Exercise

Health Benefits Of Weightlifting

Health Benefits Of Weightlifting

Published by on April 25, 2023 | Leave a response

At LIV Fitness in Livermore, CA, we include all types of fitness training in our clients’ programs. Strength training is an important part of fitness and has many health benefits. You can combine it with other types of fitness training to get more from the workout in a shorter time. Some people question whether weightlifting is appropriate for women, seniors, or those with physical limitations or even if it’s healthy. The good news is that almost every adult can lift weights. The amount of weight lifted may be far less and modifications may be necessary, but the benefits are worth it.

Keep obesity at bay by lifting weights.

Obesity is now the leading cause of preventable deaths. If you want to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume. A healthy diet will help limit calories consumed and weightlifting is an efficient way to burn calories. Unlike running, which burns calories from both fat and muscle tissue, weightlifting increases muscle tissue as it burns fat. Muscle tissue requires more calories for maintenance than fat tissue does. The more you have, the higher your metabolism, making it easier to shed extra pounds.

Strength training is more important for seniors than the younger population.

After 30, most people start losing muscle mass due to lower hormone levels. That natural occurrence can be prevented or reversed by doing strength- training. Lifting weights builds stronger muscles, which is particularly important the older you get. For seniors, strong muscles can make the difference between living independently and requiring assistance. Stronger muscles can help prevent falls and the injuries they cause. It can also help relieve the pain of arthritis, back pain, and joint issues.

Including weightlifting in your workout helps maintain bone strength.

Seniors to do strength-building exercises, especially if they’re women. Senior women tend to suffer from bone thinning—osteoporosis—more than men, and strength-building can help prevent osteoporosis. It can even reverse it. Your bones uptake calcium to increase their strength and offset the tug of muscles. If no muscles tug on the bones, they lose calcium, and you have bone thinning. Studies show that strength-building workouts can be as effective as some medications for osteoporosis.

  • Although it might seem counterproductive to do weight training for joints and arthritis pain, the increased strength helps lift pressure off the joints, ease pain, and reduce swelling and stiffness.
  • Lifting weights can improve the strength of core muscles. Core strength can help improve posture, which affects many areas of health, such as breathing and digestion. Good posture can prevent acid reflux.
  • Weight training can help reset hormones that affect all areas of the body. It can burn off cortisol and help prevent insulin resistance, which is a precursor for diabetes. Weight training can help prevent PMS and menstrual cramps and relieve symptoms of menopause.
  • Working out with weights lowers blood pressure, boosts the immune system, and helps maintain blood sugar levels. It helps reduce visceral fat—belly fat—that negatively affects internal organs.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness

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Can I Lose Weight Quickly Before Vacation?

Can I Lose Weight Quickly Before Vacation?

Published by on March 25, 2023 | Leave a response

If you’re leaving on vacation next week, even if you lose weight quickly, it will only be a few pounds and will return quickly, most probably while you’re on your vacation. If you have more time, like a month or two, there are several things you can do to not only look better, but also feel better and more energetic. Even if your deadline is two weeks, you can make some positive changes, but if you’re expecting to drop 20 pounds or fit into clothing that is two sizes smaller, you’ll be disappointed.

Losing weight starts in the kitchen.

You don’t have to starve yourself to shed pounds. Starving yourself right before a vacation can drain you of energy and you’ll miss all the fun. Instead, focus on eating healthier. Eliminate food with added sugar and load your plate with whole food, like fruit and vegetables. That’s right! You can eat a lot when you choose vegetables like fresh greens, carrots, peppers and other colorful veggies. Cut out processed food, too. Highly processed foods normally don’t improve your nutrition but do provide empty calories.

Workout at least a half hour a day.

If you have a month, you’ll notice a big difference in how you look and feel. Don’t try to overdo it because you have a timeline that’s approaching. Overexercising can lead to injuries that will not only set you back months, but can also ruin your vacation. Spending 30 minutes a day working out not only tones the muscles, but also burns extra calories. It can help you lose weight, but best of all, you’ll build energy and enjoy your vacation more.

You want the best workout to burn calories and shed pounds faster.

Strength-building exercises not only burn tons of calories, but they also build muscle tissue at the same time. You’ll look more toned after just a few weeks. While cardio also torches calories, it gets those extra calories to burn from both fat and muscle tissue. Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue does for maintenance, so the more you have, the higher your metabolism. Make your workout a HIIT—high intensity interval training—workout that modifies the intensity throughout. Not only does it burn calories while you’re doing it, it continues to burn calories after you quit. Any type of workout can be a HIIT workout.

  • Increase your activity level. Even if you workout every day, you can boost your calorie burning by becoming more active when you’re not working out. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further from the store or walk to lunch.
  • Plan your meals and prepare them ahead. You’ll have the right portion size and be less likely to cheat. Don’t forget to include a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. It helps control your appetite and keeps you energized.
  • What you drink makes a difference, too. Some fancy coffees have as many calories as a meal. Sugary soft drinks, like colas, contain 100 calories per can. Replace them with water. Avoid diet drinks. Studies show a link between diet sodas and a larger waist circumference.
  • Get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep slows you down and makes you hungrier. It disrupts the balance between the hunger hormone ghrelin and the satiety hormone leptin, suppressing leptin and increasing ghrelin.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness

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How To Exercise With Bad Feet

How To Exercise With Bad Feet

Published by on March 5, 2023 | Leave a response

Throughout the years, our personal trainers at LIV Fitness in Dublin, CA, have worked with people with issues that impeded their mobility. They created a personalized workout with modifications to address those issues. Problems often faced are issues with feet and ankles. You don’t have to give up working out, so don’t use it as an excuse not to exercise if that’s your problem. There is a way to exercise with bad feet and have a thorough workout.

Running and other high-impact exercises often create bad feet.

There are a lot of reasons that your feet might hurt. It can be anything from a temporary cause, like a cut or something more permanent. One thing you don’t want to do is exacerbate the injury. Many runners experience the problem after years of the high-impact pounding their feet take when they run. Avoid that pounding by switching to low-impact workouts or modifying existing workouts. Swimming is low impact, for instance. Modifying position your position works, too. Switch standing butt kicks for donkey kicks on hands and knees.

There are lower body exercises that don’t involve standing.

Whether you’re sitting in a chair or lying on the floor, you won’t be putting pressure on your feet. Doing leg raises laying on your side is one of those exercises that work the legs without putting any pressure on the feet. Seated heel presses, leg extensions and knee lifts are a few that can be done while seated. You can even modify a plank or push-up by resting your weight on your knees, not your feet.

Get fit and build strength whether sitting or lying on the floor.

Seated leg lifts are tough and don’t put any pressure on the feet. Most upper-body workouts can be done seated, too. Air boxing, seated jumping jacks without the jump, bicep curls and many more exercises can be modified to protect your feet and build strength. Lay on the floor and put your feet on a chair or bench. Do a modified bridge by lifting your bottom off the ground and forming a straight 45-degree angle from your shoulders to your feet. It’s more of a workout than the traditional chair, so people without injuries might want to try it.

  • Don’t forget to warm up and stretch. Staying flexible is important. It’s also important to maintain motion in the ankles, since you aren’t working them as hard with a foot injury. Doing ankle curls and outstretching the legs and making circles are good exercises.
  • Always check with your healthcare professional before starting any program of exercise. Don’t push yourself if you feel pain, particularly if the pain comes from the injured area.
  • Do leg lifts seated for lower body workouts. Add an upper body workout by grasping the side of the chair with your legs extended and lifting your bottom off the chair.
  • Don’t forget about resistance bands. Even if you’re stuck in a chair, you can use resistance bands. They’re easy to use and can be part of your fitness program that you can do anywhere.

For more information, contact us today at LIV Fitness

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