Friday, April 17, 2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
Make Your Perfomance Increase with Proper Posture
Do you think you are fit? If so, have you checked your posture lately? I have seen plenty of people at the gym who appear to be in good shape, but when it comes to their posture they do not get a passing grade.
Posture is one of the most under rated components of good health. Most people think in order to be healthy you need to eat right, exercise, sleep, and avoid harmful substances. Posture is not on that lists! Too be truly fit and healthy, posture needs to be viewed just as important as eating healthy and exercising.
To give you an idea of why posture is so important, let me lists a few negative effects of bad posture:
-Slouching may turn you into a grouch, cause more stress
-low energy and depression
-bad appearance to others
-effects the way your muscles work and causes them to be inefficient using extra energy for improper movements
-increases chances of injury
-increases risks of diseases leading to death in worst cases
-Cuts off circulation and increases tightness in muscles and joints
-effects bowels negatively
To be fair, our society is not necessarily catered to proper posture. Think about it; we sit and watch TV, we sit to drive our vehicles, we sit at work and school. Technology has taken over and everything we do is on some gadget which in most cases cause bad posture, not to knock technology because plenty of good comes from it. These are a few of the common daily activities most of us deal with.
Some other factors that result in bad posture:
-accidents, injuries
-poor mattress
-overweight
-muscle imbalances and compensation
-foot problems, bad shoes
-negative self image
-occupational set up
-improper exercise form and technique
So as you can see, having good posture is something you need to consciously think about in order to develop good posture. We can do it! It takes hard work just like eating right and exercising, but you can change your posture just as you can lose weight.
Lets get away from the downer aspects of posture and go over the benefits of good posture, which should hopefully be pretty obvious, motivating, and dealing with none of the stuff above. hahaha
So now the benefits of good posture:
-Decreases stress
-enables breathing properly
-good appearance to others
-prevents back ache and muscle pain
-muscles are used more efficiently
-better performance in exercise and daily movements
-prevents the spine from setting in abnormal positions
-decrease of injury and diseases
-good alignment, muscles move properly
-better circulation
-decreases stress on ligaments and tendons
-better digestion
-longevity in active lifestyle
So that's a pretty good lists of reasons to focus on your posture.
What are some things you can do to help improve your posture?
-Keep your weight down - excess weight, especially around the middle, pulls on the back, weakening stomach muscles.
-Develop a regular program of exercise - regular exercise keeps you flexible and helps tone your muscles to support proper posture.
-Buy good bedding - a firm mattress will support the spine and help maintain the same shape as a person with good upright posture.
-Pay attention to injuries from bumps, falls and jars - injuries in youth may cause growth abnormalities or postural adaptations to the injury or pain that can show up later in life.
-Have your eyes examined - a vision problem can affect the way you carry yourself as well as cause eyestrain.
-Be conscious of where you work - is your chair high enough to fit your desk? Do you need a footrest to keep pressure off your legs?
-Straighten Up and Stay Healthy!
So take away message: if you want to be truly fit and healthy, you NEED to have GOOD posture!!
Here is a good video to show you how to get good good posture.
Please share feedback if you have any or ask questions at trainwithshawnw@gmail.com
Posture is one of the most under rated components of good health. Most people think in order to be healthy you need to eat right, exercise, sleep, and avoid harmful substances. Posture is not on that lists! Too be truly fit and healthy, posture needs to be viewed just as important as eating healthy and exercising.
To give you an idea of why posture is so important, let me lists a few negative effects of bad posture:
-Slouching may turn you into a grouch, cause more stress
-low energy and depression
-bad appearance to others
-effects the way your muscles work and causes them to be inefficient using extra energy for improper movements
-increases chances of injury
-increases risks of diseases leading to death in worst cases
-Cuts off circulation and increases tightness in muscles and joints
-effects bowels negatively
To be fair, our society is not necessarily catered to proper posture. Think about it; we sit and watch TV, we sit to drive our vehicles, we sit at work and school. Technology has taken over and everything we do is on some gadget which in most cases cause bad posture, not to knock technology because plenty of good comes from it. These are a few of the common daily activities most of us deal with.
Some other factors that result in bad posture:
-accidents, injuries
-poor mattress
-overweight
-muscle imbalances and compensation
-foot problems, bad shoes
-negative self image
-occupational set up
-improper exercise form and technique
So as you can see, having good posture is something you need to consciously think about in order to develop good posture. We can do it! It takes hard work just like eating right and exercising, but you can change your posture just as you can lose weight.
Lets get away from the downer aspects of posture and go over the benefits of good posture, which should hopefully be pretty obvious, motivating, and dealing with none of the stuff above. hahaha
So now the benefits of good posture:
-Decreases stress
-enables breathing properly
-good appearance to others
-prevents back ache and muscle pain
-muscles are used more efficiently
-better performance in exercise and daily movements
-prevents the spine from setting in abnormal positions
-decrease of injury and diseases
-good alignment, muscles move properly
-better circulation
-decreases stress on ligaments and tendons
-better digestion
-longevity in active lifestyle
So that's a pretty good lists of reasons to focus on your posture.
What are some things you can do to help improve your posture?
-Keep your weight down - excess weight, especially around the middle, pulls on the back, weakening stomach muscles.
-Develop a regular program of exercise - regular exercise keeps you flexible and helps tone your muscles to support proper posture.
-Buy good bedding - a firm mattress will support the spine and help maintain the same shape as a person with good upright posture.
-Pay attention to injuries from bumps, falls and jars - injuries in youth may cause growth abnormalities or postural adaptations to the injury or pain that can show up later in life.
-Have your eyes examined - a vision problem can affect the way you carry yourself as well as cause eyestrain.
-Be conscious of where you work - is your chair high enough to fit your desk? Do you need a footrest to keep pressure off your legs?
-Straighten Up and Stay Healthy!
So take away message: if you want to be truly fit and healthy, you NEED to have GOOD posture!!
Here is a good video to show you how to get good good posture.
Please share feedback if you have any or ask questions at trainwithshawnw@gmail.com
Thursday, March 19, 2015
TO SUPPLEMENT OR NOT TO SUPPLEMENT, THAT IS THE QUESTION-
This topic is very controversial, because you have people that believe that supplementing is very much necessary to live a healthy life: then you have those that believe there is little to no value, and that big supplement companies are out to make some dough. This is where the beauty of educating oneself comes into play. You simply can't rely on the opinion of others in such an unregulated industry where people have jumped on the money train, neglecting the health of those that may use their supplements.
So my purpose of this post is to help you simplify whether or not you need to supplement, and which type of supplements you need, and how to recognize a reputable company.
1. WHEN YOU NEED TO SUPPLEMENT
To figure out if you need to supplement, I recommend doing this needs analysis. By answering these questions you will see if you really need all that protein powder or that pantry full of the hundreds of different pills. It always amazes me how some homes have low quality food in the fridge and pantry, yet they try to get all their nutrients from pills and powders. That is not proper nutrition. It should be high quality, nutrient dense foods in the fridge and pantry, and as little supplements as possible. Here are some questions to ask yourself to see if you need to supplement:
-Am I deficient in any macro/micro nutrients? (Am I getting enough healthy fats, proteins, veggies & fruits, and vitamins and minerals?)
-For what purpose do I need to take this supplement? ( Am I do a particular workout program where I am trying to gain mass, lose fat, trying to lift heavy, run faster, etc ....performance benefits?)
-Is there appropriate, peer-reviewed research, science, backing the claims of the supplement? ( is there proof that this supplement does what it says it does? Is it from a reputable manufacturer? Is it safe?)
These simple questions can get you pointed in the right direction as far as need to supplement. If a doctor has prescribed you to supplement, then it is because you are probably deficient or certain body systems are not performing as they should.
Simply put, if you are not deficient and your body performs well within your physical daily outputs, then you probably do not need to supplement. That being said, depending on your intake of proper nutrients and your activity level (your output, calorie burn), most people need to supplement because of their lack of eating all that their body needs to replenish itself after exercise and activity throughout the day. Life is busy and most people do not eat enough of the proper foods to get all the nutrients they need. This is why there are so many different types of supplements.
2 ESSENTIAL VS. NON-ESSENTIAL
When you think of supplements, this is how you should categorize them: essential or non-essential.
To help you understand the difference, think in terms of what your body needs to function vs what it doesn't need.
Essential nutrients come from food that our body needs and cant produce on its own. These are your proteins/ amino acids, essential fatty acids,vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
Since you can take in these essential nutrients with food, you technically don't need to supplement. BUT there are many populations that are more likely to be deficient like the elderly, athletes and other special cases, and honestly most of the population; this is when you need to supplement to get the essential nutrients your body "needs."
Essential Type Supplements:
-Protein Supplement (deficient in whole food based protein)
-Fish oil Supplement (deficient in your essential omega 3 fatty acids)
-Greens Supplement (deficient in veggie and fruit intake)
-Multivitamin and multimineral (deficient in lots of vitamins and minerals, fruits and veggies)
-Protein-carbohydrate drink (when you have an intense workout, needed to replenish muscles)
-branched-chain amino acids (needed during high intensity workouts when fat loss/ muscle preservation is desired)
Non-essential nutrients are food based nutrients that the body can make on its won, or are nutrients that are not needed for normal body function. There are a lot more supplements that fall into this category since it is so broad. It doesn't make them bad necessarily, it just means they are not essential for the functioning of our body. Some are completely useless, and some help with performance. Over time they do not help with over all optimal nutrition.
Non-Essential Supplements:
-r-Alpha lipolic acid (helps with insulin sensitivity and fat loss)
-Tyosine and phosphatidylcholine (helps reduce CNS fatigue during high-intensity/volume workouts)
-Caffeine (To improve CNS output prior to competition)
-Sodium bicarbonate (help reduce lactate activity in muscles)
-Beta alanine (helps reduce lactate activity in muscles)
-Creatine (helsp regenerate ATP (energy) to help with high intensity power/ strength workouts)
-Green tea extract (stimulates the metabolism during weight loss)
-CLA (stimulate metabolism, induce apoptosis of fat cells, and down regulate of leptin during weight loss)
3. WHO TO TRUST???
I want to start with a very important statement. Just because something is on the market does not mean its okay. Unfortunately, the supplement industry is one that is not regulated very well, if at all. If I wanted, I can go buy a lot of ingredients and make my own supplements and sell them that same day. So what should you look for when buying supplements? Here are a few suggestions so that you can make sure your getting high quality products from respected companies and manufacturers that are genuinely looking to help you rather than just turn a profit.
-They have been doing business for quite some time and has their supplements certified by a third party.
-Make sure they follow GMP, good manufacturing practices
-Make sure their products have a small list of ingredients. The fewer the better.
-Make sure they have real science to back the claims of their products
If you ever take a supplement and feel some bad side effects, you probably want to get off of it immediately. What works for one person may not work for another. Your friend may suggest a certain supplement that they cant get enough of, then you try it and NOTHING. Another thing to watch out for is that friend that jumps on board some new start-up company that claims their products will heal cancer. You know who I am talking about. They may have a good product put they charge an arm and a leg for it. Of course the claims are typically not backed by strong science, just said to build hype and make some money.
I hope this was helpful. Ultimately, you should try your hardest to get all your nutrients from good food sources, but again, if you are like most people, that just doesn't happen all the time.
Hit me up if you have any questions. A good website to visit to review the purity and label claims on a product on the market today is www.consumerlab.com
Feel free to leave feedback or any other information or suggestions you may have.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
March Madness Bracket Contest - Win $100!
CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT YOUR BRACKET! (You can also click on this link to check in on your scores each day once the contest has started)!
Also, be sure to check out our April Fitness Challenge and GET READY TO SWEAT! It's going to be AWESOME!!!
The winner will be announced on our TRAIN WITH SHAWN Facebook page!
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
The Power of Interval Training
Tell me if these are two common excuses that you hear people use for not doing their cardio.
1. I do not have the time!
2. Those that actually do their cardio, but they then complain that they do not see any results from what their doing.
Does that sound familiar? Well one great solution that resolves both of those common problems is INTERVAL TRAINING!!!!
Interval
training involves alternating short bursts of intense activity with
what is called active recovery, which is typically a less-intense form
of the original activity. So instead of running on the treadmill for
miles at a steady pace, you do sprints for 1 minute or 30 seconds as
hard as you can, and then get off the treadmill and do a stretch; or 2
minutes or 1 minute, depending upon your time intervals for the workout
that day. Repeat 10-14 times. You can apply these to a plethora of
exercises. According to research that has been done, a 20 minute high
intense cardio interval workout is 9 times more effective then running
for an hour. So that solves the time issue. Who honestly doesn't have
20 minutes a day to exercise???
What are the advantages that I am talking about with interval training?
What are the advantages that I am talking about with interval training?
Interval
training utilizes the body's two energy-producing systems: the aerobic
and the anaerobic. The aerobic system is the one that allows you to walk
or run for several miles, that uses oxygen to convert carbohydrates
from various sources throughout the body into energy.
The anaerobic system, on the other hand, draws energy from carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) stored in the muscles for short bursts of activity such as sprinting, jumping or lifting heavy objects. This system does not require oxygen, nor does it provide enough energy for more than the briefest of activities. And its byproduct, lactic acid, is responsible for that achy, burning sensation in your muscles that you feel after, say, running up several flights of stairs.
The anaerobic system, on the other hand, draws energy from carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) stored in the muscles for short bursts of activity such as sprinting, jumping or lifting heavy objects. This system does not require oxygen, nor does it provide enough energy for more than the briefest of activities. And its byproduct, lactic acid, is responsible for that achy, burning sensation in your muscles that you feel after, say, running up several flights of stairs.
Plus,
you will be burning calories for up to 24-48 hours after these high
intensity workouts. Another nice advantage is that anybody at any
fitness level can do intervals. You can control your intensity and the
amount of time per set. A word of advice; when you are doing your work
intervals you want to pretend you are running from a bear. You need to
be working like you are running for your life. Your heart should feel
like it’s about to jump out of your chest.
How to set up your own workout?
How to set up your own workout?
Despite
its simplicity, it also is possible to take a very scientific approach
to interval training, timing both the work and recovery intervals
according to specific goals. The box below lists the four variables to
keep in mind when designing an interval training program. Consider the
following four variables when designing an interval training program:
- Intensity (speed) of work interval
- Duration (distance or time) of work interval
- Duration of rest or recovery interval
- Number of repetitions of each interval
You will get fast results by following those steps. And another advantage is that you can apply interval training into any kind of fitness activity out there: biking, running, swimming, medicine balls, etc……Make it fun!
Always feel free to ask me questions about anything with intervals.
Headstrong until next time!
Monday, March 9, 2015
DAY
9 DONE TIMES 2! I DID IT ONCE AFTER MY WORKOUT AND THEN I WENT AND
PLAYED SOME BASKETBALL. FOR SOME REASON THE FIRST VIDEO I DID AT THE
GYM WAS DELETED ON MY PHONE, SO THIS VIDEO IS AFTER B-BALL. SUCH A
GREAT FINISHER!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNtxkWKOj04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNtxkWKOj04
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
REASONS WHY BURPEES ARE SO FREAKIN' AWESOME:
1.Total body movement- they work everything! More bang for your buck!
2. There are no excuses not to do them. They can be done anywhere and everywhere: at work, at home, or on the road.
3. They make you stronger. A burpee is a very functional exercise and will increase your daily performance. Carrying all those groceries will become a piece cake. They work so many different muscle groups. It's insane!
4. Burpees will help you get fit fast without a treadmill. That's right, burpees are a very effective form of cardio. You want to run a faster 5k, 10k, or marathon??? Add burpees to your arsenal and you will see great gains.
5. They are a good supplement to any workout. Add a few sets to the end of your workout as a finisher or implement them between sets. Burpees will enhance your workouts.
SO this being said, try to do a burpee today somewhere out of the ordinary! If you feel inclined to do a burpee while at work while talking to your colleague at the water cooler, in the grocery store, or while out on your jog...DO IT! Have fun with these things because it will only benefit you!
Train With Shawn
1.Total body movement- they work everything! More bang for your buck!
2. There are no excuses not to do them. They can be done anywhere and everywhere: at work, at home, or on the road.
3. They make you stronger. A burpee is a very functional exercise and will increase your daily performance. Carrying all those groceries will become a piece cake. They work so many different muscle groups. It's insane!
4. Burpees will help you get fit fast without a treadmill. That's right, burpees are a very effective form of cardio. You want to run a faster 5k, 10k, or marathon??? Add burpees to your arsenal and you will see great gains.
5. They are a good supplement to any workout. Add a few sets to the end of your workout as a finisher or implement them between sets. Burpees will enhance your workouts.
SO this being said, try to do a burpee today somewhere out of the ordinary! If you feel inclined to do a burpee while at work while talking to your colleague at the water cooler, in the grocery store, or while out on your jog...DO IT! Have fun with these things because it will only benefit you!
Train With Shawn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)