Fitness & Wellness

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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The Power Of Active Release Technique (ART)

The Power Of Active Release Technique (ART)

Published by on May 10, 2024 | Leave a response

If you live in Houston, TX, you may have heard of the Active Release Technique (ART). It’s a way to relieve pain. Chiropractors, massage therapists, doctors, and physical therapists provide the services. It has been shown to help relieve pain and improve mobility. It helps by finding knots in muscles and fascia and using pressure to release them. It can aid nerves, tendons, fascia, and muscles to move pain-free.

What do they do that helps?

Before any healthcare specialist uses ART, they gather your pain and medical history. They assess and evaluate your situation. Once the general location is determined, you either lay or sit comfortably as the provider uses his hands to locate a lump showing contraction or a tight area that indicates tissue tension. It might hurt. If it does, you need to let the practitioner know so he can reduce the pressure. The tender area is where there’s an adhesion or tightness of the underlying tissue. It’s often a lump. The practitioner pushes it as you move in a specific way that helps pull on it and free the adhesion. It takes about 15 minutes to a half hour for a treatment.

Not all pain can be treated with ART.

Even though it helps many conditions, it’s not helpful for some. It’s why the healthcare provider has a lengthy evaluation before starting. It can help with iliotibial band syndrome, which causes the iliotibial band at the side of the knee to become painful. It can help with shoulder pain, shin splints, surgical scars, plantar fasciitis, hip pain, back pain, knee pain, neck pain, bursitis, and tennis elbow. ART can also help improve limited motion or pain from soft tissue.

It’s becoming more popular because it works.

Many people love it because they feel better afterward. It causes their pain to diminish and eventually disappear. It helps improve range of motion, functional mobility, and flexibility. There’s less tension in the tissue and improvement in the injured muscles. As the soft tissue adhesions break up, your movement improves, and you’re less apt to damage or pull other muscles or tissue in your body.

  • One back pain study showed that when comparing myofascial release to ART, ART brought superior pain relief. A different study showed it superior to myofascial release for plantar fasciitis.
  • The combination of pressure and a specific movement is the key to achieving release. You may not be able to do the complete movement. Do as much as you can. If the pain becomes unbearable, let your provider know.
  • If scar tissue causes pain, ART can help. Signs of scar tissue include stiffness, pain when exercising, sharp pain near the heel, numbness, reduced flexibility, inflamed joints, decreased strength, and tingling or weakness.
  • There are four areas of certification and training for ART. The upper extremity, lower extremity, spine, and nerve. Check for accreditation before getting treatment. Always discuss using ART with your primary healthcare provider first.

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

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How To Beat A Plateau

How To Beat A Plateau

Published by on April 25, 2024 | Leave a response

One of the reasons I love working with people in Houston, TX, is that they’re tough and keep pushing until they accomplish their goals. It can be extremely difficult, especially if you’re plateauing. You may be dutifully hitting the gym or sticking closely to online workouts and not experiencing any weight loss. It may be because you’re plateauing. That occurs for many reasons. It doesn’t mean you can’t get past it. You can beat a plateau by making a few changes.

It’s easier to lose weight initially.

You change your eating and exercise patterns dramatically when you first start. You also weigh more. It takes more energy—calories—to do everything. If you were ten pounds heavier, it’s like carrying a ten-pound weight everywhere. You’re bound to burn more calories. You don’t require as many calories to maintain your new lower weight or burn as many calories. Your weight loss will slow or stop unless you readjust your diet or workout. How do you solve it? Make your workout more difficult as you get fitter.

You may not be plateauing, just experiencing normal weight loss.

If you chart the weight anyone loses, you won’t see a straight line. People will lose more weight in one week than they might in another. You may need to reset your expectations and look at fitness gains over several weeks. You may lose four pounds one week but only lose one or none the next. You still average two pounds a week. You still average two pounds a week. You may be gaining muscle mass that weighs more than fat tissue. If you’re losing inches but not weight, that’s the reason. You’re still making progress.

You may need to push yourself more when you workout.

You might experience plateauing if you’ve been doing the same workout since you started and didn’t increase the number of sets or reps. Your body becomes efficient at any movement it does repeatedly. As it becomes more efficient, it burns fewer calories. Whether you’re doing online workouts or in-person training, we always keep the sessions fresh and make frequent changes to prevent body efficiency. It also helps prevent boredom and keeps you motivated.

  • Check your calorie intake. You don’t have to overeat to gain weight or hit a plateau. You might not be counting the calories you drink. If you love fancy cappuccinos or drink a few soft drinks daily, it could be the problem. Fruit juice is also high in natural sugar and calories.
  • Don’t fret too much about one week of stalled weight loss. Just focus on eating healthy and exercising the next. If you don’t see any progress in two or three weeks, it’s time to change your routine.
  • Track your food intake if you’re plateauing. It makes you more aware of everything you eat. You might discover you frequently grab a handful of the kids’ candies or treats. Those handfuls add up.
  • Continuously pushing too hard and working out at maximum intensity can work against you. Your body needs rest. Alternate your workout between high-intensity workouts and active recovery, such as walking.

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

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