Training

Spring Into Shape with a 20-Day Challenge!

Training

t’s almost March, which means we’ve made it through the worst of winter (knock on wood!). Can you believe that spring is less than a month away? Although the arrival of spring promises warmer weather and better conditions for exercising outdoors, it might also make some of us realize that we hibernated a little too much over the winter. Maybe you skipped a few workouts due to bad weather or the flu, or the winter blues derailed even your best efforts to stay consistent. It can be hard to get active again after a lull in your exercise plan, but it’s entirely possible to get back on your feet. And we’re here to help you do it!

From March 1 through March 20 (the official first day of spring!), we’re challenging YOU to ”Streak into Spring” with us. For these 20 days, make a point to fit at least 10 minutes of exercise into your day, and keep the streak going right up until the end of winter. You can do whatever you’d like—running, walking, strength training moves, intervals, etc. As long as you’re moving and getting your heart rate up, anything goes!

The best part? We’ll be there to support you along the way. Each day of the challenge, comment on our Facebook page using the hashtag #IAmAlive to stay accountable and let us know how you’re doing. Then, we’ll serve up tips and encouragement to keep you headed in the right direction! We will also be posting daily on Facebook, to check in with your progress using the same #IAmAlive.

We’ve seen time and time again how our members have made small, consistent actions that snowball into bigger lifestyle changes. We KNOW that making an effort to spend a daily chunk of time on your fitness (even a tiny chunk) will help you revamp your goals and step into spring on a healthier, happier and more energized note! Are you up for the challenge? Let’s start streaking!

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Why is it important to warm up before exercise?

1 Comment / Training
Why is it important to warm up before exercise?
A A warm up is the act of preparing for an athletic event or workout by exercising or practicing for a short time beforehand. Warming up helps reduce your risk of injury and the aches and pains that come with exercise. The physiological reason to warm up is to assist your circulatory system in pumping oxygen-rich blood to your working muscles. The idea is to increase circulation throughout the body in a gradual manner. A proper warm up safely prepares the body for the increased demands of exercise. Cold muscles do not absorb shock or impact as well, and are more susceptible to injury.A warm-up helps you prepare both mentally and physically for exercise and reduces the chance of injury. During a warm up, any injury or illness you have can often be recognized, and further injury prevented. Other benefits of a proper warm up include:

  • Increased movement of blood through your tissues, making the muscles more pliable.
  • Increased delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. This prevents you from getting out of breath early or too easily.
  • Prepares your muscles for stretching
  • Prepares your heart for an increase in activity, preventing a rapid increase in blood pressure
  • Prepares you mentally for the upcoming exercise
  • Primes your nerve-to-muscle pathways to be ready for exercise
  • Improved coordination and reaction times

A low impact exercise, such as biking or walking or using an elliptical or rowing machine is the best way to warm up.

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7 Ways to Stop Craving Junk Food

1 Comment / Nutrition, Training

Ramp up your resolve

One reason most diets fail is that long-term goals can be deceptively difficult: When the plan is to watch what you eat for the next six months, chugging one caramel latte with whipped cream seems like a minor slip. To avoid that kind of thinking, commit to eating well for a fixed amount of time that you’re 100 percent confident you can manage, even if it’s just a few days.

“Once you make it to your goal date, start over,” says Mary Vernon, M.D., chair of the board of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. “This establishes the notion that you can be successful and gives you a chance to notice that eating better makes you feel better, reinforcing your desire to continue.”

Find meaningful motivation

If the main purpose of your diet is cosmetic–i.e., to look amazing in boy shorts–you’re unlikely to stick with it for the long haul.The solution: “Arm yourself with additional motivators,” says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., of the University of Connecticut. He suggests keeping a daily journal in which you monitor migraines, heartburn, acne, canker sores, and sleep quality in addition to body measurements and the number on the scale.

“Discovering that your new diet improves the quality of your life and health is powerful motivation,” Volek says.

Move on after a mistake

OK, you overindulged. What’s the next step? “Forget about it,” says James Newman, a nutritionist at Tahlequah City Hospital, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, who followed his own advice to shed 300 pounds. (That’s right, three hundred.) “One meal doesn’t define your diet, so don’t assume that you’ve failed or fallen off the wagon,” he says.Institute a simple rule: Follow any “cheat” meal with at least five healthy meals and snacks. That ensures that you’ll be eating right more than 80 percent of the time.

Roll out of bed and into the kitchen

Sure, you’ve heard this advice before. But consider that if you sleep for six to eight hours and then skip breakfast, your body is essentially running on fumes by the time you get to work. And that sends you desperately seeking sugar, which is usually pretty easy to find.The most convenient foods are typically packed with sugar (doughnuts, lattes) or other quickly digested carbohydrates (McMuffins, cinnamon buns). Which brings us to our next strategy.

Restock your shelves

How many times have you driven to the store in the middle of the night to satisfy a craving? Probably not nearly as often as you’ve raided the fridge. You’re more likely to give in to a craving when the object you desire is close at hand. So make sure it’s not: Toss the junk food and restock your cupboard and fridge with almonds and other nuts, cheese, fruit and vegetables, and canned tuna, chicken, and salmon. And do the same at work.”By eliminating snacks that don’t match your diet and providing plenty that do, you’re far less likely to find yourself at the doughnut-shop drive-thru or the vending machine,” says Christopher Mohr, Ph.D., R.D., president of Mohr Results, a fitness and nutrition consulting firm in Louisville, Kentucky.

Think like a biochemist

Cookies made with organic cane juice might sound like something your yoga teacher would eat, but they won’t help her fit into her Lycra pants. Junk food by any other name is still junk. Ditto for lots of “health foods” in the granola aisle. “Natural” sweeteners like honey raise blood sugar just like the white stuff.”If you’re going to eat cookies, accept that you’re deviating from your plan, and then revert to your diet afterward,” Berkowitz says. Kidding yourself will only get you into trouble.

Spot hunger impostors

Have a craving for sweets even though you ate just an hour ago? Imagine sitting down to a large, sizzling steak instead. “If you’re truly hungry, the steak will sound good, and you should eat,” says Richard Feinman, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. “If it doesn’t sound good, your brain is playing tricks on you.”His advice: Change your environment, which can be as easy as stretching at your desk or turning your attention to a different task.

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Can other drinks such as diet sodas and herbal tea count towards my 8 glasses of water for the day?

Nutrition, Training
Q Can other drinks such as diet sodas and herbal tea count towards my 8 glasses of water for the day?
A The latest recommendations from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, Dietary Reference Intake for Electrolytes and Water say:”The fluids consumed do not have to be only water. Individuals can obtain their fluids from a variety of beverages and foods. Contrary to popular opinion, consumers do not need to consume ‘eight glasses of water a day’ to meet their fluid needs.”

However my own personal opinion, particularly for people trying to lose weight, is to encourage additional water intake whenever possible. I feel it helps to cleanse the body when weight loss and fat breakdown is occurring. I also know that it helps to keep the hands and mouth busy, so snacking is less. This is a form of behavior modification. I personally know that many people feel better when at least 4-6 glasses of plain old H2O is consumed to help meet total fluid needs.

Written by Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian

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3 Benefits of Strength Training

Training

Here’s 3 reasons why strength and weight training

is important for athletes: (www.insidegainersecrets.com)

1. Strength is the foundation that speed, explosiveness and power are built on. Take a look around at the top speed and power athletes
in the world and notice that they almost all are extremely strong, and train with weights.

2. Besides the performance benefits, more muscle and strength helps you prevent injuries and nagging pains, so you spend more time in the game, and less stuck on the sidelines.

3. Weight training supercharges your metabolism and burns body-fat fast, so if you’re a little overweight or could stand to lose a little weight, lifting weights is probably the best way to go (besides a sound diet, of course).

That being said, the common message for athletes nowadays and getting stronger is to pick a few different compound movements and stick with them, consistently adding weight and getting stronger with them. And while that message is great (and I eschew it all the time to clients and subscribers), it’s a little too simple for those that are truly serious about their athletic careers.

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