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Thursday, August 11 2022
Foam rollers are an effective method of reducing tension and increasing muscle length for either a pre-workout warm-up or post-exercise active recovery. Technically known as self-myofascial release (SMR), the use of foam rollers for the purpose of reducing muscle tension has become a widely accepted fitness practice.
Friday, April 08 2022
Consistent, and progressive muscular training is the best way to increase muscle size(also known as hypertrophy) and strength). It’s also important to understand that building and sustaining muscle requires energy. Your body will not build additional muscle mass unless your caloric intake can sustain more muscle mass. If you are committed to increasing muscle mass, it is worth considering working with a registered dietitian to review the number of calories and distribution of macronutrients in your diet. Adequate nutrition combined with muscular training will help you build and maintain more muscle.
Friday, February 11 2022
Hip mobility and strength is essential for many daily activities like bending down to pick up an object or young child from the ground, walking upstairs or simply getting up from a seated position. In addition to providing an appealing shape, the glutes play an essential role in optimizing human performance for athletes, dancers and other people who move for a living. The primary role of the hip extensors, which include the hamstring and adductor muscles of the thigh, is to extend the hip during gait (walking or running) and provide dynamic stability when on a single leg. The hip extensors are responsible for lower-body strength and for distributing power from the ground through the rest of the body. It’s important to note that a lack of proper hip strength could lead to a sore low back, so doing exercises for your glutes will not only help improve the way you look, it can also help reduce your risk of back injury. While the squat is an excellent exercise for enhancing both athletic performance and aesthetic appearance, when done incorrectly, it can cause discomfort in the low back and possibly injure the knee. If you are interested in strengthening your hips and developing an appealing backside, but want to reduce your risk of injury, try these six lower-body exercises that can help you achieve the results you want. Wednesday, January 12 2022
Food addiction is labeled as a disease where a person loses control, or the ability to stop, consuming food. Food addictions occur for many reasons. Scientifically, food addictions are a chemical dependency on certain foods, such as high-fat, high-sugar or salty foods, or food in general.
Monday, November 29 2021
How did you spend your last 24 hours? What do you do during a typical 24-hour weekday? Take a few moments and divide up those 24 hours and reflect on how you typically spend that time. How many hours did you spend sleeping? How many hours did you spend sitting down (don’t forget the times you sit in the car, while you eat, etc.)? How many hours did you spend moving?
Friday, October 22 2021
In 2020 the world came to a halt and people stayed inside their homes to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Many jobs shifted to work-from-home and schools around the world transitioned to virtual learning. Gyms, parks, and outdoor recreation areas also closed for a number of months limiting the ability to experience exercise outside of the home. As a result, we sat, a lot. Up to four more hours per day than before COVID-19 shutdowns. Wednesday, July 28 2021
As of this writing, more than 62% of adults in America have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and approximately 52% are fully vaccinated. Unfortunately, questions remain regarding what exactly this means in terms of returning to pre-pandemic activities. Part of that confusion stems from variances in rules from state to state or even county to county, not to mention personal choices made by individual business owners. Couple all of that with personal preferences regarding when and where to wear masks and maintain social distance and you have a recipe for confusion. Saturday, December 12 2020
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, all similar terms with some distinct differences. It can be confusing to know which approach is the best for you, especially if you’re trying to make some healthy changes. This article examines the differences between these diets and looks at the available research on the benefits of making the switch to a diet that is focused primarily on plants (and may or may not eschew meat altogether). Tuesday, November 24 2020
Humans are capable of, and familiar with, change. As we experience life, we grow and change—not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, socially, intellectually and spiritually as well. At first glance, the concepts of change and changing a behavior seem simplistic because humans are adaptable and change is not uncommon, even when we aren’t conscious of it. If we take a more microscopic view, however, changing health behaviors is actually a complex and progressive experience influenced by a number of factors. By its given nature, behavior change is inherently challenging because “lifestyles evolve for various reasons over many years, and people behave the way they do because their behaviors ‘work’ for them” (ACE, 2019). It’s simply not easy to change a behavior or a set of behaviors without some element of struggle because our behaviors are influenced by friends, family, work, stress, sleep, environment, life experiences and general health. What Behavior Change Isn’tBehavior change is a goal-driven process, not a singular event. For this reason, changes in health behavior are rarely achieved or maintained without effort. Meaningful and sustainable behavior change occurs in stages or phases. How long this process takes is unique to each person—there’s no finite or research-based “due date” for change. Further, behavior change is nonlinear. This means that it is normal, common and even expected for an individual to move back and forth between different stages. And, while lapses are part of the process, they should not be viewed as reasons to give up and abandon the ultimate goal or adopt an “I’ve failed” mindset. Behavior Change and the Fitness ConnectionGetting in shape and staying in shape, like behavior change, is a goal-driven process. How fitness goals are accomplished relates to the daily behaviors and choices a person makes. These choices will either support or detract from the fitness journey. For example, a person has a goal of being physically active for 30 minutes each day. There are specific behaviors and choices that will support this goal. Supportive behaviors and choices may include getting enough quality sleep, staying properly hydrated, eating nutrient-dense foods and setting aside the necessary block of time to exercise. By contrast, if this person chooses to get minimal sleep and consume less-nutritious foods (chips, cookies, fried foods, etc.), they likely will not feel energized and motivated enough to be active. Choices such as these will detract from the overall goal. As a result, this person would likely experience frustration and disappointment. Changing behaviors and making the healthy choice the easy choice is key to getting (and staying) in shape. Steps You Can Take to Make Positive ChangeRemember, both change and getting in shape are goal-driven processes. To begin, identify a long-term or product goal (what you want to accomplish in 6-12 months) and two or three short-term or process goals (something that is more immediately achievable that will lead you to the long-term goal). Short-term process goals should be related to the behavior and the choices you will make. Making the desired choice or performing a desired behavior accomplishes the goal versus goal attainment being based on an outcome (i.e., weight loss). Consider this example: Long-term goal: I will run my first 5K race in six months. Short-term goals that support the achievement of the long-term goal may include the following:
Your long-term and short-term goals will differ from this example but the key point to remember is to set goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) and that focus on changing behaviors rather than a product or outcome. If weight loss is a desire, and for many it is, changing behaviors and making healthier choices will naturally result in improved health metrics such as weight and body composition.
Second, journal your progress and behavioral choices. While this might seem daunting, journaling is an effective way to self-monitor as it allows you a consistent opportunity to reflect upon and address such points as:
Third, plan for high-risk situations. High-risk situations are instances or events in which you are tempted to make choices that may not support what you’re trying to accomplish. For example, pastries in the break room, holiday parties, and event gatherings where high-calorie foods and drinks are served, travel, etc. Create a plan for staying on track during these times and identify strategies you can use to help yourself. Next, identify individuals in your network who can provide social support, additional motivation and structure to your change process. Enlist the help of a spouse, friend, neighbor, colleague, or other support groups that you can talk to about your change journey and fitness goals. This helps keep you accountable and provides you with a sounding board to share successes and stumbles. Finally, keep track of your food intake (not calorie for calorie, necessarily, but items of food/quality of food), hydration, stress level and sleep quality. Without tracking, we aren’t able to identify patterns of behavior that may be influenced by outside stressors or factors. We tend to make less conscious choices when we aren’t holding ourselves accountable. Research different apps that might help you in this process. Getting in shape requires making healthy choices to support the effort it takes to achieve a fitness goal. To make healthy, conscious choices, engaging in behaviors that facilitate making the most reasonable and supportive choice is essential. For many, this means implementing meaningful changes to develop new habits. The process is challenging, but behavior change is the path forward to a fit life. Contributor: Dr. Erin Nitschke, NFPT-CPT, NSCA-CPT, author, is an ACE Health Coach, Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Therapeutic Exercise Specialist, and Pn1 is a health and human performance college professor Thursday, October 22 2020
Between work, family, activities and schedule changes, having a quick and effective workout ready to knock out can be very useful. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts are meant to challenge the entire body and push intensity limits. While the intensity is meant to be high, adjusting for the energy level you have and/or injuries you may be experiencing is perfectly appropriate and recommended. HIIT training can be either high- or low-impact or a combination of both. |
