If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have adopted High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workouts at home because of their ability to deliver weight loss results quickly, you’ve probably noticed a few other changes too: achy joints, stiffness, pain or strained muscles. While HIIT workouts are great for burning calories and helping you shed pounds quickly, new research suggests that the side effects of such workouts can be detrimental in the long run.
The amazing symbiotic connection between our minds and our bodies is something that has been accepted for millennia. Since at least the Victorian Era, based on anecdotal evidence doctors have advocated exercises of various sorts to help with mental issues like memory loss, mood disorders, and anxiety. However, until recently actual scientific evidence supporting the theory of this interconnectivity has been fairly hard to come by. The studies that have been conducted focused almost exclusively on aerobic exercises like jogging.
Now, a handful of scientific surveys have found surprising and direct connections between resistance training (a.k.a. weightlifting) and reduced levels of anxiety and depression. While it’s too early to suggest that resistance training is a cure, we can say with certainty that lifting weights can at least help with anxiety and depression.
After age 30 we begin to lose muscle mass, as much as 3% to 5% per decade, according to Harvard Health Publishing. But there are simple exercises to help you maintain muscle mass and lose weight that don’t require a gym membership. Increasing your movement is the best (and easiest) way to reach those goals. Movement—no matter how small—counts as exercise and we can often squeeze it in more often than a trip to the gym.
Belly fat is a frustrating foe. Not only is it the number one target of most individuals who want to lose excess weight, it’s also been linked to serious health concerns, like heart disease. But belly fat is stubborn. You can’t really eliminate it with exercise alone (though some exercises are more helpful than others).
Does the thought of hitting the gym bore you to tears? How many times can you listen to the same playlist and flip through the same old magazines while you pound the treadmill for miles? If you’re like 90% of the people who have resolved to live a better life and exercise more, you’ve failed in the past. Why is that? If your active routine isn’t fun and/or exciting, chances are you won’t stick with it.
How often have you heard that dieting alone isn’t enough for weight loss? The best way to lose weight is by combining a calorie-restrictive diet with moderate amounts of exercise. It makes sense—if you eat less and burn more calories, you will lose weight.
But the term “exercise” scares a lot of people away, and that fear eats at their willpower. Thankfully, a current study shows that you don’t have to hit the gym five days a week for extra health benefits. In fact, something as simple as walking a little more every day (say three hours per week, which is less than 30 minutes per day) can have a dramatic effect on your health!
Losing unwanted weight can be hard. Breaking bad habits, prioritizing your health, and changing the way you’ve always done things requires commitment, effort, and an inner drive that can be hard to maintain when you don’t see results fast. But when you know the secrets behind how your body and mind work together to influence your waistline, shedding pounds, and burning fat, taking control of your life can be easier. Follow these 5 fitness tips from Pilates expert & fitness professional, Kit Rich, to see results fast!
You may have noticed that fitness trends seem to be pushing us toward more intense and extreme exercises. The popularity of CrossFit and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) have made working out fast-paced, difficult, and perhaps even detrimental to our health. While physical movement is important, you could benefit from a slower, gentler approach.
Have you noticed a fairly rapid weight gain after a certain age or struggled with weight loss for years without seeing any real results? If so, your personal body chemistry might be the culprit. While many people who struggle with excess weight have a history of making bad food choices and limiting their physical activity, a certain percentage of the population may actually suffer from hormonal imbalances that make gaining weight far too easy and losing it next to impossible.
If you ask most Americans if they live a healthy lifestyle, they’ll answer “yes.” But the data says different.
Nearly 36% of Americans are obese.
Nearly double that are overweight.
Even 1/3 of our children are obese.
So can most of us truthfully say we’re healthy?
Stepping into a more active lifestyle is your golden ticket to shedding those extra pounds. While adjusting your diet is essential, embracing regular exercise—burning more calories than you consume—is key to real results. Yet, time constraints and a lack of motivation often keep us from lacing up our sneakers. What if you could transform these hurdles into stepping stones by weaving fun, engaging activities into your everyday life? The best part? You can do this without ever setting foot in a gym!
Embarking on a weight loss journey isn’t just about shedding pounds—it’s about reinventing your lifestyle and unlocking a happier, healthier you. One of the toughest battles in this journey is overcoming unhealthy cravings that can derail your progress. What if you could transform those cravings to work in your favor, making you yearn for healthier foods? It’s entirely possible, and exercise is your secret weapon.
Believe it or not exercise is still the best way to lose weight, build a healthier body, and live longer. Exercise can build muscle, decrease stress, and helps prevent high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. It may also prolong the onset of Alzheimer’s.
Regular exercise affects every aspect of your bodily functions, from cardiovascular health to the level of neurochemical transmitters in your bloodstream. And because it affects you on a physical, emotional, and mental level, exercise can be the tool you need to rebuild your life, not just your body.
Burning an extra 100 calories a day may not seem like a lot, but over the course of a few days, weeks and months, those calories will turn into pounds lost and self esteem gained.
Vacations—too few and far between, right? You’ve been planning your getaway for a long time, but you’re worried about what a week’s worth of restaurant food and relaxing by the pool will do to your waistline, your willpower, and your weight loss progress.
We don’t have to tell you weight loss isn’t easy. But there is a way to supercharge your results and put yourself on a faster track. By combining a healthy diet with the right types of exercise you can see results sooner and feel so much better than you do now.
The better you feel (and look), the more likely you are to stick with your new lifestyle change and put the worry of yo-yo dieting behind you.
Most people start an exercise program with the hopes of losing weight. But if you are working out, and there’s no movement on the scale, you could be making one of these mistakes.
Don’t pressure yourself to set aside a chunk of time each day to workout. The little things you do throughout the day add up and make a difference.