Best Fitness Blog

...By Karli Taylor

Many people are trying to lose weight, and we all know that diet and exercise is the way to do it. Of course burning more calories than you take in is the way to drop some pounds. But sometimes consuming more is better too. Consuming more water that is.

Everywhere you look there is a fad diet, or someone trying to sell you a cleanse book. Forget diet pills, fad diets and cleanses. There is an effective weight-loss aid that you already have: water. And we are not talking about vitamin waters, or flavored waters; just add more plain old water to your diet and rinse away the weight.

Do you want to lose weight? A recent study has shown that while cutting down on portions, and drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner may help you lose weight and keep it off for at least a year. This research was presented at the American Chemical Society, in Boston.
Adding water to your low-calorie weight-loss diet, and exercise plan can help you with weight-loss success.

The reason may be that drinking water before meals helps fill your stomach, making you less hungry and less likely to overeat. It has been determined that drinking water before meals encourages your body to lose weight. It could also be that drinking more water may discourage you from drinking soda and other high calorie drinks.

For more diet tips, and a custom designed exercise and weight loss plan, contact Best Fitness in your area.

...By Karli Taylor

It is one thing to change your attitudes toward food and exercise when you are actively trying to lose weight, but those habits need to remain intact once the weight is off in order to maintain your weight loss. In short, permanent behavior change is necessary to effect long lasting physical change.

One of the best gifts you can give yourself whether you want to lose weight or not, is the gift of a personal trainer.

A personal trainer can create a program for you with your current fitness level and goals in mind. But more importantly, a personal trainer can help you stay motivated. Trainers provide education, support, and accountability. Just the fact that you have paid money for a personal trainer will help you keep your appointments.

Personal trainers will help you exercise at a level that is right for you, and can help push you to new levels. A good personal trainer can help you target the areas you want to work on and provide the right combination of machines, cardiovascular activity, and functional strength exercises for you.

Goals like building strength, improving posture, decreasing body fat, and staying fit, flexible and healthy are ones that can be capitalized on with a personal trainer. Clear goals keep you focused and moving steadily forward every day. Contact Best Fitness in your area to schedule personal training for weight loss.

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.

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

There was a time when we thought of pregnancy as a “condition” that gave women a free pass from exercise. We once thought that working out while pregnant was unhealthy and dangerous for the baby. As we learn more about the effects that exercise has on the human body, we now know that these beliefs were not backed by science. Despite the differences in your body during pregnancy, exercise is still important to maintain your health and wellness. Not only is it ok to exercise, studies have suggested that exercise during pregnancy will help with an easier and shorter labor and birth, fewer cesarean surgeries, a quicker recovery postpartum, a quicker return to your pre-pregnancy weight, and an overall a healthier feeling pregnancy!

That being said, if you did not exercise before your pregnancy, it is not the best time to start an exercise program. If you had been sedentary for over a year prior to becoming pregnant, limit your exercise routing to walking and light stretching. Your doctor will tell you if you have any specific limitations when it comes to your own personal exercise routine, but there are some general guidelines for everyone to follow.

• Most importantly- listen to your body. Simple things will be harder than you think, so take it slowly.
• Wear a heart rate monitor and keep your heart rate below 70% of you max to stay on the safe side.
• Do not exercise while lying on your back
• Avoid intense stretching

If you follow all of these guidelines, you will find that exercising during pregnancy will improve your mood, your sleeping patterns and even your digestion. You will suffer from fewer aches and pains than someone who does not work out, AND your body will more easily return to normal after delivery.

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 kids will be out of school soon and vacation season will be upon us! We look forward to our summer trips all winter long- counting down the days until we can lounge in the sun and play in the sand. A vacation, however, often becomes an excuse to let yourself forget about your fitness goals in favor of one more fruity drink with an umbrella in it…

I know, I know- vacation is the time to relax and spend time with your family and friends. Who wants to spend hours in a gym when you could be lying on the beach? I am a realist- I don't expect you to make gains while on vacation- I just expect you to maintain what you have worked so hard on up to this point- fair enough?

You can walk in the sand in the early morning- just a short 30 minute walk on the sand will be as effective as an hour long walk on the road or the treadmill. Make sure that you walk on the sane in both directions. In other words, do not walk out 15 minutes on the sand and turn around and walk back on the boardwalk or street. Why? Believe it or not, beaches are slightly sloped. You may not feel it as you are walking, but you will have one seriously tight calf for the rest of your vacation if you walk one way all week!

Have a whole hour to play? Do some squats and push-ups in the sand before your walk. You will be amazed at how sore you will get from simple exercises when you change the surface. The sand provides an instant core and stability challenge, so you may be sore from basic exercises in places you would never have imagined!

No beach? Traveling and stuck in a hotel room? No problem- put yourself through a body-weight circuit: do 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 20 lunges and 15 crunches. Rest for 1 minute and repeat 3 or 4 times.

If you want to add exercises to the circuit, do dips off of a chair, jumping jacks, get creative! Just keep yourself moving for 2-3 minutes and take a minute break in between rounds.

Want to do cardio but your hotel is on a main highway so running is out of the question? Find the stairwell. Start on the bottom floor and walk up at a good pace. Slowly walk down and repeat as many times as you can in 15 minutes- you'll be nice and sweaty from that one. Mix it up by taking 2 or 3 stairs at once, side stepping, or even hopping for a high intensity workout.

I could go on all day with options, but you get the idea right? Use what's available to you and you'll be surprised at the quality of workout that you can get.

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

Obesity not only puts people at risk for a number of chronic conditions but may also increase the likelihood of dying in a car crash. In general, car crashes are the most common cause of injury-related death for those ages 3 to 33. New studies show how body weight plays into this statistic.

Results of a recent study show that moderately obese individuals, those with a body mass index between 35 and 39, have a 21-percent higher risk of dying during a severe car crash compared with normal-weight individuals. Morbidly obese individuals, those with a BMI of 40 and above, have a 56-percent higher risk.

The results suggest that having a larger stomach puts an individual too close to the steering wheel, and therefore can boost the risk of mortality because the body has less time to slow down before hitting the steering column after impact.

To add to the danger for obese individuals, they are also more likely to have serious illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and are more likely to have complications during surgery, which may contribute to their higher risk of death after a crash.

Some are now considering whether car manufacturers should consider redesigning their vehicles co protect the one-third of obese Americans from injury during car crashes. It may be as simple as allowing the driver’s seat to push further back than current vehicles allow. Also, manufacturers should use obese crash-test dummies, in addition to the normal-weight ones, when testing cars for safety. What do you think about that?

...By Karli Taylor

Just in case you don’t have enough motivation to hit the gym today, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has released an official statement regarding yet another benefit of exercising regularly. According to recent studies, people who engage in regular physical activity can reduce their risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, and people who already suffer from the disease may reduce symptoms and complications and increase quality of life.

According to the statement, a combination of regular exercise and weight loss can lower the risk for type 2 diabetes by 58 percent in high-risk populations. For those already diagnosed with the disease, exercise can improve blood glucose, lipid profiles, and blood pressure while reducing cardiovascular complications and lowering the rate of mortality.

What is meant by “regular exercise”? According to the ACSM, anyone participating in 30 minutes or more of continuous exercise on most days of the week would satisfy the requirements of being a “regular exerciser”.

Though it is true that shorter bouts of exercise throughout the day do add up to help with both weight loss and cardiovascular health, the benefits of 2 or 3 ten minute exercise sessions have not been proven to be as great as those that are associated with 30 minutes of continuous work.

... by Karli Taylor

Yes, I know- we were all taught to eat 3 squares every single day. The more we have have learned about the body and the way it metabolizes food however, the more we learn that there may be a better way.

What I want you to do is hold out both of your hands in front of you with your palms facing up and your little fingers just touching- like you are forming a bowl. This is the amount of food that your body can efficiently digest at one time. yup- that's it! It doesn't matter if its lettuce or m&m's- that is all you should eat at one sitting.

I'm sure you are thinking that if that was breakfast, by lunchtime you'd be eating your arm. Well- the good news is that you need to eat the same amount of food between breakfast and lunch- and again between lunch and dinner. The terms may get confusing-breakfast, brunch, lunch 1 & 2, pre-dinner? Who knows, maybe we as a group can coin the term linner.

Semantics aside, this way of eating will keep that internal fire called your metabolism burning steadily all day long. The food becomes the log added to the fire every 2-3 hours making the flame never fully extinguish.

So this week, try to visualize that portion size every time you sit down to eat- and try to eat AT LEAST 5 times a day. After eating this way for 2 whole weeks, you will find that you will be full after a smaller amount of food, and will truly be hungry every 2 hours.

... By Karli Taylor

I hope you are sitting down for this one: After the age of 20, if you do not add activity to your day or cut calories, you will gain approximately one pound each year.

Now that I’ve gotten your attention, what if I told you that you don’t have to do anything drastic to keep that weight from creeping up on you? Feel better? Keep reading.

If you walked an average of 150 extra steps every single day, you will avoid that weight gain. That is the equivalent of walking for 3 minutes that you would normally be sitting. You can accomplish this simply by pacing your office or home while on the phone or parking a little bit further away from the front door or your office or grocery store.

Can’t find extra time during your average day to sneak in a few steps? You can accomplish the same thing by going to the gym for 30 minutes 10 times a year- yes- a year!

Now, let’s say you don’t just want to maintain your weight, but you’d like to lose a pound every year as you age. All you have to do is double those numbers and enjoy the benefits of virtually reversing the aging process!

The bottom line is simple: weight gain happens slowly over time. SO slowly, that sometimes we don’t see it until it’s too late and we have gained 20-30 pounds. Start being conscious of the amount of activity you do each day, and this sneaky weight gain will never impact your lifestyle!

... By Karli Taylor

Tis the season for holiday parties- both at the office and on the weekends.  We all know that we can’t possibly avoid ALL of them,  nor should we try.  There is no reason to shy away from the holiday festivities just because we are afraid of gaining those holiday pounds.  There are ways to enjoy the fun AND still fit in your favorite party outfit for New Years Eve. Here are a few tips to help keep out bellies from  shaking like bowls full of jelly :

• No matter what, exercise an hour a day, 4-5 days a week during the holidays. You can even exercise in 10 minute bursts throughout the day.  If you absolutely can’t fit in some kind of structured exercise, be conscious about increasing your normal daily activity throughout the day- park further away, take the stairs etc.
• Don't skip meals. Eat small snacks if you are saving up calories for a big feast. Skipping meals slows down your metabolism, leads to hunger, low energy levels and improper food choices.
• Don't pass up favorite foods or deprive yourself completely.   Allow yourself to have those things that you truly enjoy and do so in moderation.  If you deprive yourself completely, you will only crave those things more.
•  Don't go to a party starving. Before you leave home, eat something light.  Also, drink a extra  water the day of the party.
• Park  yourself as far away from the buffet table as you can. The harder it is to slip some extra goodies onto your plate, the less likely you are to do it!
• Alcoholic beverages pack on the calories so if you're going to drink alcohol, stick to light beer or something mixed with a diet soft drink or seltzer. Steer clear of  the eggnog, it is high in calories and fat.
• Most importantly, take the focus off of what is going into your mouth! Try to enjoy the season, not just the food!