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Should I Be Taking Supplements To Workout?

Published by superadmin on November 25, 2023 | Leave a response

The belief that you benefit from supplements before a workout has become a big debate. Most trainers and scientists agree that your workout is better with a pre-workout and post-workout snack, but they disagree on whether it should be whole foods or supplements. Is it better to eat cottage cheese and fruit with coffee before a workout or take a protein-caffeine-carbohydrate supplement? You’ll get more satisfaction from the former. It often costs less, too.

A protein supplement may be beneficial.

Seniors frequently don’t process protein efficiently. A protein supplement may offer some benefits. Be aware that protein and other workout supplements can be dangerous. Some contain contaminants that can affect your health. A new consumer protection group called the Clean Label Project tested 134 products for 130 unique toxins. Many protein powders contained toxins like cadmium, arsenic, lead, and mercury. The amount varied, but some were in significant amounts. Even supplements without toxins can be dangerous for people with certain health conditions or if taken in large amounts.

It may be more important to take a supplement after working out.

There is a reason for both pre and post-workout snacks. The post-workout snack helps boost recovery and helps build muscle tissue faster. Another testing group, NSF International, also tests protein supplements and allows ones that pass to bear, “Certified for Sports” on the label. A supplement might be the best choice if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to eat or pack a quick snack. Just make sure it’s certified.

Focus more on good nutrition and less on sports

You don’t need to take supplements if you focus on healthy eating, some people even create snacks specifically for pre-workout and post-workout. Real food is always better than taking a supplement. It offers nutrients you won’t get from a shake or powder, like phytonutrients and natural fiber. Besides being healthier, it’s far more satisfying. Pre and post-workout snacks you make can add to your daily intake of other nutrients, too.

If you take a supplement, check for the Clean Label Project certification or go to their website. Another testing organization label to look for is from the Consumer Labs.
Vegetarians may require supplements, but not necessarily protein supplements. B12 is the most difficult for vegetarians to include since it comes primarily from animal sources. Protein powders may also be a way to ensure vegans get all essential amino acids.
If your supplement is a protein bar, be aware that many are glorified candy bars. Many are high in calories. You’re better off eating yogurt and fruit, or an apple and peanut butter.
Sports drinks are beneficial if you workout at an intense level for over an hour or in high heat. Many of these drinks contain added sugar and add extra calories.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete

How Alcohol Causes Weight Gain

Published by superadmin on November 10, 2023 | Leave a response

It’s great to socialize with coworkers over a drink at your favorite place in Mt. Airy or relax with a drink or two at dinner, but there are consequences. Too much alcohol can lead to weight gain and sabotage weight loss. Even if a glass of wine may have heart-healthy benefits, it also has extra calories. Alcohol also affects your body in other ways that can cause weight gain or impede weight loss.

Alcohol contains empty calories.

If you’re trying to lose weight, you want every calorie to count toward your nutrition. While some alcoholic beverages may provide a few benefits, you’ll get fewer calories and more nutrition from consuming other food. Eating grapes provides the same health benefits as a glass of wine and doesn’t have any negative effects. Alcoholic beverages are often higher in calories, especially fancy umbrella drinks. Your body focuses on burning the alcohol first, so the calories in the drink are stored as fat. Females with lower estrogen levels store it as belly fat.

A few drinks before dinner add extra calories and make you hungrier.

If the extra calories in drinks aren’t enough, alcohol affects your appetite. It increases hunger. Scientists are exactly certain why that’s true. One study surmised it triggered a reaction that put the body in starvation mode. Alcohol also increases cortisol levels. Cortisol is linked to the accumulation of belly fat. It also lowers testosterone levels which helps build muscle. Muscle tissue burns more calories and boosts your metabolism.

Alcohol can slow the fat-burning process.

Drinking alcohol not only slows metabolism but the calories are handled differently by the liver. It burns alcohol first, slowing the process of other digestion. That’s because the body sees alcohol as a toxin and it wants to eliminate it immediately. That shifts the focus from burning stored calories to removing the waste. It disrupts the endocrine system and hormones, including affecting how glucagon works. That drives down blood sugar levels, leaving you tired and hungry.

Too much alcohol affects your health. It increases the risk of diabetes and liver disease. It diminishes both mental and physical performance. One drink or less a day for women and two drinks a day or less for men is moderate alcohol consumption.
Alcohol consumption can cause insulin spikes. The more frequent insulin spikes, the more prone you are to insulin resistance, a precursor of diabetes that also causes belly fat.
Consuming alcohol slows other processes in the body. Even one drink can pause those processes for as much as an hour.
One gram of alcohol has seven calories. Unlike fat, which contains slightly more calories, it doesn’t fill you or provide satisfaction. It’s even worse if you drink mixed drinks that are more like dessert than a beverage.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete

Can Hormones Make You Gain Weight?

Published by superadmin on October 25, 2023 | Leave a response

Don’t give up. It doesn’t matter why you gain weight; you can lose it. Finding the cause of weight gain is usually easy. People eat more calories than they burn. Sometimes, that process is complicated by illnesses or an imbalance of hormones. If it’s from a medical issue, treating the issue can solve many problems. For most hormone imbalances, you can realign them naturally and start losing weight. It’s all about the right diet and exercise program.

Hormones are messengers that help direct the body’s functions.

Insulin is one of those hormones. It tells the cells to open and uptake insulin. Cortisol is another hormone. It’s a stress hormone that prepares your body to fight or run. If you have an overabundance of either or both of these hormones, you’ll gain weight. Much of that weight will land on your belly. Exercise can help rebalance both. When you exercise, you’re mimicking the movements of running or fighting, effectively burning off the hormones of stress. Exercise also improves glucose uptake and diminishes insulin resistance. That helps you lose weight and lose belly fat.

If you can’t stop eating, it may be your hormones.

The feeling of fullness is directed by two hormones. Ghrelin is the hormone that makes your brain tell you that you’re still hungry. Leptin is the one that tells the brain you’re full. Lack of sleep affects both of them. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces more ghrelin. That can give you an insatiable appetite causing you to eat more than you should. It also causes the body to produce less leptin, so your brain doesn’t get the message your stomach is full. Getting more sleep helps.

Is your thyroid causing your metabolism to slow?

Many people say their thyroid gland isn’t functioning properly or indicate they have a slow metabolism. Signs of underproduction besides weight gain include irregular heartbeat, constipation, sensitivity to cold or heat, fatigue, hair loss, and dry skin. You can help prevent the problem with a healthy diet. Avoid processed food and cut out sugar. Learning ways to reduce stress is also valuable. Always seek your healthcare provider’s advice first.

Exercises to reduce insulin resistance and reduce belly fat are HIIT workouts. They are not a specific workout but a way of working out where you alternate between high intensity and recovery.
If you have an imbalance of ghrelin and leptin and get adequate sleep, you can still reverse it. Sometimes, the problem isn’t an imbalance but eating too fast and not giving the stomach time to signal the brain. Eat slower and savor every bite.
Menopausal weight gain can be a problem. Studies show that a Mediterranean-style diet can help prevent that. Regular exercise, cutting out sugar, stress-management techniques, and exercise help.
Regular exercise boosts glucose uptake and also builds muscle tissue. The more muscle tissue you have, the easier it is to shed extra pounds. The older you are, the more important exercise becomes since you start losing muscle mass at around age 35 unless you do exercise.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete

Dieting On A Budget

Published by superadmin on October 10, 2023 | Leave a response

Many people in Mt. Airy, are feeling the budget pinch of inflation. They often give up any hope of dieting, believing it costs too much to eat healthy. Luckily, that belief is unfounded. Eating healthier is often LESS expensive than choosing the alternative. A meal for two at a fast food restaurant can cost over $30. A healthier option you make at home can cost as little as $10 if you follow a weekly meal plan. It’s healthier and lower in calories.

It’s all about planning.

Meal planning can reap huge benefits and doesn’t have to take a lot of time. We even provide recipes. It takes knowledge, but we can help you with that. Plan a week’s meals one day. Make a shopping list, checking your cupboard so you don’t duplicate supplies. Cook for the week on your day off and pack it in individual serving sizes for the week. Some protein sources, such as chicken, can be used for several meals in different ways. Baked chicken breasts, chicken Florentine, chicken paella, chicken salad, and chicken vegetable soup are a few examples.

Not everything has to come straight from the garden.

Most people often think fresh produce is the healthiest option, but that’s not always true. It’s the least processed but not always the freshest. Much of the produce in groceries is picked early and allowed to ripen on its long trip to grocery shelves and in the produce bin several days before you purchase it. They pick frozen vegetables at peak freshness and immediately take them to an onsite processing facility where they freeze or can it. Frozen vegetables are less expensive than fresh and often more nutritious. The canned options without additives are almost as nutritious and even cheaper. Use both to cut costs.

Using vegetarian protein options, like quinoa or beans for other meals also cuts the cost.

In many cases, the source of protein for a meal determines the cost of the meal. While steak is delicious, it’s not the only good source of protein. Chicken and chicken breasts aren’t either. To keep the cost of protein down, include a meatless Monday in your meal. Beans, lentils, and quinoa are good sources of protein that you can combine to create a healthy main dish. Canned tuna offers savings. Eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt also do.

You don’t have to throw anything away when you plan. You can use leftover veggies for snacks or soups. The same is true for leftover chicken, beans, or other meats. Wasting food is like burning money.
Wash and cut fruit and vegetables immediately. Some can be snacks or as an addition to salads. You’ll be more likely to snack on prepared produce, saving calories.
Every time you spend less on groceries, put that money away for a big splurge of steak, lobster, or other indulgence.
We can help you plan your meals. You’ll learn healthy options and even receive recipes. Find your favorite meals and double the recipes, freezing the extra for future weeks or emergencies.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete

Is Walking Enough Physical Activity?

Published by superadmin on September 25, 2023 | Leave a response

There’s no doubt about it, walking is an excellent physical activity that can add to your fitness. Can you get fit by just walking? The answer is no. You need all types of fitness, balance, strength, endurance, and flexibility. Walking provides cardio and some strength building in the legs. Walking is something most people can do that benefits almost everyone. It means you should increase it, but get other types of exercise, too.

If you’ve lived a sedentary lifestyle, get moving and go for a walk.

Walking is an excellent way for a sedentary individual to start a workout program. It can help build endurance and prepare them for traditional workouts that are more difficult. No matter what your age, walking is a healthy option. It’s good for seniors, but even they need more than just a long walk daily. As you age, you lose muscle mass which slows your metabolism. Strength training builds muscle mass. Flexibility exercises help prevent those creaking joints that sneak up with age.

You can make walking a more effective exercise by turning it into HIIT training.

HIIT stands for high intensity interval training. It’s not a type of exercise but a way of doing any exercise. You alternate your pace and intensity between high intensity and recovery, doing a minute at high intensity and the same time or longer at recovery, then back to high intensity. It’s all a matter of changing your pace on your walk. It boosts your progress and helps you get fit faster.

Walking is a starting point, but not the ultimate for fitness.

Use walking as a supplement or a starting point. You can add it in increments throughout the day. If you plan on walking three days a week in addition to days in the gym, you can break it up into sections. Taking three ten-minute walks provides the same benefits as taking one thirty-minute walk. If you’re out of shape, start with 10 minutes of traditional gym workouts and twenty minutes of walking every day. Then slowly switch some of that walking time to traditional exercise workouts until you have three days of those and three days of walking.

Make your walking more effective by getting some upper body exercise. Swing your arms vigorously or carry a five-pound weight in each hand or wear wrist weights. You can walk and punch to the front and sides as you walk to build arm muscle strength.
If you live indoors, barely experiencing the sun, walking can help boost your vitamin D. To make walks more difficult, vary the terrain. Walk on uneven terrain, uphill, downhill, and on flat surfaces.
Focus on your posture when you walk. Keep your chin level with the ground, hold your shoulders back, keep your eyes looking straight ahead, and try to push your head through the clouds so you walk taller.
Even if it is just a walk, warm up before you begin and cool down after you finish. If you’re walking outside, be safe. Walk with a friend during the day or let someone know your path. Give a friend or two the ability to track your phone.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete

Why You Should Consider A Dance Class

Published by superadmin on September 10, 2023 | Leave a response

We focus on all types of fitness at Urban Athlete in Mt. Airy and realize that not all efforts to be fit take place in the gym. Some occur on the streets as people walk, jog, or run for fitness. If you recall the training Rocky had in the movie of the same name, it involved punching sides of beef and racing up steps Philadelphia Museum of Art, now called the “Rocky steps.” You don’t even have to train like a fighter. You can train like a ballerina. If ballet isn’t your thing, go for more modern dancing styles that push your heart rate to the limit.

Let’s start with the cardio benefits of dance.

If running is your cardio workout of choice, there can be problems. The first is the joint wrecking pounding of the feet. It’s high-impact and can cause too much stress on joints. The second is the weather. If it’s raining out, you can run a mile or two, but chances are, you’ll find a way to avoid it because of the inclement weather. Running alone isn’t always safe, either. With most types of dance, you’ll get a cardio workout without taking to the streets. Many of the dance styles only require a small area.

You’ll give all your muscles a workout.

Most dance forms contain movements of multiple joints and muscles. They often increase the range of motion and build strength. Some of the ballet positions are used to build strength in various body areas. The plie tones leg muscles, for example. You’ll find examples in all types of dances that build muscles and strength. After a few weeks of dance sessions, you’ll realize how much more flexible you are and far less weary during regular exercise.

You’ll enjoy dancing and get benefits.

Time goes faster when you’re moving your body to music. It’s fun and the music diverts your attention. Instead of focusing on how tired you are, you’ll focus on the music and the move to do next. You can choose ballroom dancing, disco, hip-hop, swing, or other types of dances that may require a partner and make the class a couple’s night out, so you and your partner benefit from it. If you don’t want to join a dance class, turn on a music video and dance in your living room.

Dancing can help you lose weight and have fun while you do it. The amount of calories you burn depends on the dance. A waltz won’t burn as many calories as modern jazz does.
Dancing helps build neurotransmitters in your brain. If you’re in an organized dance class, it can improve your focus as it builds new brain cells.
Wipe out stress with time on the dance floor. Dancing can get your heart pumping and your mind on the music. It’s a great stress buster. It’s fun, so you’ll have a smile on your face while you exercise.
Dancing can help reduce depression and keep your blood pressure lower. It also helps lower blood sugar levels and improves your cholesterol profile. It’s a great supplement to working out at the gym but isn’t a replacement for a program designed for your needs.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete

Managing Portion Sizes And Mindful Eating

Published by superadmin on August 25, 2023 | Leave a response

You don’t have to live in Mt. Airy to want easy tips to help you lose weight faster. One key to weight control is understanding portion sizes. Portion size is different from serving size. Labels describe serving size based on what people normally eat, not whether eating that much is wise. Portion size is what you end up eating. That can be larger or smaller than the serving size on the package. Another helpful, easy-to-use technique is mindful eating. How can knowing both help you? Here’s how.

Portion size should be a healthy size.

If you’re working on healthy eating, you won’t eat as much from boxes and bags, and more whole foods. So, knowing the right portion size is imperative. Eating in a restaurant can be hazardous to your weight loss program, especially ones that pride themselves on big servings. You can use ordinary objects, including your hand, to judge how much you should eat. One portion of meat should be the size of your hand or a deck of cards. Butter or margarine should be the size of the upper part of the thumb from the first joint to the top. One portion of cheese is the size of three dice put together.

Mindful eating makes you eat slower, which leads to eating less.

How often have you been ravenous and consumed an entire meal in a few bites? When eat fast, your stomach doesn’t have time to tell your brain it’s full. Nerve receptors in the stomach wall are just stretching and haven’t triggered a message to the brain it’s full. Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, is slowly decreasing, and leptin, the satiety hormone, is slowly increasing. Before that cycle completes, you’ve guzzled hundreds more calories.

You can incorporate these two tips into your eating habits.

Eating slowly may seem easy, but if you normally wolf down food, it can be hard to slow yourself. It takes focus. Chew each bite for as long as possible. As you chew, focus on the texture and taste of the food. Savor the flavor. Eating slower helps you appreciate each bite while giving your stomach time to communicate with the brain.

Preplan your meals and divide the food into recommended portion sizes. Divide snacks into single portion-size bags.
When you eat in restaurants with large serving sizes, share your meals or save half and take the rest home for another meal.
If you find it difficult to stick with smaller portions, you probably aren’t eating mindfully. Reducing the amount of food you eat is easier when you slow the process.
Mindful eating includes snacks. When you think about everything you eat, you’ll be less likely to grab handfuls of candy and eat them when you pass a candy dish or clean the last bit of food from the casserole dish by eating it.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete

Best Core Strengthening Exercises

Published by superadmin on August 10, 2023 | Leave a response

Every movement you make involves core muscles in some way. They are the muscles that start directly below your pectoral muscles and end directly below the abdominal muscles. The washboard abs look comes from strong core muscles. Core muscles determine how you walk. If they’re strong, you’ll have good balance. You can improve your core muscles with core strengthening exercises. When you do these exercises, you’ll not only function better and reduce back pain, but you’ll also look thinner and fitter.

Start with a plank.

Planks may seem simple, but they’re hard to do. Outstretch your body face down, with your toes on the floor. Lift your upper body by putting your forearms on the floor, elbows under your shoulders, and upper arms at a 90-degree angle to the floor. Keep your body straight and hold. Don’t allow your midsection to bend or sag from the shoulders down. Start with a ten-second session and increase the time as you get fitter.

Do a supine toe tap or ride a bicycle.

You’ll be surprised at how much bike riding works your core muscles. It requires balance, and the pumping motion works the core muscles. Doing a supine toe tap starts by laying on your back. Lift your legs perpendicular to your body with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Put your hands to your sides with your palms down. As you tighten your core muscles, lower on foot to the floor and lightly tap it. Make sure your back is flat on the floor and your other leg remains still. Return to starting position and do the other leg.

Build a bridge to stronger core muscles.

A bridge helps build core muscles and also glutes. It helps you have a flat belly and attractive bottom. Lay on the floor on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, directly under your knees. Raise your hips off the floor by tightening your abs and buttocks. Keep your body in a straight line that angles from the knees to the head. Squeeze your core muscles as you suck in your belly as tight as possible. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly lower your body back down.

Walking lunges can improve your core muscles. As you take a step forward, lift your hands above your head to add more difficulty to the movement. You can also reach forward and twist your upper body to one side after you’ve moved forward.
Improve your posture to build your core strength. Walking tall works all core muscles. Practice good posture by standing in front of the mirror. Your head should be level with the floor, abdomen in, and shoulders back.
A bird dog starts on your hands and knees. Tighten core muscles as you lift one leg behind you, lifting and stretching the opposite arm as you do. Alternate sides and repeat.
We provide a wealth of core training at Urban Athlete. You can come into the gym for private or group training, or workout with us virtually. You’ll be able to see each exercise performed and have a coach help you.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete

The Connection Between Sleep And Overall Health

Published by superadmin on July 25, 2023 | Leave a response

People often don’t get enough sleep for many reasons. They may work long hours, spend too much time in front of a screen binge-watching, or are out-on-the-town for a long evening. Whatever the reason, lack of sleep can damage health. Poor sleep and lack of quality sleep are just as damaging as sleeping too little. Improving your sleep and sleep habits can improve all areas of health.

How much sleep do you need?

Your body is unique and not like anyone else’s body. Neither is your sleep requirement. Some people can function quite well on 7 hours, with a small minority that needs less. Some need 9 hours and others need somewhere between 9 and 7 hours. A small minority of people need even more sleep. One study compared two groups of women. One group slept only five hours or less, while the other slept 6 ½ hours. Those who lacked sleep had increased inflammation, higher blood pressure, and a higher risk of heart disease. Those who slept longer lived longer.

Lack of sleep can make you fat.

It’s not the lack of sleep that makes you fat, but the increased appetite it brings. When you don’t get adequate sleep, your body produces more ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and less leptin, the one that makes you feel full. You’ll be hungrier, making it more difficult to stick with a healthy diet. Lack of sleep can also increase your hunger for refined carbohydrates, like sugary treats.

If you want to do your best in athletics, get more sleep.

Sleep can help your athletic performance. If you’re working out, you’ll get more benefits since you’ll put more effort into it. Lack of sleep affects more than athletics, it affects your creativity, too. Adequate sleep helps improve both creativity and focus. Deep sleep allows your brain to organize the events of the day and even can help your memory.

Sleep allows brain cell regeneration. Sleep occurs in stages, with deep sleep offering the most cell regeneration. It takes a while to get into the deep-sleep mode. The blood supply to the muscles increases, and immunity improves during deep sleep.
The body releases HGH—human growth hormone—during deep sleep. HGH is called the fountain of youth hormone that helps repair cells, build muscle mass, and aid weight loss.
Lack of sleep can affect your mental health. It can affect decision-making and make it difficult to control emotions. Lack of sleep makes social interaction harder and leads to mood swings, depression, and impulsivity.
Lack of sleep can affect how your body uses insulin. It may make cells more insulin resistant and increase blood glucose levels.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete

Exercise And Its Effect On Brain Health

Published by superadmin on July 10, 2023 | Leave a response

If you exercise regularly, you’re not only helping your body, but you’re also boosting your brain health. Many clients in Mt. Airy have let me know how their mental tasks were easier once they started an exercise program. All parts of the body benefit from exercising regularly, even ones you might not suspect. There are many reasons this is true and one has to do with stress.

Stress causes the fight-or-flight response.

The fight-or-flight response occurs when your body is under stress. It triggers the creation of hormones that prepare you to run or stay and fight. The hormones make changes in the body, such as increasing heart rate or blood pressure. It slows the blood to the stomach and diverts it to other areas, like the limbs. Those changes remain until the hormones burn off, either by running, fighting, or exercising. The body replaces stress hormones with ones that make you feel good. If left unchecked, the changes can become permanent and cause brain fog and damage to the body.

Exercise helps create new brain receptors.

You’ll have an improved memory when you exercise regularly. Exercise adds new connections in the hypothalamus and other areas of the brain. The hypothalamus controls functions like memory, appetite, and blood pressure. Exercise can also increase serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that sends messages from one part of the body to another. They directly influence the brain, affecting mood and memory. A lack of serotonin can cause forgetfulness and depression.

Exercise increases the brain’s neuroplasticity.

The brain is constantly changing and creating new brain cells. At one time people thought you were born with all the brain cells you’d ever have, but scientists have found it’s not true. Neurogenesis is the creation of new brain cells, which takes place in the cerebellum and hippocampus. Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself, also occurs there, creating new pathways. It means you can learn new things, and that your IQ isn’t static. It’s not affected by age, so cognitive decline isn’t necessarily part of the normal aging process. It’s one reason that exercise could help dementia patients.

You’ll boost your circulation when you workout. That oxygen and nutrient-laden blood travels to all parts of the body, including the brain. Studies indicate people who exercise have higher-quality white matter and a thicker cerebral cortex.
When you exercise regularly, you’ll be less likely to have a stroke that damages the brain. Exercise lowers blood pressure, making it both brain and heart healthy.
Exercise can improve your mood by boosting the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine. Both of these hormones also help you remain alert and help your memory.
Exercise intensity may play a role. Scientists measured the ability to learn in someone running for forty minutes and resting, and someone engaged in two intense sprints for three minutes with rest between the two. Learning improved 20% more with the sprints.

For more information, contact us today at Urban Athlete