Blog

Great Ways to Prepare for The Gym

Getting in shape and taking the time to condition your body with exercise are extremely important to your health and wellbeing. Attending a gym is a fantastic way to achieve the fitness levels you want as well as work on your overall health. Going to the gym for the first time can seem incredibly daunting, but don’t worry, soon enough you will be attending the gym like a professional.

Prior to your first trip to the gym there are a few things that you must prepare for; get to know your gym and familiarize yourself with protocol, as well as the machines and equipment, make sure to obtain everything that is necessary to make your trip to the gym a good one and consume the proper pre-workout foods.

Before You Go To The Gym

There are a few things that you need to do prior to your first gym trip. It’s important that you prepare yourself for the gym properly so that you can get the most out of your workout. Start our with identifying with your purpose of what you’re trying to accomplish when you go to the gym.

Are you there to get fit, lose weight, or trying to improve your health? It is extremely important to know what you’re trying to accomplish and set some goals to do so. There are some basic things you should understand when it comes to preparing for the gym. 

1. Learn the gym hours – Make sure you are aware of the times that your specific gym operates. It can be frustrating and discourage future visits if you get ready for a workout only to arrive at the gym and find they are closed.
2. Know the peak times – If you’re self conscious or don’t like waiting in line to use a machine you will definitely want to make sure to ask a gym rep when the peak hours are. One of the most used excuses people have for simply not going into the gym is it was too busy. Don’t let yourself be a reason for not achieving success.
3. Get a workout buddy – If you’re new to the gym it is hard to get motivated sometimes. You can also find yourself not wanting to go back because your sore from the previous workout. Having a friend makes it more fun. You can also hold each other accountable which is why this is a great thing for people that are new to working out.
4. Starting out simple – Do not push yourself too hard in the beginning! You can’t expect yourself to complete a fitness expert routine on day one so don’t set yourself up for failure. You need to let your body build up to a big workout; begin simple and complete a successful workout a few times before you attempt really pushing yourself hard.

Make sure that you are aware of all the requirements of attending your gym. Familiarizing yourself with the rules and expectations of the gym will ensure that your first visit will go smoothly, this way you will avoid being discouraged. For example, some gyms require you to swipe your membership card every time you arrive at the gym for your workout.

Get To Know The Machines And How To Use Them Properly  

Schedule a walk through of the gym with a trainer and ask questions. Ensure that you know how to work all the equipment and machines properly as well as the appropriate safety measures to take when working out at their facility. Ensure you expand your knowledge base when it comes to the correct way to exercise. Learn how to use proper form on a machine and functionality. Doing so will help you achieve optimal results while minimizing the risks of injury.

Wear The Right Workout Clothing  

Dressing comfortably for the gym is very important. Wear clothing that fits well and you feel comfortable in. Know that you’re going to the gym to sweat so clothes that don’t reveal easily your perspiration helps those who are conscious.

(Tip – Double up your tops, the first layer will collect your sweat especially if it is something absorbent)

Finally, choose the right shoes that absorb impact and fit properly. If you’re going to be using the treadmill the worst thing is to have your toes crammed into a show that is a size to small.

Choose a gym bag with lots of pockets and compartments to hold the various items you will need to take to the gym with you. Pack your gym bag with anything you may need before, during and after your workout such as, a brush, change of clothing, a water bottle, and deodorant. It is also recommended that you pack a pair of shoes that you can wear if you intend to use the gym’s facilities to shower.

Pack a few towels to use if you plan on showering at the gym after your workout. Bringing a book or your favorite music is also beneficial as you can use them while you exercise. Bring a lock to put on a locker to keep your things safely stowed away until after your finished.

Workout Eating Preparations  

Consuming the correct pre-workout meal is important. You want to make sure that you have the energy to complete your workout effectively. Find the appropriate meal based on your bodies specific needs. The general rule of thumb is to consume a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate at least an hour and a half prior to your workout. Lean proteins contain significantly less saturated fats than other proteins and are generally lower in calories too.

Some examples of lean proteins are:

• poultry
• certain types of fish like Tilapia, Cod or white canned tuna,
• Beans such as Garbanzo, Nuts, Lentils and Cottage cheese.

When you consume carbohydrates they are converted to glycogen which provides energy, this energy is either burned immediately or stored for use in your muscles and liver for later use. There are many different complex carbohydrates, for example;

• whole grains
• certain fruits
• vegetables and legumes are all good sources of carbohydrates.

Make Sure You Are Properly Hydrated

Never attend the gym with a water deficit. Always make sure you are properly hydrated prior and during your workout to avoid dehydration.

Taking the proper steps to prepare for the gym is very important. Always make sure to take the proper measures to ensure your safety and consume the right pre-workout meal for your body. Never go to the gym with a water deficit, make sure you stay well hydrated throughout the day prior to attending the gym and most of all, enjoy your workout and shape well! You are doing great things for your health!

Pumpkin & Chickpea Burgers Recipe

This burger is so tasty and healthy you won’t believe it.

The patty is quite a wet mixture so be gentle when trying to forming them. They will firm up when you cook them and the outsides become crispy.

Just toast the insides of the roll as you want the outside to be soft. Also just be careful what rolls you choose as many can be quite high in sodium. We have kept this burger quite basic but you can add things like avocado, cheese, grilled onion, etc, if you wish.

Looking for other healthy recipes to lose weight? Don’t forget to check out our entire recipe section for the latest and healthiest options around!

Starting a Diet – Tips for Success Before You Begin

Many of us have started a diet in the past. We’ve cleaned out the cupboards of all the unhealthy choices, loaded up our water bottles and begun to lose the weight we had been carrying around for years. Once the high of this new project has worn off, a few weeks into it, our motivation begins to flag. We suddenly hit a plateau in weight loss or become bored with steamed vegetables and what feels like mundane food options, we’re tempted by our favorite dessert and give in. After giving into our cravings a few times we often become defeated and jump right off track.

You can begin any diet with the best of intentions, doing all of the right things to prepare yourself, but the only way to successfully lose weight and keep it off is to change your perspective. Lasting weight-loss isn’t a quick process, it takes time, energy and determination. With the right psychological perspective your chances of success are greatly raised.  ShapeWell has done the research for you, here are tips to ensure your in the right mindset before you begin your diet.

Set Realistic Goals For Your Diet

If you begin your diet with unrealistic goals you are certain to feel dejected and give up. Before you even clean the junk food out of the house set yourself a realistic goal.

You are much more likely to succeed if you set smaller goals for changing your lifestyle, such as setting a goal to drink the suggested amount of water for weight loss, losing 5 pounds or another attainable benchmark. Focus upon your health and making sensible eating habits and you will begin to see results which over time will add up to bigger goals.

Take It Slow

Dieting is all about making real lifestyle changes, making long-lasting lifestyle changes doesn’t happen overnight.

If you are undernourished, fatigued and irritable there is little chance any changes you are making will survive the test of time. Remember that optimal rate of weight loss is on average 1-2 pounds per week and pace yourself for the length of this journey.

Expect Roadblocks

We all begin a diet with a perfectionist attitude, this is a positive thing in intention but when faced with the reality of giving into a craving or plateau this attitude can sabotage our weight-loss efforts.

If we get down on ourselves because the scale isn’t moving or we’ve enjoyed a “treat”, many of us throw up our hands and give up. Realize that there will be road blocks along the way and don’t give into the urge to binge. When you slip up, don’t give up because tomorrow is a new day.

Use the Buddy System

There’s nothing like having someone as a partner to keep your motivation going. Find someone with similar goals and commit to each other to be supportive. When your spirits are lagging turn to this person for accountability and clarity.

If you don’t have any friends who are readily available there are groups like Overeaters Anonymous and other online support groups, seek them out and set up your support system before you begin.

Reward Yourself

Dieting isn’t a walk in the park.  You’re working hard making life changes and it’s not always easy. Small non-food related rewards can provide positive incentive to keep going.

Set out rewards for yourself before you even begin.  If you’ve set 5 pounds as your first goal why not get a pedicure to celebrate when you reach it? Attaining your goals is progress and should be recognized as such, you’ll find that these motivate you on the tough days.

Set Your Long Term Plan

Ask anyone who has lost a significant amount of weight simply to gain it back and they’ll tell you they wish they’d set a maintenance plan. Healthy eating is not a short term fix, you’ve got to make long-term changes and stick to them.

Do your research and find out what is the best long-term plan for yourself, by setting this up before beginning your diet you will be prepared to stick to your healthy habits once you’ve reached your end goal weight.

Key Reasons Why You Should Drink Water

The benefits of drinking water are a must know for anyone seeking to shed pounds. Our bodies are made up of approximately 70% water, yet so many of us neglect to provide the necessary amounts of water. By simply drinking enough to fill up your body’s water tank, you’ll begin losing weight.

5 Reasons Why Drinking Water Helps You Lose Weight

1. Drinking water provides a full feeling

Drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner will find you consuming less food but feeling fuller. Research has shown that people who follow this rule eat 75 less calories per meal on average. In turn becoming 150 calories less a day (based upon 2 meals a day) and within a year 52,800 less calories. In order to lose 1 pound, a person must ingest 3,500 less calories meaning it is possible to lose 15 lbs in one year by simply drinking 2-3 quarts per day.

2. Drinking water promotes burning stored fat

Drinking the suggested amount of water improves kidney and liver function. The function of these two organs is essential to weight-loss. The kidneys are responsible for eliminating waste.  When the body doesn’t have sufficient water to flush it, the liver kicks in and does the job of the kidneys. In actuality the liver’s true function is to burn fat and if it’s preoccupied assisting the kidneys it won’t perform this function well.

3. Drink water to raise energy

When a body is dehydrated you end up feeling fatigued which is certainly not going to help your weight-loss efforts. As mentioned above, the main function of the liver is to burn fat into energy and once again if the liver is busy your energy will not be optimized. Feeling sluggish holds a person back from exercise; it promotes a negative perspective and will sabotage your efforts.

4. Drinking water helps build muscle

It’s a well known fact that muscle burns more calories at rest than fat. In trying to gain muscle, supplying your body with raw materials such as protein and carbs isn’t enough. Unless those nutrients are efficiently absorbed in the body, you can kiss muscle gain goodbye. Proper digestion is crucial, and according to the Mayo Clinic’s website, water taken during or after meals improves digestion and helps maintain a healthy digestive track. This is important in view of the fact that dehydration can prevent proper digestion from occurring, resulting in nutrients not being absorbed and muscle not being built.

5. Drinking water raises metabolism

How many times have you wished that you’d been born with a high rate of metabolism? You can have one! Studies show that metabolism rates rise by up to 30% after drinking water and remain raised for up to an hour. By increasing your metabolism your body will burn more calories and you will be able to lose more weight.

Calculating How Much Water to Drink

Calculating how much water you should drink is easy, just take your weight divide it by two and that is how many ounces of water you need to drink. For example if you weigh 200 lbs., follow the equation: 200 / 2 =100. So you should drink 100 ounces.

If you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy drinking water you should check out Xtreme X2O!

Xtreme X2O is an all-natural, organic mineral complex derived from a pristine ocean source found near the Okinawan Islands. Harvested in its natural form, using a patented processing method to ensure the highest level of purity and safety before packaging this powerful product into individual, ready-to-use “sachets.”

Why drink just plain water when you can supercharge your water?

Just one sachet of Xtreme X2O adds vital minerals and electrolytes to your water, while it helps hydrate you at the cellular level and provide a boost of alkalinity to your body. In fact, Xtreme X2O is powerful enough to transform standard tap water into a much healthier form of water.

Quinoa and Snap Pea Salad Recipe

Snap peas and mushrooms are combined with the fresh flavor of lemon in this pretty, healthy quinoa salad recipe. If you can make it ahead of time, do—this quinoa salad is even better the next day, after the dressing has soaked into the mushrooms and quinoa.

Looking for other healthy recipes to lose weight? Don’t forget to check out our entire recipe section for the latest and healthiest options around!

Breville Die-Cast Juice Fountain Elite Review

Juicing has become a popular method for improved health and wellness. People all across the globe are doing it thanks to the renowned Joe Cross; and as more people are doing the demand for the Breville Juice Fountain Elite has tripled.

With the high demand and popularity of this product we felt it was necessary for us to go out, purchase and review it so we can provide you the ins and outs of the popular Breville product.

Breville Juice Fountain Elite Review

This juicer has a lot of great ways to improve an individuals health. With its commercial performance, home kitchen convenience, 1000 watts power up to 13,000 RPM and over 40,000 filtering pores ensure smooth and delicious refreshment; it has taken the juicing industry by store.

Easy-to-clean components allow you more time for enjoyment. The patented extra-large 3″-wide (7.6 cm) feed-tube maximizes efficiency and cuts down your prep time.

There are many benefits to having this juicer as the must have item in your home. We noticed right away the simplicity to put together, use, take apart and clean made it an everyday useable item. It doesn’t have to be stored directly on your counter at all times because when taken apart it is easy to store.

For those who spend the extra penny for the die cast Breville, your cleaning capabilities are of course improved. Quickly throw into the dishwasher and everything comes out sparkling clean. We do recommend scrubbing the mesh plate a little before placing into dishwasher as it does get very caked up with crude from our fruits and vegetables.

The soft and hard settings allow you to quickly switch between without having to change any blades or take the entire system apart. The quick shut off also makes you capable of turning off quickly and easily even if your hands are full of delicious fruits and veggies.

Overall Breville Juice Fountain Elite Experience

Our overall experience has been quite good. We have incorporated juicing into our everyday diets and use our Breville juicer everyday at least twice a day. It has also made juicing a lot easier. We highly recommend the Breville Die-Cast Juice Fountain Elite for anyone looking to incorporating juicing into their everyday lives.