27 Feb The Power In Strength!
Ahhhh Strength!
Lean, firm, strong, energy producing muscles. I believe it is the key to aging well, fitness in general, weight loss maintenance, a happy, positive mindset, and so much more.
Strength will help you last longer no matter what you’re doing. It’s what helps you maintain fat loss, helps you sleep better, improve motor and cognitive skills, have better balance, stronger bones, and breathe easier. Think about this: having strong back muscles will expand and open the front of your body where your lungs and ribs are… more oxygen means better brain function, blood oxygenation and mental clarity!
Your skeletal system is held up by your muscles. Bad posture, bulging disks, sagging, rounded shoulders, low back pain and neck alignment can all be fixed and maintained with strength in your muscular system. I’m living proof both personally and professionally through clients’ results and testimonies.
Proper strength training for your goals is key. Not the flipping of tires, yanking on ropes, and doing ladder drills and jumping around like you’re going into the military. Nope. That is not where it’s at for proper weight loss and injury free fitness. It’s where too many miss the mark for the results they actually want.
The secret to a tighter, firmer body isn’t in burning off jiggle with cardio – it’s in creating a solid, muscular structure.
Sorry if it sounds like I’m bashing cardio, but if you want to lose the fat on your body and rock your clothes and pop some energy – strength training is where it’s at.
The minute you stop cardio, you stop burning calories. Strength training and building lean muscle however will continue to burn fat hours after the 45 minutes spent in your lift at the gym!
There is no age limit that you won’t benefit from building muscular strength when done properly. Remember, the goal is to not get hurt so you can work out the next day!
Your muscles produce energy when used daily. Energy creates energy. I always notice I feel more ‘tired’ in my body when I can’t get to the gym. After three days of missing my lift I get downright grumpy!
Are you that woman (or man) who doesn’t know how to properly lift and feels intimidated in the weight area? I believe in not wasting my time or that of my clients. Learning the proper ways to use equipment gives you confidence to rock your own workout. It takes time to learn and implement the tools and skills of lifting. I see a lot of people wasting their time with movement and no focus. Focusing and lifting efficiently, and effectively will produce more results.
Your muscles can and want to be used. They can take much more than many realize. However, ease into that. Meet your body where it’s at in your physical level and bump up as you go along. If you are so sore you cannot move for three days afterwards – you did it completely incorrectly for your goals! Plus, you’re more apt to get injuries this way.
Muscles respond quickly and you’ll bump up accordingly until you find your max loads… and that’s where you maintain beautiful, firm muscles!
There are other major, extremely important factors to losing unhealthy fat, strengthening your cells, blood, heart, bones – everything.
Food. I have found that most people are eating completely incorrectly based on misinformation and confusion from the inundation they hear and read about. Food is the FOUNDATION of how to BE healthy…in the true sense of the words. If you are simply thinking you can out-exercise a horrible eating schedule, quality and quantity of foods you are never going to reach the glorious state of truly BEING HEALTHY and aging gorgeously.
Sleep. Like a baby, our bodies want structure! Going to bed the same time and waking up the same time (or close to) is very important. Quality of sleep is key. This ties into the food aspect and what I teach my clients about stopping all food consumption at the right time so they can go into fasting, repair, rejuvenation, autophagy and healing. Losing two hours of sleep for a few days will cause your metabolism to screech to a halt. Lack of sleep will increase cravings for junky foods as well. This increases inflammation, gets the circadian rhythm of your body all out of whack. Which will make you grumpy.
The key to true health and wellness is learning the tools and skills and then implementing them consistently for a duration to get your results, and then simply and easily maintain them!
But you cannot wish it into fruition. You have to do the work. You have to change your lifestyle. Changing your lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to change your personality or even your friends! My friends, for instance, know how I roll with my eating schedule. They do not take offense if I simply don’t join in. When I spend time with people and friends – that doesn’t have to include food. If it does though, they know it’s going to be by a certain time, as I finished my caloric intake at the right time for health, longevity and weight management (aging well is key!).
It’s not hard to change your lifestyle a little, or a lot. What IS hard and expensive on so many levels (mind/body/spirit/wallet) and makes you miserable is being fat, tired, unhealthy, loathing the way you look and feel in clothes, etc. I’ve already done it that way! No thank you…
It’s incredible on the other side of this!
I always like to remind you, if I can do it, if others can do it – then SO CAN YOU. I could easily get fat and unhealthy again – if I started back on my horrible lifestyle again. I choose this side. It is so much more JOY filled, fun and energetic! Come on with me. I’ll help you and guide you and show you the way. If you simply implement and consistently use the tools and solidify skills and habits it’ll happen for you as well.
Peace, big hugs and blue skies!
Cindy
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