AlchemyFit.com

Fitness Tip: Be Real About Your Success - It would be great if you could train for a week and see magical results, but that’s not how getting in shape and improving your health works. Just like getting out of shape does not happen in one day, you will not see results immediately when you start any type of fitness training program. Be realistic, be prepared and set short, medium and long term goals. When you make your fitness goals realistic and attainable, you will ensure a greater success for sticking with your fitness program for life.

Fitness Tip: Rest and Re-energize – Not enough sleep can dramatically affect your current and future health. While you sleep your body is recovering and resting from all the things you have done during your day. Your serotonin levels are brought back in line, your muscles relax, and your mind is allowed to clear itself in preparation for the next day’s events. If you are not getting enough rest, you will begin to notice it in a physical way. While there is no perfect number in terms of hours of sleep, 8 hours should be your target each and every night.

Fitness Tip: Use variety – The body is very adaptive. Performing the same routine over and over is not only boring, but your body will get used to the routine and quit responding. Change your exercises, the order in which you do them, the number or sets and reps, or change the weights. In one workout you may use weights, another you may use resistance bands, in another, machines. Make every workout different in some way.

Fitness Tip: Stand and Sit up Straight – No slouching on the cardio equipment please! Stand up straight, hold your head up high and get more out of your cardio workouts! Standing upright and supporting your own bodyweight uses the stabilizing muscles of the torso. The more muscles you use during any exercise… the more fat burning your body can do!

Exercise of the day: Ball Shoulder Stretch – The Ball Shoulder Stretch provides a great way to both stretch and build your shoulder muscles with using a fitness ball and exercise bands.
Click Here to see it in action!

In this day in age where obesity and diabetes run rampant through our society, the focus lies on carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrate control is very important to maintain a healthy body. Sugar, a form of carbohydrate, is known to raise insulin levels and depress your immune system. The diet gurus and others who wish to profit off of the latest fitness fads, vilify carbohydrates. They lump them into one big category and tell you carbs are bad and to eat more protein. However this couldn’t be further from the truth.