6 Ways To Build Lean Muscles

You want a body shaped with lean muscle and backed by a nutritious diet. You want to stay fit and healthy in the midst of all the fatty foods and unhealthy diets. Building lean muscle isn’t impossible with the right exercise and dieting program in place. Here are some great ways women can build lean muscle.

1. Eat Nutritious Foods

Stock up on foods that help keep your muscles lean and firm. Beef is a good source of protein, zinc, and B vitamins while brown rice, eggs, spinach increase muscle strength, endurance, good digestion, and longer-lasting energy. Just remember to select only fresh and wholesome foods when creating your diet.

2. Reduce Carbs In Your Diet

Women have the upper hand when it comes to burning fat to carbs, so stick to a low-carb or no-carb diet in order to burn the fat and gain toned muscles.

3. Strengthen Muscles With Exercise

Exercise regularly in order to stretch and strengthen your muscles, but make sure to focus on exercises that promote lean muscle throughout your body. Squats, deadlifts, and lunges are just some of the many exercises that target your legs, back, abs, and obliques.

4. Remember To Drink Your Water

Always have plenty of water to drink as you work through the program. An intake of at least 8 glasses of water not only keeps you hydrated, but it curbs mistaken hunger pains and prevents overeating. And with every intake, your body is able to flush out toxins inside your body, making you feel lighter and healthier.

5. Control Your Calorie Intake

Calorie control is essential in building lean muscle. By taking in too many calories, you gain excessive weight. This makes it difficult to tell if it is lean muscle or just a layer of body fat. But a lack of calories lessens your chances of gaining and building lean muscles. Set a target calorie count that is just right and that produces results.

6. Rest

Make sure to give your body enough rest. More than to cool down from the workouts, rest allows the body to repair the muscles. What’s more, because the muscle is metabolically active, it burns calories even while the body is resting. Consider a day off for every week.

It takes a lot of effort and self-discipline to build lean, mean muscle, but the results are worthwhile. To be sure, consult a health professional before implementing any diet or exercise program.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all women boot camp or fitness boxing classes please visit NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

Friend us on Face Book

Turning to Food For Short Term and Long Term Health

There are so many wonderful medications out there right now, but have you ever felt that you were almost over medicated? So many of us turn to medicine and are prescribed medicine for a variety of health conditions. Though sometimes medicine is absolutely necessary, sometimes you may find that a more natural remedy can do the trick.

If you are sick of taking pills everyday and want to try something that may offer you a healthy alternative, there are answers out there. You can turn to the very food that you eat to offer healing power and to help you feel better faster. Though you always want to seek out medical attention and ensure that your health condition doesn’t absolutely require medication, you will quickly find that there is great healing powers in proper nutrition. So put aside that pill for a moment and consider what you can do on your own to offer very natural remedies.

The Healing Power of Food

Did you know that garlic and onions offer natural antibacterial properties? Are you aware that blueberries and broccoli contain antioxidants within them that can help to naturally boost your immune system? These are the sorts of things that you can gain when you eat the right foods. Though many find that supplements are necessary to offset the appropriate servings needed in a day, the food that you eat has some amazing healing power.

When you feel sick, it can be quite helpful to turn to citrus fruits for a nice boost of Vitamin C. You may also find it helpful to include a food such as sweet potatoes as they are loaded with Vitamin C and beta carotene. Knowing these sorts of things can help to prevent you from getting sick in the first place. The very food that we eat can offer us tremendous healing power and make us healthier and stronger.

Trying the Natural Route Rather Than Medication

Yes there are certain medications that are an absolute must and those should never be ignored. However if you are trying to live a healthier and cleaner life, it always pays off to go to a natural way of healing things. Though medication has many side effects in certain instances, the foods that we eat can only help to keep us healthier in the long run.

When you are eating natural foods from the earth, you are far less likely to feel slowed down, lethargic, or exhausted. Your immune system is boosted and therefore you are better able to fight off germs and illnesses that come your way. When you eat processed foods you tend to get sluggish and feel weighed down by all of the fat, additives, preservatives, and unnatural ingredients. You truly are what you eat and therefore eating the right foods can really help to make you a healthier person!

Seeking Guidance But Taking Control of Your Health

Always talk to your doctor before you start any regimen, including turning to foods for health support. If you are on medication that is absolutely necessary, then don’t just stop taking it without talking to them first. You may however find that proper nutrition can really be of help in the short term in boosting your immune system. It can also be quite helpful in the long term when it comes to preventing disease from setting in.

Prevention is key and when you eat the right foods you are providing your body with what it needs. Not only do the right foods act as natural remedies for what may ail you, but they help to prevent problematic health conditions as well. You are going to feel much healthier, stronger, and enjoy a longer and more enjoyable life if you start to embrace proper nutrition—and you are going to find that you likely won’t even need as much medication anymore either!

For more information on eating and living healthy contact Stacy Papakostas and don’t forget to follow this blog.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp or Fitness Boxing Classes please visit NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

Subscribe to our Blog

Friend us on Face Book

Stop Counting Calories and Start Being Healthy

Far too many diets out there are focused on short term results. If you deprive yourself or rely on some “magic solution” you are setting yourself up for failure. Losing weight isn’t easy and it’s certainly not something that is going to happen overnight. You have to put in the necessary hard work to make it happen for yourself.

So knowing that it’s time to abolish the notion of counting calories. Though it makes sense on some level, far too many people get obsessed with this activity. You should never deprive yourself as that can have the exact opposite result of what you want. So if you want to enjoy long term weight loss, it’s time to stop counting calories and replace that action with true healthy eating.

It’s Never About Deprivation

A good healthy eating plan is what it’s all about. If you learn what the right food are to eat based on the food pyramid and you incorporate them properly into a day then you will lose weight. You want to eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day and ensure that you incorporate plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein, low fat dairy products, whole grains, and good fats.

Any diet that asks you to deprive yourself of starve yourself is not a good one. You should be focused on good healthy eating and if the diet doesn’t promote that then it’s not a good match. Anytime that you deprive yourself of food or count the calories extremely then you are ultimately going to fail. Not only can you not sustain that for the long haul but your body may think that you are starving and end up holding onto every bite that you eat—and store it as fat!

You Must Always Think Through What You Can Keep With For the Long Term

When you count calories it is a huge concerted effort. If you want to have long term success with weight loss then you need to start thinking about those things that you can do in the long term. Counting calories never works well and can actually be detrimental as it’s not bound to be something that you will do for the rest of your life.

Sure it’s wise to read labels and to be mindful of the number of calories in certain foods. You don’t want to become obsessed with this however. You want to try eating more fresh and healthy food rather than the packaged type where calories are a huge factor anyhow. If it’s not something that you can keep up with for the long term, then it’s probably not a good match for you.

It’s Much More About Managing Portions Than Actually Counting Calories

When people start counting calories they become painfully aware of how much they should be eating. That helping of chicken and broccoli has more calories than they might think. Same for the seemingly healthy trail mix or protein bar. Yes count calories in the sense that you become aware of serving sizes or portion control, and then use that to fuel you.

We are so used to eating hearty servings of our favorite foods that we don’t often think about portion size. What you are served out at a restaurant can often serve as the equivalent of three meals worth of calories. So if you must count calories initially, do so only to get in touch with what makes for a proper portion of something. That can serve you well, but then use it to your advantage to incorporate it with good healthy eating in the end.

Subscribe to our Blog

Friend us on Face Book

Work Outs, Any Place, Any Time

Winter’s is here and for many that means a retreat from the outdoor workouts. Unfortunately for all too many it also means that it’s a departure from working out at all. As the weather gets colder and the calendar gets fuller, you don’t see as many active women out on the streets. Running outside is something that only the hard core do and it’s much easier to retreat inside than to hit the gym. Make this year different and make a commitment to getting fit in any place, time, or temperature.

Always a Way to Work Out

Where there’s a will, there’s a way! So if you are on vacation, stuck in the midst of a busy week, or simply slowed down by far too many other activities, you need to stay committed to your workout regimen. It’s not always easy but active women can get fit on the city streets or in the comfort of their own homes. There is always a way to squeeze in a workout, no matter what the circumstance! Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean that you can’t bundle up and go for a run or take the dog for a long walk. Just because you’re busy with commitments doesn’t mean that you can’t find time to hit the gym for a bit.

You want to optimize your time and make the most of your workout. If you don’t have as much time as you used to then find an effective workout class that you can be a part of at least once a week. A kickboxing class on the calendar for example gets you some fat burning and sculpting and you can keep it as you would any other appointment on your calendar. If you are struggling to find time to get to the gym everyday then try some workout tapes at home as filler. You have to maintain your commitment to working out, no matter what and that is what will set you apart as one of the active women.

Something Accessible Wherever You Are

If you live in a big city then there’s sure to be a gym or a fitness class that you can take at almost every corner. If you have access to sidewalks then there’s always a way to get in a run. There’s no reason to make excuses! Though that table of food may be calling you, that workout is going to make you feel much better. It’s all about enjoying life and fitness should be a part of that. Think of how great you feel when you are working out and getting fit—carry that feeling over to ensure that you are always making it a priority.

The busiest of women can also be active women, but it does take time and commitment. You often hear people say that it’s too hot or too cold out for a run, but that’s not commitment. You hear that people are just too busy to find time to workout at the gym, but that’s not what being active is all about. If you need motivation then think about how great you feel after a workout or how good you look in that hot pair of jeans. It can work in any time, any place, or any temperature—if you want to be one of the active women then make your workouts a priority within your life!

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp or fitness boxing classes please visit NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

Friend us on Face Book

How Are Your Family And Friends Affecting Your Health and Wellbeing? (PART 2)

Negative Relationships
Conversely, rocky or toxic relationships can leave you feeling drained, exhausted, helpless, and damage your efforts at losing weight the healthy way. Just like a black hole, they suck the energy out of you and sabotage your weight loss plans.

Sometimes, the people who you thought you could trust, unfortunately, stab you in the back for petty reasons such as jealousy, envy or revenge. For instance, you try to stay positive when you’re on diet but you’re supposed best friend sabotages you efforts. Such relationships surround you on a daily basis, making you feel frustrated or even depressed.

Becoming aware of these negative relationships is an important step to losing weight the right way.
Here are some signs to watch out for:

You sense an intense negative vibe from this person
You always get headaches or feel ill when this person is around
You feel unsafe, tense or frustrated around this person
You’re always put down and made to feel guilty

Such relationships are known as toxic relationships: they can be a parent, friend or work colleague, all of whom play a pivotal role in your life. Sometimes, it’s not that simple of “cut and let go” but more a matter of protecting yourself from negative energy.

Here is some useful advice on what to do:

1) Protect yourself with a white light when you wake up each morning. Take a few minutes to visualize yourself being protected and that no energy, negative thought or feeling can affect your weight loss efforts!

2) Look at your personality and see whether you’re attracting such people. Maybe this is a wakeup call to stop being so nice and stand up for yourself. Toxic people always go for people who find it difficult to stand up for themselves or live with their heart on their sleeves. Lack of self-confidence could be one of the reasons you’ve gained weight in the first place!

3) Try talking over things peacefully. Allow the other person to do this as well. Speak as openly as you can and as peaceful as you can. Just try not to lose your temper!

4) Limit the time you talk to this person. Say “I’m sorry I can only talk for a few minutes, I am extremely busy.” and stick to that amount of time.

Each type of relationship can prove to have a positive or negative effect on your weight loss goals. Whom you live with and how you live with them will evidently take a toll on your health. Unhealthy relationships (which we can sum as becoming increasingly manipulative, emotionally abusive and violent) cause extreme stress and sabotage your weight loss goals—stay away from them as much as possible!

It is vital for you to have support and for you to be surrounded by positivity with people who want to help and encourage your growth as a person.

Friend us on Face Book

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31