Fitness & Wellness

Good Fruit Combos To Fuel Your Morning

Good Fruit Combos To Fuel Your Morning

Published by 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

Delicious Foods That Burn Belly Fat

Published by 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

Healthiest Winter Veggies

Published by 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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Does Your Diet Affect Your Skin?

Does Your Diet Affect Your Skin?

Published by on February 15, 2022 | Leave a response

Fitness starts in the kitchen. While we focus heavily on exercise to build the body you want, at Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY, we know that your diet is ultimately most important for weight loss and good health. A healthy diet is also good for your energy level, immunity and your skin. When you eat healthy, you’ll have a vibrant, fit appearance that no make-up can reproduce. It comes from within. No matter how expensive your facial creams and masks, if you want to rejuvenate your appearance, start with your diet.

When your complexion is bad, it can make you feel self-conscious.

Throw out those sugary treats if you don’t want a breakout. Food higher on the glycemic scale can do that. Highly processed food, such as white bread, causes a boost in blood sugar levels and that can cause an increased potential to complexion problems. One study from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics followed males aged 15-25 and showed that by switching their diet to one that’s lower glycemic, it reduced both the number and severity of breakouts. The reverse was also true. The higher glycemic foods increased insulin and that triggered increased oil production from the glands in the skin. Clearer skin means eating more vegetables like greens, tomatoes and carrots. It means eating fresh fruit and switching to fatty fish, like salmon.

Make sure your diet includes a rainbow of colors on your plate.

No, this doesn’t mean handfuls of Skittles or M&Ms. It means choosing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables of various tones. The orange of sweet potatoes and carrots is beta carotene, which converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A is a natural sunscreen. The purple and blues of berries comes from anthocyanin. It’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and provides natural protection for the skin from the sun. Each color provides its own benefits.

You need healthy fat in your diet for attractive skin.

Too often people fear fat if they’re trying to lose weight, yet you need healthy fat to burn fat. You also need it to look your best. Omega-3 fatty acids are important to reduce inflammation and avoid acne. Walnuts and fatty fish not only contain omega-3, but also vitamin E, which reduces the potential for skin damage. They also contain zinc and are a good source of protein. Avocados provide healthy fat and help keep the skin moist and supple.

  • Don’t forget your vitamin C if you want to reduce the risk of wrinkled skin. It’s necessary for collagen production. Broccoli, red or yellow bell peppers and citrus fruit can provide it.
  • Drink more water to prevent dry flaky skin. You can plump your skin and make it look years younger when you’re adequately hydrated. Coffee, alcohol and smoking can dry your skin and give premature wrinkles.
  • If you want to look younger and avoid fine lines and wrinkles, cut out food with added sugar. Sugar actually damages the skin. In fact, forehead wrinkling often occurs in people who eat a lot of sugar.
  • What you drink makes a difference, too. Skip those soft drinks, even diet soft drinks. Instead, opt for water and if you don’t like it, try making infused water that is flavored with fruit, vegetables and spices.

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

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The Importance Of Cool Down Exercises

The Importance Of Cool Down Exercises

Published by on February 5, 2022 | Leave a response

Most people understand the importance of warming up and doing active stretching to avoid injury. However, it’s also important to do cool down exercises. Most people are ready to drop when their exercise session is over, so cool down is often overlooked. Omitting it might get you out of the gym quicker, but it comes with a higher price than most people think. Don’t neglect this important part of your workout.

What is DOMS and how does it relate to cooling down?

DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness. It can occur as sudden pain in the muscles and often hits the back of runners legs, causing abnormal contraction in the muscle. Those cramps are caused by microtears in the muscles. You’d normally expect some soreness, but this is significant pain and occurs within 24 to 48 hours of exercise. One study from California State University showed that using a cool down cycling session after doing strength training, reduced the potential for DOMS significantly. Stretching after exerting your muscles help the muscles to relax and prevents the problem.

Blood pooling in the arms and legs can occur if you don’t cool down.

A tough workout increases your heart rate and the more you move, the more blood pumps through the body. If you suddenly stop, it can cause the blood to poll in your extremities by making the return back to the heart slower. That can cause lightheadedness, even fainting sometimes. Normally, it’s not really dangerous unless it’s masking a serious medical condition, but it is extremely scary.

You already know that warming up can prevent injuries, but so can cooling down.

After a tough workout, you may feel like you have jelly legs. That’s because all your muscles are extremely warm and loose. Stretching at that time can help lengthen the muscles and improve your range of motion. That means it also can reduce the risk of injury. It can even help parts of the body you might not suspect. For instance, tight hamstrings or hip flexors can cause back pain. Get more flexible by cooling down.

  • Walking, static stretching and swimming are examples of good cool down exercises. Don’t do ballistic or dynamic stretching. Save those to warm up your body and get it ready for exercise.
  • When you workout, lactic acid can build up in your muscles. If you take just ten minutes to stretch and cool down, you can clear the muscles of this waste byproduct that can cause muscle pain, burning and nausea.
  • Cooling down gets your heart rate back to normal slowly. In fact, you can tell that you’ve done enough if your heart rate has returned to normal for a few minutes.
  • Cooling down exercises do exactly as the name implies. Not only does it allow the heart to return to a normal rate and the breathing rate to be lowered, it also aids in lowering the body temperature and boosts the effects of endorphins, the feel good hormones.

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

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Does Tea Help With Inflammation?

Does Tea Help With Inflammation?

Published by on January 25, 2022 | Leave a response

When someone mentions tea, they normally are talking about the leaves from the camellia sinensis plant, which are often considered true teas. You see them in every grocery store under the names of Tetley, Bigalow, Lipton and more. There are other types of tea, since the definition of tea also includes, “Any of various beverages made by steeping the leaves, flowers, fruits, or other parts of certain plants.” While there are all types of tea that help with inflammation, let’s focus on the true teas.

Even with true teas, there are many varieties.

True teas come in a wide variety based on both the growing and processing techniques. There are black teas, red teas, white teas, oolong teas, Pu-erh teas and yellow teas. The difference in harvesting time, processing time and how the tea is processed, not only makes a difference in its color and flavor, it makes a difference in its health benefits, too.

All types of true tea have some health benefits in common.

No matter what the color of tea, where it was harvested or how it was processed, all true teas have some similar health benefits. All contain antioxidants called flavonoids, which include ECGC that help reduce free radicals that can lead to cellular damage, causing heart disease, clogged arteries and even cancer. They all contain both theanine and caffeine to boost brain and mental activity. They all contain polyphenols, but the amount varies by the processing. The polyphenols give tea its anti-inflammatory properties. The more processed tea is, mostly from oxidation and fermenting, the less powerful the antioxidants.

Oolong, green and white tea are the least processed.

These three teas have the highest amount of antioxidants, which can help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, such as bladder, breast, lung, stomach, colorectal and pancreatic. Green tea and white tea have the highest amount, with green tea proven to help prevent arterial plaque, burn fat, reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and reduce the risk of stroke. One study found that black tea can even help prevent lung damage caused by cigarette smoke and reduce the risk of stroke.

  • There are various studies that show tea can help you lose weight. Oolong tea is known to have that property, so is pu-erh tea, rooibos (red) tea, green tea and white tea. Weight loss can help reduce inflammation.
  • Red tea has a number of benefits, which include helping aches and pains, headaches and high blood pressure. It’s anti-inflammatory properties can bring relief from asthma and allergies.
  • The anti-inflammatory properties of green tea can help reduce the chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
  • Just like any food or drink, you can get too much of a good thing. Excessive consumption of green tea may cause stomach cramps and kidney stones, but it takes quite a lot. It’s far more dangerous to use the extracts, like green tea extract, which may cause liver damage or interact with medications.

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

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Is It Time To Shape Up?

Is It Time To Shape Up?

Published by on January 15, 2022 | Leave a response

What makes you want to shape up? It can be a lot of things. It might be feeling exhausted climbing a flight of stairs or trying on your favorite outfit, only to have it way too tight. Maybe your doctor advised you that it was time to make changes. No matter what the reason, the best time to do it is right now! Getting back into shape is more than just working out. It’s about eating healthy and making other lifestyle changes.

No matter what your age, getting fit is possible.

Sure, it’s harder to get back into shape the older you get. After 30, your body starts to lose muscle mass if you don’t workout. That means someone who has been sedentary has a longer road to take than someone who has kept in shape. It may take longer to build muscles as your hormone levels drop, but once you get started and start feeling the change, you’ll be glad you did.

You don’t have to diet.

That may sound deceiving, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose, but it’s true. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to change your eating habits. Dieting makes you feel deprived and often bored with your food. The worse part is that it often ends, either in success or failure, then you go back to old eating habits that put weight on in the first place. In order to lose weight, you have to learn how to eat smart and make better choices in food. It’s all about making some lifestyle changes.

Remember that getting out of shape didn’t happen overnight, so it won’t be solved quickly either.

Getting back into shape means eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep and following a workout program designed specifically for you. While you don’t necessarily have to have a personal trainer, their knowledge can help you get quicker results and help you avoid many of the downfalls. The longer you stick with the program, the more it will become part of your life and habits. That’s when you know you can conquer anything and make changes to any facet of your life. It’s all about taking that first step and sticking with it.

  • A body in motion stays in motion. A body at rest stays at rest. Thank you Isaac Newton for those great laws of physics. They work in fitness too. When you don’t feel like working out, just get up and get moving. You’ll feel great in no time.
  • The more you workout, the easier it will be to lose weight. Muscle mass burns more calories than fat does, so the more you have, the more calories you’ll burn 24/7. It just takes getting started.
  • Get plenty of sleep. One often overlooked part of fitness is getting adequate sleep. Too little sleep increases the hormones that make you hungry and diminishes the hormones that make you feel full.
  • Not only will you look better and feel fantastic, you’ll also have a better self-image and feel more confident. Exercise helps improve your posture, so you’ll look more confident, too.

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

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What Foods Help With Bloating?

What Foods Help With Bloating?

Published by on January 5, 2022 | Leave a response

Whether you feel overly full for hours or simply can’t pull your tummy in or zip your jeans, when you could with ease just a day before, you probably are bloated. There are several ways to approach the problem and even help prevent it. One way is to eat foods that help with bloating. There are two types of bloating. One may occur overnight and may be related to your menstrual cycle. The other occurs immediately after a meal. The first is normally from retaining fluid, while the second is more about the digestive process, the build up of gas and sometimes liquid build-up in the digestive tract.

Maybe the problem isn’t eating foods to reduce bloating, but not eating certain foods.

If the bloating is severe and is followed by diarrhea, maybe you need to identify what caused the issue. You might have a food intolerance or allergy, such as lactose or gluten intolerance. Both of which can lead to sudden gas and digestive upset. Try removing milk products from your diet for a few days or cut out products with gluten and see what happens. Foods high in fructose can also cause bloating. Finally, high fiber foods, while good to prevent bloating, must be increased slowly. If you don’t, you’ll be faced with the problem you’re trying to eliminate.

Make it simple and drink more water or consume more fluid, like chamomile tea.

Sometimes, bloating can occur because you don’t have enough fluid to match the fiber you ate. Drinking more water, particularly before a meal can help. If it’s water retention that caused the bloating, water also helps. It balances out the amount of fluid and sodium in the body and helps flush out the extra sodium. Dandelion tea is also a natural diuretic. Ginger tea helps relieve stomach and digestive issues, such as gas. It increases the movement of food through your system and relieve bloating.

Increase your greens, especially spinach.

Spinach is a good source of magnesium. In fact, one cup of cooked spinach gives almost 40% of the daily recommended amount. Magnesium is important for activating enzymes that help with digestion. It also helps keep the muscles relaxed in the bowels and keeping stool soft. Celery, another anti-bloater, is high in water and also has potassium. Potassium is good to relieve bloating from water retention and the fiber and fluid helps relieve gas. Another salad topper that can help is cucumbers. It is an anti-inflammatory food that can help prevent intestinal inflammation caused by food allergies and gut imbalances.

  • Toss away those straws, that chewing gum and even cigarettes. They tend to cause you to swallow air that can add to bloating. Even eating fast can be one of the bloating culprits.
  • Try some yogurt for bloating. It can provide beneficial bacteria to normalize your digestive system. Kefir, sauerkraut and other probiotic foods also help.
  • Just like the potassium in celery can help reduce bloating, so can the potassium in bananas. One medium-sized banana provides 422 mg of potassium, plus resistant starch. That helps eliminate constipation and gets rid of trapped gas.
  • Chew on a fennel seed or two after a meal. Fennel is a folk medicine for digestive issues. It also has diuretic properties to eliminate both types of bloating.

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

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How To Stay Motivated As A Beginner

How To Stay Motivated As A Beginner

Published by on December 25, 2021 | Leave a response

Most people start a workout program excited and determined. Little by little, they lose that excitement and eventually the skip their workout entirely. Before you know it, that one day of avoiding the gym turns to several and then, they’re right back where they started. It’s hard to stay motivated as a beginner and finding out your downfall and ways to avoid it can help.

Working out is hard and makes your body hurt.

This is one of the first reasons people quit workout programs. It really isn’t natural to make yourself work harder. Even worse, your body sometimes hurts a bit. Let’s start by finding ways to avoid this problem. Don’t overdo it to the point that you’re in real pain. Start slowly. Sure you’ll have some sore muscles, but it’s a good kind of sore that says you’ve accomplished something, not the type of soreness where you can’t walk. Stay hydrated and do both warm up and cool down exercises.

Progress is often slower than you’d like.

Even if you make great strides in your progress, it’s still pretty slow for most people. You won’t see a difference the first few weeks, which can drain you of enthusiasm. You may feel different, so focus on that to help keep you going. Start by taking a snapshot once a month. Wear the same outfit and stand in the same spot so you have the same perspective. Track your progress in the gym and see how much you’ve improved from your first few days.

Sometimes, you get too busy to come to the gym.

This is one of those reasons that I hear quite often, “I was just too busy to come last week.” That’s why I always suggest people schedule an appointment in their own time management program. Don’t let the decision depend on whether you have extra time or not. Coming at the same time every day will turn your workout into a habit, and we all know habits are hard to break. Working with a trainer is also a benefit, since you have an actual appointment and someone is holding you accountable.

  • Change your mindset. Find something positive every time you workout. Maybe you felt less stressed afterward or even felt fabulous. Maybe you noticed you have more energy throughout the day. Find a positive and focus on that.
  • Set a big goal and break it down to smaller goals that are easier to achieve. If you have to lose 40 pounds, focus on two pounds a week. You’ll get to experience success quicker and success is motivating.
  • Workout with a friend. If you don’t have a personal trainer, workout with a friend. Just like the trainer holds you accountable and is depending on you to show up, so is your workout buddy.
  • Celebrate the small successes. While it’s impressive to do several one armed push-ups, choosing a piece of fruit as a snack instead of a candy bar is also impressive. Give yourself a pat on the back for the small successes along the way.

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

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