"I hated every minute of training, but I said, don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion." ~Muhammad Ali

  I know that for a lot of us who exercise we want to know the quickest way to burn the most calories.  Almost all research now a days lends itself to say that running is one of the best/fastest ways to burn the most calories.  And running is a great workout, and something that's easy enough for everyone to be able to do.  However, we all have to be aware that running is not the only type of exercise we should be doing, even if it is the best way to burn the most calories in the shortest amount of time.  Every workout plan needs to have some sort of strength training in it if you want to achieve your health and fitness goals, no matter what they might be.  As long as you're performing strength training in a healthy way it will always help you acheive the goals you have set for yourself.  Some of the benefits of strength training are: "Faster resting metabolic rate from increased muscle mass" (which means that you'll be burning more calories by doing absoulutely nothing, which is always awesome).

~"A boost in cardiovascular fitness; yes, intense strength training puts a strain on the cardiorespiratory system."

~"Faster reflexes and better balance."

~"Increased bone density and enhanced immune system."

There are of course many more benefits to strength training, however those listed above I believe can be motivating factors for everyone.


("For Extra Motivation, Check out All These Benefits of Strength Training." On Fitness Sept.-Oct. 2010: 12. Web.)



This next fact I found really surprised.  If you're anyone that knows me well you'll know that I've had some problems with back pain for a while.  Those problems used to be reason enough for me to stay away from the gym whenever I felt like I might be having any sort of back pain again.  However, a recent study suggests that back machines at the gym may help improve back pain.  A study conducted by Christian Lariviere, who is a professor at the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauve en sante et en securite du travail (IRSST), showed that subjects who were hooked up to "electromyography sensors that tracked muscle activity and fatigue...showed that using equipment designed for lower back exercises was beneficial."


 There really isn't much else in the article that tells us exactly how much benefit using these machines gives us, but the most important thing is that they do not hurt.  This of course is not proof that if you are in severe pain you should continue doing your normal workouts, but it does mean that slight pain or irriation doesn't neccesarily need to put you out of the gym for any amount of time.


("Study Shows Back Machine Workouts Remedy Low Back Pain." On Fitness Sept.-Oct. 2010: 14. Web.)

Good News for women...bad news for the rest of us.

 Women, have you ever had a day in the gym where it feels like hitting your target heart rate seems impossible to reach?  Well it turns out there might be a reason for that.  According to a study in Circulation "women who used the conventional male-based heart rate formula (220 minus age) worked too hard.  The new women's equation (206-minus 88 percent of age) shows our target heart rate should be lower than previously thought."  So that's pretty great news right?  Of course, that math does seem a little daunting if you're trying to figure that out while on the treadmill.  If you don't feel like doing the harder math then the next time you're about to start a cardio session just know not to push yourself has hard to give your ticker a bit of a break. 

("Fitness FLASH." SELF Oct. 2010: 90)


Now on to the bad news.  If any of you out there are like my good friends then you love bacon with a fiery passion.  Apparently, this is not good for us no matter what we would like to believe.  According to another study in Circulation "eating processed meat daily is linked with a 42 percent higher risk for heart disease and a 19 percent uptick in diabetes risk."  Sorry friends, looks like we'll have to put a limit on our bacon in take.

("Eat-Right FLASH." SELF Oct. 2010: 112. Print.)


So, this was my first attempt at real advice.  I apologize that it was short, and both topics were from the same source, but hopefully soon I will have much more information to share with you.  Thanks guys!

Welcome!

Hello!

So this is my attempt at a fitness and nutrition blog.  While studying to become a personal trainer I have had the pleasure of getting to read a lot about fitness and nutrition.  In doing so I feel that I'm always making better choices for myself whether it comes to my diet or exercise.  I want to share so much of this information, which is the great thing about now being a trainer.  However, there is only so much I can share with someone in an hour time period.  That is why I've decided to start a blog.  What better way to share the information I'm learning with more people at once than to start a blog on the internet?  Each day I'm going to try and update my blog with new information on fitness and nutrition and health.  If you have any questions about what I post, or any questions at all, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer your questions.  Please also feel free to post your own health and fitness tips, however if you do post something I ask that you please cite your source as a lot of our bad habits when it comes to health, fitness, and nutrition come from word of mouth information that is skewed or completely false.  I hope you enjoy, thanks guys!