Archive for the ‘Fitness Tips’ Category

Strength training plays a huge role when it comes to fat-loss.  Here are many other benefits:

1. Increases lean muscles mass

2. Increases bone density

3. Improves blood pressure

4. Increases HDL (good) cholesterol

5. Decreases LDL (bad) cholesterol

6. Improves strength – physical and mental

7. Helps with posture

8. Improves metabolism, especially at rest

9. You will see more changes in your body, than by just doing cardio alone

If your goal is to achieve a more attractive, tight and toned looking body, then you definitely need to engage in a strength training routine a minimum of two times a week.

Strength training should be modified to suit the needs and preferences of different client populations.  Most new to lifting or older women prefer machines to free weights.

A frequently asked question I get is, “What should I do first, lift or cardio?”  Even though there are no studies that prove you should do one before the other, I would suggest lifting first.  You will have more energy, getting more out of your strength training routine, which will give you better results.

If you have never lifted weights before, I highly recommend a few sessions with a personal trainer to ensure that you have proper form, don’t injure yourself and to make sure you are using the correct weight for you.  You might be stronger than you think.

Recovery is often overlooked during training/workouts.  Recovery is an essential part of your workout.  It allows you to train more often and harder so you can get more out of your workouts.  It can have a big impact on your fitness gains or performance.

Recovery after exercise is essential to muscle and tissue repair and strength building.

A muscle needs anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to repair and rebuild, and working it again too soon simply leads to tissue breakdown instead of building.  For weight training routines, never work the same muscles groups two days in a row.

Here are at least 4 ways to help you recover:

1. Sleep: Sleep is one of the most important ways to recover.  You might notice you need more sleep on the days you lift verses the days you do cardio.  When you sleep your tissue growth and repair happens, so get plenty of it!

2. Food: When and what you put into your body after a workout is hugely important!  Make sure you fuel yourself within 60 minutes after a workout with high quality protein and a good carbohydrate (fruits or vegetables).

3. Stretching: Stretching is essential after any type of a workout.  It helps prevent soreness and injury, helps elongate the muscles and it helps the muscles recover.

4. Listening to your body: Listening to your body is key and something most of us do not do enough of.  For some reason we feel that we need to run as far as we did the day before or lift as much as we did last week.  Remember, each day is unique and it’s own, don’t compare or judge it to any other day, especially when it comes to your workouts.  If you are feeling tired you may need more recovery time, a walk instead of a jog, or lighter weights than you used last time.  Don’t blow off listening to those signals your body is giving you, who knows, you might even need two days off from your last workout.

Good luck with your workouts and don’t forget to recover!

Thanks for asking about this topic Jamie, hope this helps.

As the New Year fast approaches, the #1 resolution year after year is weight loss.  Unfortunately, according to surveys, only 8% of us keep our resolutions.  A whopping 45% fail by the end of January.  Are you focusing on the right thing?  What do you want to get out of your resolution?  How about more than just weight loss?  How about focusing on feeling better, having more energy, improving your sleep, reducing stress, or improving your health?  If you start moving just to feel better and to have some fun, you might be surprised, the weight might just come off.  Make a date with yourself, put it in your planner and just do it!  Don’t think about it.  The more you think about it, the more likely you are to talk yourself out of it.

I read an interesting article the other day about “making time to workout” and how people say they have no time.  The article mentioned that most of us have time, it just depends on how one wants to spend that time.  For example, if you were given $100 to work out for an hour a day, you would find time to get that workout in, wouldn’t you?  I found that interesting.  Maybe that is the way we need to think about it?

Author and columnist Andrea Rains Waggener points out three things people need to consider before they make a resolution for change:

• What is the point of the resolution?
• Why is the change needed?
• Does the desire for change come from the inside or is it being asserted by some outside force?

Waggener explains how the answers to these questions will determine whether or not a resolution will be successful.  The wrong answers lead to failure.  The right ones pave the way to success.

Below are some ideas to help you keep your weight loss/fitness resolution, or as I like to say, your lifestyle.

1. Have fun!  Find an activity you enjoy.  If you don’t know what you enjoy, try it all — there are tons of options.  Fitness classes (e.g., TurboKick, Zumba, kickboxing, strength fusion, etc.), dance lessons, martial arts, sports (e.g., tennis, basketball, volleyball, swimming, etc.), competitive or just for fun running events (e.g., 3k, 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon, etc.), you name it.

2. Get a workout buddy.  You are more likely to keep your workout dates if you have a buddy waiting for you at class or at the gym.

3. Hire a personal trainer.  If you need to be held accountable, are new to fitness and aren’t sure what to do, want someone else to help motivate and educate you, or simply ensure you are performing exercises properly, a trainer might be a great option for you.

4. Support.  Getting support from your spouse, family, friends or co-workers is very important.  If people are not supportive of your goals, you will have a harder time achieving them, so get them on board!

5. Resolution contract.  Maybe you need a contract to help keep you committed?  Once you print it out, write down your resolutions, frame it and put it where you will see it daily. http://www.goalsguy.com/Events/n_contract.html

6. Vision board.  Cutting out pictures and/or words of what you want to come into your life this year can help keep you focused.  The Law of Attraction seems to work for many.  Just remember, you have to believe you deserve it, want it with all your heart, soul and mind and already see it happening. http://www.thesecret.tv/

Strive to move forward this year.  You will not only look better, but you will feel better mentally, physically and emotionally.

Good luck in 2010.