Posts Tagged ‘Weight’
Coppell Personal Trainer and Boot Camp Health Tip: Combat Weight Gain Due to Hormone Imbalances
Hormone imbalances can have a great impact on weight – both in gaining weight and efforts to lose it. My goal through this week’s tip is to try and simplify your understanding of how hormone imbalances come about and what you can do to correct or prevent it from happening.
Why understanding hormone imbalances is important
Typically and in an optimal state, hormones work in perfect harmony together to help keep your body running smoothly and healthy. When just one hormone is out of balance, it can cause all sorts of problems. Many times these imbalances can and often do lead to weight gain.
As a person that has dealt with weight gain, I know the challenges of trying to shed unwanted pounds and keep them off. When losing weight would finally become a priority for me, I would work really hard to try and lose weight using previously tried successful methods. However, as I got older, previous diets would not work for me and just seemed to be harder and harder to lose the pounds.
When I retired in April of 2007, focusing on my overall health and wellness became a priority for me. I was determined to get in shape and lose weight once and for all! In addition, as a woman rapidly approaching my 50’s, I know I am going to face even more challenges as the menopause years loom ahead of me.
About this same time, I also started listening more closely to the troubles other women faced as they aged and struggled with weight gain. “It must be hormone related” was the common response I heard to “Why can’t I lose weight?” Hearing these comments combined with my own issues, got me interested in learning more about the role women’s hormones play in weight gain and more importantly, what we can do to lose the weight.
Hormones: Simplified (I hope!)
Our bodies produce many hormones, but there are three hormones in particular that play a key role in aging and weight gain: Insulin, stress (adrenaline and cortisol are the primary stress hormones), and estrogen hormones.
Insulin plays a huge role within our bodies as it relates to metabolism and body fat. Its main job is to regulate the absorption of sugar (or glucose) into our body’s cells. Glucose is our body’s primary source of energy or “fuel” and is needed to perform any physical task. What we put into our bodies makes a big difference on how well insulin can perform its function.
Sugar gets in our bodies through carbohydrates (carbs). Foods in their natural state, (such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains) are the “good carbs”. “Bad carbs” are those foods that are refined and processed. Typically, most of the nutritional value has been stripped from these foods. When are diets regularly consist of bad carbs, over time this type of eating behavior can lead to a condition known as insulin resistance. “When you are insulin resistant your body converts every calorie it can into fat — even if you’re dieting. And it won’t let you burn fat when you exercise.”¹
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The type of food we eat isn’t the only thing that can disrupt the balance of our hormones. Stress hormones kick into high gear when our bodies perceive some type of external threat. A threat can be anything from stubbing your toe to a blow to the head. As soon as your body perceives a threat, stress hormones block off or suppress many processes within our bodies, including our digestive process. When we experience a prolonged state of stress, our system goes into what is sometimes referred to as the “famine effect”: “despite adequate food, the body interprets prolonged stress as a famine, and once again, the body thinks it should store every spare calorie as fat.”¹
Everyone has stress in their life. How we deal with it determines whether or not our stress hormones become imbalanced.
Natural changes women go through in our lives do not always cause a hormone imbalance. However, as we age, the estrogen hormone that is produced in a woman’s ovaries, begin to produce less and less. During this slowed production time, our body naturally looks for someplace else to produce estrogen, such as within other organs, our skin or guess what? Body fat! Yes, our fat cells can produce estrogen.
If a woman carries extra body fat, in particular in their belly, the situation often becomes exacerbated because these now estrogen producing fat cells have even more reason to stay put! Even more worrisome is that excessive estrogen production is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer. The same risks that is found in people that carry too much weight around their bellies! See the connection?
How to fight back and return your hormones to perfect harmony
Hopefully you see the connection these hormones have and their importance to our ability to fight the spread of our middle as we age. Given our lifestyles today, it is no wonder our hormones are out of balance. The access to fast foods and easy quick meals is too convenient. Couple a bad diet with the daily stress we all face in trying to juggle families, careers, spouses and a social life. Even if we do have a good handle on these two areas of our life, no woman can stop the aging clock. It’s no wonder so many adult women feel they are in a no win situation in their struggle with weight gain.
• First, focus on a healthy diet. One that consists of lean meat, low-fat dairy, whole grains, lots of veggies and fruits as well as healthy oils and minimized alcohol intake.
By simply changing what you put in your body, you will immediately begin to see changes in how you feel. You will have more energy, (which will allow you to deal with your stress better), you will most likely sleep better, (adding further to your energy level) and you may even start to lose weight! By putting good calories in your body, your insulin will quit converting the calories to fat and allow your body to begin burning calories.
• Second and very simply put – just move! Start walking. Dance around the house. Stretch. Join a gym. Buy some inexpensive workout DVD’s. Hire a personal trainer of find a local fitness boot camp. Just do something. Start with 10 minutes a day and gradually add 5 minutes to your day. You don’t have to exercise all at once either. Break it up throughout the day. Whenever you can get 10 minutes in. However, eventually try to get in at least 30 minutes per day.
By adding exercise to your daily routine combined with a healthy diet you will begin to see a change in how you feel and your overall appearance. Give it time though. Those extra pounds didn’t appear in just 2 weeks or a month, so don’t expect to lose it all in that amount of time. Expect to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week and in no time, you will have the results you have been wanting.
Written by: Julie McCan, CPT Julie is on the www.GetYouInShape.com team of personal trainers. Julie has been a Coppell resident since 1984. Get You In Shape has is a Fitness Company in Coppell, TX. Coppell boot camps, Dallas boot camps, private training, 40 Day Challenge, weight loss, sports performance and nutrition are the main services of Get You In Shape
¹ Source: Womentowomen.com
Note: If you do suspect you have some type of hormone imbalance, be sure to consult your Doctor. You should always talk to your Doctor before you start any new exercise program or diet.
Get You In Shape’s programs include the Get You In Shape Boot Camp (Dallas and Coppell), 40 Day Challenge, sports specific training, weight loss programs, Corporate wellness plans, nutrition plans, core fitness training, strength training, toning and more. Clients include athletes (golf, basketball, tennis, football, track, baseball, baseball, volleyball, and softball) corporate executives, professionals, weekend warriors, cheerleaders, dancers, models, stay at home moms, and anyone looking for results.
Owner Brad Linder, has been featured in numerous newspapers and even as the fitness expert on the news 8 (ABC). He continues to use the gifts that he has been given to help serve the needs others have when it come to being healthy, losing weight, sports, toning up, and overall fitness.
More information about Get You In Shape at www.getyouinshape.com
What are teen fitness camps?
Fitness camps are popping up all over the world, and for good reason. The main goal of a fitness camp is to educate people about proper nutrition and exercise habits. Teen fitness camps are recommended for all teens, no matter the size. These camps will teach the fundamentals in weight lose, nutrition, and exercise. They are also good for developing social skills since the teens get to interact with other teenagers in a controlled environment.
It is important that people learn the basic fundamentals of weight lose at an early age. Learning these things at an early age will help form
good habits. If a teenager attends a camp and learns the basics now, they can form good life habits that result in a better change against being overweight.
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What do they teach?
Most of the tips and techniques taught at teens fitness camps are those designed for teenagers who would like to lose weight and maintain a slim and fit figure. Most of the activities involved are sports, such as hockey, tennis, rock climbing, basketball, etc. Teenagers take a special liking to athletic activities because they tend to be fun, social, and good for you at the same time.
The main goal of a teen fitness camp is to build a foundation for good habits. If a teenager loses weight and then reverts back to the same bad eating and poor exercise routine, they will gain the weight back. The fitness camps try to instill fitness habits in teenagers that can result in long term weight loss. Fitness camps provide customized plans for each teenager. Most camps will offer diet advice, exercise advice, and more. There are thousands of camps nationwide, so it will not be hard to find one in your area.
Basketball requires an adequate level of strength and conditioning in order to jump, change directions and sprint effectively during competition. Players of all levels and skills will typically incorporate strength-training exercises into their workout routines. The equipment available in a fully equipped weight room offers a variety of exercises that will improve athletic performance in the sport of basketball.
Squats
Squats are the most effective exercise to build strength in you legs. You can either use a barbell on your back, hold dumbbells at your side or cross your arms over your chest if not ready to add additional resistance.
To execute, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and lower yourself as if you were sitting down until your thighs become parallel with the floor. Raise yourself back up to the starting position.
Lunges
Lunges are another quality exercise for the legs because they work the legs while in a staggered stance, or when one foot is in front of the other. This is a common position an athlete will get in while playing basketball. Just as with squats, lunges can be completed with a barbell on your back, dumbbells to your side or without any additional resistance.
To execute, stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Take an exaggerated step forward and bend your front knee until the front thigh becomes parallel to the floor. Push yourself back up to the starting position. Repeat with the other foot.
Bench Press
The bench press improves chest strength, which is necessary to shoot, pass and dribble the basketball effectively.
To execute, grip the barbell with hands slightly wider than shoulder width. Lie flat on the bench with your feet flat on the floor. Lift the barbell off the rack and hold it with straight arms above your eyes. Lower the bar slowly towards your chest. It should gently touch the nipple line before you push the bar back up over your eyes again.
Lat Pulldown
Lat pulldowns develop the latissimus dorsi musculature, which are muscles in the back that are used to pull down rebounds.
To execute, sit at a lat pulldown pulley machine and lock your knees underneath the knee pad. Grip the bar outside the shoulders with palms facing away from you. Pull the bar down slowly in front of your face until it gently touches the top of your chest. Control it back up and repeat.
Hang Cleans
Hang cleans is a compound, explosive exercise that not only develops leg strength, but improves leg power. They should be completed only after some level of leg strength has been developed, and it’s recommended for beginners to seek supervision before performing.
To execute, stand tall with feet slightly wider than shoulder width. Grip a barbell with hands slightly wider than shoulder width and allow the barbell to hang down in front of you. Bend your knees slightly so that the bar hits you at about mid-thigh. Jump directly upward and shrug your shoulders, pulling the barbell upward and allowing your elbows to flare out to the sides. Catch the barbell on your shoulders as you land in a squat position. Once you hit the bottom of your squat, stand up to return to starting position. Need more free training tips visit my website http://www.dunklikeapro.com/
Basketball season is just right around the corner. That means all of you who are wishing to go about and play should go about and be sure that you do weight training for basketball. Here are some things that you need to know as well as keep in mind. Keep reading to find out more.
As you are doing weight training, you are going to need to eat a nutritional diet. When you do this, you can be sure that you are getting all the right things that you are going to need while you weight train. Not enough basketball players do this.
When you weight train, you need to remember that basketball is a very intense sport. While many will say you need to train lightly, you actually need to train intensely. This will help you to be prepared for the game that you are going to do. Speed is essential as well as the game is fast paced as well.
Another thing about weight training when you are trying out for basketball is that you do want to stick to a schedule. A schedule is very pertinent. Normally you want to train with a goal in mind. What areas do you want to work on? This is very important to know. Having a clear plan allows you to think ahead.
Last of all, you want to make sure that you get the rest that you will need. Most people do their weight training when they are tired. You will soon learn that this will do you no good. Get the sleep you need and more. Your body will thank you and it will be able to go about and be conditioned to play the game that you so love to play.
A personal trainer or the coach can tell you what you need to know about what sort of weight training you can do as everyone is different. These are just some tips we can give you in conjunction with your weight training. So don’t be afraid to use these.
If you want to be a good basketball player, then you need to have skill, finesse and hustle. These traits though will become useless if you do not have the right amount of strength and stamina to last for almost an hour on the court. This is the reason why weight training for basketball is important for people who want to become good in the game.
Do you think Michael Jordan would have been as good as he was during his heyday if he didn’t give enough attention to weight training for basketball. He was even quoted as saying, “I was taking a lot of physical beatings from New York and Detroit, and people were saying ‘well, the way to play Michael Jordan is to physically beat him”‘. Indeed, weight training for basketball is not only for the big centers and power forwards but also for the relatively small players like the guards.
Below are three very important tips with regards to weight training for basketball.
Train for Three Times Every Week – No More
Basketball players should train for no more than three times per week in order for them to gain muscle and experience an explosive increase in strength and muscle mass. By training just 3 days every week, you will be giving sufficient time for your muscles to rest and repair themselves for growth.
One of the most common mistakes that are being made by many players is spending more time in the gym than needed. Spending more time practicing ball handling skills and shooting may produce good results but the same is not true when it comes to muscle development.
Basketball weight training workouts should constitute of all-body workouts instead of split exercise that train the upper and lower bodies in separate days.
Do Not Spend More than 60 Minutes per Training Session
Your gym time should not last more than 60 minute per session. Spending more than an hour in the gym means that you are simply spending too much time in the gym or you are not doing the exercises with the needed intensity.
For your weight training for basketball workouts to be effective, make sure that they are high intensity workouts. Doing so will provide you with two benefits: Improvement of stamina and endurance while building muscles and reduction of workout time which makes it easier to follow a regular schedule especially if you have classes or work.
You should avoid doing your weight training for basketball workout on game days especially if you are just starting out with the routine. Working out on game days may leave you feeling fatigued for the actual games and may cause you to underperform.
Do Compound Exercises to have Functional and Explosive Power
You must make sure that you get explosive and functional muscle development from your weight training for basketball workout.
It is not enough to simply become and look big if you are a basketball player. This is the reason why you need to perform compound exercises which provides functionality and flexibility.
Compound exercises are exercises that target multiple muscle groups at the same time. Examples of these kind of exercises include bench press, squats, bent over rows and deadlifts. These exercises are better than isolation exercises because they stimulate more muscle fibers per movement and increase the strength and growth rate of muscles.
If you want to be a good basketball player, then you need to have skill, finesse and hustle. These traits though will become useless if you do not have the right amount of strength and stamina to last for almost an hour on the court. This is the reason why weight training for basketball is important for people who want to become good in the game.
Do you think Michael Jordan would have been as good as he was during his heyday if he didn’t give enough attention to weight training for basketball. He was even quoted as saying, “I was taking a lot of physical beatings from New York and Detroit, and people were saying ‘well, the way to play Michael Jordan is to physically beat him”‘. Indeed, weight training for basketball is not only for the big centers and power forwards but also for the relatively small players like the guards.
Below are three very important tips with regards to weight training for basketball.
Train for Three Times Every Week – No More
Basketball players should train for no more than three times per week in order for them to gain muscle and experience an explosive increase in strength and muscle mass. By training just 3 days every week, you will be giving sufficient time for your muscles to rest and repair themselves for growth.
One of the most common mistakes that are being made by many players is spending more time in the gym than needed. Spending more time practicing ball handling skills and shooting may produce good results but the same is not true when it comes to muscle development.
Basketball weight training workouts should constitute of all-body workouts instead of split exercise that train the upper and lower bodies in separate days.
Do Not Spend More than 60 Minutes per Training Session
Your gym time should not last more than 60 minute per session. Spending more than an hour in the gym means that you are simply spending too much time in the gym or you are not doing the exercises with the needed intensity.
For your weight training for basketball workouts to be effective, make sure that they are high intensity workouts. Doing so will provide you with two benefits: Improvement of stamina and endurance while building muscles and reduction of workout time which makes it easier to follow a regular schedule especially if you have classes or work.
You should avoid doing your weight training for basketball workout on game days especially if you are just starting out with the routine. Working out on game days may leave you feeling fatigued for the actual games and may cause you to underperform.
Do Compound Exercises to have Functional and Explosive Power
You must make sure that you get explosive and functional muscle development from your weight training for basketball workout.
It is not enough to simply become and look big if you are a basketball player. This is the reason why you need to perform compound exercises which provides functionality and flexibility.
Compound exercises are exercises that target multiple muscle groups at the same time. Examples of these kind of exercises include bench press, squats, bent over rows and deadlifts. These exercises are better than isolation exercises because they stimulate more muscle fibers per movement and increase the strength and growth rate of muscles.