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Fitness Goals

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Fitness Goals

8 Low-Effort Ways To Stay Motivated When the Weather Is Freezing

Let’s be honest: the only marathon most of us want to participate in when it’s colder than cold is the Netflix kind. It’s way easier to get motivated for that early morning jog or bike ride when it’s nice and warm outside. 

When fall and winter seasons approach, the dark, cold, and gloomy weather can make it all too tempting to simply stay in bed with the covers pulled over your head, repeatedly hitting the snooze button. The good news is that staying active in the winter doesn’t require superhuman strength. 

There are many ways you can maintain a steady diet and exercise routine even during the cooler seasons. Here are several tips to stay motivated in the winter (no Polar plunge required)! 

#1 Remember: Baby Steps > Big Overhauls

If you’re already anticipating a slowdown in activity during the winter months, don’t add to your stress by making health and fitness goals that are completely out of reach. Failing to live up to your own expectations not only affects your self-esteem, but it can make it even more difficult to stay motivated when you’re having a hard enough time already. Bysetting realistic goals and developing a workable action plan, you’ll be more likely to meet them and build on that momentum moving forward.

Also, it’s just as important to celebrate your smaller wins as it is your bigger ones. Did you make it to the gym every morning this week or stick to a healthy meal plan instead of reaching for the take-out menu? Great work! Celebrate a job well done by treating yourself to a new book or a healthy treat. By setting realistic goals, tracking your progress and allowing a few rewards along the way, you’ll set yourself up for success no matter what the colder months may bring.

#2 Lean Into the Cold Weather

There’s no set rule governing what time you must exercise. If your typical routine calls for an early morning jog, but it’s too cold or dark outside, consider switching to the afternoons for your run. Some people use their lunch break to squeeze in a quick gym session or walk. It doesn’t matter what time you work out, as long as you get it done at some point during your day. Figuring out what time works best for you may take a few tries. However, once you find something that aligns well with your schedule, stick with it.

If your busy schedule leaves you no choice but to brave the cold, it’s important to prepare thoroughly. This means adding in extra time for pre-workout warm-ups. By spending a few more minutes warming up with dynamic movements (like arm swings or jumping jacks), you’ll increase your heart rate and prepare your muscles for colder temperatures. When your muscles are cold, stiff and not adequately warmed up, you increase your risk of injury. So be sure to begin your workout slowly, and also make sure to stretch once you’re done.

#3 Feed Your Cravings Without Ditching Your Goals

We know this season wouldn’t be the same without tasty and seasonal comfort food. But many of these dishes have a lot of calories. It’s no wonder that many people gain a few pounds during the winter.

Fortunately, you can still enjoy holiday treats without sacrificing your health or your waistline. Salmon is delicious and a great alternative to higher-calorie dishes like Beef Wellington. Serving it up alongside potato latke and a creamy mustard sauce still feels just as festive, too. Instead of brownies, make an angel food cake topped with fresh fruit for a lighter dessert. With simple alternatives and swaps, you can still enjoy comforting holiday meals while making healthier choices that will keep your fitness goals on track.

While you should try to make healthier food choices, it’s also important to allow yourself some grace. Remember, maintaining a healthy diet and weight is a balancing act. Completely eliminating all sugary treats from your diet is unrealistic. It may even lead to a binge later on. If you’re really craving a sugar cookie or a piece of cake, enjoy it! Just remember not to overindulge.

#4 Turn Your Workout Into a Social Event

If your motivation is nowhere to be found when the temperatures start dropping, enlist the help of a workout buddy. Chances are, you aren’t the only one finding it hard to lace up your running shoes and hit the pavement (or gym). Pair up with a friend or two and pledge to commit to working out at least a few times a week. You could work out together in person or check in virtually. A workout buddy can provide you with the extra emotional support and motivation you need to brave the cold and keep moving throughout the season.

Or, you might consider signing up for a group workout class at your local gym. A group fitness class can decrease your isolation, boost your mood, and maybe even help you find a new workout partner along the way.

#5 Lighten Your Days

Another factor that can affect your motivation during the fall and winter is your mood. Seasonal affective disorderaffects millions of people every year. As the temperatures drop and days get shorter, decreased energy and a lack of interest can directly impact your motivation to exercise. If you’re noticing these symptoms, you might try spending at least 15-30 minutes each morning outdoors if possible. This has been shown in studies to boost mood. 

#6 Snow Outside? Sweat Indoors 

Sometimes, dangerously cold wind chills or snowy weather will keep you indoors and prevent you from heading to the gym. When this happens, it’s helpful to have an alternative handy. If you have space, consider setting up a home gym or creating a workout area in a corner of your living room or bedroom. A home gym is not only convenient during times of inclement weather, but it also provides you with the flexibility to work out whenever you want without having to leave your house. This is particularly helpful when driving conditions are hazardous.

You don’t necessarily need a whole lot of equipment to get a good sweat session in. Ideally, you should have equipment that’s versatile and easy to move out of the way when you’re not using it. Resistance bands, dumbbells in various sizes and a yoga mat can help you get a full body workout if you’re snowed in. 

You could even add larger equipment to your setup, like a bench, kettlebell, pull-up bar and a power rack. Cardio equipment like a treadmill, a stationary bike or an elliptical can help round things out, but it’s not a necessity.

If you’re new to home workouts and unsure how to build a routine, head online. There are many videos available that break down the fundamentals and provide great tips on how to build a personalized workout that works for you.

#7 Thaw Out the Negative Self-Talk

During winter’s shorter days, longer nights and colder temperatures, it’s easy to lose your motivation to stick with a healthy diet and exercise routine. This is especially true with holiday festivities and events that crowd your social calendar, leaving you with little room for working out.

During these times, self-criticism can creep in. You may feel frustrated when you miss several workouts in a row, eat too many desserts at your work party or hit snooze far too many times in a week. Negative thoughts like “I’m so lazy” and “I already messed up—why bother eating healthy” may sneak in.  

Try to practice self-compassion. Keeping a positive mindset is an important part of winter wellness. Remind yourself that you’re only human, after all. By treating yourself with kindness through any setbacks or challenges you face, you’ll be more likely to stick with your goals in the long term instead of giving up on them altogether.

#8 Think Progress, Not Perfection (Especially in Winter)

Every workout won’t be your best. Some days, you may just “dial it in” or only have time for a shorter cardio session instead of the long run you were planning on. What matters is that you showed up and still put in effort.

Everybody’s motivation ebbs and flows throughout the year, especially during the cooler months and the holiday season. Just remember to try to stay consistent, count those small wins and create simple exercise routines you know you can stick with. Committing to a daily walk around your neighborhood is much more feasible than pulling yourself out of bed to run for miles in the freezing cold each morning. Every workout you complete is a step in the right direction.

And remember, if you struggle to stay motivated in winter and fall short of your health goals, you can always get back to your healthy lifestyle after the season is over. One slow season doesn’t undo all the effort you have put in.            

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Dietary Goals

Meal Planning for Weight Loss vs. Muscle Gain: A Beginner’s Guide

Whether your goal is to shed body fat or build lean muscle, your nutrition strategy will play a major role in your success. Meal planning for weight loss looks a bit different than meal planning for muscle gain. In this guide, we’ll break down the key nutritional differences between eating for fat loss versus eating for muscle growth – from calories and macronutrients to portion sizes – all in clear, beginner-friendly language. You’ll also learn how Local Foodz can support each goal with customizable meals, portion control, and a variety of menu options. Let’s dig in!

Understanding Your Goals: Fat Loss vs. Muscle Gain

First, it’s important to understand that weight loss and muscle gain are essentially opposite goals in terms of energy balance. Losing weight (specifically body fat) requires taking in fewer calories than you burn (a calorie deficit). Gaining muscle mass typically requires taking in more calories than you burn (a calorie surplus). In other words, you need to eat below your maintenance calories to lose fat, and above maintenance to gain muscle. The exact calorie targets will differ for everyone, but as a rule of thumb:

Calories are the most important factor when it comes to losing or gaining weight. However, the balance of macronutrients – protein, carbohydrates, and fats – in your diet will determine what kind of weight you lose or gain (fat vs. muscle). That’s where meal composition becomes crucial.

Macronutrients: Eating for Fat Loss vs. Muscle Gain

Your body needs a mix of protein, carbs, and fats, but the optimal balance can shift depending on your goal. Here’s a simple breakdown of how to approach macros for weight loss versus muscle gain:

  • Protein: Protein is your best friend in both cases, but especially for fat loss. High protein intake helps preserve muscle tissue during weight loss and keeps you full longer. For muscle building, protein is crucial to repair and build new muscle – you’ll want ample protein daily to support growth.
  • Carbohydrates: Carbs are the body’s main fuel source, especially for workouts. For fat loss, moderate your portions of starchy foods. For muscle gain, carbohydrates become extra important – they provide energy for intense training and help shuttle nutrients to your muscles for recovery.
  • Fats: Dietary fat is essential for hormone production and overall health. In a weight loss plan, include moderate healthy fats but watch the portion sizes since fats are calorie-dense. For muscle gain, include healthy fats to support overall calorie intake without crowding out protein and carbs.

Meal Planning for Weight Loss

When planning meals for fat loss, the aim is to reduce calories while still providing your body with nutrients (and enough protein to maintain muscle). Here are some tips for a weight-loss focused meal plan:

  • Control Portions: Creating a calorie deficit is much easier when you control your portion sizes. Use pre-portioned meals like those from Local Foodz, where each meal comes with a set calorie amount.
  • Prioritize Lean Protein: Include a source of lean protein in every meal. Protein has a high satiety effect, meaning it curbs hunger the most.
  • Fill Up on Vegetables: Vegetables are high in volume and fiber but low in calories – perfect for fat loss.
  • Mind Your Carbs: Choose quality carbs and keep portions moderate.
  • Include Healthy Fats (Moderately): Enjoy foods like avocado, nuts, seeds, or olive oil in small portions.
  • Calorie Guide: Many people will lose weight on somewhere around 1,200–1,800 calories per day. Focus on creating a consistent calorie deficit.

Meal Planning for Muscle Gain

Designing a muscle gain (bulking) meal plan is almost the opposite of weight loss – you need a calorie surplus and plenty of protein and carbs to build new muscle tissue. Key tips for a muscle-building diet:

  • Eat Enough Calories (Surplus): Start with a small surplus, such as 300–500 extra calories per day above your maintenance level.
  • High Protein Intake: A common guideline is around 0.7–1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.
  • Emphasize Quality Carbs: Include generous portions of carbohydrate-rich foods. Nutrient timing – eating carbs and protein soon after your workout – can improve recovery.
  • Include Healthy Fats: Healthy fats like nuts and olive oil add extra calories and support hormone production.
  • Meal Frequency: It may help to eat more frequently when bulking to get all your calories in without feeling overly stuffed.

How Local Foodz Supports Your Nutrition Goals

Local Foodz offers freshly prepared, nutritionally balanced meals with clearly labeled calories and macros. Here’s how we support each goal:

  • Customizable Meal Plans: Choose plans tailored to different dietary needs like low-carb for fat loss or high-protein for muscle building.
  • Precise Portion Control: Meals come portion-controlled with a specific calorie count and macro breakdown.
  • Macro-Balanced Meals: All meals are designed with lean protein, complex carbs, veggies, and healthy fats.
  • Menu Variety and Taste: Enjoy everything from grilled chicken to teriyaki salmon to vegetarian bowls.
  • Convenience: Ready-to-eat, goal-friendly meals make it easier to stay on track.

Local Foodz Menu Examples for Weight Loss and Muscle Gain

Weight Loss-Friendly Options

  • Turkey Chili with White Rice – A hearty but lean dish featuring ground turkey chili (8 oz portion) served with 4 oz of white rice. It’s packed with protein and flavor but comes in around just 430 calories per serving. This is great for fat loss – filling, calorie-controlled, and rich in protein.
  • Beef Bolognese (Lean Pasta Bowl) – A portion-controlled serving of pasta with lean beef tomato sauce, around 420 calories for the whole meal. This balanced dish provides protein from the beef and controlled carbs from the pasta.

Muscle Gain-Friendly Options

  • Mongolian Beef with Rice – This dish features tender beef in a savory sauce (5 oz portion of beef) paired with 5 oz of white rice. It delivers roughly 390 calories in a single plate, along with a hefty dose of protein. Ideal for muscle gain – calorie-dense and loaded with quality carbs.
  • Custom “Double Protein” Meal – Create a plate with 8 oz of grilled chicken breast, a generous serving of brown rice, and roasted vegetables. Our system allows up to 10 oz of chicken breast to pack in more protein and calories. Add cheese or sauce for more calories as needed.

Stay Motivated and Enjoy the Process

Whether you’re working toward a leaner physique or trying to add strength and size, remember that consistency is everything. With Local Foodz, healthy eating becomes convenient and sustainable.

You’ve got this – and Local Foodz is here to help every step of the way. 💪🥦🍽

Sources:

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Dietary Goals

How Local Foodz Helped Me Show Up Better — As a Father and Business Owner

Being a first-time dad to a 10-month-old daughter is one of the greatest joys of my life — but I won’t lie, it’s also one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Add to that the responsibilities of owning and operating a gym, being a personal trainer, and trying to keep things running smoothly both in my business and at home… let’s just say, there were many days I barely had time to cook, let alone clean up afterward.

I was always rushing, always trying to finish something — and most of the time, something had to give. More often than not, it was my own nutrition.

That’s when my good friend Arman told me to check out Local Foodz. He mentioned that he already partnered with them and said, “You’ve gotta talk to the owner. Great guy, great team.” I took his advice and scheduled a visit.

From the moment I stepped into their facility, I could see why Arman spoke so highly of them. Their operations, their systems, the care they put into everything — it actually inspired me to level up, not just with my fitness and nutrition, but also with how I run my own business.

Funny thing is, I had already invested in Local Foodz before meeting them in person. But once I experienced their process firsthand, everything clicked. I realized this wasn’t just another meal prep company — it was something next level.

Before Local Foodz, I tried other meal services, but they were either too slow, tasted like airplane food, or just weren’t sustainable. Local Foodz, though? They’re the Amazon of meal prep — fast, efficient, consistent, and high quality. Their meals taste like something made at home, not mass-produced. They deliver next-day, every time. That reliability alone is a game changer.

Since working with them, I’ve lost 20 pounds and feel healthier, more focused, and way more present — both at the gym and at home with my daughter.

Here’s what I learned: You can work as hard as you want in the gym, but if you’re not investing in your nutrition and your time, you’re making it way harder than it needs to be.

If you’re a busy parent, a business owner, or just someone trying to stay consistent with your health goals, I highly recommend checking out Local Foodz. You’re not just buying meals — you’re buying back time, energy, and peace of mind.

And trust me — that’s one of the best investments you can make.

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Dietary Goals

Bouncing Back to Healthy Living After the Holidays

It’s time for the 2026 reset! Those cookie platters and mugs of eggnog from December don’t have to leave you riding sugar crashes into the new year. Of course, bouncing back with eating and exercise after the holidays can be hard. Weight gain and a general sense of sluggishness can leave you feeling unmotivated. First, don’t feel bad. Research shows that most people gain weight over the holidays. The only real problem we have to worry about is allowing the “pound here and there” to accumulate. For example, gaining a single pound every holiday season for 20 years without taking it off in January means that you may find yourself 20 pounds heavier down the road. Here’s a peek at how to plan your post-holiday comeback if you overindulged over the past few months.

1. Don’t Try to “Undo” the Damage by Skipping Meals

If you have some regrets about your holiday eating habits, don’t dwell on them. Some people will try to drastically reverse their holiday overindulgences by going on “starvation” diets in January. This can backfire for your health, wellness, and weight. Research shows that restricting food has been linked with increases in food cravings and binge eating. Skipping meals doesn’t just make a person miserable. Research linking skipping meals with weight gain may mean that it’s also wildly counterproductive.

A 2021 study on associations of skipping breakfast, lunch, and dinner with weight and obesity in university students found that skipping dinner is a significant predictor of weight gain and obesity. The reality is that it’s much smarter to simply be intentional about eating when you’re trying to bounce back from the holidays. By remaining satiated with help from healthy, whole foods, you can stay on track with your plans to lose weight or regain energy after feeling “less than healthy” at the end of the year.

2. Discover New Foods

One of the hardest parts about resetting your diet at the beginning of the year is that you’re going from yummy holiday foods to “bland” everyday foods. That’s why January is a great month for spicing things up with your diet. Consider skipping your usual diet in favor of discovering new foods.

What does this look like in practical terms? Let’s say you’re someone who reverts back to boiled chicken or plain egg whites when you want to be disciplined with your eating. It’s easy to see why you might struggle to stick to these types of foods after you’ve spent a few weeks enjoying sugary, buttery, and flavorful foods during the holidays. A good strategy might be to integrate more flavorful and exotic foods into your diet that still offer many of the same benefits as your bland go-to foods. In fact, a varied diet full of new flavors could actually provide better nutrition that gives you a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants compared to what you usually eat.

Need some ideas? Swap a plain egg white for a crispy egg white frittata with some broccoli that adds texture. If you’re craving a little more, just think of how exciting it would be to wake up to an egg white scramble made with roasted veggies and chipotle lime crema instead.

3. Plan Workouts You Enjoy

Does the thought of getting back to the gym feel painful at this point? It’s easy to lose touch with that lift we get from feel-good hormones during workouts when we’ve been away from the gym for a few weeks during the holidays. It might be time to reignite your passion for working out by adding in a new activity you can look forward to when getting out of the house on a chilly day doesn’t seem very appealing. In fact, getting in on one of the latest fitness trends could help you to feel excited about getting active this winter. Here are some ideas to help you burn calories and improve cardiovascular health after a season of indulging has left you feeling out of shape:

  • Sign up for a local pickleball club. This is the ultimate indoor activity that gives you that summertime pep in your step during the colder months of the year.
  • Consider upgrading your gym membership to include boxing classes or aerobics sessions.
  • Look up walking paths near your office that provide scenic opportunities to get some steps in during your lunch break.
  • Splurge on a “smart” home gym experience that allows you to enjoy guided workouts virtually.


4. Focus on Portion Sizes

It’s easy to lose sight of what a normal portion looks like when we’ve been eating from platters or going back for seconds for weeks. Did you know that research shows that people will actually eat more food when they’re offered large portions? In fact, the phenomenon is so prevalent that researchers have actually created a term called the portion size effect (PSE)to describe it.

The PSE is why eating at restaurants can actually be tricky for some people. While you wouldn’t necessarily pile your plate high at home, you will dig in to the full portion when it’s offered at a restaurant. Unfortunately, swearing off restaurants can be hard for busy people who don’t often have time to prepare balanced meals at home. That’s one of the reasons why meal delivery systems are so popular. With meal delivery, you get to enjoy perfect portions that are meant to satiate you without creating pressure to clean a plate that’s simply too big. There’s never anxiety about waste because you’re getting an appropriate portion that you can finish without worrying about keeping track of how much you’re eating. The best part is that another preplanned, perfectly portioned meal will be waiting when you’re ready to eat again.

5. Make Friends With Protein and Fiber

Influencers may be encouraging you to do outrageous detox plans to get back on track after the holidays. Unfortunately, detoxes can leave you depleted, zapped of energy, and hungrier than ever. A better option than detoxing is actually to fill up on gut-friendly protein and fiber. Fiber and protein are amazing together because they help you to feel full while also assisting with digestion and gut health. That’s important if you’ve noticed tummy troubles since the holidays. Sugar actually changes the ecosystem within the gut. Excessive sugar intake can disrupt the intestinal barrier to increase gut permeability. That’s why you might be noticing gas, indigestion, food sensitivities, and a decreased immune system if you overdid it with cookies, cakes, treats, or sugary beverages over the holidays.

Fiber plays an important role in healing and protecting the gut. When consumed, dietary fiber is fermented by the human gut microbiota in order to produce beneficial microbial metabolites. What’s more, high dietary fiber consumption is associated with increased gut microbiota diversity and lower long-term weight gain. Many people find that consuming fiber with their meals allows them to feel full longer. Fiber can be a real cravings buster. Protein-rich foods can also help to extend feelings of fullness and fight cravings. Research shows that protein helps to increase satiety.

6. Leave the “Guilt” Mindset Behind

Bouncing back from a holiday eating fest is about starting fresh! There’s no need to feel shame, guilt, or regret when looking back on your eating habits during the last few weeks of the year. Leading a balanced life means leaving room to indulge when you’re kicking back for some well-deserved relaxation after a long year. If you’re having trouble letting go of food-related guilt, let science be your guide. It’s proven that holding on to guilt about food can actually make it harder to get in shape.

Researchers know that guilt is a profound motivator. However, it may not motivate you in the right direction if the goal is to get healthy. When examining the effects of guilt on reaching weight-loss goals, researchers found that guilt did not have any motivational properties. Participants who associated indulging in chocolate cake with guilt did not have stronger motivations to eat healthy compared to participants who associated eating the cake with celebration. In fact, people who associated the cake with guilty feelings reported lower levels of perceived behavioral control over eating. They were also less successful at maintaining their weight over an 18-month period. Consider this your permission to stop feeling guilty about holiday eating activities!

Get Ready for Your Healthiest Year Ever

Going into the new year with a plan for staying in control of your eating habits can set you up to be feeling your best a year from now! If you’re struggling with knowing where to start, consider removing the confusion and hassle of meal planning by signing up for a meal delivery service. LocalFoodz offers healthy food delivery throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area. Select a meal plan menu, build a rotating weekly meal plan, or simply pick your favorites from our à la carte menu. Start planning your year of healthy eating now!

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Fitness

Can Weight Lifting Help Heal Trauma?

Former competitive weight lifter and personal trainer Laura Khoudari turned to weight lifting to help her cope with trauma. Let’s take a look at how it can help.

In her book “Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time,” former competitor Laura Khoudari details the benefits that she got from strength training after experiencing a trauma that left her with PTSD symptoms.

So, is lifting the best way to unburden yourself from a heavy emotional load? It turns out that weight lifting can do more than just keep you physically fit. It may also play an important role in mental and emotional fitness. Researchers have found that weight lifting can actually help people to deal with trauma.

While the official term for using weight lifting as part of a wellness plan in collaboration with a professional is called trauma-informed weight lifting, the truth is that anyone can tap into the potential benefits of lifting to overcome powerful emotional hurdles. The idea of lifting for mental health isn’t all that radical once you consider the relationship between physical activity and mental health.

A 2019 study found that three weeks of high-intensity resistance exercise is a feasible intervention for post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS) reduction in non-treatment-seeking adults who screen positive for PTSD and anxiety.

Is it time to find a new way to handle trauma that is limiting what you can enjoy, experience, and accomplish in your life? Learning about the ways that lifting helps to rewire the mind and body is the first step.

Take a look at the role weight lifting can play in healing trauma.

Understanding the Physical Effects of Trauma on the Body

While many people connect the idea of trauma with things that are happening in the brain, the truth is that trauma is often a whole-body experience with whole-body aftershocks. When we’re in a state of dealing with trauma, the nervous system is overtaxed. As a result, it becomes less resilient against stressors. This should sound relatable to anyone who has ever dealt with trauma.

When trauma responses kick in, it can be difficult to focus on tasks, relationships, personal hygiene, and other life responsibilities. It’s also very common to experience pain, sickness, low energy, digestive issues, and general feelings of being unwell when in a state of trauma response.

While it may be tempting to dismiss these symptoms as simply being psychological responses that begin in your head, the reality of trauma is that it depletes the nervous system to the point where people are much more likely to be susceptible to pain, illness, and injury.

Trauma doesn’t necessarily have to be “fresh” to create intense pain response in the body. Researchers have known for a long time that there’s a distinct connection between adverse childhood response and chronic pain.

Why Is Weight Lifting Such a Powerful Tool for Managing Trauma?

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto

The key behind why weight lifting is such a powerful tool for managing trauma comes down to resilience. Trauma is often closely linked with feelings of helplessness. A person who is in the midst of a trauma response may feel that they are not safe. They may also feel powerfulness against the thoughts, fears, and vulnerabilities that surround them. In addition, people with trauma often feel disconnected from their bodies. In some cases, dissociation serves as a defense mechanism for trauma survivors to escape the discomfort and uncertainty of being present in their own bodies. Weight lifting can help to address many of the core needs of people suffering with trauma.

Mindfulness

While it’s easy to think of the brawn associated with weight lifting, the truth is that lifting is actually a mindfulness activity at its core. During a lifting session, awareness, vagal tone, and parasympathetic nervous system activation are heightened. Weight lifting forces a person to focus on the present state of their body in a way that helps many people to reach a state of self-regulation that they can’t easily reach on their own.

People who lift weights must pay attention to the feeling of every muscle fiber, skin cell, and nerve involved in the process. In fact, being completely attentive during weight lifting is essentially “forced” simply because paying attention is essential for safety.

For someone who has spent time disconnecting from their body, this can be a very centering experience. Weights make a person aware of their body in an undeniable way. For instance, a person who has experienced abuse or violence may unknowingly walk around disconnected from the areas of the body that were involved in the abuse experience.

When a person interacts with a weight or barbell, they are often able to reconnect with that part of the body while coming from a place of strength instead of reacting from a place of helplessness. In many ways, weight lifting can be a reclaiming of bodily autonomy for people who have felt violated.

The lack of distraction required during weight lifting can also have a very centering effect. People dealing with trauma will often use distractions to try to avoid the emotions, thoughts, and sensations that cause discomfort. A lifting session provides an opportunity to focus intensely on a single task without any distractions.

Resilience

Lifting in a trauma-informed way also fosters resilience. Many people with trauma feel weak. While lifting may feel intimidating at first, it’s actually the difficulty of this task that creates the reward of confidence. The truth is that every person can benefit from trying new things. That’s because the thrill of getting over fear and reluctance to try something new triggers a rush of endorphins and dopamine. This fact alone is a good enough reason to try out lifting if you’re struggling with trauma. However, trauma-informed lifting provides the added benefit of increasing a person’s sense of agency.

For someone struggling with trauma, the empowerment that comes from using their body in a powerful way to achieve something hard helps the brain to rewire itself to create positive relational connections with the self.

Lifting as part of a trauma-focused group of people who have gathered together to empower one another can increase the benefits of these positive connections by extending them to include others. People who have struggled with “opening up” to others may find that the bonding experience of lifting while vulnerable in a group helps them to feel more connected to others again.

Of course, the actual physical strength that is gained through continual lifting has all kinds of implications. First, many people suffering from trauma find that watching their bodies become physically stronger through lifting helps them to turn their bodies into manifestations of self-trust.

Rediscovery of Goals and Curiosity

Photo by Gleb Krasnoborov

For someone who has been living in survival mode due to trauma, the idea of being curious, ambitious, or driven by goals can seem foreign. Trauma sufferers have often lived so long in a state of merely trying to avoid triggers that they abandon all of the optimistic, vulnerable, and future-focused aspects of life. Lifting can give those things back to them.

Purpose

Knowing that you’re expected at the gym can be an incredible motivation for showing up. When people make lifting a priority, they are driven by a purpose that can be seen, felt, and measured. Having a sense of purpose isn’t just about feel-good Hallmark sentiments. According to research, purpose is actually a matter of survival. A study published in 2019 found that having a sense of purpose is linked with a lower risk of death.

Should You Consider Weight Lifting for Trauma Healing?

There’s some really promising work being done right now on the relationship between trauma healing and weight lifting. However, lifting shouldn’t be seen as a “cure” for trauma that should replace any of the existing work you’re doing with a trauma-informed therapist. It’s also important for people to avoid placing pressure on themselves that will leave them feeling as though they’re doing something “wrong” if lifting doesn’t work for them. It’s not a replacement for therapy.

The reality is that a lifting session at the local gym is not enough to unfurl years of deep trauma that have drastically altered your nervous system. However, trauma-informed lifting can be part of a process of healing that allows a person to help regain resiliency and self-trust by connecting with their body in a positive, mindful way.

Finally, it’s important to have realistic goals when going into lifting. You should know that it can take people years of training to reach goal weights. Always prioritize your health and wellness above “wins” in the gym.

If you’ll be changing your workout routine as part of a wellness plan for your mental health, make sure your dietary habits are up to speed with your new needs. That means lots of healthy fats, lean proteins, leafy greens, fruits, and legumes. In addition, you’ll need to keep your hydration levels on pace with the new demands you’re placing on your body. Make a plan to compensate for all fluids lost by your body through sweat with extra water. Preparing for healing through lifting can be an important part of the self-care aspect of the process!

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Dietary Goals

Changing Plans for a Changing Body: Pushing Past Your Weight Loss Plateau

No, your weight plateau isn’t all in your head. It’s also not necessarily a reflection of your effort. However, you still have the power to turn it around.

Plateauing can be one of the most frustrating aspects of weight loss. In fact, the plateau period is considered a “danger zone” in a weight loss journey because many people abandon their regiments after feeling like all of their efforts are “for nothing.”

The good news is that there are ways to keep your mind, heart, and body in the game even when plateaus slow you down.

Here’s a simple guide to pushing past plateaus when trying to lose weight.

Why Do Plateaus Happen During Weight Loss?

Plateaus can feel incredibly frustrating because they occur after what seems like a successful start. Suddenly, the brakes get hit on consistent weight loss. All of your “old tricks” stop working. Why? One theory is that weight plateaus happen because your body has finally “caught on” to your plan to lose weight. Your body then adjusts to protect itself against further weight loss. However, some researchers reject this explanation. They chalk weight plateaus up to the fact that most people begin to relax their diet plans after a few months. There’s also the glycogen explanation.

What does glycogen have to do with weight plateaus?

During the first few weeks of cutting calories, it’s very common to see rapid drops in weight. This phenomenon happens because the body is getting the energy it needs by releasing your stores of a carbohydrate called glycogen found in the muscles and liver. Something interesting about glycogen is that it releases water when it’s burned for energy. This is precisely why a lot of the “weight” that is lost very early on during a diet is actually water weight. However, this isn’t why weight loss eventually plateaus. The reason for the plateau has to do with the fact that you lose both fat and muscle when glycogen is burned. Muscle burns more calories than fat. That means that inevitable losses in muscle mass that stem from weight loss will actually begin to slow your metabolism over time, even if you’re sticking to the same diet that helped you to seamlessly drop those initial pounds.

What does this mean for your weight loss journey? It’s time for a pivot. For some people, the answer may be to stick to the same approach to maintain weight loss instead of trying to lose more weight. Others may feel that they want to keep on going. This may require you to increase physical activity, decrease calories, or do some combination of both.

Pushing Past Plateaus: Practical Tips for Continuing to Lose Weight

The good news is that you are unlikely to go backward in your weight loss as long as you stick to the regimen that helped you reach your plateau weight. The big thing is to avoid the temptation to allow the frustration of a plateau to cause you to backslide. There are also many changes you can introduce into your current plan that will help you bust through the walls of your plateau to resume weight loss. Take a look!

#1 Confirm That a Plateau Is Really a Plateau

The first step is to do an audit of recent habits to verify that you’re experiencing an authentic plateau instead of simply seeing the results caused by relaxing your habits. Research shows that “off-and-on” loosening of diet and exercise plans can contribute to plateaus. If your weight loss has slowed down due to poor habits, you may only need to establish a goal of getting back on track with the rules you were following.

#2 Reduce Calories

You may not need the same amount of calories you needed in the beginning if you’ve lost fat and muscle. Of course, calories should never be restricted to dangerous levels. Eating fewer than 1,200 (women) to 1,500 (men) calories per day is too low for most people and can result in various adverse side effects, including headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Also, less than 1200 calories may not be enough to keep you from constant hunger. However, reducing food intake if your calorie needs have changed can help you get past a plateau. 

How do you know if your calorie needs have changed? It is a good idea to calculate your today daily energy expenditure. There are many online calculators you can use to calculate TDEE. These will give you an idea of how many calories you need to consume to lose weight at your current activity level. You can create a calorie deficit by subtracting from this number.

Photo by cottonbro

Reducing isn’t always recommended for fighting plateaus for one simple reason. If your calorie intake is already consistent with your TDEE for weight loss, then the plateau may just be temporary. In that case, the focus should instead be on relying more and more on healthy, nutrient-dense foods that allow you to feel satisfied, provide energy for workouts, and make it easier to avoid “snack traps” caused by feeling famished. Make sure you’re giving your body food it can use instead of packing in food that can easily be stored as fat.

#3 Increase Your Workouts

Most experts agree that ramping up exercise is one of the best ways to get over a plateau. It’s not just about exercising more. Switching to more intense forms of exercise can help you get more dramatic results without a more considerable time commitment. A person who usually walks or jogs might consider high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts instead. Weightlifting can also be an excellent way to push past a plateau because building muscle will put you in a position to burn more calories. It might also be time to simply think about ways to live a more active lifestyle that builds more “natural” exercise into your daily life. This can mean ditching the car in favor of a bike during the morning commute, taking a walk during your lunch break, or scheduling an extra gym session into your daily plan.

#4 Get Enough Sleep

Yes, poor sleep can sabotage your weight loss plans! In studies, consistent amounts of adequate sleep were linked with improved weight loss outcomes. Sleep deprivation can lead to an increase in the production of a hormone called ghrelin, which is often referred to as the “hunger hormone.” An increase in ghrelin is why we are often compelled to reach for “comfort foods” after a night of poor sleep. While improving sleep quality and duration is the most important way to fight off the effects of ghrelin, it’s also essential to have high-protein, satisfying breakfast options waiting for you on those mornings when you know you’re going to be waking up to a feeling of deep hunger.

#5 Reduce Stress

Taking steps to reduce chronic stress can help you to reach your weight loss goals more quickly. In fact, research links stress with obesity. Managing stress can help you to avoid the phenomenon of “stress eating” that causes so many people to absentmindedly grab for chips, candy, or soda when stressful meetings, tight deadlines, or conflict throw the central nervous system into a tailspin.

Photo by energepic.com

Reducing stress isn’t always easy when so many external factors are at play. However, practicing meditation techniques, taking daily walks, and avoiding high-sugar foods that spike blood sugar can all help you to maintain a sense of calm that stops spiking stress hormones from throwing your body out of whack.

#6 Add More Fiber to Your Diet

Fiber has been credited with helping people to break through weight loss plateaus. Soluble fiber is beneficial because it helps to slow down the movement of food through your digestive system to help you feel fuller longer. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are all great sources of soluble fiber. However, the list of superstar foods for soluble fiber includes oats, avocados, chia seeds, flax seeds, and black beans.

A Plateau Isn’t the End of the Story

Don’t let a plateau stop you in your tracks. A weight loss plateau shouldn’t be seen as an obstacle. It should instead be viewed as a signal that it’s time to readjust your method to give your body an updated plan for what it needs for this next leg of your fitness journey. It’s more than possible to emerge from a plateau stronger, fitter, and more determined than ever before. Of course, moving forward fully prepared to fight off the cravings that cause most people to get crushed by plateaus is the most important thing you can do. Meal preparation that anticipates your needs is essential for getting the fuel needed to stay the course, thrive in your daily life, and avoid letting a plateau turn into a full backslide into your former habits.

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Dietary Goals

How to Lower Insulin Levels Naturally for Weight Loss

Woman stepping on scale

Do you feel like you are doing everything you can but are still not losing weight? Wondering what is going on? The answer might have to do with insulin.

Insulin could be what is preventing you from reaching your weight loss goal. Most people completely overlook insulin in weight loss because they assume that it’s something that only people living with diabetes need to worry about. Nothing could be further from the truth. Insulin is something that anyone who is trying to lose weight needs to pay attention to.

What Does Insulin Have To Do With Weight Loss?

Insulin is a hormone that’s produced in the pancreas. The role of insulin is to regulate the body’s blood glucose levels. When your insulin levels rise, any fat burning that your body is doing stops. The release of insulin encourages the storage of your incoming calories. Typically, the body will resort to storing those new calories as fat.

Why is this a problem if you’re trying to lose weight?

The constant signal to store fat from incoming food means that the body never gets a chance to begin burning off its own stored fat.

Which foods make insulin levels spike? Typically, foods high in carbohydrates are the worst culprits for elevating insulin levels. Being strategic with your blood sugar when planning meals can be a great way to ensure that insulin levels stay stable. Besides helping the body burn fat, stable insulin levels will also help you avoid the highs and lows of sugar crashes.

Let’s take a look at some tips for how to lower insulin levels for weight loss.

The First Step: Know Which Foods to Avoid

Which foods make insulin levels spike? First, it’s essential to know that an insulin-minded diet doesn’t necessarily have to be a “no carbohydrate” diet. It’s all about balancing your diet with the right types of carbohydrates to avoid spikes. Pairing carbs and protein can help you stay fuller longer without your body “holding on” to the energy instead of burning it off.

Generally, you’re trying to avoid any foods that have what is referred to as a high glycemic index when planning your meals. Having a high glycemic index means that a food is digested very quickly and easily by the body. You can understand what that means by thinking about how quickly you’re famished again after polishing off a big, fluffy wheat muffin for breakfast.

Some foods that are known to raise insulin levels include:

  • White grains. These include white bread, pancakes, muffins, bagels, pastries, and pasta. Choose whole-grain foods instead.
  • Sugary, sweet juices and sodas. Even diet sodas can be problematic as some sweeteners in diet soda have been found to cause insulin spikes in the blood.
  • Refined carbohydrates. Consuming too many refined carbohydrates can raise insulin levels. Examples of these include pizza, white rice, and breakfast cereals. 
  • Foods with added sugars. Avoid things like pies, cakes, cookies, and donuts.
  • Limit fast food. Popular foods from places like McDonald’s and Wendy’s often have high levels of sugar and saturated fats, which cause insulin levels to shoot up quickly.
  • Avoid large servings of starchy vegetables. Examples of these types of vegetables include potatoes and corn.

Generally, most kinds of candy, cookies, and desserts contain high levels of carbohydrates and sugars. Even some foods that are naturally insulin-friendly foods can cause spikes if they are prepared using sugar and additives. An excellent example of this would be anything ordered off the menu at a fast-food restaurant. While a grilled hamburger with some potatoes might be great for keeping insulin levels stable in a normal situation, the way that fast food is prepared means that everything from the bun to the burger probably contains high amounts of sugar.

Of course, cutting out refined carbohydrates doesn’t mean you have to only eat protein. There’s room in an insulin-friendly diet for tons of vegetables, fruits, dairy products, coffee drinks, and other things you don’t want to live without.

Be Aware of the Sleep Connection

Woman sleeping
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

Did you know that sleep deprivation causes blood sugar to increase? Most people don’t know this! The spike in blood sugar that happens when we don’t get enough sleep leads to increased insulin secretion. If you’re struggling with weight management, the problem may have at least some connection to your sleep schedule. Most people need anywhere between seven and nine hours of uninterrupted sleep every night to function at their optimal capacity.

Just a single night of sleep deprivation can induce insulin resistance in healthy subjects, according to a 2010 study. It’s crucial to guard your sleep as though your health depends on it.

While it’s very common for people to try to “steal back” hours by staying up late, the truth is that sleep deprivation makes all of the work you’re doing with dieting and exercise less effective. Claiming time for sleep helps to make the time you spend on your health create more significant results.

Embrace the Low-Carb Life

Carbohydrates are an essential source of energy. Research has shown that following a low-carb diet can help reduce insulin levels. However, carb-heavy foods can raise insulin levels quite dramatically. Eating low-carb foods can also help decrease hunger, helping you feel satiated and making losing weight easier. 

Low carb diets have other benefits that go beyond lowering insulin levels. There is evidence that low-carb diets may help reduce cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease. One large study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, examined the impact of a low-carb diet on the risk of heart disease in people who were overweight and obese. Study participants who ate a low-carb meal plan showed significant improvements in their cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Tip for going low-carb: The critical thing to remember is that any diet that you follow has to be sustainable for the long term. It’s essential to avoid plans that are too restrictive. Choose healthy meals that you enjoy eating that consist of plenty of protein and healthy fats.

Exercise Regularly

Athlete stretching
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Yes, exercise is terrific for regulating insulin levels naturally. Most of us know we should exercise using cardio and strength training several times per week to burn calories and build muscle. However, what many people don’t realize is that exercise can help with weight loss beyond these two benefits.

During exercise, the body burns a form of glucose called glycogen stored in the muscles. The body then needs to restore glycogen levels following exercise. It gets that new glycogen by taking glucose stores from the bloodstream in a way that helps to improve insulin sensitivity. The benefits increase as exercise intensity increases! Some great ways to balance insulin levels for weight loss include walking, running, resistance training, and strength training.

The Bottom Line on How To Lower Insulin Levels Naturally for Weight Loss

Focusing on insulin when planning your diet just means looking at your diet from a hormone-based perspective. Knowing how to lower insulin levels for weight loss requires awareness of how different foods affect the body. Ideally, you’re focusing on foods that help to stabilize blood sugar levels instead of creating constant spikes.

💡Important To Remember: Refined carbohydrates create a constant cycle of spikes and falls that can cause you to eat more than intended. That’s because spikes cause us to go from feeling full to feeling famished with very little “stabilization” in the middle.

How To Avoid Refined Carbohydrates

One of the best ways to avoid excessive refined carbs is to plan your meals ahead of time.

It’s easy to reach for what’s easy and delicious when we are hungry. This fact is especially true when it’s time to finally think about dinner after a long work day. Carbohydrate-heavy foods are easy to prepare quickly. However, they don’t offer the benefits of whole grains, lean protein, and leafy greens that you get from a carefully balanced meal.

If you’re worried about the connection between insulin and weight loss, it may be time to consider creating a formalized meal plan to get your body in the right cycle for burning fat instead of storing it. One way to get on track is by using meal prep to enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options offering perfectly balanced nutrition. Waking up to a filling, protein-rich breakfast bowl instead of feeling like you have to reach for sugary cereal can set the pace for a completely different kind of day!

Lastly, it’s important to remember that “hacking” your insulin levels to lose weight isn’t just an issue of vanity. It’s truly a matter of getting your body in optimal condition to burn fat, have more energy, and feel better than ever. Plus, the same benefits that help you to lose weight when you’re taking insulin into consideration will help you to reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

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Lifestyle

Why Strength Training is Vital as We Age

Strength training can help keep you healthy and strong for many years. Here’s how.

Stronger with age should be everyone’s motto. Focusing on staying strong into your golden years isn’t an issue of vanity. Fitness is necessary at every age to maintain the strength we need to stay healthy, active, and capable. There’s simply no expiration date on enjoying our bodies. Science supports this. In fact, researchers on aging have pinpointed resistance training as one of the most important factors for healthy aging.

How Aging Affects Our Bodies

Aging affects our bodies in various ways. Here are some common changes that you can expect as you age.

Loss of Balance

As we get older, we experience a loss of balance. Somewhere around the age of 40 to 50, our balance begins to decline. That is due to several factors, including changes in the inner ear, loss of coordination, and eyesight problems.

Loss of Muscle

We know that lean muscle mass naturally reduces with age. In fact, age-related loss of muscle mass is called sarcopenia. We begin to lose 3% to 5% of muscle mass per decade after age 30. The average person can expect to lose roughly 30 percent of their muscle mass during their lifetime.

Decreased Range of Motion

The range of motion in our joints also decreases with age. Between the ages of 55 and 86, we lose approximately six degrees of flexibility per decade in the hips and shoulders. That is mainly due to changes in muscles and connective tissue.

Why Strength Training?

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

The conversation about strength training often focuses on all the ways that strength training can help you to stay looking fit and attractive as you age. This is certainly a big perk. However, it’s not the only motivation for challenging your muscles. Strength training also offers a myriad of whole-health benefits that can help you to prevent disease and dysfunction. Research suggests that strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of a number of chronic conditions that tend to progress with age. This includes back pain, obesity, arthritis, heart disease, and depression. Here’s a roundup of the life-enhancing benefits of strength training:

Builds Lean Muscle Mass

While losing muscle mass is considered a natural part of aging, it’s not necessarily an unavoidable part of aging. Strength training is one of many tools for preventing muscle loss with age. Nutrition can also play a role in staving off dreaded age-related muscle loss. People can preserve lean muscle while maintaining strength and energy levels using high-protein diets. Healthy, lean proteins from both animal and plant sources are incredible for fitting in the protein needed to maximize muscle protein synthesis.

Stronger Bones

According to a 2018 study on the effects of resistance exercise on bone health, resistance training may be one of the best ways to improve bone and muscle loss in both the middle-aged and older population. Multiple studies confirm that strength training can help to slow bone loss. There’s also evidence that strength training can help us to build bone. Another study on the effects of progressive resistance training on bone density found that this form of exercise offers the benefit of influencing multiple risk factors for osteoporosis.

Better Weight Management

As you get older, it gets harder to lose weight. Your body doesn’t respond to weight-control efforts in the same way. That is because age-related changes, like a slowing down of your metabolism, can make it harder to lose weight. Strength training can help you lose weight or more easily maintain a healthy weight by increasing muscle mass, which leads to more efficient calorie burning.

Enhanced Quality of Life

According to a 2019 study on the effect of resistance training on health-related quality of life in older adults, strength training can significantly increase quality of life scores. One of the biggest reasons strength training increases the quality of life is that it allows older adults to continue doing everyday activities.

Prevents Joint Injuries

Strength training’s positive influence on the musculoskeletal system can help you to prevent joint injuries. Strength exercises can also help to promote growth and vitality in connective tissue, ligaments, tendons, bones, and cartilage.

Reduces the Risk of Falls

Dangerous falls can occur due to loss of balance as we age. Strength exercises that contribute to better balance can cut your risk of being injured by a slip or fall. In addition, exercise helps your reflexes to stay sharper.

Cognitive Boost

“Strength training can help protect the brain from degeneration,” according to data released in 2020. A long-term study found that strength training led to overall benefits to cognitive performance among Alzheimer’s patients. What’s really interesting is that strength training is specifically credited with protecting specific regions within the hippocampus that are associated with both Alzheimer’s and cognitive impairment from degeneration. This may mean that strength exercises can improve learning and memory.

Better Sleep

Better sleep is something anyone of any age can appreciate. Data shared with the American Heart Association by researchers at Iowa State University found that regular resistance training exercises helped with staying asleep longer and falling asleep faster. Plus participants who participated in strength training felt more rested and refreshed the next day compared to those who did not work out, as well as those who just did aerobic exercises. It turns out that counting reps may be more effective than counting sheep when it comes to improving sleep quality.

Is Strength Training or Cardio Better?

Photo by Centre for Ageing Better from Pexels

Both strength training and cardio are essential for fitness as we age. Cardio improves cardiac functioning, which is really important as heart disease is the number one cause of death for both women and men in the United States.

However, strength training is equally important as we age. Lifting weights can improve cognitive functioning, mobility, as well as our metabolic health. Plus, resistance also helps improve cardiovascular health, as well. One study found that lifting weights for just one hour each week reduced the risk of a heart attack or stroke by as much as 70 percent.

Studies have also found that strength training helps boost confidence and motivation in older adults. This can make it much more likely that we even will show up at the gym.

What Age Should You Start With Strength Training?

Hint: It’s never too early or too late.

Saying that strength training is crucial as we age isn’t the same as saying that strength training should wait until the signs of aging creep in. There is no start date for strength training that’s better than today. That’s because all of the benefits of strength training that help older adults to enjoy strength and vitality can help you to start filling up your vitality piggy bank today if you’re still 20, 30, or 40.

It’s also never too late to start strength training to your fitness routine. Research has found that older individuals with no strength training experience are able to effectively build muscle. So, even if you have never tried strength training before, you can still get the benefits. It’s just important to make sure you are training safely.

Tips for Strength Training Safely for Older Adults

Here are a few safety tips to keep in mind when doing strength training exercises for seniors.

  • Talk to your doctor first. Your physician can help you identify the right strength training program for you. They can advise you on any modifications that you may need to make.
  • Start light. Start with the smallest amount of weight that you can. Increase your weight as you get stronger.
  • Aim for at least three days per week. Ideally, you should aim for at least three days of strength training per week. Alternate the days that you perform strength training with cardio.
  • Be gentle on your joints. Gradually ease into strength training. Never stress your joints to the point where it hurts.
  • Give your body plenty of time to recover. As you get older, it takes longer to recover. Give your body plenty of time to rest between strength training sessions.
  • Watch out for pain. It’s normal to expect a little muscle soreness after strength training but you should not feel pain. If the exercises are causing pain, stop and talk to your doctor.

A Note on Nutrition

Proper nutrition is essential when it comes to strength training. Make sure you are fueling your body with the right nutrients and minerals. Food prep can make it easy to make sure you are on track with the proper nutrients and lean protein sources needed to support your body through strength-training sessions.

Related article: How Good Nutrition Supports Athletic Performance

Final Thoughts

It’s impossible to ignore the unique benefits that strength training offers for both the mind and body as we age. Strength training is part of a “whole package” lifestyle that includes being aware of what your body needs with age, staying active, and staying prepared with healthy meals.

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Fitness

Here’s the Real Secret to Finding the Motivation to Work Out

Okay, so you know that you should go to the gym. You’ve heard about the many benefits of exercise. New research even suggests that it can even ward off depression. There’s a whole laundry list of reasons to hit the gym. However, sometimes we find that the last thing that we want to do is work out. Despite the money spent on a gym membership thinking it would provide the motivation to hit the treadmill hard every day, we might find that we only set foot inside a couple of times. In fact, many of us can think of a million things we’d rather do, and none involve a treadmill.

Love It or Hate It

If those of us with an unused gym membership exist on one end of the spectrum, on the other end you’ll find those who can’t seem to live without the gym. They talk about how exercise gives them a “Runner’s High.” For them, exercise seems to be addictive. They don’t give being active a second thought. It’s just something they do every day without even thinking about it. You have read dozens of articles on how to develop workout motivation. You’ve tried all of the tips. Yet, nothing is working. So, how come exercise motivation comes so easily for some people and not others?

Most online articles that give advice on workout motivation contain good information. But, they miss the mark when it comes to workout motivation. As someone who has spent years studying motivation and has also been a certified fitness instructor, I truly understand why workout motivation comes easy for some people and not others.

Finding the motivation to work out consistently really comes from making it a part of your daily life. That is the key to getting and staying motivated when it comes to working out.

First, Choose Something You Love

Photo by Andres Ayrton from Pexels

This seems easy enough. But, how many times do you hear people talk about begrudgingly going to the gym like it’s some form of punishment? If you don’t enjoy it, you won’t be motivated to do it. You don’t have to be happy doing it all the time, but it should be something that leaves you feeling good on most days.

There’s tons of advice on exploring new types of fun new activities. You might be told to try pilates or join a workout class. But what one person enjoys might be boring or torturous for the next. Our personalities and interests largely impact the kind of fitness activity that we will enjoy long term.

People who are extroverted may feel at home in a group fitness or dance class, while a person who is introverted may enjoy solitary early morning runs. Whatever it is, it has to be something that you enjoy. You may have to try many different types of movement. The thing is to keep trying until you find something you genuinely enjoy.

Then, Make it Easy

The first piece of the puzzle when it comes to workout motivation is choosing something that you love. The second piece is finding a way to make it easy to do the type of workout you like. You have to incorporate daily movement into your life in a way that is seamless. It must become a part of your daily schedule or routine. This is called automaticity.

Automaticity refers to the idea of doing something automatically, without thinking. It’s like remembering to brush your teeth every day. It’s not hard because you are used to doing it every day.  A research study conducted by fitness giant Les Mills found that automaticity is the key to sticking to a workout routine. In the study, participants were divided into two groups of people. One group was comprised of people who are regular exercisers. They worked out on average 150 minutes per week over the last ten years. The second group consisted of people who rarely worked out. The critical difference between those who worked out regularly and those who didn’t was automaticity. All of the participants, 100 percent in the active group, said that exercise is part of their routine. Among the inactive participants, more than 92 percent said that fitness was NOT a regular part of their routine.

So, how can you make exercise automatic? A part of your daily routine? Here are some tips.

#1 Find A Time that Suits Your Internal Clock 

Some articles suggest working out first thing in the morning. They say that people who work out first thing in the morning are more likely to follow a fitness program — that’s it’s all about finding the willpower to just do it. If you are not a morning person, this simply won’t work for you.

For those who are NOT early birds, advice to wake up early to get in some gym time won’t work. Some people are just genetically programmed to not function at their best early in the morning. There are hundreds of genes that influence whether a person prefers mornings or evenings. Trying to go against your genetics will get you nowhere. You’ll just end up feeling like a failure when you’re unable to pull yourself out of bed for those 5 A.M. workouts. So, identify what times of the day are best for you, whether that’s mornings, lunchtime, or in the evening.

#2 Schedule It

How often have you made plans to go to the gym and canceled at the last minute when something else came up? Schedule your workouts just as you would any other appointment. I use apps like Mindbody and ClassPass, to schedule workouts ahead of time. I’ve found that this makes it much harder to blow off workouts, especially since there often is a cancellation fee associated with not going most of the time.

Putting your workouts into your calendar in this way can give you the motivation that you never knew you had.

#3 Make it Effortless

Contrarily, If you struggle with scheduling your workout sessions during the day and following through, try to do it first thing in the morning regardless of your routine. Make it as easy as possible to work out by removing any obstacles. For example, keep an exercise bike  in your bedroom room you can hop on as soon as you wake up.

​​​#4 Be Prepared

After you have your workouts scheduled, make sure you are prepared with the things that you need. If you are working out at home, pick up any equipment you need for your workouts. If you plan to do yoga after work, make sure you have a yoga mat, towels, and other essentials like an eye pillow in your bag. Cycling to and from work each day? Pack waterproof gear so that you will be ready no matter the weather. Also, pack some healthy snacks for your gym bag to replenish your energy after your workout.

Related article: How Good Nutrition Supports Athletic Performance

#5 Up the Stakes

Another way to ensure that you keep up with your workout routine is to put some money behind it. You can sign up for a subscription to a workout subscription app, like Pelaton or Apple Fitness Plus. This makes it more likely that you will make working out a part of your everyday life.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

You Are On a Roll, What Now?

Sticking to a workout routine is really about playing the long game. At first, you’ll be motivated and excited. However, it won’t always be this way. It will take months — maybe even years of hard work to make it a part of your life. There will be times when you feel ​​unmotivated, discouraged, or overwhelmed. Here’s how to deal with these feelings.

#1 Cut Yourself Some Slack

There will be days that you won’t be able to get your workout in, even with the best planning. That’s completely fine. Some days, you just won’t be feeling good. Even the most motivated people have days that they don’t want to work out. Avoid reading too much into it. Simply move past it, and get back to your workouts as soon as possible.

#2 Get Back on Track

Everyone falls off track sometimes when it comes to working out. This can happen for various reasons, from schedule conflicts to injuries. During COVID-19, many people who regularly worked out stopped. According to research, physical activity levels dropped significantly after the pandemic struck. Even people who exercised every single day stopped working out.

Keeping up with your daily workouts is a habit. Once you get out of the habit of working out, it’s easy to fall into a rut. The key is to get back into the habit of exercising again as soon as you realize that you have become off track. Don’t wait until the perfect time. Just start.

#3 Pay Attention

When you notice that you are working out more than usual, take a moment to pay attention and think about why. Try to figure out what’s behind your motivation. For instance, perhaps you get more workouts in when you sleep better. Or, perhaps you work out more often when you attend a specific fitness class. Search for your motivation and take actions that support it.

Final Thoughts

The motivation to work out comes from making fitness a daily part of your life. You can’t think of it as punishment. You have to decide to make movement an essential part of your routine. Do that and staying fit will be easy.

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Fitness Goals

How Good Nutrition Supports Athletic Performance

Runner going for a job along a park path

Better performance starts with better meals. The equation seems simple enough. It makes sense that nourishing our bodies with healthy, nutritious ingredients will provide the energy needed to fuel muscle activity and physical propulsion. However, life has a way of making us forget just how important the right stuff is. As a result, many people reach for what’s fast instead of what’s optimal. Unfortunately, this can backfire pretty quickly if you’re living an athletic lifestyle. Here’s how poor sports nutrition can affect athletes:

  • Poor performance
  • Longer recovery times
  • Immune suppression
  • Weight gain
  • Malnourishment
  • Hormonal imbalances caused by nutritional deficiencies

Being reminded of how good nutrition supports athletic performance becomes very important once you consider what’s at stake. A good diet isn’t just going to set you up for success on the track or field today. It will insulate your body against injury and disease for the rest of your life. Take a look at what science reveals about plating up for life on the fast track.

Performance Nutrition: Here’s What’s Essential When You’re Eating for Athletic Performance

Eating properly for sports nutrition really comes down to balance. What should your plate look like when you’re eating for power? Here’s a look at the essentials that athletes need to have in their diets based on a thorough analysis of sports nutrition for young athletes published in 2013:

Athlete doing an overhead press at a CrossFit gym
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto
  • Macronutrients: Athletes can enjoy strength and endurance using carbohydrates, protein, and fats that fuel physical activity. Yes, they’re all necessary when you’re going hard. Of course, eating the right proportions is everything.

Related Article: Beyond the Basics: Why Tracking Your Macros Matters

  • Carbohydrates: While some people malign carbohydrates because they assume any carbohydrate is a simple carbohydrate, the truth is that complex carbohydrates from whole, healthy sources are vital for performance. Some healthy sources of carbohydrates include whole grains, fresh fruits, milk products, vegetables, and yogurt.
  • Protein: This is a big one. While everyone needs protein, athletes need it direly because protein helps to build and repair muscle. There’s also a “vanity” aspect to eating enough protein because protein helps to keep hair, skin, and nails healthy and glowing. Some excellent sources of tasty, nourishing protein for athletes include fish, eggs, poultry, nuts, beats, and dairy.
  • Fats: Fat is critical for helping athletes to absorb essential fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K. Consuming healthy fats is essential for organ function, insulation, and energy. Adding healthy fat sources to a meal also helps to prolong satiation. This is so important when you’re crafting a tailored diet because feeling full and satisfied for a longer period allows you to keep going without giving in to cravings caused by starvation cues from a lack of fat in your diet. Some ideal sources of fat for an athlete’s diet include lean red meat, poultry, fish, seafood, nuts, seeds, healthy oils, and dairy products.

Deciding on portions is all about balance. When athletes attempt diets that are too restrictive, they rob their bodies of the essential nutrients and fuel needed to perform at their best levels. They also risk turning to foods that aren’t on the plan out of sheer desperation because they are depleted. Of course, the opposite is also true. There is actually such a thing as “too much of a good thing” when eating an athlete-friendly diet.

A good example of this is protein intake. While protein is pushed as the perfect fuel for athletes, the truth is that it’s very easy to eat too much protein. According to experts, most Americans are already eating twice as much protein as they need for proper muscle development. There isn’t as much of a concern about overloading on protein if you’re an active person. However, it’s still important to know about the dangers associated with extreme protein diets. Consuming more protein than you need can lead to:

  • Storing increased excess protein as increased body fat.
  • Greater risk for dehydration caused by fluid loss.
  • Calcium depletion.
  • Kidney issues stemming from burdened kidneys.

There’s also a risk that you’re trying to replace carbohydrates with protein. The truth is that carbohydrates are necessary for athletes. The simple solution is to strive for a healthy balance instead of leaning on one food group as a way to try to cut out another food group. What does balance look like when you’re trying to get enough protein while also peppering in some good carbohydrates? Something like a hearty burrito bowl with Spanish rice, cherry tomatoes, shredded cucumbers, carrots, hummus, and tzatziki sauce on the side checks all the boxes. The same goes for chicken fajitas with sautéed chicken thigh seasoned with a blend of spices, bell peppers, and red onions with steamed rice on the side.

Hydration: The True Powerhouse of an Athlete’s Diet

Photo by Ivan Samkov

Healthy meals get results. However, even the most perfect meal plan in the world will go sideways if it’s not followed up by a great hydration strategy. Water is so crucial for athletes. In addition to keeping your body hydrated, water keeps the body at the right temperature. It’s very easy for athletes to lose water with just one workout. Just one grueling workout session can cause your body to lose several liters of sweat in just an hour!

How do you know if you’re fully hydrated? The simplest answer is that you’re producing clear urine. If you’re seeing anything else, it’s time to increase your water intake. Here are some tips for sticking to the all-important task of staying hydrated as an athletic person:

  • Drink fluids with every meal! While water is best, any fluid will provide you with some hydration.
  • The general hydration rule to have in your mind is that you want to drink two cups of water roughly two hours before a workout. Never work out without enough water in your body!
  • It’s OK to sip while you work out! Drink up to a cup every 15 to 20 minutes. If you’re going hard past an hour, consider switching from water to an energy drink to keep your electrolyte levels at a safe place.
  • Remember that drinking isn’t just an activity for when you’re thirsty. In fact, you’re probably already dipping into dehydration territory if you’re feeling the physical sensation of thirst.

Water is always the preferred option for hydration. However, it’s important to remember that enjoying hydrating treats can be a great way to introduce extra hydration into your life. Something like fresh-pressed juice is a tasty way to get hydrated. A healthy smoothie that provides refreshing hydration with the added benefit of plant-based protein and natural carbohydrates can fulfill some of your liquid requirements while also providing pure fuel.

Getting Smart About Meal Prep When You’re an Athlete

If you’re already busy, trying to squeeze in an athletic lifestyle can push you to the brink with managing your time. This is where many aspiring athletics types run into trouble. They get sick, hurt, or simply give up out of exhaustion because they don’t eat the right foods to fuel what they are trying to accomplish. Planning is everything.

When it comes to performance nutrition, timing is key. You need to have meals readily available during the strategic points during the day when you should be fueling up both as a form of repair and preparation. Generally, you should be eating about three hours before a big workout session or event to allow for good digestion. Rushing to eat whatever you can before a session sets you up for gastrointestinal distress during your activity.

While fat is vital for fueling up, it’s also important to know that high-fat meals should generally be avoided just before exercise because they can delay gastric emptying. That leads to you being slow, sluggish, and moody. Going on a long run in the morning? Breakfast is essential once you’re done. Having avocado toast or egg white frittata waiting for you after the finish line is the best way to ensure that you have the energy and stability to tackle the workday that comes after the workout.

Timing your meals is important. However, planning ahead to know exactly what you’ll be eating is even more important. It’s very hard to have reliable output when you don’t have reliable intake. That’s why serious athletes schedule a whole week of meals ahead of time. This lets you map out nutrient levels to ensure you’re getting the fuel you need based on your training days. Yes, meal prep is also essential for helping you steer clear of temptations that will make your workouts more challenging. We are all only human and thus susceptible to eating unhealthy foods when in a hurry or stressed. That’s why it’s crucial to have a good meal plan in place to ensure that indulging in goodies is a choice instead of a trap.

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