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.

---

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.

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!

Fitness Then and Now: 5 Positive Developments

 

 

Fitness has developed and modernized through the years, but different forms of physical exercise have been around forever. We’ve went from only stretching to Hula Hoops and weird fitness devices in the 50’s and 60’s, to Jazzercise, Aerobics and Bodybuilding in the 70’s and 80’s. Also, we slowly made a shift of our exercise environment from working out in groups and outdoors, to homely, individual workouts.

However, we have also progressed with our understanding of nutrition. It was a slow, but much needed progress from the restrictive diets in the 20th century, but also the toxic diet culture from the 90’s and 2000’s. The toxic dieting and diet culture as a whole, made people battle with their body image, confidence and societal beauty standards. Unfortunately, this lead to a lot of unhappy people and development of a lot of eating disorders. But, times have changed and so have we, we have learned from our mistakes and now we know better. Let’s look throughout some positive changes that Fitness world has gone through.

 

The Fitness Mindset has changed

 

Along with the body positivity movement, came along inclusion, and acceptance of each body type, but also a desire for change and improvement. People started attacking the toxic diet culture and ignoring society’s beauty standards, by trying to be healthier and happier. The mindset “nothing taste as good as skinny feels”, low calorie diets, and ignoring whole food groups is no longer a thing in the 2020’s. A new generation of women and men are focusing on balanced nutrition, aiming for stronger bodies, healthy habits and watching out for their mental health.

More women in certain Fitness fields.

 

In the past, women were mostly included in sports and fitness practices that were considered more “feminine”. Sports like gymnastics, forms of exercise such as Aerobics, Pilates, and dancing-influenced exercise such as Jazzercise and Zumba. Bodybuilding is something that women rarely did in the 20th century, because they were discouraged from it. Nowadays, more and more women participate in strength training, weightlifting and bodybuilding, with it becoming trendy amongst teenagers and young women on social media. Women are now certain that weightlifting won’t make them look masculine, and the positive impact it can have on their health, so, it’s no wonder that most women spend their time in the gym now.

 Variety

 

Nowadays, there is something for everyone! People can enjoy a variety of physical exercises, training and movement. Pilates is growing in popularity again, strength training and weightlifting at the gym are at an all time high, and yoga is still highly popular, but those are not the only options anymore. HIIT, Hot Yoga, Water Aerobics, Circuit Training, Cardio Fusion, and Barre are only a small percent of what the fitness world offers now. You are able to explore, find the most enjoyable way to move your body and thrive!

 

 

Growing knowledge and understanding

 

As we already mentioned, the progress of Fitness has been undeniable, and we are continuing to learn and improve. There are more ways to move your body and exercise, but we have also invented new exercises and movements. You can see varieties of the same exercise, targeting the exact muscles you need it to, and with internet connection its accessible to anyone! Information is flooding on social media, and you can see fitness tips on ways to train and to improve, basically anywhere. You can also find online research articles, and fact-check everything if you want to!

 Equipment

 

Lastly, there are all sorts of equipment you can use, according to what type of fitness you practice and what your needs are. There are many types of mats, weights, activewear for any type of home workouts if you enjoy Pilates, Yoga or Aerobics. There are also affordable options to invest in a home gym, and get equipment such as a treadmill, a barbell, a smart bike and similar things you can find at the gym. Again, there is something for everyone.

We hope that these five developments in Fitness helped you see the positive side of the Fitness world!
There are a lot of improvements and progress to be made, but let’s focus and cherish what we have achieved so far.

5 Benefits of Practicing Yoga Daily

 

Yoga is a Northern Indian practice, which has been around for more than 5,000 years.  In the past decade, it’s popularity rose with it being practiced by fitness and social media influencers. Meanwhile, YouTube is still flooded with yoga tutorials, but why are people obsessed with it?  Because Yoga is not what it appears to be at first glance: it’s not just stretching, taking deep breaths and improving flexibility. Yoga is as spiritual as it is physical, and for some, its a way of life.

Yoga is an ancient practice of which there are many styles of, even some modern ones such as Hot Yoga, Yin Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga. You can try out any style and enjoy the benefits, but what are they? Believe it or not, Yoga has a countless number of benefits on your body in mind, which explains why it has been practiced for more than a thousand years!

We can’t possibly number all of the benefits that Yoga has to offer, but here are our top 5 Benefits of Practicing Yoga, that will convince you to incorporate it into your daily life:

 

1. Physical benefits

 

Yoga is very beneficial for your whole body, your organs and fitness performance. It increases your muscle strength, flexibility, balance, joint and bone health, while also preventing injuries. The many types of breathing techniques that the practice uses, can improve your blood flow to the lungs, heart, and blood vessels, improving your respiration altogether.

2. Brain health benefits

 

Yoga strengthens parts of the brain that play a key role in memory, attention, awareness, thought, and language. Studies using MRI scans and other brain imaging technology have shown that people who regularly did yoga had a thicker cerebral cortex and hippocampus compared with nonpractitioners. Because your brain releases dopamine and serotonin when you practice yoga, it can also help you with anxiety, depression and especially stress! The many poses that you perform release the tension from your body and brain, and the breathing helps you relax, which leads to destressing.

3. Heart health benefits

 

As we previously mentioned, yoga has benefits for your organs, especially for the most important ones, such as the heart. Every yoga pose has a particular effect on the respiratory system and therefore, affects the heart. The benefits include:

• • Lower blood pressure.
  • Increased lung capacity.
  • Lower bad cholesterol levels.
  • Improved heart rate
  • Boost blood circulation.

4.  Improved Body image and relationship with food

 

As yoga can help with physical and mental health, it can also positively influence the relationship you have with your body. As you move your body daily, you learn to appreciate it and what it can do for you, instead of focusing on how it looks. You can gain a better mind to body connection, grow more confident, and be satisfied with your body image. Along with this, you may gain better control of hunger cues, hunger and create a positive relationship with food. Some dedicated yoga practitioners also follow the Yogic Diet, which promotes non-violence, sattvic foods, purity and cleanliness, for the ultimate health benefits.

 

5.  Better sleep

 

A bedtime yoga routine is the perfect formula for good sleep. Not only can yoga improve your sleep time and quality, but it can also help treat insomnia. The relaxation, mindfulness and the calm that comes with practicing yoga, will help you fall asleep faster, and stay asleep for longer. Some popular poses such as the child’s pose are the perfect way to unwind after a long and stressful day, so give it a try!

We hope that you found this list of benefits useful, and that it gave you a reason to incorporate yoga into your daily routine!

Sleep is important and it affects you and your body immensely. Not getting enough sleep, or sleeping badly influences your whole day. You wake up feeling groggy, you don’t have energy to start the day, you feel tired during the whole day and can’t be productive. Sleeping well is easier said than done. You might have a busy lifestyle, work a lot of hours, or have children to take care of, and we understand. However, we have some good news. Regular exercise and an active lifestyle can help you sleep better, and for longer, among other things! Let’s go through all the ways that exercise can improve your sleep:

Reduce sleep onset

Daily exercise and movement can extend your sleep time. Even moderate exercise, and light to moderate daily movement, can help. Not every day needs to be a gym day, all you need is light movement, and exercise that will help release the good chemicals, called endorphins. Exercise can increase sleep quality for adults by reducing sleep onset – or the time it takes to fall asleep – and decrease the amount of time they lie awake in bed during the night.

 Improved quality of sleep

Exercise can also improve the overall quality of sleep. A research on Exercise Training affecting sleep quality, found that HIIT improved all accelerometer parameters, with higher total sleep time and sleep efficiency, and lower wake after sleep onset. This means that not only aerobics, yoga and similar lower intensity exercises, but also higher intensity exercises such as HIIT, which takes more of your energy, will also help you sleep better.

Helps reduce daytime sleepiness

Feeling fatigued and tired during the day is common among adults. But, there is also a medical condition concerning this problem, and its called hypersomnia. Hypersomnia can cause you to fall asleep in inappropriate times, even if you take multiple naps a day, and still make you feel like you lack sleep. Even so, research has shown that exercise reduces daytime sleepiness indeed, and that it can help manage hypersomnia.

Helps with relieving symptoms of sleep disorders

Sleep disorders are difficult to manage, and physical exercise alone is not enough to relieve you from them, but it does help with the symptoms. Research has shown that both acute bouts of physical activity and regular physical activity improve a variety of sleep outcomes in healthy adults, with the effects typically small to moderate in magnitude.  The same research concluded that physical exercise may relieve some symptoms of sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea.

Improve your sleep-wake cycle

Your body has several internal clocks, called circadian clocks. These typically follow a 24-hour repeating rhythm, called the circadian rhythm. During these 24 hours, the body changes its internal temperature, which affects your sleep-wake cycle. When you exercise, your bodily temperature rises, which signals your body to stay awake. This is why it’s usually recommended that you don’t exercise at night. Some doctors may even recommend that you exercise 8 hours prior to sleeping, especially if you have a sleeping disorder. A review by Nature, suggests timing your exercise to maximize its benefits. They state that exercise can reset the molecular circadian clock, thereby effectively ameliorating the negative effects of disrupted sleep patterns.

SUMMARY

Regular physical exercise, no matter if its low intensity or high intensity, can help with almost every aspect of sleep. Research has shown that regular exercise can help improve the duration and quality of sleep. It can also help to reduce sleep onset, reduce daytime sleepiness, improve the sleep-wake cycle, and help with reducing symptoms of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and hypersomnia.

Cellulite is a problem all women face. It’s a concern, and a reason for insecurity for a lot of women. But have you wondered – can skinny women have it? how about men? what is it? and the most frequently asked question – can I make it disappear? Well, we have good and bad news – you can’t make it disappear, but you can reduce it!

What is cellulite

 

Cellulite is structural changes in the subcutaneous layer, leading to impaired microcirculation and lymphatic outflow. Put simply, these are pits and irregularities that spoil the aesthetic appearance of the skin. The fact of the matter is, 90% of women have cellulite, no matter if they’re overweight, fit, or skinny, everyone can have it. However, some women have thicker skin, and cellulite is not as visible on their skin. On the other hand, when it comes to men, only about 10% of them have cellulite.

It’s a common misconception that losing weight can help you get rid of cellulite, but sadly, that isn’t true, here are three things that can actually help you reduce or improve the appearance of cellulite:

 

 Nutrition and hydration

 

Hydration and proper nutrition can help minimize and fight cellulite cellulite. Drink plenty of water, exercise daily, or be active daily in any way you enjoy.  Try to avoid sugary drinks, fast food, and smoking. In fact, both skipping meals, and overeating, won’t help you with cellulite, so, try improving your relationship with food!
Some of the best foods to eat for fighting cellulite are: watermelon, flaxseeds, nuts and bell peppers  Try practicing a healthy lifestyle, and eating balanced meals for the best results.

Exercise and active life

 

Exercise is sadly not a miraculous solution for getting rid of cellulite. Training and exercise alone, will not help your cellulite disappear, but staying active and exercising, in combination of proper nutrition, is the key to minimize it! Building and Firming the muscle underneath the cellulite will help smooth the skin’s appearance, and make your cellulite less visible. Losing a bit of fat might help too, but this affects every person and each body differently. When it comes to exercise,  what you need to do is focus on strength training and exercises that target the hamstrings, quads, buttocks and hips. Try to train your lower body multiple times a week, and use progressive overload to challenge your muscles! Don’t forget to stay as active as possible, take long walks, run, or do anything else that will keep you outside!

Targeted massage

 

Cellulite massage involves deep tissue massage, lymphatic drainage, and myofascial release techniques to help break up the fat deposits and smooth out the skin. The massage therapist uses firm pressure and long strokes to manipulate the skin and underlying tissues. Simply put, they stretch the skin tissues, redistribute fat cells, improve circulation and lymphatic drainage as well, which reduce the appearance of cellulite. A few massages will not get rid of your cellulite permanently. Repeated treatments and massages are necessary to reduce cellulite. You can use foam rollers, handheld massagers, and try Endermologie massage at home, or you can visit a massage therapist.

Cellulite is a manageable problem, but even if you can’t reduce it, slowly learn to accept it! Cellulite is normal and every woman has it, it doesn’t make you ugly, unwanted or less attractive.