Pumping Iron?

July 17, 2015July 18, 2015Leave a comment

Did you know?

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States, and women are among those at greatest risk. Iron is critical for producing hemoglobin, a protein that helps red blood cells deliver oxygen throughout your body. So without it, everything suffers

Here are few symptoms that may be related to an iron deficiency.

Exhaustion
This is tough to tell since many women are busy and just dismiss the tired feeling as normal when in fact it’s the most common symptom of iron deficiency
Quick to lose breath
Normal activities like walking up the stairs or you typical exercise routine causes you to lose your breath easily, easier than usual, chances are your iron is to blame.
Headaches
Iron helps produce oxygen so when you are low in iron your body will portions out your iron supply and prioritize getting oxygen to your brain although you will likely experience headaches because it still isn’t enough
Increased anxiety
Can’t relax? It may be in part to low iron since the lack of oxygen revving up your body’s sympathetic nervous system.
Crave ice chips
Ever have the urge to chew on ice chips? Those who are iron deficient! If you notice yourself going to the freezer, that’s red flag for lacking iron!

I struggled myself with iron deficiency. My doctor prescribed iron supplements for me when I was in high school and I learned to eat more dark leafy green vegetables and red meat (loaded with iron).

Before you give blood they do a finger prick to test your hemoglobin levels which is produced by the iron in blood. Any time I tired to give blood I would try to increase my iron-enriched foods but didn’t work. I’d have enough iron (hemoglobin) but not enough to give. This was a little battle within myself over the next 10 years.

I pride myself on being healthy, why couldn’t I get my iron up?

I started ID Nutrition four months ago and I’ve noticed a few things improve but little did I know biggest changes are happening on the inside.

About a month after starting ID Nutrition, which based on my personalized assessment included an iron supplement, there was blood drive at my work. I signed up just hoping I’d been eating well enough. Not even thinking of my ID Nutrition supplements.

Sure enough, I was able to give at blood drive at work. My iron (hemoglobin) was just over what it needed to be to donate! WOOOO!

Now, about 3 months later and four months since I started ID Nutrition, another blood drive popped up near my house.

I went in to donate, all the while hoping in the back of my mind that my iron (hemoglobin) was high enough. The technician told me that hemoglobin levels needs to be 12.5 in order to give blood, mine was was 13.7. The technician with the Red Cross was even impressed! I knew this had to be a direct correlation of my use of ID Nutrition and my iron supplements. My hemoglobin level has never been higher and I’m so happy that I can give blood without worry of getting there just to be turned away.

It’s sometimes hard to track positive results form vitamins but this is something tangible and something that I’m so proud of! Not only is ID Life helping me fill in my nutritional gaps but in turn I can help save someone’s life.

Go take your free assessment today and see how quickly you reap the benefits of these pharmaceutical grade vitamins!

Visit jarmstrong427.idlife.com for your free ID Nutrition assessment.

Reference here

Fun Fitness Friday – Pyramid Run

July 17, 2015July 2, 2015Leave a comment

I was very active in high school and college playing sports so running has been apart of my life for basically. I actually love love love running, but let’s be honest running on a treadmill can get kinda boring!

So I came up with this pyramid run to change it up a little bit. With this run you are constantly changing paces and the longest period of running at the same pace is 5 minutes! 5 minutes anyone can do 5 minutes! These little time goals during my run help me to keep me going!

The pyramid run alternates between running at a “race pace” (RP) and “recovery” (R).

If you don’t know your race pace I suggest setting at a mile time goal. For example, if you want to run a 10 minute mile as your RP go 6 mph and on the R you can adjust to mph slower so 4-5 mph.
The best part is that you can always adjust as you go.

What I love about this type of run is that it fits with any type of runner from the novice to the marathon runner because you adjust the speed to whatever works for you!

The key to remembering how many minutes that the RP minutes increase 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and the R is 2 minutes except on the 1 minute RP.

Having little 1-5 minute goals really pushes me to keep going since I know can recover!

Hope you guys enjoy this run as much as I do! And I promise it’s not as easy as it looks! ;););)

Start today! Email maketimeforfit@gmail.com for a free consultation for a personalized workout program!

What is flax seed and how do I eat it?

July 16, 2015July 3, 20151 Comment

Flax seed comes from flax which is one of the oldest fiber crops in the entire world. It has taken the health industry by storm and it lives up to its reputation. Flax seed is loaded with the “good stuff.” It is a great source of omega 3 fat (healthy fat), antioxidants and fiber. It can also protect from colon, breast, and prostate cancers as it has been said to prevent the growth of cancerous cells. Flax seeds can also lower cholesterol, prevent hot flashes, improve blood sugar and helps with constipation due to the high fiber content.

How? Where do you add flax seed to your diet?

Add flax seed to:
Salads, yogurt, muffins, oatmeal, protein shakes, bread chicken, french toast, apple sauce, ice cream, cottage cheese or substitute an egg! There are tons of possibles and more details click here!

Load up on flax seed where you can you will see and feel it many benefits!

Reference here and here

Stay on track even when dining out

July 10, 2015July 2, 2015Leave a comment

Headed out for dinner? Here are some tips that can help you stay on track with you fitness lifestyle goals!

One tip I use when dining out is to order half my meal. Just ask the server to box up half for you before you get it.
You’ll be surprised how much food half is, and you trick your brain because when you clean your plate you won’t feel terrible afterwards!

Another tip I use is to always get the side of vegetables! Fries have zero nutritional value, just don’t get them -you’ll be OK I promise!

You know you can order those veggies dry? They won’t be raw but they won’t use a half a stick of butter when sauteing them.

This is half of my dinner from the other night

I got a chicken caprese sandwich with a side of zucchini and squash. That doesn’t look like half a meal does it? Portion sizes are outrageously large in restaurants and often times our eyes are way bigger than our stomach! Go to the restaurant with the mindset to order half and you’ll get to enjoy your meal without the guilt! PLUS you get leftovers!

Need a workout program? Start today! Email maketimeforfit@gmail.com for a free consultation to get your personalized workout program!

Move of the Day – Bicycle Crunch

July 7, 2015July 2, 2015Leave a comment

I firmly believe that if you have a weak core, then you are weak – plain and simple! Nearly every move you ensure proper form your core must be engaged – which is why a strong core is essential! Today’s move of the day focuses on the sides of your core, the obliques. This move helps create the curved waist and supports the core as a whole. When doing bicycle crunches it’s important to remember to keep your lower back on the ground throughout the move. As your twist bring your elbow to the opposite knee, squeezing through your abdominals. Do this 50x when you wake up and 50x before you go to bed and you’ll start seeing results in 4 weeks!

To get your personalize fitness program email maketimeforfit@gmai.com for your free consultation!

Do you foam roll?

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015Leave a comment

I’m sure you’ve seen them at your gym. People rolling and contorting their bodies on this foam cylinder, and you think “what does that even do?”

A foam roller is a very helpful tool that helps your body recover and can help to prevent injury. When you use the foam roller it digs into muscles to release tension, specially Self-myofascial release. It a massage technique that require longer low pressure on a muscle until it releases and the mobility and tissue are restore to their proper form. A foam roller allows you to have this type of massage by yourself.

Benefits

Increased blood flow throughout the body
Better movement and increased range of motion.

Ideally foam rolling should be down both during your warmup and your cool down. It’s so important to get your body prepared for a lift and to stretch after a workout!

Now why does it hurt?

Now if you’ve tried foam rolling and feel like you are almost forced to tears, chances are you are doing it right AND you really need it. Similar to the pain you get while stretching. It should be uncomfortable, but not unbearable, and when you release you should feel looser.

How do I do it?
I like to start with my calves and work my way up to my hamstrings. Then I move to IT bands (which usually hurt a lot because I hold a lot of tension in my hips). When I find a spot that’s tight I hold in place and bend my knee to increase the pressure. Then I move onto my quads and then inner thigh. Then the other leg – IT band, quad and inner thigh. After that I sit on the foam roller rolling over my glutes sometimes crossing my leg putting my ankle to my opposite knee to dig in deeper, switch sides. At the end I lay on the foam roller in line with my spine and up my arms up like a touchdown signal and am just still for about a minute (which is actually really long time to be still). I usually feel my shoulder and neck tension release and a great sense of calming to do nothing for a minute.

This is just my routine. There are many ways to foam roll you can what works for when you consistently include foam rolling into your workout regime.

Here are some pictures!

I promise after a week or two of consist foam rolling your body will recover faster and your muscles will be looser over all!

references here and here

What is IDLife?

June 19, 2015June 19, 2015Leave a comment

Two things are facts:
1. We are all unique
2. We aren’t getting all the nutrients we need from our daily diets.

Imagine walking into a vitamin store and looking around seeing all sorts of brands, vitamins, supplements having no clue where to start. The sales person tries to explain but they don’t really know you or your goals and besides do you really trust or feel comfortable telling them all about your personal goals?

IDLife takes that uncertainty and supports everything recommended with over 7,000 medical journals to back up each suggested vitamin. That’s why you take an (FREE) assessment. It is set up to decipher all the information about your eating habits, your activity, your goals even your allergies and puts it through algorithms to offer you a UNIQUE plan based on YOU. Crazy right?

IDLIFE is a company that is here to help with both of those facts. ID Life – Individually Designed Life defines a belief, an idea and a culture, but most importantly it defines who IDLife is as a company. IDLife was founded on the principle that everyone should be able to design the life of his or her dreams. Whether your ambition is to achieve better health, interact with like-minded people, operate your own business, or just have fun, IDLife is here to meet you where you are and help you design the path to where you want to be.

For what you pay now for your over the counter vitamins, you can get unique to you, pharmaceutical grade vitamins sent your house. The testimonies from these products are real and you can become the healthiest version of you today!

Visit jarmstrong427.idlife.com to take your free assessment!

Lost in the gym? Email maketimforfit@gmail.com for your personalized workout program!

Move of the Day – Single Arm Bent Over Row

June 16, 2015May 30, 2015Leave a comment

One of the most tried and true back moves out there today – the single arm bent over row, also know as the lawn mower row. This can be done using a bench too, where you rest your knee on the bench opposite of the arm you are working and with a flat back, row up. Don’t use momentum. I like this move to because you isolate your lats and rear delts and can really focus are target the muscles. When you row up squeeze for 1 count at the top and release back down. Try this as a drop set, so you as decrease reps, increase weight.
15x, 12x, 8x – that means – do 15 times (reps) on each arm then 12 reps each arm then 8 reps on each arm. You don’t need to break between sets and your break only needs to be as long as it takes you to switch weights.

Move of the Day – Cable Bicep Curls with Rope Attachment

June 11, 2015June 12, 2015Leave a comment

There are many variations of bicep curls from dumb bells, barbells, resistance bands and of course cables! I like to change up my machines to target the muscles in a slightly different way. Today’s move is done on cable machine with the rope attachment. Now there are even more ways to change up a standard bicep curl on a cable machine by altering the grip and/or the attachment. The rope adds some isolation that I like because it’s not stable and when you get the the top of the move you can get an extra squeeze as you separate the two ends. Try doing this move for 10-15 reps with 4 sets. Don’t let the weights just drop out at the end, go slow and controlled throughout the move!

Move of the Day – Bent Over T-Bar Row

June 4, 2015May 30, 2015Leave a comment

I love working my back in different ways. There is the T-Bar machine so it’s really preference because that will get a great workout as well. I like using this set up because I can easily change grips. In the picture I’m using a rope attachment from the cable machines but there are many other ways to do similar moves. You could use a triangle grip attachment or a wide bar attachment or you could place your hands close together and make a more narrow row – the possibilities are endless. I like using the rope attachment because it really engaging not only my back and glutes to keep my back straight and supported but also by biceps are flexed during the move. Be smart when lifting up weight for back exercise – you need to use your legs to get into the proper form – improper form can lead to injury and you won’t be lifting anything for a while!
Try doing this at a weight you can get 10-12 reps for 4 sets!