2 Reasons YOU Should Strength Train To Lose Weight!

2 Reasons YOU Should Strength Train To Lose Weight!

1.  Themore muscle you have, the higher your base metabolism will be and the morecalories you will burn even at rest. 
2.  Second reason is more important. Whenever you loseweight, you will lose some muscle along with the fat. If you don't exercise anddo some strength training, up to 30% of the weight you lose can come frommuscle loss, that isn't likely to be healthy over the long haul. Goodstrength and muscle tone are essential for functional living and health. Youcan hold your muscle loss down to 3-5% total weightloss with moderatestrength training. 

Strength training helps to preserve bone density,balance, and many other important things. 


Strength traineach muscle group at least twice a week--this really only takes about 30-45minutes per workout. Better yet, try circuit training, where you lift weightswithout resting between sets. This method meets both cardio and strengthrequirements because you keep your heart rate elevated throughout your workout,increasing the amount of calories you burn per workout. 

3 things are key to good health and longevity: 

Exercise, Good Nutrition, and Commitment.

Lifting Heavy is the Key to Weight Loss.  We know that losing fat involves increasing your metabolism. What you may not know is that muscle plays a huge role in raising metabolism. A pound of muscle burns about 10-20 calories a day while a pound of fat burns 5 calories. That means any growth in your muscle tissue is going to help you burn more calories all day long. In fact, strength training has all kinds of great effects on your body like:
·       Increasing resting metabolic rate so you burn more calories, even while at rest.

·      Making you lean and slim--muscle takes up less space than fat so, the more you have, the slimmer you are.
·     Strengthening bones and connective tissue, which can protect your body from injuries in daily life
·      Enhancing balance and stability
·      Building confidence and self-esteem

3 Tips to Improve Your Posture

3 Tips to Improve Your Posture

Establishing good posture habits involves more than just standing up straight. It means allowing your bones, ligaments and tendons (not your muscles) to support your body weight. When your muscles must bear your body weight and move it at the same time, they can't relax. Constricted muscles don't move freely or efficiently, causing pain and sometimes injury.

Postural alignment plays an important "support" role whenever your foot hits the ground. If your muscles have to support your body weight with each step, you'll tire more quickly. If you're bent at the waist, your lower back, quadriceps and neck muscles will be carrying your weight, which makes for inefficient running and post-workout soreness.

Focus your attention on the line your spine makes as it runs from the top of your head to the end of your tailbone. Return your attention to your spine as often as possible all day long, no matter what you're doing. Let it become a daily practice.

Don't run bent at the waist. Finishing a run with soreness in your lower back usually indicates you've been running bent at the waist. Instead, Chi Running encourages you to allow gravity to pull you forward by leaning slightly from the ankles, not the waist. Throughout your runs, make sure you're leaning from the ankles and not stressing your lower back muscles.

Engage your core by leveling your pelvis. Start by standing with your feet parallel and hip width apart. Imagine you have a string attached to the top of your head that is pulling you up, making you tall and straight. Drop your chin slightly and look straight ahead. Next, pull up on your pubic bone with your lower abdominal muscles while relaxing your glutes. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Doing this exercise throughout your day will strengthen your abs, allowing you to hold your posture straighter while running, swimming, sitting, standing, or even driving your car.

Practice initiating all movement from your core, the largest muscle group in your body, rather than the smaller muscles of your extremities.

The benefits of good posture are endless, and you can practice it anywhere, anytime. Whether you're running, sitting, or even sleeping, your whole body will thank you.

How Interval Training Can Help With Losing Body Fat & Weight Loss.

How Interval Training Can Help With Losing Body Fat & Weight Loss.

What is Interval Training?

Interval Training is defined as high-intensity intermittent exercise.


High Intensity Interval Training without question, is one of the most effective ways to lose body fat and improve your cardiovascular conditioning.  Not only do you stimulate your metabolism to a greater degree, but you burn many more calories than with lower intensity training, which can result in fat loss.


How to Perform High Intensity Interval Training:

Interval training is based on a very simple concept: go fast then go slow. Repeat. It sounds easy, but within this simple formula lies a tremendous number of possible variations and strategies you can use to take full advantage of the power available to you.

If you enjoy walking you can try this interval work, if you're in good shape, incorporate short bursts of jogging into your regular brisk walks. If you're less fit, you might alternate leisurely walking with periods of faster walking. For example, if you're walking outdoors, you could walk faster between certain mailboxes, trees or other landmarks.

Interval training can be performed on almost any cardiovascular machine (including the treadmill, stair machine, stationary bike, elliptical trainer, etc.) as well as almost any type of cardiovascular exercise (such as cycling, swimming, running, etc.).

Maximal High-Intensity Intervals
Maximal Intervals are much shorter than Aerobic Intervals. Generally, the longest you'll be able to perform a maximal effort is around 30 seconds so all the work intervals are 30 seconds or less.

Here are some examples of a number of different intervals you can use in your training:

Example 1

Steady Pace       Maximal effort
2 min.                  30 sec.
3 min.                   1 min.
3 min.                  45 sec.
2 min.                   1 min.
5 min.                  30 sec.

Example 2

Steady Pace       Maximal effort
2 min.                   30 sec.
3 min.                   45 sec.

4 min.                     1 min..
3 min.                   30 sec.
5 min.                     1 min.

One of my favorite Interval workouts is to jog 4 minutes thensprint all out 30 to 45 seconds and repeat 6 times.. 

Repeat this 6 times for a great workout.

How to increase your metabolism for better fitness results!

How to increase your metabolism for better fitness results!

It's important for you to understand that our metabolism slows as we age – by as much as two percent a year!

But there is something you can do to counterbalance nature.

“Muscle is the single most important factor for how well you metabolize your food, how well you burn calories 

and burn body fat.”

Metabolism is affected by your body composition. By body composition, I mean the amount of muscle you have versus the amount of fat. 

Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat.

People who are more muscular (have a lower percentage of body fat) they have a higher metabolism than others that are less muscular.

For example, let's say you have two people who are the exact same height and weight. One exercises on a regular basis with weights, in addition to aerobic exercise, and has a low percentage of body fat. The other never exercises and has a higher percentage of body fat. The first person who exercises will have a higher metabolism than the second person. What this basically means is that person #1's body will use more calories to sustain itself than person #2.

Strength training with dumbbells or resistance bands at least twice a week is essential to boosting your metabolism. I Repeat – essential.

Your metabolism stays pumped for many hours after you finish your workout.

 When I'm out for a run or a walk I find a park bench to do push ups and triceps dips, add a few more each time to increase your strength. When your watching TV, use your chair and do the same thing!

Dieting, but not losing weight?

Dieting, but not losing weight?

After a few weeks of dieting do you experience trouble losing more weight? 

 

Here are 4 reasons why the human body adapts to our workouts that can contribute to slow weight loss.

1.  Physiological effects: a decrease in metabolic rate after we reduce our calorie intake, caused from loss of protein & hormonal changes.

2.  Exercise effects, our energy system when we continually do the same exercise-less calories are burned because it’s no longer the same challenge as it was when we were first learning.  Now our energy expenditure is less and we burn less calories.

3.  Exercising too hard too soon forces cells to burn more carbohydrates and less fat.

4.  Rapid reduction of food intake triggers starvation mode lowers metabolism quickly Skipping meals too often may produce intense food cravings caused by lower blood sugar levels.

Weight loss is a powerful motivator to get fit! What Is Anaerobic - Aerobic

Weight loss is a powerful motivator to get fit! What Is Anaerobic - Aerobic

Exercise is a critical component of good health

Especially as you age.

Exercise will help you:

• Sleep better
• lose weight
• gain weight
• or maintain weight, depending on your needs.
• Improve your resistance to fight infections Lower your risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes
• Help your brain work better, making you smarter.
  
  Weight loss is a powerful motivator that can get people to start exercising.

Here are some other great benefits:

• A reduced risk of cancer
• Less back pain
• Prevention of Alzheimer’s disease
• A natural treatment for depression
• A reduced risk of high blood pressure

How To Start the Right Exercise Program for Your Body
Find the right level of exercise for you by the way you feel after a workout.

You should feel GOOD after you exercise.



If you feel exhausted, nauseous, shaky or otherwise are in pain, you have done something that did not help your body. And, very possibly, you have overdone it or violated some other principle that was not good for your body at that time.

So trust your body and listen to the gentle -- and sometimes not so gentle -- feedback it gives you. Likewise, if you feel like you’ve hardly broken a sweat, you may need to increase your exertion level.

Aerobic, Anaerobic....what is the difference?
"Aerobic means 'with oxygen" any exercise where you are able to maintain a controlled breath is aerobic.  A controlled breath doesn't necessarily mean you are doing an easy workout - you can have an elevated heart rate and a heavy breath and still be in control. These are exercises that you can maintain for an extended period of time (10 minutes or more). When you are doing aerobic exercise your body is using oxygen to produce energy (ATP). This is a very efficient and effective way to produce energy for the body and is a great way to burn calories.

"Anaerobic means 'without oxygen". This means that you are gasping for breath and unable to maintain the effort for more than 45 seconds to a minute. Anaerobic exercises can include such exercises such as sprinting - but for those just getting back into exercise even fast walking can send you into an anaerobic state. When you are exercising anaerobically you are no longer using oxygen to produce energy (ATP). You are now using glucose stored in your muscles. One of the results of anaerobic exercise is lactic acid build-up in the muscles which ultimately makes you stop the exercise. Although anaerobic exercises do have their place - for those of you who are really focused on weight loss these types of exercises are not necessarily a major focus for you.

Try exercising with burst of 30 to 60 seconds of anaerobic!

Top 10 Health & Fitness Tips

Top 10 Health & Fitness Tips

1. Keep active with regular exercise


2. Do not starve yourself when attempting to lose weight


3. Lower calorie intake gradually, lowering calories to much too soon doesn't give you much adjustment when weight slows


4. Consume plenty of low calorie, high fiber foods


5. Consume more natural foods high in complex carbohydrates and reduce highly processed foods loaded with extra fat, sugars and salt


6. If doctor approves try weight training to help the body hold on to lean weight while losing fat


7. Try to change workout routines and gradually challenge the body to adapt to higher levels


8. Don't train too hard too soon, gradually build up intensity levels as fitness levels increase


9. After a few weeks of exercising try to work the whole body during each workout to boost calorie burning


10. Stay hydrated, drink lots of room temp water!

8 Fitness Myths Busted!

8 Fitness Myths Busted!

Here are a few myths about fitness:

Is Spot reducing possible? "It's simply not possible to 'burn off' fat in one specific body part by exercising that area," Many studies have tried to dispute this claim, but none of any scientific value has proven that spot reducing is possible. At best you might lose some water weight in the area to give the impression that you indeed did "spot reduce". Rehydrate and you will see those stubborn inches "magically" reappear. Only regular exercise -- aerobic and strength training (weight lifting) -- and a sensible diet can melt body fat.

If you exercise, you can eat whatever you want. If you really want to lose weight and get into shape, do not use exercise as an excuse to eat more. Continue to eat a healthy diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables. When you train you build more muscle and the more calories you will burn at rest.

Exercise requires a huge time commitment. As little as 30 minutes a day works when you're in health-and-fitness maintenance mode, and 60 minutes a day will help you lose weight. "I spend 40 minutes a day 5 days a week". If you are not looking to be the next Mr.Olympia, 40 minute workouts is enough. If you are performing the exercises correctly, with great intensity, and combining the workouts with proper rest and proper nutrition.

There's a secret diet or a secret workout out there to get you in shape quickly. There is no quick fix. There are ways to train that can help maximize your time in the gym and the benefits you will drive from your workouts, but there is no quick fix. Most important is to "believe in yourself, believe in the process, stay the course, and you will look the best you ever looked before!"

Exercising at high intensity burns more fat. "This is a particularly confusing topic for some people," "Many people have thought that higher intensity means burning more fat. Well, you can burn more fat this way, you will burn more calories this way, but you also run the risk of burning more muscle this way too. If you burn hard earned muscle, the ultimate result will be a slower metabolic rate and in the long run you will be less lean than if you worked out at a lower intensity for more time.

Women who lift weights will get bulky muscles. Women don't have enough of the "male" hormone testosterone to develop large, bulky muscles. Strength training will not cause women to build muscles, although steroids might. I hear the same things from men who state that "they don't want to get too big". You can not get too big by accident. Putting on muscle takes dedication, hard work, and a plan.

Muscle weighs more than fat. "A pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. " The difference is that muscle is much more dense than body fat. Therefore, a pound of muscle will take up much less room in your body than a pound of fat."

No pain, no gain. It is important to know what is good pain and what is bad pain. Often beginners have not learned the difference here. It's OK to push yourself to fatigue, tax your heart, lungs, muscles, feel the burn, -- but be reasonable.

Don't push yourself so hard that you have to miss sessions, and even worse,

possibly risk an injury.