Best Fitness Blog

You are busy, and when you are busy you exercise less and don’t eat as well as you should. But the key to weight loss is burning more calories than you take in, but also eating healthy. You may think you eat fine, but if you take a few minutes to evaluate what you eat, you may start to notice some unhealthy habits. The first question that you should ask yourself is: What types of processed foods do you eat?

Processed foods have added fats and sugars to make them taste better, last longer and cook faster. This hidden extras add on the calories more quickly than most of us realize. Because of this, the typical American diet is loaded with sugar, fat, and sodium, often leading to high blood pressure, low energy, and poor digestion. The best way to reduce your risk for many diseases and health issues is to choose natural and minimally processed foods. Often called “eating clean”.

If you want to eat clean, you need to eat the least processed food with the most nutrients. How? No more fast foods, no more frozen food aisle at the grocery store, choose fresh vegetables and fruits over canned or frozen.

Choose foods that are low in fat, high in fiber, with essential vitamins and minerals. This will control blood sugar, give you more energy for exercise and give you the fiber that you need for better and healthy digestion.

Eating a less processed, healthy diet along with increased exercise can boost your metabolism and help you lose weight. Replacing fast foods and processed foods can help you eat less calories overall and increase the amount of fiber you eat. Additionally, high-fiber whole grains, vegetables, and fruits will help you feel fuller longer causing you to eat less. Did you know that people who eat an additional 14 grams of fiber a day eat 10% less throughout the day.?

Do you want to get in shape, take care of your body and change your appearance? Pilates is the way to do it. Most people regardless of age or abilities can benefit from Pilates. Pilates strengthens the core of your body which includes the muscles in the back, tummy and rear. Through strengthening the core of the body, you can achieve tremendous physical results, as well as increased mental health.

The muscles in your core affect your entire body, so with each pilates exercise you are working the entire body, not just one muscle group. Because of the nature of pilates exercises, through these work outs you will lengthen and de-compress the spine which increases your stability, and elongates your core muscles giving your body a longer and leaner appearance.

Just in time for spring feel your self confidence boost as you posture improved, your belly firms and your body lengthens. Because Pilates is a low impact workout, anyone can participate. Contact Best Fitness in your are to see how Pilates can benefit you.

So how did the New York Giants prepare for the Super Bowl? Yoga! The Giants have been hitting the mat all season with yoga teacher, Gwen Lawrence.

Gwen has been working with the Giants for eleven years and says, “These are pretty active, high intensity classes. We do a lot of long, deep holds, some vinyasa.... In-season, I come in on Mondays and do post-game restorative work with the players... I can’t just go in there and kick their butts and expect full-body participation.”

The routine changes week-to-week and varies according to position.

“You also have to take into account the different positions... An offensive lineman is obviously different than a receiver – the demands on their bodies are different – but there are basic moves that benefit any position.” Lawrence explains how yoga makes them better football players.

“My philosophy is, strength plus flexibility equals power on the field. Doing these moves not only keeps players less injury prone – because a tight, rigid body is more likely to crack and break – but they also translate into power. Think of it this way. You have a bow and arrow, and the bow string is strong and unbreakable, but if it’s too tight, you can only pull it back an inch and the arrow flops down on the ground. But when the string is flexible, you can pull it far back, and the arrow has more power.” Yoga also helps them mentally.

“We’re working on mental toughness, too. Sometimes you have players with pre-game anxiety, and the breathing techniques they learn in yoga can help them cope.” What's the players’ favorite post-game pose?

Pigeon!

Original article - MindBodyGreen

...By Travis Webb

One of the most important areas of your body is the core. Over time the fitness community has changed their focus of ab workouts to core workouts. This is mainly due to our growing understanding in how the core works. As our knowledge has grown we have also developed equipment to activate and utilize the core more efficiently such as the stability ball.

Your core wraps around your torso and includes a variety of muscles in your hips. One of the ideas behind sitting on a unstable surface, like a stability ball, is more muscles will be recruited to stabilize as you move. If your form is correct you can help stabilize your core in this fashion. Some of the benefits include reduced lower back pain, improved balance, increases in strength throughout the body, improved coordination and decreased susceptibility to injury.

You can use a stability ball in sit ups, pushups, squats as well as hundreds of other exercises ranging from beginner to expert. I’m frequently asked what size stability ball should be used and the answer is in how tall you are and what exercise you are looking to do. The size and density of a stability ball can vary from large to small and high density to low density. I’ve found a method to be standing next to the stability ball, if it is as high as your knee you are good to go!

It is hard to begin an exercise routine. But there is a way to start easy and get the results you need and want.  It should not have to be a huge effort to get exercise daily.

Brisk walking is the answer. It is great for your heart, it can help you lose weight and it is often the gateway to lead you to other exercises. The benefits of walking are immeasurable.
 
Every two hours of rigorous exercise adds one hour of life expectancy. How can you argue with that? When you walk in the winter, be sure to dress appropriately, layers of synthetic fabrics.

It is cold out, and surely that makes it challenging, with shorter, darker, and colder days and freezing temperatures, it is difficult to do exercise outside, so how are you going to walk?

Jump on a cardio machine like an elliptical or a treadmill, and enjoy some great music, great conversation or a great tv show. The hour will go by faster than you think.

The easiest way to begin exercising is to start walking. Start walking and live longer. Contact Best Fitness for information on the Best Fitness Gym near you.

...By Karli Taylor

Winter weight gain has always been a common complaint. It seems that every winter we add a few pounds, and we wonder why. It’s simple really, in the winter, people tend to hibernate- they eat more and move less. Did you know that thirty percent of people in the US don’t exercise at all in the winter?

Yes, it’s cold outside, but that does not give you a blanket excuse not to exercise. If you don’t like to work out indoors, outside exercise is still an option, you just need to keep some things in mind:

• Warm up a little longer than usual because the cold weather tends to tighten your muscles more than usual.
• Drink water, it is just as important to drink enough in the winter as it is in the summer, but you may not feel as thirsty.
• Dress in layers to keep you warmer. You can take off the top layer if you get too hot.

In the winter, we tend to eat more for comfort or out of boredom. To keep yourself on track, try keeping a food diary. Writing down what you eat everyday can be eye-opening. Most of us under-estimate the amount of calories we take in by at least 25%. You are also more likely to make healthy choices if you have to write them down and be reminded of what you actually ate! If you want comfort food, it doesn’t have to be high in calories. Have a bowl of home-made vegetable soup, or a casserole with lots of root vegetables.

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.

...By Karli Taylor

How many times have you asked the question “How can I lose weight”?

Though the answer has evolved overtime as more and more research is done on weight loss, obesity and health, essentially the answer remains the same: what you eat and how much you exercise directly relate to your ability to lose weight and keep it off.

However, there have been changes and advances on those ideas. For instance, did you know you should eat 5 or 6 times a day depending on how long you are awake? Yes, it is true, five or six smaller, healthier, nutrition packed meals are better than 3 larger meals. Not only will this keep you from feeling hungry throughout the day, but it will also help to increase your metabolism.

How often you eat is only a piece of the puzzle, however. Make sure you are paying attention to WHAT you are eating as well. Though home cooked meals are always the best because they contain fewer fillers and additives, life often necessitates pre-packaged or pre-prepared meals. When you need to make a “bad choice”, making “better bad choices” involves checking labels to make sure you can pronounce all of the ingredients, asking for no sauce or light sauce, asking for items to be steamed or baked instead of fried and eating only half of the portion that you are served.

In addition to the food that you eat, exercise is a factor in weight loss. Put simply, you need to burn more calories than you consume. This does not need to be as daunting as it may seem. What do you like to do? Find something that you enjoy and invite your friends to join you which will help to keep you motivated. If you don’t like to exercise with others, find a good book to get engrossed in while you walk on the treadmill.

In order to lose weight, you will have to make changes to your lifestyle. Make changes slowly as not to overwhelm yourself. Use low fat or skim milk rather than whole, buy wheat bread rather than white, drink 3 more glasses of water a day, park farther from the store entrance. Sneaking these changes in to your life will make change easier on yourself.

Contact Best Fitness in your area for more information and ideas on how to change your lifestyle in order to lose weight.

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.

...By Karli Taylor

Looking for something new and different to add to your weight loss routine? Creating muscle is one of the best ways to increase how many calories you burn. With more muscle, your body burns more calories at rest. Seems easy right? Did you know that Pilates can help you build muscle while helping to create a trimmer appearance?

Pilates is an effective way to not only lose weight, but also to build strength in your core muscles for better posture, balance and flexibility, and it’s not just for the hard core fitness buff. If you're considering taking a Pilates class for the first time, here's what you need to know before you head to the gym.

Pilates, named for its creator, Joseph Pilates, who developed the exercises in the early 1900s, is a method of exercise that consists of low-impact flexibility and muscular strength and endurance movements. A typical routine includes 25 to 50 repetitive strength training exercises put together into what is known as a profile.

Pilates can be adapted to provide a gentle strength training and stability program or a challenging workout for seasoned athletes. By practicing basic Pilates regularly, you can achieve a number of health benefits, including improved core strength and stability, improved balance and posture and improved flexibility.

Because it's essential to maintain proper form to get the most benefit, arrive early to your first class and let the instructor know that you have not practiced Pilates before. A small amount of extra attention for your first experience will make a huge difference.

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.

...By Karli Taylor

You have heard it before -- if you want to know the state of your health, turn your attention to your waistline. Waist circumference is getting a lot of attention as the new risk factor for future health problems, even becoming more popular than the old standard of BMI. Why? It’s because belly fat is thought to be more dangerous than fat that pads other parts of your body. Even people who look to be “skinny” should be concerned if they hold any extra baggage around the middle.

Your body needs some fat, but where the fat is on your body makes a big difference. Fat can behave differently in different places, and the stuff that lies along your midsection has been proven to be the most unhealthy. There are two types of fat that can live around your waistline, the first is subcutaneous fat, or the fat just under your skin. This is the fat that you can pinch with your fingers. Though it is what most of us concern ourselves with, it’s actually the lesser of the two evils. It’s the visceral fat, the belly fat that hides deep inside, around your inner organs, that may pose a silent health threat if there's too much of it.

There are four keys to losing visceral fat: exercise, diet, sleep, and stress management.

Though there are no specific moves or activities that lessen visceral fat, by including both cardiovascular and resistance exercise into your daily routing you will be able to burn off fat while you are exercising and add lean mass that will continue to burn fat while you are at rest.

It has been proven that 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, done four times per week, reduced subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat. Resistance training alone reduced only subcutaneous fat. However a stronger, leaner body burns more calories at rest so it is always best to do cardio as well as strength training to accomplish your weight loss goals.

Contact Best Fitness in your area for assistance in creating a weight loss plan that incorporates the loss of belly fat.

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.

...By Karli Tayor

Being active is an important part of any weight-loss or weight-maintenance program. When you're active, your body uses more calories. When you use more calories than you take in, you lose weight. It really is that simple!

Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. So if you cut 500 calories from your diet each day, you'd lose about 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories). Similarly, if you eat exactly the same amount, but burn an extra 500 each day, you will see the same results.

I’m sure you know where I’m going with this right? Now if you were to cut 500 calories a day AND burn 500 calories a day, you would be able to lose 2 pounds a week and reach your goals even more quickly! Though weight loss can be achieved through diet alone or from exercise alone, it is much more efficient, and much better for the health of your body in the long run to combine the two.

While it is recommended that most healthy adults follow the guidelines set below, your specific goals may impact the amount and type of exercise that will work best for you. The general guidelines are:

• Do at least two hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity (think brisk walking or swimming) or one hour and 15 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic activity (such as running) — preferably spread throughout the week.
• Strength train at least twice a week.

The chart below shows the estimated number of calories burned while doing various exercises for one hour.

Mayo Clinic

Keep in mind that this chart does not take into consideration a number of individualized factors that may impact caloric burn- it should be used only as an estimate. For a more individualized number, seek help from a fitness professional to learn your rate of calorie burn.

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.