Tag Archives: Fitness

Fitness Facts: STRESS

Posted on by
Reply

20131024-155004.jpg

🔹Stress does not just affect emotions and moods- it is something that can have a very physical effect on the body.
🔹High levels of stress are linked to all kinds of health issues, including high blood pressure, impaired immunity, insomnia, migraines, decreased muscle, increased fat storage, type-2 diabetes, high cholesterol, stroke, & even heart attack.
🔹The primary chemical the body releases during stress is called cortisol. Cortisol can have some positive benefits to the body, but constant high levels can be problematic.
🔹The body releases cortisol when it’s stressed as a safety precaution because it helps with the fight or flight response. It signals the release of glucose and fatty acids to the blood stream to provide energy for muscles.
🔹But too much cortisol can cause the body to increase storage of visceral fat- specifically the kind that stores around the belly. It also increases carbohydrate cravings- which can lead to over eating.
🔹Excess cortisol can cause muscles to tense & the heart rate to increase- so it’s very common for people to get muscle tension or pain, as well as headaches or migraines.
🔹Stress can also cause muscles to break down, as well as negatively impact muscle recovery time & exercise performance.
🔹Stress can also negatively affect reproductive systems. Women can get longer menstrual cycles & worse PMS symptoms, & men can get decreased testosterone or erectile dysfunction.
🔹There are many ways to minimize the effect of stress on your body. The best way to start would be determining the sources of stress in your life & considering better ways of coping with the sources, or consider removing some completely if possible.
🔹Exercise is one of the best activities to help prevent the negative effects of stress. The increased calorie burn & circulation burns off some excess cortisol, and can also allow for deeper sleep, which also decreases cortisol levels. Some other activites that can help are yoga, meditation, massage, sex, or recreational activities.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE #FITNESSFACTS

Information was pulled off Instagram, follow along at fitnessbyclaire for fitness motivation and tips!

Related articles

Halloween ABS: 13 in 2013!

Posted on by
Reply

abs

Most of you have heard this before. Diet is 70% of your weight loss or muscle growth journey. While this is true, today we are going to give you 13 fantastic abdominal exercises that you can do right at home or in the gym. I get questions from people all the time about how I get my abs to show, and while they aren’t quite at the 6 pack formation I want just yet, they are coming along quite nicely:

photo 1 photo 2

I try to maintain my diet as much as possible but usually on the weekends I let it slack a bit as I don’t go to the gym either those two days. That being said, here are 13 exercises that might make you feel a little bit better after eating all that Halloween candy!

1. Body Weight Bridge

untitled

Lie down on the floor. Keep knees bent and feet on the floor. Wrap arms around your upper body. Lift your hip upward. Hold for one second. Return to starting position

2. Body Weight Crunch

crunch

Lie down on the floor. Feet are flat on the floor and knees are bent. Position hands behind your head but do not pull on your neck. Raise your upper body upward while keeping your lower back on the floor. Hold for one second. Return to starting position.

3. Body Weight Bicycle

bicycle-crunches-henry-cavill-workout-08112011

Lie down on the floor. Lift legs so that your thighs are perpendicular with the ground. Put hands behind your head but do not pull on your neck. Move left elbow and right leg toward the body until they touch. Move left elbow and right leg back to starting position. At the same time, move right elbow and left leg toward the body until they touch. This is one repetition.

4. Body Weight Crunch Reverse

reverse-crunch

Lie down on the floor. Lift legs so that your thighs are perpendicular with the ground. Position hands at your sides to stabilize position. Lift lower body towards the ceiling. Stop when only upper back is touching on the floor. Hold for one second. Return to starting position.

5. Heel Touch

altheeltouch2s

Lie down on the floor. Feet are flat on the floor and knees are bent. Position arms to your side. Lift shoulders off the floor. Touch your left heel with your left hand. Hold for one second. Return to starting position. Touch your right heel with your right hand. Hold for one second. Return to starting position. This is one repetition.

6. Plank

untitled2

Lie prone on the floor. Raise yourself up so that only your toes and forearms are on the floor. Keep your back straight. Hold for as long as possible.

7. Side Plank

1203-side-plank

Lie on your side. Make sure one leg is on top of the other. Position your forearm on the floor perpendicular with your body. Use your forearm to lift your upper body off the ground. The other arm is placed on the side of your body. Hold for as long as possible.

8. Body Weight Pull In Seated

93_1 93_2

Sit at the end of the bench and hold onto the bench with both hands. Lie back and raise your legs until you reach a position of balance. Keep legs straight. Bend Legs toward your upper body while you simultaneously move your upper body towards your thighs. Hold this position for one second before return to starting postion.

9. Scissor Kick

scissor-kick-1

Lie down on the floor. Place hands next to your sides. Extend legs fully and slightly elevated. While keeping legs straight, raise one leg up. As you lower leg, raise the other leg up. This is one repetition.

10. Sit-Up

160

Lie back on the floor. Put hands behind your head but do not pull on your neck. Knees are bent and feet are on the floor. Raise your upper body upward. Hold for one second. Return to starting position.

11. Body Weight Toe Touch

toe-touches

Lie down on the floor. Lift legs until legs are pependicular with the floor. Fully extend your arms above you. Reach for your toes with your hands. Hold for one second. Return to starting position.

12. Bodyweight Twist

wm-0807-twist-windmill

Lie down on the floor. Lift legs until thighs are perpendicular with the ground. Keep legs straight. Fully extend your arms to your sides. While twisting the upper body, lower your legs to one side. Hold for one second. Return to starting position. While twisting the upper body, lower your legs to the other side. Hold for one second. Return to starting position.

13. Russian Twist

imagesCAM05HRR

Sit down with your feet flat on the mat. Your knees should be bent. Lean back slightly. Position your hands together and keep your hands in this position for the rest of the movement (you can also hold a light dumbbell or medicine ball for more advanced exercise). Your arms should be perpendicular with your upper body. Twist your torso in one direction. Hold for one second. Twist your torso in the other direction. Hold for one second. This is one repetition.

So there you have 13 abdominal exercises to add to your arsenal. Complete each one 25-30 times. If you can not do them without stopping, take a break as many times as needed but complete 25-30 reps, 3 sets for each exercise. You don’t need to do all 13. Pick 3 for lower abs, 3 for your obliques and 3 for upper abs and this will round out your workout. Next week we will post a sample diet to follow while you try to bring out those abs! Happy Halloween everyone and be safe!

Follow me on Instagram at Fitnessbyclaire or on Twitter @Levyii Join us on Facebook at Fitness By Claire

IIFYM: If It Fits Your Macros

Posted on by
2

iifym

I’m sure lots of people by now have heard of Macros when researching diet options. First let me start by saying that dieting should not be a “diet”, it should be a lifestyle. Once you accept that you are no longer dieting and you are choosing to maintain a healthy lifestyle, you will find it much easier to stick to!

Macronutrient ratios

40-60% CARB    25-35% PROTEIN    15-25% FAT         Higher-carb for bodybuilding
30-50% CARB    25-35% PROTEIN    25-35% FAT         Moderate-carb for maintenance
30-50% CARB    40-50% PROTEIN   30-40% FAT        Lower-carb for fat loss
Your first task should be in deciding what your nutritional goals are. While building lean mass and fat loss can occur simultaneously, it’s best if you do one before the other. I suggest if you have the fat to lose, work on the fat loss first and then concentrate on building lean muscle.
Notice that fat never goes below 15 percent of total calories. Since hormones are constructed from cholesterol and other fat molecules, getting any less than that can actually suppress normal hormone levels. This also has a negative effect on the bodily functions driven by those hormones, including growth and development, metabolism, reproduction, and mood. Low fat intake can also impair absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Even worse, not getting enough essential fatty acids can increase your risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer.
Now body type also plays a role with weight loss and muscle building. The three body types are Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph.
ECTOMORPH

An Ectomorph is best described as slender. Characteristically, they have delicate bone structure, small shoulders and chest, and a fast metabolism. Ectomorphs are the classic “hardgainers.” They find it hard to gain weight and put on mass.

On the plus side, it’s easy for them to get lean. They tend to require a greater percentage of carbohydrates to prevent muscle catabolism, as well as a higher calorie intake overall.

MESOMORPH

A mesomorph is someone who trends toward being muscular. They’re often strong, athletic hard-body types with well-defined muscles, broad shoulders, and dense bone structure. Mesomorphs generally have little trouble gaining muscle or losing fat, though they will put on fat more readily than ectomorphs.

They can handle a moderate level of carbs due to their ample capacity to store muscle glycogen. Weight gain will happen, however, if carbs and calories are overly high. No body type is immune to a bad diet!

ENDOMORPH

The endomorph is best described as soft. They typically have a round or pear-shaped body, shorter limbs, a stocky build, and a slower metabolism.

Endomorphs can put on a lot of muscle, but they also tend to carry more adipose tissue and thus have a greater propensity to store fat. Because excess carbohydrates in the endomorph’s diet end up as fat, a high carbohydrate intake will make it difficult for them to get lean or lose weight

Now, I weigh about 122lbs and I’m trying to lean down to about 115lbs. I have broken my macros down as follows:

I follow the 50% 25% 25% rule where 50% of my calories come from protein, and 25% from carbs and fats. I respond well to a low carb diet anyway so it’s easy to maintain that low carb level.

Total calories to eat in a day: 1440 (this is based on a few mathematical calculations along with my activity level and how I know my body to react to exercise)

Protein = 720 calories or 180g of protein.

Carbohydrates = 360 calories or 90g of carbs

Fats = 360 calories or 40g of fats

I tend to keep my carbs a bit lower than 90g and my fats a bit higher due to following the Primal Diet. These numbers can be played with based on your goals and bodyweight.

Start tracking what it is you eat and you’ll be surprised just what fits within your macros. Now, you should also know that just because you have some wiggle room in your carb allowance, that does not mean you can go out and eat a cake and feel good about it. Theres so much sugar in something like that, that it will have a negative impact on what you are doing.

Keep these tips in mind as the holidays are fast approaching. Want to know how to avoid the weight gain and maintain your healthy lifestyle while still indulging with family these holidays? Follow us here for holiday diet tips and tricks to help you stay on track!

Follow on Instagram @eatliftinspire for recipes and workout motivation!

Follow along on Twitter @levyii for blog updates and workout tips!

 

Related articles

5 Ways to Motivate Your Workout

Posted on by
3

Do gym sessions have you stuck in a rut? If you find yourself more drawn to washing out the bathtub, mowing the lawn, or continuously waiting until next Monday to start getting your fitness on track, it’s time for a change.

1 / Refresh Your Playlist

There’s absolutely no denying it, music plays a pivotal role in workout motivation. Not only has self-selected music been shown to increase performance during explosive exercise, but one study from Ohio State suggests that listening to music while exercising might improve verbal fluency and overall mental performance1. Tune in to benefit both your body and brain.

Most people come to a halt as soon as the music stops, so a fully charged Mp3 player is essential. Branch out from the basics and make sure your motivation holds strong by continually refreshing your playlist. Seek new music that keeps your energy up. Aim for songs that meet the recommended 120-140 beats per minute (BPM)—the pace that roughly corresponds to the average person’s heart rate during a workout routine.

If you’ve been listening to the same songs for a while, change them before they lose their “pump-you-up” appeal. Find some fresh new music to get you excited to hit the gym again.

2 / Watch Any Motivational Personal Trainer

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. While you might not be able to afford a personal trainer, turning to the Internet for some pre-workout fitspiration is a great way to pump up your motivation level.

The advent of YouTube lets you easily locate just about any sort of video that inspires you—whether that is an instructional how-to, a compilation of ‘mirin-worthy photos, or a demo by a strong, powerful trainer you admire. Watch one or two videos before you hit the gym and, chances are, you’ll give a much better effort.

3 / Try A Pre-Workout Supplement

The next must-do if you want to keep from falling off the workout bandwagon is to try out a pre-workout supplement. If you have never used a pre-workout product before, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you’ve been using the same one for years, it’s time for a refresher. The supplement industry constantly changes, and companies come out with new and improved versions and formulas of existing products.

Whether you’re after more power, more energy to combat fatigue, or improved mental focus and concentration, you can find a pre-workout tailored to your specific needs.

20130912-105336.jpg

4 / Set Specific Workout Goals
While it’s great to work toward that six-pack, or post photos of giant biceps on your vision board, short-term goals are paramount to your success. When you only focus on that long-term objective far off in the distance, it becomes much easier to skip a session or have one too many cheat meals. Take some time before you start each workout session and choose one or two specific things you want to accomplish during that workout. This way, your workout has greater meaning, and you have a real reason to hit the gym.

What’s also great about this technique is that after each workout is completed, and you successfully accomplish the goal you set out to do, you’ll experience a huge boost to your self-efficacy. You increase your belief that you can dominate any workout you set out to achieve.

5 / Try One New Exercise Variation Per Workout

Finally, change things up if you want to see significant improvements to your drive and desire. Try adding in one new exercise variation per workout. New exercises keep you interested. We all seek variety in our routine and, if it’s not being met, we’re likely to skip a session. One slight change is often all you need to create the variety your mind craves. There is no need for extensive planning. A change could be as easy as using a different grip placement on the bench press or using a wider stance for your full-depth squat sets.

An additional benefit to using this technique: it prevents you from hitting that dreaded plateau. Having ongoing change added to your workout program is going to be vital to ensuring your workout success.

Related articles

Fitness Facts: Glutes!!

Posted on by
Reply

Fitness Facts: GLUTES
🔹Glutes is short for Gluteals, which are a group of 3 muscles that make up the buttocks and consist of the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, & gluteus maximus.
🔹The glutes are the largest & strongest muscle group in the human body.
🔹Around 68% of the glutes are comprised of slow-twitch muscle fibers, which react best to low weight, high rep exercises. One of the best ways to develop the glutes is to start with the low rep heavier compound leg exercises (ex: squats, deadlifts, or lunges), then transition to isolation with low weight and high rep (ex: walking lunges, lateral band walks, rear kicks… etc).
🔹Excessive sitting or standing can often lead to tight hip flexors, imbalanced quadricep strength, and tight hamstrings. This can lead to injury, poor posture, or chronic lower back pain. Strengthening the glutes can help prevent a lot of these negative effects.
🔹Well balanced glutes not only look better, but can also help exercise performance! Running speed, jump height, and balance can all be improved with stronger glutes.
🔹The heels are the base of the feet that support the majority of the glutes in most standing exercises (squats, deadlifts, lunges… etc), so generally if more energy is driven down into the heels, the more the glutes will be activated.
🔹Here are some of the best exercises to work the 3 glute muscles: squats or deadlifts for the gluteus maximus, 1-legged deadlifts or lunges for the gluteus medius, and lateral band walks or side-lying leg lifts for the gluteus minimus.
🔹Stair climbing, walking lunges, & sprinting are great cardio exercises that also target the glutes.

Life’s Surprises

Posted on by
4

DSC_0270June 26, 2013 started as any other normal day until 9 am arrived. This was the day I made a second trip to the Emergency Room for some pretty weird symptoms. Let me back it up a week. On June 20th I was driving with another co-worker to a meeting when I lost vision in my left eye. Not being a stranger to miraines with auras I shrugged it off and kept driving as I could still see mostly. A few minutes later I lost control and movement in my right hand. yeah, you read that correcly. Did I forget to mention I’m only 31?? Within 10 minutes all the “stroke symptoms” subsided and I carried on with my day wondering what just happened.
Long story short on June 26th I could hear my pulse in my left ear and decided to return to the ER to figure out what was going on. After being admitted we were informed the next day that I suffered from a Carotid Artery Dissection. I tore the inner lining of my carotid in two places and did in fact suffer a stroke a week prior. I was rushed to the ICU and Cath Lab where a 2.3 inch long stent was inserted into the back of my head. Needless to say I am one lucky girl!
This blog will be dedicated to my continuing fitness and healthy lifestyle while helping others who might be going through similar situations. I can no longer lift heavier than 20lbs for the rest of my life and this hugely impacts my workout routines. So the search for new and innovative workouts continues all while following the Primal Diet…wait…Primal Diet? What is that? Stay tuned to find out!