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Why Does It Seem So Much Easier For Guys To Lose Weight & Get Fit?
Many exercise programs are designed in a cookie cutter and progressively linear fashion without considering differences in men and women. Women have hormonal fluctuations in alignment with each phase of their menstrual cycle; these variations can impact energy levels which can affect the perceived quality of workouts. For instance, if you partake in a regular bootcamp class and feel full of zest on some days, but lethargic on others, you might be inclined to judge yourself negatively. Awareness of what stage of your cycle you are in is helpful when deciding what type of workout is best for you that day. Understanding the physiological process of menstruation can help women…
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Getting Healthy When You Don’t Feel Like It
The ego’s only perspective is based on survival, so if you have been surviving up until now, making new lifestyle changes won’t come without resistance from the ego. Yes, this includes health related changes that might actually cause you to live longer because the ego makes decisions based on the past. From a biological perspective, we have evolved to conserve energy so it is available when needed by the body. This is a great survival tool, but can have negative consequences when too much food, especially heavily processed food, is consumed. Highly processed foods are usually cheap, tasty, and convenient, but are full of chemicals, preservatives, and fillers. Until recently, we…
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Girl Lifting In A Weight Room Full Of Guys
A new weight lifting routine can be an intimidating adventure, especially if you don’t have any experience lifting weights. Before I became a personal trainer, I worked as a weight room attendant. My job was to make sure all the weights were well organized and to ensure the environment was safe for members. I couldn’t help but notice that there were significantly more men than women lifting weights. This observation made me think of my own discomfort when I worked out. I realized that I wouldn’t lift weights during peak hours when the weight room was packed. I only felt comfortable lifting when there wasn’t anyone there that I thought…
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Want To Wear Shorts But Concerned About Cellulite?
No one wants to feel like they can’t rock their cute summer shorts! Let’s be real, cellulite sucks. Us girls will change an outfit a million times to avoid showing it. Is there another option, other than just covering it up, that doesn’t involve surgery or a diet pill? Yes! You can minimize or eliminate cellulite and simultaneously increase bone mass, improve connective and muscle tissue, slow the process of aging, drop pounds, decrease your risk of heart disease and diabetes, improve body image, increase metabolic rate, and improve your sense of happiness and well being. Regularly lifting weights can deliver all of these benefits and it doesn’t have to…
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Is Stretching A Waste Of Time?
A few years ago I developed a nasty case of plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of connective tissue that connects your heel to your toes (bottom of your foot). The pain was debilitating; as it progressed I wasn’t able to put much weight on that foot upon waking in the morning. It took several minutes of “warming up” in order to walk down the street to the gym. After several weeks of foot pain, I booked an appointment with a recommended foot doctor. He prescribed me expensive orthotics and said that I needed to tie my shoes. At the time my shoes were loose fitting and didn’t hug my…
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Using Visualization For Weight Loss
Olympic athletes use visualization when preparing for their event. Not only do they visualize the win but they visualize the obstacles they might encounter during the event and how they will move effectively through each. By seeing possible obstacles ahead of time, they are setting the stage for success by coming prepared with tools to manage them. Does this mean we have to be, train, or compare ourselves to olympians? No, but we can learn from them. They spend time thinking about their goals and contemplate their actions ahead of time; we can apply this technique too. When I first started out as a trainer, I couldn’t do a pull-up. Honestly,…
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How To Choose The Best Exercise Program For Me
There are many fitness and wellness programs out there and you may notice a tendency to jump from one to another when positive results aren’t achieved or sustained. When choosing a program, it is useful to ask yourself why you want to buy that particular program. If it is only for the promised results but you don’t like the instructor or the type of exercise, you may end up feeling like you wasted your money. I advise choosing a program that you feel called to participate in, one that looks fun or incorporates activity that you like. Whether it involves going to a group exercise class, a bike ride, or…
