Fitness
Reflect and Prepare for Life’s Next Adventure
January 6, 2011 by Ryan Krane · Leave a Comment
Congratulations! At Ryan Krane, Inc. we believe that hard work deserves praise. Take a few seconds right now to reflect back on your work from 2010. With the arrival of the New Year, we need to take a step back from ourselves to acknowledge and truly appreciate our own work. What did you accomplish?
Did you give your all during training?
Spend valuable time with your family?
Meet a new friend?
Reach a new milestone in your business?
Even if the result of one adventure didn’t end as expected, learn to appreciate the journey. Stay motivated to reach your goals—or completely start new goals this year. Never forget that as humans, we’re able to accomplish literally anything we put our minds to. As famed Roman poet Horace used to say, CARPE DIEM! Take advantage of 2011 and do your best!
How to Prepare for the Cold Weather!
November 12, 2010 by Ryan Krane · 27 Comments
Shorter Days and Colder Weather Doesn’t Have to Mean Less Energy
November 5, 2010 by Ryan Krane · 25 Comments
Shorter days and colder weather doesn’t have to mean less energy. In fact, the opposite is true. How? Exercising creates energy. Few things will drain your energy faster than a bad cold or the flu … and few things boost your immune system more than exercising regularly and eating healthy food. Shorter days may create psychological hurdles that make it challenging for you to exert yourself (at least at first), but on the other hand, less exercise will only lead to a weaker immune system, which will inevitably lead to even less energy, creating both psychological and physical hurdles. Add to this trend a bunch of unneeded calories during the holidays and you have a recipe for weight gain, bad habits, more weight gain, and more bad habits. Why put yourself through this?
Don’t let your waist size fluctuate with the seasons. There is no “lazy season” when it comes to your health, well being, and vitality … and if that means working out when it’s dark outside from time to time, so be it. Would you rather the alternative? If you’re serious about living-fit, then changes in the weather are a distant second to the year-long season of fitness.
Keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for tips on exercising in cold weather….
Why Uniqueness and Randomness Pays Off in Fitness
October 22, 2010 by Ryan Krane · 17 Comments
When it comes to fitness, it is very important to change up your work out every few weeks. You don’t want to fall into a pattern where you are repeating the same exercises over and over – your body will get bored(and so will you). Your body is a machine – throughout your lifespan, it’ll continually adjust and adapt to the numerous workout routines that you employ. If you continue running the same routine, your body will see diminishing returns after a period of time because it is too used to seeing the same work out over and over.
This concept carries over to anything in real life. Imagine eating a chicken salad every single day: while it might not seem so bad for the first week or so, you’ll eventually get so sick of it that you won’t be able to stand the sight of another chicken salad. That’s why we as human beings like to eat different kinds of foods – we don’t want to be bored. The same thing goes for your body – don’t fall into the trap of boring yourself. Because if you do, you’ll not only grow tired of the same repetitive routine – your body will see minimal gains. And that totally defeats the purpose of exercise we want to look good, right?!
As an example, I have provided a two week workout routine right here. The great thing is that there are so many different workouts that you can mix and match to form different types of routines – the possibilities are really endless. Another great thing is these exercises can be performed by both men AND women! Don’t know what these exercises are? Simply plug them into Google and you’ll quickly learn how to do each exercise!
Week 1:
Monday:
Squats(or lunges for women): 5 sets of 5
Planks: 5 sets of 5
Bent Over Rows: 3 sets of 10
Seated Dumb-bell Incline Press: 5 sets of 5
Tuesday:
Elliptical HIIT(high intensity interval training): 35 min(this can be adjusted depending on your fitness level)
Wednesday:
Squats(or lunges for women): 5 sets of 5
Planks: 5 sets of 5 Bent Over Rows: 3 sets of 10
Seated Dumb-bell Incline Press: 5 sets of 5
Thursday: Elliptical HIIT(high intensity interval training): 35 min(this can be adjusted depending on your fitness level)
Week 2:
Monday:
Pullups(pullup machine can be used for assistance!): 3 sets of 10
Seated hammer curls: 4 sets of 10 Seated preacher curls: 4 sets of 10
Elliptical HIIT(high intensity interval training): 35 minutes
Tuesday: Barbell Benchpress: 4 sets of 10
Machine Cables: 4 sets of 10
Decline Benchpress Machine: 4 sets of 10
Elliptical HIIT(high intensity interval training): 35 minutes
Wednesday:
Squats: 5 sets of 5
Lunges: 5 sets of 5
Reverse Lunges: 5 sets of 5
This is just ONE example of MANY routines you can switch from. See how easy it is to mix and match? Not only will you keep from getting bored, but your body will reap the benefits! Happy working out!
Eric Siu is the owner of the skincare blog How To Get Rid Of Pimples Fast. He is 24 years old and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. His interests are health, fitness, football, basketball, and poker.
Fitness for Life: A Lifelong, Positive Decision
October 14, 2010 by Ryan Krane · Leave a Comment
You want to be fit, in shape, and love your body. You see other people at the beach who are fit, in shape, and love their bodies. They make it look so easy and you want that for yourself. But where do you start? And why do you want to be fit? Because you want to impress someone? Because you have a wedding or birthday or high school reunion on the horizon?
Fitness is a lifelong, positive decision. Lasting results don’t come about because you want to look good for an occasion. Don’t you want to look and feel good every day?
Being fit is a skill acquired only after years of daily decisions that reflect the goal. A world-class athlete, like Federer, or even a world-class piano player–any skill-set that is far above the average–takes years of dedicated practice. It’s common to forget when watching Federer about all of the years of practice that went into his ability to make it look easy, just as it is easy to forget when you see some one in really good shape that it took years of behind the scenes work to get where they are.
The piano master didn’t roll out of bed one morning with Mozart memorized in his finger muscles–it took years of dedication, which breaks down into hundreds of daily decisions. The same thing is true for Federer, years of dedication brought him to the place he is at today, which meant every day he made positive decisions with that goal in mind. And the same is true for you, once you are serious about getting in shape, and staying in shape, every day you will face forks in the road.
Do I choose my old eating habits or create new ones? Remember, fitness for life boils down to daily decisions. Do I leave the gym early or stay longer? Do I park close by or force myself to walk? Elevator or stairs? Soda or water? Do I split an over-sized meal at a restaurant or force it all down even though the serving is twice what I would make home?
Start today. Write down your lifelong fitness goal and ask yourself, “What can I do differently today in order to help achieve my goal?” Carry that question around with you when you go to school, or work, or out to lunch, or on a date. Get excited about this journey of new decisions. Your entire world can be transformed, but the choice is yours. There is no fast-track to Mozart or Federer, so don’t buy into a fast-track for fitness. Your health is yours to maintain, and your body is yours to sculpt. But results start in the mind, not the muscle. Control your mind and transform your body. Question your auto-responses–what you automatically eat, what you automatically read, watch on TV, or think about. See yourself as someone on track to becoming fit for life; on track to inspiring transformations in others.
Can you see yourself as fit for life? What are you going to do about it today?
How To Burn Extra Calories During Your Treadmill Workout
October 3, 2010 by Ryan Krane · Leave a Comment
Heart Rate. First of all, you want to make sure you maintain your target heart rate during your work out. See my article, “How and why to check your heart rate” for more details. This involves checking your heart rate throughout your time at the gym. Fortunately, it’s easy to do, and informs you of when you should slow down or pick up the pace.
Start Slow. Jumping on the treadmill and starting at top speed is a quick road to an injury. And it’s tough to burn calories when you’re injured. Get your blood circulating before excessively exerting yourself by starting off slow with a five minute walk.
Increase Speed. Slowly work up the speed for ten minutes of vigorous walking.
Incline Posture and Balance. Be conscious of your posture as you maintain your target heart rate, remaining upright as you incline the treadmill one percent at a time. Your hips should be over your ankles and your shoulders should be over your hips. Don’t bend over or lean too far back. Don’t increase the incline until you have adjusted to the speed. Remember, you burn more calories at low speeds because your momentum isn’t helping you along, so each step requires more energy … or in other words, burns more calories!!!
Alternate the Incline. High quality treadmills will offer programs to simulate hills and other terrain, or you can simply alternate 5 minutes of incline and 5 minutes of no incline. Keep in mind that too much incline (more than 6 percent) can place strain on the ankles, hips, and back.
Cool Down. Level the treadmill and slow down to your warm up speed for at least five minutes of controlled walking and breathing.
Stretch. It’s good for the joints, keeps you flexible, and nurtures your optimum range of motion–so when finally bring that treadmill to a halt … don’t forget to stretch!
(Advisory: certain medications can effect your target heart rate, if you take medication, always consult your physician before starting a workout routine).
Tennis and Weight Loss
September 30, 2010 by Ryan Krane · 2 Comments
The following is a guest blog post from Chris @ howtoloseweighthealthy.com:
Tennis can be a lot of fun and can keep a player physically fit. Additionally, tennis can help you lose weight. Before getting into the details on how playing tennis can help you lose weight let us first discuss when a person gains or loses weight.
When we eat, the calories from food are being converted to energy so the body can perform its physiologic functions as well as other activities that are part of daily living. However, if we take in too much calories and at the same time live a sedentary lifestyle, the calories are converted to reserved energy (also known as body fat) and deposited in the fatty tissues for future use. This body fat greatly contributes to the ability of a person to gain weight and also looks not as aesthetically pleasing. However, when physical activities that require effort are performed, the body will be working harder to convert these body fats to energy so the person can efficiently perform the tasks, thus a person loses weight when working out.
According to fitness experts, an effective workout activity doesn’t only burn calories but it is also something that is enjoyable as well. Come to think of it, a workout will be considered a chore if a person finds it boring and unchallenging, which is the reason why more and more people drop out from gym or fitness classes. On the other hand, a fitness activity that interests a person is considered recreational thus people are able to burn more calories because they keep on coming back. That’s the reason why fitness experts recommend fun activities for weight loss like dancing, yoga, and sports.
Tennis is a great calorie-attacking sport that allows a person to burn 326 calories/hr for doubles and 469 calories/hr for singles. This sport burns a good amount of calories because it requires a lot running, jumping, skipping, hopping, tossing, and hitting. Since this sport requires both the upper and lower body to work, it’s one of the best sports that is recommended if you want to shed off those excess pounds at an accelerated rate.
Playing tennis also contributes in creating lean and toned muscles because it requires both strength in hitting the ball and agility as the player runs and jumps. Additionally, since muscles burn calories faster than fats, tennis allows the player to lose weight faster than going through workout machines.
Tennis is also a great aerobic exercise. This means that when a person plays tennis, the oxygen system is improved and the heart gets some exercise as it pumps faster in a short period of time. Also, according to the principles of indirect calorimetry, oxygen plays a major role in burning calories, so you lose weight as your oxygen level improves.
Because of all these reasons, playing tennis is like working out on several exercise machines all at once. Thanks to tennis, Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova, and Maria Kirilenko look so stunningly sexy and James Blake, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal have lean and well-toned abs.
Author bio: Chris maintains a weight loss blog where he explains how to lose weight using natural methods and techniques. Sports and especially tennis are some of the best ways to lose weight fast and enjoy it at the same time.
Redefine Your Limits: Start Preparing for the 2011 Tennis Season Today
September 24, 2010 by Ryan Krane · Leave a Comment
Don’t wait around for another New Years resolution. Start off the season in peak form. Prioritize your workout so that you strengthen your game, stamina, and overall health. And what better way to stay in shape through the holiday season? …
Workout tips for tennis season:
–core strength training to build your source of power
–strengthen shoulder and rotator cuff to prevent injuries
–build cardio stamina by running on the treadmill or around town
–chase down more balls by practicing sprints and leg lifts
–MOST IMPORTANTLY: you need a healthy, well-balanced diet
(See earlier article: “Competition Nutrition”)
Lastly, you never want to leave the gym thinking to yourself, “That was an easy workout.” If it was easy, it wasn’t a workout. As you get more in shape (and work to stay in shape) you need to adapt your standard workout so that you are constantly pushing and redefining your limits.
Treadmills: Dangers & Assets
September 10, 2010 by Ryan Krane · Leave a Comment
For many, treadmills have been a lifesaver. Not everyone can make the time to run on the beach, or around a track, or around town… Top-quality treadmills make this possible through programs that simulate natural terrain. But not all treadmills yield the same results, and with all treadmills, there are universal dangers and assets to be aware of before making a purchase or committing to a particular gym membership.
DANGERS: Did you know about 25,000 children end up in the ER every year from injuries related to exercise equipment? Most of these injuries are burns caused by children who gain access to treadmills. The problem is so prevalent that the Australian government has launched a campaign called “Kids and Treadmills Don’t Mix!”
The solution: when not in use keep exercise equipment locked up and unplugged, don’t bring your children to the gym, know where your children are; and, when you’re working out, position the treadmill so you can see when some one enters the room (especially if you are wearing headphones!).
-Support: be sure the surface is not too soft or too hard.
-Size: be sure the belt is not too narrow or too short.
-Variety: be sure there are a variety of programs to choose
-For example: interval training, mountain running, sprints…
Keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for an article on how to burn extra calories during your treadmill workout…
Obesity: Many Causes, Simple Solutions!
September 4, 2010 by Ryan Krane · 5 Comments
Obesity rates continue to grow in the United States, especially among children and adolescents, and a lot of people are asking why. The biological answer is that more and more people are eating high-calorie foods without getting enough exercise to burn off the calories. But why are people eating so much? Stress, boredom, spending too much time sitting down, depression, lack of sleep, and loneliness can all lead to bad eating habits. And, of course, happiness can lead to overeating as well. Once the weight is put on, over time the body adjusts to the greater weight, and that’s when you can start to feel hungry long after the body is nourished … and that’s when the weight gain spiral can take over….
The latest research points to hormones as one cause for out-of-control appetites.Ghrelin and leptin are known as “hunger hormones.” They work together to help you stay at your current weight and keep you from losing fat. In other words, when you’re in shape, they help keep you in shape. But what about when you put on a few pounds (or a few more than a few)? What about people who have never been in shape before?…
Understanding how hormones effect your appetite is one step closer to overcoming their tendency to feed the brain bad or unproductive advice.
Ghrelin’s job is to make you feel hungry. The problem is that when you lose weight and try to keep it off, ghrelin levels often rise instead of responding to the lower weight, as if it wants the excess fat back. Ghrelin tells the brain: “You never used to feel satisfied from such a small meal, you need more food!” Leptin levels, do the opposite and switch the appetite off. The only problem is that many overweight people have developed a resistance to leptin, and even when leptin works to suppress the appetite, they still feel hungry. Leptin tells the brain: “You’ve eaten enough, you can put the fork down!” … but the message gets drowned out by the ghrelin hormone’s tempting, unproductive, and dangerous advice that it feeds the brain.
So far, scientists struggle to find ways to balance or predict these hormones, which is all the more reason why lose-weight-quick-and-easy diet schemes always fail in the long term. The only long term solution is for the mind to overcome the body’s unhealthy desires; it is the only lasting transition into fitness. This requires both personal dedication and a system of support, whether a spouse, a good friend, or a certified nutritionist and personal trainer….
