Fitness and Mental Health

Warning: Exercise has been known to cause health and happiness.

A regular exercise routine doesn't just build strong muscles and bones and a healthy heart. The link between physical activity and positive mental health has been well documented for decades, and as a society living through a pandemic, self care and vigilant attention to our mental health has never been more important than it is now.

Mental Health Benefits of Exercise

A significant network of correlations exists surrounding exercise and positive mental health, including physiological, psychological, and even social benefits. The longer you stick with a regular schedule and the more often you exercise, the more benefits you'll see.

Physiological Benefits

You may have heard that physical activity encourages your body and brain to produce some really awesome feel-good chemicals including dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. These chemicals increase your mood and help you feel more pleasure, whi...

Recovery after your workout is vital to muscle and tissue repair and building strength, endurance, and flexibility.  💪

Muscle tissue normally requires a minimum of 24 to 48 hours to repair and rebuild, but I have some good news for you.

You can reduce this time and improve post exercise recovery using these five muscle recovery tips.

Eat More

Yup, you read that right. Eating more (of the right things) can quickly replace depleted energy stores (glycogen) and to refuel your body with the macro and micronutrients necessary for quick recovery and tissue repair.

Remember that you tear down muscle in the gym, but you build muscle in the kitchen!

If you fail to refuel your body you will definitely lack energy, your performance will suffer, and you'll fail to make gains in strength and lean muscle.

So be sure to take in protein and a few simple carbs within 30-60 minutes of your workout.

When it's time for a full meal, choose complex carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables) to replenish...

The holidays can be a time of tradition, happiness, and joy. But it can also be a serious season of indulgence, anxiety, and getting thrown off of our normal routines. 

Embrace these mindfulness practices to help keep you grounded, healthy, and happy this upcoming holidays season.

Practice Self Compassion

First things first, if you get a little off track with your diet, fitness routine, sleep schedule, budget or anything else (which inevitably you will), know that it's okay and you can still achieve all of your goals. 

Beating yourself up when you take a step off the path isn't going to get you there any faster so be kind to yourself and accept it as a part of the journey. 

Allow yourself to feel whatever disappointments or judgements may come up during this time, but there's absolutely no need to hold on to any of it. And this is also relevant for anything that may be coming up for other's in your life as well. 

Acknowledge it and move on.

Practice Mindful Eating

It's easy t...

Would you believe me if I told you that the thing that's keeping you from achieving your fitness goals is not properly resting during your workout?

Did I just blow your mind? 🤯 Because it's totally true!

Before we get into the awesomely nerdy science behind rest periods during a workout, let's define what a rest even is!

A rest is time you spend allowing your body to recover in between your sets.

Now, I know what you're thinking, "Shouldn't I be pushing myself to work hard and push past my comfort zone?"

The answer is: Yes! Absolutely! You should definitely be trying hard and pushing yourself. In fact, that's exactly how we get our muscles to grow! BUT with the addition of strategic rests during your workouts, you're going to get much better results, much quicker. 

Let's dive into why you should take rests during your workout.

Why You Should Take Rests During Your Workout

1. Resting lets the lactic acid flush out of your muscles so you can continue to have a killer workout. 
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When you are trying to lose weight, there are certain things you know you should do.

You give up sugar and junk foods in favour of eating more vegetables, lean protein and complex carbs.

You hit the gym regularly and try to move as much as possible throughout the day.

What you may not realize, though, is that getting enough sleep is a very important part of losing weight.

The amount of sleep you get directly affects your diet.

People who are sleep deprived tend to weigh more and have more trouble losing weight than those who get adequate rest, even when following the same diet.

When you don’t get enough sleep, your body over produces the hunger causing hormones lepton and ghrelin.

You could be more susceptible to overeating, while at the same time being less satisfied afterward.

People who get less than 6 hours of sleep consistently also show glucose and insulin levels and characteristics similar to diabetics, even if they are otherwise very healthy.