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Aging Gracefully And Staying Active

Aging Gracefully And Staying Active

Aging gracefully is always better than alternatives. You look your best and face the future with optimism and joy. It’s about staying active and fit, enjoying the company of others, and exuding a spirit of happiness for all that life has to offer. Instead of being the cranky old man or woman who yells, “Get off my lawn.” You enjoy the company of others and welcome people into your life. Many things affect how well you age. You can’t control all those variables, but you can control some. When you gracefully grow old, you focus on the things you can control.

What you eat makes a big difference.

If your primary sustenance is junk food, you may not age gracefully. You might know someone who doesn’t eat healthy but still looks fantastic and robust. Life isn’t always fair. Those people may have exceptional genes, eat healthier in private, or have other factors that maintain their youth. For most people, focusing on good nutrition can help you stay fitter. It provides the necessary nutrients for good health and improved immunity. A healthy diet helps prevent obesity, which leads to serious conditions and makes you look and feel older.

Staying active plays a major role in mental and physical fitness.

Staying mentally and physically active is necessary for graceful aging. Mental activity keeps you sharp and interesting. It helps promote a healthy social life. Studies show that people who have a good social life live longer. Staying active physically keeps your body and mind stronger. It helps lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of diabetes, and improve heart health. Staying active helps you mentally, too. It keeps oxygenated and nutrient-laden blood flowing to the brain, reducing the risk of neurological disorders.

Get adequate quality sleep.

If you fall asleep watching TV and sleep in the chair with the TV blaring for hours, you aren’t necessarily getting quality sleep. Your brain requires that you go through four stages of sleep several times throughout the night. There are non-rapid eye-movement stages. One is a rapid eye movement stage. Quality sleep allows your body to heal and your brain to recuperate and reorganize. Adequate, quality sleep helps protect your heart, boosts your energy, improves your mood, and aids in weight management. Exercising regularly, sleeping in a cool, dark room, and maintaining a sleep schedule helps you sleep better.

  • Exercising helps improve digestion and the quality of your microbiome. A healthy diet also helps the microbiome. Scientists call the microbiome our second immune system. It also affects your mental health.
  • Exercise also lengthens the telomeres, which prevent the chromosomes from unraveling. The longer the telomere, the better it is. Once the telomere is gone, damage to the cell or cell death can occur. That can cause illness, aging, and death.
  • Smile more. Laughter is the best medicine. Studies show that people who smile more live longer, healthier lives. An attitude of gratitude for all the blessings you have also improves your life.
  • Enjoy the outdoors and do safe sunning. Studies show most Americans have a vitamin D deficiency, especially seniors. Spending time in the sun can help.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC


The Link Between Sleep & Weight Loss

The Link Between Sleep & Weight Loss

It seems logical to connect staying up longer with weight loss. You’re moving around more, which burns more calories. If you don’t eat more, you should burn more calories. That’s not necessarily true. There is a link between weight loss and sleep, but the lack of sleep often causes you to pack on the pounds, not lose them. Aside from the potential of eating more, lack of sleep negatively affects your body and makes it harder to shed extra pounds.

Lack of sleep disrupts hormone levels.

When you have adequate sleep, your body produces a balance of hunger hormone—ghrelin—and satiety hormone—leptin. When you lack sleep, the body produces more ghrelin and less leptin. You’ll feel hungrier. It causes you to overeat because not enough satiety hormones trigger to tell your body you’re full. Your body works against you, making you excessively hungry throughout the day. Lack of sleep can also leave you feeling dragged out and exhausted. Many people turn to high-calorie sugary treats for a lift, which adds excess calories.

Lack of sleep slows your metabolism.

Your body requires continuous calories to provide energy, whether asleep or awake. It uses calories to pump blood, digest food, maintain body temperature, grow hair, build muscle tissue, and maintain hormone and chemical levels throughout the body. It is called the basal metabolism rate—BMR. You can raise your BMR in several ways. Building more muscle tissue is one way. Another is to get adequate sleep.

You burn more calories when you sleep soundly.

How sound you sleep also makes a difference. There are four stages of sleep. One stage is REM—rapid eye movement and the other three are NREM—non-rapid eye movement. You go through these four stages several times a night. When you have poor sleep quality, you may not enter REM sleep or limit the amount you get. REM sleep burns more calories and is necessary for a healthy body. You can boost the calories you burn when you sleep by eating a small amount of protein, like cottage cheese or warm milk, a half hour to an hour before bedtime.

  • Sleep sounder and burn more calories by keeping your room cooler. Studies show that temperatures at 65 to 68 degrees help you sleep better than cooler or warmer temperatures.
  • People who sleep well at night have more energy the following day. They tend to be more active and burn more calories.
  • Eating a big meal before falling asleep can disrupt sleep. Some people do require a small snack to sleep well. It’s instinctive. Early man needed to stay awake until he found food to prevent starvation.
  • One of the most helpful ways to improve sleep is a sleep schedule. Going to bed and arising at the same time daily sets the circadian rhythm that controls sleep so you fall asleep quicker. You must keep the schedule every day, including weekends.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC


Surprising Sources Of Protein

Surprising Sources Of Protein

Finding healthy and inexpensive protein sources has become the goal in many households in Sacramento, CA. Some people look for alternatives for other reasons. They may be bored with traditional sources like beans, beef, or chicken. They also may want protein sources that contain a host of other nutrients. Some of the surprising sources of protein provide both macro and micro micronutrients.

Amaranth and other pseudocereals are rich sources of protein.

Pseudocereals are also called ancient grains. They are rich in nutrients and higher in protein. These grains have remained relatively unchanged for thousands of years and are staples for people across the globe. They’re not highly processed like most of today’s grains and have far more nutrients than wheat, corn, or rice. Amaranth, kamut, teff, and freekeh are higher in protein, containing 8 to 13 grams per cup. All are higher in fiber and loaded with nutrition. One of the best-known pseudocereals is quinoa. It’s high in fiber, folate, vitamins B6 and E, iron, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, potassium, zinc, and protein.

Eggs aren’t just for breakfast.

One more traditional protein source is the often-ignored egg. It’s a great addition to noodle dishes like pad thai as the protein source or with a mix of vegetables in an omelet. Eggs contain 7 grams of protein for a large egg. It has high amounts of leucine that boosts protein synthesis to build muscles. The protein in eggs is easy for the body to digest and use. Eggs contain high amounts of choline to improve brain functioning and zeaxanthin to improve eye health.

Green peas are both colorful and a source of protein.

Many vegetables provide protein. Peas are among them. Vegetarian bodybuilders often use pea protein as their go-to when making protein smoothies. Green peas contain approximately 9 grams of protein per cup. Peas are high in fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, thiamine, folate, manganese, iron, zinc, and more. Leafy greens are also good sources. They contain most of the same vitamins and minerals and are higher in some, but only half the amount of protein as peas.

  • Trail mix containing nuts and seeds are loaded with protein. Sprinkle almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and other nuts and seeds on salads for extra protein.
  • Bone broth is a good source of collagen. Collagen is a protein beneficial for joints, hair, nails, muscles, bones, and skin. A cup of bone broth has 9 grams of protein. Add your favorite vegetables for a complete meal.
  • Most people consume vegetables for their vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, but many are protein sources, too. A few examples are edamame from soy, broccoli, kale, and sweet potatoes.
  • When choosing eggs for protein, opt for pastured eggs if possible. The hens eat a more natural diet and get sun exposure. It’s more humane, and their eggs have more omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, D, and E.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC


Why You Should Prioritize Sleep And Recovery

Why You Should Prioritize Sleep And Recovery

Do you stay up late to stream your favorite movies or catch up on social media? You might be jeopardizing your physical recovery. You should prioritize sleep, especially if you’re maximizing your workouts. It’s a time for the body to heal and renew. If you’re trying to shed extra pounds, sleep also helps. When you lack sleep, your body produces more ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and less leptin, which makes you feel full. You’ll need to eat more calories to feel the same satiety level.

Exercise breaks down muscle tissue.

When you exercise, particularly if it’s intense, it causes microscopic tears in the muscle tissue. Those tears heal when you sleep. Recovery is when you build muscles. It’s the scar tissue that forms when they heal that increases bulk. HGH—human growth hormone—increases when you sleep. HGH boosts muscle building, improves bone density, and helps maintain muscle mass. Lack of sleep reduces testosterone levels, which also boosts muscle formation. The real magic of building muscles takes place during recovery and sleep.

You need more than sleep. It should be quality sleep.

You go through approximately four to six sleep cycles each night. The length of each cycle varies. Each cycle has four stages: three non-rapid eye movement stages—NREM—and one rapid eye movement stage—REM. During the NREM stages, the body heals. Breathing slows, blood pressure drops, and blood to the muscles increases. That’s when the repair and growth take place. The REM stage is when you dream. A lot of brain activity occurs. It’s vital for memory and organizing the brain. Poor quality sleep disrupts the process and slows recovery. If you don’t enter a deep sleep phase, it could diminish HGH and your efforts to build.

Improve the quality and quantity of sleep.

Everyone’s sleep needs differ, but the average person requires between 7 and 9 hours. Some need more. Others need less. A lot of things can prevent you from getting that sleep. Keeping a sleep schedule, even on the weekends, can help maintain your circadian rhythm. You go to sleep and arise at the same time each day. That will help you fall asleep faster. Keeping your room dark and turning off all blue screens, whether it’s the phone, computer, or TV, also helps. Keep the room cooler for the soundest sleep.

  • If you have problems sleeping, learn meditation and deep breathing exercises to help you relax and calm your mind. It can do double duty. You can use it during the day to help relieve stress.
  • Sleep is also beneficial for the heart and immune system. It slows the heart rate and lets your body rest. Sleep boosts your immune system by creating cytokines. These are messengers that help direct the immune responses.
  • When you get adequate sleep, you’re more likely to stay motivated and have more productive workouts. When you’re exhausted, going to the gym and pushing hard is far less inviting if you’re not well-rested.
  • Sleep studies show that lack of sleep interferes with athletic performance. Tennis players had decreased accuracy. Reaction time was slower in other athletes who lacked sleep. All studies showed regardless of the sport, sleep-deprived athletes had less endurance.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC


Workouts To Help You Grow Your Arms

Workouts To Help You Grow Your Arms

If you want workouts to grow your arms, develop a six-pack, and have the best, most impressive body possible, you need a plan. At Team ISC in Sacramento, CA, we provide a plan of action to match that goal, and the workouts and nutrition guidance to achieve it. One area that many people focus on is their arms. Adding inches to your arms involves exercises that also build the rest of the upper body. When you reach your goal, you’ll also see dramatic changes everywhere.

Before you start working out, check your nutrition.

No matter how hard you work out, if your diet isn’t healthy and geared to building muscle, you won’t get the results you want. A great body starts in the kitchen. It then moves to the gym. Your body needs the raw materials to build muscle. While the amino acids from protein are the primary requirement, you also need magnesium, iron, potassium, and carbs. A diet of leafy greens, fish, eggs, poultry, lean meat, fatty fish, fruits, healthy fat, and vegetables helps build muscles. We help you develop a plan specific to your goals and needs.

We’ll design a plan to match your fitness level, goals, and special needs.

It takes dedication to build a great body. It also takes a plan. When you have the motivation and the right program, you can achieve your goal. When you exercise, your body makes micro tears in the muscle. You also need 48 to 72 hours for those muscles to heal. If you overwork the muscles and don’t give them healing time, you’ll lose ground instead of gaining it. When you first start working out, you’ll see improvement regardless of whether you’re lifting lighter weight and more reps or lifting heavier with fewer reps. Heavier weights build strength and denser muscles. Lighter weights build stamina and definition. Both enhance muscle growth and change the shape of the muscle.

Vary your workout plan.

You can use standing barbell curls, incline dumbbell curls, or both to build biceps. The standing barbell curl is often preferred. Twisting dumbbell curls involve the forearm and biceps. Build the brachialis with dumbbell hammer curls or straight bar reverse curls. Close grip chin-ups, EZ bar preacher curls, and hammer curls benefit the biceps. A diamond push-up, bench dips, tricep kickbacks, tricep extension, and close-grip bench press also work on the arms.

  • You can modify your push-ups or pull-ups to work more muscles or work them differently by putting your hands closer together or further apart. Add weights to increase the effort.
  • Do strength-building workouts at the start of your session to maximize the benefits. Don’t eliminate all cardio. Cardio increases insulin sensitivity and allows you to eat more, consuming more muscle-building nutrients.
  • Always focus on form before increasing weight or reps. If your form isn’t precise, it can diminish the results and may even cause injury. Include flexibility, warm-up, and cool-down exercises in every session.
  • When you sleep, your body does more than heal. It increases hormones like testosterone and HGH necessary to build muscle tissue. Lack of sleep increases cortisol, which negatively affects muscle-building efforts.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC


Fitness Is Mind AND Body

Fitness Is Mind AND Body

People understand a mind and body connection exists. Fitness is about being in the moment and focusing. That focus affects both physical performance and mental health. Stress, which emanates from the mind, causes the brain to release hormones that trigger changes in the body to prepare it to fight or run. Those hormones cause changes in blood flow and can create brain fog. Exercise can reverse those changes. If not reversed, they can create serious illnesses. Learning to calm the mind can also improve overall health. Ensuring the mind and the body are fit is imperative to good health.

Physical activity boosts brain health.

When you increase activity, you increase nutrient and oxygen-laden blood circulating to the brain. It improves cognitive functioning and can slow the advancement of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Those diseases cause the progressive loss of neurons. Exercise increases the creation of new neural pathways or slows the progressive loss. The increased blood flow also helps clear waste from the brain as it nourishes the cells.

Exercise makes the body stronger.

You’ll reduce the risk of many diseases when you exercise. You’ll also reduce the risk of injury from accidents. It helps improve balance, builds strength, promotes flexibility, and increases endurance. Exercising helps ease chronic pain. Chronic pain affects cognitive functioning and mental health. It also improves posture, which can boost self-confidence and lead to others treating you as more confident. Exercise helps improve your digestive system by increasing the variety and quality of your gut microbiome and aiding food to travel through the digestive system.

Exercise helps mental health disorders.

Many mental healthcare professionals use exercise as an adjunct therapy instead of medication. It’s proven better than many medications without any harmful side effects. It’s especially beneficial for people with anxiety and depression but has also been helpful for ADHD, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress syndrome. The microbes in the digestive system become more diversified and more beneficial. Many create enzymes that trigger improved mental health.

  • When you exercise regularly, you sleep more soundly and better at night. When you sleep, your brain does housekeeping. It reorganizes and flushes the brain with cerebrospinal fluid to remove toxins through brain channels that expand when you sleep.
  • Studies show that changing the gut microbiome can help treat many mental health conditions. Exercising helps make those changes.
  • Even if your joints hurt, mild exercise may be helpful. It increases synovial fluid circulation. The synovial fluid then lubricates the joints, bringing relief. Exercise also builds the tendons and muscles around the joints to reduce the pressure.
  • Exercise can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cancer. It lowers the risk of diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity. It helps prevent and reduce inflammation and strengthens the body to prolong your life.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC


Push Past Your Comfort Zone

Push Past Your Comfort Zone

Team ISC in Sacramento, CA, we want the workout to be designed around clients’ fitness levels and slowly push past their comfort zone. Challenging yourself is vital to making fitness progress. If the workout isn’t challenging both mentally and physically, you won’t see the progress you want. You’ll maintain your fitness level when you continue to do the same workout without pushing, but you won’t improve. Improvement only comes when you make your workout a little harder.

Take it one step at a time.

Any journey starts with the first step. If you’ve just started your fitness journey, you won’t be able to do as much as you will a month from starting. After a month, that challenging weight or the same number of sets will be easier. That’s because you’re at a new fitness level. It’s also when you should increase the difficulty of your workout and push beyond your comfort zone. It’s time to do more repetitions, extend the time you do the high-intensity section of HIIT—high intensity interval training, or whatever it takes to make your workout slightly harder.

A lot has to do with mental aspects.

In the 50s, Napoleon Hill, an inspirational speaker, shared messages like this, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” He wasn’t an athlete, but those words are true for athletes. Consider the elusive goal of breaking the four-minute mile. After almost 70 years of chasing the elusive four-minute mile, Roger Bannister broke through the barrier. Within months, several more athletes broke that barrier. They finally knew it was possible. To get past your comfort zone, you must believe you can!

Push hard, but do it wisely.

Improving at anything always feels uncomfortable when you first start. Consider how you felt the first time you worked out. You have to feel the same level of discomfort to make progress, but not so much that it causes injury. If you feel excessive pain while attempting to get beyond your comfort zone, stop. If you’re pushing so hard it affects your form, stop. Step back, assess your situation, and proceed at a slower, more controlled pace.

  • Consistency is the key to pushing past your comfort zone and getting results. Consistency helps you recognize when the workout becomes easier so you can make adjustments.
  • One way to get fitter and make it easier to push past your comfort zone is to live an active lifestyle. Not all your progress comes from the gym. You can walk more, take the stairs, and use free time to play with the kids, hike, swim, or do other physically challenging activities.
  • Our trainers can help you achieve your best and avoid injury. They constantly check your progress and form to ensure you do everything correctly.
  • Always check with your healthcare professional first before starting any fitness program. If you’re working with a personal trainer, let the trainer know of any physical limitations.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC


How To Eat Healthily Without Depriving Yourself

How To Eat Healthily Without Depriving Yourself

One unfounded belief is that to eat healthily, you can only eat lettuce, fresh vegetables, and broiled chicken or something the equivalent of that. You can eat healthier without depriving yourself by making a few changes. It doesn’t mean you give up all sweet treats. It does mean you can’t eat them every day, and when you do, eat one serving size. A scoop of ice cream occasionally is okay, but eating a quart a day is not healthy. So how do you start?

Start by identifying your weaknesses and places you need to improve.

You don’t have to be dramatic about the changes. They can be minor and gradual. If you’re used to eating a sweet treat during mid-morning break, don’t skip the treat, substitute it with fruit. If you love a dish of ice cream with your meal, either make the serving smaller until you only eat a small amount every other day or switch to a frozen fruit sorbet with no added sugar. Switching one ingredient for another without changing the flavor is another way to eat healthier. Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and whole grain brown rice instead of processed white rice.

Drink a glass of water before a meal.

If you drink 8 ounces of water a half hour before a meal, you’ll eat less. You can switch from soft drinks to water for calorie savings and health benefits. Change the way you cook your food. Bake meat instead of frying it. Consider using an air fryer if you crave that fried food flavor occasionally. Try zoodles or spaghetti squash to replace pasta. Most people find the taste isn’t that much different. Some people love the flavor of spaghetti squash better.

Take your time and eat mindfully.

Mindful eating can help digestion and aid in weight loss. You savor each bite and slow your eating. When you take a bite, chew it until it’s a liquid. As you chew it, notice the flavor and texture. Think about how each bite is making you healthier. It can help to note every time you eat something. It slows you down and makes digestion easier.

  • Find ways to add vegetables to dishes. Add veggies to rice, put them in muffins, mix extra in casseroles, or put extra veggies in tuna or chicken salad.
  • Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can never eat sweet treats. Just don’t eat them often. If you’re at a birthday party, don’t turn down the cake if you love it. Eat a smaller piece.
  • Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can never eat sweet treats. Just don’t eat them often. If you’re at a birthday party, don’t turn down cake if you love it. Plan the week’s meals one day, shop another, and spend one day making them. Include snacks.
  • Get creative and include a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Try pickled vegetables, baked, stewed, and raw ones. Serving healthy food in a variety of ways will leave you feeling satisfied.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC


Is Soda Good For Bulking Up?

Is Soda Good For Bulking Up?

If you’re battling to put on muscle and weight in Sacramento, CA, you might think drinking more soda is a good idea. If you’re bulking up, soda and junk food aren’t the answer. You can gain weight and stay healthy at the same time. Everyone is different. Their metabolism and builds differ. It’s why some people seem to eat everything and never gain a pound. That is the envy of those who gain weight easily, but it’s not desirable if you want big muscles.

Being underweight is just as unhealthy as being overweight.

If you have a high BMI—body mass index—number and fall in the overweight or obese category, it affects your health. However, being too thin and having too low a BMI is also just as dangerous. It should be more than just vanity making you want to gain weight. You might think eating high-calorie junk food is the way to do that. It isn’t. Soft drinks, Oreos, fries, and donuts will add calories, but any weight gain will be fat, not muscle. You won’t have adequate nutrition to gain muscle tissue.

Get more calories from healthy food and avoid the harmful side effects of sugar.

Soft drinks are high in sugar. It attacks your teeth, spikes your insulin, and increases your risk of heart disease. The sodium benzoate soft drinks contain can lead to eczema, asthma, and kidney problems. It can cause calcium to leach from the bones. Instead of going for empty calories, opt for nutritious higher-calorie food. Dried fruit, nuts, full-fat dairy, whole grain, and meat are examples. The extra protein in some of these foods provides the building blocks for muscle.

Increase your muscle mass without increasing body fat.

Take a lesson from bodybuilders who target building muscle tissue then move to a cutting phase to define those muscles and eliminate excess fat. They get 30-35% of their calories from protein, 55 to 60% from carbs, and the balance from healthy fat. Once they build the muscle, they slowly cut back on calories as they sculpt their muscle mass. Bodybuilders also avoid excess cardio. Cardio burns a lot of calories, and those calories come from both fat and muscle tissue. Instead, focus on strength-building exercises.

  • Soft drinks add visceral fat. Artificially sweetened drinks cause an increased waist measurement. Bulking up shouldn’t include developing a pot belly.
  • Consider protein smoothies as a go-to drink. Include bananas in the smoothie and whey protein. Add extra calories by adding a scoop of peanut butter to the mix.
  • Eat a snack before your workout and one afterward. The snacks should contain both carbohydrates and protein. The carbohydrates keep you working out without breaking down muscle, and the protein jumpstarts recovery.
  • Don’t forget healthy fat. Nuts, avocados, full-fat cheese, olive oil, and butter are excellent. If you use animal products, use ones from pastured and grass-fed animals to maximize health benefits.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC