The Power of Strength Training

Hello, fitness enthusiasts! As an ACE certified personal trainer, I've seen firsthand the transformative effects of strength training on my clients. While many people associate strength training with building muscle, there's so much more to it than just bulging biceps and a chiseled physique. The benefits of strength training go far beyond the gym and can have a positive impact in nearly every aspect of your life. In this blog post, I want to shed light on five remarkable benefits of strength training that extend well beyond simply getting stronger. So, let's dive in!

1. Enhanced Metabolism and Fat Loss:

One of the most significant advantages of incorporating strength training into your fitness routine is its impact on your metabolism. Unlike cardio workouts, which primarily burn calories during exercise, strength training helps increase your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This means that your body burns more calories at rest, even while you're sleeping or sitting on the couch.

Additionally, as you build lean muscle through strength training, your body becomes a more efficient fat-burning machine. Muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn naturally. This leads to gradual, sustainable fat loss and weight maintenance.

2. Improved Bone Health:

Strong muscles are not the only thing you'll gain from regular strength training; you'll also be doing your bones a huge favor. As you lift weights, your bones adapt by becoming denser and stronger. This is especially crucial as we age because it helps ward off conditions like osteoporosis, which can lead to fragile and brittle bones.

By adding strength training to your routine, you'll stimulate bone growth, increase bone density, and reduce the risk of fractures and other bone-related issues. So, not only will your muscles get stronger, but your skeleton will too!

3. Enhanced Joint Health and Injury Prevention:

Contrary to the myth that strength training can be harsh on your joints, it can actually improve joint health when done correctly. Strong muscles help stabilize and protect your joints, reducing the risk of injuries and chronic pain conditions like arthritis. The controlled movements and full range of motion involved in strength training also enhance joint mobility and flexibility, making everyday activities easier and more enjoyable.

Additionally, strength training helps correct muscle imbalances and reinforces proper posture, which can alleviate or prevent a host of musculoskeletal issues and associated pain. A well-rounded strength training program can even be used as part of a rehabilitation plan for those recovering from injuries.

4. Mental Wellbeing and Stress Reduction:

Strength training doesn't only benefit your body; it's a powerful tool for enhancing your mental health, too! When you engage in regular strength workouts, your body releases endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. This can help reduce and manage stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.

Furthermore, strength training provides a sense of accomplishment and confidence as you witness your progress and achieve new milestones. Setting and achieving fitness goals can have a positive impact on your overall self-esteem and mental wellbeing.

5. Better Functional Fitness and Quality of Life:

Strength training isn't just about lifting heavy weights; it's about improving your ability to perform daily tasks with ease and confidence. Whether it's lifting groceries, climbing stairs, or playing with your kids or grandkids, a strong body allows you to maintain your independence and enjoy a high quality of life well into your golden years. Establishing a strength training routine can ensure that you are able to continue doing all of the things you love outside of the gym for years to come.

Incorporating functional movements and exercises into your strength training routine can help you stay agile, balanced, and capable as you age. You'll be better equipped to handle life's physical demands, and that's something to be celebrated!

While building strength is a fundamental aspect of strength training, its benefits extend far beyond bulging muscles and physical prowess. The advantages of strength training include an improved metabolism, enhanced bone and joint health, better mental wellbeing, and increased functional fitness. So, if you've been hesitating to pick up those weights, now is the time to start reaping these incredible benefits. Remember, it's not just about how you look; it's about how strong and capable you feel inside and out!

If you're feeling inspired and ready to experience these incredible advantages firsthand, I encourage you to schedule a complimentary personal training consultation at Longevity Lancaster. One of our knowledgeable trainers can create a customized strength training program tailored to your unique goals and fitness level. They will guide you through proper form, help you set achievable milestones, and provide the motivation and accountability you need to succeed. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced lifter, working with personal trainer at Longevity Lancaster can take your fitness journey to the next level.

So, don't hesitate! Reach out to us today and start reaping the rewards of a stronger body, improved overall health, and a better quality of life. Your fitness journey begins now!

Implementing Progressive Overload to Reach Your Goals

Are you struggling to make progress and reach your goals in your strength training program? Are you unsure of how to push your limits and overcome plateaus? Look no further than progressive overload, a powerful principle in strength training, and the guidance of a certified personal trainer. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of incorporating progressive overload into your strength training program and how a knowledgeable personal trainer can assist you in implementing this principle effectively, propelling you towards your health and fitness goals!

Understanding Progressive Overload:

Progressive overload is a fundamental principle in strength training that involves gradually increasing the demands placed on your muscles over time. It refers to the systematic increase in training volume, intensity, or workload to continually challenge your body and stimulate muscle growth.

The principle of progressive overload is based on the concept that our bodies adapt to stress. When you subject your muscles to a higher workload than they are accustomed to, they adapt by becoming stronger and more resilient. By progressively increasing the demands on your muscles, you force them to adapt continuously, which leads to substantial gains in strength and muscle definition.

Benefits of Progressive Overload:

Maximizes Muscle Growth: Progressive overload is essential for hypertrophy, the process of increasing muscle size and definition. By consistently pushing your muscles beyond their comfort zone, you stimulate the growth of new muscle fibers, resulting in enhanced muscular development and increased strength.

Strengthens Connective Tissues: Progressive overload not only improves muscle strength but also reinforces your tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues. These structures adapt more slowly than muscles, so gradual increases in workload allow them to strengthen and become more resistant to injury.

Prevents Plateaus: Without progressive overload, your body adapts to a certain level of stress and reaches a plateau. By continually challenging your muscles, you prevent stagnation and ensure ongoing progress. Adding more weight, increasing repetitions, or advancing exercises are effective ways to introduce progressive overload and push past performance plateaus.

Enhances Central Nervous System (CNS) Efficiency: Progressive overload not only stimulates muscle growth but also enhances the coordination and efficiency of your central nervous system. As your muscles adapt to the increased workload, your CNS becomes more adept at recruiting muscle fibers and coordinating their contractions, resulting in improved strength and performance.

Now that we’ve discussed the significance of progressive overload in a strength training program, let’s explore how a certified personal trainer can play a crucial role in implementing this principle effectively. By working with a certified personal trainer and using their expertise and guidance, you can take full advantage of the concept of progressive overload.

The Role of a Certified Personal Trainer:

Customized Programming: A certified personal trainer has the expertise to design a personalized training program tailored to your specific needs and goals. They will consider your current fitness level, any physical limitations, and desired outcomes. By incorporating progressive overload strategically, they will create a plan that continually challenges and stimulates your muscles for optimal results.

Form and Technique Guidance: One of the primary roles of a personal trainer is to ensure you perform exercises with correct form and technique. This not only reduces the risk of injury but also maximizes the effectiveness of each movement. Proper form enables targeted muscle engagement and ensures that you are effectively overloading your muscles for definition and strength gains.

Progressive Exercise Selection: A personal trainer will introduce a variety of exercises that target different muscle groups and movement patterns. They will progressively modify the exercises, incorporating more challenging variations or increasing resistance, to continually overload your muscles. This keeps your workouts engaging, prevents boredom, and ensures ongoing progress.

Monitoring and Adjustment: Your personal trainer will closely monitor your progress, tracking your strength gains, endurance levels, and overall performance. They will make timely adjustments to your program, increasing weights, modifying repetitions, or altering training techniques to facilitate progressive overload. This dynamic approach ensures that you are consistently pushing your limits and avoiding performance plateaus.

Motivation and Accountability: One of the most valuable aspects of working with a personal trainer is the motivation and accountability they provide. They will be there to support you, push you beyond your comfort zone, and celebrate your achievements. They hold you accountable, ensuring you adhere to your training program and consistently apply progressive overload.

Incorporating progressive overload into your strength training program is essential for achieving remarkable results. By engaging the expertise of a certified personal trainer, you can optimize your workouts and ensure that progressive overload is implemented effectively. They will design a personalized program, guide you on proper form, select appropriate exercises, monitor your progress, and keep you motivated throughout your fitness journey. Remember, reaching your goals requires dedication, hard work, and the support of a knowledgeable professional. So, take the leap, enlist the help of a personal trainer, and unlock your true strength potential through the power of progressive overload!

Back to Basics: Deadlifts & Hip Hinges

Today I’m continuing the series on basic movement patterns. We started the series a few weeks ago with the bend and lift movement, aka a squat, and we’ll continue with another lower body movement – the hip hinge. A hip hinge is another closed chain movement that works the posterior chain, or the muscles along the back of your upper leg. This includes the muscles of your hamstrings and your gluteus as they function together to extend your hips. Regularly performing hip hinging movements strengthens your gluteus muscles and your hamstrings, and helps to maintain muscular balance of your legs. Due to the progress of civilization, most people sit regularly at a desk most of the day for their work. This can lead to tightened and shortened quadriceps muscles and weakened and lengthened hamstrings. Or, if you run regularly, the posterior chain is often weakened while the quadriceps muscles are tight due to constant use. This imbalance can lead to injury if it is not addressed.

There are several movements that include hip hinging and activate the posterior chain. The hip bridge or hip thrust is a hip hinging movement that not only challenges the posterior chain but also engages and strengthens the core. It’s a movement that can be done almost anywhere and is great for all levels of fitness. The Kettlebell Deadlift challenges the hamstrings and uses the posterior chain to act as a pulley to lift a load.

To perform hip bridge or hip thrust movement:

1. Start the movement by lying on your back with your hands to your sides and your legs bent at the knee. Your feet are planted on the ground and your heels should be near your glutes, about six inches or a distance that is comfortable on your knees.

2. Brace your core and begin the movement by activating your glute muscles to lift your glutes off the ground. Engage your core so that your spine stays neutral throughout the movement – you don’t want your back to arch towards the sky or slump to the ground.

3. Continue lifting your glutes until your hips are fully extended. Your body should be in one straight line from your knees to your shoulder and your core should still be braced. Keep your knees pointing forward - it’s common for the knees to try to drift apart during the upward phase of this movement. Pause here for one second if it’s comfortable.

4. Once your hips are fully extended, slowly begin to bring your glutes back down to the ground. Remember to keep your core engaged to maintain a neutral spine.

5. When you return to the starting point of the movement, tap your glutes on the ground and begin the hip bridge again. Repeat for the desired repetitions and sets.

This movement can be progressed by placing a mini-band above your knees, adding weight across your hips, keeping your back on a BOSU or stability ball for added instability challenge and deficit, or on a bench for more negative space.

To perform the Kettlebell Deadlift:

1. Begin by placing your feet approximately hip distance apart with a kettlebell between your feet and in line with your shoe laces. It may be more comfortable for you to have a more narrow or wider stance – see what works best for your body. Roll your shoulders back for shoulder packing and have a micro-bend in your knees so that they are not locked. Brace your core to maintain a neutral spine by imagining that you are pulling your navel into your spine. Maintain this neutral spine position throughout the movement.

2. Initiate the movement by hinging at your hips. Bend at your waist and shoot your hips behind you. Your knees will bend slightly to allow your hips to fully hinge but remember not to fully bend at the knees and squat toward the ground. Keep your spine neutral as you continue to hinge forward.

3. Continue hinging forward until you can pick you the kettlebell between your feet. Keep your spine neutral so that it does not arch, and your shoulders packed so they do not round towards the ground.

4. Once you are fully hinged at your hips, activate your hamstrings and glute muscles to begin to extend your hips and stand up as you lift the kettlebell of the ground. Continue to maintain a neutral spine and braced core as you straighten your body until your hips are fully extended. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your toes.

5. Repeat the movement for the desired repetitions and sets.

The Kettlebell Deadlift can be progressed by adding weight to the kettlebell or changing to a heavier barbell. As you go through the movement, keep the weight close to your legs instead of out in front of you and pack your shoulders. Having the weight controlled will also engage your latissimus muscles on your back. Another variation of the movement is a Single Leg Romanian Deadlift. Performing a Single Leg Romanian Deadlift standing on one leg adds an additional challenge to the glute stabilizing muscles as well as the core.

As I mentioned in my previous post, if you have difficulty with any hip hinging movement or are unsure of how to perform the exercise, please consult with a personal trainer or other fitness professional. Performing the movement incorrectly or with improper form will at best be less efficient, but at worst it could cause injury.

Performing hip hinging movements like the hip bridge and Kettlebell Deadlift can help strengthen your posterior chain, including the hamstrings and gluteus muscles. A strong posterior chain can help correct common imbalances that stem from a sedentary civilization, which in turn aids in avoiding injuries that keep us inactive.

Back to Basics: Squats

As humans, we move all day, every day. Whether we’re walking into work, picking a bag up from the ground, shuffling through a crowded store, pushing a door open, or getting a box from the top shelf of the garage, we are constantly going through unconscious movement patterns to complete our day. Most of these movements seem very natural to us, and we often don’t think twice about bending or reaching or pulling to accomplish a task. However, over time we can develop unnoticed imbalances or overcompensations that may eventually limit our movement, sometimes through pain or injury. Over the next several weeks, I will be delving into six basic movement patterns and how to include them effectively in any exercise program. Effectively incorporating these movements into your training can help you move through your everyday life more efficiently. The six basic movement patterns include squatting , hip hinging, lunging, upper body pushing, upper body pulling, and rotating through the thoracic spine. We’re going to start this back to basic series with bending and lifting, also known as squatting.

Moving through a bend and lift is an innate function of our lives. You may employ the movement when you bend down to pick up your bag for school or work, or bend down to pick up your child. Even though it’s a basic movement we learn at a very young age, it’s common to develop inefficient ways of bending and lifting that can eventually lead to imbalances. Successfully including squats and squat variations in your training can help you to efficiently move through the motion of bending and lifting in your daily life without a second thought.

A squat is a closed-chain, multi-joint exercise that can be done with bodyweight, resistance bands, or loaded with dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, or any weight. Because of the multitude of muscles that are involved in a squat, it is an efficient way to get a lot of work in a little time. Basic squats work your quadriceps, gluteal muscles, hamstrings, core musculature, hip adductors and abductors, as well as knee ankle stability.

The appropriate squatting stance varies from person to person. Every body differs in the width of your hips, the shape and size of your hip joints, and the distance between them. Because of this, one person may be more comfortable squatting with a narrow stance while another prefers a wider stance. The key is to find what works best for you and allows you to move through the movement comfortably and safely.

To perform a squat efficiently, go through the following steps:

1. Stand in a comfortable stance with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and feet facing slightly out - use the best squat stance that works for your body. Roll your shoulders back to pack them and brace your core to keep it engaged.

2. Begin the movement by sitting into the squat without bending your knees first - imagine that you are attempting to sit back in a chair. Initiating the movement from your hips instead of bending your knees first will allow you to sit lower into the squat without putting unneeded pressure on your knees.

3. Your chest should remain up and facing forward during the duration of the movement. Keep your core engaged so that your chest doesn’t fall forward, and your back doesn’t round.

4. Slowly descend until your thighs are at least parallel to the ground, and your upper body is parallel with your shins. Ensure your knees remain tracking over your toes throughout the descent so they don’t bend in or out. Keep the heels of your feet firmly planted into the ground. Once you are here, engage your glutes, push the ball of your foot into the ground, and begin to stand up.

5. Once your hips are fully extended and you are standing straight up, repeat the movement for the desired repetitions and sets.

Once you feel comfortable and confident moving through a squat without any imbalances or compensations, you may decide to add additional resistance or progress to a squat variation. Some common and effective variations include the split squat, sumo squat, and single leg squat. These are initiated and moved through similarly to a basic squat with some variations on the starting and ending positions. For instance, in a split squat, the movement is started in a staggered stance position with one leg in front of the other. The movement is then performed essentially as a single leg squat with the majority of the load being placed on the front leg and the back leg acting as stability. In a sumo squat, the stance is wider than your normal squatting position with your feet angled out at 45 degrees instead of facing forward. Lastly, in single leg squat, the movement is performed entirely while standing on one leg. The opposite leg is often straight out in front of you so that you are balanced solely on your moving leg. This movement requires progressive amounts of strength and stability not only throughout your legs but also in your core. It is a great way to incorporate progressive overload and look really, really cool.

What are some of your favorite ways to incorporate squats into your training routine? Let us know in the comments below!

Nutrition Tips: Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Happy Spooky Season! Many people appreciate the beginning of October for the uptick in all things Halloween, including scary movies, haunted amusements, and fall treats. And one of the most time-honored Halloween traditions for kids here in the United States is, of course, picking out the perfect pumpkin for carving. But that perfect pumpkin can be so much more than just a decoration! When you get your pumpkin for carving this year, consider getting a second one to eat and check out all of the awesome health benefits of pumpkins below!

1.       They are loaded with beta-carotene.

What gives pumpkins their fall-themed bright orange color? Beta-carotene! Beta-carotene is a carotenoid that has antioxidant properties and is beneficial to our bodies in numerous ways. Once we consume beta-carotene, our bodies convert it to Vitamin A to benefit our eyes and immune systems, among other functions. One cup of pumpkin contains almost 200% of the daily requirements of Vitamin A for those on a 2000 calorie diet!

2.       They contain lots of fiber.

Fiber helps keep us filling full after meals, but many adults do not consume the recommended amount of 25-30 grams per day. One cup of pumpkin contains approximately 7 grams of fiber, helping us to reach the daily recommended amount in a delicious way!

3.       Pumpkin seeds are full of healthy fats, micronutrients, and protein.

Pumpkin seeds contain many micronutrients necessary for our bodies to function, including magnesium and potassium. They also are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids, a healthy fat beneficial to our hearts and brains. Omega-3 fatty acids are generally found in fatty fish like salmon, so consuming pumpkin seeds can help those on a plant-based diet consume the necessary amounts without eating animal proteins. Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of protein, which is necessary for muscle growth and repair, and to help us feel full. You can add pumpkin seeds to just about any meal or any snack that calls for an added crunch! It can be added to your morning oatmeal or baked into a muffin, as a topping to your salad for lunch, or even sprinkled on a soup or curry for dinner.

There are many ways to break down a fresh pumpkin into cubes or puree, but if it seems overwhelming or spooky, it’s just as nutritious to get canned pumpkin and use it in your recipes. These amazing health benefits of pumpkin, as well as many others, make pumpkins a staple in the fall – not only on your doorstep but also in your kitchen!

5 Tips for Low Back Pain

Low back pain is extremely prevalent in our world, but it can be hard to always know the exact cause. It’s estimated that 80% of adults across the world will experience acute or chronic low back pain at some point in their lives. If this is something you’ve experienced, you know how debilitating and frustrating it can be. Read on for tips and exercises to help manage or prevent low back pain*.

1.       Try standing.

With the advances in technology over the last several decades, many of us now find ourselves sitting at a desk behind a computer screen for most of the day. This puts our bodies in a position that tightens our quadriceps and hip flexors, which can then pull on our pelvis in a way that can cause low back pain. This position also can weaken our glute muscles and hamstrings, causing a musculature imbalance that can exacerbate the issues in our low back. One of the best ways to combat this is to stand for at least part of your day. Whether you have the capabilities of a standing desk or try to incorporate walking meetings, getting more time on your feet can help loosen and strengthen the muscles around your core to combat low back pain.

2.       Take care of your feet.

While it’s important to reduce the amount of time you’re sitting during the day, it’s also important to focus on your feet. Remember the old nursery rhyme, “The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone”? It’s all true! Our muscles, bones, ligaments, and tendons are all connected throughout our bodies and an imbalance or issue in one part can affect the rest of your body. By paying attention to and taking care of our feet, whether through foot insoles or just good supportive shoes, we can take care of issues at our base before they cause imbalances or pain elsewhere in our body.

3.       Strengthen your TVA.

Your TVA, or Transverse Abdominis, is the deepest muscle of your core musculature. This just means that it is the most internal muscle, and it wraps around the front and sides of your core to stabilize your spine. Your TVA is so important in keeping your spine safe and stable through your ever day tasks, but it can often be underactive. By incorporating movements to strengthen your TVA, you can ensure that you have a strong, stable core to protect your back at all times.

4.       Mobilize your hips.

As mentioned in tip number one, muscle imbalances of tightness and weakness in opposing muscle groups can contribute to low back pain. This is especially true for the muscles and ligature of your hips. You hip flexors and adductors, or the muscles that bring your knee to your chest and bring your legs together, can often be tight due to prolonged periods of sitting. Adversely, your hip abductors, or the muscles that bring your leg out to the side of your body, can become weakened due to underactive glutes, also from prolonged periods of sitting. Improving the functionality of these muscles and the hip joint as a whole can help in managing and preventing low back pain. Mobility work is moving a muscle or joint through its full range of motion to improve functionality and can be done every day. Hip mobility training can include movements to relieve tightness in the hip flexors and adductors and increase strength in the glute muscles and hip abductors.

5.       Incorporate some feel good stretches.

Finally, incorporating some feel-good stretches at the beginning or end of your day can help alleviate low back pain. A Cat-Cow stretch can be a great way to energize your body for the day ahead, and a Child’s Pose or Legs Up the Wall stretch can be incorporated into a wind-down routine to prepare you for a restful night of sleep.

Reach out to us today to schedule your complimentary consultation to find out how we can help you reach your lifestyle health and fitness goals!

*The information in this blog is for informational and educational purposes and is not intended to diagnose, examine, treat, counsel, prevent or cure medical conditions, physical ailments, mental or emotional disorders, diseases or conditions. The information provided is not meant to be a substitute for and should not be used in place of any professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provide by a licensed professional medical provider.

4 Tips to Combat Everyday Stress

Stress is an unfortunate side effect of our daily lives. While it can be good, like experiencing nerves before a big race or starting a new job, it often impacts our days negatively. We can be stressed out by getting stuck in traffic, or having a big project consistently getting hiccups, but our bodies react the same way. When we experience stress, our bodies go into “flight or fight” mode, which can cause damage if it’s experienced long-term in the form of acute inflammation. I’ve outlined a few tips below to fight every day stress to keep us healthy, and happy, for a long life.

1.       Find time for movement.

One of the best ways to combat daily stress is to find some time for movement. Getting up and moving around will help to reduce your blood pressure, give you a boost of energy, and release feel-good hormones like endorphins to boost your mood. And it doesn’t need to be a structured or hard workout – even walking around your block for 10 minutes can give you stress-relieving benefits.

2.       Set boundaries for self-care.

We often think of self-care just as a face mask at the end of a long day or a good book and a glass of wine. And while these are always good ways to practice self-care, caring for yourself can involve so much more and can be done throughout the day. There’s a great quote that has made the rounds lately that is helpful for self-care in everyday situations – “You cannot pour from an empty cup”. Remember to set boundaries so you are not running yourself into the ground and you can continue to do all the awesome things you do! Self-care is knowing what you need and setting the appropriate boundaries for yourself without feeling guilt. “No” is a complete sentence and can help you prioritize your day to manage daily stress.

3.       Eat what makes you feel good.

Fueling your day in a way that makes you feel good can keep you energized and prepared to handle unseen stressors. Starting your day with a protein and complex carbohydrates (i.e., whole grains) can help you feel full longer and avoid a spike and crash in your blood sugar. Focusing on eating whole foods throughout the day can help you to avoid a brain fog in the afternoon as well. By properly fueling your body so that you feel good and energized will keep you prepared to handle whatever your day has in store.

4.       Breathe.

When all else fails and the stressors of daily life make you feel frazzled, remember to breathe. Slow down, take a deep inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth slowly. Repeat as needed. Taking time to focus on your breathing tells your body that you are in a relaxed state even if you are running from one thing to the next. This simple exercise can reduce daily stress that leads to long-term inflammation.

If stress management is a part of your lifestyle health goals, reach out to us today to schedule your complimentary consultation!

3 Tips to Add More Vegetables to Your Day

One of the most common lifestyle heath goals people have is to add more vegetables to their everyday nutrition. The recommendation for healthy adults is to consume 2 ½ to 3 cups of vegetables each day. But according to a CDC report from 2017, only 1 in 10 American adults met this requirement in 2015. That may seem like a lot, but it can easily be accomplished by making a few changes and a few additions to your day. Read on for 3 tips to incorporate more vegetables into your day!

1.       Power up your smoothie or protein shake.

If you have a smoothie with breakfast or a protein shake after your workout, you can easily add a few vegetables that won’t change the taste. Try blending in some spinach into a smoothie or pureeing an avocado into your shake for extra creaminess. Once you add in fruit, milk, and your protein powder, you’ll get the nutritional benefits of the added vegetables and a great tasting shake!

2.       Have a meatless dinner once a week.

“Meatless Mondays” have been trending a lot recently and with good reason. An easy way to add more vegetables to a meal is to make them the shining star. By switching out an animal protein for a vegetable entrée one night a week, you not only increase the amount of vegetables you get in your day but also vary the nutrients you consume. Plus, you get an opportunity to try new recipes. You may find something new that you like!

3.       Focus on what you can add to your plate.

Another way to get more vegetables into your day is to focus on what you can add to each plate. For instance, if you have an egg sandwich each morning for breakfast, you can easily add a few slices of peppers or some spinach leaves to the sandwich. For lunch, you can add a handful of baby carrots as a side dish. For dinner, you could add a small bowl of cooked frozen peas. These additions don’t need to be huge or overhaul your entire day. Start small and find sustainable changes that work for you.

3 Tips for Sleep Success

The importance of sleep has been well researched and documented. During sleep, our bodies recover from the day, so we are rejuvenated and ready for the next day. Our brains sort through our experiences from the day so that we’re able to deal with whatever life throws us the next day. And if we have health and wellness goals, sleep is a vital component to ensure success for any exercise, nutrition, or stress management plan. However, though we may know how important it is, sleep is often one of the first things to be under-prioritized. So, how do we focus on our sleep success to improve our health and wellness? As with most goals, we start small and focus on the three tips below. Read on for ways to improve your sleep success today!

1.       Incorporate a wind-down routine.

It’s common to try to pack as much as we can into our daily schedules. We have obligations to work, to our families, to our friends – the list is endless. Because of this, it’s easy to be on the go and on our devices from the minute we wake up until our heads hit the pillow at night. But then what happens? For many, our brains can feel overloaded and overstimulated causing us to stare at the ceiling instead of sleeping. By creating and incorporating a wind-down routine into our schedules, we signal to our bodies and our brains that we’re preparing for sleep so that when the time comes to get into bed, we’re able to fall asleep quickly.

What does a wind-down routine look like? It can be different for everyone; however, one proven method is to stop using our screens and devices 30-90 minutes before bed. The light from the screens and the barrage of information keeps our brains stimulated and removing these stimulations for 30-90 minutes before bed allows our brains to relax. This may seem like a lot at first, especially with our commitments and over-packed schedules. If this sounds impossible for you, try to start by shutting off your devices just 10 minutes before bed a few times a week. Once that becomes routine, you can add another 10 minutes or another day, and so on.

Wind-down routines can also include anything that is comforting or relaxing so that your body is prepared to sleep. A light stretching routine, a few minutes of reading, sitting with a cup of tea, or practicing meditation can help set you up for success and a restful night of sleep.

2.       Give yourself enough time for success.

Most adults are recommended to get at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night, but every person is different. Some people function well on 7 hours of sleep while others need a full 9 hours to feel human. To meet this recommendation, we need to give ourselves enough time in bed in order to get a full 7-9 hours of sleep. For instance, if you’re getting in bed at 11 PM and need to be up at 5 AM to get ready for your day, you are only actually in bed for 6 hours. And if you’re like the millions of people who don’t fall asleep right away, you may be getting even less sleep than that. So, no matter how much we wish it were so, it’s not possible to get 7-9 hours of sleep at night if you’re only in bed for 6 hours. Set yourself up for success by giving yourself enough time in bed to get the full 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

3.       Wake-up mindfully.

Like a wind-down routine, it can be helpful for our sleep hygiene to wake-up mindfully. Think back to when you woke up this morning. What’s the first thing you did? For many of us, the first thing we do when we wake up is grab our phones. Whether we’re checking work email, looking at social media, or doom-scrolling through the 2020 news cycle, we immediately jump into our day on our devices. Rather than becoming overstimulated and overwhelmed with all that we need to accomplish during the day, incorporating a mindful wake-up routine sets us up for a successful day. A mindful wake-up routine can be as simple as taking one to two minutes after you wake up to focus on your breathing, think of something your grateful for, and set one intention for the day. You could incorporate more into your mindful wake-up as this becomes routine, or you can continue to keep it simple. By giving yourself time after waking up and practicing mindfulness, you’re allowing your brain to ease into the day so that it’s prepared to handle whatever comes your way.

As with any new routine, these tips can take time to implement. Start slow and simple, and incorporate these keys for sleep success gradually to make them sustainable over the long-term. Reach out to schedule a complimentary consultation for more on improving your sleep for success!

Setting and Achieving a Goal

When you decide to work with a personal trainer and health coach for a lifestyle health behavior change, a common focus of your sessions will be your goals. These goals may be what brought you to a coach to begin with – you have an idea of what your success will look like but you’re not sure how to get there. You may also establish new goals while working with your trainer that you are excited to achieve. Goals are a celebration and oftentimes viewed as the most important, but it is important to remember that achieving your goal is a culmination of all of the effort that you put in with your coach over several weeks, months, or possibly years. We visualize how it will feel to reach the goal but figuring out how to get there is imperative. 
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So, what are goals and why are they important? According to dictionary.com, a goal is, “the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end”. Simply put, a goal is the noun; it is a flashy, shiny thing that puts stars in our eyes when we think about it. The term ‘goal setting’ is used extensively in the health and fitness industry, but often its meaning can be lost in programs, macros, meal plans, and weights. There is initial excitement when a goal is first set – we’re excited to envision ourselves completing the goal and how we’ll feel once we do. Whatever goal is set, we think about the outcome and where we’ll be in three months, six months, or a year once the goal is met. But, after a few days or weeks, the initial excitement can wear off. We can lose focus of the goal as we’re putting in the work. The work becomes tedious and the goal can seem out of sight or too far away. We miss a day and think that we’ll be able to make up the missed work some other time. However, this can all add up until the goal is forgotten or pushed further into the future. The goal is the end, but how do we get there?

Though it is extremely important to set goals for ourselves to work toward so we know where we’re going, it is perhaps more important to focus on the journey – the follow-through. In the above example, the goal is the shiny light at the end of the tunnel, but the follow-through is the unseen hard work and grit in the darkness of the tunnel. It is often unnoticed by the outside world and it’s not pretty or shiny like the goal. Often, we don’t think about the follow-through when we’re setting the goal and it can drag us down once the initial excitement of goal-setting wears off. However, without the follow-through we cannot realize our full potential of meeting the goal. Again referencing dictionary.com, follow-through is defined as, “the act of continuing a plan, project, scheme, or the like to its completion”. Follow-through is the verb; it is the action of directing our efforts to enact our plan to reach the achievement of completing our goals. It is the running of the race to reach the finish line – the goal. And it is a continuous effort; it is days, and weeks, and months of planned hard work through the darkness.

So, how do we endure the journey to reach the light? We schedule time with ourselves to enact our plan, whether that time is set aside every day or a few days each week. We stick to the plan as much as we can – life happens, but we have an action plan ready to set us up for success when curveballs are thrown our way. We set micro-goals so we have victories along the way to remind us of how important our goal is and how extraordinary it will feel to meet the goal. We surround ourselves with a support team who understand our desire to achieve our goal and can help build us up when the journey gets tough. And we keep digging through the dark tunnel with grit and passion so one day we can reach out and grasp onto our shiny goal and declare it complete.

Completing a race or accomplishing a health and fitness goal is a celebration of your commitment to your plan and a celebration of discovering all that you can accomplish. You have already put in the work and stuck with your plan. Enjoy every moment of your race and accomplishment - you have earned it!