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How To Perform A Perfect Squat

How To Perform A Perfect Squat

At Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY, we focus on all types of exercise. Every exercise provides more benefits and prevents injury when you do it right. That includes bodyweight exercises like squats. Doing a perfect squat can improve functional fitness. It also burns tons of calories. Since it works large muscles, it also boosts the creation of nitric oxide which helps lower blood pressure by causing blood vessels to get wider. The exercise may be basic, but it’s hard to do if you don’t have lower body strength.

The correct starting position is vital to your form.

If your starting position isn’t correct, you won’t do the squats properly. Hold your trunk straight, keeping your head up. Relax your shoulders and hold them back with your lower back having a slight curve. If you bend your head forward or backward, it minimizes the benefits. Your spine should be in a neutral position throughout the entire squat. Bend only at the hip, ensuring your back remains in position.

The placement of your feet also plays a role.

Your feet should be at hip-width with your toes slightly pointed outward for the basic squat. Once you master the basics, you can start doing variations that affect other muscle groups, like the plie squat. Keep your core tight as you lower your body. Pull in your stomach to increase stability and protect the spine. Keep your weight on your heels when lowering your hips, and your knees line up with your big toe. Hinge at the hips and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push back up using your heels until you’re back at the starting position.

People often make these common mistakes that can sacrifice benefits.

The most common mistake is bending your back forward or overarching it too far back. The object is to maintain the natural curve in the lower back if you’re doing the squat correctly. If the core muscles are weak, people often compensate by overarching or leaning too far forward, trying to increase the strength it takes to do the squat. That often leads to back strain. Keeping the weight on the heels is also a common mistake. If you put the weight on the balls of the feet, it also increases back stress.

  • Weak thigh muscles can cause the knees to move inward. It causes stress on the ligaments and joints. While the proper form has the thighs parallel to the floor, if you can’t go that far down, go as far as you can without feeling discomfort and work toward parallel.
  • Once you have the basic form mastered, you can add weights or try other forms of the squat, such as the one-legged squat.
  • Don’t use weight belts or weights until you have the perfect form. It can cause injury by putting too much stress on your muscles and joints.
  • A squat is a compound exercise that burns lots of calories. It builds muscles to do necessary movements required for everyday living, is vital for seniors, and is good for people of all ages.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training


Easy Meals You Can Eat Anytime Of The Day

Easy Meals You Can Eat Anytime Of The Day

Getting fit isn’t always easy. There are so many foods that are quick, but not healthy. Think Pop-Tarts and pizza rolls, for instance. You don’t have to succumb to the fast food industry or eat junk food when there are easy meals you can make in minutes that are good for all meals. They are nutritious and lower in calories, so you’ll boost your overall health and lose weight. Some require oven time, but you can bake them ahead, then heat and serve. You can also use our Fit Meal Formula plan and have ready-to-heat and serve meals prepared.

Spaghetti squash with diced tomato sauce.

If you can use a can opener and an oven, you can make this simple dish that also is good reheated. Start by cutting spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Put it cut side down in a pan with a little water and a dome of aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Instead of spaghetti sauce, use two cans of petite diced tomatoes, one plain and one with green chilies added or labeled chili-ready. Just heat the tomatoes, letting them simmer on low, stirring occasionally while the spaghetti squash cooks. Serve it as you would regular spaghetti, topped with Parmesan cheese. Add mixed vegetable salad on the side.

A tortilla roll-up makes a quick meal.

If you have chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and onions ready in small bags in the refrigerator this dish only takes minutes. Heat a can of refried beans if it’s for lunch or dinner, or scramble eggs for breakfast. Spread the beans or eggs on the soft tortilla shell and top with cheese, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. Roll it up like a burrito for a quick meal.

  • Avocado toast is a great addition to any meal. Just mash avocado with a bit of lemon or lime juice and spread on toast. Put baby greens on top and serve it with fruit or an egg.
  • Make a Buddha bowl from leftovers. You can use almost anything to make it. Start with baby greens, a salad, or any vegetable. Add any grain, from rice to quinoa, and a protein source. Top it with your favorite dressing.
  • Make a whole grain pita pocket stuffed with spinach, tomatoes, feta cheese, and a scrambled egg. If you use frozen spinach, drain it well and heat it, then scramble in the eggs. Spread pesto inside the pocket, then add the other ingredients.
  • Don’t forget smoothies as a meal. You can toss in leftover vegetables and fruit and put them in the blender. Add protein powder and blend. It’s a complete meal.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training


Tips To Stay In Shape With A Busy Lifestyle

Tips To Stay In Shape With A Busy Lifestyle

It’s hard to stay in shape when you have a busy lifestyle. It seems like everything tugs on your time and you have none left to exercise. You’re always eating on the run, making eating healthy more difficult, too. Right now is the best time to start a program. It’s the downtime after the holidays and isn’t as packed with extra activities. You can start by making a few small changes and lay out a plan to do more as you progress, taking the changes in increments.

Find the right time to workout.

Whatever time you choose, make sure you can do it consistently. Put it on your calendar as you would with any appointment and don’t sacrifice that time unless it’s an emergency. Creating a consistent exercise schedule makes a habit, like brushing your teeth before you leave the house in the morning. Don’t leave it to chance and wait until there’s time during the day or you’ll never workout. If you never know when your workday ends, exercise in the morning before you go to work.

A healthy lifestyle requires a healthy diet.

Are you always stopping for fast food? It’s not a healthy diet. You can save time and money by doing meal planning. Our Fit Meal Formula provides the week’s menus and a shopping list. You shop one day, cook a week’s worth of food on another, and pack it up for the rest of the week. During the week, heat and serve. It’s faster, healthier, and far less expensive than fast food. You’ll save time and gas by not stopping at the drive-through and can even double recipes and freeze the extra for other weeks when you’re busy.

Don’t forget to get adequate sleep and hydrate regularly.

Sleep is far more vital than most people think. If you don’t have enough sleep, it can affect your weight. It slows your metabolism and makes you tired, but even worse, it makes you hungrier, so you eat more. When you lack sleep, your body creates more ghrelin—the hunger hormone—and less leptin—the hormone that makes you feel full. Hydrating can also cut your appetite. Thirst is often mistaken for hunger, so hydrating will cause you to eat less.

  • Save time by doing more effective workouts. Compound exercises, HIIT—-high intensity interval training—and full body workouts cut the time. When you increase intensity, you reduce the amount of time necessary for exercise.
  • Write down goals and keep score. If you have a personal trainer, the trainer does that. Tracking your progress can boost your morale and help you make modifications to get better results.
  • If you can’t find time for a full workout, break your workout into several sessions. On those days you’re in a pinch, do several short sessions of ten to fifteen minutes each. Increase your activity by taking extra steps or using the stairs instead of the elevator.
  • Alternate your workout between the gym and outside activities like biking, walking, or running. It can be something fun like dancing or playing with the kids.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training


Weird Foods You Should Actually Be Eating

Weird Foods You Should Actually Be Eating

What you might think of as weird foods are considered daily fare by others. Modern transportation and packaging have allowed some local treasures to become international. Eating some of these foods can add valuable nutrients to your diet. Others may only add calories. Some will become instant favorites, while others may be an acquired taste. Marmite, a British spread, or its similar Australian counterpart Vegemite, is made from brewers’ yeast. It’s a great option for vegetarians because of its high protein and vitamin B12 content. B12 is a vitamin that’s often missing from a vegan diet. Both Marmite and Vegemite are acquired tastes. You either love them or hate them, there’s no in-between.

Organ meats are nutrient dense.

Organ meats come from pigs, chickens, lambs, cows, goats, and ducks. They’re also called offal. It means leftovers or waste products. Yes, the word offal is pronounced just like the American word awful, but don’t let that stop you. These nutrient-packed selections are a great addition to any diet. They have a high vitamin content and are high in iron and protein. The most common organ meats are liver, heart, gizzards, tongue, kidneys, brain, tripe, sweetbreads, Rocky Mountain oysters, and chitterlings. Many of these are inexpensive and a good source of protein.

Kohlrabi looks like a turnip with a few spiked hairs.

Kohlrabi is often called a German turnip, although it’s from the same family as cabbages, cauliflower, and broccoli, not turnips. If you love the mild taste of broccoli stems, you’ll love the taste of kohlrabi. Like broccoli, you can eat it raw or cooked. It is high in vitamins C and B6, potassium, and fiber. It’s beneficial to the gut since it has both soluble and insoluble fiber, promotes heart health, and improves the immune system. You can eat both the leaves and the bulb.

Try the alternative to dairy, hemp milk.

For many people, dairy of any kind can promote a very uncomfortable reaction in their body. Milk alternatives like oat, almond, and hemp milk are blessings. It’s made from ground, soaked hemp seeds. Even though hemp and marijuana are from the same species, cannabis, there’s no THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, in hemp. The seeds are high in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, and iron. It’s more nutritious than other milk alternatives and is carb-free if there are no additives.

  • Those tiny seeds amongst the black sunflower seeds in bird feed are millet. You can use it in place of rice. This gluten-free seed is high in magnesium, protein, iron, folate, and fiber.
  • Kimchi and sauerkraut are two nutrient-dense fermented foods with different flavors. Depending on your locality, either one could be considered weird. Both support a healthy digestive system and reduce inflammation.
  • Pickled herring is common to many cuisines, but it’s not a traditional dish in America. It has all the nutrients you get from fatty fish, including omega-3 fatty acids. Surströmming or fermented herring also has those benefits and the benefit of probiotics.
  • Europeans brought dandelion seeds to America to grow food. They fared far too well. If you and your neighbors don’t use chemicals on your lawn, use the young dandelion leaves for salads.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training


Healthy Meal Ideas For Those On A Budget

Healthy Meal Ideas For Those On A Budget

Eating healthier meals doesn’t have to be expensive. The cost of fast food and junk food is rising faster than nutritious food and often more expensive. You can have delicious meals that are good for you without spending a fortune. If you’re looking for some healthy meal ideas that won’t break your budget try meal planning. There’s no waste with meal planning. You use all the ingredients for several dishes. You can even get the family to help, leaving more time for fun outings.

Meal planning saves time and money.

Making a list helps you avoid duplicates that go bad. Shopping for the whole week saves time and money. Cooking everything at once allows you to put several dishes in the oven to save on utilities and time. Use leftovers for several meals. Buy a whole chicken. It can be used for baked chicken breast, chicken salad, in a Buddha bowl, or casserole. Use small pieces of chicken and bones for bone broth or other soup.

Keep an eye on bargain protein options.

Protein is often the most expensive part of any meal. If you keep that price low, you automatically cut the cost of lunch and dinner. Some less expensive quality protein options include canned tuna, ground turkey, eggs, chicken, beans, quinoa, and cheese. Choose frozen fruits and vegetables to save money. Farmers pick them at peak freshness and freeze them immediately. There’s no transport time or time spent in the produce section. Canned foods are slightly less nutritious but still excellent.

Make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for several days for the cost of one meal.

You can have a baked chicken, garden salad, broccoli, and fruit medley for supper and use the fresh veggies and some of the baked chicken for a wrap for lunch the next day. Another meal idea using the chicken is in a Buddha bowl. Bean soup is inexpensive and you can reserve some of the rehydrated beans for a bean salad or burrito. Beans and rice are also a good way to weave those extra beans into your diet. Eggs can be good for breakfast but make a delightful quiche or scramble with veggies for a delicious dinner.

  • You can add more omega-3 to your diet at a minimal cost. Salmon and tuna are high in omega-3 fatty acids. The canned options are inexpensive. Add walnuts to a garden salad for more omega 3. Top it off with red grapes for resveratrol.
  • If you buy fresh fruit and veggies, prepare them immediately when you get home from the grocery. Cut melons into bite-size servings and prepare veggies for snacks and dipping. You can use them for meals when you cook, but they’re ready for snacking until then.
  • Grilled veggies are delightful tossed into a salad. Plan one salad using leftover veggies, quinoa, chicken, or beans. You’ll be amazed at how delicious new food combinations are.
  • Choose seasonal veggies for meals. Double recipes and freeze the extra for weeks when you know you’ll be too busy to cook. To save even more money, buy whole poultry and cut it yourself.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training


Is It Possible To Stay Healthy During The Holidays?

Is It Possible To Stay Healthy During The Holidays?

The holidays in Louisville, KY, can be quite hectic, making it difficult to stay healthy. What are the keys to maintaining good health? A good diet, regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and adequate hydration are a start. Keeping your stress level lower is also important. That seems so simple to do on paper, but difficult to do in real life. The best way is to develop a plan of action and leave wiggle room for unexpected events.

Start by prioritizing your day.

You may have five hours of things to do and only four hours available. That’s when you have to start prioritizing and delegating tasks. At the top of the list is your and your family’s well-being, which includes your job to pay your bills. Start meal planning so you have food ready in the refrigerator to heat and eat it. It’s faster than waiting in the drive-through line for carryout and healthier than having delivery food. Start early and build up a few extra meals in your freezer for those packed weekends when you don’t have any time to cook.

Get adequate sleep.

Even if your day is packed, don’t burn the candle at both ends. You need sleep to function at your best. Adequate sleep can help boost your immune system. Sleep is when your body does repairs. Lack of sleep can make you eat more and gain weight. It causes your body to produce more ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and less leptin, the hormone that tells your brain your stomach is full.

Plan to exercise every day.

Daily exercise can be as simple as walking or as demanding as an hour in the gym. If you don’t have an entire hour or half hour, break up your exercise into manageable ten to fifteen-minute sessions you do throughout the day. Exercise helps relieve stress and can be your saving grace during hectic times. It can burn off stress hormones and leave you feeling good again. It also stimulates circulation, so more oxygen and nutrient-laden blood goes throughout the body, including the brain.

  • Take time out for yourself. Carve out fifteen minutes to a half hour each day just for yourself. Find a quiet time, like in the morning before everyone else gets up. Develop an attitude of gratitude.
  • Hydrate regularly. It’s harder to remember to hydrate during the winter months. Carry a bottle of water with you and sip on it throughout the day. If you’re trying to lose weight, drink a glass of water before your meal and you’ll eat less.
  • Permit yourself to indulge in your favorite foods occasionally. Just keep portion control in mind and don’t do it often. If you only get to have Aunt Dolly’s special bundt cake once a year, enjoy a slice with the family—but not half the cake.
  • Turn tasks into family time. Start a tradition of making cookies, decorating the tree, or making gifts for others together. Delegate some of your responsibilities to other family members and skip some tasks that aren’t high on the priority list.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training


Is Diet Soda Better Than Regular Soda?

Is Diet Soda Better Than Regular Soda?

If you switched to diet soda from regular soda to save calories and protect your health, you may have only done one of the two. Diet soda is lower in calories, but as for being healthier, it has its issues. It doesn’t have any sugar, which is a plus, but it offers artificial sweeteners that might make you gain even more weight. The weight doesn’t come from calories, since many of these soft drinks contain no calories. It comes from the trick the sweeteners play on the brain.

You’ll have a bigger waistline and gain more weight with diet soda.

When you drink soda sweetened with artificial sweeteners, it tricks your brain into thinking you consumed sugar, but the body disagrees. That leads to more cravings for a natural source of sugar. It leaves your body unsatisfied, so you may eat or drink even more. Artificial sweeteners can also disrupt the gut microbiome, which can cause weight gain and other problems. One large long-term study also found that people who drank diet soda had a large waist circumference compared to those who never or seldom drank it.

You already know the sugar in soda is bad for you.

Soda may not contain a huge amount of calories compared to a Krispy Kreme Mocha Dream Chiller or a Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino Blended Beverage, but it doesn’t mean it won’t pack on the pounds. Many people think that drinking soda, instead of no-calorie alternatives like water or black coffee, is part of the cause of the obesity epidemic. One can of cola a day for a year can pack on almost 15 pounds.

Both diet sodas and regular sodas increase the risk for health issues.

One study of 2,465 people lasted nine years. It found that people consuming diet sodas were 48% more likely to have a stroke or heart attack when compared to those who didn’t drink it. That doesn’t mean you should switch back to regular soda. Various studies have found it affected other parts of the body. In a 2002 study, it was associated with diets high in sugar, which reduced the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) that improves learning and memory. Another study found it increased the risk of heart attack by 20% which increases the more a person drinks.

  • Which one is better for you? Neither. Consider switching to water or infused water if you want more flavor. It has no calories and can help relieve joint pain and hydrate your skin to make you look younger.
  • The study that found diet soda increased people’s waistline found those who drank no diet soda increased their waist by 0.8 inches. The occasional drinkers’ waists increased by 1.83 inches, while the daily drinkers increased their waist by 3.16 inches.
  • Drinking diet soda may not prevent weight gain or serious conditions, but it doesn’t contribute to tooth decay. Bacteria need sugar to grow. However, the acid in both diet and regular soda compromised the enamel.
  • Even though regular soft drinks are higher in sugar, they aren’t as high in sugar as most fruit juices. An 8-ox serving of apple juice contains 125 calories, while 8 ounces of cola contains only 90.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training


Machines Vs Free Weights

Machines Vs Free Weights

You get the benefits of using both machines and free weights at Body Sculptors. Both provide the benefits of building strength that benefits your body in many ways, including building stronger bones and attaining a healthy weight. If you’re choosing just one, here are some pros and cons for each. For most people, using both to achieve your goals is beneficial. A lot depends on your goals and your fitness level. For beginners, machines make it easier to have proper form. That reduces the potential for injury. For those more advanced, free weights provide more variety and allow you to work muscles on several planes.

You work some more muscle groups with free weights.

You can target a specific muscle group with both machines and free weights. However, because you use them differently, with free weights, you’ll work additional muscle groups. For instance, both free weights and a shoulder press machine do the trick to build shoulder muscles. However, free weights also work the triceps, core, and trapezoids to help keep the body stabilized.

Free weights provide the same type of benefits.

You have to go lighter and slower initially when you use free weights to ensure you have the proper form. With the machines, the correct form is almost built into it and difficult not to achieve. The machine is fixed, so you don’t have to stabilize your body. That allows you to lift more weight using the machine. Free weights turn your workout into a full-body workout. You’ll work some muscles you wouldn’t on a machine.

Use both free weights and machines.

You can pinpoint muscles with laser accuracy when you use machines. Every ounce of effort goes into building a specific muscle group. It’s easy to do so beginners can start to lift heavier weights quicker. Machines can also help you move more easily to free weights. You’ll learn the body’s correct position and form, making the transition a breeze.

  • Using machines and free weights together makes the most sense. Since you work several muscle groups with free weights, you can isolate a specific muscle without overworking it when you use machines.
  • Machines are helpful as a supplement for those who are more advanced. On the other hand, free weights can be a good supplement for beginners who primarily use machines.
  • To be effective, you have to make sure you adjust the machine to fit you properly. Not everyone is the same height, has the same grip width, or requires the same amount of weight. Take the time to adjust the machine for your needs.
  • One big difference between free weights and machines is the need to be more careful about how much weight you lift with free weights. The machine has a backup if you go too heavy, which free weights don’t offer.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training


Are Carbs Bad For Your Health?

Are Carbs Bad For Your Health?

There is a lot of buzz in Louisville, KY, about giving up carbs to lose weight and be healthier. The truth is that carbs are necessary for your health. They provide many nutrients and help fuel the body. It’s not about whether you should eat carbs, but the type of carbs you should eat. Just like fire, some carbs help the body and some destroy it. Beneficial carbohydrates play a vital role in overall health. They’re the source of fiber your body requires. It’s one of the categories of carbohydrates, with the others being sugar and starch.

Good carbs take longer to enter the bloodstream.

One group of carbs, simple sugars, enter the bloodstream with a rush. They spike blood sugar levels, which triggers the release of insulin that immediately drops blood sugar to levels that are often too low. That can start a chain reaction that triggers insulin resistance, weight gain, and serious health issues. Another type of carb, fiber, can slow the rise of glucose. Limiting food with simple sugar, like highly processed food, sweets, food with added sugar, or white rice and white bread, can make you healthier.

Carbohydrates include vegetables and fruit.

Fruits and vegetables are good carbohydrates. They contain fiber, vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals. The fiber not only slows the entrance of glucose into the bloodstream, but it also feeds the beneficial bacteria in the gut and fills you up so you don’t eat as much. For your digestive tract to work properly, you need fiber. Whole grains, legumes, fruit, and vegetables fit that description. Many are lower in calories, but higher in nutrition.

It’s all about choosing the right type of carbohydrates.

Carbs provide quick energy, but to be your healthiest, be selective. If it’s in its natural form with no additives and little processing, it’s likely a healthy carb. Fresh vegetables are good carbs, while fruit in a thick sugary syrup doesn’t fit that description. Minimally processed fruits and vegetables, like those frozen or canned, can be healthy. Whole grains are healthy, while their highly processed counterparts aren’t. It’s all about the added extras and the nutrition removed.

  • The risk of serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease increase when you consume sugar and unhealthy carbs. Many obese individuals are also malnourished.
  • Keeping your gut microbiome healthy is vital. The microbes in your gut affect all parts of the body, including your brain. They also affect your mood. Fiber, a type of carb, helps increase the population of beneficial microbes.
  • Instead of quitting all carbs, just quit carbs with added sugar. It will be hard at first, but you’ll notice your sense of taste improving the longer you do it. Eventually, besides getting healthier, you’ll appreciate how sweet fruit is.
  • The body needs all three macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Eat a healthy diet that consists primarily of whole food.

For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training