Maintaining physical fitness health and wellness, means there has to be a balance in our lives. And for some people, particularly young mothers, finding that balance can be a challenge. Moms today are charged with many responsibilities that consume their time, caring for children and households. Add on top, running a business or heading to a job every day and finding that balance becomes even more difficult. When the clock runs out on the day, it is often the woman who has sacrificed time for herself.Every health and wellness strategy starts with a balanced diet and ways to get a daily dose of exercise that doesn’t cost enormous amounts of time. We’ll leave nutrition for another column. As for making time for effective exercise, here are some bits of wisdom acquired over 24 years in the health and fitness industry. An effective fitness program will be effective if it is planned, specific, and fresh. At Ufiit, that’s our specialty.Individual planning allows you to get the most out of your precious exercise time — well-deserved time spent on you. On average, my Ufiit clients spend between 30 minutes to an hour exercising. The Ufiit method is specific and unique to the needs of each individual and their body type. All of your exercises are customized, sequenced and defined in video routines for you. If it is not easy, quick and convenient to exercise, a fitness program will fail. And at Ufiit, we park guilt at the door and provide a positive and supportive environment. When a client reaches out for help, we go all in to ensure their fitness journey is a success. Just about every woman I know is a master at time management and organizational skills. They can make planning meals, getting kids to school, keeping things running smoothly at work and home look easy. I know it’s not, but ensuring there is “me-time” in that schedule can go miles on the road to better physical fitness and mental health. Physical activity can make you feel mentally alert and full of energy. Exercise is viewed as a natural antidepressant because it releases mood-enhancing endorphins and stimulates the production of serotonin. This neurotransmitter relieves pain and regulates appetite, sleep, sexual desire, digestion, anxiety and stress. An exercise program can be as simple as two 15-minute sessions a day. It should include activities that you can perform as part of your daily routine and it needs to be quick and easy to see real success. For example, you could walk for 15 minutes after lunch. Tаkе уоur kіds tо thе раrk or walk the dog.Іf уоu аrе аn еаrlу rіsеr, уоu соuld tаkе еаrlу morning runs or get your workout in as soon as you get out of bed. Just as there are many benefits to making exercise a regular part of your routine, there are consequences to ignoring exercise. Exercise fights stress. Stress builds when you don’t exercise, as cortisol levels in the body increase. This increase in cortisol exposes the body to a number of health complications that affect blood pressure, blood sugar, anxiety, depression and fat accumulation. Sleep, or lack of it, can have a significant effect on your health, too. Sleep is vital to allowing your body to recover and rejuvenate from your busy day. Ideally you are getting 8-9 hours a night, but if that’s not the case, think whether there are opportunities to turn off screen time, take naps, or adjust your nutrition to aid sleep. Lack of sleep plays a huge role in reducing insulin sensitivity and levels of the hormone leptin. These two actions severely affect the body’s metabolism and increase the tendency towards unnecessary fat storage. This can lead to obesity and other complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Here are some Ufiit strategies for health and fitness success:(1) Create a personal health, fitness and wellness mantra with five or more words. For example, I want to be more flexible, mobile, balanced, toned, strong and I want great posture. Make your mantra about more than a weight-loss goal or a cosmetic fix. Make your fitness mantra a vision for your mental and physical wellness.(2) Learn and understand your body type: Knowing this is like having a road map or GPS to guide your fitness journey. When you know your body type, you understand your body’s needs and how to achieve your goals. Knowing your body type will help us create custom exercise routines that are transformational. At Ufiit, we believe body type identification has been a big reason why we get awesome results. Once we help a client understand their body type, we create the unique and specific exercises for that person’s body. There is no one-size-fits all approach at Ufiit.
(3) Make time for you because it that is the only way you can better take care of others. I always talk about the aeroplane analogy. When we are about to take off on a flight the flight crew always tell us during their safety demonstration to put on our own oxygen mask on first before trying to help anyone else. ts a great principle to live by and it is not selfish but selfless.(4) Be proactively positive: I ask clients to consider the positive parts that make their lives awesome. My clients know the value of positivity and focusing on that a lot more than worrying all the time about what they wished could be better. At Ufiit, we ask clients to make a daily list of 10 things they love about their lives.(5) Don’t compare yourself to others: This is one of the most unfortunate and challenging things I encounter among clients, especially those with children. I have had people bring pictures of celebrities they would like certain parts of their body to look like. “Can you make my butt look like this?” I would say, “Probably not, but together, we can change your body to be its best.” We cannot be or look exactly like someone else. And why would you want to be a fake version of someone when you can be a unique version of you? You are already great and being the best versions of you is just the icing on the cake.(6) Be supportive: People who spend time taking care of themselves build capacity to give more to others. Fit, active parents have more energy to go out to play with their children instead of sharing screen time on a couch. Exercise doesn’t cost family time, it creates it.Most women especially those that are mothers are givers and nuturers who often forget that they are also individuals who also have needs, goals and dreams. Alot of you often ignore, subdue, sacrifice and forgo your own selves for your children, partners, families and friends. Thank you for doing this because Its a great thing that you do. Although it can be thankless sometimes remember that you are the glue that holds most things together.and there is alot of gratitude and goodwill that comes with it even when its not that obvious to you.. But I ask you to consider these suggestions everyday:(A) Am I putting on my mask first today? Remember put on your mask first before trying to help someone else.(B) Am I paying too much attention or giving too much importance to the noise and negativity?.Turn off the trolls and critics and resist the urge to criticize others. See you on the Ufiit health and fitness train and thank you for being awesome.
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If fruit is good for me, why can’t I eat as much as I want? I get asked this question at least twice a week. The answer I often give people is that it depends on their individual goals and what role they wanted fruits to play in their overall diet.Fruit is a good source of complex carbohydrates and they contain naturally occurring sugars that convert to glycogen. Fruits are the body’s first choice of fuel, so the body burns them during exercise or physical activity. For example, if you are a long-distance runner, fruit can be a good source of fuel to help you go the distance. But if you are trying to lose weight, and you eat a piece of fruit like a banana before your workout, that will be the first thing the body burns and you won’t burn fat. If your body has no quick source of fuel, it will tap into your fat stores and promote weight loss. Here are some simple facts on fruit and sugar:(A) Sugar in fruits, in the form of fructose, can cause weight gain or other health issues, particularly in the liver. Fructose increases insulin resistance, blood cholesterol, abdominal fat and raises ghrelin levels, the hormone that controls hunger.(B) Fructose is only harmful in large amounts. You would have to eat a lot of fruits to ingest too much fructose. The amount of sugar in fruits (12 grams for an orange or banana) is lower than what we get in soda pop (39 grams for a can of Coke) or a chocolate bar (35 grams in a Mars bar).(C) Fruits are good sources of fibre, water, amino acids and many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fibre, vitamin C and folate (folic acid). That fibre and water will make us feel more full and slow the sugar absorption in our systems. Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure.(D) Most fruits are low in fat, sodium and calories.Because of the sugar content, eating too much fruit can hurt your weight-loss goals. Eating too much fruit can also lead to unpleasant stomach issues. Eating large quantities of high-acidic fruits like oranges and pineapples are often problematic for people who have acid reflux and should be limited or removed from a diet, especially at night. Remember that day you went to the berry farm and ate most of what you picked before you got home? I’m sure your stomach didn’t like you after that. Our Ufiit rule is never eat fruit past 2 p.m. (unless you are a shift worker, then adjust your time based on when you sleep and wake-up.) The reason comes back to excess sugar intake that can spike blood sugar levels. Fruits are delicious and beneficial, but sometimes we can rely too much on fruit as a part of our diet. Fruits are convenient easy to grab and a great go to. They can also sometimes help for filling you up, but relying on fruits as a replacement for a balanced diet rich in nutrients is the wrong strategy. Nutrition is the science of how we fuel our body. We need protein, carbohydrates and fats to keep our body running well. There are no quick and easy fixes for good nutrition — even an apple a day cannot keep the doctor away. I’m not saying, “don’t eat apples,” I’m saying, “Eat it, but be ready to earn it. Fruits are delicious and great but making them the sole source of your nutrition will not to take you to the next level. Our Ufiit clients know that overeating fruits can be problematic — like overdoing most things. But the simple notion that moderation is the answer to all nutritional questions is vague at best. Is one piece of fruit moderation, maybe it is three pieces? Track your diet and note how you respond to the food you are eating, including fruits. And you will learn what works properly for you. The Ufiit approach to nutrition is guided by education and simplicity. The method we use is based on the fact that no two of us are alike, so we cannot all follow the same path. We help client’s understand how to tailor their own individual lives to match the specific health, fitness or weight-loss goals they desire. We teach clients to ignore the noise and focus on the fact. This keeps it simple and effective because they learn the facts as it relates to their specific selves and individual goals. Here are some examples of fruits that are lower in sugars.
Ufiit Insight:There is so much confusion or “alternative facts” in health, fitness, weight-loss and wellness. There are always so many different takes or angles promoted by different people for numerous reasons. Some takes or beliefs are legitimate and some are not, this causes a lot of confusion for people that are starving for answers. This is my suggestion when people ask questions about health, fitness, weight-loss or wellness.
Only when you have followed these steps should you can consider adopting the information or declining it. Reference the USDA fruits and fructose chart below.
Squats are a go-to exercise for most trainers today. But it’s possible squats are not the right exercise for you.We are all different and our body types, backgrounds, strengths, challenges and goals are not the same. This means we cannot all be doing exactly the same things, nor should we. You did not specify how you measured the strength in your legs or how long you did squats before you realized it wasn’t working for your goal of strengthening your legs. You obviously have your reasons or proof and I believe they are legitimate. I would, however, recommend that you adopt an approach that includes some of these points below. 1. Limiting IdeologiesDon’t limit yourself to conclusions that only allow you to look at one exercise as the key to your goals. I have met clients who had limiting beliefs that stem from what they have read or are being told by others. It’s often false that only one type of exercise or method can give us results we seek, so it is wrong to adopt that mindset. If we believe that we differ as people, bodytypes, shapes, strengths and goals, it makes zero sense to then say that only one exercise — the squat — can address those differences for all body types and characteristics. 2. Muscular EnduranceIf you want to build great strength in your legs or any other part of your body you need to focus on building muscular endurance in your legs. Without knowing how many reps of squats you are doing, I can go out on a limb and say maybe you aren’t doing enough reps. There are many techniques, routines or combinations of routines that we can employ to achieve our goals. I don’t squat and I know a lot of people who do not squat for different reasons. This is not to bash squats, but I do not believe it works for my body and my needs, so I removed it from my workouts 14 years ago and it’s been phenomenal. And yes, I have achieved amazing results with other exercises. Consider doing more anaerobic exercises if strength is what you seek.Anaerobic exercise routines are used by athletes in non-endurance sports to promote strength, speed and power and by body builders to build muscle mass. Examples of anaerobic exercises include heavy weight training, sprinting, running or cycling, and jumping. So from this definition, it is clear that we have a variety of options to strengthen our legs. We aren’t restricted to just one exercise. Since squatting hasn’t worked for you, my suggestion is to try other exercises that build strength. Try these and make sure you do them safely and properly to avoid injuries. If squats aren’t working for you, here are some of my unique UFiiT exercises that will get you really awesome results.1. UFiiT One leg: Tilt 2. One legged kick-backs //platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js 3. Lateral or side to side lunges. See how your body responds to these exercises. This will give you more knowledge about creating a proper plan that combines all the exercises that work for you. You might discover that squats combined with other exercises helps you make progress. Remember, no two people are the same, so we shouldn’t all expect to do the same workout. Source: https://ufiit.com/squats-might-be-killing-you/ Having the right trainer can be the most amazing experience of someone’s life. Having the wrong trainer can be the most devastating experience. Many people spend countless hours researching the purchase of a car, house or even a cellphone, so shouldn’t the same time and research go into finding a professional trainer to help you care for your most valuable asset — your body. Personal training does not come in a one-size-fits-all model. It’s personal. Every individual is a unique creation of body type, mind, lifestyle, background, tastes, strengths and challenges. So, we cannot all be, or do, the same things. The right personal trainer will create a program unique for you, because fitness is not a commodity for sale, it’s a lifestyle. And any trainer who would focus on the hard sell and not your well-being likely isn’t the trainer for you. I interview my clients and they interview me. My practice is based on the belief that I can make your life better and healthier with my approach and your attitude. My clients determine if my methods fit with their personality and goals. Together, we determine the overall results we can achieve. Whether we are speaking about one-on-one or online clients, working together on an individual plan is the only real way to achieve long-term success. Here are some key points that should be raised in an interview with any personal trainer:
Once these points are clear, it will be easy to connect with the right trainer for you. You’ll have clarity of expectations and you’ll know if you are being offered a generic fitness program or one that is tailored to you. Then you can make an informed decision. But don’t settle for anything less than amazing. Source: https://ufiit.com/the-right-trainer/ We are all born with the body that we live with for our entire lives. Therefore, we are responsible for taking care of that body so it can serve us till the end of our days. Unfortunately, some of us forget that it requires proper care to stay youthful, healthy, and strong. Those of us that tend to forget to take care of our bodies often end up unhealthy and usually have lots of health challenges later in life. Having good health is a by-product of healthy living. In order to be healthy, we need to commit to living a healthy lifestyle which includes the following elements: (1) a suitable weight management routine, (2) fitness or active lifestyle, and (3) proper rest that benefit the specific type of body that we have. All these things are essential for achieving and ensuring a healthier quality of life. If one or more of these elements are missing, for example, if an individual is overweight, inactive, and/or does not get enough rest, it increases their risk of experiencing health challenges in their lives. The level of challenges can vary from something as simple as having difficulty completing tasks due lack of energy, to not feeling good due to improper weight management, or to something more complicated like illness or disease. All these things will have a significant effect on our enjoyment of life or overall quality of life. All aspects of our lives are affected when we have bad health but when we make the required effort in staying healthy we have absolute control. When we take better care of our bodies, we can create an outcome that is favorable to us and our lives; barring any type of unforeseen or unfortunate circumstances. Some of us learn how to respect our bodies sooner than others. Those who respect their bodies will see results quicker than those who do not. Given that we are all unique, our paths and way of learning about how to respect our body may differ from one person to the next. We all have the opportunity to achieve the best life possible, we just need to take an approach that is best suited to our bodies, needs, and circumstances. No one person has a greater advantage than the others; we all start at the beginning irrespective of our gender, age, and background. Factors that can sometimes create obstacles in achieving our goals often have to do with biological or evolutionary changes that occur in our bodies which we have no real control over. This is especially true as it relates to middle aged women. Most women find it quite challenging to keep excess weight off and to live a balanced lifestyle after the age of 40. This is because they experience menopause, changes in hormones, and other factors that make achieving their health-related goals such as weight loss very difficult. Once most women reach the milestone age of 40 they often have to take continuous measures to ensure that they are living a healthy life, while also striving to get the best body they are happy with. It is a little unfair since most men do not have these same challenges to deal with. Although the challenges that women in their 40s face are frustrating, they are not impossible to overcome. All that is required is a proper plan and its execution that is neither generic nor one-size-fits-all. Below is a simple format to create the specific plan that will work for the individual and their unique body and circumstance. Clean Diet:Healthy diet is essential for good health. Stick with high protein diets such as meat or fish. Fresh vegetables and fruits are great options for weight loss. Good Activity LevelTalking about activity, we mean regular activities other than going to the gym or working out. This may include walking, hiking, biking or just anything that keeps you physically active. Women at this age need really good physical activity levels to avoid the risk of getting diseases like osteoporosis. And if you think you already walk a lot, walk some more. Take extra long walks outside to get some fresh air. Not only will that help promote weight loss and health goals, it will help maintain a positive mindset. ExerciseExercising is great for many reasons. It keeps you fit, it keeps you healthy, and it helps you burn calories and lose weight. The exercises should be simple and not too high in intensity. While bodyweight exercises will do just fine, weight training is also good too— just as long as the exercises compliment your body type, needs, and overall goals. It’s important to find routines that promote balance, flexibility, mobility, strength, tone, endurance fat loss and youthfulness. (For some ideas checkout: www.youtube.com/c/ufiit and www.instagram.com/Ufiitbyadrianne). Talk to your physician and a qualified fitness expert about incorporating the right exercise routines to help you achieve your goals. Keep in mind that the wrong types of physical activity or exercise routines can put extra burden on your body and you could be risking injuries or joint injuries. Supplements:Although there are a lot of “magical supplements” in the market, always keep in mind that everything has a possible side effect. Supplements are no different. There are some that really help and truly work, so don’t rule them out. Talk to a physician before taking up any supplement regimen. Getting older is a great thing when we approach it with the right mindset and attitude. Using the analogy, “it’s like fine wine”, as we mature we often evolve. Becoming middle-aged should be considered a privilege since some people never get that opportunity. It is a testament of everything that you have accomplished in your life until this point. And along the way you did some things that created your story in a way that no one else but you can share. When you have reached middle age, your life is at its mid-point and now it’s yours to lead however you decide. Making healthy choices is the only requirement that you have to fulfill for your body to serve you well into your later years. No one can or should tell you how to create the best life for you but yourself. Using this template as a guide, you can create the most amazing life in your 40s; one that compliments all of your goals and dreams in this new stage of life. Source: http://ufiit.com/weight-loss-tips-for-middle-aged-women/ Determining which body type you belong to can be liberating. It can help you better understand your body composition, the efforts you need to put in to gain muscles, the sports that will suit you, the foods that will help you stay fit and achieve weight loss, and so on. No matter how hard some people try, genetics will always be a step ahead of them. You can’t beat your body type when it comes to fitness or weight loss. Clean eating is an essential aspect in fitness, regardless of your build. You can boost your health and weight loss and get rid of any barriers you are facing by understanding your body type and knowing how to eat to help it become optimal. Our body type does not only define how we look, but also provides information relating to how our body responds to food intake. It also determines the characteristics of your hormonal and sympathetic nervous system (SNS). It has also been identified that a person’s body type can also define their metabolic capabilities and set them apart from other individuals when it comes to processing different types of food and gaining or losing weight. Which means it is an important factor that can be used to optimize your health goals. Body types consist of three main categories:
Most people can look like they possess characteristics of more than one of these categories, but that is probably because of the years of training and physical care they put into their health and body. And they could also be a mixture of two different body types because of their parents. Let’s now get into what these body types mean and what the ideal diet is in each case. EctomorphPeople belonging to this type are lean and skinny, meaning they have skinny limbs and a slender, narrow body. These types have high metabolic rate which makes them resilient to weight gain. But that also means that they have difficulty putting on muscles. Ectomorphs can get away with eating excessive amounts food without gaining weight and they do not have problems with weight loss as well. They naturally have low body fat. But that’s not to say that they do not need to exercise or live a healthy lifestyle, we all do. What to EatIf you belong to the ectomorph category, you must aim to consume higher carbohydrates and lower fats. Carbohydrates work great for this type. Proteins must also be consumed, but in moderate quantity. Fats consumed should be of good quality. Examples are nuts, avacado, chia seeds, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil. For ectomorphs is has been suggested by some experts that distributing the nutrients in these proportions is ideal 55% carbohydrates, 25% protein and 20% fats. EndomorphEndomorphs sometimes feel they are the unlucky body type, being one myself I often seems challenging to get results and it seems that we always have to work harder than the other two body types to achieve minimal results. Endomorphs are often fuller, rounder and has tendency to store a lot of fat. Our body shape is round and the joints are long. We have large bone structure and some people in this category sometimes find it a bit more challenging to live an active lifestyle. This might be due to the challenges and frustrations of not getting the success they want as quickly as they want compared to the other body types. As endomorphs our metabolic rate is characteristically very low and that promotes storage of fat and the tendency to gain excess weight. This can be discouraging and frustrating for people with this body type and it is understandable why some people get fed-up and get lazy. But that is not the right answer either, once they create a plan which includes understanding their body type it is easier to get results and achieve overall success in their weight loss and fitness journey. Knowing your body type will eliminate all the confusion and misinformation that has added to the frustration that people are experiencing and it will keep things simple but successful. No diet or controlled eating patterns will give the success that learning and understanding our body types, eating for that body type and exercising for that body type can. What to EatAn endomorphs would needs to consume good quality fats and protein. As far as the intake of carbohydrates, it is tricky but very do-able for endomorphs to put more emphasis on good fats and proteins while incorporating some good low glycemic carbohydrates. Therefore a breakdown of 25% carbohydrates, 35% protein and 40% fat. In simple words, consider eating more fats and protein and less carbohydrates is a great place to start and tweaking might be necessary based on results. MesomorphThis body type is considered to be genetically gifted. Mesomorphs are lean, muscular, athletic and naturally active, making them great at sports. Their bodies are proportionally built, consisting of medium sized bone structure and considerably lean mass. People belonging to this body type can gain and lose weight easily by changing their diet and activity level. Due to high testosterone, mesomorphs can build muscle easily. What to EatIf you are a mesomorph, you should consider consuming a balanced diet. Which means splitting eating proportions into 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat. The ability to gain muscle and weight easily means that you should focus on effective weight management throughout your life. Going on a trip without a map or directions is the same thing as not knowing your body type but expecting results or success in weight loss or fitness journey. We often don’t appreciate what our body does for us without asking until it stops doing it for us. Getting fit, losing weight and achieving health is simple but not easy to do. But we can make it simple and easier by understanding the subject which is our body. This way we will have the information, understand the needs and get the edge to get what we want Source: http://ufiit.com/eating-for-your-body-type/ |
Michael AbregoManaged a small team deploying dandruff on the black market. Uniquely-equipped for training tobacco for the underprivileged. Spent 2002-2008 merchandising glue in Jacksonville, FL. Had moderate success buying and selling human hair in Naples, FL. Spent a year managing tinker toys in Atlantic City, NJ. Spent childhood consulting about g.i. joes in Pensacola, FL. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |