Fun Fact Friday: Did you know that your muscles cannot turn to fat when you stop exercising regularly?

It’s true- they can’t.

Why, you ask?!  Because muscle and fat are two separate and distinct tissues.  There is no physical capability to change from one to the other.

No way Jose!

With muscles, you either “use it, or lose it!”  When you’re not using muscle, it will literally just waste away.  When that happens, it’s called atrophy.

Here’s a good example for you:
Think about someone who wears a cast on a broken leg/ arm.  When the cast has been removed, the leg or arm that’s been unused will be smaller than they were before.  If it was true that muscle turned to fat from not being used, you’d see  a fatter leg or arm after removing the cast- that isn’t the case, though.

With that being said, don’t let those muscles waste away!

It’s Friday and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Is Losing Weight Extremely Difficult?

Let’s set this straight.

Losing the weight (for most) is pretty easy.  Once you get going, you’re golden.
The most difficult part about this process- the weight off.

Studies show that 75%-90% of dieters who lose weight will actually regain the weight they dropped within 1-3 years of fully “completing” the diet.  Faster is not better.

Exercising regularly and maintaining healthy eating is a great way to keep the weight you worked so hard to lose, off of your body.  Once you reach the weight you desire, or the “look” you desire, doesn’t mean that you should go right back to old ways. Treat yourself once a weak to a cheat meal (because it is okay every so often to let loose) then for the remainder of the week, keep to your schedule of eating healthy & working out.

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I do understand it’s extremely frustrating to have to wait to get to your goal weight; however, the work that you put into your body and your health will show.  Give it the time to do so!  While your body is changing, so are your systems!  It does take time and some don’t have that patience, but how about you make that something to improve in your life as well?

I’ll repeat this again… because it’s so true:

YOU’LL GAIN THE WEIGHT BACK AS FAST AS YOU LOST IT.  Don’t look toward the “faster” route for weight loss- It. Takes. Time.

#motivationmonday

 It’s Monday!  Make this week g r e a t ! 

Good morning, everyone.  So, I have decided that every Monday I’ll be making a new blog post to motivate you all.  This is going to probably be until I finish my personal training certification.  I’ve been extremely busy and I’m working on getting back where I need to be.

I, myself, am using today…Monday… to restart my routine.  My previous post explains a little bit about why I’ve been slacking.  Our new puppy we had rescued almost didn’t make it out of a routine procedure and had to have a major procedure done.  Thank God she’s doing great now and is very energetic.  Her staples were removed last Thursday and she’s doing amazing!  Super happy with her progress… God gave us quite the little miracle.

Now that she’s doing a ton better, and our 5 year old, Oakley (he’s our other fur baby) are getting along perfectly I’m working my way back to getting back on track!

On top of having a new puppy who was in recovery, we were moving from NC to VA and our food supply was limited.  Because we were trying to get rid of the food in our house as much as possible, the lack of healthy food in our fridge was nuts.  I was going through a panic because I always have something.  I wasn’t eating as well as I wanted to and I could tell because my body was getting a little bit “puffy”.

After the pup came home from the hospital, I stayed with her literally all day and fell back on my studies and gym time significantly.  Making sure Oakley was being loved when she was napping because he was so mad at me for bringing her home.

Like I said, I fell off my rocker.  I wasn’t happy with my choices but I felt so overwhelmed and there was so many things I had to do.  I put my health behind me and focused on the puppy and moving and studying (when I could make that happen).

Today- that’s changing.  I encourage you to use this as a sign to go ahead and make the change with me!
This past weekend, we went out and got the necessary groceries and healthy snacks and fruits to get my body back on board with a healthy lifestyle! There’s no way I could keep letting myself go.  Things are much calmer now, and my body is dying to get back into the gym and really get a great workout regimen back into action!

You’re probably wondering….why is she telling me this?  Well, it’s simple.  I have gotten so many messages about how people can’t do what I did and lose weight and tone up and eat healthy and all of that.  Stop saying you can’t.  I’m showing you that even people who do it everyday and make it a lifestyle change can fall out sometimes.  But that doesn’t mean you should keep falling out.  Stop, breathe, make a plan, set a goal and go achieve it! Don’t let yourself forget about your body, not matter how much stress is imposed on you.

I shouldn’t have stopped eating healthy, and I shouldn’t have stopped working out- but I did.  And N O W is the time to take that and flip it.  TODAY.  IT’S MONDAY, FRESH STARTS ARE FUN!!
Take advantage of today and work towards your short term goals to reach your long term ones.

I’m taking this trip with you!

I hope you all have a great work week, and a great fresh start!

“Straighten Up!” & Check your Posture!

My mother had always told me to, “stand up straight, don’t slouch” and with being a dancer, it wasn’t acceptable to have a hunchback.

Well, it just so happens- there’s a reason for that.

Having good posture means that your muscles are in balance and your body is symmetrical.  If you have a deviation, it makes it more difficult for the muscles in your body to hold the needed position (usually, due to  lack of strength).

Posture is super important for your performance and well being! Most people will just look the other way when it comes to someone telling them to straighten up.  If you’ve been ignoring those who tell you that, this is especially for you…listen to the facts right here, right now.  

Good posture is very important to your health.  Posture is what keeps your organs in place and allows them to properly function effectively and efficiently!  Take a look at this example:  if you have a rounded upper back or rounded shoulders you’re actually constricting your chest cage; therefore, making it more difficult for your lungs to completely fill with oxygen (as it should be able to).  Being able to use your lungs to their full capacity is vital if you’re an athlete or performing fitness activities.

Among other things, your posture affects how you walk, run, jump, and lift weights.
Example time: let’s just say you have rounded shoulders…  your arms may be slightly in front of your body instead of hanging alongside of your body and because of this, while you’re lifting weights, instead of your intention to lift your arms sideways directly overhead; you’re actually lifting your arms up and in front of the body.  This action will end up changing the muscular movement and also the movement pathway (so what you think you’re working out, you’re not).

Another duty of lovely posture would be to prevent and rehabilitate back problems.  With good posture, you’ll be able to strengthen and stretch the necessary muscles to prevent and rehabilitate injuries.  In certain cases, fixing your posture could alleviate or cure the back problems you may be experiencing!  Pulling your head back into the proper alignment is sufficient to produce the normal curvature of your vertebral column. With lifting your head and looking forward, you’ll be able to activate your lower back muscles to hold your spine in place and alleviate your problem as well.

The main key to having a well- aligned, balanced body is to proportionally develop muscles on one side of the joint along with the  muscles on the opposite side.  This will allow your muscles to keep your joints in the natural state and not allow any deviations to occur!

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To those who work in an office setting or those who are seated throughout the day during long periods of time- this is for you!

Maintaining good posture isn’t something that should only be noticed during physical activity.  It’s actually most commonly overlooked in day-to-day, routine, activities. Those who train regularly, often look at any problem they may get and blame it on the stress from their workouts- which may not always be the case, here’s why:

Everybody spends a fairly decent amount of their day sitting down, what you fail to realize is that it has a negative effect on your spine, which happens when you are in this position for an extended period of time.
While sitting, the pressures that are placed upon your vertebral disks are actually higher than when you’re laying down.  Some experts actually suggest that your pressure when you’re seated is up to eleven times greater than when lying down…that’s tremendous!   

….and you want to blame your back pain on standing….. HMMMPH! 
Think of it this way-  when you’re standing, your body weight is distributing itself over a wide variety of structures (muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints).  When you sit down, your abdominal “corset” will relax and this is what causes a lot of your body weight to load on the disks.
Most of the time you’re not going to feel any pain when this happens; however, over time the constant, increased load placed upon your disks can result in a mess of problems.  If you’re job is behind a desk, take some time in your day to stand…or walk around.  Limit your time sitting down as much as you are able.

Some other ways you can reduce the amount of pressure on your spine are to:

• look into some fancy chairs with lumbar supports that can help maintain the normal sway of your spine
• use a chair with armrests
• sit in a reclined position (not fully reclined, I’m almost positive your boss wouldn’t like you laying down….LOL!)
• keep your knees opened when sitting (when your knees are close together it makes you more prone to slumping in your seat)
• have an adjustable chair (due to different sizes of each individual)
• arrange your desk so that your forearms will rest on your desk with your elbows at a 90 degree angle close to your sides.

Having good posture will make you feel good.  There are so many benefits to maintaining a good posture.  I understand that nobody is perfect, I have a problem myself with bad posture on occasion, but I am trying to be more aware of how I’m standing or sitting or even the amount of time I am sitting.  With good posture comes ease of movement, good balance of muscle strength, proper positioning of the spine, flexibility, proper functioning of your organs and again…. you’re feelin’ good! 

Posture should be a prime focus in your fitness activities and you also want to make sure you’re strengthening key muscles that hold you there! Because when you’ve got good posture you’re ready to perform! 

First of Many Posts||

Welcome to my blog! 

First off, thanks so much for taking the time to check out my blog.
My goal is to use this blog to inspire and motivate others to get up and start their fitness journey!
If you haven’t checked out my ‘About Me’ section, please do!  Just a little bit of information about myself (of course, you’ll be learning a little more about me with each post I make)…

While I’m finishing my studies, I’ll be posting some familiar posts that I have already written; as well as, new information that I learn!
It’ll be a fun experience…  and you’ll learn some cool tips, tricks and even some easy peasy recopies to keep body nutrient filled.

Please feel free to share my blog with your friends and family!

I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned through personal experience and from my online course.

Soon, I’ll be posting more about myself… Just so you can get a little bit of an idea on how and why I had started my fitness journey.  I hope that you find the information I provide useful and helpful!  I pray that it influences you to get up and do those things that you’ve always said you wanted to do!!

 

XOXO, Daniela