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Almost all of us have had some type of fitness goal as our New Year’s resolution at one time or another. Whether that goal be to shed a few extra pounds or to gain more muscle mass, January tends to be that time where we kickstart that goal. Many of us tend to set these goals for ourselves due to the weight gain and indulgence that can come from the holiday season.

The holiday season can be a difficult time to stay focused, especially when it comes to hitting the gym and eating healthy. No matter what you do sometimes, it feels like there's not enough hours in the day to get everything done and these healthy habits tend to get pushed to the back burner. In this blog post, we'll be discussing some easy tips and tricks that you can carry with you this season to help get you through the holidays without compromising your fitness goals. Keep reading to learn more!

Set A Realistic Routine

It’s no doubt that the holiday season is one of the busiest seasons for everyone. Everything from the holiday parties, Christmas present shopping, and visiting family can put your normal routine into a frenzy. With all of the extra activities, even sticking to your normal day-to-day routine can be exhausting, which is why it's important to set a realistic routine or schedule for yourself when it comes to fitness. Before you go into the holiday season, realize that hitting the gym five to six days a week may not be realistic for you and that’s okay! It’s easy for us to put stress on ourselves but it’s also important to embrace the holidays and enjoy everything that they bring. Setting a realistic routine for you will also help you stay on track and not feel down when you go to hang out with your family when you would normally be going to the gym. Having a routine may also help you push harder when you are there since you know you won’t be there as often.

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Weight gain is inevitable, especially as we get older. It’s not uncommon or unhealthy for us to gain some weight. In fact, as you develop and grow, your body needs that extra weight to be healthy. However, too much weight gain can be harmful to your body, especially as we get older.

According to a study that was published in 2013 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, we tend to gain weight at the rate of about one to two pounds per year. This may not sound like a large number, but that weight can add up, and if you’re not especially health conscious, you may be gaining way more than just one or two pounds.

Many times, people equate weight gain with the slowing of their metabolism. Yes, your metabolism does slow down a bit. However, the reality at which your metabolism slows is fairly minute. The main reason that people start to gain weight as the enter into their adult years is because we tend to be less physically active and consume more calories than we should be.

This may sound like daunting news, however it is an easy fix! In this blog post, we will be discussing how you can prevent age related weight gain. Keep reading to learn more!

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While not all of us venture into the fitness world for weight loss, a large portion of us do. For anyone who has tried to lose weight, it may seem as if you need to intensely track the numbers on the scale. It can also be extremely disappointing when you’re motivated, crushing your goals, getting in all your workouts, and eating properly, but when you go to step on the scale, it says you’ve gained a pound. It’s important to understand that while the numbers on the scale can be important, they’re not everything.

What The Scale May Not Be Measuring

The scale can be a rather blunt way to assess your progress, to put it lightly. That’s because the scale just reports your overall weight. But there are so many different aspects that make up that overall weight, such as bone density, water, fat, and lean muscle. The scale is just totaling all that up, which can lead people to think that they’re not progressing like they want to. For example, water weight is something that fluctuates in our bodies constantly. For instance, if you’re out with friends at a pizza place and you then you go to weigh yourself the day after, due to all the sodium, your body may be holding on to a large amount of water weight. Water weight can add as much as five pounds to your body. For women, during their menstrual cycle, women are prone to holding extra water weight. So while you are able to understand this, basic scales do not.

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Many of us enter into the fitness world because we want to lose weight. We’ve all been there before; you’ve been busting your butt in the gym and trying to eat healthily but you’re still not seeing the results that you want. It’s frustrating to not be seeing the results that you want, especially if you feel that you’re doing everything right. So why does this happen? In this blog, we will be going over some of the various aspects that may be contributing to your weight loss and why you’re not losing the weight you want to be. At Fit In New England, we want to be a part of your fitness journey and are here for all your needs. Our trainers have ample experience and will be able to guide you to whatever fitness goal you have. So let’s take a look at some of the underlying reasons you’re not losing weight like you want to.

Not Sleeping Enough

Sleep is an incredibly important aspect of a person’s overall physical health and sadly it gets pushed to the back burner so many times. In fact, studies have shown that only ⅔ of the population is getting the appropriate amount of sleep every night. No matter what your fitness goal is, you need sleep. You need sleep for weight loss, muscle gain, body recomposition — you need it no matter what! If your body is experiencing poor sleep patterns your body is not able to perform at the top of its game, which means you’re not getting the full benefits out of your workouts. You may be spending less time in the gym, lifting less weight, and not building enough muscle all due to fatigue. Poor sleep can also affect your eating habits. When you experience poor sleep patterns it messes with your body's appetite-regulating hormones, which means you’re more likely to binge on unhealthy foods. You’ll realize you may be feeling constantly hungry and craving junk food, no matter what you’ve eaten prior. Sleep is the time that your body needs in order to repair itself, so don’t put yourself at a disadvantage by not giving it that time. Put yourself first and prioritize your sleep because it's seriously so important.

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Fueling your body properly after a workout is just as important as the actual workout itself. Post-workout recovery is essential, but it tends to get overlooked. Whenever we finish a workout, no matter how great it was, we often finish our last set, head to the locker room, and grab our things and head out the door. But with all that, you’re missing out on the opportunity to give you body some crucial things.

Studies have shown that people who take certain measures to cool down after a workout, like stretching, foam rolling, and other aspects, saw huge benefits. These benefits include things like less muscle soreness, shorter recovery time, and better muscle gain. So what should you include in your post-workout routine? Keep reading to find out!

Cool-Down Exercises

Once you’ve powered through your workout routine and finished that last set of movements, it’s important that you don’t just stop there. Your heart rate is usually higher once you’ve peaked through your workout and it’s important that you bring it down in a healthy way. Engaging in various cool-down exercises like yoga poses, stretching, or walking are all great ways to cool your body down. It only takes about 10-15 minutes to properly bring your workout to a close.

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With warm weather approaching, the time for pool parties and summer barbecues is upon us. Summer is an interesting time because there is so much emphasis on food-related events, but it’s also a time where people are wanting to look their best. It’s easy to lose track of all the progress and motivation you may have gained in the previous months, but we’re here to help get you out of that rut.

Summer is a great time for healthy food. Many of our favorite fresh foods are in their prime season and are easily accessible and affordable. Superfoods are also in abundance this time of year, and are an easy and quick way to get all your nutrients in one sitting.

You may be asking yourself what a superfood is, and no, it’s not a vegetable that flies around in a red cape. However, superfoods can save you from neglecting certain vitamins and minerals in your diet. So maybe they do deserve to wear a red cape. A superfood is, essentially, a nutritional powerhouse that offers high quantities of vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, and minerals.

Many superfoods are also known to help prevent various physical issues such as heart disease, cancer, digestive problems, and diabetes. While a perfect diet will not fix everything, it can be one of the best ways to accelerate your overall health and well-being.

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Before we get started, let’s stop calling them cheat meals. The word cheat has a negative connotation that can make you think you’re doing something bad: the word can make you feel guilty and ashamed. Instead, completely erase that mentality right now. We’re going to call them “treat meals” or “treat days” instead because that is what it is — it’s a treat! Treat meals are important in two ways. They benefit your mental health and your physical health. Probably something you never thought you would hear, right?

The whole idea behind a treat meal is that if you’re eating healthy about 80-90% of time during the week and following a consistent schedule of working out. That other 20-10% of your meals can consist of something that isn’t chicken and broccoli. This treat meal might be that new Italian restaurant you’ve been dying to try for a date night or a hot-dog and a beer at a baseball game.

Give Yourself a Break

Let’s start with how treat meals can help your mentally. We all know how much self discipline that it takes to stick to a healthy lifestyle, especially when you first start out. For some people it is more drastic than others but no matter what, treat meals still give you a mental break from all the dieting, macro counting, and food tracking. This is also a time where you can give into your cravings in a healthy manner without the risk of binge eating. Constantly having to resist that urge to make a bowl of mac n’ cheese for dinner can be really difficult, so give yourself the mental break. Sometimes comfort food is a necessity! Dieting can be a hard thing to balance and giving yourself that treat meal can help avoid a pattern of restrictive eating. Research has also shown that a treat meal here and there will not set back any progress or results you may already have.

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Whether it’s from your job, your relationships, your finances, or your health, we all experience stress from time to time. In fact, 79 percent of American adults report feeling stressed every day. While stress is a normal part of life, too much stress can lead to a variety of physical and mental health symptoms, and can contribute to significant, long-term health conditions. Therefore, it’s important for everyone to find healthy ways to cope with stress.

Exercise

This tops the list, not just because we are a gym in Medford. Sure, we may be biased, but this is also supported by scientific research. People who exercise regularly experience less stress for several reasons. First, exercises helps to regulate stress hormones. Next, when you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which improve your mood. Finally, exercise improves the quality of your sleep, which can contribute to a vicious cycle — stress makes it harder to sleep, and lack of sleep contributes to stress. If stress is a problem in your life, we would love to help you here at our gym in Medford.

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It’s not easy to make healthy food choices all the time. Life gets busy, and when you have a stressful day, stopping at the drive-thru on the way home sounds much better than spending the evening cooking. This is where meal prep comes in to save the day.

Benefits of Meal Prepping Save Time

How much time does food take up for you in a week? If you’re cooking every night, your evenings are pretty much hijacked by dinner. Imagine if instead of having to go home to cook every night you want to eat healthy, a healthy meal was waiting for you. What would you make time for? Maybe you would come to visit our gym in Medford after work, knowing that once you got home, all you would have to do is heat up some healthy food and relax the rest of the evening.

Save Money

The cost of food can really add up, particularly when you’re eating out all week. What if, instead of spending 10 dollars on lunch every day, you took that 50 dollars and used it to buy groceries for the whole week? Get three times the food for the same price when you take the time to meal prep every Sunday.

Save Energy

If you really think about it, it’s no wonder that people struggle to eat healthy. Every time you get hungry, you have to make a choice: what do I eat? This makes it all too easy to make unhealthy decisions out of convenience or desperation. When you meal prep, all of your food decisions are narrowed down to one day a week. When all your meals are all ready to go, it makes your choice as simple as taking a container out of the fridge and nuking it for a couple minutes.

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Many people spend months working out without seeing the results they crave. This disappointment often leads them to give up on their fitness goals entirely. This is unfortunate because the missing ingredient to their success is often simple: consistency. If you’re going to make any progress, it’s imperative to be consistent with your workouts. It takes several weeks to see the fruits of your labor, but if you get to the gym on a regular basis, you will find your results come more quickly and are more robust.

In our previous post, we went over why consistency is so important. In this blog, we will help you put this knowledge into action with some tips on how to be more consistent with working out.

Group Fitness Classes in Medford

Committing to a group fitness class is one of the easiest ways to be consistent in your workout. Classes starts at the same time and on the same day each week, and there is a group of people counting on you to show up. At Fit in New England, we offer several group fitness classes in Medford that are tailored to different goals. If you’re interested in joining us, contact us today!

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If you are someone who is trying to get fit, chances are, you have heard a million and one workout tips at this point. You may have tried different workout routines, working out at different times of day, or getting a workout buddy or two, but still struggle to make any progress towards your fitness goals. There are many factors that contribute to the success of your workouts, but perhaps the most important is consistency, and this is where many people fail. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you exert yourself fully into a workout; if you aren’t going back to the gym again and again, you won’t get anywhere. In this blog, we will focus on the importance of consistency, and why you should prioritize this above any other factors in your fitness regimen.

Strength Training is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

You decide that you want to become totally jacked, and jump in with both feet by heading straight to the gym. You put your all into your workout, and the next day, you’re feeling like a pile of spaghetti. The gym can wait another day, and then another, and then another… pretty soon, you’ve waited a little over a week to get back to it, and you’re feeling just as weak as you were before. When you’re trying to build muscle, you have to keep in mind that Rome wasn’t built in a day. If you’re going to get stronger, you have to consistently strength train — there is no way to rush the process.

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These days, more and more women are incorporating weightlifting into their fitness routine, and we couldn’t be happier about it. Traditionally, the weight floor has been monopolized by men. This may be due to some gymtimidation; it might be scary to imagine approaching a room full of men with giant muscles. Alternatively, it could be due to the fact that many women are under the false belief that lifting weights will somehow “bulk them up.” At Fit in New England, we have created an inclusive environment, and would like to encourage women to come lift weights with us! We would also like to dispel any rumors about weightlifting altering your physique to make you look too “manly.” In reality, weightlifting is the perfect way to achieve a variety of fitness goals, and it isn’t going to suddenly give you giant guns. Here are some of the ways you stand to benefit from weightlifting as a woman.

More Confidence

Trying anything new is scary, and weightlifting is no exception. However, men are not uniquely qualified to lift weights. The only difference between the male weightlifters you see at our gym in Medford and you is experience, and the only way to get experience is to try! Mastering a new skill is an amazing confidence boost, so why not leap in with both feet? As an added bonus, weightlifting is an incredible way to sculpt your body in a way no yoga class can accomplish, and hearing all of the compliments you get when you start to see results can be a great ego boost.

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As the top personal trainers in Medford, we often get this question: “Should I work out even though I’m sick?” This is a fair question. After all, working out comes with a variety of health benefits, including boosting your immune system. However, when your head is pounding and your nose is running, the last thing you may want to do is go for a run. At the end of the day, whether or not you workout when you’re ill is a personal choice, and if you decide to sit on the couch for a couple of days instead of sticking to your usual routine, it isn’t the end of the world. However, if you are jonesing for a workout and are wondering whether or not your ailment is going to set you back from your goals, here is a handy guide to help you decide whether or not to visit our gym in Medford.

“Above the Neck” Rule

Many doctors suggest you use the “above the neck” rule when deciding whether or not to workout when you’re under the weather. The idea is that if the symptoms are impacting you above your neck, such as stuffy nose, sneezing, or earache, it’s probably safe to workout. In contrast, if your symptoms are below the neck, such as body aches, fever, diarrhea, or chest congestion, it may be best to table your workout until after you’ve recovered.

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The deadlift is one of the ultimate full-body exercises, so it’s typical to see it incorporated in any strength training routine. It may seem simple — after all, you’re just picking up a weight and putting it back down, right? In fact, there are many things that go wrong when you deadlift, and if you are going to add this to your routine, it’s worth it to work with one of our Medford personal trainers to ensure you have the proper form. In the meantime, here are some common deadlift mistakes that you want to make sure to avoid.

The Wrong Starting Position

The work of the deadlift begins before you even pick up the weight. You don’t want to lean too far over the bar, as this will cause stress to the lower back. Before you pick it up, take a deep breath and hold it in while you tighten your abs. Squeeze your lats (visualize squeezing an orange in your armpit), let up on your grip slightly, and drive your weight into your heels as you pull as hard as you can. The idea is to do this in one fluid motion, which will come with practice.

Not Bending the Hips Enough

A very common deadlift mistake is to treat the motion like a squat. The deadlift is essentially moving back and forth. You are to bend your hip as much as you can without bending your knees, also known as a “hip hinge.” In the mirror, it will look like you are pushing your rear end back without arching the back. Your spine and neck should be entirely aligned as you hinge at the hip to grasp the bar, and when you lift the weight, you will thrust your pelvis forward to stand up straight again.

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The bench press is one of the most important exercises in terms of measuring strength. When you are trying to improve your upper body strength, the bench press needs to be in your workout routine. That’s why many people have the goal to increase their bench presses. However, it isn’t as easy as doing a set or two every couple of weeks; to make genuine improvements, you need to be strategic. Fortunately, there are some simple tips for improving your bench press, which we have outlined below.

Get Pumped

Making gains isn’t solely dependent on what you are doing with your physical body. It’s also about your mentality. You have to be mentally prepared before exerting your body through lifting. This isn’t just pseudo-science; one study from AUT University shows that pumping yourself up before a bench press set can increase your force production by eight percent. This research also found that lifters who were distracted decreased their force production by 12 percent. It’s important not to be distracted when you’re trying to make gains, so before you bench press, take a moment to focus and get excited. It can help to visualize yourself successfully lifting your goal weight as well.

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At Fit in New England, we spend a lot of time telling you what you should do after your workout. The hours after your workout are just as critical as the workout itself in terms of seeing the results you seek. So what should you not do after your workout? Read this post to learn more.

Not Sleep

Our bodies need sleep to recover. After a difficult workout, it’s more important than ever that you give your body this time to repair itself by growing new muscle tissues. When you don’t get sufficient sleep, it stunts the production of your growth hormones, increases your cortisol levels, and decreases your immune function. If you want to make the most out of your workout, make sure you’re catching some zzz’s after your workout.

Go Crazy with Cardio

If you like to cool down with some light cardio after your workout, there’s no harm in going for a short walk. The issue is when you’re lifting, then adding another marathon-length run to your day, you are essentially doubling your workout. An intense workout isn’t just exhausting; it also is stressful on joints and muscles. High-impact cardio like skipping rope only adds more stress with little added benefit.

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When you’re contemplating how to optimize your physical fitness, you might not give much thought to sleep, but it’s actually an integral aspect of healthy behavior. When you prioritize sleeping well, you are less likely to make poor food choices and you have the energy you need to make your small group training classes at Fit in New England. If you’re a troubled sleeper, here are some pro tips for better sleep.

Go to Sleep When You’re Sleepy

This might seem obvious, but many people either go to bed before they’re tired or stay up even though they are exhausted. The key is to find the middle ground between these options. If you hit the hay before you are ready to sleep, you will sit in bed and stare at the ceiling, your mind racing. You want your brain to associate your bed with sleep, so you want to spend as little time as possible not sleeping when you’re in bed. On the flip side, once you start to feel sleepy, don’t stay up to watch one last episode of your favorite TV show. Seize the opportunity and rest your weary head on your pillow once you’re feeling ready to sleep.

Be Consistent

One of the best ways you can have better sleep hygiene is through consistency. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, allowing at least seven hours of sleep at night. In addition, you want to establish a relaxing bedtime routine. This will help your brain know that it’s time to sleep and to let go of the day. What will work for you will vary, but some things you can incorporate include a sleep meditation, some yoga poses, aromatherapy, or a bubble bath.

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Many people are unhappy with their body, particularly their weight. Much of their self-worth is contingent on the number on the scale, and when they go to the gym, it’s to punish themselves for not living up to unrealistic expectations. At Fit in New England, we would like to help you find the joy in exercise. Working out doesn’t have to be about reaching a certain pants size; in fact, focusing solely on weight loss to motivate you to work out is usually not enough to keep you coming back. There are so many great reasons to head to the gym, and they don’t have anything to do with your body mass. In our previous blog, we started going over the reasons why you should work out that have nothing to do with weight; below, we continue the list.

Get Stronger

As we age, we lose bone and muscle mass. When you use your muscles, you can slow down this loss. Strength training builds up your muscles, improving your ability to perform many basic, everyday movements, and reducing the chances of being injured as you age. Not only that, feeling your body become stronger is an empowering feeling. When you focus less on how much you weigh and more on how much weight you can lift, it’s amazing how much those gains can motivate you to keep coming back.

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If the messages you get from the media are any indication, everyone is obsessed with weight loss. The entire fitness industry seems to use the number on the scale as a way to shame people into working out. At Fit in New England, we appreciate that weight loss may be one of your fitness goals, and are happy to help you achieve it. However, weight loss alone is more often than not insufficient for motivating people to exercise over the long-term, and in reality, it is only one of many reasons why it is worth it. Not only that, weight loss is something that takes patience and consistency, so many people don’t stick to a workout routine because they aren’t immediately seeing the results they seek. Fortunately, there are reasons to work out that do provide instantaneous benefits, so you can motivate yourself to hit the gym even if you aren’t thrilled with your current pants size.

Stress Relief

Exercise is the best stress reliever in your toolbox. If you have never worked out to address stress and tension in your life, it’s worth it to give it a shot. While you can’t outright avoid stress in your life, you can manage it, and exercise is more likely to be fulfilling and effective than bingeing on potato chips or hitting happy hour every night. If you, like most people, experience stress, managing it is a great motivator for hitting the gym.

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These days, there are so many different options to pursue when it comes to your fitness training when you have a gym membership. You can workout solo, take a workout class, or work with a personal trainer. When you work out alone, the advantages (and disadvantages) are pretty evident. You are able to work on your fitness on your own time, but you also don’t have the accountability and expertise of working with a trainer. The difference between what small group training and personal training offer you is a little less clear, and once you decide you want to start working with a trainer, you might be unsure of which would work best for you.

ADVANTAGES OF SMALL GROUP TRAINING

There are a lot of ways you can benefit from small group training. It’s human nature to want to come together in community, and a workout is a great way to bond with others. As you push yourselves to overcome the obstacles, you feel closer, so you very well may leave our group exercise class with a new friend or two. In addition, small group training can be incredibly motivating, causing you to push yourself to your best performance. In a small group exercise class, the energy of everyone around you can be that push you need to do better. If you have a competitive side, group fitness might be perfect for you for this reason; if you’re looking to take your performance to the next level, simply strive to be the best performer in the room. If you are a people pleaser, group fitness might also be a great fit because it establishes accountability. You know that if you miss a workout, there is a whole group of people who will be disappointed by your absence. That accountability factor is key for staying invested in your commitment to come back again and again. Many people find that they are capable of accomplishing much more than they imagined when in the group fitness setting.

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If you have ever felt lost on your fitness journey, there is nothing like personal training to get you back on track. With a fitness coach, you have greater accountability, a deeper level of commitment to your fitness goals, a comprehensive fitness plan, and all the expertise of someone educated and trained in working out. That being said, if you aren’t putting in all of the work necessary to get everything you need out of training, your personal trainer can only do so much. In this blog, we will go over some tips for how you can get the greatest value from personal training.

FINDING THE RIGHT PERSONAL TRAINER

It’s important to match with the right personal trainer for your needs. Your fitness journey is a personal one, and if you’re going to invite someone to join you along the way, you need to be able to trust them. It isn’t enough to walk into the closest gym and sign up with the first trainer you meet. Before you commit to a personal trainer, make sure you know their credentials and experience. It also helps to know why they are a fitness coach and their approach to training. If you’d like to learn more about our trainers here at Fit in New England, check out our trainer biographies page.

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It’s common knowledge that exercise is beneficial to your physical health, but many people don’t consider the positive impact of regular physical activity on your mental health. Getting on a regular exercise schedule can benefit everyone’s psychological well-being, but can be especially effective at managing symptoms of certain mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Research shows that exercise can relieve stress, improve sleep, enhance memory, and boost mood. While your desire to look better may have previously been your sole motivation for heading to the gym, this isn’t as sustainable when you’re focused solely on what you see in the mirror. If you can focus on the ways exercise helps you feel amazing, you will keep coming back again and again to our small group training classes.

THE MENTAL BENEFITS OF EXERCISEStress Reduction

If you are feeling too stressed out to function, instead of grabbing a cocktail after work, head to the gym. Working out helps our bodies manage both mental and physical stress. In addition, physical activity releases norepinephrine, which is a neurotransmitter that helps with stress response. It doesn’t take much time to feel the stress-reducing benefits of exercise, so even if you have limited time, squeeze in a quick workout.

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Whether you have been a vegetarian for years or you’re a carnivore who is trying to incorporate more meat-free meals in your diet, when you’re cooking vegetarian, the most important macronutrient to keep in mind is protein. Vegetarians often struggle to get enough protein in their diets when they first make the switch because they are used to getting it from animals. While eating meat certainly makes it easier to eat a high-protein diet, you can still be plant-based and protein packed. In this blog, we will go over some simple vegetarian recipes that have plenty of protein to fuel your workout!

Mexican Zucchini BoatsIngredients

  • 4 zucchini (large)
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1 can of corn
  • 1 cup of your favorite salsa
  • 1 cup of brown rice (cooked)
  • 1 jalapeno (sliced)
  • ½ red onion
  • 2 tbsps of olive oil
  • 1 tsp of chili powder
  • 2 tsps of cumin
  • ½ cup of fresh cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 cup of shredded cheese (optional)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13” casserole dish and set aside.
  • Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Hollow out the center of each side using a spoon. Brush with olive oil and place them in the dish.
  • Warm a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook until onion is translucent, about two to three minutes. Add rice, beans, and corn with salsa, cumin, and chili powder. Cook for five minutes, remove from heat.
  • Stir in cilantro and salt, then spoon the filling into the zucchini boats. Sprinkle with cheese, then cover with foil and place in oven. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another five minutes.
  • Allow to cool, then top with fresh cilantro and serve.
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Drinking more water is an important step towards your personal fitness. Water fuels your workout, prevents overeating, and ensures that your body is functioning optimally. That being said, if you’re not much of a water drinker, it might be hard for you to imagine upping your intake. Like any good habit, drinking more water is often easier said than done.

ADD FLAVOR

You might struggle to drink more water simply because you don’t like the way it tastes. Fortunately, there are easy ways you can make your water more appetizing and naturally drink more. You can add virtually any fruit, veggie, or herb to water to add some flavor without adding sugar and calories. Lemon-cucumber water is delicious and refreshing, for example! Feel free to get creative by experimenting with your favorite flavors.

INCORPORATE IT INTO YOUR WAKE-UP ROUTINE

You may have heard that drinking water right when you wake up is a good idea for several different reasons, such as jumpstarting your metabolism and helping your brain kick into gear. It’s also a good call simply because it ensures that you remember to drink water. By making it a rule that you need to drink one glass of water before your first cup of coffee or tea, you can ensure that you are getting that sweet H2O.

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