EXERCISE IS MEDICINE
Regular exercise is often the best medicine! And now the American Medical Association has teamed up with the American College of Sports Medicine to get doctors to prescribe exercise! Their "Exercise Is Medicine" effort launched in 2007 to fight exercise-preventable diseases and to improve the health of patients with a variety of medical conditions including Diabetes, Heart Disease, Parkinsons Disease, Stroke, etc. Regular exercise not only makes you look and feel stronger and healthier, it can improve your mood, lower your blood pressure, strengthen your bones (anti-osteoporosis), lower your risk of some cancers, protect you against injury, and more.
Brian is certified through The American College of Sports Medicine and has experience training clients with all kinds of injuries and/or conditions. In every case, Brian works as needed with a client's physician, physical and/or occupational therapist, and their families to insure a safe and effective approach. Here are a few examples:
STROKE RECOVERY - PARKINSON'S BOXING - ILLNESS RECOVERY
STROKE RECOVERY
Mrs. R. suffered a "severe" stroke a couple of years ago, mostly paralyzing her on her left side. She started walking again with a walker, and was still falling down regularly when the physical therapy insurance ran out. She had to pay $250 an hour out of pocket to continue. Then I was called in to "fix" a very very complicated problem (for less than half the hourly rate :-).
I began by working with her physical therapist and her doctors to be sure we could train within a safe set of parameters. From there, it was a "one step at a time" process to create my own Stroke Recovery Method, something totally customized to her needs and ability. Last year, her neurologist called our results "a marvel" and she keeps improving to this day. Have a look below at her progress videos and contact us for more information.
Bodstar Fitness Stroke Recovery Exercises: Mrs. R
Bodystar Stroke Recovery Training
Stroke Fitness Training
Stroke Training: Foot Drop Exercises
PARKINSON'S BOXING
Mr. G was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease a few years ago and soon started struggling with daily activities. He had to quit his job, stop driving, and had to severely limit his activities. Luckily, his wife knew that vigorous exercise has been proven to delay and even REVERSE Parkinson's symptoms. She started bringing Mr. G to Parkinson's exercise classes, but they found them to be far away, overcrowded, and lacking in a variety of ways.
I was called in to turn up his training and deliver better results. I've earned my Rock Steady Parkinson's Boxing Instructor certification, and I knew plenty of exercises that could be customized to challenge him safely. We went to work, targeting his balance, walking gait, core strength, and more. Boxing-wise, Mr. G went from a few punches a session to over 500 punches a session, and soon his Parkinson's symptoms improved and kept improving. He became stronger and more confident return to a healthier lifestyle - contact us for more information.
Fighting Parkinson's
one punch at a time!
ILLNESS RECOVERY
Mrs. L had cancer and fought over a year to get it into remission. She had an operation, radiation, and a few rounds of chemotherapy. In the end, she was physically worn down, all the time in chemo and in bed took it's toll. She wanted to get her life back, so I was called in to carefully re-introduce her body to exercise and sustained effort. In a few months, her energy and confidence had returned and she felt like she had come out of a dark valley and into the light...
Illness recovery is a customized approach; the exercises have to fit your current condition and comfort level - and slow is the best way to go! I've trained a variety of recovering clients, and I'm elated to see them flourish again. Contact us to discuss getting your strength back!
Good News! It's time to start exercising to get your strength back. I know just the right trainer
COOL! Stretching and lying down is really boring, so let's roll
DIABETES
About 422 Million people have diabetes worldwide, making diabetes one of the leading causes of death in the world. About 34+ million Americans have diabetes, and about 88 million Americans are pre-diabetic.
The good news is that regular exercise and diet changes are the best kind of non-drug medicine! The benefits are too many to count, but it can help you control your weight, lower your blood pressure, lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, raise your healthy HDL, strengthen your muscles and bones, reduce your anxiety and depression, and more. You should start training right away and keep at it! We can help A LOT: contact us for more information.
The only thing looking better than my numbers is ME! Ha-ha
Special Needs
Unfortunately, the special needs community is under-supported in a lot of ways. Every person is unique, so mainstream fitness programs won't always apply. It's 100% customized to fit the client's goals. Little known fact: I have experience in the field. I worked my way through college teaching special needs kids. My 10 years of experience includes 2 years as a class room teacher for wheel chair-bound developmentally disabled kids, and 3 years running an adult independence group home at Misericordia Home, Chicago.
As a trainer, I've trained and still train a variety of clients with special needs and I enjoy it! For example, I taught an autistic boy to ride a skateboard safely per his (and mom's) dream. I trained a severely disabled boy to rise up on his elbows so that he could lie in shallow water (swim for him). Training can be weights, running, or sport specific or all customized per each persons' needs. Contact us for more information.
A former teacher (my class above) - still teaching and training today.
Brian is a "BETTER" choice among North Shore personal trainers
- Better Magazine
