Is HIIT a hit?

HIIT has been around for quite a while and there is quite a debate over its benefits, whether it is indeed a good form of the exercise, and how often we should do it. Let’s get into the details, so you can find out if HIIT is a good match for you.

What is HIIT, and how is it done?

Let’s start with clarifying some basics.  HIIT is short for high-intensity interval training. This type of training incorporates several rounds that alternate between several minutes of high intensity movements to significantly increase to at least 80% of one’s maximum heart rate.  Followed by short periods of lower intensity movements. This means that you perform an exercise for a set period of time – 40-45 seconds, followed by short period of rest – 15-20 seconds. While your workout you push your body to the limits, which can be difficult and challenging for most people. But the benefits do outweigh your struggles and the perks for your cardiovascular (your heart) and muscular systems are incredible. The most popular type of this routine is done is by using bodyweight exercise only, but it can also include other equipment, such as: dumbbells or kettlebells, jump rope or sliders. It works multiple major muscle groups and parts of your body. These compound exercises are the reason you can burn more calories and fat, as you work more muscle groups at once.

What are the benefits of HIIT?

1. 1. A healthier heart

While we work on getting stronger, our heart gets stronger as well, but why?
According to Dr. Amanda Bonikowske, HIIT increases your peak oxygen consumption (VO2). VO2 is a measurement of the amount of oxygen your heart can pump throughout your body, and an increased peak of it is associated with a healthier heart. A better heart health can extend your life expectancy, so consider implementing HIIT workouts in your everyday exercise routines.

1. 2. It is flexible and adjustable

This type of routine can be anywhere from 15-20 minutes to 45-60 minutes. Meaning that you can adjust it to your (presumably) busy lifestyle. If you’ve got some time on your hands and want to blow off some steam, a longer HIIT session is what you need. You can also modify these HIIT routines according to your fitness level. Short 20 minute sessions without any equipment would be a perfect start for a beginner. However, using the gym to your advantage is also an option! HIIT can also be done by using cardio equipment, such as stationary bikes or treadmill.

1. 3. Can be done anywhere

There are no limits when it comes to HIIT. If you enjoy working out in the gym, you can do your HIIT routine in the CrossFit section, or anywhere for that matter. HIIT rarely takes up any space, you do most of the exercises in the same spot.  This means that it is perfect for home workouts, small apartments and crowded gyms. Your yard, or a local park can also be a perfect spot for a combination of some sunshine, fresh air and HIIT!

1. 1. 4. You burn fat after your workout!

Not only do you get super sweaty and burn a lot of calories during your workout, but you also burn them after! Due to the intensity of the workout, HIIT can elevate your metabolism for hours after exercise. This results in burning additional calories even after you have finished exercising. Your metabolism needs time to recover after an intense workout because it uses up most of your oxygen. This is called oxygen debt or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Oxygen consumption results in energy consumption, which is why you burn calories after intense exercise such as HIIT.

1. 5. Stress relief

A study which compared the benefits on mental health from both MIT ( Moderate-Intensity Training) and HIIT during the Covid 19 pandemic, has proven that HIIT reduces anxiety, depression and stress.  The participants were divided into two groups and monitored, one of them was preforming HIIT exercise, and the other MIT exercise. Moreover, the improvements obtained in the HIIT group seem to be greater than those of the MIT group in depression.

Notes and Tips on implementing HIIT in your routine.

• • Don’t overdo it!

Keep your workouts on a time limit, and try to avoid doing more than 90 minutes of HIIT per week.
Slowly start implementing it in your routine, by taking 20 minutes of your time each day, two to three times a week. Too much high intensity training puts stress on your body, and can lower your metabolic rate.

• • Avoid training close to bed time!

Elevating your heart rate before going to sleep is not ideal. Avoid exercise at night and too close to bed time, it can badly affect your ability to fall asleep, and your sleep quality.

• • Warm up before you exercise!

One of the most important steps to take before any kind of exercise, especially one that is high in intensity. Make sure to have a good warm up routine, in order to avoid injures and get your body ready for some vigorous exercise.  Don’t forget to also use a cool down routine, to slowly lower your heart rate.

 

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To Stretch or Not to Stretch?

 

Does stretching remind you of the days you had P.E on in middle school, where your teacher would line everyone up and make them stretch?  annoying, right?  Everyone feels differently about stretching, and most people avoid it. We can admit that it does add on ten to fifteen minutes in a workout routine, and that some days, it can be a little overwhelming. But we are asking the important questions here: Do you actually need to stretch?

The simple truth is that, every good workout routine has a warm up, and cool down included. Stretching is an important component in every routine, it helps your body prepare for the physical movement, and training that you’re planning to put it through. However, not every kind of stretching can help you prepare for a workout effectively. Let’s look through the types of stretching, and discuss the unique importance they have for physical health.

There are many types of stretching, but lets look through the most common and important ones:

 

Active stretching

Active stretching is when you move a limb into a position to stretch a muscle and then hold it there under your own muscular power. This means that you hold the muscles into a certain pose, while targeting a particular muscle group. This type of stretching is quite simple and gentle, can help with injuries and release tension.

Passive stretching

This type of stretching is excellent for enhancing your balance, as well as your flexibility by holding a position or a pose with gravity or by hand. As a specific outside force (towel, resistance band, or another person) is reaching the outer limits of your range of motion, the target muscle is being lengthened. This type of stretching can be quite tiring for your muscles because of its intensity, so it is not recommended to do right before exercising.

Dynamic stretching

Dynamic stretching involves making active movements that stretch the muscles to their full range of motion. These exercises often simulate functional movements and help prime the body for more intense training. An example of a dynamic stretch is a runner doing the “high knees” movement, while preparing for a long run. This type of stretching can be done before a workout (warm up) and after a workout (cool down).

Somatic stretching

Somatic stretching refers to the release of muscular tension through gentle movement and an awareness of how your muscles feel in various positions and movements. Similarly to yoga, this type of stretching doesn’t only focus on the physical, but also on the mental wellbeing of the person. Somatic stretches can be done every day, and can help relieve tension, stress, and improve mobility.

The Importance of Stretching

 

Being physically active, and getting daily movement is crucial for your physical and mental health. However, a lot of factors such as your age, your bodily composition and health issues (some diseases) can affect your capability and performance. This where stretching and its benefits come to play. Stretching can lower your heart rate, blood pressure, prevent injuries, and improve flexibility and mobility among other things. It is recommended that you stretch at least three times a week. You can follow individual stretching routines, or do a number of stretches that you choose before a workout routine. For example, in the gym, a set of dynamic stretches would be a perfect choice for a proper leg day, in order to preform better and avoid injuries during exercise. Stretching after working out is crucial, it helps your body cool down and recover faster after straining your muscles with exercise.

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Summary

 

Stretching is an important component in every routine, it helps your body prepare for the physical movement, strain and intensity you’re about to put it through. There are many types of stretching, and each has benefits but some also have risks. However, you should still consider implementing stretching in your daily routine, or before and after exercise. Try out the different types of stretching, see which one works the best for your body and enjoy the benefits.

How to Fall in Love with Exercising

 

Keeping up with any kind of routine may be difficult at times. You might feel too exhausted ,lazy, or unmotivated to keep up and keep going. But the thing that is mostly messing with your ability to keep a routine up, is your motivation to do so. This reason is also why you can’t create, or keep up with any fitness routine. So, we figured out the first step you need to take to find that motivation, that drive to keep you going, let’s start with an example.

In the past, our coach Sofiia was always insecure about her arms. She used to get comments about how they were different from the rest of her body. She had nice and strong legs, shoulders and torso, but her arms were flabby. Since she got insecure about her arms, she decided to work on them and tone them. However, upper body exercises were just not her thing, and she loathed doing them, but decided to continue working on those muscle groups anyway. After a while, people noticed how toned and strong her arms looked. They complimented her and asked about her routine, they wanted to look like her. This is the moment Sofiia found her reason, her motivation and drive to keep going. Now she looks forward to training her upper body, as she has also noticed her growth.

How your mindset plays a part in this

 

Exercise has many benefits that might give you motivation to continue your fitness journey. But those might not be enough for you to keep up with every small part of your routine, especially when forming new habits. “Getting stronger” might not be enough of a reason to make you not skip leg day. Associating so-called leg day (the day you train legs on) with exhaustion and muscle cramps, won’t get you far: this is where your mindset comes in.

You always need a positive mindset to keep you going. If being strong, and healthy are not enough to keep you motivated, you need other reasons to do that. Those reasons might be very personal, and different for everyone. What usually drives people, is their insecurities. If you can’t overcome your insecurities, sometimes its best to try to battle them and change them. The good news is that, any form of exercise, such as resistance training and a good diet, can quite literally change your body. You can’t grow taller, but you can shape your stumpy legs, and your flabby arms!

 

How to stay motivated

 

There are two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. 

• Extrinsic motivation is the pursuit of a goal for the purpose of an external reward. In our case, it would be praise and compliments from other people, on how fit or strong we look.
• Intrinsic motivation involves the pursuit of goals that have personal significance, without an external reward. In our case, it would be doing cardio because its fun and energizing, not for losing weight and being noticed by someone.

It is usually recommended that you find an Intrinsic motivation instead of the latter. Because extrinsic motivation relies on other people and external rewards, it might be putting too much pressure on you to achieve things, and ironically, not be enough to motivate you in the long run. However, even that extrinsic motivation comes from your wants and needs, and it might be good enough for you.

Our tip is to find a reason to fall in love with exercise! no matter if that reason is lead by extrinsic, or intrinsic motivation. That extrinsic motivation might lead you to your intrinsic motivation,, and it doesn’t even matter, as long as it helps. In the end, the benefits of exercising, or training that specific muscle group, will most probably outweigh your doubts and insecurities. Find your reason, the why you do the things you do, and you can do anything you commit yourself to.

Why you should try volume eating for weight loss

 

Losing weight is a difficult road to take upon. You may have tried everything already, and still haven’t lost a pound. You have tried meal replacements, smoothies, salads, increased protein intake, calculating macros and calories, and you still feel hungry, there’s still no progress. Well, let us introduce you to a simple concept that you might have not tried yet. It will save you from cravings, and looking at half-empty plates, your new holy grail – volume eating.

What is volume eating?

 

Volume eating is a concept, strategy, or method of eating that allows for large consumption of food while minimizing calorie intake. Given that, gram per gram, different macronutrients provide a different number of calories, volume eating allows you to prioritize high-volume foods to help increase satiety and fullness without increasing calorie intake.

High volume foods are foods that are usually high in micronutrients such as fat and protein. These specific macronutrients have more volume, and usually have a higher fiber and water content, which will keep you fuller for longer. The most prime example of high volume foods are leafy greens, and vegetables. But don’t worry, those are not the only ones. Fruits such as berries, watermelon, and some good protein sources such as eggs, fish and oats are also on the list of high volume foods!

How does volume eating aid your weight loss?

 

Now that we went through the basics of this concept, lets explain how it can help you lose weight. Volume eating doesn’t just contain enough protein and volume to keep you full, but can also help you if you’re in a calorie deficit and trying to hit your MACROS, because they are also lower in calories! If eating more small meals during the day isn’t your thing, with volume eating, you’ll be able to eat big meals, be satisfied and even possibly avoid snacking. Incorporating high-volume food will increase the volume of food you consume, but not the calories!

Recommendations and tips

The best high-volume food to keep you satisfied and full

• •  Fat free cottage cheese

Cottage cheese is high in protein, and low in calories. Not to mention that it’s also super creamy and goes along with anything you have in your fridge. You can make savory and sweet combinations, such as cottage cheese and eggs, or cottage cheese with fruit and protein powder, to make it even more nutritious.

• • Canned tuna or salmon

Canned fish can be your go to! It’s easily accessible, and very easy to add in meals and upgrade them. They are an excellent source of vitamins, fat and protein and should always be on your grocery list.

• • Green saladsLeafy greens and mixed salads are big on volume and big on nutrients! They can be easily upgraded with protein and fat sources, and also with low volume foods to keep you satisfied for longer.

Bonus for those with a sweet tooth

• • Sugar free jello
    
    Jello is a perfect dessert for people with insulin resistance or people who are trying to watch their sugar intake. It has a lot of volume, and taste enough to keep your sugar cravings at bay.

• • Protein ice cream
    
    Protein ice cream is the perfect dessert to experiment with. If the store-bought ones are out of your reach, you can easily make it at home. Use your favorite protein powder, sugar free pudding and your choice of milk to make your own! You can experiment with different tastes, it will satisfy your cravings and keep you full.For more information and tips on nutrition and weight loss, check out our other blogs from the same category: Are Abs Made in the Kitchen? and 5 Tips for Eating Out When on a Diet.

 

Summer is approaching. Everyone is working on their goals, and elevating their fitness game. “Strong girl summer” is becoming a thing, and everyone is working on building muscle. If looking toned and tan this summer is a part of your goals, let us help you achieve them, here is what you need to know.

How do muscles grow?

 

Muscle size increases when a person continually challenges the muscles to deal with higher levels of resistance or weight. This process is known as muscle hypertrophy.

Muscle hypertrophy occurs when the fibers of the muscles sustain damage or injury. The body repairs damaged fibers by fusing them, which increases the mass and size of the muscles.

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to dig deeper. A lot of factors impact your muscle growth, some you might know of, but if you don’t, now is the time you learn! We will start with one of the most important ones:

How your biological sex, and age influence your muscle growth

 

You may have already heard that it’s harder for women to gain muscle, and that they do so much slower than men, and that is true. Unfortunately, testosterone is key to building muscle and burning fat, a hormone that men have more of. However, there are some good news. According to a study, in the long run, despite the physiological and hormonal differences between sexes, women demonstrated the same relative strength gains compared to men.  Just because women gain muscle slowly, it doesn’t mean that we can’t gain it at all, or gain less than men!

Age is also a big factor when it comes to muscle building and muscle growth. As we age, so do our bodies, experiencing sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is the involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength, and function. Muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60. But this shouldn’t discourage you: leading a healthy lifestyle and daily exercise has many benefits which can help you age gracefully.

There are many other factors that may influence and affect your muscle gain and growth. However, we decided to highlight what we think are the most helpful ones, which will lead the way to achieving your fitness goals:

3 Important Factors for Muscle Building

 

Lift heavier

Using the same weights constantly, and not increasing the weight will get you nowhere. The only way to muscle growth is muscle hypertrophy, and for this, we recommend progressive overload! 
Progressive overload is a way of training that involves challenging your body, and slowly increasing the intensity of your training, in our case that would be increasing the weight of the equipment you are using. There is no need to rush, take this slowly, find what you are comfortable with and grow slowly but surely!

Give your muscles some rest

Rest is key in order to prevent muscle fatigue and injuries, but also essential for muscle growth. Exercising and lifting weight “tears” your muscle tissue, but when you rest, your cells repair those tears and help your tissue grow. It’s also important to note that working the same muscle groups every day is putting too much stress on them, it won’t help them grow! Make a plan, organize your trainings, and make sure to have rest days in order to achieve the best results possible.

Fuel properly

Eating well and eating enough food is the key for muscle growth. A restrictive diet, or a calorie deficit may impact your growth badly, if you aren’t eating enough protein. If your goal is muscle and mass growth, you should try a calorie surplus instead. Beware of not fueling your body properly if you train daily. Intense daily training and exercise, can actually have the opposite effect and you can lose muscle tissue, if you aren’t eating enough protein. If you struggle with counting your macros and protein intake, use an online protein calculator, or a calorie counting app to your advantage!

 

Make sure to read more of our blogs on related themes such as physical health and nutrition, for more tips and advice for your fitness journey!

Most women and men start their fitness journey with one goal in mind – weight loss. The food we eat nowadays is highly processed, unhealthy and bad for us. Not everyone can afford fresh, organic and food better in quality. Most people settle for what they can get their hands on, and what their budget allows. Furthermore, This leads to people making the wrong choices for their health, while obesity is a growing factor in our society. It’s no wonder that we get obsessed with losing weight, nowadays, it can be such a difficult thing to do. Even food that is marketed “healthy” and “diet” friendly, is processed and full of sugar, and the scale keeps going up, so what do we do?

Undoubtedly, its important to set realistic goals in order to take care of our mental health and promote healthy weight loss. Measuring your weight every day, and counting calories of every bite you eat, will not help you. Your goals should be measured in healthy ways that will motivate and help you push forward to be the healthiest version of yourself. Here are 3 reasons why you shouldn’t measure your goals on the scale:

1. Being skinny doesn’t always equal being healthy.

 

Excessively dieting and over exercising can lead to many issues such as malnutrition, weakened immunity system and heart problems. Your pursuit of the “perfect body” can lead you on the wrong path, being underweight can be as bad as being overweight!

2.  Your body changes as you age.

 

Your body goes through a lot of change during your lifetime, this counts for both men and women. The biggest changes happen during your teenage years when growing into your adolescent body, and after the age of 40. You can’t expect to have the same weight at 18, 28 and 38. It’s normal for your body to grow and go through change, so you have to accept the change and work with it!

3. Your goals might change with time.

 

Goals change along with your fitness journey. Firstly, you might start exercising and eating healthier in order to lose weight and be as thin as possible, but then you change your perspective. You notice how you start feeling better and stronger, and wish to look more like you feel, so you end up wanting to gain more muscle! Consequently, this change will affect the number on your scale, but there is no need to panic. Gaining weight isn’t always a bad thing, and it might be a sign of you achieving your goals, but your mindset about it is what matters the most. What’s important is that you feel and look better, stronger and healthier, do not let the number on the scale mislead you.

 

You may have trouble accepting your weight and your body, especially if you let how much you weigh bother you, so, here’s how to measure your goals instead:

 

1. You look better

 

One of the first things you notice after a few months of exercise, is the way you look. You slowly notice your “beginner gains”, meaning that you gain some muscle, lose some fat and your body is starting to look more toned. During these few months, you’ll probably lose some weight. In the next few months, you’ll notice that the scale is going up again. Now you wonder, “why do I look better, but the scale is going up?” the answer is that your body is replacing fat with muscle, and that’s good news! This is the first reason why you should probably ignore the scale, and trust yourself instead.

2. You can find clothes that fit you.

 

Picking clothes that fit well can be a nightmare. Not everyone enjoys shopping, especially if it reminds them of their insecurities. Overweight and underweight people can struggle with their confidence and buying clothes for themselves. No matter if your goal was to lose or gain weight, when you start achieving it and building confidence in your looks, shopping gets easier. You can finally find fashionable pieces that make you feel and look good, and that’s a good reason to motivate you to keep going. However, extrinsic motivation may not be enough , so your best bet is to focus on your how you’re feeling inward.

 

3. Finally, Its most important that – You feel better

 

The most rewarding thing about practicing any form of fitness or exercise, are the countless benefits! Not only will you look better, but you will feel better, in every way. Your mental health will have significant improvements: you’ll get more dopamine and serotonin, making you happier, feeling more energized and getting better sleep. You’ll have more strength and endurance, energy and willpower to live your life, and that is the ultimate goal!