Shelby Murphy

As much as our society craves quick fixes, the truth is that people who are in great shape most likely got that way, not in one week, not in one month, but after years of making exercise a habit. Like a drop of water eroding rock into curvy canyons, exercise acts much the same way. A little bit, time and again, over the years, chiseling your body into the shape you’ve always desired.
Like anything worth having, long term results come from consistent effort. A solid marriage is built over 20 or more years of faithfulness, attention, and commitment. Wealth grows from regular investing. And a healthy body is created from consistent exercise – not in marathon bouts, but regular sessions several times a week.

It’s the regular habit of anything that makes all the difference. Countless people begin an exercise program with gusto, every January for instance, working out at their new gym daily. When March rolls around, few cars are in those gym parking lots anymore. People who make a realistic commitment, carve out a plan with a trainer, instill accountability, and know that fitness is a lifestyle, not a flavor of the month, find uncommon success. Maybe not overnight, but long-term their results are staggering.

Studio Offer:

Fun Girl Fit Club, M/W/F 6:15 – 7:15 a.m., indoor/outdoor boot camp style workouts – but better!, for women 40+, $179/month, only 5 spots left! 817-326-6321.

The average age of clients at our studio is 53. We serve both men and women. Because women are more inclined to pro-actively address their health (could that be why women live longer?), our clientele is more of the double X chromosomal variety. But you won’t find butterflies on the walls or pink weights. We use state-of-the-industry equipment to ensure the most effective workout for either gender.

Most of our clients have struggled with their weight, have some pre-existing health issues, and don’t care as much about looking magazine-ready as they do about prolonging their life, boosting their quality of life, getting off expensive and damaging medications, and feeling good in their bodies again. They want to achieve goals, play with grandchildren, and travel with a spouse. They want to define themselves in each life chapter and grow healthier with every birthday, rather than withering away in a never-ending chain of doctor’s waiting rooms.

 Studio Offer:

Ready to really live again? Call Scott for a free balance, range of motion, flexibility and body fat assessment at 817-326-6321.

Walking isn’t difficult, doesn’t take a lot of time, is free, doesn’t demand athletic prowess, and doesn’t involve a gym. That’s why walking should be the cornerstone of any exercise regimen. Our bodies were built to walk. Our joints bend to accommodate regular forward movement. It’s easy. Walking doesn’t demand any equipment other than comfortable shoes. And you don’t need to go anywhere in particular – just step outside and go.

I believe so strongly in walking that we challenged our clients at the beginning of the year to “Trek Across Texas.” Using pedometers, they logged the miles they walked or ran until they made it the 820 miles across our huge Texas map. In doing so, they burned an average of 82,000 calories each, which equates to nearly 25 pounds of fat. Our first five finishers were Sandra Williams, Denise Hattox, Fara Freeman, Debbie Pike, and Debbie Dixon. Many more finished after that.

Imagine what the simple act of walking can do for you. Whether you want to make it across the state or around the block, fitness begins with a single step.

Walking Club

Want to join a walking club? Different routes, varying distances, accommodates all abilities, and lots of friendship. Email shelby@empowerfitnessstudio.com for more info.

Gone are the days of working only one muscle group at a time. Sitting in a “Nautilus” or any other weight machine neglects your core and other muscles that provide balance and stability. Not only are the movements boring, your body gets minimal benefit. Perhaps that’s why those machines usually sit empty.

A quality workout should incorporate primal movements like running, jumping, pushing, pulling, climbing, throwing, chopping, and punching into a workout. These are the movements – regardless of age, gender, or weight (every exercise can be modified based on ability) – your body was designed to do. A quality exercise facility offers the opportunities and equipment to do those movements in a supportive, fun environment. From personal training, to boot camp, to a high-intensity cross training program (see below), discover what’s “new” in fitness is based on old fashion work… and results!

In Our Studio:

Get shredded… Maximum Intensity Team Cross Training — a 6-week program for teams of 8 builds strength, stamina, endurance, power, speed and pain tolerance in the ultimate fitness challenge. Call 817-326-6321.

 Hmmm… that’s kind of like cutting back on alcohol and drinking more beer, or cutting back on fat and eating more butter. The scary thing is, is that the magazine didn’t even realize how stupid the statement was and used it as a pull-out quote (which in publishing is usually reserved for witty, poignant, or quotes that sum up what the story is about.)

Fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates! Carbs are nothing more than food from plants. Carbs are a body’s preferred source of energy, because plants create easily accessible energy from solar energy. It’s true that refined carbohydrates, like white pasta (made from wheat which is a plant) and white bread (also made from wheat) elevate your blood glucose level too quickly without offering adequate fiber to buffer the sugar spike. Unrefined carbohydrates, like broccoli, apples, and whole grain breads, provide both energy and fiber at appropriate amounts. So it isn’t that carbohydrates are bad. Healthy eaters consume about 60 percent of their calories from carbs. Some are just better options than others.

One of my missions is to cut through the myths and misunderstanding about nutrition, and make it simple enough to apply to everyday life. Critical to that is knowing how to read a label (do you know how many grams of sugar = one teaspoon or where trans fat is hiding even when the label says Trans Fat Free?), knowing when buying organic pays off, and knowing how to plan a meal that helps you lose weight, boosts health, and saves money.  Take the time to learn (see the Grocery Tour below)… once and for all!

Healthy Eating Seminar/Grocery Tour, Tues. Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m., free for Empower Fitness clients, $20 non-clients, limited spaces available, 817-326-6321

So before you believe another false claim of promising easy answers for weight loss, I beg you to use some common sense. Our bodies have evolved by magnificent design to naturally detox. They don’t need help. Through our 3 natural detox systems — perspiration, expiration, and elimination (which includes our amazing liver, kidneys, and colon) – we get rid of the junk that doesn’t serve us. If you still have “build up” it’s probably fat!

Here’s a simple recipe for a detox that actually works: 1. Eat a balanced diet. 2. Drink plenty of water. 3. Move your body enough every day to cause a sweat. 4. Get a good night’s sleep. That’s it – simple, but definitely not marketable. I bet you won’t see an email or infomercial wanting you to buy that!

For more information about the false claims behind the “detox,” check out the non-profit organization, Sense About Science. www.senseaboutscience.org.

Or, you could take the path carved by the 5 percent who keep their New Year’s resolutions. You could take action. For some, that means going for a walk everyday. For others, it means bumping up the intensity – hiring a reputable trainer or taking a boot camp with a history of results. And for all it means eating better – choosing leans meats, lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts.

There are many strategies to help you get there. But it’s up to you to take action, while there is still time left!

Get Your Life Back special – 8 individual sessions with an Empower Personal Trainer — $199. Expires Sept. 15. www.empowerfitnessstudio.com or 817-326-6321.

Let’s get real. Waiting until everybody else is satisfied to finally look after yourself doesn’t do anybody any favors. In fact, you may actually be shortchanging everyone in your life. Imagine how much richer their lives would be if they had the healthier, thinner, more energetic, less depressed, more full of life you – every day. Imagine the role model you could be as someone who fills her cup so full that her life energy flows to all those who are fortunate enough to be around her. Imagine the message you send to the world when you value your life enough to rank yourself high on your priority list. Imagine the gratitude it sends to God when you take care of the one and only body truly trusted in your care.

The kids are back in school, life continues on as normal, there are no excuses left. You’ll never have a better time than now to take care of the one whom so many depend on… you.

Get Your Life Back special – 8 individual sessions with an Empower Personal Trainer — $199. Expires Sept. 15. www.empowerfitnessstudio.com or 817-326-6321.

Granbury is a golf town – no doubt. No matter how beastly hot or bitterly cold, you’ll always find throngs of golfers out on our beautiful area courses.

 Many of those golfers, however, eventually suffer injuries from repetitive play of a sport that is biomechanically imbalanced. Or, they fail to maximize their golf swing because of a lack of flexibility and strength. Tiger Woods was one of the first professional golfers to actually train for the game. His decade of dominance testifies to the wisdom in training as any athlete would.

 Even if you don’t aspire to the greatness of Tiger Woods, your game and your body, will thank you to train it specifically for the unique movements of golf. Overall, golf is a slow-pace sport very different from fast-movement activities such as basketball or tennis. The exception to this rule is the explosive action of the golf swing, which places significant stress on shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints, and produces high torque forces on the low back and hip structures.

 If your body is not strong in those areas, you may experience game-limiting injuries. You can improve your swing and decrease your potential for injury by performing appropriate stretching and strengthening exercises that produce a flexible and strong musculoskeletal system. As you achieve higher levels of fitness, you can generate more power with less effort, regardless of age, thereby producing a smoother swing with greater club head speed. You will develop more force without forcing the action, which is essential for long and consistent drives. 

Your muscles have the ability to relax and lengthen. Well-designed stretching exercises enhance your muscles’ lengthening capacity, thereby increasing your movement range and improving your joint flexibility, which is key during the backswing and follow through.  

Your muscles also have the ability to contract and shorten, producing varying levels of movement force in the process. Progressive strength training enhances your muscles’ contraction capacity, producing more power and greater resistance to potentially damaging forces. 

Golfers of all ages – but especially seasoned golfers – must have a strength and flexibility program if they want to elevate their game, lengthen their drive, and preserve their bodies.

 Learn how to create your own strength and flexibility program from strength and conditioning expert and accomplished golfer, Jessica Gibson, in a free seminar at Empower Personal Fitness Studio (next to Madison Grill) on Tuesday, September 1 at 7 p.m. Call 817-326-6321 to reserve your seat.