Increase Core Strength To Fight Lower Back Pain

Back pain is commonplace in todays world. When I was searching for an image for this article, I typed in "lower" into Google, and in the search bar, "back pain" popped up without me doing anything else.

How do we fight against back pain when it seems like any extracurricular movement adds to the discomfort?

We strengthen the core! A strong core helps us maintain correct posture, and avoid things like too much curvature in the lumbar spine.

Here are a few movements that can help in the quest for a stronger, healthier, core:

-Planks

-Side Planks

-Paloff Press

-TRX fallouts

Add these movements into your exercise regime and start to feel better!

-Eric

Fitness Together Newtonville & Auburndale

Pop Quiz!!

Remember back in your high school days when you would walk into class and the teacher would drop the horrible news on you, "Pop Quiz"? Well, here is my version of a pop quiz. Do your best to answer the questions without looking at the answers at the bottom (or Googling!!)

1. The "healthy" fat found in wild salmon is:

A. Omega-6

B. Omega-9

C. Omega-3

2. Individuals should try taking in ___oz of water per day:

A. 64oz.

B. 90oz.

C. 20oz.

3. An exercise that is great for strengthening the posterior chain (butt, hamstrings) and aids in knee health is:

A. Leg extension

B. Stiff Leg Deadlift

C. Potato Chip Curls

4. To experience a fun, interactive training session with knowledgable trainers, you should train with _____:

A. Fitness Together

B. Fitness Together

C. Both A and B

5. Hard strength training and cardio increases EPOC, which stands for:

A. Eating Pickled Onion Cloves

B. Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption

C. Emulsified Piece Of Cheese

Goodluck and post your answers!!!

-Eric

Fitness Together Newtonville & Auburndale

Answer sheet.

1. C

2. A

3. B

4. Definitely B

5. B

Holiday Drink

The holidays are here! And so are the extra calories from food and drink! One of America's pastimes drinks that packs a whooping calorie punch is eggnog. Per 4oz., eggnog is approximately shelling out 130 calories. Imagine what a typical sized drink (PLUS some brandy, eh hem) brings in total calories?

Eggnog tastes excellent, so don't feel like you aren't allowed any! However, limit your servings AND serving size. It takes one second to pack on the weight, but a LONG time to take it off.

Take in the feeling of the holidays, being around family and friends, and keep your workouts planned around the holiday. That way we can all toast (a healthy protein shake maybe?) to health!

-Eric

Fitness Together Newtonville & Auburndale

Turkey Time

Thanksgiving is here! A time for everyone to sit back, enjoy spending quality time with family, and indulge a little on some delicious food. Being one of the holidays based on food and drink. How can we enjoy it without sabotaging all of our hard gym efforts? Here are a few tips to get you through Thanksgiving:

- PORTION CONTROL!!! Limit the size of your servings. Or, if you are going to eat more of something, make it turkey.

- One of the few things I tell my clients is to have a little piece of turkey BEFORE you eat pie as well. Yes, I know you just ate a big dinner a few hours earlier. Having that 4-5oz of turkey before the pie will up your protein intake, and also make it so you might not grab for the 2nd, 3rd, or 10th piece of apple crisp.

- Enjoy your food. Do not just devour it. Enjoy each bite, and eat slowly.

Enjoy the fine foods and smells without hurting your health goals! The holidays are here, so cherish the time you have with your loved ones.

-Eric

Fitness Together Newtonville & Auburndale

Fasted Cardio

One of the biggest questions in the quest for better body composition is, "when is the best time to perform cardio?" While any type of cardio will aide in better body composition. Scientifically, your body is primed for fat loss upon waking.

Performing cardio in a fasted state ensures that the bodies primary source of fuel is fat stores. Eventually the fuel source changes over to glycogen and lean muscle tissue, but taking advantage of that fat time frame can be the key to better body composition.

For starters, try to walk for 30-45 minutes upon waking in a fasted state. To further enhance the metabolism, sip on a green tea or black coffee before performing your walk to aide in the fat loss.

After your walk, eat a high protein breakfast! Walk your way to success!

-Eric

Fitness Together Newtonville & Auburndale

Train Posterior Chain For Healthier Knees

Anterior knee pain is a common trait found amongst Americans these days largely due to the type of footwear and activity we are performing. Women are prone to knee issues because of the "Q" angle of the hips compared to their knees. Add in high heels and you have a recipe for disaster.

How do we combat these knee issues? Performing posterior chain movements (hamstrings, glutes, lower back) helps hold the knee in place, giving you more support throughout the joint. As a side effect from this type of training, you will also run faster! Not a bad combo! Here are a few movements you can perform with your Fitness Together trainer:

-Kettlebell Swings

-Stiff Leg Deadlifts

-Glute and Ham Raise

-Lunges

-Good Mornings

Add a few of these movements into your training program and enjoy healthier, sturdier knees!

-Eric

Fitness Together Newtonville & Aburndale

Sprint Intervals For Better Body Composition

Steady state is the norm when people talk about doing their cardio for weight loss. This involves choosing a pace on the treadmill or elliptical and going at the same moderate pace throughout the cardio session.

One way we can speed up the metabolism and jack up EPOC (excess post exercise oxygen consumption), is to perform sprint intervals from time to time. An example of this type of training could be:

-Jog 20 yards

-Sprint 10 yards

Complete the circuit 5 times through.

Another example used in the gym could be:

-Slow jog on treadmill for 50 seconds

-Sprint on treadmill for 10 seconds

Repeat this process for a total of 8 minutes.

Give these sprinting intervals a try and enjoy the benefits of lower body fat PLUS increased cardiovascular health!

-Eric

Fitness Together Newtonville & Auburndale