How Exercise Boosts Your Mood

As the season gets closer to winter, the days get darker and colder. This may take a toll on your mood, and research proves, one of the best ways to boost your mood naturally is exercise. Here is some info from www.mayoclinic.com on how working out can ease your worries and help you feel better emotionally.          

 

        

How does exercise help depression and anxiety?

Exercise probably helps ease depression in a number of ways, which may include:

• Releasing feel-good brain chemicals that may ease depression (neurotransmitters and endorphins)
• Reducing immune system chemicals that can worsen depression
• Increasing body temperature, which may have calming effects

Exercise has many psychological and emotional benefits too. It can help you:

• Gain confidence. Meeting exercise goals or challenges, even small ones, can boost your self-confidence. Getting in shape can also make you feel better about your appearance.
• Take your mind off worries. Exercise is a distraction that can get you away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed anxiety and depression.
• Get more social interaction. Exercise may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others. Just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood can help your mood.
• Cope in a healthy way. Doing something positive to manage anxiety or depression is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping anxiety or depression will go away on its own can lead to worsening symptoms.
         

For personalized training and nutrition plans visit our website at http://twinspirationfitness.webs.com/

Cellulite Solutions

Cellulite is a problem that plagues many women, and while its virtually impossible to get rid of, there are some simple solutions to ease the site of cellulite.

             

Cellulite is a condition in which the skin appears to have areas with underlying fat deposits, giving it a dimpled, lumpy appearance. It is most noticeable on the butt and thighs and stomach areas. It's a problem that plagues millions of women. Even skinny women can have cellulite. It is very genetic. However, if you have cellulite, you can ease the appearance of the dimples through weight training. You see, the muscle will fill out the leg which will helps lessen the appearance of cellulite. However, you can't just lose weight to decrease the appearance of cellulite. You NEED to fill out the excess dimpled skin with muscle. So the fuller then muscle, the lesser the appearance of dimples! So another great reason to do some heavy squats and get those hammies nice and thick. Once you start getting muscle bellies in your glutes and hamstrings the dimply skin will start to decrease because you are filling it out with dense muscles mass.

 

Here's an awesome at home remedy I used before my fitness competition that I won. I seem to get cellulite, and I have excess skin from being heavy, around my abdomen area. Every night ,for about a month, I rubbed preparation H all over my stomach and then wrapped plastic wrap around it. I would wear it for a few hours. It actually made a visible difference! It basically pulled the excess water from under the skin and made the skin tighter. This isn't something I would recommend doing daily, but it's something you can try before a big event and it only costs about $5!

              

For information on a personalized training and nutrition plan, visit our website at http://twinspirationfitness.webs.com/

How Many Calories Should You Eat?

"How many calories do you eat?" I get this question all the time... in fact I got it this morning after teaching one of my fitness classes. Well... I eat a lot of calories... too many to count because I'm extremely active and am not trying to lose fat. The answer to the calorie question is... well, there isn't one answer... it varies greatly from person to person. However, the number one problem I find with women and men who can't lose weight is that they simply aren't eating enough calories! Yes... the goal is to eat as many calories as possible and still lose weight. And those calories should be from nutrient dense foods, not drinks and junk, so you get the most nutrients per calorie.

Not eating enough calories causes many metabolic changes. Sure, you might lose weight for a few weeks but eventually your body will catch on and conserve energy to survive. In a prolonged calorie restriction many things happen...

1. A decrease in muscle mass because you aren't feeding your body enough calories to maintain lean muscle. Less muscle mass = slower metabolism.







2. Your thyroid slows down. Your thyroid is responsible for metabolizing macro nutrients.

3. A decrease in testosterone and leptin which are hormones needed to maintain muscle and regulate energy and hunger.
 

4. You will have a decrease in energy which means you will not be able to exercise and have a lack of motivation for everyday life.

How Many Calories Should You Be Eating?

You want to start high and come down in calories as needed. There are many formulas I use in my nutrition planning to figure this number out for specific individuals. This number is rarely the same for two different people.
Wight loss is a patience game. It's not safe or sustainable to lose weight quickly. A quick weight loss often equals losing muscle and not fat. SO...Eat to fuel your body and lose weight the right way.

If you're interested in a personalized nutrition plan, visit our website at http://twinspirationfitness.webs.com/