Don’t Forget Your Water Bottle
Water is the magic elixir for health. In fact, in my family, we call it healthy water, our good luck elixir or our super duper energy boost—even though it’s just plain tap water. Luckily, we have pure well water that’s absolutely delicious. If we didn’t, I’d buy bottled water, because it’s that important to my health and the health of my family. So when you’re working out, don’t forget your water bottle and don’t forget to sip frequently.
Water comes with weight loss benefits.
Besides quenching your thirst, water is a great aid in losing weight. The first reason has to do with thirst. Thirst doesn’t always make you feel thirsty. Some times you’re tricked into feeling hungry, even though you’re simply thirsty. That’s when you go through the refrigerator looking for that special something to please your appetite and it’s usually something like watermelon, Popsicles or sherbet ice cream. The main thing all three have in common is they all contain a lot of water. The next time you feel hungry, grab your water bottle and take a long cool drink. You might find you were only thirsty, not hungry.
Your whole body benefits from adequate hydration.
Consider this, your body is sixty percent water, with the blood being 90 percent, heart and brain 73 percent and lungs about 83 percent water. You can see that dehydration, loss of fluid, can create some problems. Dehydration can cause wrinkling and skin disorders. Since cartilage is about 80 percent water, it can also cause joint disorders. It’s necessary for the production of hormones and neurotransmitters and lack of it for lengthy periods can affect how the brain functions.
Drinking plenty of water flushes out toxins.
Not only does water flush out toxins, it’s a good diuretic. If you’re retaining water, you may think drinking less is the route to go, where in reality, more is often the route. (Green tea also works well.) We call water the energy booster because it does carry oxygen throughout the body, via the blood. It also can end the fatigue caused by dehydration, making the heart work less hard while pumping more oxygen throughout your body. When you’re hydrated, you’re energized. So if you’re in sports, keep a bottle handy. Did I mention it was lucky, too?
- As you age, the more important it is to focus on drinking water. Signals for thirst become less as people age, medications may be diuretics and incontinence problems may cause less intake of fluid. The results can range from dizziness and difficulty walking to dementia-like symptoms and rapid heart rate.
- Water helps the boy regulate its temperature via sweating. It also boosts circulation so nutrients get to all cells.
- Pitch that bottle of cola if you want a thirst quencher. Instead, grab a bottle of water. Cola has plenty of sugar that helps mask the salt, which makes you even thirstier. It also will save tons of calories.
- Put a stop to kidney stones by drinking more water. It can even help your digestive system by preventing constipation and too highly acidic stomach acid.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Move it or lose it”? It can take on many reasons, depending on how it’s used, but at the gym in Alexandria, VA, clients know that it means that if you don’t workout, you’ll lose muscle mass, energy and strength. That’s why they stick with a workout schedule. Staying active is important throughout your life, especially the older you get. That’s when the body loses muscle mass, energy and cardio functioning more quickly. It doesn’t mean you have to have a formal program of working out, but it does mean you have to do activities regularly that improve your flexibility, strength and endurance.
Not all illness comes from injury or invasion by microbes. Some illness is caused by an imbalance of hormones. Hormones affect more than your sexual characteristics and drive, they play an important role in overall health. They affect your weight, all bodily functions and even how much energy you have. Hormones influence not only how much fat you store but where you store it. A healthy brain depends on the right balance of hormones.
There are three different body types with different needs. That’s why getting a workout for your body type can be important. One of the many things we take under consideration before creating a workout for clients in Alexandria, VA is their body type. Ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph are the three body types. Each stores its fat differently and builds muscle tissue faster or slower. Ectomorph people are those who are naturally thin, with very low body fat and thin extremeties. Mesomorph people put on muscle fast and have broad shoulders, strong legs and arms with a narrow waist. Endomorphs may have muscle tissue, but it’s often hidden under a layer of fat. They are rounder or pear shaped.
Some personal trainers feel there’s no difference between light weights vs. heavy weights for toning. Others say there’s a huge difference. What is the general consensus? Most personal trainers tend to agree that if you do as much work by doing more repetitions on lighter weights and fewer reps on much heavier weights, you’ll build muscle tissue and boost your strength. However, it’s not just the amount of muscle tissue you build, but the type of muscle tissue you build.
Do you have that feeling of impending doom for no reason? Do you fret and stress about things that probably won’t happen? You probably suffer from excessive anxiety and maybe even mild depression. I have clients in Alexandria, VA, who tell me that while they initially started to workout to help them lose weight or become fitter, they found that working out alleviates anxiety, too. It’s a win-win situation and comes from the other benefits of exercise.
Finding someone that loves everything about their body is tough. Even if they feel that way, people are often reluctant to say it, for fear the other person will help them out with pointers about their shortcomings. While hating your body is counterproductive, that doesn’t mean you can’t change how you look and in the process, change how you feel about yourself. Exercise improves body image and helps boost your self-confidence.
I always recommend a healthy diet that is filled with natural whole foods. It’s just easier to cut out processed foods and sugar laden food and drink without the need to count carbs or calories. However, I do provide information on a low carb diet for beginners, for those that want to investigate whether they get better results. You’ll find that it isn’t that much different from eating a whole food diet without processed and sugary foods.
If you’re a client in Alexandria, you’re already aware of the benefits of exercise, which includes helping you to lose fat. Unfortunately, exercise alone won’t make the biggest difference. You need to eat healthy, too. In order to shed one pound, you need to eat 3500 calories less than you burn. Exercise increases the amount of calories you burn and provides other benefits, but for the best results, changing your eating habits is necessary.
Almost all types of complete workouts improve balance and coordination. There are some created specifically to do that, though. In Alexandria, VA, I create workouts for clients that improve all levels of fitness, strength, balance, flexibility and endurance. There’s no need to add additional balance exercises unless there are extenuating circumstances. Here are some of the exercises I use to improve balance and coordination.