Fitness Friday

Yoga Causes More Injuries Than Previously Thought

A recent study conducted out of the University of Sydney found that 10% of participants in the study received a musculoskeletal injury from yoga while the exercise exacerbated existing injuries in another 21% of participants.

Yoga has become one of the biggest fitness crazes within the past decade, even garnering its own day and dedicated segments on shows such as Kelly and Ryan. Many athletes and non-athletes alike look to yoga as a form of exercise or compliment to existing exercise regimens to maintain flexibility. For those who are new to the exercise scene (and even some who are hardened athletes), however, yoga may be doing more harm than good if their form is incorrect. A research team from the University of Sydney found that reported injuries resulting from yoga were ten times higher than previously reported. The team also found that 21% of participants exacerbated existing muscle pain, with 1/3 of the 21% not being bale to continue yoga or exercise for at least 3 months. The primary source of the pain was located in the upper extremity (elbow, shoulder, wrist and hand) which may be the results of beginner poses such as downward dog.

Despite this increase in reported injury, 74% of participants reported that yoga gave them significant musculoskeletal relief. The reasoning for the increase in reported injuries may be due to a multitude of different scenarios or cases. The first of which is that yoga class goers are not notifying their instructors of prior injuries. The second possibility is that the participant is conducting the pose incorrectly and that the teacher is insufficiently correcting the problem. Regardless of which case is the correct one, it is paramount for participants to research yoga studios for properly trained instructors and them inform the instructor of prior injuries that may be exacerbated by certain poses.

Standing Core Stabilizing Exercises

Many times people think that in order to train your core, you have to lie on the floor and do copious amounts of sit-up and crunches. However, when it comes to the core, this is not the case at all. Many standing balance, strength, flexibility and cardiovascular exercises enhance the core in addition to allowing your body to move in dynamic, multi-plane directions. The following exercises can be used in a variety of workouts and help improve the strength and stability of your core while also working other body parts.

• Bosu Lateral Shuffles
• Start slow with this move until you gain your balance, but perform this exercise for a certain amount of time during your workout. Doing this on a bosu makes you focus on your balance, which, in turn, forces your core to engage and be put to work.

 

• Bosu Quick Toe Taps
• This move is similar to the side shuffle, but quickly tapping the toes on the top of the bosu instead of shuffling across.

• Backward Lunges
• Lunges are a great core exercise as long as you are keeping your chest upright and engaging your ab muscles while you lunge. This is using your core muscles way more than you think.

• Single Leg Dead lift
• Engage your core as you hinge forward at your hips and perform the dead lift movement. Repeat this movement on both sides for a great core and lower body workout. 

• Standing Knee Drivers
• Engage your core and perform a fast and controlled movement by driving your knee to your chest. Perform this on both sides and feel it in your core as well as getting your heart rate up and getting a great cardiovascular workout. 

Wellness Wednesday

A Few Drinks a Day Keeps the Muscle Gains Away

A recent study conducted found a relationship between high alcohol consumption and muscle loss in postmenopausal women.

That reason you've been feeling like you can't physically do what you used to is relatively normal; both aging and menopause are known factors for inducing sarcopenia (muscle loss) in older women. A new study conducted in Korea looked at 2,373 postmenopausal women, 8.2% of whom were already diagnosed with sarcopenia. The participants were placed into three groups according to drinking habits and alcohol patterns to assess a possible correlation between drinking and those who had sarcopenia in the existing study group.

Upon collection and analyzing the data, the researchers discovered that those who were associated with high alcohol consumption were 4 times more likely to be at risk for sarcopenia. The determination of the high-risk categorization was dependent upon self reporting from the women, including perceived understanding of lack of self control, blacking out, and passing out from too much drinking. Women in this high-risk pool also were at a higher risk for high blood pressure and cholesterol, and were also younger than the majority of those in the study. This finding, along with the recent study that postmenopausal women who drink are more likely to increase their risk of breast cancer, should leave all postmenopausal women wary of how much alcohol they are consuming.

Fat Sources to Include in Your Diet

In today's nutritional world, fat is a good thing and used as an energy source in the body. Gone are the days that low-fat products are the healthier option and full-fat options and high-fats foods are the products consumed in the diet. While there are still "good fat" and "bad fat" options, it is important to be wise when choosing the sources of fat to include in your diet. Choosing fats that are high in micro-nutrients and that provide other benefits to your body and health is important to consider. 

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• This type of oil is best if used as a dressing or for lightly grilling meat and fish to preserve freshness and flavor.
• Extra Virgin Avocado Oil
• Avocado oil is versatile and can be used for almost anything when it comes to cooking. It has a good taste and doesn't lose it's capacity when cooked with other foods. 
• Coconut Milk
• Be sure to buy coconut milk from a can, not a carton that has added ingredients and sugars to it. After purchasing the correct coconut milk, it is great for making and adding healthy fat to soups and smoothies. 
• Egg Yolks
• Egg yolks are the most nutrient-dense fat that you can consume. You can also use egg yolks for things other than scrambling as well. They can be used to make salad dressings, smoothies and hot coffee as well. 
• Avocado
• Avocado is a great source of potassium and fiber in addition to healthy fat. Avocado is one of the easiest fats to include in almost any meal as it can be mashed, spread or sliced and incorporated into any type of food. 
• Grass-fed Butter
• Although controversial, grass-fed butter is a great source of fat to cook with or add to steamed veggies. 
• Ghee
• Ghee is similar to butter, but has the proteins and lactose removed from it, making it a great fat to cook with when cooking at high heat.
• Coconut Butter
• Coconut butter not only tastes great and is sweet, but is also a good source of manganese, fiber and medium chain triglycerides. 
• Steamed Heavy Cream 
• Although you don't need much, if you need to add something to your coffee, a splash or two of steamed heavy cream adds flavor and some added fat to your cup of coffee.

What to do After Your Run

To ensure proper recovery and to gain the maximum benefits from your run, there are a few things you should get used to doing after each and every time you run. These things also apply to any type of workout as well, not just running. 

1. Stretch All the Muscles You Used
• Immediately after your workout, perform some static stretches that target the muscles you just used in your workout. Stretching right after your workout helps to cool your muscles down, relax your body and get tight muscles back to their resting length. 
2. Clean Up
• It is important to wash up well and get your sweaty clothes off as soon as possible after finishing a workout. When using any type of workout equipment, there is always going to be a ton of germs on them that you can't see. So, take care of yourself and get rid of those germs as soon as you can after a workout. 
3. Eat Some Protein
• In order to promote muscle growth and repair after exercising, you need to consume adequate protein shortly after exercising. Workouts that include more running and weight lifting tend to tear muscles up more than things like yoga, so try to get 20-40 grams of protein within an hour of working out. 
4. Eat Some Carbohydrates
• Don't be afraid of consuming carbohydrates, especially after a tough workout! You actually need more carbohydrates than protein when you workout, aiming for about 3-4 times more carbs than protein. These carbohydrates will help the protein enter muscles cells for growth and repair. 

Fitness Friday

Reward Programs for Losing Weight

Overweight and obesity have led to the rise in non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.  They have also raised private and public healthcare costs.  This is easier to avoid if people make healthier choices or engage in physical activity.

Social Science and Medicine, has shown selling reward programs to participants entering a weight loss program increases the magnitude and duration of weight loss.

Professor Frank Finkelstein from Duke-NUS developed a rewards program aimed at a disconnect between long-term and short-term health temptations. 161 participants paid to have a 16 week intensive workout program. They were taught skills to maintain their healthy lifestyle and encouraged to lose 5% of their body weight. They then paid for a rewards program where they could earn monthly rewards in cash or in a lottery ticket with 1 in 10 chances to win ten times the cash amount if they met monthly weight loss and step goals. There were 42% of participants who won more than they paid in and around 80% reported satisfaction with the reward program.

The value of reward programs increases weight loss and weight loss management. It is also done by minimizing third party payments such as employers or insurers. Small amounts of weight loss overtime has great health benefits and can help prevent chronic diseases especially using reward programs.

Sleep Deprivation and Memory

Does Sleep Deprivation Affect Memory?

Going to bed late seems harmless!  It gives you time to watch you favorite TV show, catch up on work or hangout with friends.  But losing sleep could actually be damaging your memory function and your brains learning ability.  Adults work best with 7 to 8 hours of sleep, when most adults are sleeping less than 6 hours.  If you are one that falls in this category, you could be damaging your long-term memory function.

Sleep deprivation affects the rhythm at which the neurons fire at the hippocampus region; where the long-term memory is made.  The rhythm in the brain while sleeping is what helps reinforce memories.  Research published from University of Groningen and Pennsylvania found that five hours of sleep deprivation can create a disconnect between neurons and the hippocampus.

A study by Sara Anton, in the department of biology at University of Michigan, tested mice and sleep deprivation vs. enough sleep and their memories.  Mice were given a foot shock and then separated into two groups.  One group was given a drug that mimics the process that occurs during sleep deprivation.  When the mice were grouped back together, the ones with the drug did not remember the foot shock before hand, where as the other group of mice had a fear response or froze. 

If you sleep deprive an animal after a shock pairing they will not remember it the next day. With enough sleep, a day or even months later they will remember and have a fear like response.

It is best to get the recommended 7 plus hours of sleep, but if you are limited try and take a nap sometime during the day to help restore some of your brain function.

Wellness Wednesday

Your Teen May be as Inactive as Your Parents

A study recently conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that 19 year old are as inactive as 60 year olds. 

Teenagers are notorious for being pegged with a stigma of laziness, considering that they're at their peak stage for fitness and energy. Despite this stigma, many in the healthcare community did not believe that this lack of drive or inactivity was comparable to those just a year or two away from retirement. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health utilized data from the National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey which surveyed 12,529 participants with fitness trackers for seven days over the course of the years 2003-2004 and 2005-2006. The participants were broken down into five different age groups: 6-11, 12-19, 20-29, 31-59, and 60-84.

After analyzing the data, researchers found that 20 year olds were the most active, and that the activity was spread throughout the day. Males also were more prone to take part in high intensity activity compared to females, while 60-84 year olds were the most sedentary of all the age groups. Surprisingly, among 12-19 year olds, 50% of male and 75% of female participants did not meet the WHO recommendation of 60 minutes of exercise a day, making them almost as sedentary as their senior counterparts. The finding is specifically alarming due to the projection that 1/3 American's will have diabetes by 2050 if current dietary and exercise trends continue.  

The Importance of Stretching

Is Stretching that Important?

Stretching your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, shoulders, biceps and other muscle groups helps to increase the range of motion, reduce stiffness and increase flexibility!

1. It is important to stretch before AND after your workout. 

 It is recommended to do dynamic stretches to warm up before your workout and static stretches to recover after your workout.  A dynamic workout includes active movements such as walking lunges, or single leg squats where you are stretching the muscle without holding the position.  A static stretch includes holding a quadriceps stretch or hamstring stretch in a certain position.

2. How long should you hold the stretch?

Most people say 30 seconds or more, but everyone is different.  The tighter you are, the longer you should hold the stretch until you feel a release of tension in the muscle.  Once there, you then go deeper into the stretch and hold again until you feel a release of tension.  Focusing on how your muscle responds is more effective than watching the clock.

3. Stretching is most effective when combined with foam rolling.

In most cases, someone who has very tight muscles have knots in their muscles.  Foam rolling helps to ease post-workout muscle soreness according to the Journal of Athletic Training.  For better results, it is best to use a foam roller before stretching.

4. Stretching does not prevent injuries but is still very important.
A flexible muscle is less likely to be injured with extensive movement.  When increasing the range of motion in a joint with stretching you could decrease the resistance on your muscles during activities.

A stretching routine is good even if you do not workout!  Stretching has many acute benefits.  It helps to improve mechanical efficiency and overall functional performance.

Over-training and Under-recovering

When it comes to exercising, more is not always better. Even though exercise is great for us, it is still a form of stress to our bodies. So, depending on what other type of stress we are experiencing in our lives, whether it is work, family or relationships, exercising is putting even more stress on the body (even if in a good way). While this is OK, you have to make sure you are recovering from all of this stress properly. With too much exercise, with too much intensity, too often causes stress, break down and strain on our bodies. people end up over-training due to reasons like, depending on high intensity exercise to feel good, gives a sense of control over your body and life or being uneducated about working too hard.

Sometimes, when it comes to exercising, less is more. Putting in consistent work over the long run, is going to be much more effective than the "crash and burn" type of exercising. You will be more likely to see results and stay injury-free with a consistent exercise routine that includes high intensity, low intensity and recovery every week. Exercise should make us look, feel, perform and live better as well as allow us to function freely. Exercise should not crush us and incapacitate us. 
Many times, over-training is not the problem, but under-recovering is the issue. Your body can handle a lot of work, if you recover properly. For every intense workout that you participate in, you should focus on the same amount of recovery and repair activities to balance it out. Every physical activity program should include an even mix in resistance training, intervals, active recovery and fun. 

Fitness Friday

A Single Exercise Can Boost Brain Power

Exercise intervention has been used as of late to address a wide range of brain and other physical functional issues, but recent data shows that even just one exercise can boost brain function.

Exercise benefits a variety of brain function including memory, attention, mood, creativity and reaction times. These benefits, it turns out, may be an accruing improvement due to small amounts of exercise over a period of time. The Center for Neural Science at New York University studied the effects of established exercise interventions for cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer's, Mild Cognitive Impairment and normal aging. The researchers reviewed neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies that included EEG, fMRI, fNIRS and TMS to better understand the physiological effects of the exercise intervention programs. The review also looked at hormone release within the brain to better understand and track mood and energy changes.

The review made two key observations. The first observation was that the behavioral effects of acute exercise constantly showed improvement in executive function, decreased stress levels and improved mood. The second of these observations showed that acute exercise brought on neurophysiological and neurochemical changes that brought on widespread activation of multiple areas of the brain. Overall, physical exercise plays a key role in maintaining plasticity within the brain and connectivity within the brain's pathways.

How Injuries Happen at the Gym

Even the most fit people always have the potential to injure themselves at the gym by ignoring important things that you should incorporate into every workout. By incorporating a few small steps into your workout, you can easily prevent injury and over-training. 

• Proper Warm-Up
• Doing a proper warm-up is probably the most important thing you can do when you go to the gym. This helps raise your core body temperature and improve the elasticity of your muscles to ease into your workout and prevent injury. 
• Repeating Workouts Frequently
• By taking the same fitness classes or performing the same exercises every time you go to the gym can be harmful because you are over-training and over-utilizing the same muscles over and over again. Try to mix up what you are doing so you are using all parts of your body and different training methods. 
• Digital Distractions
• Constantly looking down at your phone or apple watch at the gym causes you to pay less attention to what you should actually be doing, which could cause you to aimlessly injure yourself. 
• Over-Training
• Try to make your workout regimen  a well-rounded program that varies in intensities and types of exercise throughout the week. Taking part in high intensity training everyday of the week can cause more harm than good to your body.
• Being Prepared
• Determine what exercises are best for you and your goals, and show up to the gym with a plan. Wandering aimlessly not knowing what to do could cause you to perform an exercise that is not right for you and end in injury.

Wellness Wednesday

Underweight Female Runners Are at a Higher Risk for Injury

Despite being able to run faster due to a decreased load, female runners with a BMI of 19 or under are at a higher risk for injury and slower recovery.

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has looked into the reasoning behind chronic stress fractures in female runners who are underweight. The study took place over a period of three years and looked at Division I athletes from multiple universities. The researchers utilized the Kaeding-Miller classification system, which lead researcher Dr. Timothy Miller assisted in developing, and classified runners injuries on a scale of 1 to 5, taking into account the patient's symptoms, x-ray results, bone density, and CT/MRI imaging.

The researched team focused on runners with grade 5 stress fractures and discovered that those with a BMI of 19 or higher took 13 weeks to recover, while those with a BMI of 19 or lower took 17 weeks to recover. Additionally, the research reinforced the data that 25-50% of running athletes experience a stress fracture during their career, with an increased risk in female runners. The research also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy BMI, which Miller states is around 20-24. Miller says that the ideal BMI range is necessary for runners to protect their bones and lean muscle from the repetitive pounding that running brings.

Overcoming a Workout Relapse

Workout relapses are bound to happen, so if you are able to identify your barriers to exercise ahead of time, you can be better prepared to overcome those barriers as they arise.

• Time
• Time is the number one barrier to exercise. Between work, kids, friends and family, many people say they do no have the time to exercise. So, overcoming this barrier takes a little bit of planning and making priorities. If you are really busy, schedule your workout times into your calendar. If it is on you calendar just like a work meeting, you will be more likely to actually do it. Also remember that you do not need an hour to fit in a good workout. All you need is 20 minutes to work up a good sweat.
• Stress
• When life gets stressful, exercise can seem like a burden. However, we know that exercise is a great stress reliever if we actually make the time to do it. So, if you are stressed and feeling like exercise won't help, try to find a type of movement that is enjoyable so you are at least moving your body. This could be anything from walking to cleaning your house or car. Whatever it is, just get moving!
• Illness/Injury
• Sometimes, you physically can't exercise normally due to an injury or an illness. However, to prevent this from turning into a long-term break from exercise, focus on what you can do versus what you can't do.  Try to move somehow, even if you are sick or injured so you don't get in a rut of not moving at all.
• Plateau
• At some point, most people hit a plateau with their fitness or weight loss goals. If this starts to happen, make different goals for yourself than just weight loss or lifting maxes. Think about all the different benefits exercise has on the body and makes your goals based on that. 

Healthy Summer Habits

Summer is the perfect time of year to adopt new healthy habits. There are plentiful fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of sunshine and opportunity  to get out and be active and healthy. However, with increased sunshine means an increase in temperatures and time outside which can lead to health issues and dehydration. So, while it is great to be more active, there are also healthy behaviors to adopt to counteract the issues that can come with heat and sun.

• Stay Hydrated
• The body is made up of 75% water, so it is important to keep it fueled with hydration. This is even more important in the summer due to being outside more. So, instead of indulging in high-sugar sweet tea, try fruit infused water to keep you hydrated but still have some flavor. 
• Enjoy Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
• Get to your local farmers market and stock up on seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables. Try some new recipes that include all your favorite fruits and vegetables that you can get locally.
• Get Active
• Find a workout buddy and get outside and be active. Find an activity that you love and utilize the warm weather to get out and do it. Whether that activity is walking, running, playing volleyball or spending time in your garden, you are still getting outside and being active.
• Relax!
• Summer time is the best time to let go of stress and relax. Spend time with family and friends, enjoy the sunshine, take a vacation and just relax. Take some extra time to create some healthy habits and take care of your body and mind this summer!

Fitness Friday

Those Leggings You're Wearing On Your Run Don't Improve Your Stamina

Contrary to popular belief for many in the running world, compression shorts do not reduce muscle fatigue when compared to running without them.

Compression leggings became very popular in the running world when the theory that leggings reduced muscle vibration was introduced. The idea was that the reduced muscle vibration would in turn reduce energy expenditure and muscle fatigue, allowing runners to last longer and perform better in races. Researchers at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center took it upon themselves to test this theory, and recruited a group of runners who ran on a treadmill for 30 minutes at 80% capacity on two different days.

The researchers utilized motion capture technology along with sensor plates on the treadmill to measure impact force over the period of the run. The researchers also measured the participants' leg strength and jump height before and after each run of the test. The research team found, after both tests were finished and the results were analyzed, that compression leggings had no beneficial effect on a runners stamina. The study did confirm that leggings reduced vibration within the leg muscles, but that all runners impact force remained constant in both tests and that the leggings did not reduce strain on runners' joints at the end of a run due to fatigue. Despite the lack of evidence for increased stamina when wearing leggings, that doesn't mean you shouldn't wear them if you feel more comfortable in them than if you were to not wear them. Remember, comfort is the key when working out!

Happier Mornings for a More Productive Day

Being a morning person is not for everyone, but you can do things to help yourself be in a better mood and have a little pep in your step in the morning. By being prepared and making life easier for yourself in the mornings, you can set yourself up for a more productive and happy day ahead.

• Clean up the night before
• Before you go to bed, clean up the dishes, pick clothes up off of the floor and tidy up anything else laying around. You will be in a better mood waking up to neat surroundings rather than a mess everywhere. 
• Eat breakfast
• Although many people feel like they can't stomach anything in the morning, breakfast really is the best meal and sets up the rest of your day. So, even if you don't have much of an appetite, try to eat something nutritious to give your body lasting energy throughout the day. 
• Avoid your phone
• Get your day started before overwhelming yourself with your phone. Avoid looking at social media and emails first thing in the morning. Wait until you are awake and have started your day to dabble into work or conversations. 
• Plan something fun for later in the day
• This could be anything from a fun activity, seeing someone close to you or making your favorite meal for dinner. By having something, big or small, to look forward to will keep you motivated to get up and out of bed.
• Set out your clothes before bed
• You will make your life so much easier if you have clothes, whether gym or work, set out the night before so they are ready to go and do not have to think about picking something out to wear. 

Wellness Wednesday

Meal Timing Determines Your Diet's Outcome

If you eat most of your meals at night, you may be impairing your body's fat metabolism and your diet's progress.

It's around 11pm-12am and your experiencing late night hunger pangs. You have two choices: The first would be to drink some water and go to bed, but the second one, to stay up and finish that TV show your watching while eating some chips and queso, is much more appealing. What makes the second choice that much more appealing, is that you didn't eat that much during the day and figure you have enough calories to spare for a little midnight snack. But what if the caloric intake balance for the body doesn't work that way?

According to a new study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, eating late at night, especially after delaying eating from earlier in the day, can be dangerous. The delayed eating increases weight and negatively affects fat metabolism, insulin levels, cholesterol levels, and hormonal markers that lead to heart disease, diabetes and other chronic health issues. The study included nine healthy weight adults who took part in two sets of experiments. The first experiment had all the adults eat three meals and two snacks between 8am-7pm for eight weeks, while the second experiment had the adults eat three meals and two snacks between 12pm-11pm. The sleep pattern was kept constant at 11pm-9am and blood was drawn weekly while hormonal profiles were taken every 24 hours.

At the conclusion of the eight week trials, those that conducted the survey evaluated the biomarkers of the subjects through the tests taken. The research team found that the second group exhibited higher insulin, fasting glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels and experienced an overall weight gain compared to the first group. The researcher also found that ghrelin (appetite stimulant) peaked earlier in the day while leptin (appetite depressant) peaked later. This data suggests that those who ate earlier were able to stay more full throughout the day and stave off hunger better than those who ate later in the day.

Tips for a Healthier Grocery Store Trip

One of the main parts of healthy living is having a healthy diet which starts with surrounding yourself with healthy foods and eliminating the junk. This all starts with grocery shopping and the foods you purchase to have available in your home. So, if you are buying junk and not enough produce and non-processed foods, that is what you will be putting in your body. By following the tips below, you will be more prepared when you go to the grocery store to make better, more nutritious decisions.

• Shop from a list
• Make a list of foods you will need for the week before you go, and stick to it. You will be better prepared to eat healthy if you are prepared when you shop.
• Don't shop when you are hungry
• Being hungry in the grocery store will sometimes cause you to buy items on impulse because they look good at the time and most likely won't be a healthy option. Eat a healthy, filling snack before going shopping so you aren't tempted by the freshly cooked donuts in the bakery.
• Shop the perimeter of the store
• The perimeter of the store has everything you need- meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables, dairy and eggs. When you start wandering into the middle isles of the store is when the chips, cookies, ice cream and cereal start making their way into your cart. 
• Choose the rainbow
• Challenge yourself to see how many different colors of produce you can put in your cart. You should always include a variety of fruits and vegetables of all different colors in your diet, so look for different colors when grocery shopping that you can include in your meals throughout the week. 
• Choose foods with a short ingredient list
• When buying packaged foods like sauces, dressings and yogurts, be sure to always read the label. You want to avoid a laundry list of ingredients and any type of added sugar. 
• Don't buy in bulk 
• Buying food in bulk tends to make us eat more. We have excess food in the house, so we eat it. Not to mention, the food we normally buy in bulk is items like crackers, chips, nuts and cereals.
• Try new foods
• Don't be afraid to try new healthy foods you see in the store. There are a ton of produce options that you may not have had before and would be surprised to see that you like and actually enjoy. 

Ways to Improve Your Workouts

Do you ever feel like you have just hit a plateau with your workouts? Maybe it is with lifting, running or just your energy levels in general when it comes to exercising. Sometimes we go through phases where we just don't feel like we are progressing with our workouts and it is time to refocus and figure out things to do to improve and get back to getting stronger. 

• Prioritize
• Determine what your fitness goal is and train for it. While that might seem straightforward, it should be. Whether your goals are strength training, running a marathon or a triathlon, stick to training for your goals. When you have too much variety, you will not see the true results you are looking for. 
• Periodize
• Training too hard, too often will hinder your workout efforts and your results. Purposefully schedule low-intensity or low-volume weeks every 4-6 weeks to keep your body healthy and able to improve.
• Plan
• Plan the days you will workout and what your workout will be each day. It will be easier to stick with your routine if you go into each week or month knowing exactly what your plan is. 
• Refuel
• Following a workout, your body needs to be replenished with the proper amount of protein and carbohydrates in order to see results. By not doing this, you will not see the strength and endurance improvements you are hoping for. Try to aim for about 20 grams of protein post-workout to reap the most benefits. 
• Recover
• Your body is working to recover fully from exercise for up to 48 hours after the workout. While nutrition is a major component to recovery, so is sleep. So, aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night to help your body fully recover from your workouts.
• Reset
• Your body views exercise as stress, so after workouts, take a few moments to catch your breath and bring your heart rate down to help in your recovery.

Fitness Friday

Your Fitness Tracker May Helping You Understand Your Heart, But Not Your Diet

According to a recent study conducted by Stanford University Medical Center found that many fitness trackers get a persons heart rate correct, but are often very wrong about the calories a person has burned during the day.

Have you ever just completed a great work out and been proud of the calories you've just burned according to your fitness tracker? So proud in fact, that you may even have room for a little extra desert because you burned so many calories? Well, according to a new study at Stanford University Medical Center you may have overeaten after that workout. The research team evaluated the Apple Watch, Basis Peak, FitBit Surge, Microsoft Band, MioAlpha2, PulseOn and the Samsung Gear 2. The study incorporated 60 participants running on treadmills or riding stationary bicycles, while having their metabolic rate measured using oxygen and carbon dioxide measurements in their breath.

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The study found that six of the devices had a less than 5% error rate when it came to measuring the persons heart rate, but when measuring the persons caloric expenditure the devices were way off. Researchers found that the most accurate device was 27% off, while the least accurate device was off by 93%. The cause for concern in all of this, is that many people use these devices to make medically based decisions. If a persons physician tells them to lose weight, and the person uses one of these fitness devices to measure caloric intake after caloric expenditure, their decisions will have not been made with the right information. Lead researcher Euan Ashley's hope is that this study will push fitness device manufacturers to adhere to stricter standards, much like the standards that medical devices are held to.

5 Things to Eat in the Month of June

When choosing what produce and other fresh foods to buy, you should always consider what is in season, as it will be the best quality and price that time or month of the year. The month of June has a few specific items that are great during the month and can be made into countless different recipes and meals.

• Asparagus
• During the spring, asparagus has the ability to grow 6-10 inches in just one day. At just 20 calories per serving, asparagus offers a great deal of Vitamin A, C and folate.
• Artichokes
• Artichokes are a great source of fiber, folate, Vitamin C and magnesium. So, they are a great option for produce to use when cooking, and can be used for a lot more than just spinach and artichoke dip.
• Cherries
• Cherries are very easy to find from May until August and are a great source of potassium, fiber and Vitamin C. Other than nutritional value, cherries are great for inflammation, heart health, sleep and post workout recovery. 
• Salmon 
• While you may not think so, salmon does, in fact, have a season and it starts in May. Salmon is a great source of protein and one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids help protect both the heart and the brain. 
• Strawberries
• Strawberries become plentiful this time of year and you can find them locally and produce stands, farmers markets and grocery stores. This fruit is a great, low-calorie snack that packed with Vitamin C and folate.