Fitness & Wellness

Is The Paleo Diet Legit?

Published by superadmin on March 10, 2022 | Leave a response

You may have heard a lot about the Paleo diet. It's one of the latest crazes, which doesn't necessarily mean it's unhealthy. It simply means it's popular. While we work on fitness at Habitat Health and Fitness in Lakeland, FL, we also emphasize that you have to eat healthy if you want results. You can't workout at the gym and then eat a whole cake topped with a quart of ice cream every day and expect to lose weight or be healthy at all. Let's delve into what exactly a Paleo diet is and how it benefits or detracts from your health.

The Paleo diet is based on what man ate in the paleolithic period.

The Paleolithic period began about 2.6 million years ago to approximately 12,000 years ago. That was the period before farming and man was a hunter/gatherer. Consuming most grains didn't exist, since there was no farming. Legumes and dairy also aren't part of the diet, since man didn't raise them. The whole premise of the diet is that the body made changes and evolved without the ability to digest those foods, so to be your healthiest and functioning at optimal level, you shouldn't eat them either.

Consider the foods that are eliminated from the Paleo diet.

If grain is eliminated from the Paleo diet, then so are foods made with grain. Baked goods, pizza, donuts, bread and many snack foods. Sugar is a processed food, so anything with added sugar is also eliminated. So is oil. Highly processed foods are also eliminated, which makes the diet immediately healthier to eat. Rather than focus on what you can't eat, focus on what you can. Animal meat is allowed, but the "whole animal" approach is encouraged. That means you eat organs, bone marrow and cartilage.

Vegetables, seeds, nuts and fruit are also part of the diet.

Put yourself into the mindset of what a hunter/gatherer might find as food. Bird eggs, meat and plants were all part of their diets. While oil isn't part of the diet, foods that contain oils and natural fats, like avocados, nuts and seeds, are. Even though man didn't ferment foods intentionally, some of them fermented naturally and man found they were okay to drink or eat. Fermented fruits and vegetables that are naturally fermented with no added sugar can be consumed. Food like kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut are part of the Paleo diet.

Unlike early man, you probably won't be sucking the marrow out of bones, but making a bone broth is beneficial. Bone broth has a high amount of collagen, glycine, glucosamine and chondroitin, the building blocks of the body.
Besides the diet, living like a caveman and getting plenty of sun and rest is important. Early man walked everywhere, so his body was in frequently in motion. Add those things to your lifestyle.
Sticking strictly to restrictions of the Paleo diet can be difficult. Use a modified form of the Paleo diet that cuts out processed food, sugar and products made with white flour immediately improves your diet.
Turn off electronic devices for several hours a day and enjoy the quiet that the caveman experienced. Drink more water. Clean water was a luxury and highly valued in some areas. Simplify life and learn to reduce stress to increase the benefits of healthy living.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Why Is Too Much Sugar So Bad?

Published by superadmin on February 25, 2022 | Leave a response

At Habitat Health and Fitness in Lakeland, Florida, we not only help you become stronger and fitter, we also encourage you to look at other areas that affect your fitness and health. Consuming too much sugar is one of those areas and it's easy to do, especially if you have average eating habits. Some form of sugar seems to be in all types of products that are processed. Eating food with added sugar can have disastrous effects on your body and make it harder to get results at the gym.

New labeling makes it easier to identify the amount of added sugar.

At one time manufacturers hid the amount of sugar by using a variety of different sugars, so no one would appear at the top of the ingredient list, tricking the public into thinking sugar wasn't a major ingredient. Why would any manufacturer do that? It helped sales. Being a bit sneaky about the amount of sugar in a product can lead you to eat it, not realizing how unhealthy it is. Sweet foods taste better to many and sugar is also addictive. It triggers the opioid receptors in the brain that bring pleasure. While it's great for sales, because it makes you want to eat more, it's bad for your health.

Keep your immune system running at full steam by skipping sugar.

If you're like many Americans, you look for ways to boost your immune system, especially when there's a chance infection from the latest flu or virus. You may take vitamin C, zinc, vitamin D or other type of nutrient. If you're consuming foods with added sugar, all those extra vitamins may not make a difference. If you have a high amount of glucose in your bloodstream from eating too much sugar, the body latches onto the sugar, not the vitamin C, since they're both similar in structure. That leaves the white blood cells---the phagocytes---powerless when it comes to fighting infection. Even healthy foods can have this effect. Orange juice is high in sugar and raises blood sugar levels quickly. Your body is blocked from using the vitamin C because of the glucose. Eating the whole orange slows the absorption of sugar because of the fiber, so you get the vitamin C benefits it contains.

Do you have insulin resistance or have problems losing weight?

Insulin resistance is a precursor to diabetes. It occurs when there's too much glucose in the bloodstream. The body then produces more insulin. Normally, that would be all it takes, but with insulin resistance, the insulin doesn't trigger the cells to open for the nourishment. That causes the body to produce even more insulin. Too much sugar causes the normal processes triggered by insulin to function improperly, which makes the pancreas work overtime and eventually causes the whole system to break down. Switching to a healthier diet with less added sugar, exercising and reducing stress can help prevent the problem.

Food's high in added sugar are not heart healthy. While salt is often thought the culprit in high blood pressure, sugar is also a problem. If sugar comprises more than 25% of your calories, it also can cause the liver to increase fat in the bloodstream, which also can cause heart disease.
Sugar can cause premature aging. The glucose combines with proteins in a process called glycation. Ironically, that creates AGEs--- advanced glycation end products. Those cells attack the elastin and collagen in the skin and make you look older.
Too much sugar can lead to inflammation. Inflammation can lead to diseases like osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, bowel disorders and cancer.
The more sugar you have in your diet, the more potential you have for cognitive problems. High sugar intake can also lead to obesity, which is the leading cause of preventable deaths, even surpassing smoking.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health and Fitness

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Proven Benefits Of Olive Oil

Published by superadmin on February 10, 2022 | Leave a response

Like many of the healthier oils, olive oil is plant based. If it's the highest quality, with the most nutritional benefits, it's extra-virgin olive oil. Just what are the benefits of olive oil? First, its fatty acids are primarily monounsaturated. Those help your cholesterol profile by increasing the good cholesterol and decreasing the LDL or bad cholesterol. It also has about 14% saturated fat and 11% polyunsaturated, in the form of omega-6 and omega3. The more refined olive oil is the less oleic acid it contains. According to many studies, oleic acid reduces inflammation, which is linked to several serious conditions.

It's good for the brain but don't fry with olive oil, but use it to sauté, to dip or salad dressing.

Olive oil doesn't have a high smoke point, which means at higher temperatures, it smokes. It also loses many of the health benefits and can actually degrade to create potentially harmful compounds. If you use extra virgin olive oil without the high heat, it has benefits like increased hair growth and increasing cognitive functioning. It's the polyphenol oleocanthal that helps fight Alzheimer's and the monounsaturated fat.

Lose weight and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes with olive oil.

Like other types of fat, olive oil makes you feel fuller for longer, so you'll eat less. The long-chain monounsaturated fats in olive oil digest more slowly, releasing energy over a longer time, unlike carbs that spike your blood sugar and then cause a sudden crash, making you want and sometimes, need to eat again sooner. Several studies have shown that a diet rich in olive oil, such as the Mediterranean diet, can also lower your risk for type 2 diabetes.

Olive oil may reduce your risk of stroke.

While heart disease is the leading cause of death in developed nations, strokes are the second leading cause. A scientific review of 841,000 subjects showed olive oil was the only monounsaturated oil that associated with reduced risk of stroke. A smaller review, which included 140,000 subjects, also showed that people who consumed olive oil had a far lower risk of stroke than those who didn't. Those same studies also showed people who consumed more olive oil had a reduced risk of heart disease.

Antioxidants protect the cells from damage or death, which leads to disease and premature aging. Olive oil contains a large number of antioxidants to help protect your cells.
Oxidative damage can occur and cause cancer. The antioxidants in olive oil can help prevent oxidative damage from free radicals and reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Test tube studies indicate olive oil compounds fight cancer cells.
Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system mistakes normal cells for invaders and attacks them. Olive oil can reduce the inflammatory marker and help reduce swelling and joint pain. You get even more benefits if you combine it with fish oil.
The antibacterial properties of olive oil can inhibit the growth or kill harmful bacteria, such as helicobacter pylori, which can cause stomach cancer and ulcers. Of the eight bacterium it fights, three are antibiotic resistant.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health and Fitness

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Resolutions That Actually Work

Published by superadmin on January 25, 2022 | Leave a response

Everybody has made resolutions that lasted only a week or two. It's true that most New Year's resolutions have a short shelf life, with the average one kept until February 1, just 32 days after it was established. In fact, 68% of Americans said they quit their resolutions even sooner than that. So how do you make a resolution and stick with it? What are resolutions that really work? Sure, we're past New Year's Day, but that doesn't mean you can't start fresh and make a resolution to make your life better right now.

Start with something small and build on it.

Resolutions are about eliminating bad habits and starting beneficial ones. You notice the word habit. That's important. You didn't just wake up one morning and notice you gained a large amount of weight overnight or had all your muscle turn to flab. It took time and several bad habits for that to happen. Make one small change, either in your activity level and diet. Focus on it until it becomes a habit, which may take a couple of months. Make it as simple as substituting water for soft drinks or coffee---or at least to start with---for all the coffee and soft drinks but one during each day.

Look for ways to walk more and increase your activity level.

A sedentary lifestyle doesn't change overnight without you focusing on changing it. Set a goal to take a walk every day. Try to get in 30 minutes, whether it's a 30-minute walk or three 10-minute ones. You may already have a habit established every evening that involves watching videos, television or gaming. Find a way to make it more active. For instance, before you settle in, do a plank and hold for as long as possible. During commercials on television, do jumping jacks. Get the whole family to do them with you for added fun. Seriously, everyone will whine and complain, but keep at them and you're sure to swing them over to your side. It could be a new family tradition that benefits everyone.

Learn to change how quickly you do things.

Are you a procrastinator until it comes to eating sugary treats? Use that talent to your benefit. Push yourself to do ten jumping jacks immediately, but start to procrastinate when it comes to sugary treats. If you mess up and eat something sugary, forgive yourself and start again. It doesn't help you in any way to chronically condemn yourself. In fact, that's a bad habit that you also should resolve to change. If you don't like yourself, why would you want to do anything that makes you healthier?

If cutting out added sugar is one of your goals, start first by cutting out sweet treats, such as candy or baked goods, then focus on food with added sugar once it becomes a habit. It's easier if you have fresh fruits and vegetables ready as a snack.
Carry water with you at all times if you're making dietary changes. When you feel like eating or drinking something sweet, take a large gulp of water or two to quell your appetite.
Create a go-to list that starts with your initial goal and builds to the ultimate goal. Once you're sure you've conquered one habit, move on to the next goal on the list. When you have a plan of action, it makes change easier.
If you want an option that's even easier, come into Habitat Health and Fitness for a free trial session. We'll create the program for you, then all you have to resolve to do is show up and do it.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Count The Cost Of Obesity

Published by superadmin on January 10, 2022 | Leave a response

What's the cost of obesity? Just check the hospitals in Lakeland, Florida. Many of the patients are there either because of obesity or the diseases contributed to by obesity. In fact, the epidemic of obesity has led to increased spending for health issues. It costs more to purchase personal goods if you're obese. Annually, an obese woman pays $4,879 more and a man pays $2,646 more.

Obesity costs the nation billions of dollars.

Not only do obese people pay more, obesity drives up the cost for everyone. It's responsible for $61.8 billion in Medicare and Medicaid costs. Wiping out obesity could reduce the spending of both by approximately 10%. Total costs of medical treatment for obese-related diseases is between $147 billion to $210 billion. One of the co-morbidities of covid-19 was obesity. It was a major risk factor for serious complications of the disease.

Besides increased medical costs, there's loss of work that needs to be considered.

It's more than just hospital costs that are affected by obesity. Obesity is attributed to increases in lost work days, which is estimated as a loss of $8.65 billion dollars a year in overall productivity. Those findings were reported in a publication by Yale's Rudd Center researchers. There's a human side to the cost of obesity. It's the suffering of the obese person. Watching others participate in life, yet not having the energy or fitness to join in can be painful. Feeling the social stigma, depression, discrimination and lack of self-esteem is also real.

It's hard to reverse the trend, but it can be done.

It takes hard work, but it's definitely worth the effort. By increasing your activity level and adjusting your diet to make it healthier, you can lose weight. In fact, once you feel the exhilaration of success in both the gym and on the scales, you'll be motivated to stick with the program. It doesn't matter if you are already obese or just on the road to obesity, help is available. Over 80% of American adults can't pass an aerobic fitness test. 80% of Americans don't eat enough vegetables and 70% don't eat enough fruit. You can learn the most effective way to exercise to build muscle and burn calories and how to change your diet to take off weight in a fast, but healthy manner. There's no better time to start than now.

If obesity continues to grow at the present rate, the increase in costs is expected to grow by $48 to $66 billion dollars every year. It could cause a loss of productivity that could top out at $580 billion.
To reduce the rising costs of obesity, the answer is simple. Just reducing the average American's BMI by five percent could lower the health care costs nationwide.
Six out of every ten Americans struggle with severe weight problems. That's approximately 120 million people and about twice as many as there were just ten years ago.
There's a rising problem of obesity in children. Of the population between 2 and 18, over 40% of their diet is empty calories, which often includes foods with added sugar, highly processed food and fast food.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Strength Training After Having A Baby

Published by superadmin on December 25, 2021 | Leave a response

While there's a general consensus that after six weeks, exercising can resume. However, just like a workout program, that should be modified for your particular situation. If you've had a normal delivery and have no complications, maybe even exercised throughout the pregnancy, you might start sooner. If you had a C-section or other complications, you may not be ready. Always check with your health care professional for the best time to begin doing strength training after having a baby.

First work on strengthening the pelvic floor.

No matter if you gave birth vaginally or with a C-section, strengthening the pelvic floor is important. Start your exercise regimen by building strength in that area. Doing a pelvic tilt several times a day strengthens that area. So do Kegel exercises and the yoga position, the Happy Baby Pose, where you lay on your back, bend your knees to your chest and grab onto your feet or ankles with your hands. Increase the amount of walking you do and carry the baby around the house if you want to do strength training. You'll be surprised how someone so little could weigh so much after several minutes. If you go outside for a walk, use a stroller or carrier for the baby. You'll still be exercising your legs.

If you did strength training before childbirth, don't expect to pick up where you quit.

Your body just went through some major trauma, even if the birth was a breeze. Hormones have changed, everything stretched and you probably haven't done heavy duty strength training in months. Take it easy, especially at first. Start out easy and work into your previous levels slowly. You need to give every part of your body a chance to recover. Use lighter weights or do bodyweight exercises, modifying them if necessary.

Avoid high-impact exercises when you first start, particularly if you're new to exercise.

Focus instead on exercises like the pelvic tilt, which is also known as the bridge. Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Your arms should be by your side as you lift your bottom off the floor, squeezing it as you do. When you get to the top of the bridge with your body straight from your knees to your shoulders, do a Kegel and hold. Then slowly lower your body. This exercise builds strength in core muscles and the glutes.

n you're ready to get back to the gym, even if it's just to get some "mommy time," you'll love our group sessions. Each person has his or her own workout plan that's tailored to specific needs and goals.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Can I Exercise With Bad Feet Or Ankles?

Published by superadmin on December 10, 2021 | Leave a response

There are some very good reasons to get a personalized program and one of those is ensuring special needs are met. For instance, can you still exercise with bad feet or ankles? The answer is yes, but you need a program designed specifically for your needs. At Habitat Health and Fitness in Lakeland, Florida, FL, our personal trainers ask about those special needs, learn about your goals and assess your fitness before creating a program for you. So what type of exercises are safe to do if you have problems. It depends on the exact problem, but here are some generalized ideas.

Let's start with what you shouldn't do.

Any type of high impact workout is a no-no, whether you have a temporary problem, such as a broken ankle, or something more permanent. You may be able to do some alternate exercises, such as aqua jogging, swimming or seated and water exercises, but only if you have a cast that's waterproof or no cast at all. Some exercises, like battle ropes, can be done from a seated position. Always ask your health care professional before you begin any program of exercise.

Modifying exercises to prevent pressure is a good place to start.

Strengthen your core muscles by laying on your back and putting your knees together, bringing them up and bending them more as you do. Pull your bent knees as close to your chest as possible, then slowly lower them. While they're super tough, doing leg lifts from a seated position with legs outstretched can be done. Ask your trainer for help with form. Switch out butt kicks used for a toned bottom with donkey kicks that are done on the hands and knees.

Upper body workouts can be done from a seated position.

Do stretches to warm up your upper body before you start. You can even do air boxing or make angel wings. There are a host of upper body strength training workouts that you can do safely with resistance bands. Depending on your problem, doing foot stretches can help build up the muscles. In a seated position, lift one foot and make circles with your foot if you're able. Some stretches involve using resistance bands, too.

Don't push yourself beyond the pain. Only do exercises that don't put undo pressure on the area. Those could cause even more damage to the foot or ankle.
Modify traditional exercises, like doing push-ups on bent knee or doing them by placing your thighs on a chair, coffee table or ottoman. Keeping your hands shoulder width apart, raise your upper body until your arms are straight.
On your hands and knees, do foot circles. Squeeze your bottom tightly as you lift one leg, move it first in 3-4 clockwise circles, then counter-clockwise ones. Lower it and do the other side.
Just because you have foot or ankle problems, it doesn't mean you can't exercise. It means you have to be careful not to cause more damage. That's where having a trainer can be extremely beneficial.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

FRIDAY 12/3/2021

Published by habitatadmin on December 2, 2021 | Leave a response

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

What Is Your Fitness Goal?

Published by superadmin on November 25, 2021 | Leave a response

If you haven't already set a fitness goal. It's time to start. Setting a goal is like having a destination on a road trip. If you don't know where you're going, you won't know when you get there and you definitely won't know the quickest way to go. A fitness goal can be anything that's important to you. If you want to look better, it can be toning your body or losing weight. If your health is top priority, it may include building your strength, flexibility and endurance.

Once you set your goal, you'll have a specific target at which to aim.

Your goal needs to be specific, besides being extremely important. Don't just say you want to lose weight, but note how much you want to lose. It's the difference between going to a town and going to a town to a specific address. A combination of a healthy diet and a program of consistent exercise that's based on your specific goal is normally the answer to fitness goals.

How does having a goal give you motivation?

Having a goal that's specific and one that's measurable can help keep you on track. How do you measure your progress? That all depends on what your goal is. Is it to lose inches and look fit or lose pounds? Do you want to have more energy? Is more flexibility, strength or endurance what's important to you? You can measure yourself, weigh yourself, or track the number of reps you do. You can also take a picture once a month in the same outfit, at the same place to show how improved you look every month.

Break down your goal to smaller steps.

A big goal is motivating, but doesn't keep you motivated. You need small wins along the way to do that. When you break down your goal to smaller, more quickly accomplished chunks, you get success every time you achieve that smaller goal. Success builds success. While a big goal can get you started, breaking it down to smaller goals keeps you motivated.

Don't forget to write down your goal and break it down to the steps to reach it. Also record your progress. If you're out of shape, it can be as simple as being able to run around the block without stopping.
Staying motivated is easier if you have accountability. When you know someone else is watching your progress, you'll be more motivated than if nobody is watching.
Our semi-private and team training classes not only provide a personal trainer who works with each person individually, it also provides comradery. You'll make friends who can help drive you toward success.
Our trainers can create a program for you that will help you reach your goal faster. We take a scientific approach that makes your workout time more effective.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness

Posted in Fitness & Wellness

Workouts That Target Your Belly

Published by superadmin on November 10, 2021 | Leave a response

My clients at Habitat Health and Fitness in Lakeland, Florida, aren't the only people that want to get rid of belly fat. It's almost universal. It takes the right type of workout, but also one more thing, a healthy diet. No matter how many workouts you do that target the belly, if there's a layer of fat covering it, nobody will know. You have to lose weight all over your body to see the results.

What is belly fat?

There are two different types of belly fat. The first type is subcutaneous fat that's located all over the body just beneath the skin. It protects the body and stores energy. The second type of fat is visceral fat. That fat surrounds the organs deep in the body and is difficult to lose. Visceral fat produces several types of chemicals, such as cytokines. Cytokines are beneficial in small amounts to boost the immune system, but in large quantities cause inflammation. That can lead to heart disease, type2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, stroke and high cholesterol.

Start with workouts that burns calories and tones the abdomen.

While you can't spot reduce by doing exercise, you can lose weight all over your body and tone the abdominal muscles. HIIT---high intensity interval training---is a good way to start. HIIT isn't a specific type of exercise, but a way of doing exercises. You go at high intensity for a few seconds to a few minutes and then back down the intensity to recovery for the same length of time or longer, repeating the process several times. You can do any type of workout, from walking to bike riding or using kettlebells. Strength training is also important. It burns tons of calories.

A healthy diet is a must.

A healthy diet can help you lose weight, but it also can reduce the amount of belly fat you have. Visceral fat---belly fat---has a unique relationship with inflammation. It causes inflammation. In return, the inflammation causes more visceral fat. It's a vicious cycle that ends with damage to your body. Sugar and refined flour are two triggers for inflammation, so cutting out highly processed food and food with added sugar can help eliminate the problem. A diet low in carbohydrates is beneficial.

Consider eating more fiber. Fiber not only helps control your appetite, it feeds the health bacteria that boost your metabolism. Increasing protein in your diet can also cut visceral fat.
Whether you choose exercise that burns off the hormones of stress or learn meditation or deep breathing to reduce it, lowering stress levels helps. Studies show the cortisol that comes from stress can increase abdominal fat.
Watch what you drink, not only do sugary drinks and alcohol add to belly fat, diet soft drinks also can do the same. New studies show that people who drank diet drinks had a bigger abdominal measurement than those that didn't.
Some small changes like drinking a glass of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or drinking four cups of green tea a day may also help reduce belly fat according to studies.

For more information, contact us today at Habitat Health & Fitness

Posted in Fitness & Wellness