In today’s fast-paced world, sedentary habits and physical inactivity are on the rise, posing significant risks to cardiovascular health. Recent research, such as this review paper authored by Carl J. Lavie and colleagues, sheds light on the profound impact of sedentary behavior and the transformative power of regular physical activity.
Lavie et al.’s review underscores the urgent need for greater promotion of physical activity and exercise training to improve cardiorespiratory fitness and prevent cardiovascular disease. By incorporating physical activity into daily life and engaging in structured exercise programs, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of developing chronic noncommunicable diseases.
[Reference: Lavie, C. J., Ozemek, C., Carbone, S., Katzmarzyk, P. T., & Blair, S. N. (2019). Sedentary Behavior, Exercise, and Cardiovascular Health. Circulation Research. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.312669]
The sedentary lifestyle epidemic is a wake-up call to the dangers of prolonged inactivity. From office desks to couches, our bodies suffer from the consequences of too much sitting. Increased risks of obesity, heart disease, and chronic conditions highlight the need to break free from the chains of inactivity and embrace the power of movement.
The good news? Exercise holds the key to unlocking a healthier, happier you. Whether it’s strength training or cardiovascular exercise, the benefits are undeniable. Regular physical activity improves mood, reduces stress, and increases energy levels, enhancing your overall well-being and resilience.
Embarking on an active lifestyle journey may seem daunting, but it’s all about taking small, manageable steps. Incorporating activities like walking into your daily routine is accessible and low-impact, paving the way for more vigorous exercises as your fitness improves. Remember to listen to your body and celebrate every milestone along the way.
But don’t just take my word for it – science backs up the transformative power of exercise. Research consistently shows that regular physical activity improves heart health, mood, and cognitive function. From reducing inflammation to promoting better sleep, exercise offers a myriad of benefits for overall health.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to lace up those sneakers and embrace the joy of movement. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or a complete beginner, there’s no better time to prioritize your health and well-being. Join us on this journey to a healthier, happier you – one step at a time.
In conclusion, exercise isn’t just a means to an end; it’s a way of life. By making physical activity a priority, you’re investing in a brighter, more vibrant future for yourself. Let’s get moving and unlock the endless possibilities on the path to better health.
In today’s modern world obesity is a major health concern. According to the study by Advances in Nutrition (2019, Benjamin Caballero), obesity levels have continued to rise over the years, due to increased technological advances and sedentary lifestyles. Additionally the British Heart Foundation (2022) stated that people are more likely to indulge in ready-made or take-away foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat because it is more convenient.
Losing weight can seem daunting. To avoid feeling overwhelmed break down large goals into smaller achievable goals. It is more effective psychologically to focus on losing 250g to 500g of bodyweight per week over a long period of time, than 20 kilograms as fast as possible. Write your larger goals down on paper, and take some time to break those goals down into smaller chunks divided into monthly, weekly and daily sections. For example if you’d like to lose 5 kilograms you can choose to divide your goal into monthly chunks of one kilogram, then divide those monthly goals into weekly goals of 250g.
Prepare to be patient and use the key factors for weight loss below to help you plan daily habits that will help you achieve these goals.
This is the first thing I recommend to clients. Calories in vs. Calories out (or CICO) is a simple way of explaining calories from food and metabolism. Calories in are the calories that you consume through food, and calories out are the calories that you burn through your metabolism and physical activity. If you keep your calories in less than your calories out then you are on track to lose weight. Healthline.com (2021) states that “calorie intake relative to energy expenditure is the most important factor in determining weight gain and weight loss”. Use a calorie tracking app like MyFitnessPal or LoseIt! to help monitor your progress and keep you accountable.
Doctor Mike Hansen states in his YouTube video (Dieting is a Scam – Weight Loss Doctor Explains, 2023) that Nutrition is as important as maintaining a caloric deficit, and refined foods have different metabolic and hormonal effects on the body than whole foods do. According to the Global Wellness Institute (Processed vs. Whole Foods: The Science of Nutrition, 2023), whole foods tend to be rich in fiber and antioxidants and promote satiety and digestive health which prevents overeating.
Your mindset can make or break you when attempting to lose weight. There are going to be moments where the journey gets hard. Harvard Health Publishing from Harvard Medical School (2023) has stated that “the proper psychology for weight loss is critical for regulating the physiology that supports weight loss.” This means that you need to be mentally prepared for when things get hard. You are going to feel hungry, you are going to experience cravings. This will affect you psychologically and it’s a normal part of change. Prepare yourself mentally to weather the storm but also be kind to yourself and learn if you make any mistakes. Harvard Health Publishing (2023) goes on to state, “In order to help each other achieve health and weight loss in our modern environment, we need to learn and practice the psychological tools that help us not only accept, but eventually embrace, this inevitable discomfort.”
Besides for its numerous physical benefits such as it’s impact on cardiovascular health, exercise can aid in CICO by increasing the amount of calories you burn in a day (calories out) and increase metabolism (Healthline, 2022). Walking is a great way to start incorporating more exercise and movement, or contact me for one of my exercise programs.
Sustainable weight loss requires a holistic approach, focusing on healthy habits, realistic goals, and long-term lifestyle changes. By prioritizing whole foods, mindful eating, and regular exercise, you can achieve lasting results and improve your overall well-being.
For all the latest information in Fitness and Health, be sure to follow Pump’d Fitness on Facebook and Instagram or sign up for my weekly newsletter here. For more information or to explore my Personal Training services and my gym then check out this link!
What steps will you take towards sustainable weight loss? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below and inspire others on their wellness journey!
Doctor Mike Hansen. (2023, Month Day). Dieting is a Scam – Weight Loss Doctor Explains [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECktiqkkhtQ ]
Are you new to Fitness and Exercise? Do you ever get confused or overwhelmed about what exercises you should be doing for a stronger, healthier body? Even if you’ve been in the game for a while, there’s alot more to training than bodybuilding and brosplits. If you want to learn which exercises to incorporate into your training for real world, functional Strength then read on!
Every day more people are hopping onto the fitness bandwagon. This is great because Fitness is becoming more mainstream, with being healthy becoming increasingly popular. New information about exercise and training is becoming more available to people globally, and with the rise of Social Media and it’s influencers it can be easy to drown in information overload. Especially if you’re a fitness newbie.
Luckily I’ve found that the best and most effective training methods are the simple ones. Simple training means clear cut goals and if your goals are to build athleticism, muscle and get stronger then the six exercises below should form the foundation of your training regime. These are compound, multi joint exercises that will give you the most benefit in your training while using up less of your time.
#1 The Squat
Squats reign supreme in the exercise world for their ability to build strength and athleticism. Every person NEEDS to be squatting to maintain a healthy, functional body! The squat is a foundational movement that all regular people are born with. Toddlers can squat ass to grass with ease, and if you’re finding it hard to squat low then you’ve lost some important mobility that you were born to have. How do you think Cavepeople used to poop – by squatting!
Luckily, the squat builds Active Flexibility and increases the Mobility of your Hips, Knees and Ankles. With patience and hard work it’s possible to restore your squat through deep Squat drills and hip and ankle mobility exercises. It’s worth the effort.
Squats, especially deep Squats, will build muscle and strength through out you lower body while keeping your range of motion healthy and strong. There’s nothing better for your legs than ass to grass Squats.
#2 Lunges.
Lunges are the close relative of the Squat, working the legs while training them individually (known as unilateral training). This is awesome because it helps prevent muscle imbalances from creeping in, which over time can lead to an injury. Lunges bullet proof your Squats and allow you to build strength with less mobility (if you find it hard to squat). The Lunge will also test your balance and stability of your Ankle, Knee and Hip.
Never let your knee cave inwards while lunging, always make sure your foot and ankle is in an active, solid position and your hip and glutes are torqued and engaged.
#3 Hinge
Arguably the movement pattern that I see my clients battle with the most. The hinge is one of the most powerful movements that the human body is capable of because it recruits the posterior chain in full force. Unfortunately it is also the movement that causes the most injury.
Successfully performing a Hinge Movement such as a Deadlift or a Kettlebell Swing requires the body to bend at the hips (like the hinge on a doorframe) and not the spine. Learning to hinge properly while bracing the core muscles effectively can be a challenge but is a worthy pursuit.
The hinge builds strength that allows you to lift and move load without injuring your spine and targets the extremely powerful but often neglected muscles of the posterior chain (back of the body). Start small with this one, but start.
#4 Push
The shoulder is extremely mobile and needs to be trained through different ranges of motion to efficiently build strength and stability around the joint.
There are two types of functional Push movements, Vertical Pushes and Horizontal Pushes. The Vertical push (eg. The shoulder press) are generally performed over head (with the exception of Dips) and primarily focuses on raw Shoulder Strength and Activation (again, with the exception of Dips where you get a ton of Chest Activation). Horizontal Pushes such as the Push up or Bench Press put more emphasis on the Chest muscles.
Both types of Push movements are important for healthy, stable and shoulders. Pushing also causes strength and muscle building adaptations in the Shoulders (Deltoids), Chest and Triceps.
#5 Pull
The polar opposite of the Push is the Pull. The two compliment eachother by building balance among the muscles of the shoulders. Like the Pushes, Pulls are also divided into Vertical and Horizontal movements, and incorporating these into your training strengthens Scapular stability and control and improves posture. Both Pull movements are great for strengthening and building muscle in the Lats, Biceps, Rhomboids and Trapezius muscles.
Horizontal Pulls are a great place to start because they’re easier to learn and don’t require as much strength as a Verticle Pull. A Horizontal Pull is, generally speaking, any type of Row. Rows are great for teaching Scapular Depression and Control. These should be a staple for any good strength training regime.
Vertical Pulls such as the Pull up or Scapular Pull up trains the body in the Hanging position, which actively Stretches out your spine and shoulders. When done properly this can be great for fixing and preventing rounded shoulders, a problem thats becoming increasingly common with all the sitting the average person does during the day. If you don’t have the strength for Pull ups or Scapular Pull ups the don’t fret. Start small by training the Lat Pull Down and Dead Hangs until you’re more confident.
Shoulder mobility and flexibility can be greatly improved just by hanging for a few minutes every day. If you sit most of the day hunched over a desk, then hanging is a must for your shoulders!
#6 Carry
Most people, most of the time, end up carrying something some time during their day. It could be your child, the groceries, a suitcase or even a dead body… hopefully not that latter, but you get the picture.
The Carry is any exercise that will challenge your core and hip stability while moving under load. These can be done bilaterally (weights evenly distributed on both sides of the body) or unilaterally (where load is placed primarily over one side of the body. Both are important.
Bilateral Carries will give you a chance to really focus on your grip strength, Scapular compression and Hip stability. Unilateral Carries will do this too, but with alot more emphasis on core stability.
Carries also don’t just need to be done with the weights loaded like suitcases at the sides. You can spice up the Carry in your training by doing Front Rack Carries (great with barbells or Kettlebells), yoke carries (like the strongmen do) or by crawling with a weight on your back – these variations bring their own unique benefits to the table by challenging yourcore stability in different ways!
Are you using any of these 6 functional movements in your training? Combining the Squat, Lunge, Hinge, Push, Pull and Carry will not only add almost endless variation to your workouts, but will also take your training to the next level! Let me know your thoughts on these functional Movement patterns in the comments below!
The most common trend that I see in my clients and with people who are wanting to turn their health around and start moving more is how difficult it is to get started. This is because the comfort zone is a difficult thing to leave.
More often than not people let their fears of embarrassment get the better of them – no one wants to look like a fool in the gym or be seen gasping for air after running 500 meters through their neighbourhood, but we all need to start somewhere. It’s important to start.
Worse still, some people never get active and look after their bodies because its easier to be unhealthy. It’s easier to sit on the couch and chow down on Cheetos than to start from the bottom because starting from the bottom feels awful. You tell yourself you’ll start tomorrow, and when tomorrow rolls around, you repeat the same cycle – day after day.
You don’t need to have a fancy fitness program or to run 5 kilometers when you get started. You just need to get started. Start with what you can handle. Walk around the block every day until you can handle two blocks. Start with planking for 10 seconds at a time. Take small steps and be proud of those steps, there’s no need to bite off more than you can chew.
The most powerful thing you can do for your fitness journey and your health is to make exercise a habit. Start small and do something almost every day – allowing yourself to rest when you need to. Everything else will come.
We all have days where we don’t want to work out. Even if you’ve been training for years. Thats where habit and discipline are your most important tools. You’ll build a stronger body and a stronger mind as you go.
So what’s going to make you feel better about yourself by the end of today – over eating and watching netflix or hitting the gym (or going for that walk, run or doing some Yoga)? Just get started.
What are you going to do today to get your body moving and build healthy habits? Let me know in the comments below!
Ever feel overwhelmed by the avalanche of information available on the Internet and Social Media? Fitness and Health really isn’t all that complicated, and the best results always come from consistency, simplicity and patience.
It really doesn’t matter if your goal is to do 100 push ups one shot, to lose 20 kilos and look great in your underpants, deadlift 200 kilos or run a full marathon – you’ll need a plan that you can execute and stick with for the long haul.
Build your Push ups rep by rep, week after week. It doesn’t matter if you only start with one – if you train smart and consistently then you’ll be a Push up Pro within a year – guaranteed! The same applies to losing weight. Count those calories and maintain a caloric deficit day by day, week by week, and you WILL lose weight! Are you starting to see a trend here?
Obviously there’s a little more to it than this, otherwise everyone would be built like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger, but you’d be amazed at what discipline, repition and patience can do for your body and your mind.
I won’t lie to you, alot of it will be hard – especially if you’re new to this. The important thing is to keep moving towards your goals and don’t bite off more than you can chew. Flashy crash diets and trendy instagram workouts may look glamorous and fun but for how long will you be able to maintain drinking only 1000 calories a day in apple juice? And how many burpee knee tuck back-flip sumo squats will you be able to do before you throw in the towel?
Start with what you can manage on a day to day basis and keep it simple. The rest will take care of yourself.
Not sure where to start? Get in touch for simple and effective training programmes and nutritional advice. Having a coach is a guaranteed way to help you stay consistent and smash your fitness and health goals!
Have you gotten on track towards healthier goals for 2023 yet? What simple changes will you be doing this year to make sure you reach your goals? Let me know in the comments below!
Pump'd Fitness 