Congratulations for signing up for your first 5K race. It’s common to be nervous; you may be wondering if you’ll be able to finish or if you’ve prepared properly for the big day. Race morning will come fast, so here are some tips on how to train for your first 5K as painlessly as possible. 5K Training Schedule Training for a 5K race should never start too fast, too soon. There needs to b… 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

Whether you are a weight lifter, runner, a yogi or cyclist, you probably have noticed the importance of keeping your hamstrings flexible. Tight hamstrings are a very common problem that can limit your athletic performance or even lead to an injury. It could also strain your back during day-to-day activities. Tight hamstrings could be the result of many different things but it could be from an old inj… Read Article

A keto diet, also known as a ketogenic diet, is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet that incorporates moderate amounts of protein. You may be thinking, “That’s great, I can eat fatty junk food all day!” But, quite the contrary. A keto diet is rigid, mathematically calculated and doctor-supervised, and requires healthy fats, whole foods and no sugars. It’s much stricter than the modified low-carb Atk… Read Article

Your personal decisions, such as diet and exercise, are crucial to living a healthy life. But, some cities make healthy living a lot easier and can have a huge effect on the population’s overall health. So, where does Omaha rank on the healthiest cities in America list?   Healthiest Cities in America Study In 2016, Niche assessed over 200 cities to find the top 25 he… Read Article

Discover the results you can achieve from a Barre workout class The Barre workout originally began as a warm-up exercise routine for ballet dancers has been brought to Genesis Health Clubs as group fitness classes. If you are unfamiliar with the Barre method, it is full-body workout that uses a bar or handrail (hence the name: "Barre") for support to hold your body still while contracting specific sets of muscles to increase … 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. No matter what your goals, here are ten … Read Article

HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, alternates between periods of maximum effort and short recovery, and is known for being an extremely effective way to improve respiratory endurance, cardiovascular health and metabolic function. Because HIIT workouts are performed at such high intensity, they don’t take as long to complete as other workouts—making them ideal for people with busy sche… Read Article