Here’s a good article we found today on the benefits of water.  This is a good one because it explains the functions of water within the body itself and at a cellular functionality level, the signs and symptoms of dehydration, and then 11 benefits of drinking water.  We know it can be annoying or easily forgettable to continuously drink water all day, but a good way to counter that is to carry an actual water bottle around with you whenever you can.  Actual water bottles like those found Here not only carry more water, which will naturally make you drink more because you’ll want to empty out the bottle before you refill it, you will also obviously be less apt to throw it away or push it aside like a basic plastic bottle of water.  Seeing it in front of you everyday will also be a constant reminder to drink water.  Plus you’ll be helping out the environment by not going through a large amount of plastic bottles.

The basic recommendation of water intake a day is Eight, 8-ounce glasses of water which is about equivalent to a 2-liter.  So don’t take for granted the abundant availability of water around us, it will help you both in the short term and the long term of your life.

Importance of Water

Enjoy!

Here’s a good article we found today on the benefits of water.  This is a good one because it explains the functions of water within the body itself and at a cellular functionality level, the signs and symptoms of dehydration, and then 11 benefits of drinking water.  We know it can be annoying or easily forgettable to continuously drink water all day, but a good way to counter that is to carry an actual water bottle around with you whenever you can.  Actual water bottles like those found Here not only carry more water, which will naturally make you drink more because you’ll want to empty out the bottle before you refill it, you will also obviously be less apt to throw it away or push it aside like a basic plastic bottle of water.  Seeing it in front of you everyday will also be a constant reminder to drink water.  Plus you’ll be helping out the environment by not going through a large amount of plastic bottles.

The basic recommendation of water intake a day is Eight, 8-ounce glasses of water which is about equivalent to a 2-liter.  So don’t take for granted the abundant availability of water around us, it will help you both in the short term and the long term of your life.

Importance of Water

Enjoy!

Professors, teachers, and trainers I have learned from or worked with in the past always made it a point in our classes to stress the importance of rest days in ANY and ALL exercise routines.  Be it a running program, a weight lifting program, a swimming program, or a combo of all the above.  Another goal they stressed to us as we become fitness professionals is to spread the knowledge to others about the importance of rest days.  So here’s a start!

This is an interesting article we found on Runner’s World about the importance of rest, and below it is an article on overtraining.  Overtraining can lead to serious medical and health consequences if one is not careful (And you certainly aren’t exempt from overtraining if you aren’t an athlete).  As you know, we are all for working hard here to get great results for one’s health and life well-being, but remember safety is always the number one priority in any exercise program.

Importance of Rest
Overtraining

MensHealth.com recently posted an article discussing ways to help you ignite your metabolism and burn that last 10 -15 lbs. that seem to not want to go away. The main reason I am posting this article is because pretty much everything they say, we include in our workouts. I think by reading this it will help you understand the science behind the workouts that we put together and maybe help you with how you are doing our workouts as well. Enjoy.

MensHealth.com: Metabolism

Just found a great article on the importance of posture.  You’ll notice that we sometimes stress the importance of proper form and posture during our daily workout routines, and I just wanted to take some time to reiterate that.  This article is great in the sense that it explains the importance of posture daily from people who are on their feet all day to people who may be in a seated position most of their day.  Also from our standpoint, generally for most exercises, you should always have posture and alignment in mind when performing most of your exercises.  Engaging the core by tightening your abs, locking in your lower back, and standing up tall can benefit your overall strength gains during exercise and more importantly, can reduce the amount of injuries that may occur during exercising.  Anyways we thought this would be an interesting article so check it out!

http://www.askmen.com/sports/health_150/151_mens_health.html

I know it’s from a men’s website, but trust me ladies, the same principles for posture pertain to mostly everyone.

Here is an article posted on MensHealth.com regarding protein shakes and lowering blood pressure. If anyone out there ever has questions regarding shakes please feel free to e-mail us.

“The Power of Protein Shakes”

ADS: Visit www.TheClassWatch.com for great Christmas deals on  luxury watches that your yourself can personalize.

(“I personally own a ClassWatch, and love it.” -K)

A new study came out about how people can use their imagination to eat less. Have a look at it here.

Antioxidants have been receiving an increase in view to the public eye recently and we thought we would share an article explaining Antioxidants and the health benefits of daily intake to the human body.  Read up on this article and increase that antioxidant intake!

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/health-benefits-of-antioxidants/

We know everyone is super busy especially in the fast paced world of today.  Be it with work, classes, family, or a combination of them all.  The amount of stress that builds up can flat out suck, but do not fear or be discouraged!  Exercise is an excellent tool to help combat stress!  Check out this article on the benefits of exercise with stress relief and allow us at MidwestFit to help you lower your stress levels through our free daily workouts.  Enjoy!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-and-stress/SR00036

We know everyone is super busy especially in the fast paced world of today.  Be it with work, classes, family, or a combination of them all.  The amount of stress that builds up can flat out suck, but do not fear or be discouraged!  Exercise is an excellent tool to help combat stress!  Check out this article on the benefits of exercise with stress relief and allow us at MidwestFit to help you lower your stress levels through our free daily workouts.  Enjoy!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-and-stress/SR00036

An article submitted to MidwestFit by one of our users, Brian, about how lifting heavy weights is not required when it comes to building muscle and strength. A lot of our workouts are lighter weight as well as bodyweight exercises that stress muscle fatigue, so this seemed like a great article to share…Enjoy.

Oh, and thanks Brian.

STUDY: Building Muscle Doesn’t Require Lifting Heavy Weights

Ever wonder why you get those aches and pains after an exercise bout or long run?  Well here is your answer! It’s called Delayed Onset Of Muscle Soreness (DOMS).  Here is a great article that explains the cause, symptoms, and possible ways to diminish the effects of DOMS; Although it’s actually your body’s muscles undergoing hypertrophy (Muscle Size Growth) and hyperplasia (Development of new muscle cells), so it’s a good thing! http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/doms.htm

I’m not going to lie, I love chocolate milk and for all those looking for an excuse to drink it, here you go!  In an exercise physiology class of mine we actually studied an experiment done with the benefits of chocolate milk in exercise.  Read this article and check it out!  It actually has the perfect balance of carbohydrates, protein, and hydration (still drink your water of course) to use in between your exercise bouts to replenish your blood and muscle glucose levels, to repair your muscles and get you ready for the next workout!

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152240.php (Link isn’t highlighting for some reason so just copy and paste it in to your browser!)

- Ben

http://www.onenaturalexperience.com/

This website has 5 different very healthy drink selections for anyone to check out.  Each one brings its own dynamic on how it can benefit you greatly!  Runners should really look into the coconut water because it is rich with electrolytes like potassium, sodium and chloride (more so than regular juices) that are highly beneficial to one’s hydration.

Everybody likes a good smoothie, especially one packed with essentials to get you through the day and help with your workout routines, not to mention overall personal health. This ”Smoothie Selector” makes it easy by allowing you to select what exactly you want a smoothie for, then giving you a bunch of recipes to try out.

 Check out the Smoothie Selector.

-K