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How To Overcome Gym Anxiety

How To Overcome Gym Anxiety

Do you get anxious when you think of starting a formal exercise program? Some people in Fort Lee, NJ, do. They have gym anxiety. It’s scary and often puts an end to any thought of exercise. There are ways to overcome it and get back into shape. You need to identify why you’re feeling uncomfortable and have anxiety. Is it because you’re overweight? Do you worry you can’t do all the exercises? Are you concerned others will judge you?

Maybe you’re concerned for your safety or health after an illness or injury.

That’s a logical reason to feel anxious. You don’t want to exacerbate an illness or reinjure yourself. Check with your healthcare professional first to ensure it’s safe for you to exercise. Before you start exercising, talk to a personal trainer. Explain your situation and your reluctance so the trainer understands the entire picture. The trainer can create a workout addressing your condition and concerns, often modifying exercises to fit your needs.

If you’re uncomfortable with your body or abilities, put that worry to rest.

You’ll see people of all sizes, shapes, and fitness levels at the gym. Some may look like Greek gods or goddesses with beautifully proportioned bodies and super strength. Most will not be that fit. You’ll be surprised at how little attention you garner from other people exercising. They’re more worried about doing an exercise correctly, getting in one more set, or hoping they can finish before collapsing. If you’re still not convinced, seek the services of a personal trainer for private sessions.

Get a workout buddy.

When there are two of you, it’s easier to enter a new venture. You won’t be as intimidated and have more fun when you have a workout buddy. If your friend is as new to the gym as you, you can change it to an adventure where you both are learning something new. If your friend is more experienced, you can learn from them. It takes a lot of stress from the process. You can also join a group fitness class for beginners. Some will be fitter, but not by much. It’s far less intimidating when you’re not alone.

  • Remember, everyone had to start somewhere. Some people may have started working out as athletes in school. Others may have started a year or a month ago. They probably felt like you during the first session but still finished.
  • Do an investigation first. Get all the information before you sign the dotted line to join a gym. Ask for a tour. Find the location of the changing rooms and other facilities. Go to their website and get online reviews.
  • Leave your ego at the door. You don’t have to be the best at everything. Focus more on form rather than repetitions or weight lifted. Take it slowly at first until you do each exercise correctly.
  • If gym crowds bother you, find the best time to workout when it’s less crowded. If you face disabling anxiety, permit yourself to leave after doing one exercise if it’s too uncomfortable. When you don’t feel trapped, staying is not as painful.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center


Breathwork Can Help Your Health And Fitness

Breathwork Can Help Your Health And Fitness

Breathwork has two different functions for health and fitness. One type of breathwork can help you relax your body and your mind. The other breathwork is part of improving your athleticism and form. Using proper breathing techniques during exercise improves results. Focusing on breathwork during daily life can improve your mood and overall health.

If you’re running, it can make the run more comfortable and boost your performance.

If you’re doing other exercises, taking a breath at the appropriate time and releasing it when you’re doing a different movement affects the outcome of the exercise, making it more or less effective. It increases bodily control and keeps you focused when you work out. Breath control during exercise causes your muscles to produce less carbon dioxide. It boosts blood circulation and keeps your heart healthier. Generally, you should breathe in deeply through your nose, expanding your belly, when you’re doing a movement that lengthens the muscle. Breathe out when you’re contracting a muscle.

Controlled breathing when not exercising provides mental and physical benefits.

Breathing should be natural. Doing it correctly should come naturally. Sometimes, things can change that. Breathing is automatic and part of the autonomic nervous system, like other involuntary bodily functions. Chronic stress can affect how you breathe. It can make breathing fast and shallow. That limits the oxygen you breathe and can cause an increased heart rate and other changes. Your posture and whether you breathe in through your nose makes breathing more effective.

Whether doing breathwork for exercise or relaxation, you’ll reap benefits.

Stress can trigger a rapid heart rate and shallow breathing. It can trigger anxiety. Breathwork can help you overcome it. It boosts relaxation and simultaneously alertness, decreasing anger, depression, and anxiety. You’ll improve your sleep cycle and feel more at ease. Learning breathing techniques for exercise can make your workout more comfortable and allow you to continue longer.

  • Two examples of proper breath control for exercise are push-ups and squats. When you’re lowering your body in a push-up, inhale. Right before you raise your body, start exhaling. The same is true for a squat.
  • One breath control relaxation technique is to slow breathing by inhaling for four seconds, holding your breath for four seconds, exhaling for four seconds, and holding for four seconds again. Breathe in through the nose.
  • If you have problems with a rapid heartbeat from panic attacks, use the 4-7-8 technique to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. Breathe in through the nose for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds.
  • Practice breathing techniques daily to help keep you relaxed. You’ll have the technique conquered when you’re under stress and need it the most. Always check with your healthcare professional first.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center


Why Nutrition Is So Important

Why Nutrition Is So Important

You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Whether your fitness goal is building muscles, boosting energy, or losing weight, your nutrition plays a vital role. It provides the building blocks for everything from hormones that burn fat and help build muscles. A healthy diet is lower in calories and higher in nutrients necessary for every cell in your body to function. If you consume too many empty, high-calorie foods, you could exercise all day and not lose weight.

Obesity is the leading cause of preventable illness and preventable deaths.

The average American weighs far more than they did in the 1950s. Over the last 60 years, obesity has tripled. It drains the healthcare system of valuable dollars and destroys the quality of life of those who experience it. Part of the problem comes from inactivity. People use labor-saving devices and spend time in front of a screen today rather than in activities that burn calories. The real culprit is nutrition. There is an avalanche of new snack food and fast foods. People aren’t eating as healthy, and they’re eating more.

Good nutrition helps you stay healthy mentally and physically.

A poor diet negatively affects your body. A diet high in sugar does more than add pounds. It makes the immune system less effective and causes chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation leads to problems with auto-immune diseases, heart disease, and diabetes. Your diet also affects your mental health. It impacts your gut microbiome, which affects your mental health.

You’ll save money and time at the doctor by eating healthier.

Being sick or having a chronic disease saps more than your energy. It drains your pocketbook, too. The US Department of Agriculture found that eating a healthier diet could prevent many conditions and save a minimum of $71 billion. That doesn’t include the lost time from work or the productive time you lose sitting in the doctor’s office. The increased incidence of illness continues to make healthcare costs rise.

Increase your energy with a healthy diet.

Your body needs the right energy to function its best. If you’re living on sugary treats and simple carbohydrates, it’s like putting sugar in the gas tank of your car. It can clog up the works and cause damage. Every nutrient is necessary for some function. Healthy fats carry fat soluble vitamins, are vital to the production of hormones, and help burn fat. Protein helps build muscles and carbs provide energy. They all contain other nutrients, such as vitamins and phytochemicals.

  • A diet high in sugar and simple carbs gives you quick energy that drops as dramatically as it rises, leaving you exhausted.
  • A study in a violent prison in England changed the food by increasing prison food with omega-3 fatty acids and reducing those with omega-6. It cut violent occurrences dramatically.
  • You’ll feel younger when you eat healthier, but you’ll also look younger, too. Eating the right foods can slow the signs of aging and keep your skin firm and elastic.
  • If you participate in sports, you’ll do better when you eat healthier and time your meals and snacks. Eating a pre and post-workout snack improves your session and jump-starts the recovery process.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center


Ways To Improve Your Flexibility

Ways To Improve Your Flexibility

You can improve your flexibility, no matter your age. Every day in Fort Lee, NJ, at least one person has pulled a muscle doing daily tasks. It can be as simple as bending down to tie your shoelace when you feel that searing pain shoot down your spine, hip, or leg. Stretching and flexibility exercises are vital to fitness. People who have a wider range of motion have fewer injuries in sports. It protects the muscles from injury. No matter how much you can lift, a pulled muscle makes you weaker than someone who never had strength training.

Before you get out of bed, start your flexibility exercises.

Doing deep stretches before your feet hit the floor can keep you limber and boost your circulation. Stretching encourages flexibility and is at the core of its training. It slowly warms the muscles, increases oxygen intake, and increases circulation to prepare the body for activity. It’s why you use dynamic stretching before you exercise. Once you’ve stretched in bed, put your feet on the ground, stand up, and reach for the sky. Put your arms perpendicular to your body and lean to one side, touching your right hand to the side of your right knee with the other arm stretched high. Return to the starting position and do the other side. Keeping your arms outstretched, twist your upper body with your lower body in place.

Do flexibility exercises after you do other exercises.

When your muscles are warmed, they’re more flexible so they stretch further without causing injury. It’s the best time to do static stretching. Before a workout, you do dynamic stretches. These are movements that mimic the activity you’ll be doing and gently warm the muscles. After you workout, static stretching gently increases your range of motion and increases your flexibility. Static exercises include toe-touching, all types of lunges, and calf stretches.

Try yoga poses or kettlebells for flexibility and strength.

Most people realize that yoga is beneficial for improving flexibility. Most don’t realize it can build strength, too. The same is true of kettlebell workouts. The cobra pose, child pose, and cat/cow poses combine to bring back pain relief and improve flexibility. Kettlebell workouts warm the muscles, build strength, boosts cardio, and improve your range of motion.

  • Flexibility exercises put greater stress on the muscles. It improves muscle growth and prevents soreness. One study showed flexibility exercise increased muscle growth quicker.
  • You’ll have better posture when you increase flexibility. You’ll also boost your energy by improving circulation and strength. Your body doesn’t have to work as hard when you have good posture.
  • Take a few minutes throughout the day to stretch and lengthen your body. Start by trying to push your bead as high as possible, then lift your arms upward as though you were trying to get something off a shelf that’s too high.
  • Throughout the day you can do simple stretches, even at your desk. If you’re seated in a straight back chair, try to get your elbows to touch behind your body. It opens the chest and boosts your oxygen intake. Shoulder rolls are also beneficial.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center


Change Your Life Today With Exercise

Change Your Life Today With Exercise

When you exercise, you build your body’s strength, endurance, and flexibility. You burn extra calories and trigger the release of endorphins throughout your body that make you feel good. You’ll improve your posture and your appearance. You might say that exercise can change your life. It improves your self-image. That can affect every area of life, whether it’s personal or professional. It takes consistency to achieve your goals, but the benefits make it worthwhile. You’ll feel like an entirely new person with extra energy and vigor.

Change your body composition and health.

Exercise can tone your muscles and replace fat with muscle tissue. Visceral fat, which accumulates on the belly, can increase inflammation that leads to serious conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Exercise can improve oxygen intake and keep plaque from forming inside the blood vessels. It boosts the production of stem cells and lengthens telomeres that keep chromosomes from unraveling. That keeps you looking younger. Regular exercise improves your body at the cellular level by keeping cells healthier and providing replacements for damaged ones.

You’ll have less pain when you exercise regularly.

Exercise produces natural painkillers. It stimulates circulation and helps muscles heal faster. If you’re in pain from overexercising, you’ll feel better doing recovery workouts like walking. People with arthritis benefit from regular exercise. It reduces their pain. If you have joint pain, it stimulates the circulation of synovial fluid in the joints. Synovial fluid reduces friction in the joints. Exercise builds ligament and muscle strength to provide support for the joints. Back pain often occurs because of weak core muscles and tight muscles. It can be relieved with exercise.

You’ll look amazing.

Regular exercise can improve your skin. One small study found that when people exercise regularly, it made their skin more supple and improved elasticity. Exercising improves your posture. It helps you stand taller to look thinner and more confident. That leads to people treating you as though you are confident and capable. It also helps you lose weight and keep it from returning.

  • People who exercise regularly and promote an attractive appearance are often perceived as more capable and ambitious than their overweight counterparts, even though it may not be true.
  • Sticking with your fitness goal and exercising can help you achieve goals in other areas of your life. Success begets even more success. You’ll also have the energy to achieve those goals.
  • Your mood will be better when you exercise regularly. Exercise improves gut microbes that affect your mood. It triggers the release of feel-good hormones. Therapists often use exercise as an adjunct therapy.
  • Our trainers can help you with an exercise program designed for your goals, special needs, and fitness level. Always check with your healthcare professional before starting an exercise program.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center


Get The Body You Want

Get The Body You Want

In Fort Lee, NJ, you can get the body you want. We can help you do it. Of course, it has to be achievable. If you are 5’5″ and want to be 6’2″, we can’t help, but if you want to look and feel your best and be the best version of yourself, get ready to start on the road to success. It’s not always easy. It takes the right program and a consistent effort. We can help you with both. We tailor the program to your goals, special needs, and fitness level. Our personal trainers motivate you to reach it.

A great body starts in the kitchen.

Getting the right nutrition can make the difference between success and failure when striving for the perfect you. We’ll help you learn your nutritional needs and focus on foods that provide all the necessary nutrients with the right amount of calories to help you reach your goal: weight loss, maintenance, or weight gain. Eating healthier can help you attain your goal and maintain the body you want without dieting.

Start a workout program.

Our trainers will guide you through a fitness program that is the most efficient in attaining the body you want. You’ll build muscle tissue as you lose fat and boost your energy level. You can tone muscles, change your body composition, and build endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance. Regular exercise strengthens the heart, improves digestion, keeps you looking and feeling younger, and boosts your immune system. You’ll feel stronger and more in charge.

We track your progress and hold you accountable.

When you go to the gym to meet with your trainer, you’ll be more likely to go since someone is waiting for you and knows if you’ve skipped your workout. Trainers also push you to work harder but still safely within your capabilities. When it comes to training, not all exercises are alike. Some have quicker results. The trainers know the latest scientific workouts to maximize your exercise time and help you achieve the body you want quickly.

  • Changes don’t occur quickly. You may not see the differences or feel them since they’re slow. That’s why tracking your workout is so important. You can look back and see how far you’ve come.
  • Trainers make sure you don’t overtrain and give your muscles a chance to heal. It takes 48 to 72 hours after strength training or a strenuous session for the microtears in muscles to heal. If you push too hard too often, it can diminish some of the progress you made.
  • Making lifestyle changes not only improves your body now but helps keep it healthy and fit for the rest of your life. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, good hydration, and a healthy diet are the first three changes you should make.
  • You won’t ever get the body you want if you never start. It’s time to take charge of your life and quit hoping and wishing something will change. Only you can make a difference in your life, but we can help you do it.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center


Heart Racing, Low-Impact Workouts

Heart Racing, Low-Impact Workouts

Most people don’t know the difference between high and low-impact workouts. Running is a high-impact workout while walking is a low-impact one. When you run, once in every stride, both feet are off the ground. When the foot lands, it takes the impact of the body weight hitting the ground. When walking, you always have one foot on the ground, limiting the impact. If you are severely overweight or already have joint issues, high-impact exercises can cause joint injury. You don’t have to risk it to get a good cardio workout with these exercises.

Ride a bike, speed walk, swim, or row for low-impact cardio.

If you’ve ever speed-walked without running to get to a destination, you know it can be as exhausting and wearing as any run. Hiking up a hill on rough terrain can also get your heart pumping. Riding a bike at top speed up a vertical incline can leave you panting and make your heart race. Any exercise where at least one foot remains on the ground or pedals and that boosts your heart rate is a good low-impact cardio workout. Not only does it NOT hurt your joints, it helps them. The increased circulation also increases the synovial fluid circulation. Synovial fluid lubricates the joints and protects them.

Have you considered strength-builder circuit training?

Many strength-builder exercises are low impact. You can push yourself and reduce the time between sets to increase your heart rate. Consider turning your workout into circuit training by doing 30 seconds of planks, 30 seconds of pull-ups, and a minute of stationary biking. Always start any training with warm-up exercises and end them with cool-down ones. Warm-ups are stretches that prepare your muscles and ones that help your body get back to normal after an intense workout. You’ll build strength, endurance, and flexibility.

Get a good workout while you protect your joints with aquatic workouts.

Whether swimming, exercising or just walking in the water, you’re working against the resistance of the water. It’s 12 times more beneficial than doing the same movement on the ground. The water keeps your body buoyant, so there’s less stress on your knees when you walk. You can do almost any exercise in the water, and they’re low-impact. You also build core strength. Pool exercises are excellent recovery workouts.

  • Lunges are excellent low-impact exercises. You can go forward, side, and backward lunges. Another versatile workout is the squat. Modify them to work different muscles by adjusting foot width or the direction you point your toes.
  • Try yoga or tai chi. You’ll be surprised at how these seemingly easy and slow-moving exercises can get your heart racing, especially when you first start.
  • You don’t need gym equipment to get a low-impact cardio workout. Climb a set of stairs. Go as fast as you can, but rest when necessary. As your body gets in condition, cut the rest time, go faster, or climb more stairs.
  • Always check with your healthcare professional first before starting any fitness program. If you have special needs or physical limitations, getting the help of a personal trainer is beneficial.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center


Healthy Snacking - Delicious Ideas For A New Start

Healthy Snacking – Delicious Ideas For A New Start

Many people in Fort Lee, NJ, believe snacking is bad for you, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. That’s not true. It can be healthy when you choose the right food. Don’t select a bag of M&M’s, even ones containing nutritious peanuts. Search out snacks that are low in calories and loaded with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. They should satisfy your hunger for longer and taste good. If you’re trying to lose weight, keep them under 200 calories.

Go natural with fresh fruit and dip.

One of the simplest treats is watermelon or cantaloupe sliced or cubed and ready to eat. You can also use fruit in other ways. Yogurt with fruit already in it isn’t the best snack. It has a lot of sugar. You can use a small amount for a dip. Mix two tablespoons of your favorite yogurt with fruit and two tablespoons of Truwhip. Truwhip is a healthier whipped topping. Use the combination as a dip for grapes, apple slices, or other fruit. It only adds 60 calories. If you slice a whole apple or banana, the total calories are less than 200.

Create a Greek yogurt parfait.

Use half a 5.3-ounce container of full-fat Greek yogurt, about two heaping tablespoons. The healthy fat and protein in the yogurt keep you full longer. Put one half in a pint mason jar and add a layer of fresh or frozen berries. Slice half of a ripe banana and layer it on the berries. Put the rest of the yogurt on top and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Put on the lid and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready for a snack. It’s about 200 calories. Mix the banana and yogurt until it’s creamy before you add it. It’s even more satisfying.

Another filling snack contains avocados.

Avocados contain both fiber and healthy fat. Both keep you full longer. The fiber slows your digestion and sugar absorption, which keeps your blood sugar level. You can mash the avocado and use it in place of butter on whole grain toast, eat half of it plain topped with hot sauce, or make guacamole to dip celery and other vegetables. Make guacamole by mashing the avocado and adding chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to taste. You can also add garlic or garlic salt.

  • Have snacks ready for when the hunger strikes. Store them in individual serving sizes. You’ll know the exact number of calories it contains.
  • A tablespoon of nut butter on apple slices or a banana is about 200 calories. It provides carbs, protein, and healthy fat, which keeps you full longer.
  • Eat a pre-workout snack 30-60 minutes before and one right after a workout to improve your session and start recovery. It should be a combination of protein and carbs. Cottage cheese and unsweetened applesauce or mini sweet peppers stuffed with cream cheese.
  • A filling snack that provides fiber but few calories is popcorn. Make it in a special microwaveable dish or air popper. Don’t add butter. Instead, use the popcorn toppings like cheddar cheese or jalapeno.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center


Side Effects Of Heating Food In Plastic Containers

Side Effects Of Heating Food In Plastic Containers

You plan and make your meals ahead and pack them in plastic containers. All you have to do is heat and serve. One problem people in Fort Lee, NJ, often ask is whether there are side effects from heating food that way. It’s certainly convenient. It all depends on the type of plastic and whether it’s microwave safe or if the plastic contains BPA, PET, or bisphenol-S—BPS.

What is BPA?

BPA stands for Bisphenol-A. PET stands for polyethylene terephthalates. BPS is the acronym for bisphenol-S. These are chemicals that are concerning. Plastic containing BPA was banned in 2013 from making packaging for infant formulas. At one time, most cans were lined with BPA plastic, but today, 95% are BPA-free. PET was in single-use water bottles. It’s BPA-free but has problems of its own. These plastics leach out the BPA and PET when heated. That allows the carcinogenic, neurotoxic, endocrine-disrupting chemicals to enter the food.

What other problems come from heating food in the wrong type of plastic containers?

Some chemicals that may leach into food when heating containers. Those chemicals may interfere with the biological hormone receptors. It can cause low birth weight when ingested by pregnant women. It can affect fertility, pose an increased risk for breast cancer, and stunt brain development in children. Some have long-lasting effects even when low doses are ingested. Since many chemicals used are endocrine disrupters, it increases the risk of diabetes, reproductive problems, metabolic disorders, obesity, and reproductive issues.

Look for the symbols or words for reassurance.

If the plastic says microwave-safe, has a microwave icon, or the words microwavable, they’re safe for use. They’re made to stand up to the microwave heat with minimal leaching. If the plastic has a recycling code 1, 2, 3, or 5, you can use it to heat supper. It’s heat stable and may not leach the chemicals into food. Don’t heat the plastic with recycling numbers 3, 6, or 7 in the microwave.

  • If you have concerns, transfer your food to a glass dish before microwaving it. Don’t use plastic wrap on food in the microwave. Check take-out containers before reheating food.
  • Never use old, scratched, or cracked containers. If you’ve microwaved a container several times, it may be time to retire it. Leave the lid slightly ajar to vent. Don’t let the lid press on the food.
  • Instead of reusing plastic water bottles, get a metal or glass water bottle to refill. If the plastic container has a 7, without the letters PLA or a leaf symbol, it may contain BPA.
  • Microwaving isn’t the only thing that causes the plastic to become more unstable. Putting them in the dishwasher also can. Storing fatty foods in them also can create similar issues.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center


Does Fasting Ruin My Metabolism?

Does Fasting Ruin My Metabolism?

Fasting is a general term for many ways of consuming or not consuming food. There are water fasts that can last for days and intermittent fasting that may last a few hours. Some of these may affect your metabolism negatively, while others may have a positive effect. What is the difference in how the body reacts? It all depends on whether you’ve reached starvation mode and how restrictive it is.

Long water fasts may slow your metabolism.

If you only drink water on your fast and consume no calories for days, you might slow your metabolism. Even a severe calorie-restricted diet for a long time can cause a problem. Your body senses a shortage of food and imminent starvation. It reacts as it was created to avoid death and slows the metabolism. That ensures survival by saving the calories for vital functions like brain, heart, and lung functions. You have to boost your metabolism once the fast ends. Building muscle with exercise helps.

Fasts that won’t harm your metabolism include intermittent fasts.

Intermittent fasting can be achieved in several ways. The most common method is to shorten the window when you eat. It’s often done by eating within an eight-hour window and fasting the other sixteen hours. Your body never senses starvation, so it doesn’t diminish your metabolism. Another way to do intermittent fasting is to eat severely calorie-restricted diets three days a week and eat the normal amount of calories on the other days. Some people include feast days in their fasts, where they eat more than their normal calories.

Intermittent fasting has other benefits.

Studies show intermittent fasting may make you healthier. It may slow aging and potentially improve your metabolism when compared to calorie-restricted diets. It allows your body to flush out damaged cells and may help prevent inflammation that can cause asthma, stroke, arthritis, MS, and Alzheimer’s.

  • Some people use a 12-hour window to eat and a 12-hour window to fast. It’s easy to do since seven or eight hours are spent sleeping. You can eat breakfast at seven and stop eating at seven that night.
  • One reason intermittent fasting works so well is that your energy level never dips. It helps improve fat burning without burning muscle tissue, increases the creation of stem cells, and helps regulate blood sugar.
  • You need to consume healthy food when you eat as part of your fat. It doesn’t matter whether you’re consuming a liquid diet of juices or a calorie-restricted diet. Choosing healthy food is a must.
  • You can’t use long-term fasts for extended periods. Your body requires food. Without adequate calories, it starts breaking down muscle tissue. Always check with your healthcare provider before starting any fast.

For more information, contact us today at VIP Fitness Center