Staying Fit While Injured

Working out had been viewed as a part of staying healthy and fit. This is mainly because it will help in making sure you have a well-toned body and strong heart and lungs. Also, working out enhances the metabolic rates easily helping fitness. You could however still remain fit and healthy if you are injured. It just takes a creative approach! Here are some of the best 5 ways to stay fit and healthy while injured.

1. Pick good eating habits

Besides eating healthy food, try taking smaller bites. It helps you eat at a slower rate making it easy for you to know whenever you are satisfied and to stop eating. You may also try using smaller plates to enable you eat smaller meals but still feel satisfied. Eating regularly helps to keep the metabolism functioning and in the fat burning zone.

2. Sleep

Rest is important for a person’s health and fitness, getting as much as necessary rest has lots of benefits. Sleep plays a vital role in good health condition and fitness all through your lifetime. While resting, your body works to support brain function and retain your fitness. Sleep can also help support growth and development. Having enough rest at the appropriate times will help protect your physical health, mental health and quality of life.

Rest plays a vital role in your general health; rest is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing rest shortage is linked to a higher risk of heart kidney disease, problems, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes.

If you do not have enough rest, your level of ghrelin rises and your level of leptin falls. This will make you feel hungrier than when you are well-rested.

Rest helps retain a proper balance of bodily hormones which makes you sense hungry or full. Rest is not just about having enough sleep, but giving the body the time-out it needs to adjust and rejuvenate. No matter if you are getting better from illness or surgery; rest will make you stay fit and healthy.

3. Drink water before eating

It is really a basic strategy, but can largely help you with weight loss aims. Because usually hunger is confused with thirst which means most people head for eating even when all their body needs is water. You may therefore find it helpful if you begin by drinking a glass of water first once you start feeling hungry. It may just push the need to eat more which is helpful to your fitness.

4. Eat foods taking more time to digest

Proteins work best. The longer it takes for the food to digest, the simpler it would be not to overeat. Those foods will even heighten metabolic rate because they need more energy to digest and they are thus good in improving healthy to aid fitness.

Barre Queen

One of my good fitness friends refers to me as the “Barre Queen.” I must admit, I like the name. It’s fun and it’s true. Yes, I do teach Barre but I also love taking a challenging barre class. Why? Simple. It’s hard but it works. I love how strong my legs are and how I can do things with my body I didn’t think were possible. So what’s all the fuss? What do I love about barre?

To the outsider It may not look like much but my thighs burn like no other just moving up an inch and down an inch. It’s full-body conditioning. Barre is not a sweaty cardio workout, but that’s okay. It's such a nice complement to cross-training. You spend a half hour on legs, then the second half of the class working with light weights for upper body exercises (much harder than it looks) and abs. It's not uncommon to push yourself more in barre class. If you give 110% you leave feeling fatigued. It's low impact and easy on  the joints and doesn't require crazy coordination or flexibility. The best part? There is no competition, and it’s easy to hide (or at least not feel stupid) if you’re not sure you’re doing a move quite right, since most of the movements are so tiny.

Okay, that’s not to say there aren’t some drawbacks to barre, like the price (typically between $30-37 per class.

Have you tried barre class? What did you think?

Simple Weight Loss Tips

I'm sure you have heard the following info almost 1 million times: when it comes to losing weight loss take in fewer calories, burn more calories. I'm sure you also know that nothing in life is easy. Surprise, surprise! Most quick weight-loss plans don't work as promised. If you're trying to drop a few pounds fast, I've got 4 simple things you can do this week to help you to lose the weight quickly.

Enjoy high-calorie treats as the accent, not the centerpiece

Try this one: Make a spoonful of ice cream the main event and surround the ice cream with fruit. Or try this: Cut down on the chips by pairing each bite with lots of chunky, filling fresh salsa.

Make one social outing this week an active one.

You don’t have to sit in a movie theater. Pass on the movies and go to your local park instead. Not only will you sit less, but you’ll be saving calories because you won’t chow down on that bucket of popcorn. Other active ideas: a tennis match, a guided nature or city walk (check your local listings), a bike ride, or bowling.

Walk five minutes for at least every two hours.

Stuck at a desk all day? Sitting behind a computer is not going to help you look or feel better. Try taking a brisk five-minute walk every two hours will parlay into an extra 20-minute walk by the end of the day. And getting a break will make you less likely to reach for snacks out of antsiness.

You’ll lose weight and fat if you walk 45 minutes a day, not 30.

No, I’m not suggesting long cardio sessions. The reason I’m suggesting 45 minutes instead of the typical 30 is that a Duke University study found that while 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to prevent weight gain in most relatively sedentary people, exercise beyond 30 minutes results in weight and fat loss.

Gym Etiquette

Gym etiquette can be confusing sometimes, mistakes happen. No one expects perfection at the gym. However there are certain behaviors one should never perform if you value the atmosphere and integrity of this hallowed place of fitness. So if you’re making either of the following mistakes, check yourself before you wreck yourself.

What Not to Do at the Gym- The Etiquette Edition

1- Do not talk while the instructor is talking. This should be obvious but apparently some people did not learn this in their early school years. There are many reasons to keep your mouth shut and ears waiting, including but not limited to the following:

            a) You’re missing what the instructor is saying. They aren’t just testing their verbal fluency for their own entertainment, they are providing valuable instructions that can help maximize your workout and, most importantly, prevent injury. If a yoga instructor is trying to teach you inversions and you don’t listen to the foundation of the handstand you’re putting your neck at risk. Poor positioning and incorrect stances lead to injuries and strains. It’s as simple as that.

            b) You’re distracting to the other students in the class. It’s hard to focus on your breathing or stance when the person next to you is blabbering away. Sometimes annoyance takes over and you’re too busy seething at their rudeness to listen to the instructor or maybe you just have an ear for gossip.

            c) It is an insult to the instructor. They have taken the time and energy not only to develop a program, but to help you on your way to fitness. By not paying attention, you’re essentially telling them you don’t value their time or energy.

2- Do not clock watch. We all do it. Sometimes meetings run over, professors hold the class back a few minutes because their notes are just so important, or you’re waiting for that last hour of work on a Friday to tick by. But the gym is not the place for it. It is time you have carved out of your day to dedicate to your fitness. If you spend your workout clock-watching you’re telling the instructor that a) you have better places to be, b) you don’t value their instruction, and c) you are not taking your fitness/health seriously. Everyone has a different attitude about the gym, but it should never be treated as a dreaded chore.

So next time you feel inclined to spark up a conversation- don’t. Just don’t. It’s dangerous, distracting, and rude. Furthermore, always keep yourself in the moment. If you’re at class then be there with your body and mind. Not only will this make you a tolerable student, but you’ll get the most out of the experience. Be present, polite, and ready to dedicate time to your health. Don’t be that person.