Best Fitness Blog

...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.

... By Karli Taylor

You’re on the treadmill walking at a nice easy warm-up pace. With nothing else interesting to look at, you start to read the heart rate chart that is printed next to the digital display. You find your age and follow the row over to find your current heart rate and… you are working too hard?

This is a classic example of why you should not believe everything you read. Yes, I know that this chart is printed on the cardio machines in every gym you have ever stepped foot in, and I’m sure it hangs on the wall in many group exercise studios across the globe as well. The simply truth is this: it is wrong. The numbers on this chart are based on a formula used to ESTIMATE maximum heart rate. This basic formula, 220-age= max heart rate, is inherently flawed. Don’t believe me? Keep reading.

Mrs. Smith is a 30 year old marathon runner. She runs approximately 40 miles a week, is an ideal weight and is in good health. Her friend, Mrs. Jones, is also 30 years old. The similarities end there. Mrs. Jones is a smoker. She has not exercised in over 10 years, and according to most guidelines for height and weight, she is morbidly obese. Based on the chart found on that treadmill, both Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Smith should be working in the same heart rate range to burn fat...

Sound right? At 75% of their estimated max heart rate (220-30= 190 * .7 ), or 133 beats per minute, one of these ladies is barely sweating while the other is gasping for breath. If these charts are all wrong, what do you do? There is a simple formula to find your target heart rate range (70-85% of your maximum heart rate), but to calculate it, you need to find your resting heart rate.

If you wake up without an alarm, take your pulse 3 mornings in a row before your feet hit the ground and take the average number to get your resting. If you do rely on an alarm, take your pulse if you get up on the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. If you do not wake up during the night, take your pulse right before you fall asleep. Try not to watch and scary or suspenseful television shows in bed though!

Once you get that number, plug it in to these formulas to get the high and low end of your target heart rate range:

220-age- resting * .70 + resting = 70% max heart rate.
220-age-resting *.85 + resting= 85% max heart rate.

... By Karli Taylor

I can’t think of a day that has passed that I haven’t uttered the words "I’m tired” at least once. I can’t help but get frustrated. I consider myself to be a relatively fit and healthy woman, but I always feel like I need more energy. Does this sound familiar?

Experts say that a large pat of the problem is that we have unrealistic expectations of how much we can squeeze into one 24 hour period. It seems that the pressure we put on ourselves to squeeze in one more meeting or errand is overwhelming, and it can actually drain a significant amount of energy. By over-extending ourselves on Monday, research shows that we are actually less productive on Tuesday. It’s kind of like that old saying “Hurry up to slow down”.

Studies on productivity in the workplace show that people who take short breaks during their work day actually get more done then people who schedule themselves back to back all day.

Not only should we try to perform fewer task in a day in order to get more done, we should stop trying do accomplish 2 or 3 things at once . A study that compared single- and multi-taskers found that those who focused on one chore at a time were more energy efficient. So reading your email while on the phone or sending texts while on the treadmill will drain your brain faster than doing each task by itself.

It sounds too good to be true, right? If we slow down and do a little less each day, we will feel less tired AND get everything done? I’m game...

...By Karli Taylor

Even the healthiest of people get sick every now and then, but with a little fine-tuning you can help strengthen your immune system to fight off conditions like the common cold and the flu.

• Eat more fruits and veggies. Following a diet rich in antioxidants is essential to supporting your immune system by combating free radicals.
• Choose healthy fats like the omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish and flaxseed to help increase your body's production of compounds involved in regulating immunity.
• Add Garlic and ginger to your meals to fight virus’, kill bacteria and reduce inflammation
• Drink plenty of water to help fend off infection by flushing out your system.
• Working out regularly can mobilize your T cells, a type of white blood cell known to guard the body against infection.
• Take days off. You can have too much of a good thing. Excessive vigorous activity like running may weaken your immune function and leave you more susceptible to viral infections.
• Learn to relax. Prolonged exposure to stress can wear down the immune system and increase your vulnerability to germs
• Wash your hands. Simply keeping your hands clean is one of the best ways to ward off illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Make sure to wash your hands for 15 to 20 seconds (using warm water and soap) before preparing food or eating and after coughing, sneezing, using the bathroom, or touching public surfaces.
• Get your ZZZs. Getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night helps to regulate immune function.

...By Karli Taylor

You come to the gym three days a week and you walk on the treadmill for an hour. You just want to lose a little bit of weight, so that’s really all that you need to do right? If I told you that lifting weights would help you lose weight would you believe me? Many people are afraid that lifting weights will “bulk them up” instead of slim them down, but the opposite is actually true.

In fact, whether you’re trying to lose weight, improve your muscle tone, improve your mobility, or prevent injury, incorporating weight lifting into your exercise routine will give you added benefit than just doing cardio.

Yes, it is true that cardio is the best way to burn a lot of calories in a given period of time. You will burn more calories in 30 minutes of cardio than you do in 30 minutes of weight lifting-BUT there is an after-burn involved in weight training that blows that associated with cardio clear out of the water.

Weight training is about changing your body composition to add lean muscle. Not only will that make your body look leaner and tighter, but lean muscle burns more calories throughout the day than fat.

By adding one pound of lean muscle to your body, you will burn an extra 50 calories a day without moving any more than you do right now. 50 calories doesn’t seem like much, but over a month or a year- it adds up to significant weight loss!

Don’t have time to add extra workout days to your schedule? Try weight training before you hit the treadmill. Split your hour in half and lift for 30 minutes before walking or running for 30. You will get the most out of your hour every time you hit the gym.