Fitness

Local Turkey Day Races in Louisiana

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Thanksgiving can be a stressful time for those hard at work on their weightloss journey. However, there are plenty of opportunities to get some fun fitness in before the big meal. 

At the Aspen Clinic we want to do everything we can to help our clients stay on track this holiday season which is why we’ve provided a breakdown of some of the local Turkey Trot races that you and your family can attend this Thanksgiving Day. 

Covington Tammany Turkey Trot

Not only is this a great opportunity to get in some last minute holiday fitness but it’s also a great opportunity to experience the history of downtown Covington. The race begins north of downtown Covington near the Northshore Food Bank. Both the 5K and 5 mile runners will make their way through downtown with the scenery of the moss-covered trees that line the streets in the background. Once runners reach St. Paul’s High School they will head slightly west before turning north, and finishing at the St. Tammany Courthouse. 

The 5 mile runners will finish their run with a scenic detour further south past historic and beautiful homes before rejoining the 5K runners and going north back to downtown.

Baton Rouge Turkey Trot 

Celebrate the 36th year of the Baton Rouge Turkey Trot in downtown Baton Rouge. This local Thanksgiving race serves the community by keeping residents active and fit through racing and by partnering with the March of Dimes to help the organization fundraise and spread awareness about the work they do. All are encouraged to bring friends and family to run, walk, or jog the 5K or the 1 mile fun run. 

Lafayette JPJ Memorial 1-Mile Turkey Trot 

The inaugural JPJ Memorial 1-mile Turkey Trot is a timed 1-mile run/walk through Moncus Park in memory of JeanPaul Judice. The mission is to continue to honor JeanPaul by spreading unconditional love and a desire to help those in need. This race is a great way to get your body moving while coming together to support the community. 

All stages of runners are welcome and prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female runners as well as a custom turkey cookie medal made by Bouki’s Baker.

Join The Aspen Clinic – We Have 9 Locations in Louisiana

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The Aspen Clinic program is based on lifestyle changes, not temporary dieting. In summary, our program is designed to increase your metabolism and help you develop a new set of eating and activity habits. We will individualize your program according to your daily caloric needs to ensure that you are losing fat and avoiding the loss of lean muscle mass. 

Visit any of our Aspen Clinic locations across Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Harvey, Houma, Lafayette, Metairie, Prairieville, and Slidell, or schedule an appointment today to get started!

Can A Quick Walk Help with Digestion?

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If you can find a little bit of time in your day, even just 10 minutes, to take a quick walk, your body will thank you for it! Walking helps speed up digestion, along with a ton of other health benefits. Keep reading to learn more about all of the ways a quick walk can benefit your health and help out along your weight loss journey. 

Health Benefits of a Quick Walk

The main benefits of a quick walk include improved digestion, heart health, blood sugar management, regulated blood pressure, and weight loss. Starting with low to moderate intensity 10-minute walks following your main meals allows you to yield these benefits with a low risk of negative side effects.

Other benefits of a quick, 10-minute walk include:

  • Maintain a healthy weight and lose body fat
  • Prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes
  • Improve cardiovascular fitness
  • Strengthen your bones and muscles
  • Improve muscle endurance
  • Increase energy levels
  • Improve your mood, cognition, memory and sleep
  • Improve your balance and coordination
  • Strengthen immune system
  • Reduce stress and tension

According to Mayo Clinic, the faster, farther and more frequently you walk, the greater the benefits. For example, you may start out as an average walker, and then work your way up to walking faster and walking a mile in a shorter amount of time than an average walker, similar to power walkers. This can be a great way to get aerobic activity, improve your heart health and increase your endurance while burning calories.

You can also alternate periods of brisk walking with leisurely walking. This type of interval training has many benefits, such as improving cardiovascular fitness and burning more calories than regular walking. And interval training can be done in less time than regular walking.

Join The Aspen Clinic – We Have 9 Locations in Louisiana

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If you are looking for some support along your weight loss and wellness journey, join us! The Aspen Clinic program is based on lifestyle changes, not temporary dieting. In summary, our program is designed to increase your metabolism and help you develop a new set of eating and activity habits. We will individualize your program according to your daily caloric needs to ensure that you are losing fat and avoiding the loss of lean muscle mass. 
Visit any of our Aspen Clinic locations across Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Harvey, Houma, Lafayette, Metairie, Prairieville, and Slidell, or schedule an appointment today to get started!

How To Get Kids More Active

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Looking for some ways to get more active with your kids? Getting some movement in has become increasingly more difficult with the integration of screen time and technology in children’s lives. Sometimes, time just escapes us and we can’t find enough hours in the day for physical activity. Here are a few easy ways to get kids more active from the team at the Aspen Clinic of Louisiana!

Limit Screen Time

Excessive amounts of screen time is associated with a number of health issues, including depression and obesity, and can also have a negative impact on a child’s sleep. Screen time can also adversely affect brain development in young children. While of course, these consequences are extreme, it is important to be aware of them! Putting a time cap on screen time and getting more outdoor time is linked with improved motor development and lower obesity rates and myopia (nearsightedness) risk. Safely getting some sun also helps us make vitamin D that our bodies need to stay healthy and strong.

Get In The Pool

One of childhood’s favorite pastimes, swimming, can also be a very effective way to encourage cardio, health and well-being. Little do they know, even great swimming pool games can also be great exercises. Kids who are fortunate enough to have access to a pool definitely have an advantage.

Bike Riding

Riding a bike not only improves physical fitness but also benefits your child’s learning development and mental health! Cycling will also help your child develop their leg muscles and strengthen their bones. The continued exercise will help build their stamina and improve their cardiovascular development. It will also increase their coordination and balance.

Chores

It is good that children do household chores as they help you stay active throughout the day and will help keep them moving! Any movement to promote circulation and muscle movement is great, even simple household chores!

Go To The Park

Parks are a great place for kids to discover nature and exercise not only their bodies but also their imagination! Allow your child to run around, socialize, and get their imagination working with a trip to the park. 

Join The Aspen Clinic – We Have 9 Locations in Louisiana

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Looking for more tips to get the whole family moving? Join us at the Aspen Clinic! The Aspen Clinic program is based on lifestyle changes, not temporary dieting. In summary, our program is designed to increase your metabolism and help you develop a new set of eating and activity habits. We will individualize your program according to your daily caloric needs to ensure that you are losing fat and avoiding the loss of lean muscle mass. 

Visit any of our Aspen Clinic locations across Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Harvey, Houma, Lafayette, Metairie, Prairieville, and Slidell, or schedule an appointment today to get started! 

You can also visit our online store, we carry all the weight loss essentials including water bottles, vitamins / supplements, protein powders, and more!

5 Pool Exercises for Weight Loss

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We are all painfully aware of the heat in Louisiana! Trying to get a workout in during the summer can be daunting. If you are lucky enough to find yourself lying next to a pool this summer, take advantage of the water and get your body moving! Here are 5 pool exercises for weight loss from the Aspen Clinic of Louisiana.

Swim Laps

Swimming laps in the pool is an efficient way to burn calories. A 160-pound person burns approximately 423 calories an hour while swimming laps at a low or moderate pace. That same person may burn up to 715 calories an hour swimming at a more vigorous pace. Swimming laps can be a great way of reducing thigh fat and toning your legs. When you swim, all your muscles work. Experts say that certain swimming strokes can be extra beneficial for reducing thigh fat.

Kick Across The Pool

Use a kickboard to kick across the pool or hold onto the side and kick in place. Kicking with a kickboard or in streamline will elevate your heart rate and lift caloric burn! This is a great activity for glutes, quads, and hamstrings and helps perfect kicking technique to improve overall swimming while also targeting specific areas of the body. Start in the shallow end of the pool, holding the kickboard in front of the body with one hand on either side.

Tread Water Into Deep End

Simply treading water in a pool burns 11 calories per minute; that’s the same as running six miles per hour! The key is in resistance. Water provides continuous resistance, engaging more muscles through a more extensive range of motion.

Jumping High Knees In Place

Pool high knees are calisthenics and cardiovascular exercise that primarily targets the quads and to a lesser degree also targets the groin and hip flexors. The only thing that you really need is the following: a pool! 

Walk Across The Shallow End

Walking across the shallow end is a simple workout ideal for all skill levels and requires no equipment except a body of water. This low-impact workout is easy on the joints and is beneficial to your heart, lungs, abs, muscles, and circulation.

Bonus: Mermaid Workout

Get ready to feel like a beautiful, toned mermaid with this incredible TOTAL body workout! We designed your Mermaid Routine to target all the areas you want to tone up for summer, including your abs, obliques, thighs & arms. Oh YES!!

What You’ll Need:

  • Kettlebell (or 10-15 lb. dumbbell)
  • A yoga mat
  • And some water!

Complete 10-20 repetitions of each move, 1-3 times. Remember to breather during each repetition and rest when needed. Click Here to learn more!

Join The Aspen Clinic – We Have 9 Locations in Louisiana

Schedule Appointment 

If you need a bit more guidance to help get started moving around, or you are just looking for some support along your wellness journey, join us! The Aspen Clinic program is based on lifestyle changes, not temporary dieting. In summary, our program is designed to increase your metabolism and help you develop a new set of eating and activity habits. We will individualize your program according to your daily caloric needs to ensure that you are losing fat and avoiding the loss of lean muscle mass. 
Visit any of our Aspen Clinic locations across Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Harvey, Houma, Lafayette, Metairie, Prairieville, and Slidell, or schedule an appointment today to get started!

4 Budget-Friendly Exercise Ideas

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It is so hard to keep up with the current exercise trends. Peloton, Orange Theory, personal trainers. Keeping up with the trends can get expensive really quickly, when in reality, you can be exercising for virtually no cost at all! Here are 4 budget-friendly exercise ideas from The Aspen Clinic of Louisiana!

Fitness Apps

Downloading a fitness application onto your phone or tablet is a great way to exercise on a budget. Most apps will not only give you a workout plan, but will also help you track your steps, eating habits and progress! Look into downloading The Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout, Onyx, or Shred!

YouTube Videos

It’s as easy as typing in what kind of exercise you are looking to do into the YouTube search bar and picking what video looks most appealing to you. YouTube is filled with free workout videos to follow along to. You could even find a dance party workout to your favorite songs! Take some time to do some research and you’ll be sure to find a video that matches your style. 

Second-Hand Equipment

People are always looking to free up space in their homes. This means they are willing to sell their treadmills, stationary bikes, regular bikes, etc., for very cheap! Check out Facebook MarketPlace or Craigslist to search what’s for sale near you, or visit a second-hand store! You’ll be surprised how much success you can find. 

Go Outside!

Take advantage of the beautiful nature and weather we have in Louisiana and take a walk, ride a bike, or go for a run! Go for a hike with friends or follow along to a YouTube video at a park in your backyard! Get creative and have fun! 

Join The Aspen Clinic – We Have 9 Locations in Louisiana

Schedule Appointment 

If you need help getting started, join us! The Aspen Clinic program is based on lifestyle changes, not temporary dieting. In summary, our program is designed to increase your metabolism and help you develop a new set of eating and activity habits. We will individualize your program according to your daily caloric needs to ensure that you are losing fat and avoiding the loss of lean muscle mass. 

Visit any of our Aspen Clinic locations across Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Harvey, Houma, Lafayette, Metairie, Prairieville, and Slidell, or schedule an appointment today to get started!

6 Great Places To Take A Walk In Louisiana

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According to Mayo Clinic, Physical activity, such as walking, is important for weight control because it helps you burn calories. If you add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your daily routine, you could burn about 150 more calories a day. Of course, the more you walk and the quicker your pace, the more calories you’ll burn. According to Trail Link, here are 6 great places across Louisiana to take a walk!

17th Street Canal Trail

The 17th Street Canal occupies an important position in the Greater New Orleans area. It forms the boundary between the City of New Orleans and its neighbor to the west, Metairie in Jefferson Parish. It’s also the largest and most important drainage canal for the city. Earthen levees with grassy sides hem it in, with a concrete wall at the top to contain the water. Right on the top of the west levee, adjacent to the I-wall sits this walking and biking path. The trail parallels the canal waterway from near the pumping station at the mouth of Lake Pontchartrain down to I-10.The tall wall obscures the water but you can catch a glimpse of it from the Veterans Memorial Highway bridge. 

LSU Lakes

LSU Lakes is a 3.9 mile (9,000-step) route located near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. This route has an elevation gain of about 45.9 ft and is rated as easy.

Arthur Ray Teague Parkway Trail

This 8-foot wide hiking and biking pathway sits on the bank of the Red River in south Bossier, Louisiana. The Red River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, and gets its distinct hue from the red soil it has swept away. The trail serves to connect Bossier residents to the waterway by providing a low-stress way to travel along it while getting unobstructed views of the water.  

Baton Rouge Levee Bike Path

Baton Rouge Levee Bike Path links several downtown attractions along the Mississippi River. The Farr Park Equestrian Center, the USS Kidd Naval Museum, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, and the beautiful castle-like Old State Capitol building can all be accessed from the paved pathway. The trail also flanks the western side of the LSU campus.

Crescent Park Trail

Crescent Park is a 1.4 mile linear park located on the banks of the Mississippi River, just outside New Orlean’s popular French Quarter. Built as part of a post-Katrina revitalization effort, the park offers a smooth asphalt trail through its beautifully landscaped grounds for walkers and bikers to enjoy.

Lafitte Greenway

The Lafitte Greenway offers a 2.6-mile linear park through New Orleans, from the edge of the city’s French Quarter to Mid-City and the doorstep of its grand City Park. The route was originally a canal—and later the Norfolk Southern Rail Line—that led to Bayou St. John, which borders the east side of the park. Today, the corridor is a pleasant neighborhood connector.

For more information on these Louisiana trails, like parking and map visuals, check out Trail Link. 

Join The Aspen Clinic – We Have 9 Locations in Louisiana

The Aspen Clinic program is based on lifestyle changes, not temporary dieting. In summary, our program is designed to increase your metabolism and help you develop a new set of eating and activity habits. We will individualize your program according to your daily caloric needs to ensure that you are losing fat and avoiding the loss of lean muscle mass. 

Visit any of our Aspen Clinic locations across Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Harvey, Houma, Lafayette, Metairie, Prairieville, and Slidell, or schedule an appointment today to get started!

You can also visit our online store, we carry all the weight loss essentials including water bottles, vitamins / supplements, protein powders, and more!

Schedule Appointment 

How to Stay Healthy While Working From Home

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Since the Coronavirus Pandemic has forced most of the country to work from home, it seems eating and snacking throughout the day is at an all-time high. Don’t blame yourself, it’s an unconscious habit, and most people who are not lucky enough to have a home office work from their kitchen tables where there is easy access to food. Here are some tips from the Aspen Clinic of Louisiana to help you stay on top of your health while working from home! 

5 Ways to Stay Fit

Get Up Once An Hour: Try to set reminders to get up and move your body at least once an hour if possible. Even if you just talk a walk to the bathroom, it’s great to keep your body moving! 

Stock The Kitchen With Healthy Snacks and Meals: IF you’re going to be in the kitchen, remove all sources of temptation and keep fruits, vegetables, and low calorie foods on hand if you get hungry throughout the day!

Constantly Drink Water: Keep water with you at your workspace at all times. Many studies support the theory that drinking water is beneficial for weight loss. Also, hydration is key for many factors that play a role in weight loss, including digestion and muscle function.

Active Team Meetings: Suggest active meetings to your team. It’s a great way to bond and create some team comradery, and will get everyone’s blood pumping! Follow along to a workout video, or get creative and have fun with it! 

Create a Soothing Environment: According to Entrepreneur, staying home means you have free rein over your surroundings, so make your work area soothing and keep your stress level under control. If you love scented candles, place them around your desk. If a beautiful view helps you stay calm, set up your desk in front of a window or within eyesight of artwork you enjoy.

Join The Aspen Clinic – We Have 9 Locations in Louisiana

The Aspen Clinic program is based on lifestyle changes, not temporary dieting. In summary, our program is designed to increase your metabolism and help you develop a new set of eating and activity habits. We will individualize your program according to your daily caloric needs to ensure that you are losing fat and avoiding the loss of lean muscle mass. 

Visit any of our Aspen Clinic locations across Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Harvey, Houma, Lafayette, Metairie, Prairieville, and Slidell, or schedule an appointment today to get started! 


You can also visit our online store, we carry all the weight loss essentials including water bottles, vitamins / supplements, protein powders, and more!

Schedule Appointment 

World Series Workout

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If you’ve been keeping up with the World Series, you’re probably pretty excited that tonight is game 7!  At the Aspen Clinic we always keep our patients in mind, which means we’ve been thinking about all of you die hard baseball fans who skipped your workouts during the last 6 games… Caught ya!  Okay, maybe you didn’t skip working out completely, but you may have cut it short to get home in time for the game.  So whether you’re a Dodgers fan or an Astros fan, you’ll likely be spending a couple of hours in front of the TV tonight.  Lucky for you, we put together a fun at-home workout that you can do by yourself or with your family during game 7.

We called it the World Series Workout and here’s how it works:

Every time one of these happens during the game simply do the coinciding workout. To add in a little cardio, we recommend walking in place during commercial breaks.

  • Strike out: 10 push ups
  • Walk: 20 jumping jacks
  • Fly out: 50 crunches
  • Foul ball: 20 calf raises
  • Base hit: 10 tricep dips
  • Double play: 30 mountain climbers
  • Error: 20 squats
  • Homerun: 1 minute burpees
  • Stretch during the 7th inning stretch!

– Step up to the plate to stay on track with your weight loss –

Good luck to both teams!

How to Stay Healthy During Hurricane Season

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Hurricane season is in full force, and whether you are flooded in, stuck at home, or have to evacuate we want to make sure you are fully prepared and ready to stick to your workouts!  We put together a hurricane prep workout that you can do from home, work, or a hotel room.  All you need is your body weight and a couple of dumbbells!

Choose your “strength” and destroy your workout!

Category 1: 1-3x

  • Walking lunges: 60 seconds
  • Push-ups: 40 seconds
  • Mountain Climbers: 40 seconds
  • Plank: 40 seconds
  • Jump Squats: 60 seconds

Category 2: 2-3x

  • Bicep curls with dumbbells: 3 sets of 10
  • Chest Press: 3 sets of 10
  • Pushups: 40 seconds
  • Dips: 3 sets of 10
  • Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 10

Category 3: 2-3x

  • Walking lunges: 60 seconds
  • Burpees: 60 seconds
  • Jump squats: 60 seconds
  • Pushups: 45 seconds
  • Plank: 60 seconds

Category 4: 2-3x

  • Burpees: 60 seconds
  • High knees: 30 seconds
  • Box jump: 45 seconds
  • Squats: 60 seconds
  • Bulgarian Split squats: 3Ă—10 each leg

Category 5: 2-3x

  • Push ups: 60 seconds
  • Plank: 60 seconds
  • Jump squats: 60 seconds
  • Burpees: 60 seconds
  • Dips: 60 seconds

We hope that you and your family have a safe hurricane season!

FitBook: Why We Love It

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We are officially two weeks in to the New Year!

Are you still keeping up with your with your resolutions?  Have you given into any cravings, skipped a work out, or failed to meal plan?

Don’t worry!

We have a solution to solve all of your goal setting, meal planning, and time management issues.  It’s called the Fitbook and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you!

What is a Fitbook?

  • A 12-week fitness and nutrition journal that allows you to set goals, plan meals and workouts, track progress, and even set rewards for reaching your goals each week.
  • The Fitbook also includes a space to record daily workouts, food log, track sleep, and keep track of your supplement intake.
  • Weekly wrap-up pages allow Fitbookers to reflect on the good and bad of each week, record if goals were met, and journal any thoughts and inspiration.

Why the Aspen Clinic LOVES the Fitbook

If you know anything about our program, you know that we are HUGE believers in goal setting!  We have watched our patients set and reach goals for almost 30 years and there’s no denying it; writing down your goals gives you a 60% higher chance of achieving it.

So of course when we came across the Fitbook we knew it was something we had to share with our patients.  What more could we ask for?  Not only does it provide our patients with a food and exercise log (which you all know is a major part of our program) but also, our favorite feature, a space to record goals.  Short term as well as long term!  Our little goal setting hearts are just melting thinking of all of you writing down your goals each week! Not to mention, 76% of Fitbookers lose weight. Image result for fitbook quote

Then of course, not only do WE love it, but our patients do too! Fitbook allows them to tie in several aspects of our program including lifestyle change, goal setting, food journal-ing, and maintaining a positive attitude!

If you want something to keep you driven towards your weight loss goals in 2017, our Fitbook is the first thing you need to get your hands on.

Why YOU Would LOVE the Fitbook

You already know the Aspen Family loves the Fitbook, but here are a few reasons why we think you would love it too:

Write it Down, Make it Happen!

(or at least that’s what we always say) The Fitbook is the ultimate goal setting tool, allowing you to set goals for a 12 week period in terms of nutrition, activity, body weight, body fat percentage, and other goals as well! Also, each week you set goals and make a plan for that week and then recap at the end of the week.

There’s a Place for Everything!

Goal setting, food tracking, sleep logging – oh my! Each day in the Fitbook gives you a place to record all of your meals, how you felt about each meal, snacks, water intake, physical activity, hours slept, and overall nutrients consumed. This amount of detail allows you to truly be in touch with your health and how well (or not so well) you take care of your body each day.

Accountability Factor

Setting goals each week and making a plan gets your mind ready to achieve them! Also, writing down everything you eat and tracking your activity makes you aware of eating patterns that need work and days that you need to move a little more.

A Little Motivation Never Hurt Nobody

Weight loss is a tough journey for most, but the Fitbook helps keep you motivated through little notes, quotes, and “you cans” on each page of the book – keeping you constantly motivated throughout your 12 week journal.

Are you convinced yet?

Hands itching for a Fitbook?

Stop in to one of our nine locations or visit our online store to pick up yours and get started on your 12-week journey today!

“An idea is just a dream until your write it down… Then it’s a goal.”

 – anonymous

** Special thanks to Angela Mader, creator of Fitbook, and her fitlosopshy family for giving us this amazing product. **

 

Image result for fitbook