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I watch people put their heart and soul into their workout program here in San Antonio, Texas. Some come in because they have medical issues that exercise and a healthy diet can help. Some just want to shed a few pounds and look their best. While those are both great reasons for working out, almost everyone that comes to the gym eventually loves the fact they have more energy and can do far more than they could before they started. After a few months of working out, clients notice they have more balance, coordination, are stronger and have more endurance. That’s functional fitness. It improves your range of motion and helps prevent muscle and joint injuries in the process.

Functional fitness works your core muscles.

While looking great is important, enjoying every minute of life to its fullest is far more important. You can’t do that if you’re not healthy and fit. When you do core training, which boosts that fitness, you’ll be boosting your chances of avoiding those sudden injuries from doing something as simple as bending over to tie a shoe or picking up a child. Whether you’re 26 or 86, this type of training can help you prevent injuries, boost your endurance and for seniors, help you live on your own longer.

You may not realize that you’re doing functional fitness training.

We just call it exercise, but in reality, you’re working all muscles in the body when you workout with us. While our workouts help you build muscle tissue and burn fat, they also aid in making sure you do everyday tasks at home, work or play with less potential for injury. It builds core strength, helps relieve backaches, builds strength an stability. Consider this. When you do squats, you’re burning calories and sculpting your body, but you’re also building strength so that sitting down and getting up from a chair are easier tasks.

It’s all about living better and feeling good.

Make this year the year you get back to those things you enjoyed doing when you were in your teens and twenties or trying new things you were afraid you didn’t have the strength or endurance to do. While we don’t necessarily focus on a specific functional fitness program, we provide all the training that not only helps you reduce injury, improve core strength, improve flexibility and boost your endurance. In other words, at Iron Fit, we not only help you shed those extra pounds, we get you ready for getting the most enjoyment out of life.

• We can help everyone, even if you’re completely out of shape or have physical limitations. However, you need to check with your health care professional to make sure you’re able to start a fitness program and let us know your limitations.
• Just imagine how great you’ll feel and look. Weight loss and body sculpting will boost your confidence, but the energy, strength and flexibility will boost the fun.
• Seniors benefit from our fitness regimen. It helps reduce the risk of falls, slows or stops the progress of osteoporosis and improves balance. You’ll have pep in your step.
• Exercises that focus on functional fitness work several joints and muscles at once. Instead of focusing just on a thigh muscle, it’s works the entire leg and hip area.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

Do you want to lose weight? Is paying less for food important? Can saving time be a help? You’ll get all those benefits when you meal plan. Planning your meals ahead, shopping and even preparing them ahead may take more time the first few weeks, but you’ll find it saves time, money and even eat better the longer you do it. You start by with the planning, which should take place Wednesday or Thursday night, so you can shop for your meals on Friday and cook over the weekend.

Start with the ads and seasonal fruits and vegetables.

You don’t have to do this step if saving money isn’t your thing, but for most people, it’s an added benefit of planning. Check the online ads to get an idea of what’s on sale and then create a menu that uses those items. If one recipe requires things that don’t keep long or freeze, such as lettuce, make sure you use it in another meal so you don’t have waste. Create the menu and the shopping list for the week.

Get all the ingredients for the week on Friday.

If you’re a stay at home parent, you don’t have to follow the scheduled days as closely. They’re primarily for the person who works outside the home. Cook your meals over the weekend, double the recipes so you have meals to freeze for future weeks. The more you continue meal planning, the more meals you’ll have in your freezer for the future. You can use those for busy weeks when you don’t have time for shopping or cooking.

Freeze ingredients you don’t use or make sure you use them for other recipes.

If you need a chicken breast for one meal, but it’s cheaper to buy a whole chicken than just the breast, buy a whole chicken and use the other parts in another meal. Some meals require fresh herbs but not nearly as much as the amount you have to purchase at one time. You can freeze those herbs in ice cube trays for future recipes. Save the bones from chicken to create a bone broth you can freeze for future meals.

• Eating healthy includes healthy snacks. You can assign the kids the task of making healthy trail mix from dried fruit and nuts and packing them in individual serving size bags.
• Clean and slice all vegetables as soon as you buy them. You can make a dip and snack on them throughout the week, but if you have any left over, make soup for the following week.
• You’ll save money and get all the nutrients possible when you use in-season fresh fruits and vegetables. You’ll be surprised at all the unique ways to use them that promote healthy eating.
• When you plan meals, you’ll be able to prepare your meals by just removing them from the freezer and reheating them. It’s even quicker than waiting in the drive through line and far healthier and tastier.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

Working out burns calories and uses glycogen reserve, so naturally you’d be hungry after you work out. It’s one reason that exercise can help you shed pounds, but won’t do as much good if you’re not eating a healthy diet. That’s why it’s important to fuel up before you workout, to ensure you’re not building a ravenous appetite.

Avoid the problem of a ravenous appetite by snacking before a workout.

If you want to avoid that feeding frenzy that comes after you workout, eat before you start. You need at least 30 minutes between the time you eat and ideally, an hour. If you only have 30 minutes, eat light. Make it an easily digested carb, like a banana, and some protein, such as peanut butter. If you have longer, opt for more fuel like an egg and fruit or oatmeal with seeds, fruit and nuts added.

If you had a snack before you worked out and are still hungry, maybe you need to hydrate.

Sometimes, when you’re hungry, you’re really thirsty. Dehydration can occur during a workout if you didn’t drink water before you started or didn’t sip on it while you were working out. Thirst can trick the brain into thinking it’s hungry, so you eat, which gives you fluid from the food you eat, but often not enough to fill the gap. That means you continue to feel hungry. Always drink water before a workout, sip during that workout and then finish off your workout with a 12-ounce bottle of water. If the problem is hydration, you’ll notice your appetite disappearing.

The type of food you eat makes a difference in your level of hunger.

Carbohydrates digest more quickly than protein does, so you need a combination of both for your pre-workout food and your post workout meal. If you’re pushing yourself hard in endurance training, you’ll burn more energy, so you need more carbohydrates in your post-workout meal. You should have carbohydrates that turn to energy quickly, such as fruit and slower energy carbs like whole grain breads. You should get 3/4th of your calories from carbs and 1/4th from protein. If you’re doing weight training, you need more protein to rebuild muscle tissue, so a one to one ration or 2/3rds carbs and 1/3rd protein will do.

• When you eat before a workout, not only will you reduce that hungry feeling after you workout, you’ll also have a better workout because you’ll have more stamina and energy to give it your all.
• One way to ensure you stay hydrated is to drink a glass of water when you first get up, drink a glass before each meal (you’ll eat less), drink a couple of glasses an hour before you exercise and a couple after you’ve finished.
• Don’t just slam through eating, take the time to enjoy each bite. Chew each bite carefully and wait for cues that tell you that you’ve had enough to eat. Focus on flavor, but also on the feeling of fullness.
• At Iron Fit, we provide a wide selection of exercise options that burn calories quickly and help you reach your weight loss goal.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

Exercise can help a lot of areas, including the breasts, but unfortunately, there are no exercises to lift sagging breasts and return them to their youthful perky appearance. However, you can give them a better appearance and reduce further effects of gravity. If you want to get back to that look from teens and twenties, only surgery can help. If you don’t fluctuate in weight, wear adequate support and exercises the muscles under the breasts, you can do a lot to improve your look and prevent future sagging.

Gaining weight is a good solution for those who are too thin.

Weight loss and stretched skin are real problems that cause sagging. A program of exercise with a diet high in healthy fat for weight gain can help those who are too thin, but unfortunately, for those overweight, shedding pounds can make the problem worse. The breasts contain fatty tissue, plus glands and ligaments that support it. The ligaments stretch, just as the skin does over time. That leaves you with wrinkled stretched skin. For those losing weight, sometimes the skin can get tighter, but not always. However, the changes to the other parts of the body make weight loss worth the effort.

Do exercises for the pectoral muscles to give a little lift to the breasts.

You need exercises for your pecs, but also for your back and shoulders, since good posture can make a difference, too. Some of the best exercises include strength training, such as body weight exercises. Do pushups, chair presses, chest flys with weights, T-planks, free-weight presses that include flat, decline and inclined. The elbow squeeze is another exercise to do. You’ll do more than just improve the profile of the breasts and make them look like they droop less, you’ll be toning arm muscles, improving posture and aiding in weight loss and improving health.

Hold a pose to tone your breasts.

The yoga cobra pose tightens your muscles in your chest and can also help core muscles. Lay on your stomach with the top of the feet on the floor and place your hands underneath your shoulders. Lift your head as you straighten your arms and hold the pose for thirty seconds. Lower and repeat. Try the Superman to tighten muscles while holding a ball in your hands. Lift the ball off the ground as you raise your feet and legs. Hold as you reach the top, lower and start again.

• You can eat healthy to help improve the appearance of your breasts, especially if you’re building the pectoral muscles. Eat quality protein and avoid fried food. Make sure you have all the vitamins and minerals with a healthy diet that includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
• While you’re working toward improving the appearance of your breasts, make sure you have adequate support, especially when you workout. A supportive brassiere that fits well is important.
• Massage oils can offer some benefits to help the skin on the breasts. Almond oil, soybean oil, fenugreek, clove and primrose oil are good for breast tissue, while the massage improves circulation.
• For a total program that includes weight loss and body toning, come into Iron Fit. You can get three free days or take our 28 day jumpstart program.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio

The concern for bone loss and osteoporosis has become far more prevalent. You can tell by the fact that Medicare provides a free bone density test. Bone loss doesn’t have to occur or take as much of a toll if you follow a few tips. While you may not be able to eliminate it completely or reverse some of the damage, you can build stronger bones by following a few of these tips to promote bone health.

What you eat makes a difference.

A healthy diet definitely can make a difference when it comes to bone health. While protein is an important part of a healthy diet, too much animal protein may actually be a deterrent to bone health. Some studies indicate a diet high in animal protein might lead to a loss of calcium, which is based on calcium found in the urine. However, studies refuting that show that it might be because there’s simply more calcium from the diet and it’s not calcium from the subject’s bones. While calcium is important, you also need other valuable nutrients to maintain bone density.

Are you getting enough sunshine vitamin?

Vitamin D should be readily available and nobody should have a deficit, unless they have a physical condition. That’s because the body uses the sun to create it. Of course, people in colder climates will have less exposure in the winter and chronic use of sunblocks will prevent the sun’s rays from starting the process. Getting smart sun exposure that allows a protective tan should be everyone’s goal. So should having adequate vitamin K2—not K1 that causes clotting—magnesium, phosphorus and other trace minerals. K2 is necessary to direct the flow of calcium to go into the bones, rather than leach out, magnesium and phosphorus play a role in bone production.

Boost your exercise time and add weight bearing exercises to keep bones healthy.

You may automatically think of weight lifting when you hear weight bearing exercise, but it can be something as mundane as simply walking. Weight bearing exercise makes the muscles work, which tugs at the bones and encourages the body to add more calcium to keep them strong and protected from breaking. So take a walk every day and make it a brisk one to boost your cardio and endurance, getting a double benefit. If you already have thinning bones, use low impact exercise, such as walking fast or even stomping your feet can increase the density of hip bones.

• Don’t forget your vitamin C. Not only will you boost your immune system, citrus fruit and vitamin C have been shown to help prevent bone loss.
• Is dairy out of your diet? Many people find that the older they get, the less they tolerate dairy products. If you drink alternatives, such as almond milk, make sure they’re fortified with vitamin D and calcium.
• Tackle hills and stairs with gusto. Going up and down stairs or on a hilly grade can boost the bone saving help that walking brings. Make it brisk and vary your speed to improve your endurance.
• You’ll love the kettlebell training we offer and many of the other exercises that help bone density. Come into Iron Fit for a free 3-day pass. If you have a physical condition, such as thinning bones, let your personal trainer know that, so he or she can create the perfect workout for your condition.