Fitness & Wellness

When the temperature rises here in Louisville, KY, it’s extremely important to keep hydrated, especially if you’re working out. Water is your friend. Don’t turn to soft drinks! The caffeine in coke will act as a diuretic and you’ll flush away any hydrating benefits it brought. Instead, always carry a bottle of water with you and sip on it frequently as you workout. Your body is mostly water, so keeping it hydrated keeps you functioning at peak performance. You should be drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day normally and more in the summer.

Make drinking water a habit.

I focus on water and not on sports drinks, because you don’t need a sports drink during a regular workout. If you’re working out longer, like over an hour, you may need to replace electrolytes, which is where sports drinks shine. Some are better than others are. For instance, Gatoraid contains a lot of sugar, whereas BodyArmor has electrolytes that aid in hydration, but is also lower in sodium and higher in potassium since it’s based on coconut water. Water should be the drink of choice most of the time. It’s easy to access, free from the tap and has always done a great job hydrating. Make it a habit to start each day with one or two eight ounce glasses of water.

Your brain and your heart are 73% water and your lungs are 83%.

If you want a healthy body that won’t fail you during the day, stay hydrated. You can imagine how dehydration can affect your body and make it harder to function. It helps regulate your temperature and aids in new cell development. Your joints will feel achy if you don’t drink enough water, since it acts as a lubricant. Water is the quicker picker upper, too. You’ll get a boost of energy from a glass of water if you’re slightly dehydrated. Too little water can make you feel the brain fog.

If you’re trying to lose weight, water can help.

Have you ever found yourself hungry, but for something juicy? You’re probably thirsty and not hungry. The body gets tricked and sends out a hunger signal, when a thirst signal should be at the top of the list. Carry a bottle of water at all times and when you feel hungry, drink some and wait to see if that hunger subsides. Staying hydrated helps you in all areas, even weight loss.

• Dehydration can be far more than just getting achy, mentally foggy and thirsty. It can be life threatening. Besides headache, muscle contractions in your arms leg and back, it can cause convulsions, heart failure and other serious conditions.
• Seniors dehydrate faster than others and often don’t drink enough water, sometimes signs of dehydration like mental confusion, are mistaken for senility. Dehydration can also cause frequent UTIs.
• If you want to look younger, stick with plenty of water and hydrate often. It keeps your skin from looking dry and less plump. Staying hydrated helps prevent premature wrinkles and keeps your eyes more youthful.
• Whether you’re working out at Body Sculptors, outside or have chosen online training, staying hydrated is important. If you haven’t started a healthy diet and exercise program yet, contact me for a free personal training evaluation.

For more information, click here today:  bodysculptorspersonaltraining.com

If you think lifting weights is just for men, step up to this century. We have a lot of women in Louisville, KY, that press weights or do body exercises to build strength. It’s just as important or women to build strength as it is for me. It’s not just for heavy lifting they may have to do, it’s for aiding in weight control and the health benefits strength building brings. I love to refer to these women as girls gone strong because I’m so proud of their accomplishments. They know all the benefits of strength building.

The “Girls Gone Strong” know that building muscle tissue helps them lose weight faster.

Strength building isn’t about building bulging muscles, but it is about building muscles. The more muscle tissue you have, the easier it is to lose weight. That’s because muscle tissue requires more calories than fat tissue does, so you’ll be boosting your metabolism. Strength training also burns a high amount of calories, both when you do it and for hours after you quit. Unlike running, which burns calories from both fat and muscle tissue, leaving you with a lower metabolism, strength training tends to burn fat tissue.

Don’t worry about getting bulky and looking like the Hulk!

One of the biggest fears I hear when I suggest strength training to women is that they don’t want to look like the female body builders that could put the Hulk to shame. Those women spend hours and hours in the gym, eat special diets and unfortunately, sometimes take supplements to help them build. It’s not easy for a woman, since they don’t have the necessary hormones, like mien, to get big and bulky. You’ll get a toned, sinewy appearance that’s super sexy. You’ll look more like Linda Hamilton—Sarah Connor—than the Terminator.

Not only do you preserve muscle mass as you age, you preserve bone density.

The amount of muscle mass you have affects the amount of bone density you have. As the muscles tug on the bone, the body sends in materials to reinforce the bone and keep them dense. No tug? No need to keep them strong and loss of bone density. It can prevent and slow osteoporosis and some say it might even reverse it. Studies show, weight bearing exercises work better than some medications.

• Getting strong also helps you avoid injury. You have better balance and coordination, besides preventing muscle tears and injuries.
• Strength training improves heart health by lowering blood pressure and improving cholesterol levels. It boosts the good cholesterol levels.
• Strength training makes you look slimmer. People with more muscle mass tend to look slimmer than those that weigh the same, but have a higher ratio of fat. That’s because muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch, so one pound of it would be in a smaller container than a pound of fat.
• Strength training helps you feel stronger and more independent. You’ll be amazed at how feeling strong can give you confidence to face any oncoming problem. It boosts your confidence and self-esteem.

It’s time to be smart when you eat. That means you should eat smart. Luckily, you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to do it. In fact, it’s actually pretty easy and gets even easier the longer you do. The basic rule is to eat whole foods. Those are foods that are closest to their natural state. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re uncooked, just not highly processed. It’s like the difference between eating a baked potato and eating a potato chip or eating fruit rather than a fruit rollup or drinking a fruit drink.

What makes it easy?

Go to the produce section of the grocery and pick out your favorite fruits and vegetables. They’re ready to eat with very little preparation. You can steam them, bake them, grill them or eat them raw. You can’t eat healthy without a protein and for most people, that means fish, meat, chicken, eggs or cheese. For those who consume a vegetarian diet, it might mean beans and nuts. A healthy fat is also important, but you don’t need much. Butter made from milk from grass fed cows or an avocado.

You don’t have to give up your favorites, just get creative.

Salsa and chips are delicious and most homemade salsa is actually a healthy choice. You can get creative and use salsa to top your eggs, use as a dip for veggies, use as salad dressing, top a burger or put on a baked potato. You’ll get all the nutrients that salsa contains, plus its delicious taste. Getting creative means saving money, too. Left over grilled vegetables can top salad the next day and left over raw veggies are perfect for soup.

Not only will you be eating smarter, you’ll be smarter!

Some food can actually boost your brain power, besides helping you shed weight. Most people know that cutting out sugar helps avoid blood sugar drops that leave you feeling foggy, but did you know some foods actually help your brain. Blueberries help boost your memory, and tomatoes prevent damage to brain cells from free radicals that causes early onset dementia. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish provide support to brain cells. Most of all, ensuring you drink adequate water throughout the day keeps you focused and alert.

• Eating smart means eating food that’s nutrient rich and lower in calories. That just makes sense, especially if you want to shed weight.
• Your children will love healthy eating when you make fruit pops or have individual serving sizes of nuts or fresh fruits and vegetables ready for snacks.
• Eating healthy can also include how you eat. Don’t stand up and eat. Savor every bite and enjoy it. Really taste your food and don’t eat on the run.
• Eating more frequently is part of healthy eating. Have snacks ready and don’t miss meals. You might be tempted to grab a few candy bars at the gas station or from the candy machine if you do.

Getting fit and healthy isn’t always easy or convenient. There’s no microwavable healthy fitness magic that comes in a box. That’s why I ask clients in Louisville, KY, what their inspiration to get healthy is and to focus on that motivation when the going gets rough. It can help at those times when doing one more lift seems impossible or that cake looks like it needs an avid fan to eat it. It also helps to keep priorities in line. If your family is your motivation, yet you’re not using your new found energy to do fun and active things with them, it’s time to make changes there, too.

Keeping your inspiration in focus can help you visualize the new you.

Do you want to look fabulous for your next reunion. Picture exactly how you want your body to look. Is it slim? Is it muscular and toned? Get a good mental picture that you can hold in your head as you workout to actually make you feel like you want to do just one more set. Keep it in your head when you’re hungry, so you get healthier food to eat. It also helps when you’re tempted to consume a pint o ice cream or a whole cake! You’ll find that vision is far more beckoning than the extra dessert.

Don’t wait until you’re totally fit to start having family fun.

Maybe you can’t go an hour with the kids shooting hoops or hike for hours on rugged terrain, but you can go to the zoo or an amusement park that requires walking. It doesn’t have to be anything as special as Disneyland, it can be just taking a walk around the neighborhood and looking at flowers or riding bikes with the kids on a bike trail. If they’re your inspiration, make sure you start using your extra energy and build on those quick walks as you get fitter.

Get social when you eat.

Sharing healthy eating is quite rewarding, especially when the food tastes delicious. Learning new recipes and broadening your experience is a reward in itself. Getting children involved in healthy eating by making healthy food fun, like ants on a log, which is celery, peanut butter and raisins. There are drawbacks. Not everyone has developed a taste beyond Mountain Dew, coke and cheese puffs. Try fun foods like vegetable spaghetti, particularly if you have reluctant eaters. It’s so unique, everyone will want to try it.

• Healthy dishes, no matter how delicious, aren’t always loved by family and friends, so taking them to group bring-a-dish get-togethers may mean you carry them home almost intact. That’s okay if you’re taking a lot home. It’s a day or two worth of meals you won’t have to cook.
• Your inspiration often is a clue on how to measure your success. If you want to have more energy, checking your weight won’t inspire you, but tracking repetitions and sets will.
• Getting healthy can be the ultimate outcome of working out and a healthier diet. If that’s your goal, do it up right. Get a heart monitor watch or a blood pressure machine for in home use to track your progress.
• Don’t worry if you find new inspiration along the way. People do. It doesn’t invalidate your initial reason for working out, but just adds to it.

One of the most important goals you should have for you and your family is staying healthy this summer. One of the first things you need to remember is to stay hydrated! Instead of loading up on soft drinks, make your hydration water. It’s healthy and no calorie, making it a far better choice for anyone, whether trying to lose weight or not. Not only is cola unhealthy, it doesn’t quench your thirst. It contains two ingredients that makes certain it doesn’t, salt and caffeine. Sugar masks the salt, which makes you thirstier and the caffeine acts as a diuretic, also making you thirstier.

Don’t forget the sunscreen or to do safe sunning.

Getting some sun will help prevent vitamin D deficiency, but getting too much can lead to cancer. There’s a sweet spot that allows you to do safe sunning, followed by sun block, so you don’t get too much sun. If you go out at midday, which is when the sun is at its highest point, just ten to fifteen minutes three times a week may be enough to maintain vitamin D levels. The fairer your skin, the less time you should be unprotected. Midday sun is safer than exposure to the sun later in the afternoon. Unless you’re specifically trying to soak up the rays, wear sunscreen to prevent burning and skin damage.

Get moving before you embark on a super active day.

While you should exercise all year around, summer offers loads of opportunity to have fun doing it. Rather than miss out on summer fun, start getting in shape as soon as possible. You’ll build your stamina, flexibility and strength, which also protects you from injury. Don’t be a weekend warrior and overdo. Get ready for those times when you’re going to be extremely active by getting into shape ahead of time. If it’s hot out, take breaks and don’t forget to hydrate.

Get plenty of rest.

It’s harder to sleep in the summer. The days are longer and often sleeping schedules change because of that. You still need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep to be your healthiest. Getting adequate sleep not only keeps you more alert during the day, it’s heart healthy and can help you lose weight. If you need to make your room darker, blackout shades and curtains help.

• Stay on the beaten path when hiking. If you’re out in the woods or even gardening, watch out for plants like poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac. Learn what they look like so you can avoid them.
• Practice water safety. Keep children supervised and assign swimming partners, even for adults. Don’t forget life vests for everyone when boating.
• Make family get-togethers and barbecues healthier by including healthier food selections. It’s summer and a perfect time for grilled veggies. Grilled chicken is a better option than hot dogs, while grilled portabellas can substitute for burgers.
• Steer clear of alcohol, especially when out in the sun. Alcoholic beverages dehydrate you, so if you choose to drink when you’re out in the hot sun, alternate it with water.