Mindset

What To Do When You're Too Tired To Workout

What To Do When You’re Too Tired To Workout

Published by on February 25, 2024 | Leave a response

It can be too easy to feel too tired to work out, especially if you had a stressful day at work. All you want to do is lay down and rest and that 45 minutes or hour of effort seems insurmountable. If just thinking about getting ready for the workout makes you sign in exhaustion, here are some solutions that can help. The first one is to acknowledge how tired you are and determine whether there’s a reason for it. If you spent all night with a sick baby or have a touch of the flu yourself, giving in and lying down may be your best option.

Most people reach for a cup of coffee to combat fatigue.

Coffee is usually everyone’s go-to beverage when they’re feeling exhausted, but it shouldn’t be. Sometimes, all you need is a little hydrating. Nothing is better for that than a tall glass of water. Dehydration can make you feel weary and about to drop. Drink a tall glass of water and you’ll probably feel better. You’ll notice your energy rising within minutes of drinking it if dehydration is the problem.

Try a healthy snack to get you moving.

If the cold water doesn’t work, follow it up with a healthy snack. You may need a little energy boost. If that doesn’t work, try a psychological approach. Remind yourself who is in charge. Tell yourself that if you go to the gym and don’t feel more energetic after a few minutes you can go home. Usually, a short exercise session can stimulate blood flow and improve circulation. That sends energizing nutrients and oxygen to your entire body to boost your energy level.

Create a shorter version of your workout you can do throughout the day.

Sometimes, the thought of getting changed and putting in 45 minutes to an hour causes the problem. For those days you feel tired all day, doing shortened versions of your workout throughout the day can help. Have five to ten-minute sessions throughout the day. You can do some exercises, like lunges and squats, almost anywhere. You’ll get as much benefit from five 10-minute workouts as you do in one 50-minute session.

  • Only you can tell if you’re physically too tired to workout and know if it’s not just ordinary exhaustion from the day. If you aren’t feeling good, don’t go to the gym. You’ll be doing yourself and others at the gym a favor.
  • When your energy level drops and drinking water doesn’t work, practice belly breathing or deep breathing. Deep breaths can boost your energy and help you throughout the day.
  • Are you getting enough sleep? You may be sleep-deprived if you aren’t sleeping between 7 to 9 hours. Adequate sleep is vital to good health. Lack of sleep causes your body to overproduce the hunger hormone and underproduce the hormone that makes you feel full.
  • Before you decide the gym is off-limits, walk around for a while. Sometimes just moving can make you feel better. Healthcare professionals suggest you get up and move at least five minutes every hour.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC

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Should You Exercise When Your Muscles Are Sore?

Should You Exercise When Your Muscles Are Sore?

Published by on February 10, 2024 | Leave a response

There’s no doubt about it, after a tough day of exercise, your muscles can be sore the next day. People in Sacramento, CA, often forego exercise, while others go at it even harder. Which group is right? One important point is that you shouldn’t do intense exercise two days in a row. You need to allow any micro tears in the muscles to heal. It can be counterproductive. With that said, should you do moderate exercise or should you rest? That all depends on the level of pain you’re experiencing. If it’s extremely unbearable, seek medical attention. It could indicate a serious injury or condition.

Signs that tell you to take a rest may indicate an injury.

How do you know if the pain is unbearable or whether you’re overreacting? Think of it as the difference between sore muscles and jabbing pain. If you have an injury there’s often swelling, constant pain that you can’t relieve, black and blue marks, numbness, or tingling. If the pain is making you sick to your stomach or nauseous when you move, start with home medications like ice packs to reduce swelling. Do not exercise for a couple of days. If it doesn’t get better, or your symptoms are overwhelming, call your healthcare professional or go to an urgent care clinic.

Soreness can be relieved with exercise.

Don’t go to the gym and try to repeat the previous day’s workout, but don’t go to bed. Instead, do active recovery. Active recovery includes walking, swimming, or stretching exercises. If your legs hurt, work on your upper body and vice versa. Mild exercise increases circulation, sending healing nutrient-dense and oxygen-rich blood to the painful area. It’s a form of therapy for sore muscles.

Soreness signals the body it’s getting stronger and is different from pain.

Soreness means you’re doing something right. You’re stressing your muscles to help them adapt and become stronger. Soreness indicates healing and building new muscle tissue. Intense pain that starts several days after you workout is called delayed onset muscle soreness—DOMS. It’s a sign you need to give your muscles a few days of rest. It goes away but takes more time than traditional soreness. Any pain that lasts more than five days needs attention from a healthcare professional.

  • Whether or not you have pain after working out, don’t do the same exercise routine every day. Alternate your workout so you work different body parts or do different types of fitness workouts.
  • Don’t be afraid of soreness. It’s a sign that you’re making progress. Sore muscles are often the cause of quitting exercise when it’s a positive sign that you’re making progress.
  • One study found that soaking in a hot tub can help DOMS. It boosts circulation. A long hot shower or bath can also be helpful. Combine a hot soak, active recovery, and a massage to bring quicker relief.
  • To prevent and help heal muscle pain, eat a healthy diet that provides adequate protein, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid food with added sugar, highly processed, or salty food. Don’t forget to warm up and cool down after a workout.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC

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The Importance Of Warm-Up And Cool-Down Exercises

The Importance Of Warm-Up And Cool-Down Exercises

Published by on January 25, 2024 | Leave a response

People who workout on their own often fail to include warm-up and cool-down exercises. It’s always part of the program at Team-ISC in Sacramento, CA. These are short sessions performed before exercise and immediately following. They serve different purposes and use different styles. Warm-up exercises can be as simple as jumping rope or a brisk walk. Cool-down ones can be stretches or yoga poses.

Warm-up exercises prepare your body for increased effort.

Getting your body into full workout mode without a short warm-up can be a shock to the heart. The warm-up workouts increase circulation slowly. That gradual increase in effort slowly boosts your heart rate and boosts your breathing gradually. It also warms the other muscles of the body to help prevent injury. It starts the process of exercise in the brain to fire the neurons that make your session more productive. It helps prevent a sudden rise in blood pressure, gradually easing you into the intensity of a workout.

A cooling-down session can be used to increase flexibility.

Cool-down exercises gradually slow circulation and allow your blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature to slowly return to normal. Using stretches to cool down can help your fitness program in other ways. Your muscles are warm and more flexible, so it’s the perfect time to do exercises to increase your range of motion. That helps prevent injury in future sessions. Stretching the muscles can also reduce lactic acid and make recovery quicker.

The type of stretching used for each is different.

For warm-up exercises, you use dynamic stretching that involves similar movement to the action you’ll do during your workout. If you’re about to run, a brisk walk is a good example. Cool-down exercises use static stretches. Those are stretch-and-hold style exercises. Seated forward bending to touch the toes, the child pose, and the downward-facing dog are excellent cool-down exercises.

  • Both cool-down and warm-up exercises help reduce lactic acid build-up. Warm-up exercises increase oxygen, which means less lactic acid. Cool-down exercises keep circulation higher to remove lactic acid from the muscles.
  • Warm-up exercises boost your endurance and coordination. You’ll improve your agility, muscle control, and reaction time when you do warm-up exercises.
  • After an intense workout, the muscles are loose and feel almost jelly-like. If you don’t do cool-down exercises, you risk injury from falling. Since the blood pools in the extremities, you also risk fainting.
  • Warming up helps you get your thoughts together and focus more on your workout. It’s a time to switch from other activities to exercise before you increase intensity.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC

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The Importance Of Mindset For Fitness Success

The Importance Of Mindset For Fitness Success

Published by on January 10, 2024 | Leave a response

Not everything about fitness success has to do with the body. Your mindset plays a vital role in it. It’s not just that way in fitness but in every aspect of life. Almost everyone has heard the story of The Little Engine That Could. It’s all about focusing on accomplishing a task and accepting nothing less than success. Everyone knows someone who says they want to get fit, but the moment they face a challenge, they quit. Don’t let that person be you.

Practice exercising in your head.

All physical activities start in the brain. Your brain gives a signal to the muscle to move in a specific way. There are stories of POWs practicing physical challenges, like exercise, in their head while imprisoned. When they were finally released, they were fit and performed better, even though their conditions were horrible. Olympic athletes also use mental imagery and visualization to improve their performance.

Changing your mindset can improve your chances of a better outcome.

When you improve your mindset, you improve your potential for success. It’s not magic or mental mumbo-jumbo. If you believe you can succeed, you’ll keep trying. If you believe you’ll fail, you’ll quit at the first setback or difficult task. After all, why even put in the effort if it won’t make a difference in the outcome? If you dread each visit to the gym because you feel self-conscious or inept, it makes it easier to skip a few sessions and ultimately quit going.

Sometimes your scales lie.

If you’re working out to help you lose weight, track your progress but also use other measurement techniques to keep your mindset positive. There may be a week or two that you don’t lose weight but your measurements show you lost inches. Focus on the inches lost. That means you’re burning fat and building muscle. One cubic inch of fat weighs less than a cubic inch of muscle tissue. If you didn’t lose weight but lost inches instead, you’re still making progress. You have more muscle tissue and less fat. That’s just as important, especially since muscle tissue burns more calories.

  • Give yourself praise every time you do a workout right, make progress, or go to the gym when you don’t want to go. You have to start a workout for that workout to be effective.
  • Leave your negativity outside the gym. Face each workout with a positive attitude. If you do something wrong, don’t beat yourself up, just correct the problem and move on from there.
  • Don’t just focus on the gym to boost your fitness. Do something fun. Go dancing, play team sports, or take the family on a hike. Those things also help you get into shape and make life more fun.
  • Listen to your self-talk. Be kind to yourself. When you achieve a small goal, celebrate it. Reward yourself when you achieve a large goal. Have a workout buddy and celebrate successes together.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC

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Pros And Cons Of Working Out With A Partner

Pros And Cons Of Working Out With A Partner

Published by on December 25, 2023 | Leave a response

It’s not always easy to motivate yourself to go to the gym, which is one reason working out with a partner is a benefit. Other benefits make having a workout buddy seem like the answer, but it’s not always the case. There’s a negative side to it. Having a workout partner has its pros and cons just as everything does. Looking at both sides can help you discover whether it’s right for you.

Partners hold you accountable for showing up and working your hardest.

If you workout alone, skipping a session can be pretty enticing sometimes. A workout partner holds you accountable for going to the gym. They also hold you accountable for working your hardest and sticking with the program in the gym. That sounds pretty good, but what happens if the person holding you accountable is less accountable than you? You have to do the heavy lifting to keep the partnership working out and it can be pretty cumbersome. Choose a workout partner wisely. If you’re both equally motivated, the chances of both of you wanting to goof off at the same time are far less.

A workout partner can create friendly competition.

If you’re competitive, look for a partner with an equal edge. It can make each session a challenge, which can be fun. The more fun you have, the more likely you’ll be to exercise. If your partner wants to give up at the first challenge and you’re competitive, it can make each workout miserable. You must listen to them as they whine and moan at each challenge. It’s enough to make you want to quit, which you’ll probably do.

Having a workout buddy makes the workout safer.

A workout partner can be your spotter when you lift weights. You need a spotter for safety’s sake. They can observe your form and help make corrections. Doing an exercise wrong can cause injury or minimize the benefits. A workout buddy as a running partner can be vital. If there’s an emergency or you have a fall, your partner is there to help. If you run after dark, you’re far safer when there are two of you rather than if you’re alone.

  • Just having someone check your progress by phone or Skype can be a benefit. One study found that when someone called a person once a week to check progress, it increased the chance of continuing by 78%.
  • If your workout partner is part of your social life, you can switch your fun from unhealthy options to healthier ones. Going to the gym instead of stopping at a bar for drinks that are packed on the pounds is a healthier option that can be as much fun.
  • Everyone needs confirmation that they’re doing well. A workout partner can provide accolades when you’ve conquered a tough goal or managed one more set.
  • Workout partners can provide incentives to try new exercises and workout techniques. The best workout partner can be a personal trainer. He is always there and ready to work. He shows you new exercises and the right way to do them.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC

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Signs You're Working Out Too Much

Signs You’re Working Out Too Much

Published by on December 10, 2023 | Leave a response

Sacramento, CA, and the surrounding area have some of the most “can-do” determined people in the world. They put their heart into everything they do. I’ve met quite a few at Team ISC. Many people come here to start a program of fitness. Occasionally, we get someone who is seasoned, but not making the progress they want. They’re pushing it to the limit, but instead of getting fitter, they seem to lose muscle and endurance. I immediately recognized that as one of the signs they are working out too much.

It doesn’t happen very often, but you can push too hard.

Every vocation and advocation has people who are overachievers. That’s a great quality, but when they’re trying to get fitter, it can work against you and slow progress to your goals. Your muscles need time to rest and repair after an intense workout. Strength training causes microtears in muscles. They heal to create mini scars that build muscle and strength. For strength training, that repair takes 48-72 hours. The more intense the workout, the longer the repair time. Give it time to heal instead of constantly re-tearing the muscle.

Your body will constantly fight to repair itself and that causes stress.

Not only will your progress slow or even reverse, but over-exercising can leave your body in a constant state of stress. Stress can affect your immune system. It leaves you more prone to colds, flu, and other illnesses. Exercise normally burns off stress hormones, but if it’s too strenuous, too frequent, or too long, it can cause more stress. During muscle repair, your immune system isn’t as efficient. It may take as long as 72 hours to get it back to normal after an intense workout. If you do intense workouts daily, you won’t have time to recover and are more prone to illness.

Several other signs may appear if you over-exercise.

Mood swings can be an obvious sign of someone over-exercising. It can cause anxiety, irritability, confusion, anger, and depression. Over-exercising can also cause chronic fatigue and delayed recovery time. If you aren’t recovering as quickly as usual or feel exhausted following a workout when you used to feel great, you might be pushing yourself too hard.

  • Instead of hitting the gym every day, workout two to three days a week and do recovery exercises like moderate walking on the other days. If it’s continued for a while, cut back on all activities and rest.
  • Get more rest. Your body heals when you sleep. Too much exertion can affect your sleep pattern negatively. Insomnia is another sign of too much exercise. Muscle loss, belly fat accumulation, and decreased thyroid output are also signs.
  • Track your resting heart rate. A high resting heart rate indicates you’re over-exercising. If you’re fit, it should be between 40-60 bpm. If it jumps to 75 bpm or higher, it’s time to take a break.
  • If you do strength training daily, alternate between upper, lower, and core muscles. We can help you with a program that works you to your maximum potential but never too hard.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC

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The Scale Weight Isn't The Only Measurement You Need

The Scale Weight Isn’t The Only Measurement You Need

Published by on August 10, 2023 | Leave a response

Whether your scale intimidates you or you weigh yourself fifteen times a day, you need to change the way you judge your progress. The scale isn’t the only measurement tool. Other ways might be better for you to use. It all depends on your goals. If you’re getting fit to be healthier, use your vital numbers, like blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose levels. There are several ways to judge whether you’re getting leaner that are far better than watching the scale numbers rise or lower.

Sometimes, the scale lies.

A lot of things can make your weight fluctuate. Water retention is probably the best known. If you’re weighing yourself several times a day, or even several times a week, you won’t get a clear picture of your progress. Instead, once a week take measurements. Measurements can tell you if you’re shedding fat and building muscle tissue. Since muscle weighs more per cubic inch than fat tissue does, if you’re building muscle and losing fat, it might not show on the scale. It will show in your measurements. You’ll look thinner even if you don’t shed one pound.

Make a visual representation of your weight loss journey.

When you start a weight loss program, take a photo of yourself in revealing clothing, like a swimsuit or tight gym shorts and sports bra. Once or twice a month, in the same spot so you get the same perspective and take another picture. Most phones allow you to add a date and time stamp or note the date in the information section. At the end of several months, compare the pictures to compare the difference. You can even show off a bit and post them on social media.

Let your waist circumference tell the story.

Most people who want to lose weight carry it around their midsection. The body has two types of fat, subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is directly under the skin and covers the entire body. Visceral fat is primarily on the midsection. It’s the most dangerous type of fat. It crowds the organs and is a factor in many health conditions. A waist measurement can help identify how much visceral fat you still have. It’s the hardest to lose, so if you’re losing visceral fat around the middle, you’re losing it all over your body.

  • Weighing yourself too often can discourage you, especially if you’re building muscle and don’t see the weight loss you hoped to achieve. Even if you weigh yourself, track your progress in other ways, too.
  • Use your favorite skinny jeans to track your weight. If you can’t zip them without laying on the bed or zip them at all, try them on once a week and record how comfortably they fit.
  • Taking measurements can help you if you’re trying to build muscle. You can judge your muscle mass by measuring your biceps, chest, calves, and thighs.
  • Change is slow and you can get easily discouraged in the initial stages of your transformation. Since your energy level changes first, before you see any physical changes, focus on that and note the differences.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC

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Exercises For Sciatica Pain

Exercises For Sciatica Pain

Published by on May 25, 2023 | Leave a response

Companies report that back pain accounts for many sick days and disability claims. It happens across the country, including Sacramento, CA. Back pain can occur in the shoulders, mid back, and lower back. Lower back pain often occurs along the sciatica nerve, the largest nerve in the body. It starts in the lower back, continues through the area of the buttocks and hips, then down both thighs. One course of action for treating the condition is using exercises for sciatica pain. They help relax the muscles, provide pain-relief, and prevent future problems.

Stretching your hamstring can bring relief.

There are several ways to stretch the hamstring. One uses a towel to stretch it. Grab a towel with one end in each hand. Lay on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift one foot and put the sole in the center, creating a loop to hold the foot. As you gently pull the towel toward you, attempt to straighten your leg, making it perpendicular to the body. You’ll feel the hamstring stretch. Do the other leg.

Gentle movement can bring pain relief.

When your back, hips, and thighs hurt, you don’t feel like moving, but it can bring relief. There are three exercises you can combine that bring quick relief. Lay on your back with one knee bent and the other leg either laying flat or bent, whichever is most comfortable. Grasp the knee with your hands and gently pull it toward your chest. Hold for up to a half minute and release. Then do the other leg. You can modify it by doing both legs at once, just don’t force the stretch, especially when you feel pain.

Yoga can help relax the back muscles and bring relief from pain.

Various yoga positions can aid in relaxing back muscles but the best combines the cat and cow pose that are done on the hands and knees. The combination starts with the cat pose. Arch your back like a cat as you lower your head. Hold the position, then return to starting position, transitioning into the cow pose. Let your belly drop toward the floor, creating the look of a swayback appearance with an exaggerated curve. Lift your head as you do this. Hold this position, then arch your back, moving back to the cat position and repeating the movement.

  • A seated hamstring stretch requires two chairs. While seated on one chair, place one foot on the other chair, leaving the other foot flat on the floor. Slowly attempt to touch the toes of the foot on the chair until you feel the stretch.
  • Another stretch that can help relieve back pain starts by laying on the back. Bring both knees toward the chest, wrapping your arms around them, pulling as close as possible, and holding.
  • Relax your muscles in the pool. Walking in water that’s up to your chest can help relax your muscles and provides a good warm-up routine. Follow the warm-up with a standing pelvic tilt.
  • If there’s loss of leg movement or problems with bowel or bladder control, see a doctor immediately. If the pain doesn’t improve or gets worse, get help from a healthcare professional.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC

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How To Bounce Back After A Binge

How To Bounce Back After A Binge

Published by on May 10, 2023 | Leave a response

Anyone who has tried to lose weight or switched from a diet of fast-food to one of healthy eating has had a momentary weakness, where they ate something that wasn’t part of their program. Whether it was an order of fries, a thin slice of cake, or a spoon of ice cream, it wasn’t that bad, unless it started a binge. The spoon of ice cream became a quart and the thin slice of cake became two, then three, then the rest of the cake. You might think all is lost when this happens, but you can bounce back after a binge, and get back on track.

Don’t let the guilt make it worse.

You’ll feel the bloat and discomfort immediately. It can even last a couple of days. Often people who binge feel guilt that lasts far longer. Give yourself a break. That guilt can lead to even more overeating. It gives junk food power over you and makes you feel like quitting. You may have downed a lot of calories, but it was still just one slip. You’re learning to eat healthier, why would you punish yourself? Would you punish a child learning to walk for falling? Of course, you wouldn’t.

Start by getting rid of the bloated feeling.

Drinking water and staying hydrated can be beneficial to pushing the food through your system and eliminating the bloat. Mild exercise immediately following the binge and more vigorous exercise the next day can also help. Exercise also aids digestion and can lift your spirits. Don’t think of it as a punishment or a way to burn the excess calories. Instead, think of it as a medicine to help you feel better.

Don’t starve yourself the next day but make your meals healthy.

Immediately after a binge, you may swear to yourself that you’ll never do that again, holding your stomach in pain. That can all change overnight. Binging can make you even hungrier the next day. It occurs when binging causes an insulin spike, dropping blood sugar dramatically. When your blood sugar drops, your body tells you to eat. It can happen later in the day or the following day. You have three options. The first is to ignore it and starve yourself. That’s a bad idea. It becomes a punishment for eating and creates guilt. The second is to continue to binge, which is also out of the question. The third and best solution is to eat a healthy meal that has fiber, protein, and healthy fat.

  • Learn to give yourself the flexibility to eat guilty pleasures occasionally. That thin friend that can eat whatever they desire doesn’t overeat. Your friend has developed a good relationship with food, eats healthily most of the time, and only eats when hungry.
  • Get plenty of sleep after a binge. If you lack sleep, your body produces too much ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and too little leptin, the one that makes you feel full. Lack of sleep can drive hunger.
  • Keep a food diary and include your emotions when you binge. Did you overeat after a disappointment or when you were angry? You may be using food to replace dealing with situations. Identifying the problem can help prevent future binging.
  • Pay attention to cravings. If you have a specific food you love, eat it without guilt. Just focus on portion control and frequency. Enjoy every bite. When you know it’s okay to eat something, it reduces the desire and the potential for a binge.

For more information, contact us today at Team-ISC

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