6 Ways To Build Lean Muscles

Woman running on the beachYou 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!!!

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How to Get and Keep Healthy Skin

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Not only is our skin the largest organ of our bodies but it also plays an important role in our appearance. Our skin is typically the first thing that other people notice about us. Moreover, our skin plays a vital role in our health, protecting our bodies and inner organs from harmful substances and injury. For some of us, however, our skin is often ignored when it comes to taking care of ourselves. Here are some ways to take care of your skin no matter your age:

  • Diet and Exercise – It should be no surprise that diet and exercise have a profound impact on how your skin looks and feels. Exercise increases the circulation of blood and nutrients to your skin. Furthermore, diet plays an important role. For healthy skin, make sure you are getting plenty of foods with vitamin A like carrots and low-fat yogurt. Foods high in antioxidants, like berries, are critical as well. Selenium and essential fatty acids found in foods like walnuts, turkey, tuna, and flax seed are good for the skin, too.
  • Stay Hydrated – Getting enough water to stay hydrated every day, about eight glasses, goes a long way towards keeping your skin young and looking great.
  • Take Time to Relax – High levels of stress can produce all kinds of problems for your skin. When you are stressed out, your body releases cortisol, which could lead to breakouts of pimples. Control your stress by taking time to relax. You might even consider meditation, as some studies have shown that it helps clear up troublesome skin conditions.
  • Keep Your Skin Protected – No matter what time of the year it is, be sure to use sunscreen and reapply it often when outside. Sunscreen can keep you from developing skin cancer and other issues as you age.
  • Use a Simple Skin Care Regimen – Instead of buying bags full of skin products, the only ones you really need are a cleanser, moisturizer, and a retinoid. Retinoids improve the production of collagen and reduce the appearance of brown spots and fine lines.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp 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!!!

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Staying Active in the Winter

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As the seasons change and those of us in the northern hemisphere start to experience wet, cold weather, it can be more and more difficult to stay active. When the days start getting shorter and the weather grows increasingly colder, it is not easy to get outside in order to exercise or enjoy fun recreational activities. Furthermore, our bodies tend to slow down and we have the propensity to consume more calories during the winter in order to stay warm. This lack of exercise and the abundance of food during the holidays typically lead to weight gain and unhealthy habits.

In order to fight the wintertime bulge and overeating during the holidays, it is critical to stay active. Even though it is difficult to get outside for physical activities, here are some ways to get enough exercise during those bleak winter months:

  • Try Different Winter Sports – The winter offers all sorts of opportunities to get outside, even though it is cold. Recreational activities like downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ice skating, and snowshoeing are all great aerobic activities that burn lots of calories. The key is too not overdo it when you head back to the lodge for something warm to eat and drink.
  • Head Inside to the Gym – Gym membership typically increases in the winter months because people are trying to stay active. Joining a nearby gym or club will give you an option for indoor workouts whether it is the cardio machines or weight lifting. Many gyms also have pools so that you can swim indoors in the winter.
  • Join a Class – Many gyms or clubs also have group exercise classes like fitness boot camp, yoga, Pilates, strength training, cycling, and water aerobics. If your gym does not offer group exercise, many independent instructors offer their own classes in the area. The key is to find physical activities you enjoy and stick with it, even though it is harder to do so in the winter.

Besides the physical benefits, staying active in the snowy months can also help with beating the winter blues. So this winter stay motivated to get out and be active!

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp 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!!!

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Ways to Beat the Flu This Season

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With the changing of the seasons, it is time to start thinking about another season coming our way: flu season. This time of year usually sees an increase in the number of cases of the flu as well as other illnesses like the common cold, strep throat, sinus infections, even pneumonia or bronchitis. The flu season typically peaks in January and February. The bad news is that the flu virus is easily spread from one person to another. Most people come in contact with the flu virus when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or even talks and spread the germs around.

The good news is that just by taking a few simple measures you can keep yourself healthy and hopefully avoid catching the flu this season. Here are some tips:

  • Take Care of Yourself – When you eat properly, get regular exercise, and get enough sleep at night, your body’s immune system is able to function properly to fight off germs that can make you ill. When you don’t take care of yourself, the capacity of the immune system is markedly diminished and you find that you get sick more often. Ensure that your immune system can work by taking care of yourself and find ways to manage stress.
  • Wash Your Hands Regularly – Washing your hands is one of the best ways to avoid sickness and spreading it to others. You should wash your hands before and after preparing food, before eating, after using the toilet, after touching animals, and so on. If you are in a situation where you are unable to wash your hands, using hand sanitizer is highly recommended, although not as effective as soap and water.
  • Avoid Contact with People Who are Sick – Although it may not be always possible, it is a good idea to avoid people who are sick with the flu or cold until their symptoms subside. The flu and other illnesses are spread the most easily through contact with people around you. If you do come down with symptoms of the flu, be sure to stay home from work or school until you are feeling better.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp 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!!!

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5 Simple Outdoor Exercises

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Having a busy and active lifestyle is great, but oftentimes we forget to exercise and keep in shape. And with easy access to fast food and takeout, it’s simple to gain unwanted weight.

The gym is a great place to burn those calories, but it isn’t always the best option for everyone. You may not have time to spend on the treadmill or the luxury to sign up for a monthly membership. But do you really need equipment to get your sweat on? There are actually many simple outdoor exercises that you can do that don’t require a single monthly due or heavy equipment.

Here are five outdoor exercises you can do to achieve balance between work and health, no equipment required.

1. Daily Walks Around The Park

Whether you’re a single career woman or a mom to two, an hour-long stroll around the park every day is a great outdoor exercise that keeps you active and allows you to socialize with other people. You can walk briskly to your favorite song, or walk with your family and friends every weekend.

2. Running Up The Stairs

If you want to be resourceful, you can use any flight of stairs to exercise your leg muscles, front thighs, and calves. You can also build up endurance and stamina in every session. Taking the stairs or going up and down wide, public stairways are great options.

3. Jogging Or Sprinting Uphill

To speed things up, you can spend thirty minutes to an hour or two jogging around the neighborhood, city park, or similar locations. When you’re ready for a more intense challenge, you can sprint uphill, walk back down, and repeat.

4. Step-Ups

This may look like a simple outdoor exercise, but it actually takes great effort to accomplish. Pick out a large rock or bench and begin stepping up and down the platform with your back straight and head up. You can then change sides and repeat. Keep good posture and remember to breathe!

5. Swimming

Yes, you do need a large body of water to swim, but take note that swimming is one of the best outdoor sports to exercise your legs, chest, arms, back, and shoulders. Did you know that you can burn over 475 calories by swimming laps at the pool?

You don’t need large, bulky, and expensive equipment to keep yourself fit, trim and healthy. A well-balanced workout with just these simple outdoor exercises can do wonders for your body without busting your wallet or taking up space in your garage.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp  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!!!

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