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Winter Workouts: Staying Active When It’s Cold Outside

Published by superadmin on January 25, 2025 | Leave a response

It can get cold and snowy in Louisville, KY, during winter. If you run, ride a bike, or even walk as exercise, you should dress for the weather and be cautious or find alternate winter workouts for those days when the weather doesn’t cooperate. It could be the best time to take your workout to the next level and join a gym part of the time while continuing your regular exercise regime on other days. It can add variety and improve all types of fitness, not just endurance.

When you stick with your outside regimen.

If you’ve always exercised outside, you conditioned your body for cold weather. It adapted slowly as the weather changed unless there was a dramatic drop in the temperature overnight. Layer your clothing instead of opting for one heavy coat. As your body warms, you can remove layers. Wear gloves and a cap or headband. If the temperature drops below freezing, wear thermal pants or undergarments. If there’s precipitation, wear waterproof clothing. Thermal socks and waterproof shoes with gripping soles are also necessary.

Stay safe.

During icy weather, take care if you’re running. Always take a cell phone with you. If possible, exercise with a friend. Whether you workout outside or keep it inside at a gym, leaving the house can be intimidating when it’s cold outside. Exercising with another person or a group can make you more accountable for your workout. It’s also safer. If one person has a health issue, the other can call for help. People with bad intentions are less prone to assault two or more people.

Take your workout inside.

Exercising outside can be invigorating and refreshing. It can increase your circulation and be more comfortable than a warmer inside workout once you start sweating. However, it’s not for everyone. Inside winter workouts may have more appeal if you’re not a fan of cold weather. If that describes you, exercise with a friend at the gym or use a personal trainer. You still have to face the cold to get to the gym. Both will improve your chances of going.

Whether you exercise outside in the morning or at the end of the day, wear reflective clothing. It gets light later and dark earlier, so you want to ensure drivers can see you. Put reflectors on the pedals and add lights if you ride a bike.
Don’t shy away from exercising outside on those days when the weather is crisp. Working out in cold weather improves your endurance and your exercise more efficiently. It can change white fat to brown fat that burns quickly.
Do warm-up stretching before you go outside to exercise. It’s even more important during cold weather. Your joints and muscles are stiffer during the cold winter weather. Start with your neck and work your way down to ensure all muscles are warmed.
Always check with your healthcare professional before you start any exercise program. If you’re looking for the best fitness program, our trainers can help you.

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

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Why Diet Is Just As Important As Fitness

Published by superadmin on January 15, 2025 | Leave a response

It’s that time of year. It’s a resolution-keeping or resolution-breaking system, depending on how well you’re doing. People often vow to improve their health by improving their diet or exercise regimen. Both are vital for good health. Which is more important? They should both be priorities. A healthy diet improves your physical well-being, and so does exercise. Each plays a vital role in good health.

If you want to lose weight, both diet and exercise provide benefits.

Remember this saying. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Eating healthy is a priority if you want to lose weight or build muscles. If you eat ten thousand calories daily, unless you’re an Olympic swimmer, it’s almost impossible to burn them off in a day. Even if you exercise, you’ll still gain weight. A poor diet doesn’t contain all the nutrients necessary to keep your body functioning at its best. Eating foods high in fiber feeds the gut microbiome. It acts like a secondary immune system and creates enzymes to control bodily functions.

Exercise can keep you looking and feeling younger.

Just like a healthy diet, exercise plays a role in weight loss. It burns calories to create a deficit that helps you lose weight. It plays a role in aging by increasing the length of telomeres. They act like aglets on the end of shoelaces and prevent the chromosomes from unraveling, which can cause cell damage and, ultimately, death. It also increases the number of stem cells in the body. They replace damaged cells and help you look more youthful. Exercise increases the beneficial microbes in the gut to improve digestion and bodily functions.

Improve both.

A healthy diet and regular exercise can help you reach any fitness goal. If weight loss is your goal, exercise burns calories, builds muscle tissue, and changes your body composition. The more muscle tissue you have, the easier it is to lose weight. Muscle tissue requires more calories to maintain than fat tissue does. You’ll be boosting your metabolism to make weight loss easier.

Both a healthy diet and regular exercise can help you burn belly fat. Obesity is the leading cause of preventable deaths, especially if most of it is around the waist. Diet and exercise can burn that fat, reduce insulin resistance, and prevent conditions like diabetes.
You’ll live longer and better when you eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. Staying fit allows you to live independently for longer and enjoy what life offers.
Making small changes to your diet can bring many benefits. Cutting out highly processed food and food with added sugar improves your diet dramatically. Choose food closest to its natural state.
If you aren’t sure how to make the dietary changes necessary or how to create your workout program, we have registered dietitians and personal trainers to help. Always check with your healthcare provider before starting any diet or exercise program.

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

Posted in Fitness & Wellness, Nutrition

New Year – New Fitness Goals

Published by superadmin on January 5, 2025 | Leave a response

People in Louisville, KY rang in the New Year with resolutions and mental promises to do better in the future. These resolutions are goals. Many people set fitness goals to get healthier, stronger, or leaner. You need to do more than set goals or make resolutions. Your resolution should be clearly defined. Create a plan to achieve those goals and make them achievable. If you want to lose 40 pounds, you need to set a timeline. It should be realistic and healthy. By starting now, you can celebrate next New Year’s Eve looking fabulous.

Break down your goal into manageable sections.

If you consider losing 40 pounds, it can seem overwhelming. Break it down into smaller, easier-to-manage and achieve mini-goals. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound. Increasing your activity level and decreasing calorie intake causes a loss of two pounds a week by creating a 1000 daily calorie deficit. Establish your weekly weight loss goal, then determine how many weeks it will take to shed the forty pounds. If you choose two pounds a week, it will take you 20 weeks. That’s your deadline.

Determine your weekly plan to reduce your calorie intake.

Traditional dieting isn’t the best option for weight loss. People often starve themselves, feeling deprived and hungry all the time. Diets always end. Sometimes, they end at a drive-through Quickie Burger with an order of fries, a jumbo burger, and a shake. Sometimes, they succeed. When they succeed, people often return to old eating patterns that put on the weight in the first place. Instead, learning to eat healthier and smarter can mean never dieting again. A dietician can help you plan healthy menus that fit your needs and preferences.

Start an exercise program to burn more calories.

Some people join a gym to increase their caloric output. Others start a walking or bike riding program. No matter what you do, be consistent. Too often, people start with high expectations only to quit within a few weeks. Many people pay for gym memberships but never benefit because they fail to go. One way to avoid that and get the training that achieves your goals is to use a personal trainer. It turns your gym visit into an appointment.

Your gender, weight, age, body composition, exercise intensity, and activity level when not at the gym will determine how many calories you’ll burn when you workout. Men burn more calories than women. Younger people burn more calories than older people.
Track your progress. Winners keep score. When you track your workout and progress, it makes it more like a game that you want to win. It motivates you by holding yourself accountable.
Don’t push yourself too hard initially, especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle. Focus on learning the proper form for each exercise and start slowly to prevent injury that can set you back for months.
Always check with your healthcare professional before starting any new diet or exercise program. Our personal trainers can help you develop a plan to reach your fitness goals faster.

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

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

How Exercising Can Be A Stress Reliever

Published by superadmin on December 25, 2024 | Leave a response

Are you feeling stressed? It’s easy to do in Louisville, KY. Life is busy. People have a lot of tugs on their time. Finding a way to reduce the stress or counteract it is vital. People often look to ways that aren’t healthy. Those ways may bring even more stress, like poor health or physical injury. One stress reliever not only improves your physical health, but it also improves your mental health. It’s exercising.

Stress starts a natural reaction to danger.

Caveman needed survival skills. The body’s reaction to stress is one of those. When early man faced danger, it signaled his brain to trigger hormones that prepared the body to fight or run. The hormones cause blood to go to the extremities. It caused blood pressure and heart rate to rise. All the changes made man more prepared to flee or fight. Burning off stress hormones while creating new hormones makes the person feel better. We don’t have the same dangers today, but the response is the same. It’s not best to fight an angry boss or leave your car and run into a traffic jam. Mimicking both actions through exercise helps overcome stress and provides other benefits.

Some people use exercise as a form of meditation.

Meditation can change your mind’s focus and help you relax. It is one way to reduce stress. Some people use exercise as a form of meditation. They direct their focus to the present and the rhythm of the body. If you’re running outside, it’s all about the sound of your feet hitting the ground and the wind and warmth of the sun on your face, and the warmth of the sun. If you’re lifting, your focus is directly on the muscles. Not only does exercise help divert your attention and bring stress relief, but it also helps you develop laser focus.

Stress can lead to anxiety or depression.

Many studies have revealed that exercise helps both depression and anxiety. Many therapists use it as an adjunct therapy. One study found therapy and exercise had better results than therapy alone or therapy and medication. Another benefit was that it had no side effects except for a healthier, more attractive body.

Exercise improves your posture and makes you look more confident. The more confident you look, the more people treat you as though you are. That treatment makes you feel more confident and less stressed.
Exercise helps promote better sleep. That can enable people to cope with stress better. Lack of sleep alone can be stressful. Add that to the day’s stress, and you have an overwhelming combination.
You’ll improve your gut microbiome when you exercise. Many beneficial microbes in the gut create enzymes that can boost your mood and improve your emotional well-being.
Always check with your healthcare professional first before starting any exercise program. If you have limitations, consider using a personal trainer to guide you safely through a program. Make sure you let the trainer know about any physical problems.

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

Posted in Exercise, Fitness

Do You Need Protein After A Workout?

Published by superadmin on December 15, 2024 | Leave a response

What you eat plays a major role in your health and fitness level. When you eat also plays a role, especially if you workout. You need the nutrients to keep you going and get the most from your workout, but you also need the materials to recover and rebuild muscle tissue. That means you need both carbohydrates and protein pre and post-exercise.

Most people understand a small snack or meal before exercising boosts your energy.

There are a few rules to follow when you eat before working out. The closer you are to exercising, the less you should eat. You also should avoid fatty foods. These rules are logical. They have to do with digestion. If you eat a large meal, make sure it’s 3 or 4 hours out. For smaller snacks, make it a half-hour window. Your body has to digest the food and exercise can interrupt that. Also, fats take longer to digest, so go light on fatty food. Pre-workout food also helps start recovery quicker.

Exercise causes tiny micro tears in the muscle.

When you exercise, especially when you do intense muscle-building, it causes micro tears in the muscles. The magic of muscle-building doesn’t occur when you exercise but during recovery. That’s when the micro-tears heal and form scar tissue to build bulk and strength. It’s one reason you should wait 48 to 72 hours before exercising those muscles again, or the healing doesn’t occur.

Post-workout snacks are for recovery and replenishing glycogen stores.

Eating a snack of protein provides the building blocks for building muscles. Carbohydrates replenish the glycogen stores in the muscles. Both are necessary to maximize your benefits from the workout. Eat it as soon after a workout as possible. It can be a full meal or a snack like apples and a spoonful of peanut butter. If you have a busy day following exercise, you won’t run out of steam midway.

Protein contains amino acids that are the building blocks for muscle tissue. Carbohydrates provide the energy for your body to function. The combination for a post-workout snack should be 40% protein and 60% carbohydrates.
If it’s close to breakfast, lunch, or dinner, wait until your next meal to eat. Make sure you replenish liquids throughout the workout and afterward, regardless of intensity.
You don’t have to make it elaborate. There are simple, inexpensive snacks you can make. Greek yogurt with bananas and berries is one option. Fruit and nuts are another. Keep the carbohydrates healthy and avoid food with added sugar.
If your workout is intense, you may need to replenish electrolytes. For potassium, eat a side of sweet potatoes, grapes, or green, leafy vegetables. You’ll also get magnesium from the green, leafy vegetables. Chicken soup can provide sodium.

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

Posted in Exercise, Fitness

Are Avocados Good For Diabetes?

Published by superadmin on December 5, 2024 | Leave a response

If you have diabetes, your diet plays a vital role in your health. Some foods are off-limits, like those packed with added sugar or other simple carbs. Food high in trans-fat should also be avoided. Most people try to avoid foods high in fat or calories and may cut avocados out of their diet. They think eating it can interfere with weight loss. That could be a mistake. Avocados provide many health benefits, especially for people with diabetes.

Eating avocados provides healthy fat and nutrients.

Avocados are high in nutrients that everyone needs, especially diabetics. They are an excellent source of vitamin K. Vitamin K helps boost insulin sensitivity and improves sugar metabolism. According to one study, eating a medium avocado daily lowered the risk of metabolic disease by 50%. A different study showed that people who ate the most avocados had a lower risk of developing diabetes.

If you’re worried about losing weight, avocados can help.

Often, people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, need to lose weight. Keeping calorie counts lower is important. They’re high in fat, which means they’re higher in calories. That usually stops people from eating them. Don’t let that stop you. It doesn’t mean you should eat several a day, but it does mean you can eat them. Avocados contain fiber that fills you up and helps maintain blood sugar levels. The more fiber in your diet, the lower your fasting blood sugar and A1C levels are.

Metabolic syndrome is reduced when you eat avocados.

What is metabolic syndrome? It includes having three of five medical conditions. These include abdominal obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, low serum high-density lipoproteins, and high serum triglycerides. It increases your risk for stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Scientists believe the problem may come from increased visceral fat—belly fat. Visceral fat causes inflammation. It plays a central role in weight gain and insulin resistance. One 12-week study found that when two groups ate the same calories but one group included avocados in their diet, the body converted visceral fat to subcutaneous fat that was not associated with metabolic syndrome.

Avocados contain oleic and monounsaturated fatty acids. Using oils high in oleic fatty acids instead of polyunsaturated fat, such as flaxseed oil, can reduce abdominal fat. Monounsaturated fatty acids also reduce belly fat.
It is high in vitamins E, C, B3, K, B6, B5, and B2. It contains folate, copper, potassium, magnesium, and manganese. The high potassium content can help lower blood pressure.
The high-fat content of avocados can help you lose weight. It keeps you feeling full longer. It lowers the bad LDL cholesterol and improves the body’s ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
Always check with your healthcare professional before including avocados in your diet if you have diabetes. Every person is different and requires a personalized diet.

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

Posted in Exercise, Fitness

Healthy Snacks On-the-Go

Published by superadmin on November 25, 2024 | Leave a response

It’s difficult to fit in nutritious meals and eat healthy snacks when you’re busy. You have to be more prepared than people who have more time. Having on-the-go snacks available helps. Most people think snacks aren’t necessary, but that’s not true. They’re beneficial if you want to lose weight or need a pick-me-up. Eating a healthy snack can help you avoid tempting, unhealthy ones or overeating at the next meal. It’s even more critical if you have children. They should be lower in calories and high in nutrition.

Having healthy snacks available means you don’t need to buy from a candy machine or convenience store.

Whether you’re at the office or driving, sometimes you need a boost. You may have missed a meal because your day is so busy, so snacking may be a necessity. Having fresh fruit like oranges or apples available can keep you going. One option is a small bag of homemade trail mix with nuts, dried fruit, and popcorn or dark chocolate bits. Individual serving sizes of nuts in plastic baggies can feel like a lifesaver when you’re famished.

If you’re at the office, keeping a healthy snack in the refrigerator or at your desk boosts your energy.

Keep a bowl of cut fruit, string cheese, or plain Greek yogurt in the fridge at work. If you want a sweet treat, don’t get yogurt with fruit. Instead, opt for a container of Greek yogurt and mix in fresh berries. Yogurt with fruit added in the stores has far too much sugar to be healthy.

Are you grocery shopping? Eat before you go or have a snack ready.

It’s far too easy to fill your cart with cookies, chips, and other junk food when you’re hungry. If you have the kids with you, it’s even worse. A few groceries offer one free piece of fruit for children but don’t depend on it. Not many do, so you have to be prepared. Have grapes in the refrigerator ready to eat or bananas dipped in chocolate in the freezer. Nut butter on an apple provides carbs and protein to keep you or the kids going longer.

If you’re on the road a lot, keeping a small cooler of snacks can be beneficial. You can store hard-boiled eggs, raw veggies with dip, or lidded cups of berries, melon, or tropical fruit.
A healthy snack at home can be cottage cheese and applesauce, apple slices or celery with cheese, or a bowl of cubed watermelon or cantaloupe. If the fruit or vegetable is cut and ready to eat, you’ll be more likely to choose it.
Air-popped popcorn with seasoning is another low-calorie snack that will fill that empty spot in your belly. All types of seasonings are available, including nacho cheese, garlic, and bacon cheddar.
Make your healthy snack. Freeze fruit and juice, water, or yogurt in an ice pop mold or Zipsicle pouches for a cool treat in the summer. Make banana ice cream from blended frozen banana rounds.

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

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Finding Your Perfect Workout Routine

Published by superadmin on November 15, 2024 | Leave a response

What’s the perfect workout routine? The answer is different for every person. It all depends on your fitness level, special needs, and goals. If your goal is to lose weight, you’ll choose a different workout than someone whose goal is to bulk up and build muscle. The person who wants to feel better will also create a different workout than someone training for an Ironman competition. Identify your goals, then design a workout that meets those goals.

You’ll get more from an exercise routine that’s hard but still within your abilities.

Any program that makes you struggle so hard that you can’t finish, you’ll abandon it quickly. It also can cause injury. Proper form is vital for good results and safety. If you twist wrong or fail to have good form, it can result in an injury that puts you on the bench for a while. Improper form won’t give you the results you want, either. When your workout is beyond your ability, it can affect your form. Trying to lift weights that are too heavy can make you twist and turn, destroying your form and putting you at risk. If a workout is too easy, you won’t get good results. The workout should meet your fitness level.

Do you have special needs?

Special needs often mean physical limitations, like a back or knee issue or difficulties standing very long. Modify your exercise program to meet those needs. People with lower body problems, such as hip problems, can do seated weightlifting or water aerobics that reduce the pressure on the back. Modifying or doing specific exercises can help you get stronger. The newfound strength improves back and knee issues, allowing you to do traditional forms without pain.

You have to enjoy at least part of your workout routine.

No matter how effective your exercise program is, if you hate it, you probably won’t do it. The key to success is consistency. You won’t be consistent if you dread everything about your exercise routine. You’ll probably quit within the first few weeks. Include at least one or two days of activities you enjoy to stay more consistent. If you’re starting a fitness program, you might not be ready for the gym but love hiking or dancing. Start there and work your way toward refining your exercise program.

If you travel a lot, sticking with a fitness program is harder. Find ways to include exercise on the road, like using resistance bands. They’re inexpensive and easy to pack.
Track your progress. Winners keep score. Create a chart and track each exercise, including the number of reps, sets, or the weight lifted. Turn it into a game. Always try to beat your record.
Eat healthier and get adequate sleep. No matter what your goal is, feeling better, weight loss, or building muscle, you need a healthy diet and the right sleep.
Work with a personal trainer if possible. A trainer will ask the right questions to create a program specifically for your needs, goals, and fitness level. You can supplement it with activities you love.

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

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Flexibility Exercises For Everyone

Published by superadmin on November 5, 2024 | Leave a response

People in Louisville, KY, come to Body Sculptors to get fit. Fitness is more than strength. It includes endurance, balance, and flexibility. People often forget balance and flexibility exercises when they don’t use a trainer. They are both vital for good health. Stretching and other exercises that improve flexibility help protect the muscle from injury. They increase the range of motion and help muscles relax to reduce aches and pains.

You might not expect flexibility exercises to boost muscle growth, but it does!

Stretching puts greater force on the muscles, prevents soreness, and promotes muscle growth. One study found it dramatically increased growth in a shorter time frame. Arm circles are stretches for flexibility. They also help increase blood flow to the muscles. Torso twists, lunges, deep squats, and hip circles to relax tight hip muscles also improve muscle growth if done before, during, and after your workout.

Dynamic and static stretches are ones frequently used for flexibility.

Stretching every morning when getting out of bed should be part of your routine. Dynamic stretches prepare the muscles for exercise. Static stretches, like toe touching, are done after the workout when the muscles are warm and stretchy. Lower body flexibility exercises include the forward fold (touching your toes), calf stretch, quad stretch, and lunging hip flexor. Walking lunges are also excellent to help improve flexibility.

Loosen your hip muscles and upper back.

The figure-four stretch can help relieve back and knee pain. It also improves hip flexibility. Lie on your back, feet flat on the floor, and knees bent. Bring up one leg and cross your ankle over the opposite knee. Place your hands behind the knee on the leg with the foot on the floor and pull that leg toward your chest. Lower your leg and reverse sides. Tricep stretches, shoulder stretches, arm circles, and an overhead side stretch help improve upper body flexibility.

Yoga poses are good flexibility exercises. If you have a sore back, loosen the muscles by doing a cat-cow pose. Start on your hands and knees with your back arched and head down. Move to the cow position by dropping your belly and raising your head. Alternate between the two several times.
Do arm stretches by first crossing them in front of you until they touch your back on the opposite side. Open your arms wide and attempt to touch the tops of your hands together behind you.
You can improve flexibility and relieve back pain with this simple stretch. Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Create a loop in a towel by holding one end in each hand. Lift one leg. Put your foot in the loop and pull until the leg straightens.
Stretch your body with your hands stretched above your head to lengthen and strengthen it. It helps prevent tight muscles and improves flexibility. Hold your arms out to your side and parallel to the ground. Bend to the side and touch the side of your knee, then do the other side.

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

Posted in Fitness & Wellness