Fitness & Wellness

Benefits Of Weighted Dips

Benefits Of Weighted Dips

Exactly what are weighted dips? To get that answer, you need to know what regular chest dips are. To do a dip, you hold the parallel bars and push yourself up until your arms are straight, leaning forward at a 45 degree angle, bent at the waist. Then pull your toes up toward the back of your shins, while your shoulders are pulled down and back. Hold and slowly lower your body into a dip until the elbows are bent at approximately 90 degrees and parallel to the floor. Push yourself back up into straight arm position.

Now you add weight to the dip.

You need parallel bars, a weighted dip belt and weight plates. It’s best to do these in the gym with a trainer watching, to make sure you have proper form. You start by putting the dip belt around your waist with the side for the chain in front. Put the carabiner through the belt loop to tighten, attach the weight plate on the side hanging then loop it around and clip it to the other side of the belt. Now you do the dip, but with the weight around your waist.

How do weighted dips benefit your body?

If you want to build upper body strength, weighted dips can certainly help you do it. They can build the muscles in the chest, shoulders and triceps, plus improve the strength of the muscle in the upper and lower back. They not only add strength, they can help build mass. Weighted dips work opposing muscle groups at the same time.

You can do variations.

You don’t have to use the dip belt and weight plates to do weighted dips, you can use a specially made weighted vest or take it one step further. Instead of attaching the weight to the upper body, try lifting a dumbbell between your ankles as you’re doing dips. You’ll need a helping hand to do this. You have to have someone put the dumbbell into place, between your ankles, once you’re in position on the dip bars.

  • Before you ever attempt to do weighted dips, which are more advanced, make sure you can do at least ten repetitions of regular chest dips. Start with lower weights and work toward more weight as you improve.
  • Always take precautions and let your trainer know of any preexisting conditions that this exercise might exacerbate. Never do weighted dips if you’re pregnant.
  • Ensuring you have proper form is extremely important. Keep your head and neck stable and make sure your elbows bend to the side, not out toward the back when you go up and down. By leaning slightly forward, you’re making sure the exercise works the chest.
  • Always give your body 48 to 72 hours of rest between sessions where you’re doing this or other upper body strength building exercises. It allows the body to heal and build muscle tissue.

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


Why Cardio Workouts Are Important

Why Cardio Workouts Are Important

No matter where you train or how you train, you need all types of workouts to become fit. Strength training is important, but so are flexibility, balance and cardio workouts. Luckily, many of these workouts can be combined and done at the same time. If you’re doing HIIT training, regardless of the type of exercise you’re doing, it’s cardio. Other names for cardio training are aerobic and endurance training. It can be as simple as walking flight of stairs or more complicated like pushing through circuit training with very little rest between stations.

Aerobic literally means “with oxygen.”

You need a fit cardio-vascular system to intake the oxygen you need for moving and functioning. The heart pumps the blood and the lungs supply the oxygen for it. The oxygen rich blood is sent to every cell in the body. When you exercise, you increase circulation, which increases oxygen and nutrient delivery to every cell. Your heart gets stronger and you breathe deeper, making both more efficient. Your muscles work more efficiently and you build more muscular strength and endurance. Cardio training is necessary for strong muscles, too.

If you’re depressed, perhaps cardio training can help.

Runners’ high is real. It’s the body’s way of helping you get past pain. Early man probably didn’t run for fun, but to stay alive. If he felt sore and wanted to quit too soon, it could mean his life ending. The same is true in battle, after a point of almost exhaustion, the body kicks in hormones like endorphins to make you feel better. These are natural pain relievers. Aerobic—cardio—workouts, provide those endorphins. It improves your mood and boosts your energy level. Feel good hormones include dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.

No matter what part of your body, cardio helps it function better.

Even your brain benefits from cardio. Increased blood circulation increases oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body, including the brain. Studies show it can improve cognitive functioning, recall and alertness. In fact, studies show that cardio can help slow dementia and Alzheimer’s too. The brain is 70% water and cardio helps it stay hydrated, while also aiding in the removal of toxins.

  • Something as simple as walking can boost your cardio health. Try to walk as fast as possible or vary your walking speed to make it a HIIT workout. One study showed that people who had longer and faster strides lived longer.
  • Cardio workouts can help you sleep better. One of the hormones produced during cardio is serotonin, which is necessary for adequate sleep. A good night’s sleep is not only heart healthy, it helps keep the hunger/satiety hormones in check. The body creates more hunger hormones when you lack sleep.
  • You need at least 150 minutes of cardio workouts every week. You’ll get some when you workout at the gym, but can fill in the gap on your days off with walking. You can keep sessions as short as five to ten minutes and still get benefits.
  • Cardio workouts can help lower blood pressure and reduce pain and stiffness of arthritis. It helps maintain blood sugar levels and reduces the risk of osteoporosis if it’s weight bearing, like walking.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit


Best Workouts For Your Butt

Best Workouts For Your Butt

We focus on total body workouts at Iron Fit in San Antonio, TX. If clients feel their tushie is too big, overall fitness is important. In order to lose weight in your derriere, you have to lose it all over your body. There is no spot exercise that can magically take weight off a specific area, but there are ways to tone the muscles to make specific areas more toned and tighter. Here are workouts for your butt that will help you get the bootie you want.

Everyone’s body is different.

Bottoms can be totally toned and still not be the shape you want. Some tushies are round, some are heart-shaped, some square and some look like an inverted V. However, with exercise, you can tone that area to make it look its best, even if you don’t have a Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian or Beyonce behind. Start with the legs and work up toward your bottom. Weighted calf raises, jumping rope and going up on toe like a ballerina can give you great ankles and calves. Then move on to the thighs.

Your booty requires toned thighs to look its best.

You can’t just work on your bottom to get the look you want, you have to focus on your thighs, as well. One connects to the other and affects how the other looks. Jumping plyometric squats, where you jump up, landing down in a squat and then jump up again to starting position in rapid succession builds strength in all your leg and butt muscles.

Work the thighs and bum with lateral lunges.

Focus on the total leg and bootie with ballerina plie squats. Your legs are at a wider stance and you turn your feet outward at 90 degrees to do those and go up on toe in a squat position. The width of the feet and how the feet are angled cause you to work a variety of leg and booty muscles. Explosive lunges also work the legs and bum. Explosive lunges start with hands on the hips, lunging forward on one leg, then jumping and switching the leg in front in midair. Continue jumping, switching and lunging for a full minute.

  • You can do all your squats and lunges as bodyweight exercises, but if you want to add a challenge and build muscle faster, hold dumbbells or other weight as you do.
  • Core exercises are also good for the derriere. A bridge exercise is one of those. Lie on your back on the floor with knees bent and your hands at your sides. Lift your hips five inches off the floor. Hold as you press your palms to the floor and squeeze your butt muscles for four seconds. Relax and repeat.
  • You can do mini workouts for the legs everywhere, even at work. Chair squats, like a squat but your bottom lightly touches the chair, but you don’t put your weight on the seat, are excellent for your bottom.
  • Our trainers at Iron Fit will create a workout that will help you reach your fitness goal quickly, even if you only want a better looking backside. You’ll get the benefit of achieving that goal and more.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit


Ever Tried Workouts With Bands?

Ever Tried Workouts With Bands?

There are a lot of ways to build strength. Bodyweight workouts, battle ropes and workouts with bands or weights are a few. While most people think of weights the minute they hear strength-building, resistance bands can be just as beneficial. You have to focus more on working muscles on a variety of planes, since gravity isn’t the providing the resistance. Bands are about the resistance of the stretch.

Resistance bands are excellent for the newbie that wants to workout at home.

Free weights and barbells are not only more expensive than bands, but also harder to store. You can tuck the bands in a drawer but need a full corner to store a complete set of weights. Bands come in different colors to indicate how much resistance they provide, but a whole pack with a variety of resistance weights would require less space than one dumbbell. They’re also far less expensive. In fact, most cost less than the shipping and handling on weights.

Your need determines what is best.

If you’re doing strength-building, but aren’t looking for a lot of bulk, then resistance bands are perfect. If you’re going for a competition bodybuilder body, look more to free weights. You can do it with resistance bands, but it requires more planning and thought. To get that type of body, you have to focus on progressive overload, increasing sets and reps as you improve and increasing intensity.

Building muscles is all about trying to move something that resists that movement.

The weight of dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells work against gravity to resist movement. It’s Newtons law of motion—an object at rest remains at rest—that helps you move the sandbags and medicine balls. With resistance bands, it’s all about the resistance of the rubbery stretch of the bands. No matter what the resistance is, when you’re going against that force, you’re building muscles. How you hold your body and move that object makes the difference on which muscles you work.

  • Many people consider weights the gold standard, since it provides constant resistance, where bands only provide resistance when they’re stretched to the maximum.
  • Bands can be a benefit if you’re bored with regular weights. They’re excellent for the home gym and great for people who travel frequently. They’re also good for flexibility training and rehabbing muscles.
  • Bands let you train differently. The difference allows a more well-rounded approach to your workout, since they also help stabilizing muscles. While you may not want to make them your only tool, they’re a good addition to a well-rounded program.
  • Some people don’t use resistance bands, since they’re allergic to latex. They now come in a non-latex version. Always inspect your bands for wear and tear before every workout.

For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit


How Much Sodium Daily Is Healthy?

How Much Sodium Daily Is Healthy?

Sodium is necessary for regulation of blood pressure, nerve functioning, muscle contraction and regulating the volume of the blood, but you can get too much. If you cut out all the salt you sprinkled on meals, you might still have more sodium daily than what is actually healthy. Sodium is beneficial for the body, but many of the foods we eat have sodium chloride and other forms of sodium already added when food is packaged, bottled, canned or frozen.

Why do manufacturers add sodium?

In the average American diet, more than 70% of the sodium comes from the commercial and manufacturing of food with less than 30% found naturally in food or sprinkled on at the table. It’s added for several reasons. One is for flavor, but it also extends shelf life and helps reduce the growth of microbes and preserve the food. That limits the potential for foodborne illnesses.

How much sodium do you need every day.

That answer varies. If you workout and sweat or live in a hot area and are out in the sun, you need more sodium to replace the sodium lost through perspiration. Your age, weight and sex are other variables. However, on the average, anyone older than 14 years old should limit their consumption of sodium to 2,300 mg per day or less or face the risk of health conditions like high blood pressure. If you have hypertension, reducing sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day is recommended.

Sodium is an acquired taste.

Like sugar, the more salt you put on something, the more your taste buds adapt to the higher intake. Reducing the amount of sodium you add slowly can make it easier and keep food palatable and delicious. Cutting out many of the highly processed manufactured foods can dramatically reduce the intake of sodium, plus lower the intake of other ingredients like refined flour and sugar.

  • You can improve the taste of food without the salt shaker and also boost the nutrient content by adding herbs. Sprinkle on some basil instead and you’ll boost your memory, reduce strokes and lower your blood pressure.
  • If you like spicy chili, put away that salt shaker and get creative. Adding cinnamon or cinnamon basil can bring out the flavor. Both also help lower, not raise blood pressure.
  • When you eat prepackaged food, check the food labels for the number of milligrams of sodium per serving. The words salt, sodium and soda in the ingredients list are also a giveaway. MSG is high in sodium. It’s the acronym for monosodium glutamate.
  • There are ways to reduce sodium if you’re on a budget and using canned vegetables. For instance, you can drain and rinse green beans if they have sodium added to reduce the sodium content.

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


Teas That Help Reduce Bloating

Teas That Help Reduce Bloating

Normally people think of traditional teas, like green tea, black tea, Darjeeling and Earl Gray, which are all teas made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, picked at various times and processed different ways. However, there are other types of tea, such as peppermint tea, hibiscus tea and other herbal creations that are not only delicious, but also have some health giving properties. While some teas can boost your immune system, others are more beneficial for immediate results, like those that reduce bloating.

Peppermint tea is probably one of the most popular for stomach issues.

Peppermint tea is soothing for the stomach and also great to relieve a stuffy nose. The flavonoids in peppermint tea can help slow or stop the overactivity of the mast cells in your stomach, which are responsible for bloating. It also helps soothe the pain, based on studies showing it’s effective for both bloating and the pain it causes. It’s the peppermint oil in the tea that provides the benefits and it six times stronger in a cup of tea than in peppermint oil capsules.

If your mother made you ginger tea or gave you ginger ale for stomach problems, she was right.

Ginger is soothing for the stomach and studies show that ginger capsules can provide aid for nausea and bring relief for stomach distress. It helps speed up how fast your stomach empties, which aids in reducing bloating cramping and other digestive issues. The root of the ginger plant is used and it’s the gingerols in the root that’s infused in the hot water when you steep the grated ginger root.

Chew a fennel seed or steep some tea.

Licorice is good for digestion and so is its impersonator, fennel. It has a taste that also compares to anise or cumin. If you’ve ever sprinkled fennel seed onto a pizza or simply chewed a fennel seed, you know it has that delicious anise flavor that often complements Italian or Chinese cooking. Fennel tea is traditionally used for bloating, gas, constipation or abdominal pain. Animal studies showed it can provide some protection from bloating and even ulcers. Another study done on nursing-home patients showed fennel helped prevent constipation.

  • Many companies provide herbal teas, including ginger, but you can make your own by slicing ginger root and putting it in boiling water for ten minutes. Remove the root and enjoy the relief it provides.
  • If you want an ornamental plant that returns each spring because of self-seeding, grow your own fennel. In the fall the flower heads die leaving seeds you can gather and a bulb that can be steamed and eaten.
  • Lemon balm and chamomile tea also help reduce bloating, gas and nausea. Both can also help you sleep. Lemon balm is also a natural bug repellent and may slow age-related memory loss.
  • Always check with your health care professionals before using natural supplements or herbal teas, especially if you’re taking medication, as they can interact with some meds.

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


Black Seed Oil Can Be Used For Alternative Healing

Black Seed Oil Can Be Used For Alternative Healing

Herbs and spices have long been used for medicine and to add flavor to local cuisine. Today we focus on herbs as primarily a way to make food taste better, but adding spice to meals also boost your health and actually be an alternative healing technique? In San Antonio, Texas, many people are looking at black seed oil, which comes from the seeds of the N. sativa plant, for both its culinary and health benefits. It’s called black caraway, black cumin, black seeds and kalonji. It has a hint of the aromas of onion, oregano and black pepper and can be used like oregano or cumin for pickles, bread or curry dishes.

Why look into alternatives and preventatives.

There are many philosophies on medicine, but one thing most doctors agree with is the philosophy that the medicine should cause less harm than the condition it’s fighting. It’s the reason many people are looking at ways to help prevent serious problems by focusing on staying healthy, rather than fighting disease. The use of antibiotics, for instance, has caused a strain of superbugs that have mutated to resist most antibiotics. These superbugs kill up to 90,000 people each year and the number grows each year. If you go to the hospital, you have a 5 to 10% potential of getting infected with a superbug. Studies show that black seed oil and oregano oil were effective in inhibiting several strains of superbugs that were resistant to antibiotics.

What gives black seed oil its antimicrobial potency.

Black seed oil contains several phytonutrients, like thymohydroquinone, thymoquinone and thymol. When used alone they are powerful protectors but boost the effectiveness exponentially when used together in proportions found naturally in black seed oil. Studies show that the oil can slow or prevent MRSA found in nursing homes and hospitals. It’s been shown effective for candida ablicans overgrowth, athletes’ foot and even herpes. In the lab, black seed oil inhibited replication of HIV-1, herpes simplex, hepatitis A and C, influenza, and even found more effective against covid 19 than hydroxychloroquine in slowing replication.

Protect your heart and respiratory system.

Black seed oil has been studied extensively and a review of those studies showed it’s an effective remedy for respiratory disease like allergies and emphysema. One study using guinea pigs showed it even protected the lungs against mustard gas! An extract of black seed oil helped reduce the symptoms of asthma by widening the bronchioles and letting air into the lungs. It helps lower blood pressure and regulate cholesterol levels of HDL, LDL and triglycerides in the blood.

  • Many parts of your body can benefit from the anti-inflammatory properties of black seed oil. It can reduce the swelling and pain of rheumatoid arthritis; help prevent other diseases associated with inflammation.
  • Black seed oil has been found effective as a complementary treatment for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes but in differing ways. It improves glucose tolerance without side effects compared to metformin that’s often used for diabetics.
  • It’s been used for centuries for skin problems and is good for treating skin inflammation, eczema, rashes, psoriasis and acne when dabbed on the skin.
  • Black seed oil has antibacterial benefits aids ulcers and diarrhea. It promotes liver health, aids in weight loss and has been used to prevent hair loss and improved scalp and hair health. Always check with your health care professional first before using for health issues.

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


Try Turmeric To Fight Inflammation

Try Turmeric To Fight Inflammation

There’s a reason we help people with their diet at Iron Fit in San Antonio, Texas. It’s a key factor to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet helps lower inflammation, which is one of the leading causes of many serious illnesses and conditions. Some foods and spices are anti-inflammatory. Turmeric is one example. Just sprinkling a little on your food each day won’t eliminate it completely but will aid in helping to get inflammation under control and help the body, rather than harm it.

Inflammation is necessary to fight off infection.

However, chronic inflammation can cause serious conditions. Heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, metabolic syndrome and diseases that are degenerative, like arthritis, all get worse when there’s chronic inflammation. Studies comparing the inflammation fighting properties of turmeric to pharmaceuticals show that it matches them but doesn’t have side effects. In fact, studies also found that the curcumin in turmeric slowed the inflammation and oxidative stress found in Alzheimer’s. It also aided in clearing the beta-amyloid that occurs in the brain when the patient has Alzheimer’s.

The curcumin in turmeric brings the healing benefits.

Curcumin is a phytochemical that appears naturally in turmeric. It’s the reason turmeric is effective as an inflammation fighter. It does many things besides reducing inflammation. It helps in depression, can boost recovery and even may help performance in the gym. Studies show that turmeric helped depression as much as Prozac and combining turmeric with Prozac for depression, boosted the effectiveness for both.

Liberal use of turmeric can add life to your years.

That’s right. You’ll feel younger and look better. Since it’s anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant, it helps prevent free radicals to protect your cells from damage that can cause aging. Aging occurs from oxidation and free radicals going unchecked. Reducing inflammation can also help you move easier and that encourages being more active, which also improves your appearance and keeps you younger looking. By increasing anti-inflammatory and antioxidants in your diet, you can slow the damage of the years and look years younger.

  • Only three percent of the weight of turmeric is curcumin, the active ingredient. So, it’s not the final answer if you’re simply sprinkling it on periodically. Consuming more anti-inflammatory foods and reducing those that cause inflammation, like sugar, is also important.
  • If you’re adding curcumin in your diet to help reduce inflammation, use it in conjunction with black pepper to help the beneficial ingredients absorb better.
  • Some great ways to use it is in soup. It gives a golden color to the mixture. Adding it to homemade egg noodles or rice dishes also improves their presentation. That golden color, however, stains. Make sure you have an apron to protect your clothing.
  • Tuna, salmon, leafy greens, apples, beets, broccoli and blueberries are just a few of the other anti-inflammatory foods you can add to your diet. Foods with added sugar, trans fats, red and processed meat, refined carbohydrates and foods high in omega-6 cause inflammation.

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


Benefits Of Not Eating Meat

Benefits Of Not Eating Meat

If you want to lose weight, enjoy better health and even save money at the grocery, try not eating meat. It’s true that much of the grocery budget is often spent on meat. Consider the difference in price between a bag of navy beans and sirloin steak for a family of four. Beans are the better buy when you want inexpensive protein that also has other benefits, like fiber.

Going meatless can improve your health, besides benefiting your budget.

As mentioned before, beans and other sources of plant based protein come with the benefit of fiber. It often has both types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Insoluble adds bulk and makes going the bathroom easier. Soluble fiber feeds the friendly microbes in your gut that boost your immune system, help provide brain health, aid in weight loss, aid in heart health, control of blood sugar levels and improves gut health.

Meat is harder to digest.

Meat, particularly red meat, is harder to digest than plant protein. It’s all protein and fat, with no carbohydrates, like the soluble fiber in vegetables. That alone slows the digestion. While it’s one reason that you feel fuller longer, but it also can cause digestive issues. Proteins from animal sources can take as long as two days to digest, while fruits and vegetables pass through your digestive system often in less than a day, thanks to the fiber they contain.

If you want to lose weight, go meatless.

Sure, meat keeps you feeling fuller longer, but there are also far more calories too. Quinoa, which is a plant source of protein that’s complete can be the base of a meal that’s far lower in calories. The nice thing is that you can keep it on hand to save the budget or for those days when shopping is out of the question, without worrying about spoilage. It has a long shelf life and even last as long as two to three years beyond its use-by date. Watch your belly disappear when you cut out meat. The fiber in the vegetable sources of protein slows down the absorption of carbs, so you don’t have spikes in blood sugar levels and insulin. That helps prevent insulin resistance, which can lead to a Buddha belly.

  • Just having meatless Mondays can even help lower the risk of diabetes, colon cancer, and other serious conditions. In fact, people who eat less meat often live longer.
  • With today’s shortages, keeping a few bags of dried beans and brown rice on hand for a complete protein source is a good idea. Both can be stored for over a year without a problem.
  • Turn a salad into a complete meal by adding beans, quinoa, rice or other type of plant protein. In fact, those are easy to make ahead and refrigerate, so all you have to do when you get home is serve and eat.
  • The meat sitting in the intestines for as long as four days is one reason it increases the risk of colorectal cancer. Meat also has a higher cholesterol and saturated fat content that adds to the potential for cancer.

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


Is There A Healthy Coffee Alternative?

Is There A Healthy Coffee Alternative?

Not everyone has the same tolerance to the caffeine in coffee or the acidity. In fact, even though it’s used as a pick-me-up, it also increases the stress hormone cortisol and that can lead to weight gain. It can over stress the adrenal system with short bursts of energy but leaving you with chronic low energy. Coffee affects the absorption of iron in your stomach, limits the storage of calcium, zinc, magnesium and more. It also can interfere with your sleep at night, leaving you even chronically tired. If you’re looking for a healthy coffee alternative, there are several.

Water should be your first choice of alternatives.

If you’re feeling tired, try a bottle or glass of water. You’ll be amazed at how it can be the “quicker picker-upper.” Exhaustion, headache and the inability to focus all come from mild dehydration. Thirst is actually the last symptom of dehydration and occurs after you feel fatigue. If you don’t like regular water, try infused water that puts the natural flavor into the water, without the extra calories.

Macha tea or green tea are good options.

While both are a form of tea, the way the two are processed is quite different and have different health benefits. In the final weeks of growing, macha tea is grown in the shade. Instead of sun or oven drying, pan frying, tumbling, steaming or basket firing like green tea, macha tea is deveined and destemmed, then lightly steamed, then stone ground. Both are high in antioxidants, L-theanine and polyphenols. However, since macha tea is ground, you get more nutrients, since you swallow the leaf powder. Matcha tea is higher in antioxidants, but does have more caffeine as well, so it’s not as good for anyone sensitive to caffeine.

Have you ever considered yerba mate?

Yerba mate tastes a bit like green tea, but it comes from the leaves of the yerba mate plant that grows wild in South America. It produces a bit of a buzz, since it has about three-fourths of the caffeine as coffee, but it adds to focus without as much impact on your sleep and isn’t as likely to give you the jitters. It also has slightly more antioxidants than green tea. It contains seven of the nine essential amino acids that are necessary for the body to function and almost every vitamin and mineral necessary for the body.

  • Why not make a green smoothie or make yours a protein based one to boost your concentration and alertness? It increases the production of chemicals in the brain that do that. Add some veggies to make it even healthier.
  • Roasted fig coffee and Masala chai are two options that are healthy, packed with nutrients and caffeine free. Fig coffee is high in potassium, iron, vitamins A and E.
  • Capomo is a coffee substitute that looks tastes and even smells like coffee when you’re brewing it but has no caffeine and tons of health benefits. It’s one of the richest sources of amino acids from plants.
  • Roasted dandelion root is ground to make dandelion coffee. Dandelion coffee gives you a boost of energy, without the caffeine. It’s often combined with other ingredients for even more health benefits.

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