Thursday, June 28, 2012

A Family That Juices Together....

A family that juices together stays healthy. Period. That is my thought when it comes to my family. I have been juicing for quite some time now, and anyone that knows me knows that I am a huge advocate for juicing. My family is no exception. They have to hear me rave about its benefits almost daily and listen to me hound them about getting on board with juicing. Well finally about a month ago my mom got a juicer. She juices daily and swears that it has changed her life. Her skin is glowing more now, she is full of energy, and she just feels overall better. Remember that these feelings and changes are being noticed just after one month of consistent juicing. Then this past Father's Day, my sister, my mom, and myself went in on purchasing a juicer for my grandpa. He loves fruits and veggies, but he doesn't always exclusively eat the fresh kind. We have gone round and round since I have been juicing on the benefits, the difference between juicing and consuming fruits and veggies by eating, and everything in between. Literally every time we got together I was giving him a speech about juicing. I also felt very strongly that he needed to attempt juicing because he is fighting cancer for the second time, and has reached the point where radiation and chemo are no longer options. I am anti-meds for the most part, and feel strongly that doctors over medicate this country. There is something deep within me that believes that the body can heal itself and juicing can definitely be beneficial to that process. I am proud to say that my grandpa has also jumped on board and juices every day. He really seems to enjoy the process of juicing and discovering how much each vegetable or fruit juices, and mixing and matching for different tastes. On top of that, I can not wait until he goes for his check up in three months to see what the doctors say and I am praying for a miracle. Afterall, I do firmly beleieve that a family that juices together, STAYS HEALTHY!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Muscle Imbalances

Yes we all have them!!!! Even trainers! If you are not sure what I am talking about, let me explain...It is usually the first thing that a trainer will look for when they meet with you. It is easy to detect when you do certain exercises and helpful to know when starting a training program. The professional term is "postural deviations," and these should be corrected first before building strength. Having minimal muscle imbalances will allow you to train correctly, use better form, and reach your goals, be it increase in strength, speed, size more safely and effectively. I have a few noticeable imbalances, one is caused by the structure of my body so can not be fixed, but the other few are injury related, so they can be fixed with certain exercises and strengthening the muscles that have not been isolated and trained specifically.
It is important to be aware of any imbalances so you can get the most out of your workouts. Many people get frustrated because they want to jump right into training and workouts, but correcting and imbalances truly is the foundation of fitness and must be done before anything else. Trust me, if anyone understands the frustration of not being able to jump into doing squats and bicep curls it is me. However, I have recently started adding some corrective exercises to my workouts in an effort to strengthen certain muscles and correct the imbalances and I highly encourage others to do the same!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Trial and Error for Training and Living a Healthy Lifestyle

Here's the deal. One way of doing things does not work the same for all people. This is true when it comes to training. For instance just because a certain reps/sets/training days of a certain exercise which focuses on a particular body part has been the method for some or even most people to achieve certain goals, does not mean it will work for you. I have literally spent over a decade doing the trial and error with training. Taking tips from friends, trainers, fitness fanatics, celebrities, you name it and I have tried it, all to have it come down to realizing I need to stop doing what everyone else has done and find out what works for me and my body. And even with that being said I still find myself having to change every component of my workouts to keep seeing changes in my body.
The same can be said for your eating habits. Just because someone swears by a certain way of eating (ex. vegan, vegetarian, or certain diets Atkins, Paleo, etc) does not mean that your body will respond or accept it. You must listen to your body and fuel it accordingly depending on your lifestyle. Beyond that as long as you are making healthy choices, and you know and live by the motto "fresh is best" most days of the week,along with being active you will see changes and results!