Terry Streetman (Host): Welcome back to Well Within Reach. I'm Terry Streetman Riverside Marketing and Communications representative. We're here today with Peyton Bovie, a fitness specialist at Riverside Health Fitness Center. Today we're going to be talking about the health benefits of increased movement and exercise. Thanks for joining us, Peyton.

Peyton Bovie: Thank you for having me. I'm very happy to be here.

Host: All right. Well, before we get into our questions, we're going to take a quick break for a message about MyChart.

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Host: Well, welcome to the podcast, Peyton. Can you tell us about your background and your role because this is your first time here with us?

Peyton Bovie: Yeah, for sure. So, I'm born and raised in  Bourbonnais, Illinois. I went to Bishop McNamara for high school and then went on to Olivett Nazarene University where I played baseball, and then I also got my bachelor's degree in exercise science there. I'm from here, very happy to be from Bourbonnais. I love it a lot.

And then I've also been at Riverside Health Fitness Center for about three years. Like you said, I'm a fitness specialist, but I also do exercise orientations, fitness assessments, personal training, and then I also do some group exercise classes as well.

Host: Okay. So yeah, a student of the form and also a practice. You got baseball and all that. A lot of experience there. Well that's awesome. So I guess that can help you answer this first question we have here. I think for a lot of people who don't have that athletic background or that educational background, exercise and fitness can be kind of intimidating.

Like, where do I start? What do I do? What would you tell people who are kind of nervous or unsure of how to start?

Peyton Bovie: Yeah, so for a lot of my first time assessments, that's kind of what they tell me. They tell me that they don't want to look silly. And I'm like, don't worry, you will not look silly. Everyone is kind of in the same boat the first time they do something. So I tell them more than half of the battle is just getting started. I understand there is fear there, but you know, as soon as they get in a consistent schedule of going to the gym, they love it. I've been there for about three years and let me tell you, the people that I have been working with, they just love it. But it's all about consistency. But, once they find that consistency, they love it.

Host: Well, that's great. Yeah, I think that fear of looking silly is pretty common, but you know, that's the advice you get sometimes the first step to being good at something is being really bad at it. So yes.

Peyton Bovie: Yep.

Host: You just gotta get going. Okay so then once people get going, I mean some of this may, seem obvious, but can you talk about some of the health benefits that people will get from just sort of regular activity and exercise? Not even necessarily, going out there and crushing it every day, but just moving.

Peyton Bovie: Yeah, so there's a ton of benefits. I mean, just to not live a sedentary lifestyle. Like you said, it doesn't have to be anything crazy. You don't have to be at the gym for two, three hours. I mean, you can go for a nice, simple walk around the neighborhood will make you feel so much better.

 I'm talking improved mood, weight management and reduced risk of heart disease. Also just better sleep and then you just can just feel better mentally as well. When you have a goal of going to the gym and then you reach it, your body feels good accomplishing that goal both mentally and physically.

Host: That's great. Yeah. I think we think about those physical benefits a lot, but those mental benefits and the sleep especially, that has such a huge impact on everything. So, people who are trying to get started then, they want to jump into it. I think sometimes, there is that fear of looking silly, but there's also that idea of like, I gotta go out there and push myself to my limit immediately.

What should people do to maybe ease into it instead of throwing themselves fully in to avoid, like, injury and overuse?

Peyton Bovie: Yeah. So I get that a lot. You know, when we're doing the first time assessments, people tell me their goals and people tell me that they're going to come in here seven days a week, sometimes two a days. They're going to eat nothing but chicken and broccoli and, you know, they're going to kill their goals, which, you know, more power to you.

But it's a very unobtainable goal. So I tell them, start off with two to three times a week. Because what happens if they don't come in seven days a week, then mentally you just feel bad about yourself and then you don't end up coming in at all. Another thing that I mainly stress to my clients is that it's all about the correct form.

Right. If you're not doing the correct form and you're just loading up on weight, there is a very, very good chance that you are going to hurt yourself. And nobody wants injuries. Right? Because that will just set you back. And then furthermore, a lot of the muscles that you use during like a weight training session, we don't really use them throughout the day of just walking around. So we don't use a lot of the muscles, so it's going to feel very, very different than the muscles that we normally do.

Host: Okay. Well that's definitely helpful. And I think to your point, yeah. If your goal is seven days a week and then you hurt yourself, you get zero days a week. So, yes.

Peyton Bovie: Yeah. And then you're very frustrated, and then you don't come back.

Host: Yep. Well that's good. I think hopefully people take that advice. I know you're here from the fitness center, that is more of an indoor space. We will get to some of that, but as the weather warms up and people want to get outside more. You kind of mentioned even just walking around the neighborhood, but what are some outdoor things that people can try to do? Some of these, you know, easing themselves in as the weather warms up?

Peyton Bovie: If you're a newcomer, walking around the neighborhood is fine, 10, 15 minutes just doing something outside, something to get your heart rate just a little elevated. It's absolutely fine. Like I said, I like playing baseball. I played through college. I would consider myself somewhat of an athlete, so I like doing things that don't seem strenuous. Right. So whether that's basketball, whether that's pickleball, whether that's hiking at the state park. Those are the things that I enjoy. I mean, and now you go around town, it seems like there's pickleball courts everywhere. So it's a very good exercise and it can be for people with all fitness levels.

Host: Yeah, I think that's really helpful and gives people something to do and enjoy the weather. And then I think you also get that benefit of vitamin D and sunshine, which, it all just continues to add up. So, for people who want to get exercising, and this could be either indoor or outdoor, but what are some of those low impact exercises that people can do that would be good for them if they need something a little less intense?

Peyton Bovie: Yeah, so at Riverside we have a pool. So water walking is one of my favorite things that people can do, if they're coming off of surgery or if they need some therapy. Water walking is so, so good. And then at Riverside, with my clients specifically, if they have balance problems, coordination problems, we have this piece of equipment called the TRX Band.

 So you can set this up on a hook and you have two handles, and then you can just do your exercises, but with that extra stability. So what I will do too is, I will have them do squats and squats or sit to stands. So sit to stands is a very good squat variation because it's very easy on the joints and it's just like a squat.

So say, you know, someone has bad knees. Say someone, has trouble doing a conventional squat, then I'm say, okay, let's sit in this chair. And then let's stand up. Let's sit in this chair and then let's stand up. And, you know, we kind of just go from there. And as they get more comfortable with the movement, then we'll progress to a squat.

Also stretching and a proper warmup is very, very important for a well-rounded workout. You do not want to start your workout with cold muscles, right? You want to get that heart rate a little bit up. And also flexibility is so important because as we age, we just get less flexible and we do for sure want to focus on that as well.

Host: I wish I didn't relate so well to that, but I know I'm so bad at it too. But I think it goes back again, this sort of through line of all of this is you don't have to and you don't want to rush in. Yes. Doing that prep easing into it makes such a difference. Okay, so before our next question then we'll take a moment to talk about the importance of primary care.

Consistency is being able to count on someone to be there when you need them. At Riverside Healthcare, your primary care provider is dedicated to being in your corner, helping you and your family stay healthy and thrive. Find the right primary care provider for you at myrhc.net/acceptingnew. From annual screenings to well checks and everything in between, having a primary care provider that you can trust makes all the difference.

Okay, so we're back. And now you know, specifically with the fitness center, I think you've talked about some of the things that make it special, especially in the area. We've got a pool, we've got all this equipment that can be helpful to do things in different ways.

How can the fitness center and the things that you have there help people who are looking to get started or if there are already working out or exercising, how do they step that up? What can you do for them?

Peyton Bovie: So at Riverside specifically, we have fitness assessments. Fitness assessments are free for our members, so it's no extra cost and you meet with a certified personal trainer who has a degree in either exercise science or kinesiology. So that's a perfect way to dip your foot in the water, and it is a great learning experience. I tell my clients, obviously I want you to have a good workout. I want you to come with me, but I treat it as a learning experience.

I really do. So with that, we have fitness assessments, and then you can also do a exercise orientation. So that means, if you have any questions about fitness, then they're there to answer that. But then they'll give you a guided tour of the gym, prescribe you exercises that you need to meet your goals. And it's perfect. They write them down on sheets, so it's very, very nice.

Host: Nice. Yeah, I think it can be, again, a little intimidating. You walk in, there's all this equipment. The fitness center, I can say having been in there not as often as I should, it's incredible. There's so much in there. So that tour I think is amazing.

Peyton Bovie: Yes. And also with the machines super, super nice. All the machines have numbers on them. So if I prescribe somebody a lat pull down machine, and it's your first time in the gym and you come back, okay, what the heck is a lat pull down machine.

But it's nice because you have the number, you can go to the machine, and then that fitness specialist has already wrote down all the settings for you. So you will not need to worry about that at all.

Host: Awesome. Yeah, that can be a little bit confusing. So you've talked about some of the stuff, some of the things that you can do to help. I think one of the things that has helped me in the past and I know can be good is like a class or an activity. You get a little bit of a built-in accountability and structure. What kind of resources and classes do you guys have there?

Peyton Bovie: Okay. We have a lot. And the good thing is they are all free and you do kind of get that mix of personal training and the accountability aspect of it, but for no cost. So some of our classes include, you know, we have cycling classes, we have yoga classes, we have chair yoga. We have Zumba, if you like, Zumba, getting a nice dance in while you work out. We have a circuit based strength HIT workout where you go to different stations.

We have Pilates, and then this is one that's kind of near and dear to my heart because I am a instructor of it. We offer Rock Steady, so Rock Steady boxing, a lot of people don't know what it is, but it's a Parkinson's related boxing class. So it's shown, for boxing, if they have Parkinson's, that it slows the symptoms down for that just doing fast paced muscle movements. So I've been doing that for three years. Love my classes. They're such a tight knit group. So it's awesome. It's definitely one of my favorite things about working there.

Also, we have this new, app, so it's called Volt. It's a guided exercise app. So again, it will give you workouts specifically. So that is very, very nice for new members who really don't know exactly what to do. We'll prescribe you Volt programs and then you can do them by yourself. Very, very nice app. We also have a Body Script machine, so the Body Script machine will just tell you kind of all the baseline numbers that you need to know.

A lot of people come in and they tell me, okay, my goal is to lose 20 pounds. I'm like, okay, that's a fine goal, but, let's look more into these numbers, because if we're gaining muscle mass and we're losing fat, those kind of numbers will even out. So let's look more into the numbers where we can get our percent body fat, and our lean muscle mass, so you guys aren't just concentrating on that one number.

Also, we have about 12 pool classes to choose from. Very, very popular. I have about, like 30 people in each pool class. So, yeah, that is definitely one of our more popular classes.

Host: Okay. That's really cool. And I think going back to that Rock Steady, I think that's a cool thing with it being tied the fitness center to Riverside, is that sort of tie in with the clinical side and the medical side of folks can go there as part of a treatment or a rehab or recovery. And we've got folks over there who are knowledgeable in that or can work with your primary care, potentially, which I think maybe leads us into the next question if somebody wants to get started, should they just jump into it?

I think we've kind of covered, they maybe shouldn't, but, should people be like consulting with their primary care provider or any of their doctors before they start a new exercise routine?

Peyton Bovie: Yeah. So yes, I would strongly recommend consulting their doctor. If you want to work with a fitness specialist, you have to. So it is a requirement. And then if they're a normal member, it's technically not required, but I very, very, very highly, highly, highly recommend it.

Host: Okay. Well that, that's a good thing for folks to remember. We're getting toward the end here. What would you say is the biggest takeaway for people who are listening to this? What should they walk away from this mainly, remembering?

Peyton Bovie: If there's one thing that I would want the audience to take away from this, doing something is always better than doing nothing. So doing some form of physical activity, whether it's walking around your neighborhood is always better than just sitting on the couch. So doing something is always better than doing nothing.

Host: Okay. Yeah, just get out there and move. I love that. Well, that's kind of all the questions I have for you. Before we wrap up, anything else that you'd like to add?

Peyton Bovie: You know, I would just like that they, thank you for having me. Um, it was a ton of fun for me. You know, I was a little nervous at first, but I think it was a really good experience and I hope that you and everyone listening, you have a great day.

Host: Well, thank you. Yeah. And I think, we've talked about that a lot today. Can be a little bit intimidating to get started, but hey, you know, we had a good time here.

Peyton Bovie: We did it. We did it.

Host: Yeah, that's right. Well, if people are interested in learning more about the Riverside Health Fitness Center, they can call 815-929-1200 or visit riversidehealthfitness.com.

Thank you everyone for tuning in. Thank you Peyton for joining us and thank you everyone for tuning into Well Within Reach presented by Riverside Healthcare. Please take a moment to rate and leave a review for Well Within Reach on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

To learn more about Riverside, visit riversidehealthcare.org.