Fitness & Wellness

What Muscles Do Mountain Climbers Work?

Published by superadmin on May 15, 2022 | Leave a response

When only the best fitness results will do, we provide that at Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY. We focus on each individual’s needs, whether it’s nutrition needs, overall fitness and weight loss. We make sure each person achieves all types of fitness, which includes strength, endurance, flexibility and balance. Some exercises work a number of muscles at once, which makes them more efficient. Mountain climbers is an example of that type of exercise. While it’s done on the ground, it’s just as grueling as climbing Mount Everest when first start starting.

Mountain climbers use body weight for resistance.

Mountain climbers mimic the efforts of real mountain climbers. They build upper body strength, which includes the arms, chest, shoulders and core muscles. They also work the quads, hamstrings, hips, glutes and abdominals. Some say it’s like doing a moving plank. They build strength, improve balance and flexibility and increase endurance. They’re an all around type of exercise, which can benefit anyone.

It’s just like climbing a mountain, but can be done anywhere.

No matter what the exercise, proper form is key. Start a mountain climber in plank position with knees and feet at hip-width. Place hands on the mat with fingers forward and knees off the ground. Keep the abs tight and in place, while bringing the right thigh to the chest, pushing knees toward the elbows. Put the leg back into starting position, then bring the other leg forward in similar fashion.

There are many variations.

Some variations start in plank position but bring the knee up differently or modify the speed. The cross-mountain body climber starts in plank, then brings the knee to the opposite shoulder, while the slow motion mountain climber pauses mid exercise and holds the thigh to the chest for two seconds before alternating legs. Do mountain climbers on an incline by putting the hands on a bench or step or do a decline with the feet elevated. Combine the mountain climber with a burpee and push-up for a really tough workout.

Mountain climbers may help with ankle or knee pain. If painful joints from high impact exercises, like jogging, is a problem, it’s time to make a change to mountain climbers. They’re low impact and work the joints without the excess pressure and pounding.
One of the big benefits of doing mountain climbers is that they can be done anywhere that offers room to stretch the body on the floor. They’re a great addition to the TV workout that is done during commercials.
Mountain climbers improve the VO2 Max levels. They not only boost endurance and stamina, but they also improve the amount of oxygen available when working out.
For people having a difficult time maintaining balance, mountain climbers can bring improvement. They require balancing on one leg as the other is brought toward the chest. It also builds the stabilizing muscles.

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

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Best Foods To Eat In The Morning

Published by superadmin on May 5, 2022 | Leave a response

No matter how much you love to start your day off with a donut, it isn’t on the list of foods to eat in the morning. It should supply not only energy that keeps you going until your next meal, but also adequate nutrition, since it is about a third of your daily calorie intake. Sugar food gives you a burst of energy that depletes just as quickly, leaving you tired and hungry by mid-morning.

Keep your morning simple.

Besides overnight oats, there are other options that can be just as fast. Hard boiled eggs prepared ahead with a side of grapefruit can be delicious and filling. You can segment the night before to make it easier to eat. Healthy zucchini, banana or pumpkin bread with nuts or plain with a tablespoon of nut butter provides nutrients, while keeping blood sugar levels stable.

Make breakfast sandwiches on the weekend for the whole week.

If you have more time on the weekend, it’s the perfect time to plan and cook ahead. You can make a week’s worth of breakfast sandwiches, wrap them in foil and put them in freezer bags for the rest of the week. Remove the foil and microwave for 60-90 seconds when you’re ready to eat them. Healthy fixings can include sour dough muffins, whole grain or sprouted buns or bread. Make the inside vegetable rich with broccoli, mushrooms, chopped spinach, onion and/or red pepper first sautéed. Mix 6-8 eggs then add them to the sautéed veggies in a 9X13 pan and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes. Cut into squares, put on the bun and wrap or top with turkey, chicken or cheese then wrap and freeze.

Have a leisurely breakfast.

Eating breakfast with the family is often a luxury saved for the weekend in many households. It can also be a time to help kids learn what a healthy breakfast is, plus help you lose weight. Make omelets with veggies or a breakfast scramble by sautéing veggies and meat then adding eggs and scramble as it cooks. You can add meat, but stick with turkey or chicken to keep it healthier and calorie count lower. Experiment a bit. Try adding kale, spinach or even carrots. In fact, if you stock your refrigerator with ready to eat healthy veggies, it’s the time to use them before they go bad.

What could be faster than a smoothie? A smoothie where all the ingredients are cut and ready to blend, that’s what. In warm weather, nothing is more refreshing than adding frozen fruit to Greek yogurt and other fruits and veggies for a thick, ice cream-like experience.
Another quick make-ahead idea involves putting veggies cut in tiny pieces if raw or sautéed mixed with whisked eggs into muffin cups and baked. They can be heated when and served later.
Make your breakfast sandwiches even more nutritious. After you heat them, open them and spread on mashed avocado, add tomatoes and greens. The healthy fat in avocado will keep you feeling full longer.
If your morning is rushed, try overnight oats with fruit and ground flax seed or nuts. You can eat it cold or microwave it.

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

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The Pros And Cons Of Restrictive Diets

Published by superadmin on April 25, 2022 | Leave a response

Special diets are all restrictive diets in one way or another, even if it’s a healthy diet. If you’re suffering from a food allergy, you have to go on a restrictive diet that eliminates that type of food. However, most people think of super low calorie or low carbohydrate diets when they hear the term restrictive. There are pros and cons for both those types of diets and diets like paleo, raw food and vegan.

Let’s start by looking at extremely low calorie diets.

Low calorie diets have been around forever it seems. It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose a pound, so by reducing caloric intake by 3500 less than you need, you’ll lose weight. There’s no definition of exactly what is eaten, just how many calories to eat. That liberal definition means you might eat five or six glazed donuts for 1200 calories per day, which is low calorie, but not healthy. A very low calorie diet restricts calorie intake to below 800 calories a day. While it’s good in the short term for the clinically or morbidly obese in the short term, it’s not sustainable over the long term. It’s not meant for pregnant or breastfeeding women and difficult to stick with.

Low carb or KETO diets look great at first.

When you first see the menu of a KETO diet, if you’re a bacon or meat lover you’ll be thrilled. How could you not be? Low carb diets involve eating less than 26% of your caloric intake from carbs. Normally, the amount advised is approximately 50%. One of the benefits of this type of restrictive diet is that it bans sugary foods and many highly processed foods made with grain, like pastry. However, there are drawbacks. It also limits many fruits and vegetables that are healthy and provide nutrients your body needs. It also can help blood sugar control if you’re diabetic. Changing to this type of diet can make you feel sick with headaches, diarrhea and exhaustion, sometimes called the “keto flu.” It also increases risk of cardio-vascular disease and fatty liver disease.

Paleo, raw food and vegan diets are also restrictive.

Paleo diets are based on what cavemen ate, before farming developed. It restricts milk products and milk, grain and grain products. The raw food diet involves eating food that’s never been cooked. The vegan diet doesn’t allow any animal product. There’s a lot of problems creating a well-balanced diet on all three, so it takes work and dedication. On the raw food diet, getting adequate protein is most difficult, since beans and legumes—a source of vegan protein—can only be sprouted and no animal products are allowed.

The raw food diet risk the potential of food-borne pathogens. It’s associated with low intake of vitamins and minerals, particularly B12, zinc, iron, vitamin D and calcium.
No matter what type of restrictive diet you choose, they all have two similar problems. They’re hard to stick with and normally end quickly. They also may cost more money to maintain than the average diet.
Restrictive diets limit you too much and create an unhealthy relationship with food. When you do break the diet and eat something not allowed, it often ends the diet and you regain the weight you lost.
We provide healthy diets plans with meals, recipes and shopping lists in one location. These diets can be continued for the rest of your life, since they’re based on healthy eating habits. You’ll learn to eat healthier while you’re losing weight.

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

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Should I Eat Protein With Every Meal?

Published by superadmin on April 15, 2022 | Leave a response

Whether you’re the average person who doesn’t exercise, trying to get into shape or at the level of a bodybuilder you need protein, but do you need protein with every meal? Protein is an important macronutrient that you need to build new muscle tissue. If you’re sedentary, you need less protein than someone who is active and the more intense your workout, the more protein you need. How much is enough and when and how often should you consume it?

As long as you’re getting enough protein, the when becomes important.

One study published in the Journal of Nutrition took on that question. It broke the subjects into two groups. Both groups contained 90 grams of protein with the majority of the protein animal based, but they varied by how much protein was eaten at each meal throughout the day. The first group had the protein equally divided, with 30 grams at every meal. The second group ate 10 grams of protein at breakfast, 15 grams at lunch and 65 grams at dinner.

What were the results of the study?

After using muscle biopsy and blood tests to find out how the different division of protein fared, they concluded that over a 24-hour period, the subjects with protein evenly distributed fared better. They increased protein synthesis by 25% over the group that ate most of their protein at one meal. What does that tell the average person? If you’re like most people who often don’t eat protein at breakfast or eat very little, it’s a bad option if you want to build muscle tissue and also not good for metabolic health.

There are ways to get protein on the go.

Eggs are a good source of protein and you can hard-boil them when you have time. They come in their own carrying case, ready to peel and eat. At lunch, you can combine protein with your salad in the form of chicken strips, shrimp or beef. If you’re vegan, add nuts, beans or quinoa. Dinner is the normal time people eat a higher amount of protein, so it’s normally not a problem. Determine how much protein you need based on your age, activity level, gender and weight. Divide it up into three meals, and pre and post workout snacks. Don’t just focus on eating protein at your final meal of the day.

You should have a protein rich snack after a tough strength-building workout. It helps reduce the recovery time and boosts rebuilding muscle tissue.
When you consume protein in the morning as part of your breakfast, it can help stabilize your blood sugar levels and boost your energy throughout the day. Protein rich foods also keep you feeling full longer.
Protein requirements vary dramatically from 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of weight to 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein daily per kilogram of body weight based on workout intensity.
Our meal plans can provide the right timing of protein throughout the day so you don’t have to worry whether you’re getting enough or at the right time. Each meal plan is personalized based on your needs and preferences.

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

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Will “Cheat Days” Ruin My Progress?

Published by superadmin on April 5, 2022 | Leave a response

At Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY, we focus not on dieting, but learning to eat healthier. That way there are no strict calorie restricted days. Cheat days are more for those on strict calorie restricted diets, which we don’t recommend. They became popular as a way to boost metabolism by allowing you one day periodically to eat whatever you want, even if it’s ice cream, alcohol or burgers and fries. Is it beneficial and can it help you lose weight?

There are two versions, cheat days and cheat meals.

On cheat days, the sky’s the limit. You can eat anything you want throughout the day. You may actually eat two to three times the number of calories you’d eat on a normal diet day. Some people cut back a bit and rather than making it a day’s stay at a burger joint, they simply eat more food that’s healthy. Cheat meals are a shortened version of cheat days. Those allow one meal that contains high calorie food that’s often junk food.

The theory behind cheat day is that it boosts your metabolism and the production of leptin.

In theory, cheat days increase the number of calories you burn, since they boost your metabolism to help digest the overeating your body experienced. The amount of leptin—the satiety hormone that tells your body it’s full— is also increased. Scientific debate still exists on whether leptin production actually is affected by cheat days. It is believed that overeating can boost your metabolism, but only between 3 and 10% over a 24-hour period.

Cheat meals can help replenish glycogen stores in your muscles.

If you’ve starved yourself forever, you might notice your workout isn’t as good as it used to be. That’s because the glycogen stores in your muscles are low. You’ll fatigue quicker and face the potential of injury during a workout. A cheat meal or even a cheat day, can replenish that store of glycogen. It can boost your energy by increasing your intake of calories and carbs. It’s like carb loading before a marathon. While it can improve performance, it also can slow your weight loss progress.

If you have any potential with eating disorders, cheat days can have a huge negative effect. Cheat days can create an unhealthy cycle of super restrictive eating and binging that can lead to eating disorders.
Some people find that cheat days actually help them stick with a diet that’s strict. They ignore most food cravings, knowing they’ll be able to eat that food when their regular cheat day occurs.
People with diabetes, high cholesterol or problems with blood pressure need to be wary of cheat days. Anyone that’s on a special diet under doctor’s orders should also avoid them.
With our menu plans, healthy eating is the focus. In order to lose weight, you should stick with the menu provided, but if you eat a piece of birthday cake at a party, it won’t destroy everything, so don’t feel guilty and enjoy.

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

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The Difference Between Weight Loss And Fat Loss

Published by superadmin on March 25, 2022 | Leave a response

At Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY, while we help you with weight loss, we’re all about fat loss. Yes, there’s a difference between the two. When you lose weight, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re losing fat. Part of that weight loss can come from lean muscle loss and some can occur from water weight loss. Fat loss is just what it says, losing body fat. It might seem like a minute difference, but it’s huge and can affect your attempts at weight loss in the future.

Lose fat and save muscle tissue.

The more muscle tissue you have, the easier it is to lose weight. That’s because muscle tissue burns more calories for maintenance than fat tissue does. The more calories you burn while resting, the higher your metabolism is. If you just lost weight, but didn’t work at preserving or building muscle tissue, many of those pounds would come from lost lean muscle tissue, which slows your metabolism.

Look at your exercise program or start one if you aren’t exercising.

Strength building workouts not only burn calories, but also build muscle tissue. More lean muscle tissue means more calories burned 24/7. If you’re just shedding pounds but not working out or only doing cardio, you won’t get the metabolism boosting action that strength building exercise offers. That makes it harder and also doesn’t leave you looking as slim as you should. One cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat, so a pound of muscle could fit into a smaller container than a pound of fat. If you compared two people weighing 130-pounds, but one that has far more muscle mass, the one with more muscle will look thinner.

Watch what you eat and eat healthy.

Much of the effort for weight loss starts in the kitchen. No matter how long you workout or how often, if you follow the workout with a few beers and a couple of pizzas or a shake, burgers and fries, you won’t get the results you want. Clean eating can help you shed fat while you build muscle tissue. It includes about 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight, healthy fat and healthy complex carbohydrates.

Drink more water to help flush your system and keep you feeling fuller and increases your metabolism. It’s a necessary part of lipolysis, the breaking down of fat. The first step in that process is to add water to the fat to start to break it down. Without water, eliminating fat is impossible.
Eating food like fatty fish with omega-3 fatty acid or food with MCT—medium chain triglycerides can boost fat burning in the body. Fatty fish also are a protein source and can leave you feeling full longer.
Have a couple of eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eggs increase fat burning, help protect your heart and reduce your hunger by increasing your feeling of fullness.
If you want to lose weight, don’t forget to get adequate sleep. Whether burning fat or just shedding pounds, getting adequate sleep keeps your hunger/satiety hormones in balance so you don’t overeat.

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

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Good Fruit Combos To Fuel Your Morning

Published by superadmin on March 15, 2022 | Leave a response

What’s the best food to start you day off right? It’s actually a combination of foods, but good fruit combos should be part of that group. Fruit is easy to digest, provides energy and based on the colors, textures and even shapes of fruits, have different phytonutrients and antioxidants. Creating combinations of fruit for breakfast can help you improve your skin, fight inflammation and boost your immune system all in one dish.

Detox with watermelon, lemon and goji berries.

Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over your watermelon and goji berries to add some tartness and more nutrition. Watermelon is just as the name implies….mostly water. In fact, it’s 92% water that helps flush toxins. It contains vitamin A, C and lycopene to help detox the body and fight free radicals with antioxidant benefits. The watermelon also contains glutathione that’s a detox agent. Lemon juice is also a detoxer, as are goji berries. Goji berries contain choline, that detoxes the liver. They also contain vitamins A, B, C and E and iron.

Focus on inflammation with a great combination.

What fruits fight inflammation? Blueberries, cherries and pineapple do. Pineapple has bromelain, an enzyme that deals with inflammation of the gut. It also helps boost your immune system with the vitamin C and helps you digest protein. Cherries, especially dark cherries, are rich in anthocyanins that help reduce inflammation and are antioxidants that help lower blood pressure and the risk of gout. If you opt for tart cherries, you’ll get a more potent amount of anti-inflammatories. Blueberries, also high in anthocyanin, is a veritable cocktail of vitamins and nutrients.

Boost your energy for the day with avocado, apple, and banana.

If you exercise in the morning and need a post-workout snack, consider a quick dish of chopped avocado, apple and banana. The banana has potassium and provide quick energy. The avocados provide healthy fat and combined with the high fiber of apples will keep you feeling full for a long time to help you lose weight. You can create individual bowls and eat them separately or make them into a combo treat.

A tart but tasty treat combines strawberries, kiwi and grapefruit. It contains a high amount of vitamin C for the immune system. That boost in the immune system can reduce inflammation and prevent illnesses.
You’ll get a boost of energy, boost your immune system and feel full for a long time with a combo of plain yogurt, fruit (grapes, cherries or blueberries are best), a half a sliced banana and topped with more yogurt and nuts. Put it in a small jar with a lid the night before if you’re rushed in the morning.
Look your best with a combo of blackberry, cantaloupe and papaya. This sweet treat helps boost collagen and the papain in papaya prevents skin damage. The antioxidants and vitamins will give you an improved complexion and healthier hair.
For a healthier heart, mix red or purple grapes, bananas and pomegranates. Red grapes contain resveratrol and other antioxidants that are heart healthy. Pomegranates are high in antioxidants and bananas are Mother Nature’s beta blockers.

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

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Delicious Foods That Burn Belly Fat

Published by superadmin on March 5, 2022 | Leave a response

These fat burning foods work in a number of ways, from thermogenic benefits, which means it takes more calories to digest the food than the food contains, to phytochemicals in the food that helps burn fat. These foods that burn belly fat aren’t exotic, but part of a healthy diet that fills you up longer and contain other nutrients that can help you build a strong body, boosting your metabolism and improving your overall health and energy. Let’s start with a favorite, avocado that contains monounsaturated fats that not only let you feel fuller but also the oleic fatty acids that actually attack abdominal fat. Switching out regular cooking oil for avocado oil can help you reduce your midriff.

Beets, spinach and kale are two superfoods that burn belly fat and keep you healthier.

Beets contain betaine, an amino acid that puts your metabolism into high gear. It also can help reduce insulin resistance and works at a genetic level to increase fat burning. Kale has loads of vitamins and fiber, particularly vitamin B that helps reduce belly fat. Popeye doesn’t have a pot belly because he eats his spinach that contains sulfoquinovose that helps improve gut bacteria and discourages the growth of bad bacteria that promotes belly fat.

Your morning coffee or either matcha green tea or regular green tea at noon will burn belly fat.

Both coffee and tea have caffeine, which increases your metabolism and that boosts the burning of calories and fat. Caffeine also helps suppress your appetite, so it does double duty. Green tea has catechins that are also known for their weight loss benefits. It boosts your metabolism and has antioxidant benefits for your overall health. Green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate—EGCG—that is a belly fat burning catechin. Matcha green tea is green tea that’s grown and processed in a special way then ground into a powder makes it 137 times greater concentrations of EGCG, the belly fat burner.

Some breakfast favorites are also fat burners.

Eggs can be your friend when you’re trying to lose belly fat. They’re high in protein and choline that is also a fat burner. Most of the choline is in the yolk, just as much of the protein is, so eat the whole egg and enjoy it. You’re getting a good source of protein that will keep you going for the whole morning. Add a bowl of oatmeal and you get soluble fiber, beta-glucan. It turns to a gel in your intestine and helps regulate blood sugar levels. Without the spike and drop in blood sugar, the risk of insulin resistance decreases and so does the risk of belly fat.

Focus on high protein lean meat for a thermogenic effect. Lean protein, ones that are at a ratio of 90% protein to 10% fat, use 30% of their calories to digest. If you ate 100 calories of lean protein, you’d only be getting use of 70 of those calories for your body.
Some hot options to add to your diet include hot peppers with capsaicin. Those boost your metabolism, but have the thermogenic effect on the calories they do contain.
Apples are definitely a fat buster, especially around the belly. Apple peels have a compound, ursolic acid, that helps increase the amount of muscle and brown fat. Brown fat actually helps burn belly fat.
Make your own trail mix and include lots of nuts and seeds. Nuts are high in protein that keep you feeling fuller longer. They’re also high in vitamins E and several B vitamins, thiamin, potassium and magnesium. While they’re healthy and help burn belly fat, keep portion control in mind, too.

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

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Healthiest Winter Veggies

Published by superadmin on February 25, 2022 | Leave a response

Saving money at the grocery is on the top of everyone’s list, especially since prices have risen so rapidly. One way to do that is to eat in-season fruits and vegetables. That’s pretty easy in the summer and even late spring and early fall, but what are the healthiest winter veggies? Yes, there are vegetables that survive the cold and may even remain hardy when covered with snow. They normally contain more sugar, which allows them to do that. In fact, when harvested during cold weather, they taste even sweeter. What are they and how can you use them?

Look under the ground for these sweet treats.

Carrots are extremely healthy and can be harvested both in the summer and winter. In fact, they’re sweetest when collected in the fall and winter. The starches stored in carrots turn to simple sugars that help protect the cells from freezing. Carrots have tons of nutrients, which include beta-carotene that’s converted to vitamin A. Eating them can help provide protection for the eyes and be an immune booster.

No longer just a decorative veggie, kale is now a superfood.

At one time, most people only thought of kale as garnish on a salad bar, but it’s become quite an addition to the dinner plate and healthy diet. It’s part of the cruciferous family that includes other members that survive the cold, like Brussels sprouts and cabbage. All of these make delicious salads. If you haven’t tried a cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale salad, do so. You’ll be in for a treat that is rich in vitamins such as A, C, K and multiple B vitamins. It’s high in antioxidants and minerals as well.

Red cabbage can add color to your plate and delicious flavor.

You’ll get a wide variety of nutrients from this delicious winter vegetable. It has vitamin A, C and K in high amounts. It also has significant amounts of manganese, potassium and B vitamins. The anthocyanin that gives it the purplish red color is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the body from heart attacks and cancer. Chop it up and simmer it in a crockpot with broth, organic butter from grass-fed cows, garlic black pepper and salt or other seasonings for a quick and healthy side dish.

As noted previously, Brussels sprouts is a healthy winter vegetable that’s high in a number of nutrients. It also contains vitamin K and is high in alpha-lipoic acid and fiber which help keep blood sugar levels stable.
Few people eat rutabagas on a regular basis, yet all parts of the plant can be consumed. One cup of cooked rutabaga provides over 50% of your required vitamin C and 16% of potassium. It may help lower your blood pressure and reduce heart disease.
Parsnips look a bit like carrots but has a spicier flavor. It contains high amounts of fiber, vitamins Band E, potassium, manganese, magnesium and a third of the daily requirement of vitamin C. The high amount of soluble fiber makes it excellent as a digestive aid.
Collard greens are also excellent sources of vitamin K that can help improve bone health. They’re also high in calcium. Not only can they survive cold weather, they actually taste better after they’re exposed to frost.

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

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