Put the Cool Back into Your Hot Summer Fitness

Cooling off the Heat of Summer Fitness 

Tips to Chill this Summer

The problem with summer is that it can get so hot outside. Activities that you find fun can start to dehydrate you or keep you from enjoying them because of the intensity of the weather.  Put the cool back into your fitness routine with these tips:

Adjust your Body Temperature with a Cold Shower before You Workout 

A German study showed a pre-exercise cool down improved performance in the heat. This is possibly because it lowers your heart rate as well as your core and skin temperature. 

An alternative: wet your workout towel with water as cold as you can tolerate it; keep it around your neck and continue to cool it off with fresh, cold water as you go through your workout.

Change your Running, Jogging or Walking Route

Find a shady new path through the Road Runners Club of America (rrca.org), which features running routes via Google maps. Or log in at weather.com, which offers a local parks forecast, a fitness comfort index, and an hourly forecast to help you figure out the best time of day to exercise.

Keep Tabs on Your Heart Rate 

The hotter it is, the harder your body has to work to stay cool; proper hydration is key. Pushing yourself too hard in hot weather can increase your risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Use a heart rate monitor to help you adjust your speed, distance and pace.
Try to run, jog, or walk on gravel or dirt paths. Paved roads and walkways can radiate heat and reflect the sun's rays to make them hotter. Also, take advantage of the breeze near lakes and rivers.

Stay cool and have fun with your Summer exercise routines!  It is hot, but using helpful tips to beat the heat can be just the help you need! 

Zeke Samples, IFA, CSN, CPR, IDEA

NPC Physique Competitior

Surreal Body Solutions, LLC

803.322.7649

www.SurrealBodySolutions.com 

& contributing health and exercise author

Personal Training | Nutrition | Supplements | Motivation

6 Various Tips to Get You Healthier Starting Today!

Goals?  I don't like that word..
Goals can be made and then outcomes can be good or bad.
You may not reach your goal, and then find yourself settling on the outcome.
I approve of the word: Achievement

Achievement, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is to accomplish; a result, gained by effort. No matter how small the steps are or how large the project to reach your achievement (not goal) will become, small changes can add up to a huge impact on our health.  To help you take the first step(s) toward improving your health, I have outlined my top 5 steps for improving your health...today.

1) Take the Stairs !
Taking the stairs is (literally) one of the best places to start. They can add up to have a big impact on weight-reduction, cardio health, and energy. 

Did you know that climbing just two flights of stairs a day can lead to 5 pounds of weight loss per year! That's 17,500 calories ! (1 pound of fat equals 3500 calories)

2) Don’t Skip Meals, Especially Breakfast
Ok...So I am beating a dead horse because I blogged on this last week.. but it matters !! 
Skipping meals, especially breakfast, will cause you to forfeit an opportunity to kick start your metabolism and may lead you to consuming more calories on the days you skip meals. Consuming small snacks between meals–instead of simply eating three large meals per day–can increase your metabolism and curb your hunger.

3) Stay Hydrated

A few of the benefits of staying hydrated include:
• Improved weight loss efforts (organs function optimal when given proper hydration)
• Increased Mental and Physical Energy
• Illness Prevention

Making up more than 60% of our total body weight, water is clearly a critical component to our health and immune system.  

4) Breathe!
Many of us forget that oxygen is the most important chemical in our body.  Proper breathing can make the heart stronger, improve weight loss efforts, boost energy levels and stamina, and increase blood-flow and circulation.

5) Skip Dessert…Unless It’s Fruit…or Dark Chocolate
Reducing or eliminating simple sugars from your diet is a good way to lower your risk for excess weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. Many baked confections and desserts contain trans fats; fats that should be avoided. Alternatives can be a bowl of fruit or a piece of dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains phenols. What are phenols? Phenols have been found to help lower blood pressure, while the flavanols in dark chocolate help keep LDL cholesterol from becoming oxidized, leading to the clogging up of the coronary artery walls.

6) Nap
Do you feel like you are not getting enough sleep? National studies show that Americans are becoming more and more sleep deprived. There are countless negative side effects of sleep deprivation, and in turn, many links to how individual health can be the culprit of sleep deprivation, such as sleep apnea.
Alertness and physical performance can be improved by napping, and so too can our psychological well being. Furthermore, sleep deprivation can also cause your hormones to fluctuate, which can result in unnecessary weight gain.
Remember, no matter how busy you are, sleep is not a luxury, it is a priority. If you can only do it on the weekends, that is better than none. Give it a try when you are able to do so.

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA Personal Trainer

Fitness and Wellness Author

Surrealbody@gmail.com

Wine or Your Waistline ?

When it comes to your health and your booze, experts can all agree, moderation is key.  Alcohol not only adds hundreds of calories to our diet, but it temporarily stalls the body into burning more fat.

A regular beer can add up to more than 150 calories; a glass of wine, over 100.

The seasonal football season favorite, "beer and chicken wings" can be detrimental to your weight-loss and figure goals.  Scientifically, the body insists on breaking down the alcohol first, leaving the calories from your meal to get stored as fat.

This doesn't mean that you have to totally stop, but if you want to progress, you will need to follow a few rules to keep the "wine from going to waist" !

Simple Rules:

1. Keep it Simple

2. Eat Before You Drink

3. Keep a Count

Keeping it Simple:

- A good rule of thumb is the fewer ingredients in what you are drinking, the better. Mixed drinks can be loaded with extra sugars; sugars that will be stored as fat.  The next time you are considering a margarita, re-think the possibility that you could have chosen something that was lower calorie by subtracting the 'sugary' and keeping the cocktail simple using club soda, or low-calorie options.

Eat Before You Drink:

- Speaking from science, knowing the proper timing of the alcohol can protect you from its ability to be stored as fat from the digestion process.  It may sound a bit hard to believe, but if you are trying to pass up the calories, eating a snack or meal with healthy (Omega fats), protein, or fiber can help to suppress the sugar crash that may stimulate from an evening of drinking more than a drink or two.  Eating before you drink can also help you feel full; helping your mind urge off the temptation of 'tray snacking' when you are offered a bite of something your subconscious knows that you shouldn't have eaten.

Keeping Count:

- Consuming several drinks per night can mess with your blood sugar.  Some clients tell me they have 1-2 glasses of wine each evening.  After a hard day of work, this tends to be the commonality.  Be careful that you do not abstain all week and blow it on a weekend either.  Adding hundreds of calories to your diet, decreasing your judgement in making good food choices, and not staying hydrated will be a quick three dimensional way to add that wine to your waistline..

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA Personal Trainer

Fitness and Wellness Author

Surrealbody@gmail.com

Dehydration: Are You at Risk this Summer?

Did you know 95% of the US population suffers from dehydration?  Last year, over 300 people died from dehydration. Dehydration happens when your body does not have enough water intake to properly function. Some of the signs you might see when your body needs more water:

Headaches:  With insufficient hydration, your blood volume drops, causing lower blood and oxygen flow to the brain. Blood vessels in the brain dilate, giving you a headache.

Physical Fatigue:  Water makes up most of your muscle tissue; lean muscle tissue is made up of 80% water and 20% protein. When your body doesn't get enough water, the muscles weaken, leading to physical fatigue.

Mental Fatigue:  The brain needs oxygen to function. Lack in proper hydration creates a drop in blood and oxygen levels. The result?...the inability to concentrate.

Constipation:  As your body's water availability drops, so does it's function to properly eliminate waste. Your body builds up toxins as byproducts. Interestingly, in addition to that, if you don't absorb enough water into your body, it will start to conserve the water it has, leading to water retention. Water will be stored in your body at a higher than normal rate until it is re-hydrated.

Did You Know: Excess storage of water is the result of dehydration and fluid retention?!

Dry Skin:  Our skin is one of the first things affected from dehydration. As your body gets less water, the body withholds water from skin cells to prioritize the most vital organs. The skin cells begin to dry out, tighten, and then could sag and wrinkle.

The most at-risk groups of dehydration are children, athletes and exercisers, outdoor workers, and the elderly.

Take proper precautions to avoid the threats of dehydration and educate yourself on the facts above to help you further in reaching your physical goals while understanding the importance of water to weight-loss, water retention, normal body functions, and mental health.

Have a Great Weekend!
In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Contributing author for www.FitAphrodite.com

surrealbody@gmail.com

7 Signs of Dehydration

Did you know 95% of the US population suffers from dehydration? 

Dehydration happens when your body does not have enough water intake to properly function.

 Some of the signs you might see when your body needs more water:

Dry Skin:  Our skin is one of the first things affected from dehydration. As your body gets less water, the body withholds water from skin cells to prioritize the most vital organs. The skin cells begin to dry out, tighten, and then sags and wrinkles.

Headaches:  With insufficient hydration, your blood volume drops, causing lower blood and oxygen flow to the brain. Blood vessels in the brain dilate, giving you a headache.

Physical Fatigue:  Water makes up most of your muscle tissue. When your body doesn't get enough water the muscles weaken, causing physical fatigue.

Mental Fatigue:  The brain needs oxygen to function. Lack in proper hydration creates a drop in blood and oxygen levels. The result is the inability to concentrate.

Constipation:  As your body's water availability drops, so does it's function to properly eliminate waste. Your body builds up toxins as byproducts.

Fluid Retention:  If you don't absorb enough water into your body, it will start to conserve the water it has. Water will be stored in your body at a higher than normal rate until it is re-hydrated.

Weight Gain:  Excess storage of water is the result of dehydration and fluid retention.

In Health, 

Zeke Samples - IFA, - IDEA

Contributing author for www.FitAphrodite.com

surrealbody@gmail.com