Talk to 10 people and you'll get 10 different opinions on the best way to get fit. One will tell you to attend an aerobics class.
Another will swear by jogging. Yet another will tell you that dance and biking worked for them. The truth is that there's really only one effective way to get fit. Before I get into the details, it’s important that we agree on the definition of 'fit'. Too often thin is mistaken for fit, and that's not what you should strive for.
When someone is thin, but has very little muscle tissue, they aren't truly fit.
Here’s why thin doesn’t equal fit:
So how does one get truly fit? It’s this simple: Resistance Training.
Resistance training is when resistance is used to challenge your muscles in order to gain strength and endurance. You could do this with traditional weights, exercise bands, medicine balls, cable machines, sandbags, kettle bells or even just using your own body weight.
Consistent resistance training has the following side effects…
If that’s not enough to convince you that resistance training is the only way to truly become fit, then read on…
Top 9 Benefits to Resistance Training
1. To Build Muscle and Gain Strength: Don’t worry, ladies. This does NOT mean that you’re going to ‘bulk up’ or look too masculine. What will happen is that your arms, tummy and legs will become tighter, leaner and more defined.
2. To Lose Fat: When it comes to losing size, all that you want to see go is fat, not muscle. Strength training ensures that you maintain and grow those muscles and only lose fat.
3. To Build Strong Bones: The older we get, the more important our bone density is. A good strength training program is one of your best defenses when it comes to osteoporosis.
4. To Alleviate Anxiety, Stress and Depression: Sure, there are plenty of pills out there that claim to give these benefits, but you and I both know that strength training is more wholesome and effective way. And besides, who really wants pharmaceutical side effects?
5. To Sleep Better: Here’s another pill you can stop taking once you start strength training. Study after study have proven that strength training improves sleep.
6. To Improve Chronic Back Pain: If you are one of the millions across the globe who suffer from back pain then you’ll love the benefit of lowered pain.
7. To Improve Insulin Sensitivity: Today diabetes is a huge threat. Minimize your risk by improving insulin sensitivity through regular, challenging strength training.
8. To Improve Good to Bad Cholesterol Ratio: Here is yet another pill that you could potentially stop taking while on a strength training routine. Blood pressure and heart health are of utmost concern, so why not give yourself the advantage of a strength training routine?
9. To Raise your Metabolism: This helps to reduce body fat and to keep that body fat off, even on the days that you aren’t able to exercise. Pretty awesome, right?
A solid resistance training routine will tone your legs, lift your buns, strengthen your core, and will result in inches and pounds lost.
If you’re ready to begin your body transformation then feel free to reach out to me.
Call or email me today and we will get you started on the exercise program that will reshape your body once and for all!
Let’s face it, today more than ever, health is a topic of concern. We take precautions to avoid exposure to others and to mitigate our risk of contracting coronavirus by wearing masks, social distancing, staying home and following guidelines and protocols when out in public.
We do this because we don’t want to get ourselves or others sick.
What is health? To have good health is to be free of illness or injury, to be able to adequately cope with the demands of life, and to maintain a state of equilibrium with yourself and your environment.
When we are in a state of good health our quality of life increases dramatically. We are able to utilize our bodies without pain, experience natural energy, and enjoy feelings like joy and happiness.
One of the factors that influences our health the most is diet. The foods that you eat make a measurable impact on the condition of your health. By eating healthy, wholesome and nutritious foods you give your body the building blocks it needs to fortify healthy cells and smooth bodily functions.
Just as important are the things that we avoid eating as part of our diet, refined sugars being the deadliest. Additives, processed ingredients, unhealthy fats, and unnatural sugars are problems for our bodies to flush out the best it can. Too much of these harmful items result in extra weight, clogged arteries and decreased ability to regulate blood sugar.
Today I’d like you to draw the mental connection between your healthy eating and your good health. By sticking to a low-sugar, high-protein, high-fiber diet you will take measurable strides towards claiming better health. This means having a stronger immune system that’s ready and able to fight off viruses.
So please add good health to your list of reasons for getting into great shape and instilling healthy eating habits to last you a lifetime.
Speed your fitness results by becoming one of my clients. I’d love to get you to your goals using my results-driven method.
Simply call or email me today to set up your first workout.
t’s hard to find a dinner recipe that’s as healthy as this one: white fish and veggies, steamed in a parchment parcel with fresh herbs, lemon and white wine. You’d also be hard pressed to find a white fish recipe that is this easy to make and tastes this darn good!
Cooking “En Papillote” (with Parchment Packets!)
En Papillote is a fancy French way of saying “cooked in paper” :-) So we are going to be French and fancy today while making this super-quick-n-awesome recipe!
This recipe cooks in a packet made with parchment paper, which is one of the reasons that it’s so quick and healthy.
Parchment paper packets use steam to quickly and healthfully cook the contents. It also makes clean up a breeze – crumpling up some paper and throwing it in the trash is my kind of KP! Parchment paper is grease and moisture resistant paper that has been specially treated for oven use. It won’t burn in the oven on bake, however don’t put it under the broiler – it will burn there! There is no right or wrong side of parchment paper – either side can be used.
Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com
What you need
Servings: 4
½ cup red onion, cut into think matchsticks
1 zucchini, cut into matchstick
1 carrots, cut into matchstick
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 (6 oz.) halibut fillets, or other white fish
sea salt and black pepper
1 lemon, thinly sliced into half moons
8 sprigs fresh thyme
¼ cup white wine
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl toss the thinly sliced onion, zucchini and carrot with the olive oil and minced garlic.
3. Cut four 12-by-16-inch pieces of parchment paper and fold each in half. Open the parchment paper and arrange each fillet in the center of the top half of each parchment. Generously season with salt and pepper. Top each fillet with one quarter of the veggies, 2 slices of lemon, two sprigs of thyme and 1 Tablespoon of white wine.
4. Fold the bottom half of the parchment paper over the fish. Start folding and crimping the parchment paper ends together from one end all the way around the fish to the other end, creating a sealed envelope. Fold the end under the fish. The fish and veggies should be fully encased, with no breaks in the parchment paper for steam to escape – we need that steam as part of the cooking process! Place the packets on a pan.
5. Bake the fish packets for 12 to 18 minutes and remove from the oven. Serve the packets on plates, tearing them open just before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
One serving equals: 231 calories, 4g fat, 8g carbohydrate, 3g sugar, 166mg sodium, 2g fiber, and 36g protein.
I hope that you get a chance to give this recipe a try this week. Remember that I’m only a call or email away to assist you in all things fitness. And if you are not yet one of my prized clients then call or email me now to set up your first workout – I’d love to help you achieve your best body ever!
Talk Soon,
Gary Schulman
201-988-9313
Bergencountyfit