Best Fitness Blog

...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 Taylor

The best way to lose weight is to create a calorie deficit by burning calories through exercise while reducing the amount of calories that you eat each day. Understand that losing weight takes time. Don’t try to lose more than 1/2 pound to 1 pound each week, and don’t eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day. If you are not too excited about the thought of eating less, there is a way to lose weight without cutting back on your intake- just burn more!

To burn one pound of body fat per week try creating a deficit of 500 calories per day, 3,500 calories per week. There is 3,500 calories in one pound of body fat. To do this, fuel your body with high nutrient food and burn off the 500 calories through high intensity cardio.

How Cardio Helps You Lose Weight

You already know that you lose weight when you burn more calories than you eat. Cardio is a key component because you burn many calories at one time by getting your heart rate into your target heart rate zone. You can increase the calorie burn by increasing the intensity of the workout: Go faster, climb hills or change exercises. And since cardio exercises add to your overall calorie deficit by burning calories, you don’t have to cut as many calories from your diet. But one large advantage to cardio is that you can do it anytime, and every day. There is no rest day required to allow your muscles to repair themselves.

Which cardio exercise is best?

Which cardio exercise is the best to lose weight? The one you will do regularly and consistently. Choose some that you enjoy and mix them up. A great idea is interval training. Interval training can be done on any machine that you like, and involves simply changing the intensity for short periods of time called intervals. You can speed up a minute and then return to a comfortable pace for 2, or you can keep your pace the same and add resistance for 1 minute before decreasing it back for 2.

Another way to spice up your cardio is cross-training. Cross- training is simply using different machines either over the course of a week, or even in the same day. If you are someone with a short attention span, try this: Use an elliptical for 15 minutes, then use a stair climber for 15 minutes and finish on the treadmill for 15 minutes.

Cross training is a fun way to keep it new and fresh!

To get an idea of just how much cardio can do for you, check out the following list of common exercises. Below is the number of calories burned for a 150-pound person in 30 minutes:

• Step aerobics: 340 calories
• Stationary bike: 238 calories
• Swimming: 270 calories
• Walking 4 mph: 170 calories
• Running 5 mph: 270 calories
• Mowing the lawn with a push mower: 200 calories

Contact Best Fitness to see how a cardio workout can help you 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

Diet is DIE with a T on the end of it… How many times have you heard that one? As the temperature rises, we start to think a little bit more about those extra few pounds that have snuck on around our middles and we start throwing around that D word. The last thing any of us want to do is go on a diet, right? Luckily there are ways to ban that bulge without taking drastic measures. The trick: Eat just a little bit less every day at every meal.

In fact, by cutting out just 100 calories each day, you'll lose more than 10 pounds a year. Up that to 250 calories and you're down 26 pounds! Need it gone sooner? Cut 500 calories daily and you'll drop those 26 pounds in half the time. Keep reading for some easy ways to give up a little to lose a lot.

At Breakfast:

• Use skim milk in place of cream in your coffee.
• Eat a bowl of high-fiber cereal and you'll consume fewer calories all day.
• Order bacon, not sausage, with your eggs.
• Order your toast dry and put on your own butter- just one serving

At Lunch:

• Use 1 tablespoon of mayo and 1 tablespoon of low-fat cottage cheese to make tuna salad.
• Put barbecue sauce, not honey mustard, on your chicken sandwich at your favorite fast food joint.
• Top your burger with onions, lettuce, and tomato and skip the cheese.
• Ask for the 12-ounce small soda instead of the 21-ounce medium at the drive-through.
• Slim down your sandwich by using Arnold Select 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins instead of whole wheat bread.
• Toss your salad with 1 tablespoon of dressing until every lettuce leaf is coated. You'll get away with using half the usual serving size. Try this trick at dinner too.
• Choose thin crust pizza with veggies on top instead of regular with meat toppings

At Dinner:

• Choose EITHER butter OR sour cream for your potato
• Skip the bread before the meal OR if the bread is your favorite part, skip the potato that comes with your entrée
• Ask for sauces on the side and when you prepare food at home, go easy on the oil, cream and butter in your sauce- use stock instead
• Have a big salad before you start your entrée
• Drink water with dinner instead of something caloric
• Stop eating after your first helping and wait at least 15 minutes before helping yourself to seconds. If you are eating out, eat half of what’s on your plate and do the same thing.

Any of your own tricks to share?

... By Karli Taylor

In a recent study on memory loss, those who ate tuna and other types of fish at least three times per week had a significantly lower risk of age-related memory loss and stroke. That’s nothing new though, right? We have been told for decades that fish is brain food, but did you know that there are a few other foods that can boost your brain power?

Adding almonds to your daily menu will not only give you added protein for building lean muscle and good unsaturated fat to help burn off belly fat, it may also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease! A study done on a large group of elderly people found that those who regularly consumed nutrients such as unsaturated fats, vitamin E and folate from nuts were less likely to develop the disease compared to those who didn’t.

Are you starting a new job or thinking about learning a new skill? You may want to start eating your greens. The antioxidant cocktail contained in leafy greens (vitamin C, beta- and alpha-carotene and vitamin K), has been shown to boost memory and the ability to learn new tasks in older people. Who says you can’t teach on old dog new tricks!

Can’t remember your email passwords or your pin number at the ATM? Maybe you should add some red meat to your diet. Yes- I did recommend red meat. Research suggests that higher levels of creatine in the diet can increase brain capacity. Though creatine is found most readily in beef, vegetarians don’t have to lose out- you can supplement with creatine monohydrate to get the same brain boost!

If my giving you the ok to eat red meat wasn’t exciting enough, how about this one- chocolate!

Eating a bite sized piece of chocolate every day seems to boost alertness. According to a recent study if the impact of chocolate on brain function, the flavanoids found in cocoa are responsible for aiding mental acuity by boosting blood flow to certain areas of the brain for up to three hours after consumption.

So what will you be cooking tonight? Surf and turf with a green salad? Chocolate covered almonds for dessert? What time is dinner?

... By Karli Taylor

What to eat pre-workout has long been an area of uncertainty for athletes and recreational exercisers alike. Should we just eat the same stuff we would consume at a normal meal time? What about a protein bar or a meal-replacement shake? Far too often, the result of this confusion ends up being either a cup of coffee, a few swigs of Gatorade, or in the worst cases, nothing at all.

Though there is not a single magical food that you should eat before you hit the gym or the open road, there are a few essential components to the ideal pre-exercise meal.

• Consume carbohydrates and protein in a 3-to-1 ratio. Put simply, for every gram of protein you consume, you should be taking in 3 of carbohydrate. The 3:1 ratio is almost universally advocated for optimal absorption of nutrients as protein cannot be used by the body without the energy provided by carbohydrates.
• Include quick-working, high-glycemic carbs for energy now, and a lower glycemic carb for energy later. For example, I like to start my day with ½ cup of plain oatmeal with a teaspoon of real fruit jelly mixed in.
• Include at least one 8 ounce glass of water with your pre-workout meal. Starting out already dehydrated will almost guarantee cramping and less than peak performance.
• Eat at least a full hour before working out. Cutting it too close will not only increased your risk of feeling queasy while you train, but will also not give your body enough time to get that energy where you need it to perform at your best

What are your favorite pre-workout meals?

... By Karli Taylor

If asked, most people will tell you that drinking green tea is good for you. Over the last decade, green tea has been linked to health benefits ranging from fighting cancer and heart disease and lowering cholesterol to burning fat. More recent research has pointed out a few ways to get more out of that tiny little tea leaf….

Green tea has been linked to a reduced risk of heart attacks, thanks to powerful antioxidants called catechins. Studies show, however, that our bodies are only able to absorb about 20 percent of these healthful compounds. The good news is that by combining green tea with lemon juice, we can increase the absorption to over 75%!

So after brewing yourself a cup of green tea, squeeze in the juice of one whole lemon. If you don’t like the flavor of lemon, lime and orange can in at a close second and third in recent studies. It is the ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, that improves catechin absorption.

People who drink green tea with their meals report feeling more full and are less likely to want a second helping than those who drink plain water. Experts say the compounds in green tea can affect the hormones that regulate hunger and fullness. If you are drinking green tea for fat loss, you may want to try adding black pepper to your next meal. A recent study found that the combination of greet tea and black pepper boosts the absorption of EGCG, a key antioxidant in tea tied to calorie burning, by over 100 percent. Studies say as little as a half-teaspoon of black pepper can increase the absorption of tea’s beneficial compounds.

...By Karli Taylor

Did you know that 70% of the calories that Americans eat every year are from restaurant meals?

With our over-extended lives, it often seems easier to pick something up or stop somewhere on the way home to eat, but the benefits of preparing your own meals are hard to ignore.

First of all, it’s less expensive to eat a home cooked meal than to buy take-out or eat at restaurants night after night. Find a few recipes that appeal to you, make a list, and buy only what you need, you can make a week's worth of dinners for about the same amount of money you'd spend in a mid-range restaurant for two or three meals. As an added cost saver, there are usually leftovers when you cook at home that you can use for lunch the next day.

In addition to saving money, eating home cooked meals will save your waistline. When you are preparing your own food, you control the amounts of fat, sodium, sugars and overall calories. Restaurants typically add butter, oil, salt and sugar to make foods more palatable adding hundreds of unnecessary calories to your plate.

Home cooking also puts you in control of portion sizes. You are the one deciding how much food to put on your plate which eliminates the temptation to overeat. Did you know that today’s restaurant portions are almost double what they were 10 years ago.

Last but not least, preparing your own food at home assures you that the food you are eating is fresh and free of chemicals and additives. All the techniques used to process food - canning, dehydrating and freezing - virtually destroy the flavor of food, so chemicals are often added to enhance their flavor. While chemicals might make the food look and taste better, it's not doing much for our bodies. The fewer chemicals you have in your body, the better your health will be. Studies have shown that chemicals contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, and come neurological issues.

With a little planning and a few weeks to get yourself into the habit, eating in will be as easy as eating out- and your body will thank you for it.

...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.

... By Karli Taylor

We are eating out more than ever, and our waistlines are growing rapidly as a result. Though it is easy to overeat while dining out, you do not have to completely throw your healthy eating habits out the window. I’m not suggesting that you order a water and a salad- no one wants to be that friend that often gets excluded from eating events because the make things awkward. Below are some tips to help you enjoy your dining experience without having to unzip your pants!

• No matter where you’re eating, practice eating small portions. Take half the entrée home, split the meal with a friend or order an appetizer as a main course instead.
• Ask to substitute high fat items like french fries for a baked potato or side salad instead.
• Request items be made without butter or oil- order items that are steamed or lightly sautéed rather than fried
• Eat a little less at lunch to save for a special dinner later, but don’t skip meals. This can lead to eating too much.
• Eat something small 30 minutes before your meal to help be in better control of your choices.
• Start your meal with a large glass of ice water with lemon to help you feel full before the bread basket arrives.
• Take your time eating- chew your food well and stop eating to concentrate on the conversation.
• When possible, avoid buffets, and all-you-can-eat specials. Why set yourself up for that much temptation?
• For sauces, stick to wine or thinned, stock-based sauces. Avoid thick butter sauces, béarnaise, mornay or sauces that sounds creamy. If you’re unsure, ask the waitstaff.
• Choose salads made with rich dark greens like spinach and romaine rather than pale iceberg lettuce.
• Drink a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink you consume.
• If you are going to have dessert, split it with your friend.