Anaerobic sprinting types of exercise – running, cycling, swimming, cross country skiing – are shown by medical researchers to make the body produce significant amounts of anti-aging growth hormone.

It’s no secret that several well-known entertainers take growth hormone (GH) injections for its body fat cutting, muscle toning, youth rejuvenating properties, but there can be serious side-effects from GH injections.

Unquestionably “natural,” home-made, and free

Natural is always best. And producing growth hormone from high-intensity exercise is unquestionably “natural.”

Growth hormone injections are given to children with clinical stature growth problems to help them grow normally. Growth hormone does not make adults grow taller.” For middle-age adults, GH can reverse several measurable clinical factors of the middle-age bulge – officially named “the somatopause” by researchers.

The middle-age somatopause is signified by energy decline, weight-gain (around the middle, and hips), loss of muscle, and wrinkled skin after the age of 30.

Researchers report;

“Aging is often associated with a progressive decrease in the volume and, especially, the intensity of exercise. A growing body of evidence suggests that higher intensity exercise is effective in eliciting beneficial health, well-being and training outcomes. In a great many cases, the impact of some of the deleterious effects of aging could be reduced if exercise focused on promoting exercise produced growth hormone.“ (“The exercise-induced growth hormone response in athletes,” Godfrey, Sports Med. 2003;33(8):599-613.2003)

Do women get the same benefit as men from high-intensity exercise?
NO!
Women get a better response

Researchers show that women actually get a slightly better growth hormone response from high-intensity exercise than men.

Researchers from the University of Virginia Clinical Research Center conclude; “Gender comparisons revealed that women had greater production rate, and a trend for a greater mass of GH secreted per pulse than men,” (Gender governs the relationship between exercise intensity and growth hormone release in young adults, 2002, Pritzlaff-Roy).

Since researchers show that HGH growth hormone releasing exercise occurs in a linear dose-response to high-intensity training, you should evaluate your current fitness program and ask the question, “Am I really training hard, or am I just going through the motions.”   DIRT FITNESS IS HIGH INTENSITY!! 

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Eating gluten free is quite simple because you are eating that which comes from the earth.  Proteins, vegetables, fruits and of course plenty of water provides a constant detoxification of the body.  A good rule of thumb is breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, and dinner as a pauper.  This is simple way to regulate portion control.

Like any other diet it is also important to watch sugar, salt, and fat intake, while selecting gluten free products to satisfy your palette.  We always suggest to our clients to stay away from all substitute bread products and focus on brown rice and sweet potato for good carbohydrates.  Utilizing greens such as kale, spinach, and broccoli will not only boost your energy levels, but are quite satisfying to the appetite.  Finally, select clean proteins such as chicken, fish, or beans.  A good protein source is critical to our bodies especially to those who engage in an active exercise program.  One of the biggest benefits of eating gluten free unanimously is no longer being bloated.  Losing weight, gaining energy, and not feeling bloated, one might think going “gluten free”is the miracle diet we have all waited for.

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Food labels are required on almost all foods, except those that don’t provide many nutrients such as coffee, alcohol and spices. Although some restaurants provide information about the food they serve, they aren’t required to have labels. The FDA recommends that sellers provide nutritional information on produce, meat, poultry and seafood, but it’s strictly voluntary.

At the top of a label under Nutrition Facts, you’ll see the serving size and the number of servings in the package. The rest of the nutrition information in the label is based on one serving. In this example, one cup is designated as one serving, and the package contains two servings.

That means that if you eat the whole box of macaroni and cheese, you are eating two servings, not one, so you will have to multiply the number of calories, fat grams and other nutrients by two to get accurate nutrition information.

Until you become accustomed to reading food labels, it’s easy to become confused. Avoid these common mistakes when reading labels:

A label may say that the food is reduced fat or reduced sodium. That means that the amount of fat or sodium has been reduced by 25% from the original product. It doesn’t mean, however, that the food is low in fat or sodium. For example, if a can of soup originally had 1,000 milligrams of sodium, the reduced sodium product would still be a high-sodium food.

Don’t confuse the % DV for fat with the percentage of calories from fat. If the % DV is 15% that doesn’t mean that 15% of the calories comes from fat. Rather, it means that you’re using up 15% of all the fat you need for a day with one serving (based on a meal plan of 2,000 calories per day).

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that the amount of sugar on a label means that the sugar has been added. For example, milk naturally has sugar, which is called lactose. But that doesn’t mean you should stop drinking milk because milk is full of other important nutrients including calcium. What you can do is look at the list of ingredients. If you see the words high-fructose corn syrup or sugar high on the list of ingredients, it probably means refined sugar has been added to the product.

A common mistake people make, especially with packages dispensed from vending machines, is to assume that a small item contains one serving just because the package is small. If you eat a bag of pretzels from a vending machine, for example, you may find that it contains 2.5 servings. So you need to multiply the numbers by 2.5 to figure out how many calories and the amount of sodium and other nutrients you are eating.

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DIRT Fitness is the only fitness program in Boca Raton, Florida to offer the Cardio GX system, a group exercise solution that enhances the training experience between instructors and their class participants. Cardio GX displays individual heart rate data onscreen, motivating members to exercise at the right intensity and get the most out of their workouts

“Through the use of Cardio GX, our group exercise classes will be taken to a higher level, offering a more dynamic and interactive experience for our clients,” said Kelli Musa, Co-founder of DIRT Fitness.

Cardio GX eliminates the guesswork – participants can see accurate, real-time information about their performance levels, rather than using perspiration or breath control to judge exertion and instructors can personalize and accurately evaluate each participant, helping them achieve optimal results.

So, how does it work? Participants will quickly and easily enter individual fitness information that will display onscreen throughout the session.  This live data – which includes beats per minute, percentage of heart rate max. and intensity zones – appears onscreen at all times, in the context of others in the class.  Cardio GX provides constant visual feedback, which motivates participants to push themselves or ease off accordingly to achieve personal goals.

“Cardio GX is going to transform our already unique program into an exciting environment that further promotes a sense of competitiveness among our participants,” said Anna Delgado, Co-founder of DIRT Fitness. “The Cardio GX allows everyone, from beginner to advanced athlete, to work at their own level, while encouraging them to do their best.  When the class is over, participants will leave with a real sense of accomplishment and renewed commitment to meeting their fitness goals.”

“Our goal, at DIRT Fitness is to train the body to perform at its most efficient level by constantly challenging our systems. The Cardio GX system is a great companion to our program and we are excited to be the only ones in the area to offer it to our clients,” stated Musa.

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TO CLAIM YOUR FREE WEEK: Use our contact form, type FREE WEEK in the subject line and tell us why you want a FREE WEEK of DIRT FITNESS CLASSES.  It’s that simple (don’t forget your phone number).  All fitness levels are welcome as we have a class that can accomodate the most intense to the beginner.  Don’t be shy, come and GET DIRTY with the best fitness team in South Florida.

561-447-0505    Boca

305-799-3070   Delray

THE BENEFITS OF PUSHUPS

One of the best workouts that tones and strengthens the upper body is pushups. The benefits of push-ups are plentiful. They help keep you fit and healthy. They strengthen your muscles and bones. They create lean muscle mass that raises your metabolism. In a way, pushups are kind of like a miracle exercise. Workouts with pushups are important in order to get a complete upper body workout. Before having a full workout with pushups, it’s a good idea to learn why you should do them. It’s also important to learn how they benefit you and which muscles they affect.

Pushups have been used for exercise and fitness for more years than can be counted. People figured out early on that a pushup workout is very beneficial. So, what muscles do pushups workout? Well, it works out plenty of muscles. Your whole upper body gets affected when you perform a push-ups workout. All of the muscles in your arms get used. This includes the biceps, triceps and forearms. Pushups also help strengthen and tone your shoulders. Strong shoulders and arms help you lift heavier weight. They also help you avoid injury when lifting those weights. Pushup workouts also work out the chest. The chest is sometimes overlooked in exercises. If you don’t incorporate pushups into your routine, you may end up with an underdeveloped chest. Finally, pushups build up the muscles in your upper back. Back muscles are very important as they essentially carry the entire body. Stronger back muscles also help prevent serious back injury. This is important to anyone who does any lifting. That happens to be most of us. Looking back on this, it’s easy to see why pushups have stayed popular for so long. They actively work out many different groups of muscles at once. It’s the easiest way to get a fit upper body. As an added bonus, a pushup workout program doesn’t need any equipment. After all, you’re using your own body as your resistance weight.

One of the biggest organizations that use pushups is the United States army. For the Army Physical Fitness Test that every cadet needs to pass, pushups are mandatory. An army APFT pushup workout strengthens the muscles that all soldiers need to use. The best pushup workout is the one that has as many pushups as possible. You see the quickest results when you perform as many pushups as you can do

561-447-0505    Boca

305-799-3070 Delray

Looks aside, the real problem is the rising risk to your health. Things like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and many more ailments are directly linked to obesity. Even though this may seem like depressing information, it’s really not. All we have to do is flip it on its head to realize the exciting potential in this equation.

If obesity equals disease, then maintaining a normal weight equals good health! That’s something to get excited about and here’s why: You have the power to control your weight! The average weight gain occurs to people who are not paying attention. If you start paying attention and taking small action steps to establish good habits, you will be able to maintain a healthy weight for your entire life! And most likely it will be a healthy long life too!

The Top 5 Weight Gain Traps and How to Avoid Them!

1. Not Moving Your Body Enough. How does this happen? Easy. It’s called desk job, long work hours, no breaks, TV watching, automobiles, and all the other trappings of modern life that keep us from moving our bodies like were designed to do.

The Solution: The simplest and most effective thing you can do is make a commitment to exercise 30 minutes every day, rain or shine (or snow!). Anything that will get your body moving and your heart rate elevated will do the trick. Walking, running, biking, swimming, and even dancing are great examples. Pick something you enjoy. Remember to check with your doctor whenever starting a new exercise regimen.

2. Not Enough Sleep. There have been several studies recently that point to the serious health risks associated with chronic sleep deprivation, including weight gain! We work too many hours, we engage in too many activities, and how do we fit it all in? We just sleep less. If you think you can handle being tired, think again! Your body is paying a greater price than just feeling like a zombie. Not getting enough sleep will cause your body to pack on weight.

The Solution: Just like exercise, make sleep a top priority in your life. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. If you feel good upon waking that’s the right amount for you. If you are dragging through the day you probably need a little more. Some tactics to help make this work:

• Reduce or eliminate caffeine after 2pm as caffeine remains active in your system for 9 hours.
• Try to cut back on work time. By shaving 30 minutes per day you could be adding that to your sleep time instead.
• Cut out unnecessary obligations. Only attend events and activities that you really enjoy.
• Establish a bedtime ritual. 30-60 minutes before sleep time each night do things that help you wind down such as reading, meditating, listening to music, etc. Avoid TV during this time if you can because TV is a stimulant.

3. A Few Too Many Calories. This is where the pounds creep up on us. You don’t have to be pigging out on a daily basis for this too happen. Suppose you eat 100 extra calories per day than what your body burns. If you do this for 35 days straight, you will have gained one pound. Unfortunately, over eating by 100 calories per day is an easy thing to do. So, are we doomed to counting calories? No!

The Solution: Here are a few strategies that will help you eat right amount of calories on average which is all you need to do to maintain a healthy weight:

• Commit to making healthy food choices as often as possible. Fruit should be your snack of choice 90% of the time. Fruit smoothies are excellent for breakfast. At lunch and dinner be sure to include twice as many veggies as the main course. Learn to love your fruits and veggies. They equal pure life!
• Don’t let yourself get too hungry. When you do, that’s when overeating and poor food choices occur.
• When eating high fat or rich foods, be sure to eat slowly.
• Eat only until you are satisfied, not stuffed. Eating slowly will help ensure that you can hear your body’s satiation signals.
• Drink water or lemon water instead of juices and sodas.
• Don’t underestimate this change. It takes real mental commitment, but you will be amazed at how the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the less you will crave junk food.

4. Chronic Stress. Stress is part of life, but too much stress and poor reactions to stress are what cause problems. Chronic stress causes excess production of a hormone called cortisol. This hormone is designed to boost energy levels during times of need, but when there is too much it causes the body to gain weight. The good news is that you can control your level of stress. Here’s how.

The Solution: To lower stress we need calm rather than panic to be our natural reaction to stress. Here are some great strategies that will produce consistent feelings of well-being!

• Medidate each day for 10-20 minutes. Simply focus on your breathing, a simple word, or gradual muscle relaxation.
• Make conscious choices when stress arrives. Examine your habitual reactions to your most common stressors. Make a plan for reacting in a more calm manner in the future. Practice makes habit. Don’t expect perfection immediately. Be kind to yourself.
• Music. Sing, play, dance or simple enjoy listening to some music every day. It’s natures wonder drug for happiness. Take your daily dose.
• Take breaks. During the day take multiple 5 minute breaks to walk away from what you are working on. Close your eyes, relax, stretch, or take a walk around the block. These little breaks will keep tension from building up during the day.
• Listen to positive self-help tapes to remind you to make positive choices when stress arises.

5. Loss of Muscle Mass. As we age, we gradually lose muscle mass over the years. This makes weight gain easier because when you lose muscle mass, your metabolism declines, meaning you need less calories per day. So eating the same as last year will cause weight gain this year. That is unless you do something about it.

 The Solution: It’s simple. Build up your muscles! Does this mean you have to become a body builder? No. But in order to fight the effects of aging, you should do muscle bearing workouts at least 2 times per week. Here are a few ideas:

• Weight Lifting. Check out “The 12 Second Sequence“ by Jorge Cruise for a do-it-yourself at-home workout schedule that can fit into two 30-minute workouts.
• Yoga. Strenuous yoga as featured in videos by Shiva Rea or Baron Baptise are a great way to build muscle while also gaining many other benefits such as balance, flexibility, and sense of calm.
• Isometric weight bearing exercises. These exercises build muscles using only the resistance of your own muscles and body weight. A classic in this genre is “The Miracle 7” by John E. Peterson and Wedie Pett.

The Bottom Line

Weight gain is not inevitable. If you want a healthy body for the rest of your life, well into your golden years, follow these steps. The best advice I can give you is to go slow. Work on one step each week. Establish the habit and then build on that success with another healthy habit the next week. If you have a day where you fall off the program, don’t beat yourself up. Just start again tomorrow. Make your health your #1 priority. Be kind to yourself and enjoy the journey!

Courtesy of LifeLearning.com

The road to weight loss starts with a single pound.  Let DIRT FITNESS help you achieve your goals!

Here are a few tips from Self Magazine.

Avoid dehydration and heat stress
Dehydration reduces exercise performance and increases the risk of heat-related illness. It can cause cramping of the muscles. Make sure you have adequate hydration and sun protection in hot and humid conditions to avoid the risk of injury.

Warm up and cool down
Warming up before exercise helps to loosen muscles, increase blood flow and prepare your whole body for exercise. Cooling down helps the whole body recover from exercise. There is some proof that warming up and cooling down can (slightly) reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Warming up has also been shown to improve performance during exercise.

Suggestions include:

• Warm up gently and slowly for 10 minutes or more before you begin your exercise.
• A light jog that gradually increases in intensity is a great warm-up exercise. Other options include cycling or going for a brisk walk.
• In cooler temperatures, a longer warm-up might be necessary.
• Cool down after sport. This could involve another light jog or perhaps a lighter form of exercise such as slow swimming or cycling.

561-447-0505    Boca

305-799-3070  Delray