2Inspire Health & Fitness Magazine #24 - September 2021

Ultra-Endurance Racer Leah Goldstein Talks Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Why a Sedentary Lifestyle is Bad for Your Mental Health How to Track and Measure Your Fitness 3 Reasons Not to Ignore Strength Training as Part of Your Regular Workout Routine

2Inspirenutrition.com September 2021 FREE

How to Bust Past a Fitness Plateau Is It Unhealthy to Do the Same Workouts Over and Over Again?

Top 10 Fitness Habits to Help You Get the Most of Your Cycling Workouts

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE

Top 10 Fitness Habits to Help You Get the Most of Your Cycling Workouts - pg. 3 Why a Sedentary Lifestyle is Bad for Your Mental Health - pg. 7 How to Bust Past a Fitness Plateau - pg. 9 Is It Unhealthy to Do the Same Workouts Over and Over Again? - pg.12 Ultra-Endurance Racer Leah Goldstein Talks Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable - pg. 14 How to Track and Measure Your Fitness - pg. 20 3 Reasons Not to Ignore Strength Training as Part of Your Regular Workout Routine - pg. 22

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Top 10 Fitness Habits to Help You Get the Most of Your Cycling Workouts

Whether you are a serious cycler or a casual peddler, you need to stay in shape.

You get the most out of your cycling workouts when you spend the time off of your bike wisely. Your downtime between biking sessions is important for recovery, and should also be used to prepare your body for the intense exercise you receive on your bike. Make the following 10 fitness habits a part of your daily life to get the most out of your cycling workouts.

1 - Eat Smart 3

It used to be that doctors

allowed us to blame much of our physical fitness problems on our ancestors. Hereditary and genetic makeup were thought to lend the predominant influence on your physical makeup. We now know better. Doctors, health professionals and nutrition researchers understand that as much as 70% of the influence on how you look and feel is dictated by your diet.

right when you need to make a push to mount a hill climb or finish off a race. Eating properly also provides your muscles with the minerals and nutrients they need to recover quickly.

A smart biker’s diet is pretty much like what everyone should be eating to stay healthy.

Focus on dark green, leafy vegetables, fresh fruit and whole grains. You want to As a cyclist this means concentrate on healthy that you are what you eat. carbohydrates and steer You need plenty of energy clear of “bad” carbs found reserves to fuel intense in junk food, sugar and cycling sessions. You do energy drinks. Protein is not want to “hit the wall” definitely a part of a smart

cycling diet as well.

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experience. Your form and cycling function is 2 - Get Your Bike Set up scrutinized. You will be

by An Expert asked a lot of questions about your health and Have you ever had a possible issues you incur cycling pro prepare your while biking. All of these bike for you? If not, you things lead to saddle and are in for a real treat. One handlebar adjustments, way to get the most out shoe and riding style of your cycling workouts is recommendations and a to have a knowledgeable custom-made set up that cycling professional help means the perfect cycling you assemble your gear. experience every time.

Tell them your budgetary constraints and exactly 3 - Get Lots of Rest what you are looking to get out of cycling.

You need 7 to 8 hours of rest every night. That Perhaps you are just going is because the sleeping to be a casual, “every now process, when you enjoy and then” cyclist. Or maybe healthy sleep patterns, is you plan on aggressively very involved. You move in working out on your bike. and out of several different Either way, your body and sleep stages at different bicycle will benefit from times. Unless all of those the advice of someone sleep patterns are present, who has been cycling you can awaken tired, seriously their whole life. grumpy, lacking energy Your speed, fitness level, and even physically sore. comfort, self-esteem and entire cycling workout As opposed to someone gets a boost when you who is not physically allow a “bike whisperer” to active, you may actually upgrade your current bike find yourself needing or outfit you with a new more sleep than usual. one.

This is because your body is attempting to repair A cycling consultation can your muscles and rebuild take place over your next your energy stores at lunch break. You will be night. Sleep researchers asked to get up on your show that improper bike after it is mounted sleep patterns affect how to a turbo trainer or some much you weigh, your other type of virtual biking mood during the day,

several different health parameters and even your sex life.

How can you ensure your body recovers properly at night? Most experts in this field agree that simply adding 1 hour of sleep each night is a smart health tip for everyone.

Especially for you as a cyclist, your body needs a lot more repair time than the typically inactive individual. Proper sleep also leads to less muscle aches and pains, and a lower risk of injury when you are cycling.

4 – Go for a Hill Run Go for a hill run 2 or 3 times a week. Find a tall hill that really works you out. The same respiratory, lower body and core requirements for serious cycling are put to the test when you force yourself to complete a challenging hill run in one burst.

Walking down a severely inclined hill also helps with balance, flexibility and agility.

5 - Stay Hydrated On and Off the Bike You know it is important to drink lots of fluids when you are cycling. Whether you are working out on a

stationary bike or tackling a grueling road course, your body needs to keep hydrated to function properly. Even if you drink lots of water when you’re cycling, you can hurt your performance and your recovery afterward if you are not drinking plenty of fluids when you are off your bike.

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you drink too much water? easier.

You simply flush it out of your system naturally.

Turmeric is an herb which increases flexibility by 6 – Strengthen Your helping your tendons, Lower Back ligaments and connective tissues stretch. Turmeric Practice the reverse is also a wonderful crunch. In traditional anti-inflammatory. So crunch position, lift your when you overstretch or legs off of the floor and overwork your muscles, bring your knees toward they do not tighten as your stomach as you flex quickly. This keeps you Serious cyclists agree that your abs. The Superman is balanced and flexible on on days you are going to another great exercise that and off of your bike. be working out, you drink strengthens your lower 300 to 500 mL (10 to 16 back. Lay facedown on This versatile wonder herb, ounces) of water first thing the floor, arms in front of also strengthens your in the morning. Add the you. Pull your upper body joints, helps broken bones juice of half a lemon for a and legs off of the floor heal quickly and even acts vitamin C boost that also simultaneously, and hold as an effective arthritis awakens your metabolism for a few seconds. Practice treatment area. All of and helps detox your several repetitions of each these things means better body. Drink at least exercise. balance and flexibility another 300 to 500 mL an during your cycling hour or 2 before you start 7 - Boost Your Balance workouts. Sprinkle finely cycling. and Flexibility Naturally ground turmeric onto your favorite foods, or take a On days when you are not Joint flexibility is so supplement once a day. working out or riding, you important for cyclists. So need to be drinking lots is balance. Practicing yoga 8 – Strengthen Your of water. It flushes your is a simple and natural Triceps body of toxins and other way you can improve unhealthy chemicals, both your flexibility and Your triceps are located and is important for balance. When coupled on the back upper part of oxygenating your entire with mindful meditation, your arm. If your legs, core system. The Institute of yoga also boosts your and respiratory system are Medicine recommends 91 circulatory system. Your all strong but your triceps ounces (2.7 L) as a daily respiratory process are weak, you cannot rely allowance for women. benefits as well, making on your arms to support Make that 125 ounces (3.7 it easier for you to supply you when you are up and L) for men. If that sounds your body with much out of the saddle. On days like a lot, remember that needed oxygenated blood between cycling workouts, you get liquid in the food that makes balancing and take a few minutes to you eat. What happens if flexing on your bike much power up your triceps.

Backup to a counter or sturdy desktop. Reach your arms behind you and place your palms flat against the top of the counter. Slowly bend your knees and lower your body. Let your arms absorb the effects of gravity and your body weight. Push back up. This is great for your upper back and shoulders, and also strengthens your triceps tremendously.

climb on your bicycle, but also during your downtime as well.

On the days between workouts, spend 15 to 30 minutes each morning stretching. Dedicate time to your upper body, your legs and your core.

You may be known for your huge thighs, super cardiovascular fitness and ability to push up the steepest hill on your bike.

But you will not be able to stay on your bike long if you pull a hamstring or quadriceps muscle.

The repetitive action that is cycling drives your body through a limited range of motion. However, this intense repetition can mean injury when your body is not used to stretching and stressing your joints, ligaments and muscles. Practice stretching exercises every day, whether you are planning on riding your bike or not.

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most important physical component for cycling success. The strongest legs in the world need a powerful core to drive them. Try this.

Get down on the floor, lying on your back. Bend your knees, with your heels as close to your butt as possible. Stretch your arms out at your sides, with your palms facing down. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips up off of the floor. Push from your heels. You need to form a perfectly straight line from the shoulders to your knees, and your toes may come off of the floor a little.

Another great core strengthening exercise is the plank. Lie on your stomach this time. With your hands, forearms and elbows flat against the floor, place your elbows directly under your shoulders. Push your hips 9 - Stretch It Out up off of the floor. Flex your abs and keep your Your sedentary time back straight, resting on 10 - Keep Your Core between cycling runs your toes and forearms.

Strong means your muscles, Hold for 30 to 60 seconds. ligaments and tendons can tighten up. They You definitely need a great These 2 exercises can be brutal when you are first should be properly respiratory system as a stretched to prevent injury cyclist. Your legs obviously starting out, but they build incredible core strength. and maximize your biking have to be super strong. workout. This means not But as in other sports, only right before you your core might be the

Why a Sedentary Lifestyle is Bad for Your Mental Health

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A sedentary lifestyle is a type of lifestyle where an individual participates in little to no physical activities. The person living in such a way is colloquially referred to as a couch potato, and they may normally find themselves feeling lethargic even having done nothing much for the day. The individual is also often characterized by sitting or lying down for long periods of time, playing video games obsessively, overusing mobile phones and computers, or excessively watching television for hours on end. The lazy lifestyle can contribute to a lot of health hazards including mental illnesses, obesity, heart conditions, and even cancer.

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in sedentary jobs. The major contributing factor is technological advancement, which has paved the way for the sedentary lifestyle.

Technology has brought about a significant number of changes in the work place, with an increase in desk jobs where most of the activities can be done while seated.

Health Effects of Sedentary Activities on Mental Health

According to research done by an Australian University, it was found that a sedentary lifestyle can not only cause somatic effects but may also severely impair mental health. Another research done by Deakin University Center for Despite the wellNutrition Research proved established emotional and that a sedentary lifestyle physical benefits related to could exacerbate anxiety participation of moderate in a person. physical activities, most people are not utilizing • Spending too these valuable lifemuch time seated sustaining opportunities is associated with that reduce various a high risk of illnesses. psychological distress and schizophrenia.

Major Cause of However, among Sedentary Activities obese adults, participating in As compared to 50 moderate to vigorous years ago, there has activities has been now been an increase associated with

minimal risk of depression.

• Adults over 60 years old who avoid sedentary behaviors have a reduced risk of dementia.

• Studies also prove that there is a 31% increase in development of bipolar mental disorder among the adults who engaged in more than 42 hours of TV watching or computer use in a week.

Although other factors such as pollution and technology do contribute to poor mental health, medical scientists have managed to establish a direct link between anxiety and increase in sedentary behaviors.

In summary, one of the solutions to better mental health is obvious: we should start moving more often! Therefore, take the stairs whenever you can.

Stand up and take a brisk walk around the office every hour if you have a sedentary desk job. Seek opportunities that will add more movements and physical activities into your day.

How to Bust Past a Fitness Plateau

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A plateau is a stall in whatever you are trying to do. If you are trying to lose weight, you aren’t; if trying to build muscle, you can’t. You have reached a point where what you are doing is not working anymore.

The reason?

Most likely your body has become accustomed to what you are asking it to do. In short, if you are not challenging it to do better, it won’t. If you keep doing what you have always done, you’ll keep getting the same results, which in this case is no progress.

So the key is to challenge your body – give it a kick in the butt – try something different. But what do you need to change?

Actually, there are several things you can change, including: Intensity

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Varying how hard you exercise can sometimes kick your body into action. For example, if you typically run, try running on a treadmill so you can change the

incline, thus making your of rest between sets or between different body work harder. exercises. Or try doing Order of exercise a superset where you don’t rest between sets, Sometimes just but instead rest after all changing the order in the sets of a particular which you exercise can exercise are finished. spur some reaction. For example, do your push- One more reason ups towards the end of your workout instead of One more reason why at the beginning. you might not be showing any progress is Number of repetitions overtraining. Contrary to popular belief, muscle In the case of strength growth doesn’t occur training, if you always while training; it occurs lift the same amount during rest and recovery. of weight for the same number of reps for a However, if you are particular move, change training those muscles to more weight and too frequently, they drop the number of might not have enough reps. Your body doesn’t time to fully recover. That like to be stressed, so is why fitness experts it accustomed itself say to take a week off to a particular load by of training every six to building muscle so it can eight weeks to give your handle that load. But if body a week of rest and you load it more, buy time to grow muscles, in increasing the weight, addition to your normal but lowering the number one day of rest per week. of reps, it will respond by building muscle so Because everyone is that it doesn’t have to different, you may have repeat that stress again. to try a few of these It is called progressive suggestions before you overload. hit on one that works for you. But work it will Rest between sets and it will get you back on the road to progress Mix things up by shortening the amount again.

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Is It Unhealthy to Do the Same Workouts Over and Over Again?

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Finding a workout you like can be difficult, so many people get in the habit of keeping a list of their favorite workouts so they can easily find them again next time they go to workout. But, if you’re using the same workout over and over again, can it end up working against you?

alternating the muscles you’re targeting in your routine. #2 Stretching Out Is Essential

Hopefully you already know the importance of warming up and stretching out #1 Diversity is Key as part of your workout routine. But, the When it comes to importance of these two your workout routine, things increases if you diversifying it is the are repeatedly working secret to success. While the same musclesyou can definitely repeat -especially with the the same workout a few same moves. Again, this times a week, you have can lead to overwork to mix it up. Doing the if done improperly. exact same routine every Properly warming up single day can lead to your muscles helps make stagnation and even sure you’re using proper injury. The reason for this form. Properly stretching is that, each and every out after helps to relieve day, you’ll be working tension. the exact same muscles.

Combining a good Repeating a move again warmup with a good and again can quickly stretch out will help lead to overwork of you prevent injury, these specific muscles. It but remember it’s still can also lead to tension. critical to diversify Both of these things your routine so you contribute to the risk aren’t overworking any of injury. In addition to particular muscle or using different moves, muscle group. you should also be certain that you’re #3 Avoid Burnout 13

It’s no secret that repetition can lead to boredom. Since the majority of people already find exercise to be a chore, it’s best to avoid the risk of burning yourself out all together.

Mixing up your moves can definitely help keep you interested in your workouts.

If you’ve been doing the same routine for a while now, you might also find yourself stagnating.

You’ll begin to get frustrated because your improvement has slowed down and you aren’t seeing the results you want. Now would be a good time to mix things up and even consider increasing the difficulty (by adding weights, reps, or going for longer).

If you follow these tips, you won’t ever get tired of your workout.

Ultra-Endurance Racer Leah Goldstein Talks Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable If you need fitness inspiration, there is no better person to turn to than Leah Goldstein. At age 17, Krav Maga specialist Leah won the Bantamweight World Kickboxing Championship.

She was the first female elite commando instructor for the IDF and had a 10-year career as a professional cyclist in Europe and North America. Her most recent accomplishment is becoming the first woman to win the Race Across America, a 3,000-mile bicycle race she completed in 11 days.

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Dennis Postema: You just made history as the firstever female to win the overall solo division in the world’s most difficult 3,000-mile cycling race across America. What does training look like for that kind of challenge?

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Leah Goldstein: It is the hardest endurance race in the world, so the process is not just getting ready physically. I also have a crew of nine people, so it’s a one-year logistical nightmare. You have to think about your doctor, your kinesiologist, your massage therapist, crew changes, and conditions when you’re going 3,000 miles right across the country. You have to be prepared for all challenges that can happen, and you never know what’s going to happen. This year it was a race of survival: who can take the heat.

This year had the lowest finishing percentage the race has ever had because of the weather conditions.

The temperatures were about 110 to 115 degrees through the desert— that’s bloody hot. It’s boiling. And it wasn’t just through California, it was through Arizona.

Even through Colorado where it normally has quite nice temperatures, it

was close to 100 degrees.

Just dealing with those conditions made the race extremely challenging.

Only three solos finished it this year because of that.

Dennis: Was it more of a mental or physical battle to get through?

Leah: You can’t really physically train for an ultra-endurance race because you have 12 days to finish it. So in a 48-hour period, you’re sleeping from zero to three hours.

In any ultra-endurance race, it’s 30% physical and 70% mental. To give you an example, say you and I went to a race and you were 100% fit and ready but mentally, you were kind of broken. Let’s say I’m not so fit but mentally 100%. I can guarantee you, hands down, I’ll beat you.

It’s a matter of being able to push yourself beyond your limits and learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

Dennis: What do you do to keep the mindset of a champion? What is your regimen for that?

Leah: I try to replicate things that could happen during the race in my training. Because you don’t want surprises, I try

to train the same way that things could happen in the race. For example, I live in Canada and can’t always ride outside all the time, so I might sit on a stationarybike training station, staring at a white wall for 15 to 20 hours. I don’t use music or a phone, I don’t look at my TV, no stimulation—kind of putting yourself through torture so it’s not so bad when real torture actually happens.

Also, mentally knowing the course, like sometimes you drive the course so you have it in your head.

That’s a huge advantage.

Dennis: You became a world championship kickboxer when you were only 17 years old.

How old were you when you started and what motivated you to do this?

Leah: When I was little and we came to Canada from the Middle East, my English wasn’t very good.

I spoke with a lisp, I had a little bit of a learning disability, and my left leg was growing at a faster rate than my right. When you’re different as a child, you get bullied, so I was bullied and I didn’t want to tell my parents or the teachers. One day I was

clicking through the TV channels and I saw this young Asian guy, Bruce Lee. And I thought, “Damn, he’s fighting, like, ten people. I only have to fight off eight bullies!” That’s how it started.

My mom got me into tae kwon do and I excelled very fast. My father was a boxer, so he taught me boxing skills. But when you mix boxing and martial arts, you get more of a kickboxer.

By 12 years old, I was a junior national champion kickboxer, and I didn’t feel challenged anymore. At 13, I remember walking into this old, scummy kickboxing gym. The coach there sees me, and I have this big head because I’m a seconddegree black belt, and he puts me in a boxing ring, and I get the crap kicked out of me. I was so angry, and he said to me, “You know, you take this seriously, at 17 years old I will make you world champion.” That’s when I was 13, so that’s kind of how it all started.

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Dennis: You also were a member of the Israel League Commandos and Anti-Terrorism Unit. What was that experience like compared to everything

else that you do?

Leah: I knew what I wanted to do when I was seven years old.

Kickboxing was just a solution to a problem that I had at school. But I knew when I graduated that I would go back to the Middle East to my family in Israel. So after I won the world championship and graduated high school, I enlisted in the IDF—the Israel Defense Force—and was placed into Base 8, an instructional base for Navy SEALs from different high-level units all over the country. I was the first female instructor to train the commando.

I also went on certain assignments with them as well during my period in the military.

In the military, we’re instructors, but we’re also soldiers. We don’t sit there with a clipboard and watch everybody else do it. We go out on these treks with the soldiers, so we always have to be very fit. One lieutenant there who was a national triathlon champion saw that I was always training and very strong. He also noticed that I commuted to the military base on my bike, and he introduced me to duathlons, and

that’s how I got hooked on the bike.

Dennis: How are you so self-sustaining as far as managing your accountability and expectations?

Leah: When I choose something that I want to do, it’s 110%. A good example is that my life didn’t really happen when I was kickboxing. I knew good times and friends would be there forever, but unique and special opportunities won’t, so I didn’t party or drink or have friends or do fun things. It was 110% what I had to do for kickboxing.

Because the sacrifices are worth the payoff at

the end, and that’s just lasering in and putting everything else on a shelf.

I think that’s the only recipe for success in anything you do. You’ve gotta think about your commitment and not going off track.

Dennis: If you talk to any of the highest performers, they have that exact mentality. It’s you versus you. They don’t care about what anyone else is doing.

They look in the mirror and know they’re their biggest competitor and their own biggest fan.

Leah: It’s the truth. It’s as simple as that. When you look at people who have succeeded, you hear the great story of where they are now and what they have, but what 17

about their backstory?

When it started way back when they were a seed.

And all the struggles and hardships and with almost every single person that’s successful, go back deeper—that’s the inspiration. Once you’ve hit rock bottom, you know how to get out of that, you have that experience, so starting from scratch and from the rawness of succeeding is what makes a person super powerful, and you’ll stay powerful that way. It’s learning from your mistakes and not worrying about anything else. Your biggest rock is you, and it’s no one else.

Dennis: You’re always moving yourself out of your comfort zone and hitting that next level.

How do you deal with that mentally?

Leah: You have to learn to deal with that. People like to be comfortable on their nice couch, but sometimes you’ve got to sit on a stone. You’ve got to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

That’s what shows the grit and strength of somebody. Trying new things and discovering new things is how we grow as individuals. It doesn’t matter if you’re

20 or 90, if you sit there waiting for things to happen, nothing’s going to happen. It’s a matter of you moving your butt and moving forward. Doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down, the ability to get back up is what makes you powerful.

Dennis: Now that you’ve won the overall solo division and raced across America, what are your plans?

Leah: I won the race, but the time wasn’t great. We were aiming for a 10-day finish, so that’s going to be on the back burner. Also learning from the mistakes we made. So I’ll be training for that in two years. I also have a documentary coming out next year and a revision on my book, No Limits. I’m also with the Canada Speaking Bureau giving presentations and keynotes to different sports groups, business groups and high-risk youth.

Dennis: What advice would you give to young athletes today?

Leah: It’s funny, I had a conversation with another coach about how we give so many medals and we praise kids and

we want them to feel great and stuff. But when I was kickboxing, my kickboxing coach never ever complimented me or told me the things that I’m good at. I knew the things that I was good at. He always focused on the things that I needed to improve at and trying to perfect them. Even when I won the world championship, a clearly unanimous decision, he said to me, “You could have done better.” That wasn’t an insult, but something of a 18

compliment, because you know that you have that much talent.

So I think with kids, be straight with them.

Tell them they can do better. I think we’re so afraid to hurt people’s feelings, especially kids, but sometimes you’ve got to have that toughness.

I’m not saying be abusive, but be brutally honest. If you want it bad enough, then how much are you willing to sacrifice? How much are you willing to work? ’Cause those sacrifices are worth the payoff at the end.

Dennis: So it’s not about focusing on praise so much as proving what you can do.

Leah: What’s the best thing you can do when somebody says that you can’t do it? Succeed.

Show them exactly what you can do. Don’t waste

your breath by barking or whatever. Don’t say anything. Just do it and prove that you can do it. Prior to the world championship, I had a mishap in the gym where a guy fell on me and snapped my back and my already-degenerated disc. I was 15 or 16 at the time, and everyone said my career was over. The physios said, “You’ll never kickbox again.” I could write a book on every time somebody said I couldn’t do something, but I remember walking and rehabilitating myself mentally and physically, and two years later, I won the world championships.

So when you have these professionals saying, “Career over, your life will never be the same again,” most people will accept it. And if I did take that in, I probably wouldn’t have done half the things I’ve done. But I learned that I don’t care what anyone else says, it’s what I want that counts. And I’ll show somebody exactly what I can’t do. It’s not the bark, it’s the bite.

To learn more about Leah, visit her website: leahgoldstein.com.

On Failure and Finish Lines I have failed multiple times, but if you don’t have the ability to fail, then your ability to succeed will never happen. Don’t expect to fail, but be prepared for it and use it as a strength. It’s an important part of preparing yourself. Because a lot of times, I think patterns are often repeated.

When you throw in the towel once, it’s too easy to do it again and again and again. Pro cycling is a good example. I excelled in everything I did up until I was 19. I was a very good athlete, I always excelled, was very fast—not that I didn’t work hard, I worked extremely hard—but once I hit pro cycling in Israel, I was a big fish in a small pond. I came to North America, and I was a shrimp in an ocean and I got my ass handed to me. I went into these cycling races, and I would come in so late that I wouldn’t even know where the finish line was because everybody would leave. I’d see my car in an empty parking lot and go, “Okay, this must be it, right?” I was 30 years old, and I had the federation saying to me, “You’ve missed the boat.

You’re too old. You’ll never happen.” It took me eight years to finally prove them wrong. I had the best years as a pro cyclist at the ages of 39, 40, 41 and 42. And that was after my 2005 crash, when I landed on my face at 80 kilometers an hour and broke almost every bone in my body and face. Sometimes it’s a process. Don’t just give yourself one year—it might take you five years. The point is that you have to make it to your finish line, no matter what it is and no matter how long it takes.

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How to Track and Measure Your Fitness 20

It’s so easy to get discouraged when you’re trying to get healthier, and the main reason is that weight loss isn’t linear. Usually, you’ll lose a good deal of weight in your first few weeks but then, as you begin to edge closer to your next milestone, you’ll find the weight loss slowing down. You might even see the scale come to a screeching halt as you struggle to move further forward.

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numbers down. In a few weeks, take new ones and compare.

Oftentimes, these measurements will continue shrinking even your control, like water when the scale isn’t weight and muscle gain. showing positive results.

Your at-home scale can But, keep in mind that also be inaccurate by bloating and eating can one or more pounds. cause measurements Not to mention that your (especially at your waist) clothes and shoes will to grow. Always measure add to your weight and first thing in the morning so many other factors to minimize such that can make you feel fluctuations. stuck. Once the scale stops showing results, #3 Save pictures sometimes it’s best to Unfortunately, this is an ditch it. issue that most people Many people don’t want will run into, but you to take before photos #2 Take measurements shouldn’t let it be the because they dread end of your fitness seeing themselves. But, journey. There are many A much more accurate simply looking in the different reasons for way to track your mirror won’t allow you it, and your success all progress overtime is to see progress until you comes down to how to take measurements have made a lot of it. you track your progress of your body using a After all, you see yourself throughout your weight sewing tape measure. everyday so it’s hard to loss.

This will allow you to get spot gradual changes. accurate measurements #1 Know what the scale of your natural waist, Take before pictures is telling you hips, and thighs along and, down the line, you’ll with anything else be very happy you did you want to measureThe scale can fluctuate when you get to share by as much as 10 pounds -like your neck, arms, an incredible before-after or calves.

Write these due to things beyond transformation!

3 Reasons Not to Ignore Strength Training as Part of Your Regular Workout Routine 22

Looking to improve your workout routine? While you might be focused on the power of fatburning cardio, many people overlook another important aspect of health: strength training.

You might not have the goal of a bodybuilding competition, and you might not even care about getting abs, but if you want to slim down, you need to think about toning up.

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spend your weeks lifting weights in the gym unless that happens to be what you do. If you just want to tone up and feel more confident in your own skin and enjoy the added day-to-day strength and agility that comes along with this type of training, you just need to devote a few minutes to it each day.

you can finally get that firm butt you’ve always wanted or slim down those inner thighs just by working on some muscle-burning moves. #3 Increase Your Daily Calorie Burn

Even if you don’t think you’re near finished with your weight loss goal, adding strength training into your routine can really help you rev up your #1 Get Rid of metabolism Problem Areas and burn fat even quicker.

Many people In fact, it has hit a weight been shown loss hurdle as that your body they get nearer consumes and nearer to more calories their goals, and usually #2 Spot Tone Where It maintaining a muscle it comes down to a lack Matters cell than it does a fat cell. of strength training. If This means, the more you have been struggle There’s more good news. muscle you build, the to lose that lower belly more fat you’ll actually While you have likely pooch, for instance, burn around-the-clock heard before that you of if your calves jiggle as your metabolism can’t “spot reduce’-no matter how much works to fuel your body’s meaning you can’t lose running you do, a little natural processes. fat in just one area-bit of strength training you can actually “spot might just be the answer tone”. That means you All of this adds up to you’re looking for. three good reasons to can target an area and tone it up with targeted add strength training Don’t worry, you won’t strength training moves. into your workout end up looking like you Which, in turn, means routine.