Fitness & Wellness

If you feel like you’re missing something important if you don’t take your chewable over-the-counter—OTC—vitamins, maybe you should reconsider. Are OTC vitamins really that beneficial or have you been bamboozled by years manufacturers propaganda. Can OTC vitamins be dangerous? Did you know that every year Americans spend approximately $12 million on vitamin and mineral supplements? It’s big business, but are there good reasons for taking OTC vitamins?

Recent studies show those supplements may not help.

John Hopkins focused on three recent studies that found that supplements weren’t that beneficial. These were large studies with the largest including 450K people. It noted that daily multivitamins did not reduce the risk for the potential for heart disease or cancer. Another study found the same after studying a smaller group. The third study looked at whether multi-vitamins reduced the potential for mental decline or memory loss. After studying 5947 people for 12-years, the answer was no.

Some supplements may cause more problems than they help.

Most of the problem occurs when people take high doses of specific vitamins, such as the vitamin A predecessor beta-carotene or vitamins C or E. Studies show that people who smoke increase the risk of lung cancer if they take beta-carotene. High doses of vitamin E can also increase the risk of strokes. If you’ve ever taken too much vitamin C, you’ll understand that an excess can cause stomach problems or diarrhea. If you’re a senior, you may want to avoid calcium supplements and opt for weight bearing exercise instead. Studies show that supplementing calcium may cause it to build up in the artery walls.

Many OTC vitamins aren’t bioavailable.

No matter how many multi-vitamins you take, if your body can’t process them or absorb the nutrients, they’re useless. Just because the pill contains a specific amount of the nutrient, it doesn’t mean that it’s what will ultimately end up in your body. There are several factors that determine that. If it doesn’t dissolve or degrade in a timely fashion, you’ll find the vitamin in your waste. The type of inert materials, inhibitors and the nutrient form also makes a difference. The drugs you take, when you take the vitamin and your body’s needs also play a role. If you take more vitamin C than you need, you’ll end up with it in your urine, which is costly.

• Focusing on a healthy diet is the most important change you can make. Many nutrients aren’t vitamins or minerals, but phytonutrients that work in synergy with them to provide the more robust benefits. Anthocyanin, the phytonutrient that makes blueberries blue, is one example.
• Unless you spend a significant amount on the vitamin and do thorough research, you may be getting a form of the vitamin that isn’t bioavailable, meaning your body can’t break it down, absorb it or use it.
• Not all vitamins are bad for all people. Most people don’t get adequate sun, so they lack vitamin D, which is difficult to get unless you eat fortified food.
• Popping a vitamin may give you a false sense of security, which can lead to a poor diet and eating habits. Focus more on eating healthy and save your money for healthier options for your dinner table.

For more information, contact us today at UpFit Training Academy

a goal without a plan is just a wish – motivational handwriting on a napkin with a cup of coffee

We’re finally getting back to somewhat normal in New York, NY, and it’s time to start thinking about the future. Many people have focused on financial goals and refined them, with new steps to take for their future, but there’s more to be done. Setting health goals is just as important as financial goals. No matter how much money you have, if your health is poor, you can’t enjoy the good life. You can change your health outlook starting now, by taking the time to set some goals.

Your goal may sound big, but you can break it down to smaller goals.

Do you want to run in a marathon, but haven’t done anything more physical than getting up to find the remote? Would you like to get back into shape, but the sound of losing 40 pounds and building muscles sounds too difficult? You need to break those big goals down to smaller ones and take it one step at a time. If you can’t run a mile, run as far as you can, even if it’s just to the end of the driveway or to the end of the block. Make it your goal to run more each day. Big goals are accomplished by breaking down the big goals into smaller goals and achieving them first.

Give yourself a specific time frame.

If you set a goal, that’s great, but you also have to determine a specific amount of time to achieve that goal or it simply becomes a “some day” pipe dream. Many people have things they’ve always wanted to do, but never gave themselves a deadline to achieve it. If you’ve set a goal and broken it down to mini-goals, you need to give each mini-goal a deadline. Make it something that can be achieved in a week or a month so you can be successful quickly and have the motivation to continue.

Make the goal specific and measurable.

I will become healthier or fitter is a good desire, but it’s not a specific goal. I will lose ten pounds by X date or I will be able to run a full mile by X date are goals. You have a way to measure the goals, a specific date for achievement. You need something specific. If you just want to feel better, you need to say how you want to feel better. Do you want to have more energy, or maybe less back pain? How will you know when you’ve achieved that goal? You need to be able to measure it and make it specific.

• A big goal may seem unrealistic, but once you break it down to smaller more attainable goals, it looks far more achievable and less intimidating. You also need to give yourself enough time to achieve big goals.
• No matter what type of goal you create, whether it’s about health, finances or something else, it needs to be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound.
• When you break down a goal into smaller goals, the next step you have to take is to create steps to achieve that goal. Create a workout schedule and stick with it or make meal plans.
• If you need help setting up steps, seek help from a professional. A personal trainer can create a fitness and nutritional program designed specifically for your needs.

For more information, contact us today at Upfit Academy

Everyone has been constipated at some time in their life. It’s uncomfortable, but a topic that isn’t always discussed with friends. What you eat makes a huge difference in whether you have to strain when you’re on the toilet or make your bathroom visit shorter and more productive. While your diet plays a big role, other things can help you “get moving,” too.

Constipation comes from several things, one is lack of liquid in the colon.

Another reason for constipation occurs when food passes through the colon too slowly, causing too much liquid is removed. That causes hard, dry stools that make it hard to pass. If you want to make the waste to pass faster, so less fluid is removed, exercise is one way to help. It causes the contractions to accelerate and the muscles in the intestines to push food through faster as it increases your heart rate and breathing. Just walking or riding a bike can help.

Drink more fluid throughout the day.

If you’re even slightly dehydrated, it can cause your pooh to be harder, with less fluid to allow easy passage. It may not help you unless you’re in one of three groups, people who are dehydrated, pregnant women and older people. Studies show that people who are dehydrated, no matter how mild, benefited from extra water. Studies showed that by increasing fluid intake, it lowered the risk of constipation in pregnant women. In several studies on older individuals, there was a direct relationship between low fluid intake and constipation. Seniors are also more susceptible to dehydration.

Add fiber to your diet whenever possible.

There are two types of fiber and both of them help to make your bathroom time shorter. Soluble fiber dissolves in water to create a gel that keeps stools softer and easier to pass. Insoluble fiber adds bulk, which can also help you go….unless you don’t have enough fluid, then it’s like adding cement to your stools. Focus on legumes, apples, figs, sweet potatoes, avocados and other foods high in soluble fiber. If you eat a lot of white rice, bananas or other food high in insoluble fiber, drink extra water so you don’t create a brick in your colon. Sometimes, too much insoluble fiber makes matters worse.

• Certain diseases and medications for those diseases can cause constipation. Thyroid problems, MS, IBS, diabetes and hypercalcemia are those health problems. See a physician to make sure it isn’t just diet that’s the problem.
• Eating fewer carbohydrates and eating more probiotic foods, such as sauerkraut, kefir or yogurt, can help relieve constipation. Avoid processed foods and foods high in sugar and white flour if you have chronic constipation
• Coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that causes intestinal muscles to contract and make going easier. Foods higher in magnesium, like spinach, also help.
• Prunes and prune juice are also notable for treating constipation, but be aware a little goes a long way. If you suffer from bloating and gas from prunes, stick with prune juice and avoid juice with pulp. Drinking a glass of water before consuming prunes or prune juice helps.

For more information, contact us today at Upfit Academy

Whether you workout online or in person at UpFit Training Academy in New York, NY, you probably strive for a particular look, especially when it comes to abs and arms. While everyone wants to look stronger, even women, few actually want bulging biceps and instead prefer for lean, but toned ones with a bit of a curve and more when flexed. There’s a lot of reasons people can’t make it to the gym at the times when the gym is open, which is why we offer virtual training that provide bicep workouts at home.

The bicep has two heads to work.

You need to work both heads and it’s even better if you work other muscle groups in the area, such as triceps, back, shoulders and chest. You don’t have to have dumbbells or barbells, you can use bodyweight workouts. Push-ups can do it, but only if you modify the push-up. Standard ones just build the chest, triceps and deltoids. Changing the placement of your hands. Put your hands closer together, leaving just a few inches in between. The closer you put them, the harder the push-up becomes. When you lower yourself, your elbows will flare out at about a 45 degree angle. Raise yourself back up and repeat. Do as many as you can.

You’ll be surprised at how much equipment you have in your home.

Do you have a backpack? Do you shop for groceries? Do you have a broomstick? All of those can be used as equipment. Fill your backpack with books or canned goods or carry your groceries to the car without a cart. Hold either one by its handle to your side, arm straight. Bend your elbow slowly as you bring your arm toward your shoulder, maintaining total control during the vertical rise. Don’t allow your arms to swing side to side. Use the broomstick loaded with backpacks or purses with cans on both sides and do a curl.

Most people have a sturdy chair in their home, but make sure it doesn’t have rollers.

You can do push-up style dips using a sturdy coffee table or a chair. The key is the way you hold your hands. Place your palms up with your fingers pointing down and grasp the seat of the chair, thumbs on top of the seat. Slowly lower your body to work the biceps and as you push back up, you’ll work the triceps. Your body should be straight with feet out behind you, as in a modified push-up position. Only lower yourself as far as you can comfortable.

• If you don’t have dumbbells at home, you’ll be surprised at what you can use to do curls. Fill water bottles, use soup cans, milk jugs or laundry detergent jugs with sand or water.
• You can do towel curls at home or in a hotel room. Put a rolled up towel behind one thigh, with each hand grasping one end. Use your leg as the resistance and pull until you lift it off the ground.
• Resistance bands are a good tool to build biceps and are cheap and easy to store. For a bicep curl, put one on the floor, standing on it with feet shoulder-width and grasping an end in each hand. Slowly lift the bands with your palms facing up, then back to starting position.
• You can modify the bicep curl by changing your hand position. Do a hammer curl with your palms facing each other as you grasp the handles of the resistance bands or a reverse curl by placing palms downward.

For more information, contact us today at UpFit Training Academy

Like in all areas of life, having and following a plan can help you achieve any fitness goal. Planning provides guidance and allows for confident execution as all potential problems already have a planned solution. In order to make a plan more likely to stick, research has shown that writing it down, whether on pen and paper or on your phone, will make a plan more concrete. This is why we always recommend our clients keep a food and exercise journal, and why we use Train Heroic to plan out client workouts.

Here are several factors to take into account when planning ahead for your fitness goals:

Determining Your Actual Goals

Before you can make an exercise-related plan, you need to determine what your goal is. Your goal is what your plan leads up to; the end result. You wouldn’t take and plan out a trip without knowing your destination; the same goes for fitness planning. Are you looking to make strength gains? Or do you want to lose weight? Maybe you are just looking to increase your fitness or train for a particular event. Determine what you want to achieve, and then create a plan on how you can get there. At UpFit Training Academy, our coaches take into account your goals and create a training plan for you.

Planning Your Meals

A huge part of health and fitness is nutrition. Again, depending on your goal, your nutrition planning is going to look different. Maybe you are looking to gain muscle, in which case it is important to plan out how you are going to eat a surplus amount of calories. If done properly, meal planning will help you achieve your goals faster while spending less money. Especially when living in New York City, eating out can be tempting due to its convenience and ability to save time. However, with a little extra planning, healthier and cheaper options can be prepared at home. Our coaches also provide nutritional guidance and workshops in order to help you determine a solid plan.

Other Potential Planning Areas to Help You Succeed

• Sleep is one of the most underrated aspects of any healthy lifestyle. Despite New York being dubbed ‘The city that never sleeps,’ sleep is arguably the most important aspect of recovery after training. So if you are training hard, which we know you are if you are training with us at Upfit Academy, you need to be sleeping hard, too.
• Are you drinking enough water every day? If you are someone who knows they don’t drink enough water daily, consider setting reminders on your phone to let you know you should drink more, or write time periods on your water bottle.

Final Tips

• Use a nutrition or meal tracking app to track macronutrients or calories; we use MyMacros or MyFitnessPal.
• Plan to work out at similar times during the week to create a habit.
• Plan to go to bed and wake up at a similar time every night. Even consider staying off your device for the last 30 minutes before bed in order to wind down.

For more information contact us today at Upfit Training Academy