-
Updated: Why You Need to Log Calories
Some personal trainers and “health gurus” don’t believe in logging calories. Instead, they say “eat when you’re hungry.” I don’t agree with that. I know from experience that eating below or too far above the amount of calories your body requires (for muscle gain, fat loss, or maintenance) can sabotage any prospect of reaching your goals. For someone serious about reaching athletic and/or aesthetic goals, not tracking your calorie and micronutrient needs is the equivalent of winging it and hoping for the best — it’s simply lazy. When I started working out in 2002, I had no clue how to eat for optimum health and fitness. In fact, I thought…
-
Why Yoga?
Whether you want to be flexible or not, stretching is essential for everyone of all ages. I obviously learned this when studying to become a personal trainer, but, I admit, I didn’t implement stretching in my routines as much as I was supposed to. However, after eight years of bodybuilding and limited to no focus on stretching, my body eventually screamed for me to become flexible. I had developed a nagging tight hip flexor, tight shoulders, tight hamstrings — everything was tight. And not in a sexy way, but in an injuriously tight muscles sort of way. Overlooking flexibility meant I wasn’t as fit as I appeared to be. To gain more…
-
Handstand Progress
I can finally get up into a handstand on almost every attempt. Mind you, I can’t hold for long, but it’s progress! Again, I’m learning completely on my own. My teachers are a book, Overcoming Gravity, and YouTube. SylviaAs an athlete for over 18 years and a broke single mom for most of that time, I created this site to aid not only broke single parents to a life of fitness, but anyone who believes the road to fitness requires a lot of cash or time. In reality, the way to fitness is paved with knowledge and firm principles; teaching readers how to master both is the goal of this…
-
4 Rules to Pull-Up Mastery
Mastering pull-ups is difficult for everyone. Some people even have it on their bucket list. That’s a bit dramatic. But I get it. I felt like I was going to pop a blood vessel when learning the movement. While this exercise is difficult for both men and women, women cite more difficulty with it. Part of this might be a general lack of upper body strength in women, but I think the biggest barrier is a lack of dedication to the exercise. Pull-ups just aren’t a standard “women’s exercise.” Many women may want to do the exercise, but after tasting the difficulty of it (as both genders do), they resign to the…
-
Are Body Comparisons Your Doom?
I strongly believe that setting the goal to look like someone else, whether it’s just arms, legs, abs, or another person’s whole body, is a doomed prospect. Everybody is unique, so setting the goal to look like another person is illogical. Life isn’t a Disney movie: you’ll never magically turn into someone else. Here are some examples of why comparing yourself to another makes no sense. Ever get your hair styled like a celebrity? Did you look like the celebrity afterward? I’m 99% sure that you didn’t. Example two: clothing. Take one look at a party of bridesmaids. They are all often wearing the same thing, but, believe me, they…
