Change Your Body

Posted on Thursday.

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fit-is-my-inspiration:

gonna do this now! does anyone know how many calories does this workout burn?

Posted on Thursday.

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Posted on Thursday.

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muffintop-less:

“You aren’t gonna get a booty like this by sitting on the one you’ve got” - lol I love this saying cuz it always kicks me into gear!
To build a perky, tone butt, you have to put in the work (especially if you’re not gifted with one naturally). Many women mistakenly skip the most important exercises, and instead focus solely on the butt blaster machine and other isolation exercises. Do not leave out the extremely important compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts and lunges!! These compound exercises require not just the glutes, but the activation of the quads and hamstrings as well! Not to mention, compound exercises BURN MORE CALORIES than isolation exercises!
For maximum results, include BOTH compound AND isolation exercises! Start your workouts with a warm-up, then move into the heavy compound exercises. Once you’ve completed those, burn out the muscles using isolation exercises like cable kickbacks =)
Don’t be afraid to go heavy! Women don’t have the levels of testosterone necessary to bulk up like men do… just make sure you are using proper form to avoid injury! =)

Posted on Thursday.

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muffintop-less:

How Hormones Affect Your Sleep
“Leptin and ghrelin work in a kind of “checks and balances” system to control feelings of hunger and fullness, explains Michael Breus, PhD, a faculty member of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and director of The Sleep Disorders Centers of Southeastern Lung Care in Atlanta. Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates appetite, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the brain when you are full.
So what’s the connection to sleep? “When you don’t get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don’t feel as satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food,” Breus tells WebMD. The two combined, he says, can set the stage for overeating, which in turn may lead to weight gain.
Studies: Those Who Sleep Less Often Weigh More
How the hormones leptin and ghrelin set the stage for overeating was recently explored in two studies conducted at the University of Chicago in Illinois and at Stanford University in California.
In the Chicago study, doctors measured levels of leptin and ghrelin in 12 healthy men. They also noted their hunger and appetite levels. Soon after, the men were subjected to two days of sleep deprivation followed by two days of extended sleep. During this time doctors continued to monitor hormone levels, appetite, and activity.
The end result: When sleep was restricted, leptin levels went down and ghrelin levels went up. Not surprisingly, the men’s appetite also increased proportionally. Their desire for high carbohydrate, calorie-dense foods increased by a whopping 45%.It was in the Stanford study, however, that the more provocative meaning of the leptin-ghrelin effect came to light. In this research — a joint project between Stanford and the University of Wisconsin — about 1,000 volunteers reported the number of hours they slept each night. Doctors then measured their levels of ghrelin and leptin, as well as charted their weight.The result: Those who slept less than eight hours a night not only had lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin, but they also had a higher level of body fat. What’s more, that level of body fat seemed to correlate with their sleep patterns. Specifically, those who slept the fewest hours per night weighed the most.” - WebMD

Posted on Thursday.

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muffintop-less:

Why Long Runs Aren’t the Fast Track to Fat Loss:
We’ve long been led to believe that jogging, cardio and aerobics are meant for fat loss, sending people off into the sunset with an unattainable end point. People fail to realize this method may be inherently flawed.
It’s True: long distance runners, particularly professional athletes, don’t have fat weighing down their performance. You also notice they possess little muscle mass as well. Why? The body uses both muscle and fat for long-distance fuel. Over time, distance runners drop overall weight, both muscle and fat.
The kicker: muscle depletion slows the metabolic rate, which ultimately slows down your fat loss!
Here’s a simple illustration: This simple model shows how important lean mass is to the fat-loss equation: Losing 2.2 pounds of muscle burns 100 fewer calories a day. Gaining 2.2 pounds of muscle burns 100 extra calories a day.
Many view running in a short-term window to shift their weight. When their running regimen ends, they revert back to poor eating habits and dormant activity levels, failing to realize it’s impossible to maintain that level of activity and nutrition. Consider what happens when someone sheds a fair amount of weight (including some muscle), stops going to the gym, loses motivation to run, and resumes unhealthy eating. Typically, the weight comes back due to a slower metabolism from the decrease in muscle!
In the end, anaerobic (without oxygen) training through strength and resistance is better for fat loss than aerobic jogging. Anaerobic training speeds the metabolism and keeps - or enhances - lean mass! Long-distance running can lead to fat loss, but it’s not great on its own. Different methods need to be implemented for the 9-to-5 desk junkie living a sedentary lifestyle. Modern living unfortunately doesn’t allow for hours and hours of running. The Fix: Elevate the metabolic rate through anaerobic regimens carried out in short periods of time. Long-distance cardio has various health benefits, but it should be done with less frequency and paired with resistance training.
Switch your next distance run with one of these protocols:
Tabata Training - provides the equivalent of a 40-minute low intensity workout in 4 minutes.
Circuit Training - combines strength and cardio training that normally lasts 30 minutes.
Resistance Training - builds strength, power, tone and endurance with very few exercises.
By Alex CarsonFull Article: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/distance-dilemma-running-and-fat-loss.html

Posted on Thursday.

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muffintop-less:

A basic guide to eating at restaurants. Don’t be fooled by the lingo! Just because it sounds healthy, doesn’t mean it is. I don’t know about other states, but in California by law, restaurants now have to provide a nutrition facts menu. In fact, on most menus, they put the calories right next to the food!! Definitely a good deterrent for eating out lol. But the nutrition facts menu will typically tell you how much sodium/sugar/saturated fat and other macro and micro nutrients are in the food they provide.
Yet another reason to learn how to read a nutrition facts label girlies! <3

I posted this a while ago.. but it popped up on my dash just now so I thought I’d reblog it for those of you who might have missed it the first time around! =)

Posted on Thursday.

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Posted on Thursday.

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Posted on Thursday.

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Posted on Thursday.

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forevertonedandhealthy:

doin thisssssss