Healthy Life Guide

An important part of fitness that’s covered much less than weight loss, is weight gain. Gaining weight takes strategy, consistency, and work. It might seem foreign to some people who have differing goals, but saying “just eat more!” to someone who is trying to gain weight is not unlike saying “just eat less!” to someone who needs to lose weight. Relationships with food can be complicated. How to eat to gain weight and muscle the healthy way Eat often - Try to eat 6 times a day; 3 meals and 3 snacks. Try to not let more than 2-3 hours pass in between eating. Related:  What should you eat before your workout? Best pre-work out snacks  Eat more - Adding an additional 500-1000 extra calories to daily intake would make for an increase of 1-2 lbs a week, though these variables will be impacted by the individual’s level of activity. It may seem a little intimidating to someone who is trying to eat more to gain weight but you can break the add...

After you have a baby, your body might feel completely different. You've just created another human! You might feel like a completely different person. You have to re-train your body to move in ways that used to be so simple for you. You are recovering not only from having a baby but from the pregnancy itself. Your body changes and you aren’t quite sure what to do about it.  You also have many things that get in the way of taking time out of your day to exercise and spend time on yourself.  The challenges of being a new mom can make it difficult to find the time to exercise.  Fatigue and sleep disturbance are common following childbirth and can decrease a mom’s motivation to get moving.  Newborn sleep and feeding schedules in addition to balancing family responsibilities and work schedules can be overwhelming and can affect a mom’s desire to get moving.  In some women this can lead to depression and there are numerous studies th...

Gym bag? Check! Sneakers? Check! Water bottle? Check! Quick snack before hitting the gym? Not quite.  Just when you thought you were all set with your new workout routine you realized you might have forgotten one of the most important parts.  In order to reap the benefits of working out it is essential to fuel your body with the right foods before and after your workout .   macronutrients ) for a variety of reasons, including hunger, serving as fuel and to assist with recovery.  This is especially important for workouts that are longer in duration, over 60 minutes, and with a higher intensity .  Regardless, it is still always important to understand that there is a direct relationship between food as fuel and your exercise routine.   In order to allow your body to effectively build muscle, burn fat and be able to recover from exercise, it is important to follow a healthy diet that includes meals and snacks.  A healthy intake is not just critical ri...

After giving birth, many moms are left with an abdominal pooch or bulge for months or years.  This is sometimes due to some extra weight that isn’t lost postpartum, but it may also be due to the condition known as Diastasis Recti Abdominis (DRA) that many women don’t even know is a condition.  In medical terms, a DRA is the separation between the two bellies of the rectus abdominis at the linea alba and this condition may occur with more than half of all pregnancies.  When a woman is pregnant her abdominal wall expands and while most abdomens can stretch to accommodate these changes that occur during pregnancy others are damaged extensively.   Related:  PostPartum Exercise Recommendations: How, When & Why Exercise during pregnancy may help to decrease the presence and size of a DRA.  The traditional determinant of the diagnosis of DRA is at least a 2-3 finger width or a 2.7 centimeters separation of the abdominal muscles.   DRA...

Let’s review the previous article regarding Diastasis Rectus Abdominis (DRA) .  DRA is the separation between the two bellies of the rectus abdominis at the linea alba and this condition may occur with more than half of all pregnancies.    How to know if you have Diastasis Recti? To check to see if you have DRA first lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Then place your fingers with the palm facing you on your belly button. Lift your head and neck just slightly off of the floor like you are doing a crunch while you press down with your fingers. If there is a gap this would mean you have a diastasis.  You should conduct the test just above your belly button and just below the button since the gap can measure differently in these places.  Talk to your doctor to confirm your findings and to make sure you are doing it correctly.  Once you know that you have DRA you need to know how to treat it.  There are exercises tha...

People that like to run often don’t focus on strength training. Runners often don’t want to bulk up, gain weight and think they may decrease their flexibility by strength training so they avoid strengthening thinking that it will derail their performance.  This is unfortunate, as strengthening can in fact improve running performance.  More:  Strength training for runners: Exercises you can do to become a better runner The goals of resistance training for runners may not be to add muscle mass and muscle bulk but could be to improve muscular strength, improve muscular endurance, maintain current muscle mass, pre-habilitation to decrease risk of injury and post-rehabilitation when an injury occurs.  Injuries can occur in any sport.  Runners commonly suffer from a variety of injuries which can include but are not limited to Achilles tendonitis, low back pain, calf strain, hamstring strains/injuries, iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome, shin splints, plan...

Strength training is important to improve the efficiency of running and decrease risk for injury. There are a variety of exercises that can be performed in order to strengthen the appropriate muscles to improve your running economy and decrease your risk for running induced injuries.  Runners need to focus on strengthening that will keep their body well balanced.  Planks can be performed in order to improve core strength, lower back strength and shoulder strength.  In order to perform a plank exercise you will prop yourself up on your elbows with your feet slightly apart.  You need to make sure your body is aligned and you keep your abdominal muscles tight and your shoulders are directly above the elbows. You will hold this position for 45 seconds to 1 minute (holding as long as possible, taking quick breaks when necessary) and then add time as you get stronger. You can perform 3 to 5 reps. You can modify this exercise to include side planks that target the obliq...

It seems like protein is the buzz word these days.  At smoothie shops everywhere they offer you the option of adding “extra scoops of protein,”  meal replacement bars line the shelves loaded with protein, and many quick fix and fad diets prefer protein over carbs.  Many in the fitness world will also be singing the praises of the importance of protein when it comes to getting in shape and bulking up.  By now you've probably got the drift, that protein is on everyone’s mind these days.  But before you jump on this bandwagon it is important to understand what protein does and how much we really need.  When it comes to protein it is important to understand the difference between complete or incomplete proteins.  Complete proteins are those that contain the nine essential amino acids that our body cannot make on its own.  Animal protein, such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy, as well as quinoa, chia, buckwheat, provide complete...

You have made the time to eat right before heading to the gym and even found the workout that feels the best for you.  You feel energized, you are looking better, getting in shape and even starting to reach your goals.  So what might you be missing? Have you given any thought to what to reach for after the gym? Most people think more about their pre-workout meal, than their post-workout meal.  But the truth is that what you consume after the gym is just as important as what you eat before your workout. What should you eat before your workout? Best pre-work out snacks Participating in a workout regimen , or any physical activity, takes a toll on your body. It is not only about the results you get at the gym that matter, but about what happens in your body while you are exercising.  The fact is that while you are exercising, your muscles will use up their glycogen stores as a source of fuel.  When this occurs the muscles often wind up being partially depleted ...

High intensity interval training or HIIT is defined as short, intense, unsustainable bursts of physical activity, paired with intervals of quick rests.  This type of intense training causes a sort of metabolic disturbance which can result in the body burning calories at a higher rate up to 48-72 hours later. HIIT can also increase metabolism, reduce insulin resistance, improve cardiac function, produce faster gains in endurance levels than steady state cardio training and can be an effective way to recruit/build type 2 fast twitch muscle.   more is not better ).   This training program involves intense work periods that are performed at 80% to 95% of a person’s estimated maximal heart rate which is the maximum number of times your heart will beat in a minute without overexerting yourself.  The recovery periods may last as long as the work periods and are usually performed at a rate of 40% to 50% of a person’s estimated maximal heart rate.  The w...

So maybe you are in your 20’s or 30’s and you are already starting to develop knee pain. Maybe you are wondering what you should do about it before it gets worse or even if there is anything you can do about it to prevent further damage and pain later in life. You may already have patellofemoral pain syndrome, Iliotibial Band (ITB) syndrome or mild arthritis but there are things you can do to help improve knee function and prevent further damage.  manage your weight . Increased weight can increase stress on the knee joints and lead to pain and other conditions. Increased weight also increases the risk of getting osteoarthritis in the knees which can lead to pain, limited mobility and a possible knee replacement surgery down the line. Taking extra weight off your body can improve your ability to function and can also decrease your risk for knee conditions in the future. Evidence shows that losing weight helps treat knee osteoarthritis so if you never gain the weight ...

So you have decided to do it: train and run in a upcoming marathon.  You figured with the right exercise regimen, time and dedication, you will be able to cross this off your bucket list.  You spend hours researching how to manage your time and workout plan so that you can build up the stamina and strength needed for this adventure.  Now that you have a plan mapped out, you are almost ready to get started and train.  The one piece remaining is figuring out a solid diet plan that will allow you to have the proper fuel to allow you to make it to the finish line.   8 Week Cross Training Program for Athletes (3 days/week) Getting in shape to run a marathon, or compete in any vigorous sport for that matter,  requires a combination of regular exercise and proper nutrition.  It is important to recognize that in order to reap the benefits of exercise, you need the right diet to ensure that you can properly fuel your body and build muscle.  As you get ...

It's always so much tastier and healthier - and cheaper - to make your own lunch by putting together all your favorite clean ingredients. But we often forget about it, or maybe it looks too hard to plan in advance or we never have all the right ingredients at hand. This is one area where a little thinking ahead can save you a great deal of money and also end up benefiting your health. What’s important for you to know are the basics. These are greens, veggies, protein and fat. This principle is very easy to follow when you prepare your box to-go. Which means that you must strive to have greens and some veggies every day (which is a pretty healthy habit after all). Then you just need to choose your protein and fat source. For protein you can choose chicken slices from yesterday, some salmon, egg or some piece of cheese. You can also combine the protein with fat and use half an avocado as an add-in. Here we use quinoa and egg which are both great source of protein, one animal...

These days, I don't count calories, track expenditure, macros, steps/miles walked, weight lifted, etc. I eat intuitively and I exercise the same way. It's easy, sustainable, feels good and it is all based out of respecting my body and what it needs. The result is that I love my workouts instead of dread them, and my eating style is healthy and genuinely highly enjoyable. I workout on a regular basis but I never push through illness or pain. My workouts almost never go over 50 minutes and usually range between 30-45 minutes. I give myself plenty of rest - at least 1-2 days a week, and it's not uncommon for me to take a week off of structured/intense workouts. I am in my thirties and I am still gaining endurance , flexibility and strength . I often follow along with our own workout programs for my personal workouts. As some of you guys might know from the before and after story I shared a while back, I have been on the other end of this spectrum. I used to count and reco...

Starting into a workout routine can be very intimidating. There are so many things to consider, and you want to be sure that your time spent exercising is maximally beneficial. Here's a list of 10 beginner friendly workouts, plus a quick rundown on how to get yourself off on the right foot. PS If you need more help putting an effective program together, we also have a 4 Week Program for Beginners ! Low Impact Beginner Cardio Workout - Feel Good Recovery Cardio  - The moves in this 26 minute workout are all low impact and easily modified to be easier or more difficult. It uses exercises that build range of motion, cardio endurance, coordination, control of your own body and flexibility. It's also a great starting point for burning fat and building cardiovascular endurance.  2  Low Impact Cardio and Abs Workout  As you can tell by the many low impact routines on this list, they are a great place to start when you're new to exercising, and they give...

You are finally ready to throw in the towel and stop dieting.  For years you have tried various very low calorie diets and restriction to achieve weight loss, and to no avail.  It seems despite the decrease in intake, your weight still was not dropping as you would have anticipated.  Add to that the many hours you spent over exercising. With these severe habits, it's likely that it never really resulted in great weight loss and when it did, you may have found that you gained it back in no time at all.  So now you are finally ready to learn to diet and exercise correctly, and that means starting by taking a closer look at your metabolism. Perhaps it is your damaged metabolism that is the real problem keeping you from meeting your goals, but the question is, what can be done about it? My Before & After Story: How I lost 40 lbs and Beat My Eating Disorder How does your metabolism get damaged in the first place?  Quite often after long periods of excessi...