It is well known that sleep plays a major role in our body’s ability to repair itself. From the common cold to an intense training session, a good night’s sleep can do wonders for our health. With how busy the average adult life has become over the past few years it can be difficult to consistently get a good night’s sleep. From hectic work schedules, to rigorous college courses, to distractions such as cell phones and Netflix binges, it’s no wonder today’s society … [Read more...]
Why Sitting Increases Pain and Injury Risks
Our ever increasingly indoor lifestyles are not just affecting our health-related behaviors, but also our physiological sensitivity to chronic pain, musculoskeletal injury risks, and muscle tissue structure. While an entire generation of people evolved into the "Information Age," so to did a generation of chronic back pain sufferers. As the nation began to stay sitting down the pain and general injury rate went up. Human biology has a tendency to eliminate, or … [Read more...]
No More Excuses … WORKOUT!
Are you the type of person who is "too busy" or "too tired" to work out? Well do I have some news for you! There are 24 hours in one day, which gives us 1,440 minutes. A good workout doesn't have to be an hour and a half in the gym every single day of the week; a good workout can consist of an intense 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week! So we spend about 6 of our 24 hour day sleeping which means 1,440 minutes- 360 minutes= 1,080 minutes left of the day. We spend … [Read more...]
Is Obesity Running in Your Genes?
Do you have that one friend that eats like an elephant but still looks like a stick? Why is it that some people keep gaining weight in spite of their vigorous efforts to control their diet? Is it possible that some people are more susceptible towards gaining weight than others? If two individuals are given the exact same diet over a month, do you think their weights will be identical? You will be shocked to know the answer. There have been studies that suggest … [Read more...]
Benefits of Drinking Water
How Much Water Should You be Drinking? You’ve probably been told, “Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.” This advice isn’t necessarily true. The recommended amount can vary depending on your age, gender, and whether or not you’re pregnant. A Dietary Reference Intake Report stated that men ages 19 and up should be consuming around 13 cups a day and women ages 19 and up about 9 cups a day. Here are the Benefits of Drinking Water To encourage you to get … [Read more...]
30 Day Plank Challenge – Level One
30 Day Plank Challenge from Today's Fitness Trainer The Plank is one of the most "sacred" of core exercises. The minute you say the word "plank", a look of fear comes across anyone who is being told to do it. This is because this exercise is challenging for EVERYONE who does it ... every single time (regardless of whether you're a fitness "newbie" or seasoned gym rat)! It's total body work that is concentrated in a short amount of time and makes you feel … [Read more...]
Lower Ab Workouts – Fact or Fiction?
Let's be honest ... we all have an obsession with abs (aka. "abdominal muscles") and lower ab workouts. In fact, scientists say the stomach is included as one of the top five traits humans are most attracted to (this list also includes a person's smile, eyes, breasts and hair). Regardless, this infatuation with perfectly chiseled abdominal muscles is what sells magazines, movie tickets, memberships to fitness clubs, DVD to the latest ab workout routine and … [Read more...]
Fitness Tip of the Day #26
Fitness Tip of the Day: Do something (good for you) that scares you every single day! Looking at yourself in the mirror and making a commitment to changing your life is a scary thing to do ... regardless of what you want to accomplish. Whether you are looking to lose weight, gain muscle mass, get stronger or run a marathon for the first time, fear is a major obstacle that can get in between you and your goal. Fear is a natural instinct that warns us of dangerous … [Read more...]
Back Workouts – Low Back Pain, Yoga and More
Back workouts are typically not high on the "to do list" when people actually get to the gym. People will literally arm wrestle for their favorite treadmill or elliptical trainer because EVERYONE comes in for a cardio workout. Unfortunately, it's a different story when you make your way to the chin up bar or lat pulldown machine ... you may actually hear the sound of crickets (depending on the time of day). Given the fact that back pain is the single leading cause … [Read more...]
Barbell Workouts (for Dummies)
Barbell workouts should be in everyone's "bag of tricks" at the gym. Most people gravitate to the dumbbell rack or make the rounds to all the different pieces of selectorized equipment but barbell equipment is easily the most under-utilized property on the workout floor. Barbell workouts are everywhere ... at the gym, in your basement or home workout room, in group fitness studios, in sports-specific training facilities and CrossFit gyms across the country and … [Read more...]