Use Weights, Sweat It Out & GET RESULTS!

Whether you are new to using weights or you are lifting heavier during your workouts, it be a little intimidating at first! You’re trying to nail the moves, the form, and just get through a routine that’s more challenging than what you’re used to. No matter what the case may be, by adding weights into your workout routine you are guaranteed to see those RESULTS quicker!

What if I told you, every day you could have a new workout, a delicious, healthy recipe, plus a mindset video to help you get those results?! Well, good news! All you have to do is download the BURN APP! Every month, we have new workout challenges that include daily workouts and recipes! Plus all the mindset and motivation you will need to stay on track. What are you waiting for?! GET YOUR RESULTS NOW!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN USING WEIGHTS!

As a general guideline, higher-rep routines are good for increasing muscular endurance, while higher-weight routines are good for increasing muscular size and strength. Also, rest time should parallel the intensity of a set! A harder workout means there should be greater resting time between sets. Your muscles need to take breaks in order to repair and grow!

DON’T FORGET..

• Do a full warm up and cool down to prevent muscle soreness
• Eat protein and carbs after you have worked out
• Start with light weights with few reps and sets
• Workout different muscle groups so they can repair and grow
• Increase your weights as the last few reps become easy

SHOULD YOU STRETCH?

Stretching is what keeps our muscles flexible, healthy and strong! We need this flexibility in order to maintain a range of motion in our joints. 

1. Why? Without stretching, our muscles can tighten and become shorter in length. When this happens and you go to use the muscle, they are unable to extend all the way and they are much weaker.
2. What about warming up? The warm up begins to increase blood flow to your muscles, which is when you begin to loosen up a bit. This will help reduce post workout muscle soreness and also lessen your risk of injury.
3. Do you have to stretch after? A cool down post workout allows your heart rate to recover, along with your body temperature and blood pressure. A warm up typically has faster movements, when a cool down is slower and more relaxing.
4. Listen To Your Body: If you feel sore or something hurts, spend a little more time stretching it out before jumping into rigorous activity. This gives you time to evaluate how sore you are, if you are injured or if you should continue to workout. Listening to your body is so important to prevent further injury.

The BURN APP has an entire Stretch Library of videos for you to choose from and each workout comes with a warm up and cool down.

WORKOUT MISTAKES THAT CAN LEAVE YOU IN PAIN

These tips will not only help repair your muscle fibers, they will also reduce muscle soreness and help them grow. Remember, recovery is crucial to your success!

• Eat Protein: Our muscles are made of protein and we need to feed them with food groups rich in this source so they can repair, rebuild and grow. Make sure to check your daily amount over the next few days and see if you are reaching your target!
• Icing When You Should Heat: Icing is great and should be used only in certain circumstances. If you have a new injury which is swollen, ice will reduce inflammation. Yet, if you suffer from chronic pain, heating increases blood flow to the area to help ease it. Always listen to your body and if you have chronic pain, it’s a great idea to see a doctor.
• Spending 2-3 Hours at the Gym Every Day: You don’t have to do long, intense workouts every day in order to see results! In fact, there are many people who will spend 2-3 hours working out intensely and do not see results because their muscle fibers never have the time to repair themselves.

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR RESULTS!

• Switch Up Your Position - Even minor changes to a workout move can engage different parts of the body and lead to amplified toning results. For example: if you are used to doing standard squats, take your feet a little closer together or even a little farther apart to activate various muscle fibers that might not get as much attention in your regular fitness activities.
• Try Resistance: For an added challenge, incorporate some resistance bands into your routine - a lot of moves, ranging from arm, booty, and leg exercises, can be easily modified to safely practice resistance. Even a basic workout will feel new, and there are bands for every skill level!
• Practice Balance: There are plenty of ways to include balance in your daily workout by throwing in a foam roller, a ball, or inflatable disc. Just standing on one leg, whether single-leg deadlifts or flamingo-style bicep curls, will make you think more about the movements and shifting muscle groups while doing that exercise.
• Combine Workouts: You can add a new dimension to your routine AND save time by focusing on more than one area of the body during a single workout session. Your body will burn more calories with this kind of metabolic conditioning so you’re making the most out of dedicated workout time!
• Increase Your Weights: You definitely shouldn’t be using the same weights for over 6 months if you work out regularly and want to boost the tone - chances are you aren’t progressing to your body’s fullest potential! Try adding a little bit more weight every so often and avoid stepping it up too much at once to avoid injury.

NOW THAT WE’VE GOT THE FITNESS DOWN, WHAT ABOUT YOUR NUTRITION?

DOES DIET AFFECT YOUR COMPLEXION?

Most of us have been told, at some point during our lives, that eating greasy goodies or chocolate will result in blemishes. While some people are definitely more sensitive to dietary factors when it comes to skincare, do the foods we eat really impact overall complexion?

• Salt: Too much sodium can lead to water retention, and this could be the culprit behind bloated-looking facial features. The skin around our eyes is very thin and swells more easily compared to other parts of the body!
• Dairy: Dairy can promote excess estrogen in the body due to the excretion of this hormone by female cows, leading some people to experience worsened pimple outbreaks. Milk also contains naturally-occurring androgens (male sex hormones) which can lead to increased oil production and clogged pores.
• Caffeine: This stimulant amplifies the production of cortisol – a stress hormone. Raised cortisol levels may be responsible for acne breakouts, If you really want to be kind to your skin, opt for water! You can start by making the switch from coffee to green or black tea, then herbal tea.

We have all heard to count calories and stay away from carbs, so is it true?! Check out my blog on Why You Need Calories & Carbs For Results to learn more about the importance of these two things in our diets! 

FRUIT & SUGAR

Naturally occurring sugars in fruits can be beneficial to health and do not promote weight gain when incorporated into a balanced diet.

FRUITS LOW IN SUGAR

1. Lemons & Limes
2. Grapefruit
3. Berries
4. Cherries
5. Honeydew

FRUITS HIGH IN SUGAR

1. Figs
2. Grapes
3. Pomegranates
4. Mangos
5. Bananas

I hope these tips help you get the RESULTS you want! By having a well rounded fitness plan, proper nutrition and a strong mindset, there will be nothing in your way!

xxx Rebecca