You eat the right foods, drink the right drinks,
and exercise regularly. In other words, you’re strong and healthy. There is
only one hole in your overall good health. You’re as flexible as a piece of
plywood. But there’s good news! You don’t have to stay inflexible your entire
life. With the right steps, you can improve your flexibility, which will make
life that much better.
Ready to get started building a more flexible
you?
Here’s how.
Roll Before
For many years, it was common practice to stretch
before working out. In recent years, folks have ditched that advice for
something better: lightly performing whatever you plan to do. Going to run?
Walk and then jog before getting into a run. For those who want to take their
routines to the stretchy limit, it’s time to use a foam roller.
With a foam roller, you work to gently warm up
your muscles before working them out, and better yet, you are preparing them
for exercise. Essentially a massage for your muscles, foam rolling helps break
up bound muscle tissue. This, in turn, allows your entire muscle to be worked
out and prevents an already tight muscle from growing tighter through your
exercise routine. Once you knock out a little foam rolling, the time is right
for a round of body-weight exercises or a dynamic warm up before going full
force.
Go All the Way
As you exercise, you can help your flexibility by
working throughout your entire range of motion. Initially, you may have a
harder time squatting your full range of motion, but sticking with it will
allow your muscles to work all the way and will lead to their being more
flexible.
To get to where you can squat or perform other
exercises as deep as your body allows, you will probably want to reduce the
amount of weight you use. As your body grows accustomed to going through a
fuller range of motion, you can increase the weight and enjoy improved
flexibility.
Stretch Afterwards
Your routine winds down, and your muscles feel
tight and want to stay that way. Folks who are new to working out often enjoy
the feeling. It lets them know their body has worked hard, and so they allow
the tightness to remain as they leave the gym and return to their daily
routines.
However, this is when your stretches become most
important as you are bringing your body back into the proper muscle-length
tension relationship as you cool down By taking 10 minutes to slowly stretch
(hold each stretch for at least 30 sec), you can take a huge step toward your
overall flexibility. A good post-workout stretch will focus on the areas worked
during your routine, but will provide a little stretching for the entire body.
You can also finish your stretching with more foam rolling if you have time, as
this will help further your flexibility goals.
Take It Slow
When stretching for increased flexibility, you
may be tempted to push it as far as you can. But don’t give in. Instead, you
should relax and take the slow and easy-going path to flexibility. Going too
far too fast will actually have the opposite result that you want, as your body
will have to repair itself from small injuries that occur from stretching and
won’t want to stretch further in the future. Instead, take your time and allow
your body to ease into stretches.
Feel an uncomfortable burning sensation that
actually hurts? That is not your body’s way of thanking you. Back off and
stretch to the point of slight discomfort. Accept that you can’t increase your
flexibility overnight, and you will make better headway than beating your
muscles into flexible submission.
Call or email us today to get started on a
challenging and consistent exercise plan to increase flexibility as well as
reduce your body fat and increase your energy levels. Let’s do this!
The Domino Effect
Regular exercise makes it easier to eat healthy.
Just as healthy eating makes you more likely to exercise.
It’s the domino effect. When you begin to make a
positive change in one area of your life other areas will soon follow.
Remember, while nutrition is vitally important
for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both
nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.
Would you like to get that domino effect started
in your life? Call or email today for a fitness program that will quickly
transform your body.
From the desk of John Hall
Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
You’ve probably heard of quinoa—it is hailed as a
super food. It’s high in protein (12%-18%) and contains a balanced set of essential
amino acids — this means it’s a surprisingly complete protein. It’s also high
in fiber and iron. Quinoa is quite possibly the perfect thing to have for
breakfast to start your day off on the right foot.
Servings: 1
Here’s what you need…
•
½ cup quinoa, cooked in water according to
instructions on package
•
1 Tablespoon blueberries
•
1 Tablespoon date pieces, chopped
•
1 Tablespoon pecan pieces, chopped
•
Dash of cinnamon
•
Dash of nutmeg
•
Drizzle of pure maple syrup
1
Top cooked quinoa with raisins, date pieces,
pecan pieces,
cinnamon, nutmeg and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Nutritional Analysis: One
serving equals: 344 calories, 5g fat, 59g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 12g
protein.
Call today for a consultation and assessment!
Phone: 219-548-3480
Web: Pumpsfitnessinc.com
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