Stronger Through Stretching

When training for strength, an equal amount of time lifting weights should be spent stretching and improving flexibility. Besides being able to perform in a full range of motion, this is very important because being flexible improves posture, neuromuscular coordination, muscular balance, mobility, and muscle function. Stretching also reduces soreness of muscles and reduces joint degeneration.Neuromuscular increases are a huge advantage to training because signals reach your brain faster and make you have quicker reactions. By stretching your muscles out, you decrease the risk of injury by reducing stiffness and tension in the tissues. You build strength faster because you maintain increased blood flow and nutrients to the tissues.You can increase flexibility by performing dynamic stretches prior to workouts. Dynamic stretching is moving your body in a similar way that you will be moving during your workout. For example, if you are primarily going to be working on your chest and you plan on performing a chest press, a good dynamic workout would be back slaps. If you plan on working on your legs that day a good stretch would be Frankenstein Kicks. Static stretching should be done after every workout. This is very important to reduce injury and soreness. Static stretches are held for 10-60 seconds each. A couple good stretches are toe touches or spinal twists. It’s a really good idea to consistently stretch throughout the day every day to maintain long term flexibility. You should stretch until you feel mild discomfort but never until the point of pain to reduce injury. Yoga is a great way to incorporate flexibility and strength into your life and it relaxes the mind and body!

helpful apps

My Fitness Pal

It's more than a calorie counter. Enter your weight, height, age, your goal weight, the amount of time you have to reach that goal and start tracking what you eat. The app shows you the amount of sugars, fat, vitamins, protein, etc. that you should be taking in daily and it has almost every food logged in already so you just easily type in what you ate and it logs in all of the nitty gritty stuff for you and it's free! Awesome way to see what you're getting too much of or not enough of and lose those extra pounds. It's so easy and it's another one of those awesome motivators I love <3

If you don't have a smart phone you can get a fitbit from bestbuy with free shipping to the closest store to you, fitbit.com, or 24 hour fitness and it's another great way to track what you're eating. It also tracks your sleep and clips into your clothing to log the steps you take in a day. You just sync it with your computer and it logs everything in there with charts, etc. You can add friends that also have fitbits and compete which makes it even more fun! :)

start climbing!

If you live near any mountains consider yourself lucky and get out there and climb! Is there a more rewarding, beautiful, fun way to burn that many calories? I grew up in Upstate New York and was surrounded by the Adirondack Mountains. Within minutes I was able to find a trail and hike. Pack some food, definitely do not forget your camera, get up there and take in the amazing views! Hiking is a great hobby to have because there are endless amounts of trails so it never gets boring. Even if you choose to hike the same trail throughout the year there's always changes and surprises throughout the season! Make sure you always sign in before you start and tell people where you're going. Never hike alone! Make sure you bring a couple energy bars and stay hydrated!I highly reccommend a back pack with a bladder to store water. They are so convenient and it makes things so much easier. Remember it's a lot colder on top so wear layers and they right hiking shoes are also really important. If it's spring or fall I would try to find out if there's snow on the top because you might want to pack crampons to make it through. Remember a flash light as well and don't wander off the trail if you don't know where you're going. Don't forget bug spray!!

You can find all of the supplies I talked about here:

http://www.ems.com/home/index.jsp

Get out there!

Think outside the box!!! If you have fun when you work out the faster you will see results and the longer you will stay motivated! Being adventerous and having a good time while getting in shape is going to be key in making it a lifestyle not just a phase. Getting in shape and moving does not mean you have to go to a gym and run on the treadmill so you can look at the exact amount of calories burned. If you work out on the same machines every day you're going to get get bored and your body will adapt to those motions and you're going to eventually stop seeing results so get out there and try new things. Rope courses are amazing for balance, core, tons of upper body work, facing your fears, team building, and most importantly challenging yourself! When you finish you feel like you can do anything. This specific rope course shown in the picture was the Adirondack Extreme Adventure Course in Lake George. I highly recommend finding something like it in your area. It's a great way to stay motivated. There are different levels and it's a great way to set goals!

http://www.adirondackextreme.com/

My next challenge. Ropes course in California:

http://www.squawadventure.com/ropes-course?gclid=CPCe3JPa3rACFYQGRQodAVi03A

I will keep you updated on how that goes when it goes down :)