Fitness Blog

Resolution or No Resolution?

This is the time of year many begin to think about making New Year’s Resolutions. Some of this may be in part to the back-to-back holidays that occur in the last couple months of the year. I think past year reflections and resets can be a good thing, but it can also set you up for failure when your goal(s) are not met.  A good mindset may be to keep your goals simple and small. Long-term change requires consistency.  Small, simple changes are the foundation. Compare this with using one brick at a time when building a structure. Each brick of change will build on the previous. Focusing on one simple change and adhering to it will precipitate big success. The “go big or go home” mindset is admirable, but can often lead to defeat and retreat. For example, adding a goal of one extra glass of water with each meal is very attainable and can dramatically influence eating behaviors with time. Once this goal becomes a habit, move on to another “brick”, like being intentional with adding protein or veggies to each meal or adding a 10-minute walk to each day. Always remember, however, that lifestyle improvements can be implemented any time of the year. Cheers to 2025!

What is Resistance Training and Why is it Important?

Resistance training is one of the most misunderstood components of fitness. It is often categorized as a muscle/strength building class of exercise exclusively for gym enthusiasts and athletes. While muscle hypertrophy and power training can fit under this category, so does osteoporosis prevention and improved cardiovascular efficiency.

So what is resistance training? Resistance training is a form of exercise that involves pushing or pulling against the resistance of an object. This resistance works against gravity and has many adaptive benefits. Resistance training programs produce physiologic changes and can be structured for many different effects. The use of exercise bands, free weights, weight machines, as well as your own bodyweight are common modalities used to achieve your goals.

Why is it important? Improved muscle strength is the most obvious adaptation. As we age, we lose around 5% of our muscle mass every decade after 30. This doesn't see like much initially, but in time becomes significant. Along with muscle strength comes protection of your joints from injury. Stronger muscles help maintain flexibility and balance, helping you remain independent for longer.

Other benefits include improved cardiovascular efficiency as your muscles build new capillaries for better blood flow, improved endocrine (hormone) and cholesterol adaptations, as well as increased bone density. Decreased body fat, increased metabolism, and toned muscles are a few more perks. The list doesn't end there! Increased neuromuscular control (coordination), increased connective tissue (tendons and ligaments) strength, increased muscular endurance, and increased power are also benefits.

To conclude, if you haven't given resistance training a try, today is a good day to start. The benefits you will reap will be lifelong. Message me if you need more info.

 

What is with the Menopausal Weight?

Ladies, the struggle is real. You've been doing the same thing for decades, but your body is revolting. What gives?

I think it's safe to sum it up in one word: hormones. We've all heard it, but what do we do with it? 

First, let's hone in on which hormones. It's pretty obvious that during the menopausal journey, estrogen is on the decline. Simultaneously, hunger hormones, specifically ghrelin (often referred to as the hunger hormone), begins to increase. During said estrogen decrease, the body's cells also have a more difficult time responding to leptin's signals (a hormone that signals when one is full).

If that's not enough, another hormone, neuropeptide Y (NPY) begins to increase. NPY is an appetite stimulating hormone that can lead to more intense cravings and appetite. 

As estradiol and progesterone (more hormones) begin to drop during menopause, body fat tends to accumulate a little more around the midsection, causing body composition redistribution.

Couple these hormone shifts with less movement of society in general, often due to office jobs or family responsibilities, old habits are not cutting it anymore. 

It's not all bad news, however. There are nutritional strategies that can be implemented to combat these effects. You can make some shifts to your macronutrients, practice mindful eating, eat less processed foods, etc. We just have to educate ourselves on ways to adjust.

Piecing Together the Puzzle of Metabolism

Many of us think of metabolism as a simple process involving calories in vs. calories out. While not entirely erroneous, metabolism is a much more complex series of biomechanical processes that occur within any living organism for the purpose of maintaining life. While many aspects of individual metabolism are fixed, there are dynamic components we can take control of. This is where we need to shift our focus to find success in our goals. Almost everyone knows that exercise burns calories and increases daily caloric expenditure. However, structured exercise is only one component. Metabolism is a fascinating process and digging deeper to understand it will only empower you.