Get A Great Workout in Less Time

As hard as it may be to believe, spending too much time at the gym is not the answer to a better you. Training is about quality, not quantity. You can actually achieve your goals faster and more efficiently in less time. Generally speaking, the length of a workout session for the average person (not including your warm up or stretching) should vary somewhere between 30 to 40 minutes. Research has found that testosterone and the growth hormone, the hormones responsible for building muscle and burning fat, continue to rise until about the 30-45 minutes mark. After that, cortisol, which is released in response to stress, begins to suppress the immune system, decrease bone formation and aid in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. In other words, it becomes counter productive. Make the most of your training time by focusing on your objectives. Exercise with more intensity, proper technique and progress accordingly. Even professional athletes follow these principles! This is your health we’re talking about, so make every second...

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Stepping on the Scale : How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?

As a certified personal trainer, I am always asked many different questions pertaining to fitness and health. One question I am frequently asked is, “Should I weigh myself on the scale every morning?” My answer is no, because you will only be disappointed the majority of the times you step on the scale. As we continue with our new year resolutions, it is important to keep in mind that even small changes happen over time. Because we usually have high expectations for the results, we tend to get discouraged when we see very little progress at first. By doing this, we’re only bringing down our self esteem. My recommendation would be to put the scale away at least for a month. If you follow a sensible diet and exercise regularly you should see a noticeable change in about a month. By simply eliminating 500 calories a day for 7 days your total fat loss for the week is 1 lb, which is 3,500 calories. Try not to fixate on figuring out how much weight you are loosing every day.  You will be more satisfied with your results if you weigh yourself once a month, rather than every...

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When Being Health Conscious, Let’s Not Forget to Build Muscle

It seems that every time we generally talk about health, the first thing that comes to everyone’s mind is weight loss, which I have no issues about. After all, with so much influence from television, magazine articles and the internet,  how can anyone be expected to think otherwise? Case closed, right? Not so fast. Here is something else we should all start thinking more about: building muscle. That’s right… BUILDING MUSCLE! Let me list a few facts to keep in mind when you start working on your muscles: 1. Muscles burn more energy than fat. If you are fat with no muscle, your body will burn fewer calories, especially when you are inactive. The good news is that muscles burn more calories than fat, even when you are resting. A little effort to build some muscle pays off, many times over, with the benefits of fat burning. 2. If your body is covered with a healthy layer of muscle, it will be strong enough to support your skeleton. You will probably have fewer injuries related to falls. If you do injure yourself, you will be more likely to recover faster with fewer complications. Your body will be strong enough to compensate temporarily for your injuries. 3. In order to build muscle, you need to exercise. Exercising has numerous benefits for your health and well-being. You get to build muscle while you benefit from the increased oxygen supply, the increased blood supply and the mood enhancing benefits of exercise. The above are just a few of the many benefits of including a muscle-building program to your schedule. The evidence is overwhelming. Just remember to check with your doctor first and then hire a certified personal trainer to show you the proper way. You will not regret it. So the next time you hear someone bring up the topic of health make sure you tell them about importance of building muscle and you will definitely stand out in the crowd!...

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