It’s almost bathing suit season and most of us are looking for ways to get rid of a few pounds of fat.  Follow these three steps to make sure you’re ready for the pool parties.

Step 1:  Build Muscle.

The increased calorie burn from building muscle helps you lose more fat than you would otherwise.  The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, even while you are sleeping!  All forms of exercise help build and sustain muscle, but targeted strength-training programs that include calisthenics, weight-lifting and resistance exercises target muscle building more fully.

Every year after the age of thirty people began losing muscle mass.  This loss of muscle results in your body burning fewer calories year after year.  Through strength training and exercise you can keep your metabolism working at youthful levels and keep your body looking and feeling great too.

Step 2:  Add High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

Don’t be scared away by the words “high intensity.”  This trend in exercising has proven to be effective for weight loss. There are levels of HIIT for everyone.   HIIT consists of exercising vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds to raise your heart rate, then resting for 90 seconds.  You can do HIIT in the form of walking, running, biking or any exercise where you can perform intensely for up to 30 seconds, and then slow down to a restful pace for 90 seconds.

Step 3:  Eat More Fiber.

As soluble fiber moves through the digestive track it binds with fats, sugars and toxins and escorts them out the other end, preventing them from becoming absorbed by the body.  Soluble fiber also helps decrease your appetite and lower your cholesterol and blood sugar.  If you want to outsmart fat, concentrate on getting at least 38 grams of fiber per day for a man, and at least 25-30 grams per day for a woman.

Good food sources of fiber include beans, peas, lentils, apples, citrus, oats and flaxseeds.  You can also supplement with fiber.  Natural, quality fiber supplements should be taken before you eat with 16 oz. of water.

Bonus Fat Busters!  Stress Reduction & Sleep

Chronic stress and sleep deprivation can cause cravings for simple carbs like sweets and processed flour.  These simple carbs elevate blood sugars and signal the body to store fat.  Stress hormones, triggered during stressful circumstances, also increase fat storage.

Don’t wait another day!  Call a Gold’s Gym personal trainer today at 770-949-1116  for a FREE health assessment, and ask about creating a Fat-Busting plan customized for your body so you can be ready for summer!

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Exercise Improves Your Mental Health

It’s Wednesday. Historically known as the hump day of the week, it’s all down here towards the weekend. You might have big plans around the Douglasville and West Cobb areas (maybe the rain has ceased for a while?), but today is a great day to work in some fitness, too. There is no need to visit the local happy hour to release your mid-week stress and anxiety. A great fitness program will do that for you – and improve your mental clarity and acuity, too.

The folks over at Greatist recently shared all the ways that fitness and exercise can improve your mental health. Consider these reasons to visit the Gold’s Gym in Chapel Hills, on Hospital Drive or in West Cobb today:

• Exercise reduces stress: Most folks already know that exercise allows you to work out the stress that builds during the day and week. Nothing like jumping, kicking, lifting, and dancing to elevate your mood!
• Exercise makes you feel better about yourself: Doing something for your body also elevates your self esteem and makes you feel good about yourself! A positive mental outlook impacts your sense of worth and can even, according to some studies, alleviate depression. It’s simple, really: you’ll feel better about yourself when you are investing in your health.
• Exercise protects your brain: Articles in both USA Today and Time both share studies that indicate that exercise directly impacts the health of our brains as we age. It’s inevitable that as we age, our brain becomes less flexible, but, Time reports,  ”researchers speculate that consistent exercise, particularly aerobic activities, promotes heart health, which in turn keeps nutrient-rich blood flowing to the brain to nourish neurons.” We don’t know about you, but that sounds like a big reason to get to the gym right away.
• Exercise helps you at work: Study after study indicates that exercise boosts your memory and helps you see things more clearly, and maybe even create new brain cells. Who wouldn’t want that?

Yes, exercise is a great thing for your body, but it’s also a great thing for your mind, too. Wednesday is as a good a time as any to boost your brain! Visit us for your free pass. You’ll be glad you did. If you are already a member of Gold’s Gym in either of the Douglasville, GA locations or the West Cobb location – congratulations! You are on your way to better mental and physical health. We hope to see you today.

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You do have time for fitness with our innovative 30 minute ride class!

Gold’s Gym of West GA, the area’s premiere fitness facility, is offering R30. R30 is your 30-minute cardio workout. Music will make the time fly, and you will feel great working up a sweat! Ride at three main levels of speed, with the ability to increase or decrease the intensity of your own workout. Everything about the bike is adjustable, so R30 can be geared toward your personal level of fitness. The workout consists of 7 different tracks, each with its own energetic song and specific objective:

1. Warm Up – Your workout on the bike begins with the start of fun, familiar music. The comfortable pace of this track gets the legs moving and warms the body. Prepare yourself for 30 minutes of fitness!

2. Surge – Sweat starts here! Rise to the challenge with this high-energy song. The resistance starts to increase, the legs begin to move faster, and the heart rate surges higher. Feel the intensity!

3. Endurance – Shift into a harder gear. The pace comes down as the workout focuses on building strength and burning calories. The high resistance guarantees results for your legs. Feel the heat!

4. Short Intervals – Work hard, and then pull back. Quick bursts of intensity are each followed by a period of active recovery. These intervals will drastically improve your cardio fitness. Each short challenge is a chance to go for it!

5. Power – Push harder at your highest resistance of the day. A strong climb will build stronger legs. Rock out and pedal hard as you feel the power!

6. Rush – Chase down an energy rush as you reach the peak of this cardio workout. This is the time to give it all the speed you’ve got! When you make the final sprint in R30, everyone finishes first!

7. Recover – Reward your body with the recovery it needs. Steady the heart rate and stretch. Your 30 minutes of fitness are done!

Take the first step today! Check out the video, see the fun and sign up for a free pass. You have nothing but weight to lose and your health to gain.

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Olive Oil has been long touted as a healthy dietary fat which may have some health benefits such as lowering the risk of heart disease. But did you know that researchers at the University of California tested 19 brands of olive oil and found that 69 % failed to meet the quality standards for extra virgin olive oil. The test revealed that many products had been heated or refined –a process that degrades beneficial fats and antioxidants. Some olive oils had been blended with cheaper canola, seed or nut oils!

The good news is the study listed Lucero, Corto and Costso’s Kirkland Organic as 100% extra virgin olive oil.

Other great ways to use olive oil-

1. Olive oil also has benefits for hair. Comb a bit of the stuff through dry or frizzy hair to help tame and moisturize your locks, especially in winter or on humid days. Olive oil can also provide some relief for damaged hair.

2. Apply as a moisturizer and rub on your skin after a shower, and to soothe dry lips.

3. Polish furniture, metal and condition leather.Pour just a few drops on a soft cloth, wipe away the dust, scuffs and fingerprints.

4. Try it out on squeaky doors, hinges and anywhere else you might consider using WD-40 or another lubricant.

You may have some other great uses for olive oil. We would like to hear from you.

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In an effort to get out ahead of federal menu-labeling requirements, the McDonald’s menu now includes the calorie count of each item. Do you think that will make a difference in how America orders?

Some regional studies suggest that having nutritional information available when ordering a meal prompts people to buy healthier items. Other studies have found no such change in consumer behavior. After Panera Bread posted calorie counts on its menu boards in April 2010, the company noticed that 20% of customers began ordering lower-calorie items.

Fast Food Trivia Questions-

What was the first fast food chain to open?
Which chain was the first to offer the value menu?
What’s the name of the Taco Bell Chihuahua?
Which Sandwich shop was originally named Pete’s Super Submarines?

Answers: A & W Restaurant, Wendy’s, Gidget, Subway

Now that you know a Big Mac Cheeseburger has 704 calories in it, will you change your order?

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Answer: A lot more than you think.

The calories you eat minus the calories you burn = weight gain, weight loss or maintenance. If you eat more calories than you burn daily you will gain weight. Those calories will be stored in fat cells and weight gain will be inevitable.

The right combination of Diet and Exercise help you solve the weight loss problem. To lose one pound a week you need to burn or expend approximately 3,500 calories. You can do this by:

• reducing your calorie intake by 500 calories every day for seven days or
• burn those 500 calories through daily exercise OR
• a combination of both to reduce your calories by 250 a day, up the exercise to burn another 250.

Constant yo-yo dieting has been proven to work against us over time. The on-again-off again crash dieting causes your body to become unstable and hold onto fat. Eating a more balanced diet and increasing your exercise is a more ideal way to achieve your goal.

Make sure you stay hydrated, drink plenty of water. Keeping your body hydrated helps your body work efficiently.

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Kick Sugar To The Curb

Sugar is addictive, over consumed  it can contribute to weight gain, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, mood swings, and  mental confusion just to name a few.  Did you know sugar stimulates the same receptors in the brain that heroin and morphine stimulate? Yes, that’s why a sugar habit can be so difficult to break.

Here, Dr. Oz reveals easy ways to kick your sugar habit.

 Chromium Polynicotinate

Chromium polynicotinate is chromium bound to niacin (vitamin B3). Chromium plays an important role in insulin’s regulation of blood glucose, and plays a role in energy production. Chromium polynicotinate prevents the spikes and dips of blood sugar. Take 200 mcg once a day at the start of any meal to prevent the sugar surges that often leave you reaching for more sugar later.

 Add Fruit to Your Meals

By adding naturally sweet stuff to your meals, like healthy whole and dried fruit, you can trick your taste buds into thinking they’re getting sweets – shutting down cravings before you reach for dessert. Try adding a spoonful of natural cranberry jam to your turkey sandwiches at lunchtime. Or cut up mango and add it to grilled chicken. You can even throw a handful of raisins into your rice. Use your imagination!

 Dr. Oz’s Half-and-Half Rule

If most of your sugar comes from drinks like soda and juice, dilute it with a half a cup of seltzer. This will immediately reduce your sugar intake by half! Continue to reduce the amount of the sugary drinks you consume as you go and, soon, you won’t even miss them.

 Peanut Butter and Chocolate Combo

This tasty duo will satisfy even the most voracious sweet tooth. Melt a bar of dark chocolate and mix it into a jar of organic peanut butter. Leave it in the fridge so that it cools and the flavors blend. When a sugar craving strikes, have a spoon. One spoonful has 4.5 grams of sugar. Compare this to your average brownie with a whopping 30 grams of sugar, and you’re well on your way to shaking your sugar habit in healthy ways you never thought possible!

Yes, you can!

Sometimes we know what we need to do for our health, but for some reason the less healthy things we’re doing are serving a purpose — like giving us a quick energy fix . Maybe you’re just not ready to make a change. As with any big change we struggle with it at the beginning, and then, just like everything else we set our minds to it gets easier.

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Have you been thinking about becoming a Personal Trainer but don’t know how to get started?  Let us help you.

First, decide if you have what it takes to become a trainer. Successful trainers have a multitude of skills. You should be analytical, patient, nurturing, persistent, organized, an effective motivator and, most importantly, a good listener. You should love working with different kinds of people and be a self-motivator. You don’t have to look like a body builder, but you should definitely lead a healthy lifestyle to be a good role model for your clients.

Get Certified. There are a many certifying organizations, each offering different classes, workshops and exams for getting certified. You’ll want to choose an organization that is nationally recognized and accredited.  At Gold’s Gym we offer a NCCS accredited, NCCPT Personal Trainer Certification on line.

If you want to find out more about this program, email us at goldsgymresults@gmail.com.

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would you still eat it?  What if it laid eggs? Have you ever wondered what really goes into the food we eat? The FDA has established guidelines for a number of contaminants that it will allow in our food supply. Here is an excerpt from a compliance manual. Take a look, you may be surprised what is considered acceptable in that can of tomatoes you just purchased.

Canned Tomatoes – 10 or more fly eggs per 500 grams or 5 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggot per 500 grams, or 2 or more maggots per 500 grams.

Tomato Juice- 10 or more fly eggs per 100 grams or 5 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggot per 100 grams, or 2 or more maggots per 100 grams.

Tomato Puree - 20 or more fly eggs per 100 grams or 10 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggot per 100 grams, or 2 or more maggots per 100 grams.

Paste, Pizza and Other Sauces - 30 or more fly eggs per 100 grams, or 15 or more fly eggs and 1 or more maggot per 100 grams, or 2 or more maggots per 100 grams.

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Yesterday my daughter graduated from college eager to begin her first teaching job.  She is fortunate to have found her calling in life, and knows first- hand the impact teachers can have on shaping the future of their students.

I decided to conduct an informal survey around the gym asking a random sample of people one simple question – “what is the greatest life lesson you learned from your favorite PE teacher?”  Every person I asked smiled warmly at the thought remembering the name, the grade of that teacher, and the life lesson that has stayed with them. Here is a sampling of what I heard:

“Always try your hardest”

“Never give up.”

“Stop talking when I am talking.”

“Your best is never your best”

“PMA – Positive Mental Attitude will get you through life”

“Nobody likes playing with a sore looser”

“Face your fears”

“There are no limits to what you can accomplish”

“ The importance of teamwork”

   “A great teacher can literally change the course of a student’s life”

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

Let me hear from you. What life lesson did your favorite PE teacher instill in you?

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