Linda, Author at Prism Fitness Group

Get your ZZZ’s to keep healthy!

November 2, 2018 by Linda

Sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

Set your clocks back and add an extra hour of sleep to your routine—everyday!

Don’t let a lack of sleep sabotage your workouts.

Sleep deprivation not only affects your mind but also your physical body.

At one time or another, we’ve all experienced a sleepless night that left us irritable, off-kilter and exhausted. One night doesn’t do that much harm, but over time the long-term effects of sleep deprivation put many people at risk for mental, health, and physical problems.

Mental fog or memory issues are common among people who don’t get enough sleep, but there are other consequences that can have negative effects on your fitness goals.

Studies show that people who do not get the recommended 7-8 hours per night are more likely to gain weight, experience high blood pressure and suffer from a weakened immune system—despite working out and being healthy in other areas such as eating right.

Not getting enough sleep stops your body’s ability to defend itself from things like the cold or the flu. If you are sick, it takes longer to get better. Over time, the effects can lead to bigger issues like diabetes.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, experts have known for years that not getting enough sleep is directly linked to your body hormone levels and the ability to regulate and metabolize glucose. People who do not get enough sleep are at a higher risk for weight gain and type 2 diabetes.

Sleep deprivation increases the levels of insulin after you eat. Higher levels of insulin increase fat storage and your risk for diabetes.

Your body needs more than a healthy diet and exercise.

When you sleep your body is hard at work repairing and resetting itself and when you don’t get enough sleep it can do that. Bottom line—without sleep your body systems don’t work as they should. Multiple studies show that getting less than 6-8 hours of sleep increases the risk of early death by 12 percent.

To find out how much sleep you should get for your age check out this chart by the National Sleep Foundation:

Add an extra hour of sleep and reap the benefits of a good nights sleep—your mind and body will thank you!

Here are a few tips provided by the National Sleep Foundation:

Stick to a sleep schedule all week long
Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual.
Exercise every day
Set your bedroom temperature, sounds, and light levels to promote sleep.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows.
Alcohol and caffeine are sleep stealers
Turn off electronics before bed and store them in a different room

Get ready to work off that Halloween Candy

October 26, 2018 by Linda

Halloween Candy: The ‘trick’ to ‘treating’ yourself during this fun holiday.

Halloween candy is tricky. Not all calories and exercises are created equal.

Halloween is a fun holiday for kids who are always on the move. Most kids can eat anything, but candy can be trouble for adults trying to watch their weight or what they eat.

Even though most candy Trick or Treater’s receive or what people buy to hand out is snack size. What most people don’t realize is how fast those calories add up, and how difficult and time consuming can be to burn them off.

A snack size Snickers bar, which also happens to be most popular with adults packs a whopping 80 calories.

What makes snack size candy even more troublesome is they only take two bites to consume, leaving most people reaching for a second or even a third snack size bar. Most people would be better off eating a full size candy bar.

It’s easy to trick your mind into thinking differently about the food you consume.

One medium apple is about the same amount of calories as most snack size candy bars. A large part of eating is the satisfaction of the time it takes to consume the food. For most people, the time it takes to eat or chew an apple is up to 5 times as long at it takes to eat a snack size candy bar. The added bonus with a choosing an apple—is it’s good for you.

Burn it off!

Another way to look at the cost of eating sugary snacks is what do you have to do to burn off those calories.

If you ate three snack size Snickers bars the average person would need to run a 12 minute pace or about five miles per hour for 30 minutes or walk for one hour at an average pace. Or if you don’t like running or walking, you could do burpees for 30 minutes at a pace of 10 per minute and you’d burn around 300 calories.

If you don’t want to skip the treats, the “trick” is to find some time extra time to burn off the calories from something that took only seconds to consume.

Halloween ‘Fun Sizes’ of your favorite candy.

Regular M&M’s = 73 calories

Peanut M&M’s = 90 calories

Reeses’ Pieces = 67 calories

Skittles = 60 calories

Candy Corn = 53 calories

Swedish Fish = 50 calories

Butterfinger = 85 calories

Baby Ruth = 85 calories

Twix = 80 calories

Almond Joy = 80 calories

Snickers = 80 calories

Milky Way = 80 calories

Kit Kat = 70 calories

3 Musketeers = 63 calories

Milk Duds = 53 calories

Peppermint Patty = 50 calories

Has your workout become too easy?

October 19, 2018 by Linda

Here are two small tweaks you can make to get the most out of your fitness time.

You’ve been working out for a while, maybe even a regular at the gym, local trails, or a fixture at your local boutique fitness class (goat yoga, anyone?). Is it starting to feel too comfortable? It might be time to take a closer look at your routine.

Everyone wants to find that perfect balance of bringing the element of fun into a challenging workout, but it’s easy to get content with doing the same thing on repeat. Adaptation is when your body becomes accustomed to your workout, and the result can be that your fitness hits a plateau. Of course, any exercise is always beneficial, but to receive all the great health benefits of a good workout, it may be time to push yourself harder.

Step up the challenge if you see that your heart rate isn’t that high, you’re rarely out of breath, or you are easily finishing your rep count on your lifts.

Of course, you can always introduce a new routine, class, or change up your exercise altogether, but first, start by focusing on these two things.

Focus on Form

Actively focusing on the muscles, you seek to engage can be the difference between a killer rep, and a “just ok” rep. When you focus on form, you are less likely to rely on the wrong muscles to get you through an exercise. Poor form means you may not be getting the benefit out of the exercise you intended, and may even lead to pain and/or injury.

As simple as it sounds, there are significant benefits in mentally connecting to your movement. In fact, one study found that by just thinking about engaging the target muscles during an exercise is an excellent strategy to better your form and increase results. The theory is that by visualizing an exercise and the specific muscle movement during exercise, you train the brain to send stronger signals. This translates into more muscle engagement by recruiting additional muscle fibers or by getting muscle fibers to work quicker and more efficiently.

Up your weights

Strength training is all about building and maintaining a certain level of strength. If the current weight you are lifting isn’t a challenge, or you feel like you could go on forever, it might be time to consider adding weight to your lifts.

First, start by tracking your workouts and recording your results. Then, mix in some additional reps to targeted exercises. You may see a difference simply by adding rep counts. Of course, whole point is to “overload” your muscles so they get stronger, so the next step may be adding weight. If your progress is stalled out, it could be that your muscles have grown stronger to meet the demands of the lifts. To make gains, you need a progression plan in your strength training program. Develop a plan where you increase your weights in key areas, and map out a progression plan to strategically add more weight as you get stronger over time.

Take a hike!

October 12, 2018 by Linda

Fall is a great time to get outside. Lower temperatures and dewpoints coupled with changing scenery all make great reasons to take your fitness routine into nature.

Benefits of Hiking vs. Walking

Have you ever wondered what the difference between hiking and walking really is? Aside from intentionally choosing a scenic hiking route, both use the same lower body mechanics. The main variant is uneven terrain. Sand, packed dirt, rocks, and other natural materials found on nature trails create surfaces that force your body to work harder than flat, paved surfaces. In fact, hiking on an uneven surface increases your energy use by up to 28%, according to a University of Michigan study.

Hiking raises your heart and metabolic rate and consequently, you will burn more calories. Slope grade and switchbacks create differences in step gait and balance that require subtle shifts and increases in legwork throughout the hike.

Steady State Cardio with a View!

According to ACE, steady-state training (SST) focuses on maintaining a consistent, low-to-moderate intensity work-rate for an extended period of time. It is an established and proven method for improving cardiorespiratory fitness and enhancing aerobic capacity.

Fall hikes are a great choice for mixing some steady-state cardio into your routine.

HIIT & HIKE

Jump into fall with this awesome exercise combo!

What if we took your favorite hike, and combined it with some amazing outdoor interval training? HIIT training, (High Intensity Interval Training) can increase the effect of EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), helping to burn calories after the exercise session is completed. Plus, it’s a great way to add intensity and variety to the steady-state cardio part of your hike. In any case, it should make for a completely memorable workout. Studies show that you will have better retention and repetition of your workouts if you find them enjoyable.

Try this:

Stair intervals: Find a set of stairs within your hike and run up and down 5 times.
Box Jumps on Benches: Find a very sturdy bench and try sets of 10 box jumps. (Be sure to ask if you are on private or public land, and make sure that your jumps will cause no damage to the structure).
Weighted Backpack Trail Sprints: Put a couple SMART Medicine Balls in a backpack to increase the challenge of your sprints. Be sure the weight distribution is even and not pulling on your neck and back. Pick a spot on the trail and make a start and stop point. Run at top speed back and forth 5 times. Be sure to watch for fallen rock, roots, or other obstacles.
Rock dips and pushups: Find a rock, bench, downed tree or stair on your trail and hammer out a set of 10 tricep dips, then turn it over and do 10 pushups. Repeat five rounds.
Medicine Ball Jack Presses: Hold the Medicine Ball to your chest with your feet together. Jump out to a wide stance while pressing the medicine ball straight out in front of you. Try sets of 20 on repeat for 5 rounds. (Tip: Carry the Medicine Balls on the entire hike with you in a backpack for extra challenge!)

Master the art of the Pushup!

October 5, 2018 by Linda

Read these tips on how to do a pushup from front to back.

Get Started!

Lie in a prone position (belly down) on your mat, ground, or floor.

Get in Position

Position your hands shoulder-width apart, fingers facing forward or slightly inward.
Position your feet hip distance apart with the tips of toes facing the ground.

Lift off

Lift your entire body off the floor so that your weight is supported evenly from head to toe.
Push your arms to full extension, keeping your elbows soft and not locked.
Contract your core muscles, glutes and quads to keep them braced.
Pull your shoulders away from your ears.
Keep your head, neck and spine in alignment.

Going Down

Slowly lower your body towards the floor while maintaining a stiff torso and head aligned with your spine.
Eyes toward the floor; avoid bending your head (we promise, you can look at your shoes later!)
Maintain head to toe alignment (no sagging of the back or hips)
Lower chest to elbow height.

Going Up

Push through the heels of hands to lift body weight upward.
Continue to maintain head to toe alignment.
Push your arms back to to full extension, keeping your elbows soft and not locked.

Repeat!

How many can you put into your daily goal? Always remember, form first. Don’t try to hammer out a high number before you have your form down.

TIP!

To build strength and practice form, try slow pushups. Count 4 down, and 4 up. Then, mix up the tempos: count 2 down, 2 up, or 1 down and three up. It will add some variety in the mix.

But wait, there’s more!

Modify

You might think you can’t do a pushup. But there are many ways to modify!

Feet shoulder width apart

If you struggle to maintain head to toe alignment, put your feet shoulder width apart instead of hip width. Each session, try to put your feet in closer.

Wall Pushups

If you have shoulder issues, or simply can’t lift your body weight, try a wall pushup. Put your hands shoulder width apart on the wall and your feet out slightly so that your body is at a slight angle. Slowly lower your body toward the wall, and push it back using all the techniques applied to a regular pushup.

Kneeling Pushups

Put your body in a hands and knee position on the floor. Maintain head to toe alignment and ease your upper body toward the floor, stopping chest at elbow height. This works well if you are new to bodyweight exercises and are not ready to lift your full body weight. When you’re ready, you can move to pushups on your knees.

Knee Pushups

From prone position, put your hands shoulder width apart. Keep your feet hip distance, and lift up to a full arm extension while keeping your knees, shins and feet parallel to the ground. Once you have this mastered, increase the distance between your upper body and your knees by moving your knees backward. This will increase the amount of bodyweight you will bear going up and down. Then, mix in a few pushups on your toes. Before you know it, you’ll develop the strength to do whole sets of pushups on your toes.

Advanced Stability Ball Pushups

Put your feet on the top of the ball and follow the move through. For more work, place the front of your ankles over the ball. For less work, move the ball to your shin area.

3 Ways to avoid the freshmen 15

September 28, 2018 by Linda

Is it possible to avoid the freshmen 15?

Going away to college is a big transition for many students.

College is an exciting time for young people, but it can also be stressful. The way people handle stress can vastly different from one student to the next, but many turn to food.

The “Freshmen 15” has been a phrase used to describe the 15 lbs. of weight many freshman gain their first year away at college.

College’s today offer an extensive variety of meal choices at all hours of the day and night—not all of which are healthy.

In fact, many colleges now have fast-food chain restaurants right on campuses that are part of meal plan options. Students struggle making healthier choices when burgers, french fries, pizza, and ice cream are available 24-7.

Recent college graduates say it is possible to eat healthy while at college.

Have a plan before you head to the dining hall, recommends recent college grad Christina Delong. Too often college students walk into the dining hall and eat what looks good—not what’s good for them. DeLong had a rule for herself, her first plate of food was always from the salad bar. She would load up her plate with fresh veggies and salad. Many times she was too full to eat a piece of pizza or some other unhealthy choice.

Most campuses offer free workout memberships to the campus gym or workout center. Studies show that not only does working out keep the pounds off by it also improves brain health and those that exercise or play sports regularly do better in school or college.

Play intramural sports. Only a handful of students play college sports compared to the total number of college students on any campus. Just because you didn’t make the team doesn’t mean you can’t play the sport you love. Intramural sports of perfect for college students for more than one reason. There is a lot less pressure and the games are fun and still competitive.

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