Fitness Lovers

While preparing to get pregnant can be a joyful time, it can also be stressful, especially when we experience issues such as infertility, pregnancy loss, or mental health concerns. So much of the advice we get when trying to get pregnant focuses on the baby-to-be, but how can we make sure we are taking care of ourselves when our path to parenthood seems stormy and unclear? Let’s explore some perinatal challenges and strategies for moving forward. Infertility: Infertility rates are difficult to track globally due to vast cultural differences in how fertility is understood and reported. One estimate suggests that as many as 48.5 million couples may experience difficulty conceiving — that’s roughly 15 percent of couples, and doesn’t include single folks trying to have children. For women, an inability to conceive is often related to underlying conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, low egg reserve, or hormonal abnormalities.  For men, conditions such as diabetes or autoimmune d...

Reduce the Risk of Panic Attacks While Working Out. In our article on panic disorder and exercise, we described the reasons that some people experience anxiety from exercise. In this article, we will provide tips both for prevention of this anxiety and management when it happens in the moment. I have even partnered with Tasha to create a cardio-based workout that might be more friendly to folks who struggle with cardio due to anxiety concerns: Moderate Intensity Cardio: Friendly for Exercise-Induced Anxiety. Tips for prevention  As always, I recommend seeking help from a mental health professional to manage your anxiety, particularly if it is impacting your life in multiple ways. However, if you are looking to keep up your cardiovascular fitness, here are some tips you can use to try to prevent yourself from having increased anxiety or panic during your workout(s): Start low and slow and build up! This one can be interpreted in a few different ways. For one, it is helpful to build ...

Exercise-related injuries are common; in fact, one study found that up to 25% of people in their study had experienced one in the past year. It seems they are also more common in men and people aged 35-44 years of age. People also tend to be dissatisfied with the level of care they get as a result of their injury, reducing the likelihood that they will seek treatment for an injury (Grice et al., 2014). As a result, it can be particularly helpful to understand the psychological risk factors that contribute to exercise-related injuries to ideally prevent them from happening in the first place. This article will explore these psychological risk factors, the psychological impact of injury, how to prevent and recover from injury, and even some of the ways people can grow despite an injury. The vast majority of research in this domain is regarding injury within the context of elite sport and not necessarily the result of everyday exercise. However, many of the lessons learned from this resea...

Use Behavioral Activation to Boost Your Mood and Exercise More Regularly Have you ever noticed a significant boost to your emotions or mood when you do certain things like work out or meet up with a friend? Many of us can fall into the trap of weighing the pros and cons to determine whether these things are even worth our time. However, when we fall out of engaging in activities that bring us these boosts to our emotions for long periods, this can leave us feeling emotionally down — without us really understanding why.  This article will explore the concept of behavioral activation, how behavioral activation interventions using exercise are helpful for anyone — but especially for those with depression — and will finish up with some tips for using these principles to increase our positive emotions.  Note that this article is for educational purposes only and is not to be used as a form of treatment. If you are experiencing depression or any other mental health concern, please r...

  Workout Not Working? Who has time to engage in dangerous, ineffective exercise? Not you, Get rid of these seven moves since they won't help you achieve your goals and could potentially hurt you. #1 Lat Pull-down Behind the Head The issue: In order to perform this exercise correctly, one must have extremely flexible shoulder joints. Additionally, cervical vertebrae could be injured if the bar strikes the back of the neck. Better option - Simple Lat Pulldown Lean back a little bit as you pull the bar down to your breastbone on the pull-down machine with a wider-than-shoulder hold while bringing your shoulder blades down and together. Avoid using momentum to swing the bar up and down; instead, contract your abdominals to stabilise the body. The lat pull-down exercises the muscles of the upper and lower back. #2 Military Press Behind the Head The same issues as the lat pull-down behind the head can arise from this shoulder exercise in which you lift a barbell up and down. Safer optio...

It seems like Coke Zero, which was rebranded as Coke Zero Sugar in 2017, offers the best of both worlds. It doesn't have the same amount of sugar, carbohydrates, or calories as regular Coke, and according to the manufacturer, it also tastes more like the original than Diet Coke, the company's first diet soda alternative. However, the saying "If it appears too good to be true, it generally is" has a basis. Coke Zero Sugar may taste delicious, like other diet drinks, but some of its contents have the potential to cause issues like weight gain, bacterial imbalances in the stomach, and decreased bone mineral density. But it goes further than that. It lacks ingredients that promote health in addition to having unhealthy components. What Is Coke Zero? A calorie-free soda alternative called Coke Zero Sugar is also devoid of sugar, carbs, and other nutrients, with the exception of 40 milligrammes of salt and two percent of your daily potassium needs (a negligible amount that ...

Exercise will be important in the process, whether you're wanting to lose a few pounds or take on a drastic transformation challenge. You'll note that we did not state that exercise is "the sole" factor necessary for weight loss (or fat). It's a step in the procedure. A healthy diet, enough sleep, and a lot of non-exercise physical activity go hand in hand with exercise (e.g. walking the dog, parking at the back of the parking lot, etc.). Nevertheless, not all exercises are created equal. While others are concentrated on developing muscle, some are concentrated on developing strength. Some are there exclusively for their intense calorie burning, while others are designed to increase endurance. Today, we look at 12 of the best workouts for weight loss. #1 Circuit Training In order to provide a two-pronged stimulus for weight loss, we'll begin this list with an exercise that helps you develop strength and burn calories: circuit training. For those of you who are...