Fitness & Wellness

If you haven’t already started, you can use your apps to help you with weight loss and a healthier lifestyle. While I won’t recommend a specific, primarily because there are a number of good ones, with new ones coming out every day, I will outline how you can use them to make your fitness regime more enjoyable and successful.

Get paid for sticking to your goals?

There are a number of apps out there that help you stick to your goals, but some actually pay you for doing that. One new app I found actually pays you for sticking to healthy eating patterns and workouts. You’re making a bet you’ll stick with the program and they bet you won’t. You set the amount you wish to wager and log in everything. If you win, they pay you the amount, if you don’t they debit your account. This type of app isn’t for everyone, but can make fitness more of a game.

Check the calorie count quickly.

Even though eating healthy combined with regular exercise is the only way to lose weight and keep it off, sometimes it helps to know just how many calories each food contains. There are a number of different apps that will help you find out whether to order the fresh salad with ranch dressing or munch on fresh shrimp with a side of veggies. These apps can be a big help when you’re first starting.

See how many calories you’ve burned with an app.

There are a number of different apps that allow you to input your weight and the activity you’ll be doing to let you know just how many calories you’re burning. Remember, these are just an estimate and don’t let you know all the benefits you’re receiving from a workout, but do give you a sense of accomplishment.

Get your favorite tunes to keep you going. Whether you create your own collection of songs to listen to during a workout or use a premade one, it’s easier to workout to music and a lot more fun.

Some apps allow you to track your food intake and calories burned. You’ll see how you’re doing each day.

Find an app to create meals for you. Some actually allow you to input the foods you love and then design meals that will help you lose weight and get healthier.

Find healthier foods with an app to scan the bar code. This app scans the code and then grades the food based on how healthy it is. If you’re in a hurry, you can use it without reading all the ingredients in the package. Of course, the best foods are whole foods, which often don’t have a bar code.

If late nights are second nature to you, they also may be what is making you fat. Lack of sleep is closely linked to weight gain with scientific backing that shows why. Most studies show that between 7 and 8 hours of sleep is optimal for most people. Those getting far less, such as 4 to 6 hours, will eventually show the effect in weight gain. It’s because of how your body works.

When you lack sleep, you need a burst of energy.

One not-so-difficult explanation is that when you’re tired you want an extra boost of energy. That means you want more food, often food with a sugary nature that gives you instant energy. Of course, as with any simple carbohydrate, your body digests it quickly and gives you the burst of energy you looked for when you chose it. Within a few hours, however, that skyrocketing energy level dips to the abyss of exhausted and you need another hit of sugary delight. That starts the vicious cycle that packs on pounds quickly.

It’s all about hormones.

While the sugar leveling is part of the reason, your hormones play an important role too. There are two hormones that are involved with the process of hunger. Ghrelin is one and leptin the other. Ghrelin is the hormone that sounds like many moms. “You can eat some more. Come on, you know you’re hungry.” is the conversation it starts in your head. Leptin is like a personal trainer or good friend. It tells you that you’ve had enough to eat. If you don’t get enough sleep, there’s more ghrelin created and you’ll be starved all the time. Get more sleep and get more leptin to help you not only avoid, but ignore temptation.

You’ll move slower and burn fewer calories when you’re deprived of sleep.

Lack of sleep can cause your metabolism to come to a standstill. Have you ever noticed how you just want to sit and don’t even have the energy to get up and turn the television station or get the remote to do it? That slower metabolism and lack of energy means you’ll be burning fewer calories making weight gain easier and weight-loss almost impossible.

A good night’s sleep has other benefits besides weight loss. You’ll look better the next day and won’t have raccoon eyes that are a dead giveaway you’ve been burning the candle at both ends.

You’ll be healthier when you sleep seven to eight hours a night. Studies show that lack of sleep increases your chances of a serious condition, such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease or high blood pressure.

Lack of sleep can make you mentally slower and less efficient at work. Cutting several hours off your nightly sleep can cut points off your IQ.

You’ll age faster if you don’t get enough sleep. When you lack sleep your body sends out cortisol that can destroy the collagen in the skin and make you look older. It also blocks the creation of HGH that keeps you looking younger.

You’ll reap huge benefits from regular exercise. You can firm your body and get a shapelier, more svelte figure. While some people incorrectly believe that all exercise builds bulky muscles, the truth is that it all depends on the intensity and type of exercise. Our personal trainers can design a program to help you achieve your goals, whether they’re just to firm and tone the body or to build large bulky muscles.

We can help you with a diet that will make the journey quicker.

You are what you eat is very true. That doesn’t mean you’ll turn into pastry if you have a few donuts, but you might have a muffin top or donut around your waist. Eating healthy should be a goal of every individual, whether they’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle tissue or are at the perfect weight. A healthy diet can help prevent serious conditions and allow your body to maintain an appropriate, healthier weight. A healthy diet doesn’t mean dieting, but simply making smarter choices when it comes to the food you eat. We can help you learn how to make wiser food choices.

You need a program specifically design for your needs.

No two people are alike, whether you’re discussing goals, fitness or special needs. We know that and design a program for each person based on individual needs, the person’s level of fitness, including identifying weak muscle groups and that person’s goals. We’ll help you strengthen muscle groups that need strengthening and get an overall workout based on your goals. If you have special needs, such as problems with your back, we can adjust the form you’ll use for each exercise to prevent putting more stress on that injury.

You’ll do more than just build a firmer more attractive body.

There are so many studies that focus on the benefit of regular exercise and a vast array of all the good it does for the body and your health. Not only does it improve your appearance, it can also help prevent serious conditions or aid you in controlling them if you already have a problem. High blood pressure, diabetes and osteoporosis all respond to a program of regular exercise.

You’ll see amazing results for your complexion when you workout regularly. Exercise stimulates circulation, which provides needed nutrients and oxygen to every cell in your body, while also sweeping away toxins.

You’ll burn off the harmful hormones created by stress. It helps untie the knot in your stomach and lets you relax again.

You’ll have improved spirits after you exercise. Exercising stimulates the brain to create hormones that make you feel good, such as endorphins and dopamine.

You’ll sleep better at night and awaken refreshed and ready for the day. Not only does regular exercise boost your thinking capacity, it helps you sleep better, which can also give you a clear head, while eliminating circles under your eyes.

Strong is sexy. That’s always been true for men, but now, more than ever, it’s true for women too. Whether it’s for self-defense, keeping up with the kids or just opening that difficult pickle jar, you need to be able to do it yourself. In today’s changing society, many women are on their own, so the stronger you are, the more able you’ll be able to handle those tasks at home from carrying limbs off the lawn to carrying bags of groceries.

You’re never too old to get into shape.

It doesn’t matter what your present level of fitness, your age or your limitations, you can get healthier and stronger with the help of one of our personal trainers. If you have physical limitations, such as weaker needs, the trainer will adjust the program or exercise form that prevent further injury or pain. If you’re older or out of shape, the trainer will first assess your level of fitness and then create a program that you’re capable of accomplishing but will still make you work hard.

You’ll look sexier.

Firm toned muscles are sexy, otherwise “kick-butt” heroines wouldn’t exist, like Xena, Sarah Conner from “The Terminator, ” Daenerys Targaryen from “Game of Thrones” or Liz from “Blacklist.” Every season the list of tough strong women becomes longer, reflecting society’s view on female strength. Frankly, most men find both brains and brawn extremely attractive when found in one woman. Of course, strong men have always been considered sexy, so there’s no reason to elaborate on them.

You’ll have more confidence the stronger you become.

Physical strength doesn’t mean you’ll have big bulky muscles, unless that’s what you want. It does mean you’ll walk taller and feel more confident, eliminating the look of a victim and replacing it with the look of a “don’t mess with me” victor. It can be intimidating if you want it to be and can be beneficial for you in a competitive work force. People judge you first on your appearance and your appearance will say, “I’m confident.”

You’ll lose weight as you tone and firm your body.

Exercise will burn off the harmful hormones created by stress and replace them with ones that make you feel good.

Studies show that just starting a program of regular exercise improves your self-image. You can imagine how it makes you feel when you see the results.

You’ll reduce your risk of serious debilitating conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and osteoporosis, when you exercise on a regular basis.

Motivation is the key to achieving any goal, but it’s not always easy to achieve that motivation. Successful people always seem to have that little push that puts them to the top of their game and keeps them going toward success. Even successful people have their weaknesses. While a person may be a leader in industry, they may have a sweet tooth or a weakness for fattening foods that shows itself by causing health issues or obesity. Finding the right help to achieve a fitness goal can be as easy as looking for a gym that personalizes training or finding a personal trainer.

Motivation can be learned.

It’s so amazing that once people achieve a goal, they can be empowered with personal motivation that helps them tackle another. Achieving that first goal is the most difficult part, however. Focusing on the outcome and how great you’ll feel when you achieve your goal helps, but the most important help comes from the support of others until you develop the internal motivation to achieve your goals.

Motivation can come from following a path and seeing success.

Sometimes people lack motivation because they haven’t clearly identified their goals. Other times lack of motivation comes from lack of having a clearly defined path toward goal achievement. Creating clearly defined goals and charting a path can help you achieve almost anything and overcome almost any road block. Charting successes along the way boosts your conviction too.

Weight loss and improved fitness is one goal you can tackle and use to build your motivation.

While a lofty goal of becoming a billionaire may entice you, you need to start with something that’s more attainable and that can be fitness. When you work toward becoming stronger, more flexible and fitter you become more confident and improve your belief in yourself. That improves your motivation. Whatever you believe, you can achieve and getting fitter is one important way to help build that and your overall health.

When you lack motivation to achieve any fitness or other goal. Find help. Sometimes working with a professional in the area of your goal or working with a group can pay big dividends.

Having fun can make any goal more attainable and improve your motivation. You’ll not only be motivated by the goal, but by the desire to achieve enjoyment.

When you keep a written record of your goals and achievements, it improves motivation. You can see the results of your hard work and that is motivating.

Belief in yourself and a good attitude helps you become more motivated. A program of regular exercise not only stimulates the brain to create hormones that make you feel good, but also boosts self-confidence.