Fitness

How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?

How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?

Published by on October 10, 2024 | Leave a response

Most people start their day with a cup of coffee. That delicious fragrance and the warm goodness can bring a smile to your face. The caffeine in coffee boosts your energy. Drinking coffee or a caffeine drink before a workout can improve your performance. There’s a tipping point where the benefits diminish, and the caffeine becomes detrimental. When you’ve had too much caffeine, it can cause a racing heart, dehydration, and other problems that reduce your abilities. Whether it’s energy drinks, caffeine pills, coffee, or colas, too much caffeine can be dangerous.

There’s an amount that’s safe to consume.

Studies show that in most cases, people can consume 400 milligrams of caffeine without side effects. That doesn’t mean everyone. Some people are more sensitive to caffeine than others. Drinking four cups of brewed coffee contains approximately that amount. One 16-ounce energy drink, two energy shots, or ten cans of cola also have about 400 ml of caffeine. If you consume a lot of colas, energy drinks, or energy shots, always check the label.

There’s a danger in using caffeine supplements.

Energy drinks are potent and can be dangerous, but you have to be able to drink a lot of liquid to overdose on caffeine. The same is not true of caffeine supplements. You can get them in powdered, pill, or liquid form. It’s easy to overdose on these. One teaspoon of powdered caffeine is equal to 28 cups of coffee. Keep these pills out of the reach of children. They can be lethal. Don’t give caffeinated drinks to children, either. Pregnant or lactating women should cut their caffeine intake to 200 mg or less.

The negative effects of too much caffeine.

If you’re sensitive to caffeine, even a little can give you the jitters, insomnia, dizziness, or irritability. Consuming more than 400 ml of caffeine also has the same effects on most people. A headache can be a sign of consuming too much or a sign of withdrawal if you’re giving up caffeine. People who have taken too much have trouble breathing, hallucinations, vomiting, chest pain, irregular heartbeat or palpitations, convulsions, or uncontrollable muscle movement.

  • Caffeine is a stimulant. It goes to the brain and blocks the effect of the neurotransmitter adenosine that controls the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine released. Blocking adenosine causes more neurons to fire. That improves brain functioning.
  • If you develop a headache from giving up caffeine, check the label before taking an OTC pain reliever. Many of them, like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and aspirin, may contain caffeine.
  • Consuming caffeine may provide benefits. Some studies show regular consumption can protect people from dementia, Alzheimer’s, and protection from heart disease.
  • Caffeine withdrawal symptoms include brain fog, nausea, dizziness, and headache. If you drink too much coffee or get the jitters from cola, switch to water to help flush out the caffeine and get you back to normal.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training

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Building Muscle For Women Over 30

Building Muscle For Women Over 30

Published by on September 25, 2024 | Leave a response

Building muscle tissue isn’t just for men. Women, especially women over 30, need it to be their healthiest. Many women come to Revolution Training in Stamford, CT, to build strength, lose weight, and develop the confidence that comes from learning self-defense. Building muscle can prevent bone loss in later years. The stronger your muscles are, the more they tug on the bones. That causes bones to uptake calcium. If your muscles are weak, the bone loses calcium, which leads to osteoporosis.

The more muscle tissue you have, the easier it is to lose weight.

You’ll burn calories with strength training and build muscles. That’s important! If you only do cardio, you don’t get the same benefits. The more muscle tissue you have, the easier it is to lose weight. That’s because muscle tissue requires more calories to maintain than fat tissue does 24/7. The more you have, the higher your metabolism is. When your metabolism is at peak performance, it’s easier to lose weight. You won’t bulk up when you build muscle tissue. Women worry they’ll look too masculine if they build muscle. Your hormones won’t allow that to occur. You’ll build strength and tone muscles to achieve a fit svelte appearance.

You’ll lower the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis pain, and metabolic disease.

Nobody wants to spend their free time at the doctor’s or take a dozen pills to make it through the day. Many of the diseases faced today weren’t problems 100 years ago. An unhealthy diet and lack of exercise leads to poor health and obesity. Obesity is the leading cause of preventable illness. It’s easier to get in shape when you’re younger and maintain that fitness than it is to try to do it when you’re older. Muscle memory makes it faster even if you’ve been sedentary for a while. Starting before you’re older can prevent serious problems and help you stay or get back into shape when you’re older.

You’ll look years younger when you build strength.

There are several reasons exercise helps you look younger. One is at a cellular level. It’s the telomeres attached to the end of chromosomes. Telomeres act like the plastic tips of shoelaces that prevent the laces from unraveling. They’re damaged instead of the chromosome. Damaged chromosomes cause cell death that leads to illness or aging. The more you exercise, the more protected your cells are.

  • You’ll look thinner even if you don’t lose weight. One cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat. That means it needs a smaller container. If you have more muscle tissue, your body will be slimmer.
  • You’ll reduce the occurrence and intensity of menstrual cramps and help minimize menopausal symptoms. Studies show strength training for 45 minutes three times weekly can cut the occurrence of hot flashes by half.
  • Getting fit can reduce the risk of complications during childbirth and make delivery easier. It also helps improve fertility if you want to get pregnant.
  • Building muscle and working out can lift your mood and build your confidence. It improves posture, so you radiate self-assurance.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training

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Low-Impact Ways To Stay Fit

Low-Impact Ways To Stay Fit

Published by on September 10, 2024 | Leave a response

Many people consider running their primary exercise for weight loss, but it’s not the best. It uses calories from fat and lean muscle, making weight loss harder since muscle requires more calories for maintenance. It’s also high-impact. That means both feet are off the ground at one time. When you land, it stresses the joints. It’s worse if you’re out of shape and overweight. The muscle and tendon strength isn’t available to reduce the impact and protect joints. Use low-impact exercises to stay fit, preventing the problem and avoiding musculoskeletal injury.

Not all cardiovascular endurance exercises are high-impact.

When you think of cardio, you normally think of running first. It’s high-impact and not the only high-impact one. Jumping jacks, burpees, squat jumps, and box jumps are a few others. Other low-impact cardio gets beneficial results without the bone-jarring effect. The difference between walking and running is that one foot is always on the ground when you walk, so there’s far less impact when your foot lands. It’s a smooth shift of weight without the pounding. It boosts your heart rate, so you improve your cardiovascular health.

It’s easier to identify low-impact strength training.

When you exercise and move your joints, you increase the circulation of synovial fluid that lubricates the joints. You build strength in the tendons and muscles that relieve the joint pressure. Most strength-building workouts do that and are low-impact. Combination movements like squat jumps or burpees that build strength are exceptions. To build lower body strength, consider lunges, clamshells, and bicycling. You can adjust the tension on a stationary bike as your legs strengthen.

Flexibility exercises and stretches are for people who need to protect their joints.

Many flexibility exercises, such as yoga or tai chi, build strength and endurance, too. Yoga poses stabilize the joints and reduce pain while it does that. The Vasisthasana, also called the side plank on the forearm, helps both hip and knee pain. Warrior 1, the bridge, and the gate pose are other examples that build flexibility and strength while relieving pain. Flexibility exercises are more than just low-impact. They reduce muscle tightness, which causes imbalances and creates joint pain.

  • Don’t forget aquatic exercises when considering low-impact. Your body is buoyant in water, reducing the impact. Water provides more resistance than air, so it has 12 times the strength-building. Even jumping jacks become low-impact.
  • Bodyweight exercises like planks and push-ups are low-impact calisthenics. You can do high or low planks, but low planks are the best for the core and lower body strength.
  • You can modify many low-impact exercises for different muscle groups. You can do traditional lunges, forward lunges, side lunges, walking lunges, and reverse lunges. Modify squats by adjusting the width of your feet.
  • Always check with a healthcare professional before starting any fitness program, particularly if you’re overweight, sedentary, or have health issues.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training

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Transform Your Body Anywhere

Transform Your Body Anywhere

Published by on August 25, 2024 | Leave a response

If you’re unhappy with how you look and feel, simply complaining won’t change it. You have to create a plan to transform your body. It may be tougher than sitting and moping, but the effort is worth it. You can jump in with both feet or dip your toe in the water by making small changes. The key is to take action and start doing something to improve your situation. Before you do anything, especially if you want more energy, get a check-up from your healthcare professional to ensure you don’t have a physical problem and are healthy enough to exercise.

Start with a healthy, achievable goal.

If you want to lose weight, do you change your diet or start a fitness program? You can do both. Create a plan that you can stick with and not a severe one. Don’t skip eating or go on a strict diet. Instead, choose to eat healthier, giving up processed food and food with added sugar and increasing whole food consumption. You won’t see the weight loss results you want if you continue to eat high-calorie junk food. Make smart decisions when you’re planning.

Decide how you’re going to achieve your goal.

If you want to lose weight, do you change your diet or start a fitness program? You can do both. Create a plan that you can stick with and not one too severe. Don’t skip eating or go on a strict diet. Instead, choose to eat healthier, giving up processed food and food with added sugar and increasing whole food consumption. You won’t see the weight loss results you want if you continue to eat high-calorie junk food. Make smart decisions when you’re planning.

Move more.

Regular exercise is a top priority, but you must also increase your daily activity in other ways. Find activities you enjoy that keep you moving. Boxing is one activity that does that. It has transformed bodies and minds. It takes dedication, conviction, and consistency to get into shape for it. It makes it fun, which is more motivation to get fit.

  • If a long-term commitment looks too much, give yourself a shorter-term goal. Commit to your program for six weeks, leaving your options open later. You’ll probably continue once you see how much transformation has taken place.
  • Don’t forget to take before and after pictures. Take a selfie in the mirror wearing revealing clothing that shows your entire body. Changes occur slowly, and you often forget how you looked before you started. You can see it clearly when you take a picture.
  • What you eat is a priority, but so is what you drink. If you’re drinking soft drinks, they add calories and cause harm to your body. Switch to water or green tea. Both provide benefits for your body.
  • If you want to feel and see a transformation, it takes effort. Don’t sit on the sidelines of life complaining. Do something today to transform yourself.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training

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Prepared Healthy Snacks Can Be A Lifesaver

Prepared Healthy Snacks Can Be A Lifesaver

Published by on August 10, 2024 | Leave a response

At Revolution Training in Stamford, CT, many clients eat a healthy snack before and after exercise. The snacks help keep their energy high during workouts and start recovery. Snacking is often demonized, but it shouldn’t be. If you have a healthy snack mid-morning or mid-afternoon, it can boost your energy and help keep your hunger under control so you don’t eat more than you should at the next meal. You can make your snacks or opt for ones prepared. Some of the commercial ones are healthy.

If you left your snack at home or didn’t have time to make one, consider this easy option.

Many businesses carry trail mix. Almost all groceries do. You might even find it at your local gas station’s convenience store. Not all of them are healthy. Check for ones without candy unless it’s tiny bits of dark chocolate. Besides nuts, a healthy trail mix can contain dried fruit or seeds, such as pumpkin seeds. It can have popcorn, peanut butter chips, and spices. You can make your own and put it into individual bags for a quick grab-and-go option.

Look for prepared fruit and vegetables.

Buy fruit and vegetables ahead and do any prepping necessary, like washing and cutting fresh vegetables and putting them in plastic bags. Make a bowl of yogurt or hummus dip and divide it into carryout sauce containers with lids. In the morning, before you leave, put a handful of veggies in a bag and take a dip container. You can snack on an apple or banana or purchase prepared snacks like individual-sized fruit packed in its own juice.

Create the fruit yogurt you take.

Take a small container of berries and nuts along with a container of plain Greek yogurt. When you’re ready to snack, mix the two. If you haven’t prepared anything and want a snack at the last minute, choose one commercially prepared. Look for fruit yogurt with only yogurt and fruit as the main ingredients and no sugar. To get the same mix of protein and carbs, consider cottage cheese and unsweetened applesauce.

  • Another healthy snack option is air-popped popcorn or homemade microwave popcorn. For microwave popcorn, add popcorn kernels to a microwaveable bowl, cover lightly, and microwave it. Make popcorn ahead and store it in bags.
  • Keep healthy cold treats in the freezer. Fill ice pop molds with yogurt and chopped fruit. You can mix the fruit with the yogurt ahead for a smoother treat. You can also blend fruit and add water for a frozen fruit treat.
  • A quick snack that takes little effort is sliced apples with peanut butter. Use peanut butter containing only nuts and maybe a little salt, but no sugar.
  • Hard-boil eggs ahead and store them in the refrigerator. When you’re ready for a snack, chop it and mix it with yogurt, mustard, and a little mayo. Spread it onto crackers or toast, or make deviled eggs ahead and ready to eat.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training

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Is Your Extra Weight Because Of A Hormone Imbalance?

Is Your Extra Weight Because Of A Hormone Imbalance?

Published by on July 25, 2024 | Leave a response

Do you have ten pounds that you can’t shake or feel like you gain weight just by looking at donuts? Maybe your weight issues come from a hormone imbalance. Women often experience weight gain during menopause, making it easier to link to hormonal problems. It can occur at other times, too. Losing weight is difficult enough, but these pounds are even more stubborn. Even worse, many of those extra pounds end up around the midsection as visceral fat. It’s the most dangerous type of fat and the hardest to lose.

Women may experience estrogen dominance.

During perimenopause and menopause, your body is going to the next stage in life. The journey isn’t always smooth. Estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone levels all fluctuate during perimenopause and menopause. Yes, women have testosterone. It’s vital for bone density and muscle development. If one of the hormones drops faster than the other, it can cause an imbalance that creates problems. Estrogen dominance occurs if testosterone and progesterone drop faster than estrogen.

Other hormones that aren’t sex hormones can lead to excess pounds.

Many hormones affect weight. Some occur in pairs. One turns on a function, and the other turns it off. Leptin and ghrelin are examples. Hormones that can contribute to weight gain when they’re out of control include insulin, cortisol, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), neuropeptide Y (NPY), Cholecystokinin (CCK), and peptide YY. Some hormones stimulate the appetite or keep you feeling hungry. Ghrelin, NPY, GLP-1, and NYP are examples.

How do you regulate those hormones?

No matter what your age or gender, stress plays a huge factor in weight gain. Cortisol is a stress hormone that may cause weight gain. Ironically, weight gain may also increase cortisol levels. A healthy lifestyle which includes adequate sleep, regular exercise, and a healthy diet can help regulate cortisol levels and most hormonal imbalances. Deep breathing, meditation, and other relaxation techniques also fight cortisol overload.

  • If insulin levels are high, it can lead to insulin resistance. Cutting out food with added sugar, including fiber in your diet, adequate sleep, and doing HIIT workouts or strength-building exercises can help prevent the problem.
  • Consuming food high in vitamin B complex, magnesium, and vitamin D3 or taking supplements can help balance hormones. Consume less red meat and avoid sugar and caffeine. Consuming bone broth boosts nutrients and collagen.
  • Even though strength-building and HIIT are the best exercises for hormone balancing, if you’ve lived a sedentary lifestyle, start by walking. As you get fitter, do a more strenuous workout.
  • Gut health plays a huge role in hormone balancing. Eat probiotic and prebiotic foods. Probiotic foods include sauerkraut, yogurt, kimchi, and kefir. Probiotic foods include food with fiber, such as asparagus, onions, and bananas.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training

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Fat-Burning Detox Soups

Fat-Burning Detox Soups

Published by on July 11, 2024 | Leave a response

It’s hot in Stamford, CT, and the thought of a cup of steaming fat-burning detox soup may not sound enticing, but if you’re trying to lose weight, it might help. Turn up the air conditioner and make a batch or two. You can have it with a salad or a side vegetable. These soups are both delicious and nutritious. They’re filling without containing a lot of calories. You can make a big pot and freeze several containers for meals in the future.

What exactly is a detox soup?

If you’re constantly eating highly processed food that contains sugar and artificial ingredients, it takes a toll on your body. You don’t see or feel the difference immediately. The impact is cumulative. Detox soup helps you start a program of healthy eating. It’s a nutritious soup with plenty of fiber to improve elimination. One study found that if you match calories, choosing soup instead of junk food increases weight loss. These soups help level blood sugar and reduce the potential for overeating.

Make a vegetable bean detox soup to boost nutrition and cut calories.

Every good soup base starts with onions, celery, and vegetable broth. Add mushrooms, chili peppers, bell peppers, tomato paste, garlic, chili powder, turmeric, pinto beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and smoked paprika for this soup. Eat two bowls daily to detox and supplement it with all the fresh or unprocessed fruits and vegetables you want. You’ll feel full but won’t be eating many calories. It is nutritious enough that it can sustain you without causing malnutrition.

Detox soups can be more exotic, containing ingredients most people don’t use.

Fennel should be part of your menu, but for most people, it’s not. It has a light licorice flavor that combines well with other ingredients and contains many health benefits. Combine it with kale, spinach, asparagus, and garlic to get a soup that’s packed with nutrition. Use coconut oil to cook onions and minced garlic first. Don’t forget to let the garlic sit for a minute after you chop it to make it more nutritious. Add chopped asparagus, diced fennel bulb, and celery. After a few minutes, add vegetable stock. Bring it to a boil, cover, and simmer for seven minutes. Add the kale and spinach and blend, mixing in the juice of one lime. If necessary, add more vegetable stock to make it thinner. It makes a great summer soup that detoxes.

  • Many soups that are filled with fresh vegetables and herbs make good detox soups. Even the famous cabbage soup diet can be good for a few days. If soup contains a lot of vegetables and a protein source, it’s more sustainable.
  • Soup takes longer to eat and may be why they’re better for weight loss. That extra time gives your stomach time to signal to the brain you’re full.
  • When making soups, avoid those with a creamy base. Stick with ones that use only broth. You can use vegetable or animal product broth.
  • The extra fluid in soups helps flush out toxins. Many of the spices added, such as turmeric, are anti-inflammatory or provide plant chemicals that help heal the body to function better.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training

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How To Stick To Your Diet When No One Is Supporting You

How To Stick To Your Diet When No One Is Supporting You

Published by on June 25, 2024 | Leave a response

Having a reliable support system can help when trying to stick to your diet. If it’s family, they won’t complain if there’s no unhealthy snack food and plan meals out to diet-friendly restaurants. If you have a separate dinner from the rest of the family because they want fried food or high-calorie desserts, you aren’t getting as much support as you should. Sharing the trials and tribulations along the way can make them easier to deal with. That’s why getting support increases the chance of success. A support system can help you through times when you’re ready to quit and praise you for success.

Ask a trusted friend or your life partner for help.

Sometimes, it doesn’t seem like you have anyone because people aren’t sure how they can help. They don’t want to sound like they’re shaming you for eating or will be offending you by saying anything. Be direct with the person you trust and tell them you need their help. Tell them it’s okay to remind you of the diet if you need that type of help. Let them know what to say or do to help you make it through to reach success.

Check support groups online.

You don’t necessarily have to have someone in your household or even someone living close to you. There are online support groups that focus on weight loss struggles and provide encouragement for others. Everyone in the group has the same goal and understands your feelings. They may have faced the same or a similar problem themselves. They can even offer solutions for your problems and cheer for you when you reach a goal.

Join a brick-and-mortar gym.

At Revolution Training Academy, we are like a family. We all help one another become empowered to be the best version of themselves. We provide support for one another. Not all gyms are like this, but there are still some available. Even if the gym isn’t that welcoming, you often can find someone who shares your goals and is also looking for more support. If you want support, go to a place where fitness is everyone’s goal.

  • If your family wants nothing to do with your plan to eat healthy, don’t be discouraged. Not everyone is ready to change their lifestyle. Use that information to prove them wrong. Your success can change their mind and help them.
  • Meal planning can help you stick with your diet. Have nutritious snacks ready to eat in case you’re hungry so you don’t eat high-calorie junk food that is there for others.
  • Find restaurants that serve healthy options and suggest those restaurants when going to dinner or lunch. Eat slower and chew each bit thoroughly so your stomach can message your brain it’s full sooner.
  • Use the services of a personal trainer to help you learn how to reach your goal faster and become your support system. A trainer holds you accountable and provides positive reinforcement.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training

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Male Eating Disorders

Male Eating Disorders

Published by on June 10, 2024 | Leave a response

When people talk about eating disorders, most people automatically think of females with eating disorders, but there is a rising number of men and boys now suffering from the problem. Male eating disorders occur all over the country, including Stamford, CT. At the gym, we focus on building strength, not just having the perfect body, but it doesn’t mean it can’t occur. You should know the types of disorders and signs. They include anorexia, bulimia, muscle dysmorphia, and binge eating.

It’s not all about having the perfect body, control, and living up to a mental image.

There are many reasons why eating disorders occur. Having a perfect body, maintaining physical control, and mental body image are three. You can’t change some factors. It might be genetic or learned. People who have family members with eating disorders are more at risk. Personality plays a role. People who tend to be more negative, perfectionists, or have an impulsive personality are more at risk.

You can’t be too rich or too thin.

Well actually, you can be too thin or in the case of men with eating disorders, have a body composition with the lowest possible fat percentage. It can be dangerous. Men and boys may see themselves as skinny or underweight and they develop a new dysfunction called muscle dysmorphia. Bodybuilders often have that problem. It causes them to spend hours in the gym, counting calories closely, and consuming food and supplements that build muscles. The most dangerous symptom, besides an extreme diet, is the use of steroids to build.

What are the symptoms of the other eating disorders?

People with anorexia have a strict list of foods they can eat and ones they can’t. They fear gaining weight, even though they already may be dangerously underweight. Bodyweight plays a role in self-esteem. The thinner the person is, the better they feel about themselves. People with anorexia don’t see themselves as underweight even when their weight is dangerously low. People with bulimia eat large amounts of money at one time and then purge it from their system by vomiting or using laxatives. As with anorexia, they fear weight gain, linking their self-esteem to body weight. Binge eating is similar to bulimia but without the purging. During an episode, their food consumption is out of control and they eat even if they’re not hungry.

  • Of every three people with eating disorders, one of them is male. Most men have muscle dysmorphia and their goal is not to lose weight but to become more muscular and have less fat.
  • Muscle dysmorphia is associated with orthorexia nervosa. It’s an eating disorder that has an unhealthy obsession with clean eating and eliminating certain food groups to the point of malnutrition. The obsession interferes with their daily life and daily activities.
  • Depression and mental issues are linked to eating disorders but it’s unknown which came first, the disorder or the depression. People with eating disorders suffer a higher incidence of substance abuse, depression, and anxiety.
  • Treatment for male eating disorders varies. Each person is unique with their own unique issues and condition level. It’s all about taking healthy weight, healthy eating, or exercise to extremes and neglecting other areas of life.

For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training

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