Just How Important is Getting Your 5 A Day?

Every week seems to bring the latest health fad, the must-try diet, and the gizmo that promises to shed inches off your waistline. There’s no denying that leading a healthy lifestyle is beneficial for many reasons, but it can often be hard to ensure the plan or diet you’re following is one that truly has your best interests at heart.

However, with the UK Government and supermarkets countrywide backing it, few people can claim not to have heard about the 4 ‘5 a day’ fruit and vegetable plan. So, just how important is getting those five a day, and how can it really benefit you?

1. Give your hearing a boost
If you’re worried about hearing loss and having to wear hearing aids, or want to make sure you’re giving your ears a helping hand when it comes to them doing their job properly, it’s important to eat healthily.

Foods high in potassium and folic acid have beneficial properties for your hearing. That’s because potassium is needed in order to ensure the amount of fluid that travels around your body (including your inner ear) is at the correct level. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, spinach, oranges, and apricots amongst others. Folic acid, meanwhile, is vital for keeping up your body’s cell growth. The amount of folic acid in our bodies can drop significantly once we’re over 50 so it’s particularly important to include folic acid-rich foods in your diet in later years. Asparagus, spinach, and broccoli are good sources of folic acid.

2. Boost your body’s defenses
nobody likes a cold – all that endless nose blowing, the sore throat, and the achy head never made anyone feel on top of the world. So help your body help itself by ensuring it’s stocked up with plenty of vitamin C.  Research has shown that people with good vitamin C levels in their bodies have fewer sick days than those who don’t – by 34% in fact. Blueberries, oranges and lemons, and raspberries are particularly high in vitamin C sostock up and fight off those colds.

We opened this gym, because we want you, to get fit!

“I enjoy the small group atmosphere. I have made many friends that help with the encouragement of working out when I may not feel like it.  Without Bootcamp, I wouldn’t make have any accountability for attending and I can see I would not make it to the gym as often.”  Program Rating: 10/10″ L.Saba

6 Years ago we started up the Boot Camp program, made it affordable, made it include everything and made it fun.  And we just made it even better!

We have had client after client drop 20, 30, 50 pounds, and some even more!   Some boot campers have started running, competing in Spartan Races, and embracing a FIT and HEALTHY lifestyle, while looking GREAT!  It is a great program, and we are always in the process of IMPROVING it even more!

Healthy Sites You Need to Bookmark

We were excited to see Forbes magazine’s list of the 100 best websites for women last week. Whether in fitness, food, fashion, business, or entertainment, there’s nothing we at SHAPE like more than seeing other savvy, fierce women disrupting the status quo, making you think, or getting things done. And to be sure, there were dozens of fantastic choices on the list—The 30-Nothings, Babble, Blog Her, The Bump, and 85 Broad are just a few examples of how Forbes got it right, and you certainly should check out the rest of the list if you have a spare moment.

 

But (you knew there was a “but” coming!), we couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed when we noticed that no health and fitness sites made the cut. The brand decided that it didn’t feel comfortable acting as an authority on women’s bodies, which we respect—and totally get! We just couldn’t let it go completely, so we put together our own list of the best websites for women, with a focus on health and fitness. Most are organized by women for women, though a few are spearheaded by men, and all provide accurate, entertaining, and informative takes on the latest in today’s health and fitness news.

Note: This is not a rank-order list, so the slides aren’t listed in any particular order.

Photo: Getty Images

The Chest Workout Even The Pros Fear

It won’t be easy, but it will be effective. From rest-pause 16s to the Juarez Valley Method, this workout is going to burn. But it’s going to make your chest grow big.
Do you know the difference between a “beginner version” and an “advanced version” of a bench-press workout? The most obvious, of course, is that an advanced trainer uses a lot more weight and does more sets. But if you look deeper, there’s one thing experienced lifters usually do that sets them apart from your average bencher.

Here’s the difference: Most of us tend to favor techniques that make an exercise easier—like bouncing the bar off our chest, lifting our butt off the bench, or shortening the range of motion. But veteran lifters find ways to make a movement more challenging.

That’s where I come in. You know the four chest exercises in this routine, but each one has been improved with the addition of a technique to make it harder.

You can love me or hate me for what you are about to read. Either way, your chest will grow.

 

FIND THE BEST LOADS FOR YOU

Calculating your loads for an intense workout like this can be challenging if you’re not familiar with your upper-strength limits—especially for Pendlay rows. If you’ve never done Pend lay rows before, spend a few sessions perfecting your technique and moving up in weight before attempting these very heavy-weight sets.

If you need a hand figuring out your loads, use the Bodybuilding.com 1RM calculator to get a ballpark figure for your 4RM, 3RM, 2RM, and 1RM based on what you can do with other loads. But as with any movement, adjust your weights as necessary to hit your target reps.

STAFFORD’S EXERCISE TECHNIQUE POINTERS

NEUTRAL-GRIP PULL-UP

Make sure your grip is firm around the bars and your chest is high as you pull yourself to the top. “When you hit the top, squeeze your lats before slowly lowering yourself,” Stafford says.

 

These Yoga Poses Are Perfect for Athletes

Down Dog Foot Pedal

• Start on all fours. Tuck toes and lift hips high, reaching sits bones toward the ceiling.
• Reach heels back toward the mat. Drop head so neck is long.
• Make sure wrist creases stay parallel to the front edge of the mat.
• Press into the knuckles of forefingers and thumbs to alleviate pressure from wrists.
• Pedal feet out one at a time, alternately bending knees in down dog. Breathe here for at least 5 to 10 deep breaths.

These Yoga Poses Are Perfect for Athletes

Down Dog Foot Pedal

• Start on all fours. Tuck toes and lift hips high, reaching sits bones toward the ceiling.
• Reach heels back toward the mat. Drop head so neck is long.
• Make sure wrist creases stay parallel to the front edge of the mat.
• Press into the knuckles of forefingers and thumbs to alleviate pressure from wrists.
• Pedal feet out one at a time, alternately bending knees in down dog. Breathe here for at least 5 to 10 deep breaths.

Green Vegetable Smoothie

This vegetable smoothie from Treats With a Twist is chock-full of cucumber, carrot, celery, spinach, and avocado.

Americans aren’t eating as many vegetables as the latest kale craze would have us believe. On average, we eat less than two servings of vegetables day, according to a recent CDC report. Simple solution: These easy vegetable smoothie recipes that help you boost your daily dose of green. Bottoms up!

10 Best Cross Fit Workouts for Weight Loss

A LEVEL-WITH-YOU FACT: If you do Cross Fit, you will almost certainly drop fat. “High-intensity interval training, common to Cross Fit, is very effective for weight loss,” says Adam Sturm, Cross Fit coach and owner of Cross Fit Outbreak in Brooklyn, NY. “There is a prolonged calorie burn/metabolic effect after the workout is finished.” These 10 WODs, chosen by Sturm and Dan McCarthy, owner and coach at Brooklyn’s Crow Hill Cross Fit, have that HIIT factor in spades to really pack a weight-loss punch (in conjunction with a healthy diet and sleep schedule, of course).

“Helen”

One of the many WODs named after ladies, Helen features a combo of cardio and strength (hint: this will be a theme). It’s done for time, with the idea that you’ll beat your previous record in subsequent sessions. “The combination of running and kettle bell swings really

revs up metabolism,” McCarthy says. The pull-ups add some multi-joint strength work to build calorie-burning muscle.

Three rounds for time:   
400m run
21 kettle bell swings at 53 pounds
12 pull-ups (band-supported if needed)

“’Eva”

Consider Eva to be Helen’s bigger, meaner sister. “This workout hits both the cardio and strength system—the run is pure cardio, the swings and pull-ups are a cardio-strength hybrid—leading to massive calorie burn,” Sturm says.

Five rounds for time:
800m run
30 kettlebell swings at 70 pounds, if you can, er, swing it
30 pullups (band-supported if needed)

CROSSFITThe roadmap to starting CrossFit

Where do you start? Follow our guide.

 

“Grace”

Cross Fit has an affinity for WODs that sound oh-so-simple… until you realize what’s being demanded. Grace uses just one exercise, the clean and jerk, to that effect. “Heavy lifting is great for weight loss,” says McCarthy. “Here’s a fun workout that combines lifting with speed!” Be sure you can do the move with proper form before going full throttle, and then get your stopwatch ready and your bar loaded.

For time: 
30 clean and jerks at 135 pounds

“Fight Gone Bad”

In this one, the goal is to earn your own high score by keeping track of total reps of five exercises done as hard as possible for one minute each. “It’s an excellent weight-loss workout because the one-minute max-effort rounds allow athletes to work at their highest capacity, regardless of ability,” says Sturm. For the first four exercises, you’ll count and add up your reps, then add the calorie count on the rowing machine to your score.

Three rounds, one-minute per exercise, with one-minute rest between rounds:
Wall balls at 20 pounds with 10-foot target
Sumo deadlift high-pull at 75 pounds
20-inch box jumps
Push-press at 75 pounds
Rowing machine

TOTAL-BODY WORKOUTS Cross Fit-Inspired Challenges: The dumbbell complex

The golden rule of this circuit: You can’t put the weights down.

“Newport Crippler”

This WOD actually gets easier(ish) the more pounds you drop. “It’s a great benchmark as you’re losing weight, as the squats get lighter as you do,” McCarthy says. And there’s nothing like a brisk run after a heavy leg work out to make you feel light on your feet, right?

For time:
30 back squats loaded with your body weight equivalent
1-mile run

7 Minutes of Burpees

Yup, that’s it! Oy, that’s it. “Absolutely hellish, there is no movement that taxes the body like burpees,” says Sturm. “A beginner may only get 25 reps in 7 minutes while an elite athlete may get near or over 100 reps, but both athletes would walk (or crawl) away from this one with a serious metabolic boost.”

In 7 minutes:
Do as many burpees as possible

“Fran”

“Fran is a fast sprint workout that will keep fat burning for hours after your workout,” McCarthy says. With a diminishing rep count, Fran should get easier as you go…except that you’ll be pretty blown out from the previous round.

21/15/9 reps for time:    
Thrusters at 95 pounds
Pullups

“Karen”

Perhaps more aptly called, “balls to the wall,” Karen is just that: 150 wall balls done for time. “It’s a strength-based task that drives the heart rate sky-high because of the sheer volume of work,” Sturm says. “You’ll get a bonus burn as your body struggles to adapt to new muscle growth for 48-72 hours post-WOD.”

For time:
150 wall balls at 20 pounds with 10-foot target (stopping before complete failure)

Target times:
Level 1: 8:00-10:00
Level 2: 5:00-8:00
Level 3: 4:00-5:00
Elite: < 4:00

 

“Murph”

Yes, that’s a lot of reps. Yes, that’s a lot of running. Yes, that’s A LOT of calories burnt. “One of the longest and more grueling CrossFit workouts, you’ll probably end up going non-stop for an hour or more,” McCarthy says. You can break up the monster sets of pullups, pushups, and air squats with rest as needed—just remember that rest adds to your total time.

For time:    
1-mile run
100 pull-ups
200 pushups
300 air squats
1-mile run

“CF opens 16.2”

Designed for the 2016 CrossFit Open competition, this WOD is no joke. You must complete each round within four minutes in order to earn more time to proceed to the next. “The combination of cardio (double unders) and heavy weight (squat cleans) works multiple metabolic systems and leads to increased calorie burn,” Sturm says. “This workout is a sprint, no matter if you’re a beginner who only makes it through the first 4-minute round or an elite athlete who makes it through all 20 minutes.”

Complete within 4 minutes:
25 toes-to-bars
50 double-unders
15 squat cleans at 135 pounds

If successful, add 4 minutes and complete:
25 toes-to-bars
50 double-unders
13 squat cleans at 185 pounds

If successful before 8 minutes, add 4 minutes and complete:
25 toes-to-bars
50 double-unders
11 squat cleans at 225 pounds

If successful before 12 minutes, add 4 minutes and complete:
25 toes-to-bars
50 double-unders
9 squat cleans at 275 pounds

If successful before 16 minutes, add 4 minutes and complete:
25 toes-to-bars
50 double-unders
7 squat cleans at 315 pounds

Stop at 20 minutes.

 

 

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