Move It Or Lose It
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Move it or lose it”? It can take on many reasons, depending on how it’s used, but at the gym in Alexandria, VA, clients know that it means that if you don’t workout, you’ll lose muscle mass, energy and strength. That’s why they stick with a workout schedule. Staying active is important throughout your life, especially the older you get. That’s when the body loses muscle mass, energy and cardio functioning more quickly. It doesn’t mean you have to have a formal program of working out, but it does mean you have to do activities regularly that improve your flexibility, strength and endurance.
Moving it will help prevent obesity and improve longevity in other ways.
Studies show that those who move more, have improved metabolic and cardiovascular function. Not only does inactivity lead to obesity, the number one cause of preventable death, it actually holds the number four position of preventable deaths. Even if you workout regularly, studies show that people who sit the longest amount each day have an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes. Sitting for six hours straight can actually wipe out all the benefits from working out regularly.
There are ways to increase the amount of time you are active, even if your job demands otherwise.
It’s pretty hard for a truck driver to take a break every 50 minutes to take a walk or move around, which may be why obesity is so prevalent in that industry. In fact, it’s such a risk, many insurance companies have programs to help drivers get more activity. That program is ten to fifteen minutes of working out briskly when they stop and a mandated rest. Moving briskly when you can is important. So take advantage of those times you can walk faster, climb stair or walk to a destination rather than driving.
A consistent program with strength building can prevent sarcopenia—muscle wasting.
When people reach their mid thirties, losing muscle mass begins, which eventually can lead to losing bone mass—osteoporosis. It doesn’t have to occur if you workout regularly. In fact, it’s never too late to slow, stop or reverse the process, but it is definitely harder the older you get. Studies show that to get the same results as someone younger, a person over 60 has to do strength training more frequently.
- If you have a sedentary job, get up and move for five minutes every hour. It doesn’t mean you have to do an exercise, just briskly walking across the room helps prevent the damage of prolonged sitting.
- Getting your blood circulating, which can come from walking briskly, can help improve health. It’s all about an active lifestyle, not just hitting the gym.
- Find a quick routine you can do when you have a few minutes. There are several four or seven minute workouts you can do during work breaks. One called the four minute nitric oxide boost can be done anywhere.
- Studies show that walking more frequently not only helps prevent obesity, it can reduce the risk of death for the obese and for smokers.
Not all illness comes from injury or invasion by microbes. Some illness is caused by an imbalance of hormones. Hormones affect more than your sexual characteristics and drive, they play an important role in overall health. They affect your weight, all bodily functions and even how much energy you have. Hormones influence not only how much fat you store but where you store it. A healthy brain depends on the right balance of hormones.
There are three different body types with different needs. That’s why getting a workout for your body type can be important. One of the many things we take under consideration before creating a workout for clients in Alexandria, VA is their body type. Ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph are the three body types. Each stores its fat differently and builds muscle tissue faster or slower. Ectomorph people are those who are naturally thin, with very low body fat and thin extremeties. Mesomorph people put on muscle fast and have broad shoulders, strong legs and arms with a narrow waist. Endomorphs may have muscle tissue, but it’s often hidden under a layer of fat. They are rounder or pear shaped.
Some personal trainers feel there’s no difference between light weights vs. heavy weights for toning. Others say there’s a huge difference. What is the general consensus? Most personal trainers tend to agree that if you do as much work by doing more repetitions on lighter weights and fewer reps on much heavier weights, you’ll build muscle tissue and boost your strength. However, it’s not just the amount of muscle tissue you build, but the type of muscle tissue you build.
Do you have that feeling of impending doom for no reason? Do you fret and stress about things that probably won’t happen? You probably suffer from excessive anxiety and maybe even mild depression. I have clients in Alexandria, VA, who tell me that while they initially started to workout to help them lose weight or become fitter, they found that working out alleviates anxiety, too. It’s a win-win situation and comes from the other benefits of exercise.
Finding someone that loves everything about their body is tough. Even if they feel that way, people are often reluctant to say it, for fear the other person will help them out with pointers about their shortcomings. While hating your body is counterproductive, that doesn’t mean you can’t change how you look and in the process, change how you feel about yourself. Exercise improves body image and helps boost your self-confidence.
I always recommend a healthy diet that is filled with natural whole foods. It’s just easier to cut out processed foods and sugar laden food and drink without the need to count carbs or calories. However, I do provide information on a low carb diet for beginners, for those that want to investigate whether they get better results. You’ll find that it isn’t that much different from eating a whole food diet without processed and sugary foods.
If you’re a client in Alexandria, you’re already aware of the benefits of exercise, which includes helping you to lose fat. Unfortunately, exercise alone won’t make the biggest difference. You need to eat healthy, too. In order to shed one pound, you need to eat 3500 calories less than you burn. Exercise increases the amount of calories you burn and provides other benefits, but for the best results, changing your eating habits is necessary.
Almost all types of complete workouts improve balance and coordination. There are some created specifically to do that, though. In Alexandria, VA, I create workouts for clients that improve all levels of fitness, strength, balance, flexibility and endurance. There’s no need to add additional balance exercises unless there are extenuating circumstances. Here are some of the exercises I use to improve balance and coordination.
Whether you’re counting carbs or calorie calculating, maybe it’s time to quit. While keeping a food journal can be quite important and learning which foods aren’t healthy or excessively fattening is good, maybe focusing on calorie counting isn’t. There’s a better way to do it. That’s by focusing more on eating healthy rather than how many calories food contains.