by adminin Workouts0 comments
These Philadelphia-area fitness pros have mastered the art of waking up for early morning workouts — here are their tips and tricks. Raise your hand if you love to sleep. Okay, now raise your hand if you love waking up for early morning workouts. We’re going to take a guess that we lost a few people on that second one. And rightfully so: Sleep is ah-mazing and getting the motivation to leave a warm bed to work out can be darn near impossible. Despite the fact that many of us hate the thought of leaving our beds in the morning, early-to-bed and early-to-rise is an undeniable trend in our Sweat Diaries — you know, our peek into a week in the life of local fitness pros. Because Philly trainers all seem so well-versed in the art of waking up at the crack of dawn, we asked eight local fitness pros to share their tips for waking up early. And just in case you think this isn’t for you, we’ll let you in on a secret: Some of these pros aren’t morning people either. If they can do it, so can you. Read on for 14 tips to crush your next […]
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When it comes to working out, do you ever feel like your results don’t match your effort? You put in your time at the gym, but your squat PR has plateaued or you’re still struggling to sustain that 8-minute mile? Everyone’s heard the mantra—stop working harder and start working smarter. But what does smarter mean? Here are six ways to smarten up your training and move closer toward your body composition or performance goals. Prioritize Determine your goal and train for it. While this sounds straight forward, many people’s workout routines don’t support their fitness goals. Just because you “feel the burn” doesn’t mean a particular exercise is right for you. If your workouts aren’t tailored to support your goal, they’re unhelpful at best and counterproductive at worst. Want to build strength? Heavy resistance training should be the focus for most of your exercise sessions. Running a marathon? A combination of long, steady-state running mixed with short high-intensity interval work is your best bet. You can’t be a world-class power lifter and a champion distance runner at the same time. Training too hard for different goals robs you of your ability to excel at one. Instead, narrow your focus […]
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Strength or resistance training challenges your muscles with a stronger-than-usual counterforce, such as pushing against a wall or lifting a dumbbell or pulling on a resistance band. Using progressively heavier weights or increasing resistance makes muscles stronger. This kind of exercise increases muscle mass, tones muscles, and strengthens bones. It also helps you maintain the strength you need for everyday activities — lifting groceries, climbing stairs, rising from a chair, or rushing for the bus. The current national guidelines for physical activity recommend strengthening exercises for all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms) at least twice a week. One set — usually 8 to 12 repetitions of the same movement — per session is effective, though some evidence suggests that two to three sets may be better. Your muscles need at least 48 hours to recover between strength training sessions. These seven tips can keep your strength training safe and effective. Warm up and cool down for five to 10 minutes. Walking is a fine way to warm up; stretching is an excellent way to cool down. Focus on form, not weight. Align your body correctly and move smoothly through each exercise. Poor form can […]
by adminin Workouts0 comments
What you do after your workout is an important part of yielding results, such as muscle gain and weight loss, while reducing muscle soreness. A post-workout routine also helps to maintain optimum energy levels as you restore your vitality, making it easier to stick to your fitness plan. This article explores the steps to take after a workout to maximize your results. Read on to learn how you can design an effective plan to start the recovery process after you exercise. General tips to follow 1. Get hydrated Rehydration is essential, especially if you’ve exercised intensely or broken a sweat. Replenishing your fluid levels improves muscle flexibility, builds strength, and prevents muscle soreness. Drink at least 16 ounces of water or healthy drinks, such as coconut water, green or black tea, and chocolate milk. Or you can choose a low-sugar sports drink. These drinks contain electrolytes, such as potassium and sodium, that can prevent and relieve muscle cramping. Avoid overly sugary, caffeinated, and alcoholic drinks, which may cause dehydration. 2. Eat a healthy snack Plan to eat a healthy snack or meal within 45 minutes of completing your workout. This will help replenish muscle energy stores and […]
by adminin Healthy Living, Workouts0 comments
If you want to lose weight and gain the benefits of exercise, don’t workout on an empty stomach. Here’s what experts recommend you eat before, during and after your workout. Do you hit the gym regularly and follow a healthy diet? Yet your efforts may go to waste if you don’t eat the right things before and after the workout. “If you are working out, you need to follow a particular diet for optimum weight loss. It should be a balanced diet and will depend on your age and activity level,” says Usha Kiran Sisodia, Head dietician, Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital. If you are confused about what to eat before, during and after your workout, we offer you a nutritionist-recommended guide on how to plan it: You can have a healthy drink such as a protein smoothie made with yoghurt or coconut milk with banana and some berries as a pre-workout meal. Before the workout You must keep a gap of at least 20 minutes to half-an-hour between the meal and the exercise session. “Have simple carbohydrates such as fruits (200gm) or dates (50gm) with some probiotics and 10 soaked and peeled almonds,” says Sisodia. The type of fitness […]
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Ten minutes is not a lot of time for exercise, so you need to make the most of every second. The best way to do this is by using techniques from high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or Tabata training. These workouts focus on pushing your muscles to the extreme for a few short minutes. These methods are proven to be effective at burning calories, which is one of the main goals for weight loss. You should only do these types of intense exercises every other day so your muscles have time to repair themselves in between sessions. Moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging or cycling, can be done for 10 minutes on alternate days. High-Intensity Interval Training Begin with a two-minute brisk walk or slow jog to warm up your muscles. Do a high-intensity interval for one minute straight. This means you go as fast and as hard as you can doing the exercise of your choice. Possible exercises to choose from include sprinting, cycling on a standard or stationary bike, pedaling an elliptical machine or running up and down stairs. On a scale of 1 to 10 in workout intensity, where 10 is giving it your full effort, […]
by adminin Healthy Living0 commentstags: bad for humans, beneficial for health, better than diet, eating planned, food trends, headlines that are misleading, Mediterranean style diet, nutritious meals, rethink before following
Most people believe anything that is written on the internet when it comes to food and dietary trends. Often at times, it is confusing for the people because one study will say some of the foods are beneficial for the health while another study will say it is bad for humans. So what to believe and what not to believe? Take a look Headlines that are misleading People think that scientific studies are the last speaking point for the people, but the fact is that most of the studies don’t provide users with conclusive evidence. They are simply providing theories by seeing and observing a certain group of people who have particular eating habits. So none of the outcomes from the scientific experiments can be ruled as conclusive. So this is why they should never be followed. It is better than a diet Instead of sticking to a certain philosophy or trend that you have seen on the internet, it is always better to eat wholesome and nutritious food even if that doesn’t adhere to one particular type of dieting. More example you don’t need to stick strictly to a Mediterranean style diet, you can simply focus on eating planned […]
by adminin Workouts0 commentstags: avoid suicide grip, golden rules, never breaking rules, rules for training, safety guidelines, squat low, training rules, weight collars, workout rules
While everyone loves to get a ripped body, one must never compromise with the safety guidelines and the rules to achieve it. there are plenty of reasons to follow the advisories but its better to get that dream body in the safest way possible. Lets take a look at the 7 training rules that you must never break. 1. Avoid the Suicide Grip The suicide grip is the point at which you seat press without your thumbs folded over the hand weight. If the free weight slips when you press, it can squash your face, neck, or ribs. 2. Point Feet Ahead Placing your feet improperly while doing the exercises can create a huge amount of stress on the knees and hips region so make sure they are pointed ahead. 3. Use Weight Collars Having weight collars on your barbell helps to improve your balance and feel for the exercise that you are doing. Apart from that, it helps any kind of major accidents that might happen with the barbell slipping. 4. Keep a Straight Back If you don’t keep your back straight then enormous and dangerous stress is put on the joints pre4snt in your lumbar spine. This automatically […]
by kevinin Mind & Body0 comments
The mind and body connection refers to the use of thoughts to influence the physical condition of your body. People with good emotional health know their thoughts behaviors and feelings. This means that they have mastered healthy ways to handle their life’s problems and stress. Improving this connection yields maximum health benefits. For you to enhance your mind and body connection, you need to incorporate lifestyle changes that will guide you to reduce stress, improve your state of mind emotionally and strengthen your body. All this encourages your body to heal naturally. Do you feel that you need to improve your mind and body connection? Here are some useful steps you should keep in mind. Meditation When meditating you have to use a guided imagery that will calm your body and mind. You will be required to picture yourself taking care of errands with calmness and making it through the day successfully, even thou in reality you are really concerned about the situation. Relaxation exercises Incorporating relaxation exercise in your routine can help you yield positive results. Consider spending at least 15 minutes every day just to relax your mind and body. This helps in reducing stress, tension and anxiety […]
by kevinin Healthy Living0 comments
Talk about weight loss, and probably the first thing that comes to mind is crazy diet fads and lots of exercise. However, new studies have now revealed that the ‘breath’ you take too, could have an impact on your weight loss attempts. Simply focusing on your breath and doing it the right way could help speed up your metabolism naturally. Here are 3 beneficial breathing techniques that could help you speed up your weight loss results to a good extent. The Alternate Nostril Breathing This simple breathing technique is thought to be helpful in a lot of scenarios. Firstly, it helps regularize blood pressure levels and brings more oxygen into the body. Furthermore, it also helps calm you down naturally, boosting brain health. Start by sitting down straight with your legs folded, and place your left hand on your left knee. Now place the tip of the right index finger and middle finger of your right hand on the space between the eyebrows and your right thumb on your right nostril. Press down on the thumb and exhale through the left nostril completely. Breathe in deeply through the left nostril itself, release your thumb and press down on the ring […]
