Stretch Your Mind – Stretch Your Body

Top 10 Reasons to Stretch

by:  Hannah Henley, Andi Messenger, Ali Nakvinda, Korey Floyd, Carli Jones, Kaleb Gaylord

1. Keeps You Loose to Move – Stretching decreases muscle tension and increase range of motion, which is super important in our society of sitting. Everyday activities become more doable and enjoyable when there is less pain and resistance eliminated by stretching.
2. Stretching Once a Day Keeps the Dr. Away – A flexible muscle is less likely to become injured with sudden movements. Flexibility helps with balance and joint resistance that can build up from lack of motion due. Flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors and muscles attached to the pelvis relieve stress on the lumbar spine reducing your risk of low back pain and injury.
3. Sore Be Gone – After a hard workout or a day of saving the world it helps keep muscles loose reduce the tightening effect that leads to post work aches and pains.
4. Straight Up Sittn’ – Stretching the muscles of lower back and shoulders keeps the spine straight and maintains better alignment. It also aids in falling asleep, staying asleep and waking up with comfort.
5. Don’t Stress Out… Stretch Out – Well stretched muscles hold less tension that can build up from everyday life situations. Less stress in the body also reflects with less stress in the mind. Stretching before bed (or anytime of day) is a very beneficial practice that helps with sleep.
6. Stretch Harder; Go Father – Flexible joints and muscles require less energy to move through an action allowing you to keep endurance up and keep going like the energizer bunny!
7. Better to Be Stretched than Sorry – Stretching prior to work or everyday life allows your muscles to loosen up and be ready for what ever comes your way! Warmed up muscles are less likely to be pulled or cramp up.
8. Yoga Flow = Blood Flow – Stretching increases blood supply to your muscles and joints that constantly flushes new nutrients to those tissues. The blood flow also carries away and cleanses build up of toxins and calcium that cause stiffness and pain.
9. Tune in to Your Body – Stretching creates a mind body connection. Your mind, when stretching is involved, is in awareness of your body’s breath, pain, discomfort and mental determination to overcome the initial resistance that stretching is. It helps you tune in to your body physically and your mind mentally.
10. Get Longer and Look Leaner – Elongating the muscles not only increases range of motion and reduces stress, but overtime it helps the muscles actually look leaner. Removing the tight balls of calcium in the muscles creates smooth muscle fibers that look and feel better!

Now you know why you should stretch, so now let talk about how to. According to ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) a stretching routine should be completed 2-3 days per week to improve and maintain range of motion. Each Stretch should be held to the point of discomfort for 15-60 seconds. While stretching it is important to take deep inhales and exhales to help eliminate some of the acidity created, which is the discomfort you feel in stretching. What specific stretches you do is up to you! Hop into a yoga class; look on Pintrest or YouTube for good yoga and stretch routines if you need ideas. Do your body, mind and overall self some good and get to stretching!

Image credit to Trainer Academy: https://traineracademy.org/

References

Exercise, A. C. (2014, October 07). Top 10 Reasons to Stretch. Retrieved from ACE: https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/5107/top-10-reasons-to-stretch

by: Gabe Lay, Dillion Smith, Rodney Walker, and Nathan Clark

Fitness Motivation: Do You Have it or Lack it?

Going to the gym should be easy, right? It is one of the best ways to take ourselves and ensure longevity and ease of everyday living. Unfortunately for most people, getting in a workout is a hard sell. There is often one or multiple variables, such as work, school, or other passions and pursuits that stop people from doing this one critical thing, which could literally save their lives. It may sound dramatic in those terms, but it is the undeniable truth. As of writing this blog, our own team members have encountered instances of demotivation ourselves and wanted to provide some insight and wisdom for overcoming the lack of motivation for exercise that plagues so many of us. Here are some of our tips:

1. Drink More Water: This may seem like an obvious thing to suggest to anyone, but it is often overlooked, especially as a means to improve training regimens. The important thing to keep in mind here is that our bodies are around 60% water. It makes up the majority of a person, so it is vitally important to drink enough. Without it, it is easy to feel sluggish, sick, exhausted, and completely demotivated. We suggest making drink breaks a part of your daily routine, to ensure that the water intake is adequate. Everyone is different, but the general recommendation is eight, eight-ounce glasses of water per day, which is commonly referred to as the 8×8 rule, and is equivalent to about two liters
2. Schedule the Exercise: Here is another recommendation that seems so simple, yet is so easy to break. Most of us live by our schedules. You never miss school, work, or social obligations because you just weren’t feeling it, so why do that with exercise? Our recommendation is to put a workout period in with your daily or weekly planner, and make a vow to stick to it. It may be hard with other responsibilities throughout the day, but you deserve to not be too busy to get three to four hours a week to yourself. You owe it to your body’s physical and emotional wellness to plan out the workout, and stick to the schedule.

3. Find a Mode of Exercise that Suits You: It is entirely understandable that exercise is NOT everyone’s thing. It’s nothing to be ashamed of if that describes you, but it is still vital to get daily activity. Our advice here is to find something active that you like to do. Typically speaking, most people view exercise as a bunch of sweaty, jacked dudes in the gym, yelling about their sweet overhead press. In reality, that is not the case. Some of your favorite, underutilized activities may actually be exercise or something that could have exercise applied within it. This could be recreational activities, like dancing, mountain biking, kayaking, etc. If that isn’t your thing, you could also apply physical activity to something that it is not often associated with. A good example of this is LARPING, or live action role playing. Essentially a group of people envision a fantastical world, where factions are at war, and they simulate these with fabricated weapons, providing themselves with a good amount of activity, while simultaneously doing something they love.

By: Hannah Henley, Andrea Messenger, Korey Floyd, Ali Nakvinda, Carli Jones, & Kaleb Gaylord

It’s A Relationship

It is weird to think of dating exercise… but with a little stretch of the imagination, it is really what it is! It is so important to establish a good relationship with your physical activity that can last you a lifetime. Any spectrum of over and under training can hurt you mentally and physically. This post is to help you identify your current exercise relationship status and how to form a lasting and happy relationship for the future.

Which sounds the most like you?

The Clingy One

There is a fine line between self-discipline and obsession. The clingy exercise relationship is characterized by obsessive tendencies that can lead to anxiety when not followed.

“I was definitely the clingy one at one point. I was obsessive, never missed a workout and had extreme anxiety if I wasn’t able to exercise or stay on my strict regimen. At the time I thought it was healthy for me. But by the time I realized I had a clingy problem, I did not know how to stop and ended up suffering physically with tendonitis and muscle breakdown and depression,” says Hannah Henley CPT.

This type of relationship often leads to overtraining physically and mentally and if not stopped can lead to absolute extremes of anxiety, control and depression.

It must be stated again. Say there is a huge difference between discipline and obsession. Discipline is doing what is healthy for your body in the present moment and is being flexible. Obsession is anxiety of not being in control and doing what you think is healthy despite physical signs you shouldn’t and change or deviation from your plan that also causes massive anxiety and fear.

How clingy one is has a lot of variance and can develop many different ways. Ones’ relationship usually does not start out so rigid. In the fitness world, the concept of more is better is constantly thrown in your face. More reps, more steps and more calories burned; you are in a constant competition with yourself and others. But, in reality, this concept does not fit with exercise and believe it or not, can make exercise bad for you and health unattainable.

This type of relationship with exercise changes health from being a good and enjoyable part of your life, to feeling more like a prison.

A clingy relationship with exercise is more of a common struggle than you realize. If you are reading this and haven’t experienced this type of relationship, it may be hard to understand how someone can think like that. But if you are relating even a little, know that there are those who empathize with your struggle and that there is hope.

I believe the key to overcome this type of relationship is the right mix of compassion and the rest component of health. Showing compassion takes the focus off yourself and puts you in a place of giving, while proper rest renews your mind and body.

The Cheater

Yes, it is hard to identify with that label, that word is a bit harsh; but rest in knowing everyone is in this relationship dynamic at some point.

How many times do we look for the next health kick, diet fad, or resolutions that will get us to our picture of health the fastest?

“I don’t know how many times I told myself I was going to “get healthy” or “not eat sugar” for it to only last maximum of 3 days. I was constantly looking for the quick fix to health. In reality however, that is cheating and often any results are temporary,” Andi Messenger a Kinesiology Student at UCO.

By the way, most of those diet fads or exercise trends are not a good way to establish a good life long relationship with exercise say Dr. Sheri Samsoss, a community and health specialist at the University of Montana.

“Growing up all the way to the age of 15, I was morbidly obese. My picture of health, at that time, was being a swimsuit model, eating like a rabbit, and being a gym rat 24/7. Looking back now I see I was so wrong.”

So many people like the idea of “healthy” but not so much the work that can come with it and often lean toward “quick fixes”.

“I hated gym class and was terrified of working out in front of people, so I thought exercise would not get me there very fast. I knew next to nothing about nutrition, but to me, eating like a rabbit sounded pretty miserable. During one of my routine afternoons of TV watching, I saw commercials for magical diet pills and just knew that they were going to get me in shape. So, I wasted my money and bought them and of course they didn’t work,” said an anonymous CPT client of Hannah Henley’s.

Health is not something that has a quick fix. Eating right and exercising is not on the Cheater’s radar because it would take too long.

There are also those who don’t do what it’s going to take because they misunderstand what health really is. It is not being a swimsuit model or eating like a rabbit all the time and exercising 24/7. Health is having the right balance of exercise, nutrition, rest and compassion for yourself and others. Believe it or not, it is enjoyable!

Yes, exercise is a part of health, but you do not have to live your life in the gym. Some days you might eat like a rabbit and some days you might eat 4 doughnuts and 2 plates of fajitas and a large pizza. (Maybe that is a little dramatic, but you get it) A healthy diet is listening to your bodies needs and not categorizing foods as good or bad or being overly restrictive. Rest is also a main part of health. Rest can come in so many forms: travel, painting, music, hiking… Lastly is compassion.  Many take the quick fix to health often because they believe they are not capable or good enough as they truly are. They think that if they are that picture they have in their minds that somehow, they are worthier of people’s time. The compassion aspect of health is making those good choices for your mind and body because you are already WORTHY and WORTH IT.

Once you understand health, you realize you can’t cheat your way to health. Health is enjoyable and all you do is make the best choice for yourself in the present moment. You can’t cheat the system, it’s about the process in between.

Single and Ready to Mingle

Not exercising is a relationship status too! There are so many reasons why people don’t: lack of time, place, injury, self-confidence. They don’t know how to, where to begin, or even the struggles they may face along the way. Regardless the reason, some people don’t exercise.

ACSM’s Exercise for Older Adults by Chodzko-Zajko states that we cannot afford to stop moving.  Yes, this textbook is about aging, but research supports that individuals at age 70 who are trained can be as fit as a 30-year-old untrained individual.  Exercise has been shown to decrease many cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal diseases (and can maybe even reverse some), decrease depression and stress, increase energy throughout the day, weight loss, and even help you sleep better, just to name a few.

The task of beginning an exercise routine can seem very daunting. What’s important to remember is start small! Don’t overwhelm yourself. Anything is better than nothing. Maybe a 30 minute walk a few times a week or pop into a group fitness class at your local gym. And you can always ask a professional.

Small steps matter too!

You’re True Love

A healthy relationship with exercise is a balance between challenge and enjoyment! A good exercise routine is one that you will stick with for a lifetime.

A well-rounded exercise routine should include an activity that gets your heart rate pumping and also a recovery activity with a little stretching.

Once you find the routine that works for you, it’s okay to change it as your lifestyle changes. And you’ll often find that once you find the exercise routine that works for you, you love the benefits of the results and endorphins so much it starts to not feel like a chore as much as it does in the being. Then it’s fun to try new types of movement and make new challenges for yourself.

A true love relationship with exercise looks like a balance of work, recovery, flexibility and enjoyment.

Conclusion 

Maybe you identify with the types above, maybe you don’t. But a relationship with exercise is not about fitting it into a category, it’s about fitting enjoyable and beneficial movement in your life. So, get out, get moving and Be Broncho Fit!

References

Chodzko-Zajko, W. J. (2014). ACSM’s Exercise for Older Adults. Baltimore: Wolters Kluwer | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

by James Vaughn

Exercising alone can be hard enough. Half the battle is getting to the gym. Then once you are there you have to navigate all of the machines and equipment that seem foreign to you. On top of that you have to worry about your own workout and not focus on anyone else. But unfortunately exercise alone isn’t the key to total health and wellness. Combined with a proper diet, the health benefits of any exercise will increase exponentially! Dr. Shawn Talbott, a nutritional biochemist, states that “as a rule of thumb, weight loss is 75% diet and 25% exercise.”[1] This is a pretty significant portion of anyone’s weight loss journey. That number goes to show that we need to focus our time equally on how well we are eating and fueling our bodies to efficiently burn calories and reduce fat. The biggest part of eating right is learning to count calories of food intake and balancing macronutrients such as protein, carbs, and fats. But how exactly do we do that? To start there are several apps out that can calculate your daily caloric goal and count how many macros you are consuming. My Fitness Pal is one that can calculate these macros and calories and also adjust your goal depending on the amount of exercise you are doing. The National Institute of Exercise and Medicine gives a general guideline of 5 to 12g per kg of body weight for carbs, 1.2 to 1.8g per kg of body weight for proteins, and about 20g per day for fat.[2] Once again this is just a general recommendation and not specific for every individual. Depending on what your fitness goal is, your calorie count and macro count will be higher or lower. But how does anyone that lives a normal life and doesn’t worship the gym hit these macro goals? A strategy that many people use is meal prepping. This involves planning out your meals based on your calorie and macro goals. Once you know these numbers then you cook the meals entirely and portion them out in containers. This takes the guesswork out of your meals and allows you to control how much you are eating. Meal prepping takes time but is very well worth it if you are serious about your fitness goals. There are also meal delivery services and businesses that will meal prep for you. This is a costly option but if you are constantly on the go and do not have time to do it yourself then this may be a good option to consider. As you can see throughout this article diet is just as important part of your health and wellness journey. This deserves a lot more consideration and should be a priority in your life. Just remember that you can’t out exercise a bad diet!

[1] O. (2017, December 07). Is Exercise Or Diet More Important For Weight Loss? Here’s The Truth. Retrieved March 29, 2018, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/30/exercise-vs-diet-for-weight-loss_n_5207271.html

[2] Manore, M. M. (2005). Exercise and the Institute of Medicine Recommendations for Nutrition. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 4(4), 193-198. doi:10.1097/01.csmr.0000306206.72186.00

03.15.2018

By: Kyle Dale, Dayne Sommer, Breion Young, Melinda Murillo, Casey Wissinger

Keywords: Circuit, physical fitness, cardiorespiratory, training

What is Circuit Training?

Circuit training is a form of training that requires the body to engage in endurance and high intensity resistance training. It is performed by having a set of stations, made up of different exercises, which could be with weight or body weight. It is performed at each station with short intervals of performing the exercise (usually 30 seconds) and short rest periods in between as well.

Why Do Circuit Training?

Circuit training is a very popular and very successful form of exercise. It improves muscular endurance, strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness. It can improve someone’s overall health, help with weight loss, and increase mobility, and it does not take very long to do so! Don’t like to or have problem using weights? Not a problem because circuit training can be done with just your own body weight! With that being said, you can modify any exercise you are doing to make it more suitable. You can choose whatever part of the body you would like to focus on and incorporate a circuit workout to fit that focus! A circuit workout can last anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes or even less, so it is easy to sneak a circuit in during your lunch hour!

References

Shmidt, D., Anderson, K., Graff, M., & Strutz, V. (2016). The effect of high intensity circuit training on physical fitness. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 56(5), 534-540.

03.13.18

By: Kyle Dale, Dayne Sommer, Breion Young, Melinda Murillo, Casey Wissinger

Keywords: Lower body, Upper body, Strength, Resistance training, Muscle

In this field we all know that guy that starts and ends the week doing nothing but upper body exercises. Neglecting the legs because they’re not the “show muscle” as we like to call them. Growing up, my favorite cartoon character had the arms and chest of a Greek God so that is what we all wanted to look like. Now that I am older I realize that the most important movements are movements involving the lower body. For fitness and performance, developing your lower body can have positive affects overall.

Lower body exercises can enhance overall muscle growth.

Squatting can help with your abdominal muscles and back if performed correctly.

Lower body strength has a correlation with overall strength. As your lower body strength increases so, will your abdominal strength. The strength of your abdominal core will aid in overall strength development.

You will burn more fat!

The muscles in your legs are some of the largest muscles in your body. When worked out body temperature is increased and depending on intensity, it will continue to be high after the workout for that current amount of time.

The Hormones

The one hormone our muscles need is testosterone. Your body can naturally produce testosterone and performing high intensity lower body exercises can increase the count. As by how much depends on the individual.

References:

Effect of Lower-Body Resistance Training on Upper-Body Strength Adaptation in Trained Men. Bartolomei, Sandro 1,2; Hoffman, Jay R. 1; Stout, Jeffrey R. 1; Merni, Franco 2

Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 32(1):13-18, January 2018.

03.07.2018

By: Kyle Dale, Dayne Sommer, Breion Young, Melinda Murillo, Casey Wissinger

Keywords: HIIT, Exercise, Fitness, Training, Workout

 What is High Intensity Interval Training?

High intensity interval training (or HIIT Training) is a very popular way to get a good workout in fast! HIIT Training involves combining many movements and very little rest into your workout program. HIIT movements can be anything you like ranging from body weight movements like push-ups and sit ups to weight bearing exercises such as squats and dumbbell curls. HIIT can even be incorporated into cardio sessions with sprint intervals between periods of “active rest” like walking or jogging slowly. HIIT training in the most basic form is working really hard for short bouts with short amounts of rest in between. In the image below, there is an example of a very quick, and very beneficial HIIT workout that does not require any equipment other that you!

Why HIIT Training?

HIIT training is a great way to exercise, especially if you’re on a time crunch. An average HIIT session will last about 30 minutes, and you’ll get a great workout in during that time.  It also has great health benefits for all ages! The main benefit you’ll see from this type of training is an increase in your cardiovascular functioning; however, you can also see increases in your muscular strength and endurance as well! It is also proven to lower high blood pressure, reduce body fat, help raise your HDL (the good cholesterol), and lower the risk of conditions like diabetes.

So Many Variations

Another great thing about HIIT training is that you can change it up in so many ways. You can mix up the exercises you do, the reps you do of each exercise, and you can change the weights for each exercise. If you decide you want to do it for time instead of reps, you can alter the time at each exercise and the rest period between each exercise as well! HIIT training is a great way to get your workout done, without ever having to worry about being bored with the same old routine!

References

Larkin, M. (2017). HIIT: High-intensity interval training can boost health, well-being: Experts

affirm this training protocol can be adapted for all ages and fitness levels. Journal On

 Active Aging, 16(3), 34-41.