Fitness & Wellness

Build Muscle Without A Gym

Published by superadmin on February 4, 2019 | Leave a response

I respect all people who start an exercise program, whether they go to a gym or not! Some people find it easier to workout at home and some are so strapped for funds even a small out of pocket expense is budget breaking. Yes, you can build muscle without a gym and in many cases, without any gym equipment, although are some pieces of at home equipment I do like that aren’t super expensive.

Start pressing iron.

Having a couple of dumbbells is affordable, but even more affordable are resistance bands. These also tuck away in a drawer easily and don’t take up much room. If even the cost of resistance bands is too much or you want to start right away, use milk jugs or plastic laundry detergent containers filled with sand or water as an alternative. While the cost of resistance bands is under $20, these plastic bottles are free! Adjust the amount of water to increase or decrease the amount of weight.

Body weight exercises are tops for strength building.

Here’s another way to build strength that doesn’t take up space and saves money. Bodyweight exercises have been used for centuries to prepare military or build strength. Push ups, chair push ups, chin ups and pistol squats are great for strength building. There are hundreds of different bodyweight exercises that can increase your strength. Strength-building starts with lifting something heavy with a part of your body and if that heavy object is you, all the better. You’ll always have your equipment ready to go.

Do a workout and add some weight to it.

So your toddler is bugging you when you’re trying to workout or the cat insists on getting in your way. Make them part of the exercise! Hold them in your arms while you’re doing squats or lunges. It makes it super hard. Toddlers can hang onto your back, cats…not so much…but you get the idea. You’d be amazed at how much mothers of toddlers can lift, just by being mothers and carrying the children. Everything is a weight around the house. Choose a size you can tackle. If you’re just starting out, soup cans can be held while working out. The more fit you are, the heavier your load can be.

If you already belong to a gym, but travel, resistance bands can be a great friend on the road. Check with your personal trainer for a couple of workouts to have ready.
Running out of time, too. Get a twofer. Put some elbow grease into daily tasks. Carry a little heavier load than normal or more bags from the grocery to your car—without using a cart!
Keep yourself accountable with a workout buddy. You’ll build more muscle tissue if you workout! Keeping on pace and with the program is important. That’s why working out with a friend can help you do it.
If you can afford your own equipment, look for items that give you a full body workout, like kettlebells. These can provide a full body workout at home.

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Know When To Recharge

Published by superadmin on January 25, 2019 | Leave a response

When you live in San Antonio, TX, there’s a lot to do. Whether it’s wading through piles of work at the office, staying fit or taking care of the family, it can be pretty brutal. The key is to know when to push forward and know when to recharge. One big clue is your emotions. If you’re normally outgoing and social, but lately feel that you want to hide from people or just stay in the house forever, it’s time to take a break and nurture yourself.

What is recharging?

Recharging comes in a variety of forms and based on how stressed you are or what you’re doing. Anyone who works in front of a computer all day understands that they feel far better if they get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour. For others, it means carving out personal time on a regular basis that’s not devoted to anything but pampering. The pampering can be anything from sitting in a quiet room and thinking about ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to taking a long warm bath or reading a great novel.

Do you find yourself ill more than usual?

If you catch every cold and flu virus, maybe it’s time to look at your energy level. You know you need to recharge when your immune system gets funky and no longer provides the protection. Taking time to recharge boosts your immune system and allows the body to repair itself. It’s not a coincidence that you often get sick just when you’re busiest. It’s probably the reason college students get sick more frequently at finals. It’s the stress of everything going on that reduces your resistance to disease.

Don’t skip the gym. A good workout may be just what you need to recharge.

Stress comes in a variety of forms, physical and mental. If you’re overworking your body, you’ll get tired and actually have less strength or endurance. That’s when you have to pull back and reduce the workout time. It normally occurs when people spend extra hours in the gym and have a tough workout every day. You might want to do the opposite if you’re struggling with mental exhaustion. That exhaustion comes from stress and exercise is a true stress burner. It replaces those stress hormones with ones that make you feel calm and relaxed.

Recharging doesn’t require a lot of time away from your schedule. It may just mean taking a quick walk or a power nap to get yourself back on course.
Get prepared to handle stress when it occurs. There are meditation methods and breathing techniques that can have your mind and body back to relaxed in just a few minutes.
Turn off technology. Cell phones, social media and even television or NetFlix may actually add to the stress. It helps to go into a dark room and simply sit quietly.
You deserve pampering. Indulge yourself with a relaxing massage. If you feel guilty about not getting work accomplished, have a list of mindless tasks, such as vacuuming, that you can do easily, while relaxing mentally.

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Get A Good Night’s Rest

Published by superadmin on January 14, 2019 | Leave a response

There are times when you absolutely are up against the wall and have to work late into the night, but those times shouldn’t be every week. You’re either trying to do too much or have poor planning. You need a good night’s rest to get the maximum accomplished in the hours you’re awake and unfortunately, too few Americans do that. Even if you’re eating healthy, drinking plenty of water and exercising regularly, you’ll still be putting your health at risk and your efforts to lose weight when you don’t get enough sleep.

You need sleep so your body can do repairs.

You may be sleeping, but there’s still a lot going on in your body. It’s a time for repairs to take place. Not only do you feel sleepy if you don’t get adequate sleep, you’ll also put additional stress on your body. You might be able to make it through the day with loads of extra caffeine, but that adds to the stress. You probably won’t feel like working out or if you do, won’t be nearly as effective at burning off the hormones of stress. Stress makes changes to your body that are linked to inflammation. Inflammation is thought to be the cause of serious conditions like heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

If weight loss is eluding you, maybe you don’t get enough sleep.

While stress boosts cortisol levels that can pack on weight around the middle, lack of sleep does something else to sabotage your weight loss efforts. It affects your hunger and satiety hormones, leptin and gherlin, and not in a good way. It boosts the hormone that makes you feel hungry and reduces the amount of hormone that makes you feel full. It also increases your desire for sugary treats as an energy booster. That spikes your blood sugar, but what goes up, must come down, leaving you exhausted and starved for more.

Your body isn’t all that suffers.

Just like your body, your brain is busy while you sleep. It’s processing and organizing everything that occurred throughout the day. Those memories are organized with neural pathways created to link your memories to feelings, associations and sensory input like smells and sounds. It helps you maintain a good memory. Lack of sleep causes memory lapses.

Some people don’t require as much sleep and can do well on as little as six hours a night. Those people are definitely not the average. Most adults require between 7 and 9 hours. A few at the opposite end of the spectrum only feel refreshed with ten hours of sleep.
It’s important to sleep in a dark room away from electronic devices. Falling asleep in front of the television might provide some rest, but it’s not quality. You need it completely dark to get the best sleep.
If you can’t sleep well at night or find you wake up too early, consider learning how to power nap. It helps make up deficits and boosts your energy levels.
Getting more too much sleep can indicate an illness. If you find you’re exhausted and are getting over nine hours a night, see your doctor. It can also be a sign that you have mild depression. Working out can help with that.

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Overcoming Your Fear Of Working Out

Published by superadmin on January 2, 2019 | Leave a response

FOWO—fear of working out—might sound silly to those who don’t face it, but it’s real. There are various aspects to this, with one being fear of the gym. However, other situations, such as a after a serious condition, like a heart attack, can cause fear of overdoing or serious injury. For situations like that, making sure you have the okay from a doctor and a qualified personal trainer to help you is not only reassuring, it’s the smart and the right way to get back to fitness.

If you have no health problems and still fear injury, there are others with the same problem.

Maybe your parents were overprotective or somewhere along the way you heard of someone getting injured at the gym. It doesn’t matter where your fear of working out began, you have to face it to overcome it. Start slowly and simply go for a walk. Get the appropriate shoes, reducing any possibility of injury. Walking can be vigorous or casual, but the key is that you are totally in control. Push yourself a bit and before you know it, you’ll be ready for the next step. Use a personal trainer for step two or sign up for a boot camp run by a trainer. You’ll never be pushed beyond your capabilities and have a much safer workout than if you tried on your own.

You may be a perfectionist and fear failure.

This is a tough one to conquer but it can be done. If you’re procrastinating that trip to the gym, figure out why. Often you’re worried you won’t be able to keep up with the program or you’ll fail miserably. The best way to handle this is to work with a trainer that’s supportive and understands you may need to take it slower so you get everything perfect. He or she will help you set fitness goals that you feel are within your capabilities, but not pushing you to the edge. Be aware, your progress may be slower, but there will be progress and it will help you overcome the fear.

You don’t want to look stupid or gawky.

That’s one of the reasons many people put off starting a workout program. Either they think they look too fat, skinny or out of shape and people will comment or think negative thoughts or they don’t want to look like a stork with a hot foot when they workout. Having a personal trainer, at least until you feel comfortable with the moves, is a good way to overcome this fear. The trainer makes sure you have all the right moves before you do the workout.

Fear of being in a crowded gym with activity and noise galore can put a damper on your plans. If that pushes you to the point of anxiety, talk to your trainer or staff to find when there are fewer people and go then.
You want to workout, but worry you’ll be bored in just a short time. Find a workout you like or get a trainer to work with you and create new workouts every few weeks. Alternate between and activity, like martial arts and working out in the gym.
General anxiety for no specific reason can keep you away from the gym. The best answer here is “Just Do It.” Once you start working out, you’ll find it helps relieve anxiety and pretty soon it will be gone.
Gym intimidation can often occur right before you start or your first few visits. That’s normal. Everyone feels uncomfortable when starting something new. Get those first few visits over with and you’ll immediately feel better.

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Strength Training Is Important

Published by superadmin on December 27, 2018 | Leave a response

When you come to Iron Fit here in San Antonio, expect to do strength training. Whether you’re a man or a woman, there are huge benefits that aids a healthier lifestyle. If you’re working out to shed weight, it’s the top type of exercise for results. However, even people that don’t need to shed a pound benefit from it. Weight training provides benefits regardless of gender. Even though some women consider it as a workout for men, that’s just not true. More recent studies show that women may actually get more benefits from strength training than men do, both as a weight loss tool and an aid for maintaining good health.

Keep injuries at bay with strength training.

It’s called strength training for a reason. Of course, the reason is that it makes you stronger. That improved strength not only helps you lift more with less chance of injury, it also improves your balance, posture and coordination. There are numerous studies that show that people who use strength training have fewer falls, and injuries from falls, than those who don’t. In fact, one study showed it reduced the risk of falls by almost 40 percent! For those who are younger, it can mean less time off the job and for seniors, it could mean the difference between living on your own or moving to an assisted living arrangement or nursing home.

When you keep your muscles strong, you keep your bones strong, too.

Strong muscles pull and tug at the bone, so the body reinforces that bone to make it stronger. If you lose muscle tissue, a condition called sacopenia, the bone actually loses calcium, which leads to osteoporosis. Strength building workouts not only boost muscle tissue, they also help keep bones strong. Almost all studies show that strength building workouts can help prevent bone loss and some studies show it can even reverse it.

Osteoporosis and sacopenia aren’t the only conditions that strength training helps.

If you have insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, it’s no news that switching to a healthier lifestyle can make a huge difference. Adding strength training to your workout regimen can help you use insulin more effectively and not only help reverse insulin resistance, but also help prevent type 2 diabetes. It can help reduce the pain that comes from arthritis. In fact, several studies show it’s more effective than pain medication.

If you want to get rid of that sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach that comes from stress, consider adding strength training to your workout. It burns off the hormones of stress and helps you feel great again.
You might not think that doing heavy lifting can build your energy level, but you’d be wrong. It takes a few weeks, but you’ll start feeling the difference. Before you know it, you’ll be zipping through your day.
You’ll build muscle tissue when you workout with weights or do strength training exercises. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue does, so you’ll boost your metabolism.
Strength training not only helps lower blood pressure, it also creates less stress on the heart than you might have if you used aerobic training. It’s a heart healthy way to exercise.

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Start On Your Fitness New Year’s Resolution Today!

Published by superadmin on December 17, 2018 | Leave a response

I’ve seen it too many times. People set a fitness New Year’s resolution and wait until the stroke of midnight on December 31st to begin. The problem is, they only plan to begin their fitness goal, but often fail because the moment of passion passed. If you know anyone that smokes and planned to give it up for their New Year’s resolution, you probably have seen them puffing away, smoking more than normal the last few weeks of the year, making it harder to quit. The same is true of people who plan on shedding those extra pounds. They eat like there’s no tomorrow, in anticipation of feeling hungry and deprived. It just doesn’t have to be that way.

Is weight loss one of your goals?

In order to lose one pound, you have to eat 3500 fewer calories than you burn. Rather than waiting until the year begins, start by making a few changes every week, or every day. Learn to make substitutions. If you normally eat a candy bar for a mid afternoon break or have a donut in the morning, switch it out. Grab some fresh fruit or take vegetables and dip to work for a snack. Low fat string cheese and an apple or half an apple with nut butter also make good alternatives. Rather than grab a burger and fries for lunch, go healthy. Even if you eat the same number of calories, you’ll get the nutrition your body needs to keep you healthy and feel fuller longer. Make one change every week and before you know it, you’ll be eating healthy.

Get more exercise.

Don’t wait to join the gym. Start right NOW! That’s right! Just move more. Exercise doesn’t have to be a few hours at the gym every week. In fact, if you work at a sedentary job, you’re better off moving five minutes every hour. Go up and down the stairs if you have them in your building. Walk to a close destination rather than take a car or other form of transportation. Learn some quick five minute workouts you can do at your desk and do them every hour, when you’re not walking up and down the stairs. You’ll be ready for the gym when the new year starts.

Practice mindful eating.

Mindful eating means you focus more on each bite of food. The more aware you are of each bite, the more you can savor the flavors. Even more than that, mindful eating helps you slow down the process of eating, so your mind can catch up to your body and let you know when you’re full. Chewing each bite more not only enhances the enjoyment, it helps digestion and reduces the amount of food you eat, since you’ll feel full without eating as much. Chew, chew, chew and count the number of times you did if you need to do that to slow down eating.

Start by cutting out processed food. You don’t have a learning curve if you simply cut out processed food. That goes for high sugar drinks, too.
Drink more water. Often thirst is masked as hunger. When you drink more water, you’ll not only be helping your body, but lowering your caloric intake, too.
At holiday celebrations, fill up on the fresh fruit and vegetables. It doesn’t mean you can’t eat some of your favorite foods, just remember to use small portions. A smaller plate will make you feel like you ate more.
Get a regular sleep schedule. Lack of sleep can cause you to be stressed and even to overeat. Sleep is also important for heart health and reducing the risk of other serious conditions.

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The Key To Fitness Is Consistency

Published by superadmin on December 5, 2018 | Leave a response

At one time or another, everyone has set up a workout program, going into it with fury, only to abandon it a few weeks later. Sometimes, life got in the way. Sometimes, the program was far too ambitious for the level of fitness. Working out for a few days may help a bit, but won’t give you the results you hope to achieve. The key to any fitness program is consistency. It’s not like writing a paper or reading a book, where you can do it in one day and its done. It’s more like keeping a kitchen or other room clean. It takes consistent work.

It takes time to get the body into shape.

Too often people quit their workout program because they aren’t seeing the results they hoped to achieve. In most cases, they haven’t given it enough time. That exercise session helped burn more calories, getting you closer to burning the 3500 it takes to lose one pound. It also boosted your circulation to help you think clearer. That one session also burned off the hormones of stress, while triggering the release of hormones that make you feel good. After just one week, you’ll notice more energy, but to see the changes in muscle mass or drop in weight, you may have to wait up to a month. Muscle growth, weight changes and increased strength and fitness will be obvious after consistently working out for up to six months.

You need to have a schedule and stick with the schedule.

Every commitment or appointment is normally on your calendar or on your phone. Create an appointment for your workout. If you don’t, it won’t happen. Create a consistent schedule, so that it becomes a habit. Whether you exercise in the morning, afternoon or evening, it doesn’t matter, as long as you do it regularly.

Get some help.

There are many different ways to increase the probability of follow through. One of those is having an exercise buddy. A workout buddy holds you accountable, since he or she is actually an appointment. If you skip that appointment, someone knows. It’s a far better solution than just promising yourself you’ll do it. A workout buddy also can push you to work harder and make every workout more fun.

In order to stick with a workout program, you need to set yourself up for success. Don’t try to get into shape in just one day, it simply won’t work. Some people tend to overdo their first workout, leaving them too sore, tired or even injured to continue.
If you’re not sure where to start, consider working with a personal trainer, either with private sessions or group sessions. Once you’ve established the workout habit, you can try it on your own if you like.
If weight loss is your reason for starting a workout program, don’t forget to start eating healthy, too. No matter how much you exercise, you can’t overcome an unhealthy diet.
On the days away from the gym, stay active. Make it your passion to find ways to get more exercise. Walk more, take the stairs and even create some mini workouts to get your blood circulating after you sat for a while.

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Ways To Make Fitness Easier

Published by superadmin on November 26, 2018 | Leave a response

If you’re trying to get fit, you might feel a bit overwhelmed by all the changes you need to make. Don’t be caught in that trap! You can make fitness easier by following a few easy rules and just modifying the things you do everyday a bit. Of course, eating healthy is part of the program and so is regular exercise. You can make doing those two things easier once you get in the groove. Here are a few tips that can make you feel better about healthy living and help you make the adjustments you need to make to maximize fitness benefits.

Don’t worry about calories, just focus on how food is made.

Too often people focus on carbs or calories and find they’re spending every waking hour just worrying about the number of calories or carbs they ate and keeping tally. While keeping a food diary can be important for those who want to lose weight, so is focusing on how the food is made. You can’t go wrong with whole foods…food that is most like its natural state, such as fresh veggie and fruit. Choose organic and eat as much as you want! It’s really easy to get all the nutrition you need without too many calories when fresh fruits and veggies are primary sources of energy. Don’t drink the juice but eat the whole fruit or veggie.

Find ways to boost your activity throughout the day.

It might seem almost too simple, but just taking the stairs or parking further from the building can boost your overall health by increasing the amount of exercise. You can also find easy ways to get in a half hour to an hour of exercise on those days away from the gym. Walking to lunch, breaking up a workout to three or four sections and doing them throughout the day are just two ways. If your job involves lots of sitting at your desk or standing in a stationary position, take five minutes out of every hour to move around a bit.

Don’t forget about hydration.

Staying hydrated is extremely important. Some people simply hate to drink water or even worse, think they have to guzzle it all at once. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times and sip on it throughout the day. If you hate plain water, add a few tablespoons of fruit juice to it to give it a light flavor. Grape juice, lemon or apple make good additives. Some people crush up fruit and mix it with a little water to create cubes for their water that add flavor and make the drink more interesting. Try increasing the amount of herbal tea, green tea or even some bouillon for cold winter days. It’s far better than hot chocolate for you and warm you instantly.

Learning portion size is extremely important. For instance, a portion of meat for a meal is about the same size as a deck of cards.
Walk faster. Pick up the pace when you walk. It changes an ordinary walk into a workout.
Carry your groceries to the car if you can. If you don’t have a huge load, carry the bags on your arms, rather than in a cart. It’s just a little extra strength building.
Turn on music when you clean and dance through your housework. Every extra movement you do helps burn calories and gets you in shape faster. Enjoy life and feel how exhilarating it is to move freely.

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Make Strength Training Part Of Your Daily Life

Published by superadmin on November 13, 2018 | Leave a response

One thing that definitely will help you shed weight is strength training. If you’re already working out regularly, you’re probably doing it two or three days a week and working different body areas. However, you can boost the effect with a few simple exercises you can do every morning and by changing a few habits you do every day. If you’re like me, you love to stretch the first thing in the morning. I feel like a dynamic stretches get me ready for the day. I also love to add a few quick exercises to the mix, which also boosts my readiness for the day.

Give ten minutes to strength training, but vary the type you do.

You don’t and shouldn’t do the same exercises every day. It doesn’t give those muscles time to build. However, there are a few strength training exercises you can add to your morning stretching than will get your blood flowing and ready for the day, plus help you increase your energy level. Keep it simple and do only four or five exercises with two or three sets of each. Vary the workout daily and do an easier one the day you workout at the gym.

Resistance bands are great at home equipment.

You can get a full body workout to start the day with just six minutes or so. While it’s not meant to replace your workout regimen, it’s a good supplement you can do daily and increase your overall activity. One is super simple. Grab the band in the middle with your hands in front of you and pull. Another is to put one end on the floor, held in place with your foot, and with the other had pull the band up and to the side. Tie it around your calves, squat and step to the side with one foot. Pause, then bring your other foot over and then back to the original position. Finally, do a glute bridge, but holding the band over your thighs and held to the floor at your side with your hands as you do it.

Another way that’s simple is body weight exercises to boost your strength.

Whether it’s squats, pull ups or step ups, there are all types of variations you can do to increase the amount of strength training. Focus on doing a few pushups or pull ups each morning, then try one of the variations of squats, like pistol squats or split squats. Doing a skaters move or step ups are also good.

Get work done around the house and build your core muscles. Vacuuming, raking and sweeping all tone your muscles. Put some zip in loading the wash machine by stand about ten feet away. Put the dirty laundry on the other side of you as you spin to toss it in the wash. Lifting the full basket is also a workout.
Do squats when you pick up clothes or toys off the floor. See, you don’t need a formal workout to get a good workout.
Wash windows and do it vigorously. That is good for upper body strength. Carrying children and pets will also boost your body strength. It also builds bonds. (If you have a large dog…better pass on this one.)
Don’t underestimate simple tasks. Carry your groceries into the house, enjoy a brisk walk to take the garbage out and go without a few labor saving devices once in a while. You’ll be amazed at how it also can boost your strength.

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Got The Blues? Maybe It’s What You Eat

Published by superadmin on November 3, 2018 | Leave a response

You probably already know that working out can make you feel better emotionally. It burns off stress hormones and can lift your spirits. What you eat also makes a big difference in your mood. Some foods promote feeling good and others can sabotage that good feeling. Sugar, for example, can get you feeling energized by spiking blood sugar levels, but drop your mood like a rock off a cliff just a few hours later. Simple carbs, like sugar, when eaten frequently can cause you to feel constantly depressed.

Grab some nuts.

Don’t buy those mixed nuts that are mostly peanuts, just go for the gusto and get just cashews and walnuts. Raw walnuts and cashews are real mood boosters. They’re both high in magnesium. Low levels of this mineral is linked to increasing the risk of depression. Cashews are high in vitamin B6, also good for leveling out moods and cashews have a high amount of tryptophan, which changes to serotonin that boosts your mood. Neither causes a spike in sugar levels, but do provide energy. Walnuts are also a good source of protein that can make you feel fuller longer.

Kale is more than a salad bar decoration.

If you want loads of extra minerals and vitamins, add some kale to your salads or put it in your soup. Kale is loaded with vitamin A, vitamin K and vitamin C, while also having generous amounts of magnesium in just one cup. Adding fiber to your diet can keep you feeling fitter, while also keeping you regular (and constipation will definitely make you feel out of sorts). Kale is a good source of fiber.

Grab a cup of Joe.

Coffee is known as the quicker picker upper, but it also can boost your mood. It improves your alertness and mental focus, and also can boost your performance in the gym. Just two cups a day can help reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and also significantly lower the risk of depression. Don’t go for more. Less is better than more when it comes to drinking coffee.

Raw oysters are considered an aphrodisiac but they’re really just improve circulation and provide healthy fat, omega-3 fatty acid.
Salmon, another source of omega-3 fatty acid, is also a quick fix for an emotional low. It also fights inflammation.
Yes, if chocolate is on your list of go-to good-feeling-foods, you’re right. However, not just any type of chocolate and not a lot. Dark chocolate and just one piece is enough to give a lift.
Colorful berries are brimming with flavonoids. Those help improve memory but also help keep your mood in check and reduces inflammation to the brain. Add some to your diet for those down days and you’ll be doing yourself a favor.

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