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Do You Know Much About Your BMI?

Do You Know Much About Your BMI?

Published by on October 10, 2024 | Leave a response

You may have heard about your BMI, maybe even from your doctor. What is it? Does it give a good picture of how healthy you are? BMI is an acronym for body mass index. It compares your height to weight to determine whether you’re underweight, average, overweight, or obese. BMI charts exist for men, women, and children. It’s a quick way for doctors to identify changes in your body that might indicate a health issue or point to issues like severe obesity or other weight issues. It’s not the final answer.

BMI needs to be combined with a physical exam and other factors.

Muscular people will weigh more than people without massive muscles, even though they may be the same size. A muscular six-foot man may weigh 200 pounds and be healthy without looking overweight. Another six-foot man with little muscle mass and a high percentage of body fat will look fat! The BMI chart indicates both are overweight and bordering on obese. That’s true for one but not the other. Muscle tissue weighs more per cubic inch than fat tissue does, so if your body composition is mostly muscle, you’ll look thinner.

Know your numbers, but understand they aren’t the final answer.

Based on BMI, an ideal number is between 18.5 and 24.9. Someone with a BMI below 18 is underweight, and 25 to 29 is overweight. 30 to 40 is obese, with 40 or above being extremely obese. Besides body composition, other factors influence BMI. Bone structure is one of those. People with a smaller bone structure will weigh less than someone with a larger one. The length of your body compared to your height is another factor.

BMI is only one guide.

There are far more accurate ways to determine your health. Your waist circumference is one of those. Your waist circumference indicates the amount of belly fat you have. Belly fat is visceral fat. It crowds the organs and leads to conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and breathing problems. Visceral fat causes inflammation. Men with a waist measurement over 40″ and women whose waist is larger than 34.6″ are considered at risk.

  • Life insurance underwriters use BMI charts to identify and add extra premiums to those with health risks. Unlike healthcare professionals, they don’t see the person. They often rate muscular people at a higher risk due to muscle weight that affects BMI.
  • The formula used for BMI is (weight in pounds x 703) / (height in inches x height in inches). Using a chart was easier than calculating the information each time.
  • One study showed BMI didn’t predict cardiac health. There was no correlation between an unhealthy BMI and a healthy or unhealthy cardiometabolic profile that contains blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
  • RFM is a better way to identify health risks. RFM stands for relative fat mass index. For men, the formula is 64-(20 x height/waist circumference), and for women, 76-(20 x height/waist circumference). It helps identify a high ratio of body fat.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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Why 10,000 Steps Per Day?

Why 10,000 Steps Per Day?

Published by on September 25, 2024 | Leave a response

The definition of being fit is personal. Each person determines their goal. Ways of staying fit are just as varied. Some people, like the family of warriors at RCFitness, use online services or private and group training to achieve that goal. One way that’s encouraged is to walk more. A movement encouraging walking 10,000 steps each day grew significantly these past few years. Why has it become popular? Is there a reason 10,000 steps are better than 5,000 or 15,000?

It all started in a marketing meeting in Japan.

You would think the magic 10,000 number came from the mouths of people wearing white lab coats, but it didn’t. It all started because of the 1864 Olympics held in Japan. People there were excited. Everyone was jumping on the fitness bandwagon. Half of Japan had taken up running, and the other half started walking. Walking clubs became popular. Pedometers that tracked steps also had their moment in the sun. One company created a pedometer called. Manpo-kei. If you translate that to English, the name means 10,000 steps. At that point, the concept of walking 10,000 steps became popular, even though there is no scientific evidence that the number is significant.

Scientists tested the marketing gimmick.

Japan may have started the trend, but it didn’t stop there. The rallying cry of 10,000 steps grew around the world. Studies checked the validity of the push. One study showed how increasing daily steps from 2700, classified as sedentary activity, to 4,400 steps reduced mortality rates by 41%. That same study found that the mortality rate continued decreasing until the subject averaged 7,500 steps, then leveled out.

Should you consider boosting your daily steps?

Increasing your steps increases your activity level. That’s good. The more active you are, the healthier you tend to be. Walking more, whether or not combined with a formal exercise program, increases your endurance, helps prevent osteoporosis, and builds lower body strength. The average person takes approximately 2,250 steps per mile, making 10,000 steps approximately 4.5 miles. If you walked the 10,000 steps without taking a break, it would take about 80 minutes.

  • If you choose the 10,000 daily step method, don’t forget to include flexibility, strength, and balance exercises, too. If you’re new to exercise, start walking and slowly add other exercises to your fitness program.
  • You can modify your workout and get more benefits by turning it into a HIIT—high intensity interval training—workout. HIIT workouts alternate intensity by walking at peak intensity, switching to a recovery pace, and volleying between the two.
  • You don’t have to do your 10,000 steps all at once. Find ways to increase the steps you take. Park further from the store and walk. Get off the bus at a stop before your destination and walk.
  • Most people wear their pedometer all day, so they include normal walking. Sedentary people increase their activity by 60 minutes a day.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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Burn Fat And Build Muscle

Burn Fat And Build Muscle

Published by on September 10, 2024 | Leave a response

Looking great is one of the goals of people in Houston, TX. They want a toned appearance achieved with weight loss and improving muscle tone. It’s not easy to burn fat and build muscle simultaneously. You need to ensure the weight you lose comes only from body fat. If you’re overweight, exercise will help you firm and tone muscles, but you also must eat fewer calories than you burn to lose fat. If you only diet, you may lose fat but still look out of shape. Doing both in the right combination provides the look most people want.

Consuming 3500 fewer calories than you burn to lose a pound.

The problem with dieting is that you can’t designate whether the pound you lose will be fat or lean muscle tissue. If you have more lean muscle tissue, it helps you look fantastic in two ways. Muscle tissue requires more calories to maintain than fat tissue, so the more you have, the easier it is to lose weight. Muscle tissue also weighs more per cubic inch. A container holding exactly a pound of muscle would be smaller than one holding a pound of fat. If two people weigh the same but one has more muscle, the muscular one will look thinner.

You have to lose weight while you build muscle tissue.

You lose fat when you eat fewer calories, but it has to come from the right type of food. You need protein but should avoid highly processed food and food with added sugar. Your body requires healthy fat, but it’s also vital to avoid unhealthy fats, like trans fats, that you get from junk foods. Identify your ideal weight and eat the calories necessary or cut your intake by 500 calories. That’s enough to maintain energy, build muscle, and lose weight slowly.

Use the best exercise.

All exercise is good, but if you want to lose fat, you need strength-building workouts and a little less cardio. If you do only cardio, you will burn calories, but the calories come from burning lean muscle and fat. When you burn calories while doing strength-building, you’ll be building lean muscle mass and losing fat. Doing HIIT—high intensity interval training—burns tons of calories. It’s not a specific exercise but a way of doing exercises. You alternate between high-intensity and a recovery pace. Doing bodyweight exercises in HIIT mode burns fat and builds muscle tissue.

  • Maximize your calorie burning and workout using compound exercises that exercise several joints, tendons, and muscle groups.
  • If you’re a woman and worry about building bulk and looking like The Hulk, don’t worry. Your hormones won’t allow that. Women bodybuilders who bulk up spend hours every day exercising and eat a special diet to get that look.
  • Get adequate sleep. When you lack sleep, your body overproduces ghrelin—the hunger hormone, and underproduces leptin—the satiety hormone. You’re hungrier and burn fewer calories because you’re tired.
  • Stay hydrated. Drinking more water helps you lose weight easier. Studies show drinking 8 ounces of water 20 minutes before a meal causes you to eat less. It fills you and boosts your energy, so you burn more calories.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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Sneaky Ways To Lose Weight

Sneaky Ways To Lose Weight

Published by on August 25, 2024 | Leave a response

When people workout at RC Fitness in Houston, TX, they expect to work hard and eat healthier to lose weight. That doesn’t mean that weight loss has to be difficult all the time. There are sneaky ways to burn more calories and shed extra weight that you can start using today. Making small changes in your lifestyle, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking further from the store and walking, can increase the weight you lose and improve your fitness efforts. Even simpler is drinking a glass of water a half hour before eating. Studies show you’ll eat less and feel fuller faster.

Just make a small change and see if you eat less.

Instead of rushing through a meal, plan extra time and chew longer. That’s right. Chewing your food longer does two things. First, it helps digestion. Part of digestion takes place in your mouth. It’s both the crushing of the food and the saliva that makes that change. If you are drinking a green smoothie, chew it too. It may sound odd since it’s already blended, but chewing it gives your saliva time to start the digestion process. Chewing your food until it’s a liquid also slows down eating. Your stomach has time to contact the brain to let it know it’s full, so you’ll eat less than you would if you ate your food faster.

Your dishware could help determine how much you eat.

Choosing smaller plates can trick your eyes and brain into believing you’re eating more. You don’t have to eat off saucers to benefit. Dinner plate sizes range from 9″ to 13″ in diameter, with most people using 11″ to 12″. Switch to a 9″ plate. Restaurants with big serving sizes use 13″ plates. If you eat at one of those, ask for smaller salad plates. Divide your meal into two portions, one for home and one to put on the smaller plate.

Save time and money with a meal plan.

Our RCF meal plans are created to meet personal preferences, special needs, and goals. All you do is shop and cook. You cook all meals one day, using some ingredients in several ways to create different meals. It includes healthy snacks and delicious food you’ll love. It makes dinner time quicker than going through the drive-through and saves you money since there’s no waste..

  • Drink more water. Hunger sometimes feels like hunger. Carry a bottle of water with you at all times. It boosts your energy, so you’ll burn more calories and can curb your appetite.
  • Have fruit and vegetables washed, cut, and ready in the refrigerator for snacks. You can also use it as an ingredient for another meal. When it’s ready to eat, you’ll choose it as a healthier, easier option.
  • Get more ZZZs. Getting adequate sleep is vital for weight loss. Lack of sleep causes your body to make more ghrelin—the hunger hormone—and less leptin—-the one that makes you feel full.
  • Make family time and time with friends more active. Take walks for lunch or hikes with the family. Buy everyone hula hoops and jump ropes and have family contests.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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At-Home Exercises For Pain Relief

At-Home Exercises For Pain Relief

Published by on August 10, 2024 | Leave a response

It’s common for people to use OTC painkillers to treat pain, but it’s not always the best way to deal with it, especially if it’s chronic. While they may bring pain relief, using them too frequently can cause even worse health problems, like heart and digestive issues. One alternative to medication, both prescription and OTC, is exercise. Exercise releases natural painkillers and improves circulation. They aid in reducing inflammation, which increases pain. Here are at-home exercises you can use that will help you feel better quickly.

You can do light cardio.

Walking is probably the easiest exercise for pain relief. You can do it anywhere, and it costs nothing. Even if it’s late at night or the weather is bad, you can do it in your home, pacing back and forth, or at a mall. You don’t have to walk fast or very far, especially if you’re in excessive pain. Take your time and walk a block or two. It helps build strength and improves heart health and endurance. As you get stronger, walk further and faster.

Stretching can reduce pain and prevent it in the future.

Whether you choose yoga poses or other stretches, you’ll get sore muscle relief. If you’re at a computer for hours, besides getting up and moving about once every 50 minutes, you should also do upper body stretches. Many people sit with their heads lower and forward. That can bring back and neck pain. Raise your arms in the air, clasp your hands, and lower them behind your back, moving your upper body opposite of your normal sitting position. Lean back as far as you can, arching your back. Arm circles help bring relief.

Improve flexibility and strength to reduce lower back pain.

Many exercises can help strengthen core muscles. The stronger your core muscles are, the less prone you’ll be to back pain. Combining the cat-cow yoga poses is one way to bring back pain relief. Start on your hands and knees for the cat pose by lowering your head and arching your back. Hold it for a second, and then move to the cow pose. You’ll raise your head and drop your stomach with a concave curve in your back. The dead bug, bridge, and lower back rotational stretch are excellent choices to relieve pain.

  • Turn to the pool for low-impact exercises. Your body is more buoyant in water, putting less pressure on joints. It’s also harder to move in water since there’s more resistance. That makes a pool the perfect place to do pain-relieving exercises.
  • You don’t have to have chronic pain to benefit from these pain-relieving workouts. You can use the exercises as recovery workouts the day after an intense session in the gym. They boost circulation and speed recovery.
  • If you’ve ever felt like staying in bed because your body hurt too much or you didn’t feel up to it, only to find how great you felt once you got moving, you probably understand how being active helps.
  • Before starting any fitness program, even one for pain relief, always check with your healthcare professional first to ensure it’s safe.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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Pelvic Floor Exercises For Women

Pelvic Floor Exercises For Women

Published by on July 25, 2024 | Leave a response

If your pelvic floor muscles aren’t strong enough, you’ll have problems with bladder and bowel continence. The pelvic floor can affect women’s sexual sensation since it supports the uterus. Weakness can even cause back pain. Pelvic floor exercises strengthen the muscles. The stronger those muscles are, the less fear you have that you’ll wet your pants if you sneeze or laugh. That’s especially true for pregnant or older women.

What are the pelvic floor muscles, and how can you strengthen them?

As the name implies, these core muscles are on the floor of the pelvis. They support the bladder, bowel, uterus, and core. They also regulate abdominal pressure. You can start with a simple exercise done on the toilet when you urinate. Focus on the muscles you’re using to allow the urine to release before you go. Attempt to stop your urine by tightening those muscles before you start urinating. A kegel exercise is done the same way but not while urinating. Instead of stopping a urine stream, tighten and relax the muscles you use to do that. You can do it anywhere.

Do a bridge and then squeeze.

A bridge starts by lying on your back with your knees bent with your feet flat on the floor. As you exhale, pull your belly in as tight as you can and squeeze your bottom tightly, lifting your body to a straight angle from your knees to the top of your head. Hold, then slowly lower your body as you inhale. To improve the pelvic floor workout, hold a ball or pillow between your knees.

A clamshell helps build the core muscles.

The clamshell is a simple exercise that starts by laying on your side with your upper body lifted and supported on the forearm of your lower arm. Bend your knees at a 45-degree angle, putting your upper arm on the floor for stability. Keeping your heels together, lift your upper leg like a clamshell opening. Hold and then lower the leg back to the starting position. Do ten, then switch sides.

  • Do a side-style leg left. Lay on your side with the bottom leg bent and the top one straight. Lift the upper leg while you tighten the pelvic floor muscles. Slowly lower the leg and repeat. Switch sides.
  • Doing a shallower squat with feet closer together can help strengthen the pelvic muscles. Keep your back straight and lean slightly forward while you bend your knees and lower toward the ground. When returning to the standing position, focus on tightening the pelvic muscles.
  • Pelvic floor exercises can help stop the stomach from pouching. If the pelvic floor is weak, it causes your organs to droop and push out the stomach.
  • Just like any exercise, focus on form and technique. It’s even more important for pelvic floor exercises and the reason most people need to locate where they are before starting.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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Reasons Why You Should Log Your Workouts

Reasons Why You Should Log Your Workouts

Published by on July 10, 2024 | Leave a response

In Houston, TX, clients log their workouts for many reasons. The most obvious reason to log your workouts is to check your progress and find out what’s working and what’s not. It shouldn’t take much time, especially if you only log the exercise and the number of reps. Some people like adding extra information, such as whether doing it was easy or extremely difficult. That gives more clues to the fitness level at which they perform. If the exercise feels easy, increase the number of sets or repetitions you perform to make it harder.

Logging your workout can save you time.

If you list all the exercises in chart form and do it in the same order each session, all you have to do is look down and see what exercise comes next. You don’t have to think about it or worry you missed one. If you’ve ever opened the refrigerator door and forgot what you were getting or left the grocery without picking up the one item you wanted (but had a basketful of other things you didn’t plan to buy), you know how helpful having a list to check off with the number of reps can be.

You’ll be more accountable for finishing your workout.

There’s something about writing down the number of repetitions and sets that makes you feel like you need to be honest and do everyone. If you aren’t logging your workout, it’s easy to skim by and adjust the workout to fewer repetitions or sets to finish faster. Writing down a false number on your log makes you think twice and keeps you accountable to yourself.

Logging the workout makes it more challenging and game-like.

If you’re playing any game, keeping score is part of the fun, even if you’re playing against your previous record. Winners keep score for a reason. They like seeing the improvement. It drives them to focus on doing better. Exercising is hard work, but so is playing any sport. It can also be fun if you change your mindset to make it one. It takes a while to see the changes in your body, but not nearly as long to experience improvement. You won’t know you’ve improved unless you logged your original score.

  • If you don’t already log your progress, start doing it. Give yourself a few weeks to ensure you progress. Then see how you feel about doing it. Most people find it very rewarding.
  • Keeping extra notes can help you address specific issues. If you continuously struggle to do one regular push-up and it’s the same for weeks, it’s time to look for an easier version. Once your numbers show you conquered that, you can move to the traditional, more difficult one.
  • If you need encouragement later and have kept your logs, you can look back to the earlier months and see how far you’ve come. It can be motivating.
  • If you need more accountability, share your workout log with a friend once a month. Knowing someone is checking on you can be enough to push you to exercise on those days when you’d rather not.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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Getting Fit With Online Help

Getting Fit With Online Help

Published by on June 25, 2024 | Leave a response

Everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to get fit and the ability to follow the advice. Many people don’t have access to a gym or a personal trainer. It might be too expensive, not close to their home, or not open when they have time. Those are all reasons people have turned to online help and why I provide it. I believe everyone deserves to look and feel their best. If you’re a busy mom, a person whose hours conflict with gym hours, or on a budget but crave feeling good, an online option may be right for you.

You can follow along and go back if you miss something.

If you’ve ever taken a live fitness class, you know the frustration when you first begin. Until you learn the routine, the moves seem to zip by. You may miss many of them. Online workouts are exceptional when it comes to learning the movements. You can go back until you get the form right. Nobody is judging you if it takes a bit longer. By its nature, it’s a customized workout.

Most people have erratic days and may have to skip in-person workouts.

You won’t have that problem when you work out online. If your day is hectic and falls completely apart, you can take time out and work off the stress. There’s no set schedule for working out online, although I always suggest you make an appointment with exercise. That way it becomes a habit. If your days are long and hours are crazy, online exercising can be the best option to ensure you workout daily. For people with a tight budget, online options are affordable. You get a whole month for about the same price as a Big Mac meal and a cookie and it’s much healthier.

You can blend an online option with gym visits or other types of exercise.

Whether you love riding a bike or enjoy your day at the gym, online sessions complement your program. If you choose the gym for strength training, online training can provide the cardio. It can offer strength and flexibility training if running or bike riding is your cardio. You can push as hard as you like or pull back if you had an intense workout the previous day. You are in control when it’s online.

  • You don’t have to make a big commitment to online training. You can choose each month whether it’s right for your needs. It’s a way of testing the waters without a large investment.
  • Online training is perfect if you’re a new parent who can’t find or can’t afford daycare. You can do it when the baby takes a nap. You won’t have to rush to get there and back home or worry the whole time you exercise.
  • You might not be ready to dedicate the money or time to personal training or the gym. Online training is a good conversion option.
  • Always check with your healthcare professional before starting any fitness program, whether online or in person. In most cases, they’re delighted you chose to improve your health.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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Fitness Products You'll Love

Fitness Products You’ll Love

Published by on June 10, 2024 | Leave a response

If you live in Houston, TX, and want to improve your potential for success or give yourself a special treat for a job well done, new fitness products can do both. Some are low-cost items yet improve fitness results for the average person without breaking the budget. Others are special clothing that helps improve results and boost the success you hope to achieve. Many of the items don’t cost much but provide a huge benefit.

Have you tried exercise bands?

Resistance bands, also called exercise bands or strength bands, help streamline your figure by toning muscles and building strength. They’re inexpensive and far easier to store than bulky weights, kettlebells, and exercise machines. They add a new dimension to every workout and boost results every time you use them. You can use different colors to get different resistance levels, so they’re perfect for personalizing every routine.

Waist trainers give you motivation.

You’ll get quicker results when you use waist trainers, even if they’re short-term ones. You can use them before you have a big event to get the look you want. You can even wear a waist trainer to that event for a sleeker, smaller waist. While the results aren’t permanent, seeing your waist smaller makes a lasting impression. They help you focus on posture.

Use a smart-scan program or meal plan to help you lose weight.

If you’re shopping for healthy food, many food scanners grade food based on nutrition. Using a meal planner takes all the guesswork out of eating. Meal planners provide menus and shopping lists. They focus on personalizing your diet to fit your needs and preferences. You’ll also save money by using a meal planning service. There’s no waste. You use the food for several meals. You do all the cooking in one day, so it’s quicker than a drive-through during the week. You don’t have to wait to treat yourself to this fitness product, it will save you money.

  • Home gyms are excellent additions to your fitness journey but may be too expensive or bulky for most people. TRX systems are often more reasonably priced and can substitute for busy days when working out at the gym isn’t an option.
  • If you’re pushing it to the limit, don’t make your breast ligaments do the same. A good sports bra can keep the girls in good shape even when it’s high-impact. Good sports bras improve posture and keep you comfortable.
  • Heart rate monitors can help you check the intensity of your workout and keep it within safe levels. You can push yourself without worry when you know your heart rate. It doesn’t replace checking with your healthcare professional.
  • Whether it’s Ztepshift, our 90-Day Challenge, or the 15-Day Ab Attack our online services will help you get into shape faster and on your schedule, not ours.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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Are You Swimsuit Ready?

Are You Swimsuit Ready?

Published by on May 25, 2024 | Leave a response

It’s already warm and expected to get warmer. You know what that means! It’s time to make sure you’re swimsuit ready. If you haven’t even started, there’s still time to improve significantly in how you look in your bathing suit. It’s never too late to get ready for swimsuit season. Create a weight loss goal and then start exercising to shed those extra pounds and tone the muscles to get a trimmer, slimmer appearance. You may not reach your ultimate fitness goal, but there’s no better time to start than now. You’ll get the benefit of most of the summer to enjoy fun in the sun with your new appearance.

It takes a healthy diet and regular exercise to get in shape.

Even if you exercise all day for days in a row, you won’t get the results you want if you eat junk food the rest of the time. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Junk food doesn’t provide the nutrients you need to build muscle tissue. It contributes to cellulite and causes weight gain. Learning how to eat healthier isn’t dieting. It’s all about making better food choices. Fill your plate with colorful vegetables, healthy fat, and high-quality protein. If you snack, make it whole foods like fresh fruit or nuts. It’s time to enjoy the bounty that nature provides.

Start moving.

You can get in shape with small group training and Lifestyle bootcamps at RC Fitness. Whether you’re new to exercise or a seasoned veteran, there’s a program specifically for you. You’ll push yourself harder than you thought possible, but you’ll also see such good results you’ll want to work even harder. You’ll get the fastest possible results. You’ll work every part of your body. Exercising can help no matter what your goal is.

Track your progress.

People always do better when tracking their progress. It’s human nature. If you’re motivated, holding yourself accountable helps on those few times when you’re tired and don’t feel like exercising. Tracking your progress makes it more like a game. Winners keep score. You can track both your food intake and exercise program. If you stick with healthy choices in food, track only the unhealthy options, like food containing added sugar or highly processed food.

  • To boost results, increase your activity level. Instead of circling the parking lot trying to find the best space, park further from the store and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you’re at a desk all day, get up and move at least once an hour.
  • Focus on your posture. Walk taller. You’ll look thinner and more confident when you do. That makes everyone look better. Look at yourself in the mirror as you slump. Change to good posture. It makes quite a difference.
  • Hydrate frequently. Even mild dehydration can make you feel tired. Drinking water a half hour before eating also fills you up, causing you to eat less. Avoid sugary soft drinks and fruit juices.
  • Get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep affects your hormones. It causes the body to produce more of the hunger hormone and less of the hormone that makes you feel full. You eat more when you lack sleep and move less.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

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