Good cardiovascular fitness reduces the risk of heart disease, lowers the risk of diabetes by up to 50%, and even promotes a great night’s sleep.
It also works wonders to maintain healthy body composition for anyone from new moms to career executives who log a lot of hours at a desk. Regular exercise also smashes stress, boosts energy, and improves people’s overall well-being.
But we understand that your schedule moves at a million miles per hour — and your fitness strategy doesn’t always keep up at that pace. About 50% of people who start an exercise program quit within 6 months, and less than 25% of adults in the US meet the recommendations for weekly physical activity.
This loss of motivation often results from a few key reasons:
Sometimes life itself just gets in the way. But by building a routine that works for you, you form a habit that can withstand your busy schedule.
A home treadmill is the perfect low-impact tool for beginners to progress their fitness goals because:
These three styles of treadmill workouts will help you to get started with your home fitness goals. They’re suited to any level, can be scaled-up once you start seeing results, and are versatile enough to sustain motivation — even if you don’t love to run.
You don’t need to go all-out until you burn-out — in fact, when it comes to the best weight loss workouts, you only need about half of that effort.
Experts say that we get the best weight loss benefits based on our heart rate. This “fat-burning zone” is 50 to 70% of your maximum heart rate. For most people, this means that your breathing is sped up but you are still able to have a conversation.
Lose weight on your treadmill through these simple steps:
As your fitness improves, your workouts should become more challenging. By adding intensity, you avoid hitting a plateau in your progress.
Enhance your low-intensity workouts by adding easy equipment to your walks, like:
We’d all love to devote more time to our fitness goals, but too often, our schedules just aren’t on our side. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) routines maximize the impact of your treadmill workout, burning more calories in less time.
HIIT involves short bursts of high-paced exercise — about 15 to 30 seconds — alternating with rest periods. This boosts your heart rate quickly and then brings it back down, an anaerobic style of training that torches fat and increases your metabolism for up to 48 hours after your workout.
Have a great HIIT workout on your treadmill with these simple steps:
As your fitness improves up the pace or incline, lengthen your high-intensity intervals, and shorten rest periods. Your overall workout should still be about 25 minutes.
You can also mix up styles of high-intensity intervals to add variety to your workout. Use your treadmill for your active rest period and alternate with heart rate-boosting exercises like:
Some people live for their next runner’s high. But if speed or incline intervals sound like your nightmare, you won’t keep up with a routine in spite of all best intentions.
Incorporating strength training exercises into your treadmill workout is an easy way to add variety while netting full-body results. Using your treadmill for active recovery between sets keeps your heart rate elevated, maximizing the effects of your routine while ensuring you’re getting cardio benefits.
How to build strength through a treadmill workout circuit:
As your fitness improves, reduce your active rest time to 30 seconds — or you can even up the recovery pace to a light jog. Like HIIT workouts, you only need about 20 to 30 minutes for great results.
For a great full-body workout choose one exercise that targets each major muscle group for your circuit:
No matter which treadmill workout is best for you, make sure to talk to your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine.
It’s also important to add a gentle warm-up and cool-down to every workout to reduce the risk of injury. Your warm-up can be as simple as a five-minute walk on your treadmill. Then protect your body with cool-down stretches, working out sore spots with foam rollers, and relaxing muscles with acupressure balls.
Get in touch with us at G&G Fitness Equipment to learn more about the best home treadmills and exercise accessories that will help you reach your home fitness goals.
*Before you incorporate any new activity into your workout routine, remember to consult with your physician.
]]>When you are specifically assessing your weekly weight loss goals, keep in mind that the plan you use must be safe and lead to consistent results — which can maximize the likelihood of successful weight loss and maintenance in the long run.
Most medical and nutritional experts agree that the weekly weight loss goal should be one to two pounds because it indicates that you're losing actual fat and not just water.
If your weekly weight loss exceeds the recommended one to two pounds, you may be misled to believe you're doing well, when in fact you may be only losing water weight.
In general, the loss of water weight slows down with time as you keep up with your fitness plan. At this point, you may note your weight loss slowing down. Even though this weight loss might reflect actual fat loss, you may lose hope and regress into old sedentary habits.
Exceeding two pounds of weight loss a week likely means you are losing water weight. Unhealthy dieting habits rely on restricting your carbohydrates for rapid water weight loss. This leads to poor nutrition and dehydration, both of which cause inability to concentrate, irritability, and energy deficit.
Losing body fat takes time, effort, and healthy nutritional choices. Rather than focusing on carbohydrate deprivation, fat loss requires calorie control — consuming fewer calories than you are burning throughout the day.
Consistent weight loss is safer and longer-lasting than crash dieting because
Crash dieting is often regarded as an unhealthy method of weight loss because it usually involves significant calorie deprivation and highly intense exercise regimens.
Because of the extreme diet as well as exercise, supervision from a licensed medical expert or nutritional expert is strongly encouraged. Improper crash dieting can lead to health risks — which are more detrimental than those of consistent weekly weight loss.
Even though it may seem at times like you have plateaued or are not reaching your goals quickly enough, remember — “Nothing worth having is easy.”
Your diet and exercise decisions should be tailored to help you lose weight not only safely but also consistently. We can all agree that a weight loss plan that ultimately results in gaining the weight back is not much of a plan in the first place.
]]>Summer's almost here, and it's time to go back out and show off the bodies we've been working on during the pandemic. And if some of us spent the last few years perfecting our baking skills instead, that's okay! Great arms just take a little thought and effort.
The arm is made up of the upper arm, with biceps — or biceps brachii for those of us who want to get technical — at the front and triceps at the back, along with the forearm, wrist and hand. When exercising, we like to consider the whole posterior chain — the upper back, shoulders, and lats — as well as the arms. With that in mind, think in terms of movement for arm workouts.
Concentric movements (squeezing the arm in) will work our biceps. Movements like pull-ups and chin-ups are arguably the best entire upper body resistance exercises, working both the biceps and the back at once. Eccentric movements (like the classic tricep curl on a home gym) will work the back of the arm. So will a tricep dip against a bench, using bodyweight for resistance.
Pulling-back movements, like rowing, will mostly work the biceps and the back (see below in the free weights section for one possible exercise). Exercises like push-ups, which can be enhanced to target the upper arms using push-up bars, will work the whole arm, but target the triceps as well as the pec and chest area.
Strengthening triceps adds flexibility, increases range of motion, and makes us generally less likely to get injured. And bigger triceps, of course, also make arms look bigger. We like making pushups more challenging by balancing our feet on a stability ball while doing them.
One great way to move toward doing full chin-ups and pull-ups is with resistance workouts like TRX bands. TRX stands for "Total Body Resistance Exercise." TRX allows us to adjust the degree of difficulty of each exercise by leaning back or changing the position of the feet. Additionally, TRX exercises make it easier to be aware of stance and posture, since these affect the difficulty of each exercise. Arm exercises we like to do with the TRX include:
For all of the above, we like starting with sets of 8, then 10, then 12 reps with a short pause between them, before working up to more.
With a good set of weights the possibilities are virtually endless. Depending on the desired results, the two ways to go are:
The first option will work the slow-twitch muscle fibers of the arms, giving a more toned, rangy look. The second will result in much larger muscles.
Wide-armed rows are a great way to simultaneously work the arms (mostly biceps), upper back, and shoulders. Stand up, bend the knees slightly, and lean forward. With a weight in each hand, row back and up, pausing and clenching between the shoulder blades at the top of the row. Slowly return to the starting position (count to two each way, up and down).
Free weights are also especially good for variations on bicep curls, including:
For a handy way to work triceps with free weights, hold a lighter weight (at least to start) behind the head, bending the elbow. Gently raise and lower it. Try three sets of 10, alternating arms, and wait for the compliments to roll in.
A set of adjustable weights is great for mixing up light and heavy weights. For variety's sake, try these exercises:
It’s a good idea to have a yoga mat handy, because, in addition to keeping joints flexible, yoga is a great way to strengthen the arms as well as the whole body. Poses like plank, chaturanga pushups, and crow are particularly beneficial, and yoga also helps us stretch and strengthen our often-overlooked wrists, preventing injury.
We like to add light weights to poses like Warrior Two — with optional added small pulses up and down — to help a further strengthen the whole arm and joints. Even the lightest weights will soon start to feel very heavy doing this!
For those who aren't comfortable with dumbbells yet, barbells, swiss bars, or a compound functional trainer can help both isolate muscles and give more stability.
Using kettlebells is a great way to add variety and difficulty to the curls and other exercises listed above. The extra difficulty comes from the way kettlebells (a 19th century Russian workout tool enjoying a resurgence) have their mass distributed. They require the body to constantly recalibrate, working it more completely while we find balance. We suggest starting with individual movements before working up to compound exercises like the Turkish get-up.
Medicine balls are another classic tool enjoying a comeback. We love the simple exercise of standing facing a wall, raising our hands above our head, and bouncing a medicine ball against the wall, catching and throwing. It won't take long to feel the burn!
The resistance band is another simple tool we love. We use them for exercises like the pull-apart: hold out the arms in front, grasping the band. Pull them apart, clenching the back before releasing back to center. Try doing ten before resting.
We like to make our cardio do double duty by using rowing and elliptical
machines. These smoothly work the arms and shoulders, while also giving us the doctor-approved benefits of cardio like better heart health, better joints, less stress, and better sleep.
Stronger, more flexible arms mean we'll be able to enjoy summer more, enhancing our fun times in the water, boxing, rock climbing, and even, believe it or not, walking (in a healthy walking gait, we use our arms to propel us along).
But strong arms don't just allow us to be more powerful all-round athletes. They also help us carry out everyday tasks like shopping, keeping up with our kids, and embracing our loved ones. Don't forget proper rest and nutrition, but rest assured there's plenty of time to get in shape for the summer — all it takes is a home gym and some healthy sweat!
]]>One of the most noticeable effects of poor sleep is how we satisfy our hunger.
Instead of reaching for protein-rich, long-term energy foods, we’re reaching for high-fat, high-carb foods. The brain wants energy, and it knows how to get a quick fix.
When you don’t get enough sleep, you can’t reach your ideal weight, even with a full home gym. Here’s a look at why that is and how you can switch things up to catch more zzz’s and get to a healthy weight.
Sleepy brains have a dulled frontal lobe – that’s the part of the brain that handles your decisions. It also handles emotions, mood, and self-control. For example, “Can I hold back on that extra slice of blueberry pie?”
When your brain runs on less sleep, it can’t find the strength to say no to treats. You might have trouble controlling portion sizes because your brain’s reward center jumps into overdrive, pushing you to eat more of those unhealthy but delicious snacks.
Your metabolic rate keeps moving as you sleep, only dropping by about 15% at most. Most of that energy usage happens in your brain, and natural chemicals like human growth hormone and cortisol rise and fall with sleep cycles.
A sleep-deprived brain tells your adrenal glands to release extra cortisol surges in the evening. This stress hormone surge then tells your body to store energy. More stored energy means you hold on to more fat.
Along with causing cortisol spikes, a lack of sleep throws your appetite hormones out of wack. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone and leptin is the fullness hormone. According to the Mayo Clinic, poor sleep ends up increasing ghrelin and decreasing leptin, so you feel hungry more often and never feel full. More hunger means more calories consumed.
Finally, poor sleep means you’re more likely to become glucose intolerant because your body isn’t as good at absorbing carbs. This is another way that your body holds on to fat. Too much sugar left in the blood can lead to your pancreas ramping up insulin. According to the CDC, all this insulin can make your cells stop responding, and that’s when you get insulin resistance and excess fat storage. It can also lead to diabetes.
Not getting enough sleep does more than affect metabolism. It also leads to less energy, less motivation, and less awareness, so you’re more likely to give up on fitness goals or injure yourself with half-hearted attempts on the treadmill or rower, or when using kettlebells or dumbbells. We know this is not the path toward healthy weight loss.
To get better sleep, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that you try to get consistent with your bedtime, exercise regularly, cut out late-night snacking, turn off the electronics, and make your room as dark as possible.
At G&G Fitness Equipment, we’re passionate about getting you moving. Healthy days mean healthy nights, and that leads to great years ahead. Reach out to us for advice on the best equipment for your home gym needs.
]]>Whether at home or in the office, it can be challenging to remain alert and energized from nine to five. The dreaded mid-day slump is a daily hurdle for many professionals, but if you can spare five minutes, you can turn your day around!
Try these quick energy-boosting exercises to rev up your workday:
Research shows that just five minutes of aerobic exercise is enough to create powerful stress-fighting effects in your body. When you combine cardio and strength training, you can quickly get your heart pumping and revitalize your day. Try this cardio and strength training combo to banish fatigue:
Alone, squats are an effective lower-body exercise. To gain full-body benefits, try adding a kick and punch into the mix:
Skater lunges are a popular plyometric movement. To complete a weighted skater lunge:
To fire up your abs, add twisting crunches into your routine:
This combination exercise requires balance and focus. To complete a high knee press:
Classic pushups are an effective way to build upper-body strength, but adding a kickback gets your whole body involved:
Utilize this quick energy-boosting routine as often as every other day. Alternate with other low-impact activities, like walking, to keep your body moving.
If you’re confined by space, professional attire, or an aversion to sweating mid-workday, try this office-friendly exercise routine:
Take two minutes to assume a power pose. According to social psychologist Amy Cuddy, power posing can alter your brain chemistry, boost testosterone, and lower the stress hormone, cortisol. While there are many power poses you can try, the most popular is the Wonder Woman or Superman pose. To achieve this energizing pose:
After you have completed your power pose and deep breathing, find a space in your office with enough room for pushups. Place a towel under your knees if needed. To complete your pushup burnout:
The goal is to get your heart pumping and open the chest and shoulders. This short burst of pushups should boost adrenaline and give you a jolt of energy.
To finish this office-friendly routine, you can complete a short meditation:
Meditation is a simple way to quickly reduce stress, making it the perfect way to end a short at-home or in-office revitalizing routine.
Sometimes the best way to reclaim your day is to get your blood flowing. Try this classic cardio blast to get pumped for the second half of your workday:
Most people are familiar with jumping jacks, but it is important to complete them with proper form:
Alternately, you can kick off your cardio session with one minute of jumping rope. The goal is to immediately elevate your heart rate.
You may remember cherry pickers from your middle school P.E. class, but this simple exercise is a great way to wake your body up:
This is aclassic variation of the cherry picker. If it is uncomfortable to reach straight through, you can also complete the exercise by touching the mat in front of your right shoe, followed by touching the center, and ending with touching the mat in front of your left shoe. If you can’t reach the floor, lightly bounce in a folded position, being careful to protect your spine and hamstrings.
High knees is a deceptively challenging exercise! To complete high knees:
To maximize the core strengthening benefits of mountain climbers, it is important to execute them with proper form:
To truly get your heart pounding, incorporate burpees into your mid-day cardio. To complete a burpee the right way:
If a burpee is too intense, you can modify the exercise by removing the pushup, walking your feet out into a plank position, or eliminating the jump.
To complete your power circuit, execute side squats:
After a rigorous circuit, it is important to set aside a few extra minutes to stretch. Finish your mid-day power boost by rehydrating before returning to your desk.
If you’re looking to get your body moving without breaking an afternoon sweat, this dynamic stretch sequence is the perfect solution:
Meant to open the chest and loosen the back, the standing cat-cow is a great way to combat stiffness caused by sitting at your desk. To properly achieve a standing cat-cow:
To continue waking up your spine and core, execute a standing rotation:
If you are struggling to feel the opposing motion of this subtle exercise, hold a light exercise band in your hands to activate your arms and shoulders.
Squat rotations are an excellent way to stretch your chest and shoulders after being hunched over a computer. To complete a squat rotation or twist:
If it is more comfortable, you can complete this exercise in a mid-level squat. No matter how deep or shallow your squat, always think about twisting towards the ceiling.
The twisting lunge is an excellent way to energize your legs after a long, sedentary day. To complete a twisting lunge:
This classic yoga pose is the perfect way to end your five-minute stretch sequence. To properly achieve a dancer’s pose:
When it comes to making the most of these five-minute exercises, the right fitness accessories can change everything. Whether you need a new foam roller for a quick stretch between Zoom meetings or a kettlebell to amp up your workouts, the fitness equipment experts at G&G will help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Contact us today!
If you’re looking for affordable, high-quality fitness equipment, the experts at G&G Fitness can help you curate the equipment you need to build the healthiest version of you this year.
And of course, G&G has plenty of tips and great equipment to try. Contact our fitness experts and get started today.
]]>Why wait for summer to roll around when you can jump-start your fitness goals now? Spring is the perfect transitional season to help you shake off those winter blues and, well, spring into action with a renewed sense of invigoration and focus. Here’s a few of our favorite things about spring that aren’t just great for your physical health but promoting mental and emotional wellness too!
For me, the worst part of winter isn’t the cold, or shoveling three feet of snow off my car (though that is up on the list), but rather the soul-sucking lack of sunshine that not only zaps my motivation to lace up my sneakers and work out but increases feelings of depression. According to Medic Alert, decreased levels of Vitamin D can weaken our bones, immune system and even mess with nerve and muscle functions. With daylight savings comes longer exposure to sunlight, which means you’ll be feeling the boost of Vitamin D––and feeling a boost in your overall well-being.
Tying in with increased exposure to sunshine comes the opportunity to simply get outside. You may love your local gym, but you can’t deny that warmer temperatures, blooming flowers and green grass all make for a beautiful, motivating setting on a run, hike or walk––especially when your favorite trails or neighborhoods have been obscured by ice and snow all winter long. And I know that I like to go on walks on my lunch break, which can be hard in blizzarding conditions, so I welcome spring for the opportunity to get in some steps while reentering my focus away from a computer or phone screen.
Spring is the perfect time for fruits and veggie lovers to stock up on fresh, local, in-season produce that is harder to come by in the colder months. And even if you still struggle to eat your veggies, spring offers you a greater variety of easy additions to make to your next meal or snack to up your nutritional game. Mangoes, strawberries, radishes, peas, dandelion greens––the possibilities are endless. So grab your favorite tote bag and hit up a local farmer’s market for a fun activity that is great for your health (and your wallet)!
Ok, this may seem superficial, but hear me out: who doesn’t feel more empowered when wearing a great pair of leggings or bright new sneakers into a workout? A 2012 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology actually introduced the term “enclothed cognition” to describe the measurable impact that one’s clothes have on their psychological processes. So when you’re spring cleaning your closet, take inventory of what workout gear you have and toss anything that doesn’t fit or doesn’t make you feel good while wearing it. Go ahead, get that new galaxy-print sports bra or spin shoes that make you feel like a million bucks. Science says it’s a good idea.
I remember being at college and when the first few nice days of spring hit, I felt like my campus population had tripled in size. It’s a lot more appealing to make plans and interact with others when you don’t have to pull on eight layers, and as we all emerge from our own hibernation dens, it’s the perfect time to get together for a new workout class or to explore a new park.
Spring is known as a season of growth and renewal, so why not apply the same mentality to your workout and overall health goals?
Comment and let us know!
About Megan Tomaszewski
Megan is a freelance contributor for G&G Fitness. With a bachelor’s degree in Communication: Journalism & Media from SUNY Geneseo, she is a former staff member of The Buffalo News affiliate The Hamburg Sun, and currently works as a marketing writer at Barclay Damon LLP. Megan is a fan of pilates, weight lifting, and yoga, and has a love-hate (mostly hate) relationship with cardio. Her secret for powering through tough workouts is imagining she’s in training to be an Avenger. In her free time, Megan loves listening to podcasts, reading, spending time outside, and watching Say Yes to the Dress. If you have an article you'd like to share on the LiveFit Blog, contact us.]]>To save yourself from a sniffly run on the treadmill this spring, allergy-proof your home with the following steps:
Focus your allergy proofing where you house your workout equipment or spend your time exercising. Make sure to deep clean the:
Your bedroom can be home to plenty of allergens, so it should be next in your spring-cleaning spree. Don’t forget to check out:
Some additional elements to consider when cleaning your home include:
Don’t let allergies derail your fitness schedule. Keeping a weekly cleaning routine can help save you from the worst of allergy season and keep you on track with your fitness goals. If you’re looking for the best home fitness equipment, the experts at G&G Fitness can help you build the perfect at-home gym.
]]>Are you ready to go digging into the dark recesses of your pantry and dust off long-forgotten canned goods? Now is the time to use the non-perishables in your pantry.
Here are two simple recipes that will fill you up with what you have on hand:
This delicious dish features tuna fish, a protein powerhouse. Low in calories and fat, tuna is nearly a pure-protein food. It makes a great nutritional base for this easy-to-follow recipe.
And voila! You have a wholesome meal for four that only took 30 minutes to make.
Here’s an even simpler healthy recipe.
The star of this recipe is nutrient-rich quinoa. The seed, classified as a whole grain, has become increasingly popular over the past ten years. One cup of cooked quinoa yields 6 g. of protein, 4 g. of fiber, and a host of vitamins and minerals. These days, you'll find quinoa in many American pantries.
The addition of green peas and toasted pine nuts to this recipe adds even more protein and fiber, plus heart-protecting monounsaturated fats—you can also adapt the recipe for oats, brown rice, and nutritious pinto or black beans to make sure the dish packs a nutritious punch. You’ll be ready to serve this pantry-practical dish for four in just 20 minutes.
With limited ingredient options, it’s tempting to resign to eating PB&J sandwiches and canned soup. But you can still make great meals! Using only what you have on hand, you can bring nutritious, flavorful dishes to the tabl]]>Here, we are going to delve into how these chemical messengers can affect men’s health, weight, and physique. We’ll offer tips on how men can make their hormones work with them to support their weight loss efforts and health, rather than have these chemicals be a barrier to their fitness goals.
Hormones are chemical messengers in the blood, which travel to tissues and organs and regulate key functions and processes in the body. According to Johns Hopkins Medical School, hormones control essential functions like:
Healthy hormone levels are essential for general well-being. There is a natural cycle to hormonal production, and hormones can be affected by the environment too. Hormones affect how bodies gain and store weight, and men should know they can take active steps to alter their hormone levels in order to look how they want.
Here are some of the most crucial hormones that affect weight and muscle mass, and ways men can keep them at healthy levels.
Oxytocin helps men move sperm and women produce breast milk, but is more commonly known as the "love hormone." Oxytocin is responsible for the warm feelings people experience at (among other moments) the early stages of a relationship. It is one of three so-called " happy hormones," along with dopamine and serotonin, responsible for pleasurable feelings — as well as, equally importantly, for psychological stability.
There are many ways to boost oxytocin (for example, meditation, cuddling a partner, and generally doing things that are enjoyable). Yoga is one excellent way of increasing levels of this feel-good chemical. Men who feel good while exercising are likely to keep exercising, which will cause more weight loss and help them establish a healthy routine. So grab a yoga mat and boost your oxytocin!
Exercise also boosts dopamine. Some great dopamine boosters include treadmill running and cycling.
Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone. At the correct levels, it is important for the body's overall functioning, but prolonged stress can lead to an excess of cortisol and send your body into overdrive. Problems associated with too much cortisol are:
For a healthy, physically fit body, it's so important to take care of the mind as well, as men who are anxious and depressed are more likely to neglect their physical health. Even though it is physically stressful, exercise is critical for reducing cortisol levels and improving one's overall state of being.
Aerobic exercise reduces cortisol (and adrenaline). This is very important because excess cortisol is also associated with visceral fat — the fat around the belly, considered especially deadly and hard to shift. According to the American Institute of Stress, "people with apple shaped figures are more susceptible" than pear-shaped people to diseases like diabetes, certain cancers, and heart attacks. Belly fat can also create a vicious cycle, as having more belly fat can increase the body's storage of cortisol (and so on). The best way to limit cortisol is to reduce stress through proper sleep, nutrition, enjoyable activities — and exercise.
All exercise is beneficial toward reducing cortisol: elliptical machines provide an excellent cardio workout that is also challenging. Lifting weights can be meditative, and defeat cortisol via two pathways: exercise and relaxation.
Lifting weights also increases muscle mass, which has its own chemical and anti-inflammatory benefits in the body: more muscle helps men to better process insulin in their bodies, and boosts their defenses against belly fat accumulation. Targeting the core specifically is not as important as full-body exercise when trying to improve overall hormonal health. Exercises involving the TRX can provide the full-body workout necessary for hormone health, helping you use resistance to build strength.
Ghrelin, the hunger hormone, can cause men to want to overeat when it’s out of whack. Overeating makes it harder to maintain weight loss. Fortunately, there are natural ways to control ghrelin, including exercise. Studies have shown, interestingly, that aerobic workouts like treadmill running are particularly good at curbing excessive ghrelin, making it less likely men will want to overeat.
Insulin is produced by the pancreas, and proper levels are critical for healthy blood sugar. Diabetics have trouble producing consistent levels.
Eating too much sugar and being sedentary are both terrible for maintaining healthy insulin levels, which then leads to hormonal weight gain. Together with proper nutrition, any exercise will help maintain healthy insulin levels — and not only can exercise lower insulin in healthy people, some studies show that short bursts of high intensity exercise can help Type-2 diabetics produce it. Exercise bikes can offer one way of crafting a home high intensity workout.
Saving the best for last, endorphins are classically associated with exercise, including stretching. Like oxytocin, they make us feel good. (They are considered hormones, although they can also be classified as neuropeptides). Endorphins lower our pain and are responsible for the classic runner's high. That feeling (which everyone gets eventually — sometimes it hits after a run, we promise) is a great motivator to exercise and weight loss, whether that means running on a treadmill, lifting weights, or trying a high intensity interval (HIIT) workout. Many exercisers come to look forward to their sweaty workouts because of the good feelings that are engendered on a hormonal level. Endorphins make people feel better about themselves and life in general, making it easier to keep working on shifting the fat.
Endorphins can also reduce weight by controlling appetite. To release some endorphins and stretch out after a workout, invest in a great foam roller like this one.
As men age, their hormone levels can change, too.
Testosterone is a hormone associated with men for sex, muscle bulk, heart health and bone strength. Testosterone levels can lower with age, which can make it harder to lose weight (higher testosterone levels are associated with better weight loss capacity). The good news is that just as men lose testosterone naturally, they can boost it naturally as well, without needing supplements.
According to studies, strength training is a great way to boost testosterone. Weights are the cornerstone of strength training, but there are also variations to explore, like kettlebells and weighted vests, to make cardio more challenging and boost hormonal weight loss.
With low testosterone levels, it may be harder for men to gain more muscle mass, but with proper nutrition and strength training, it is still absolutely possible. There are yoga poses said to boost testosterone (and lower cortisol, which as mentioned above affects fat storage — but also the ability to create muscle). For this reason, yoga is an excellent practice to help men balance their hormones. Men shouldn't hesitate to get on their mat and grab some handy yoga props like blocks and straps.
Another hormone that drops as men age is norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is both a stress hormone and a neurotransmitter. As it relates to fat loss, norepinephrine is involved in blood flow to muscles, heart rate, and release of blood sugar. Low levels can also lead to depression. Fortunately, exercise can increase norepinephrine levels, creating a beneficial domino effect — more exercise equals increased norepinephrine, which equals better heart health and blood sugar control, making it easier for men to lose weight and also keep it off.
Human Growth Hormone, as its name suggests, is critical for healthy growth of muscles, bone and tissue, as well as for metabolizing fat. Its levels can decline with age and obesity. Exercise restores HGH to healthier levels, particularly high intensity exercise. Heavy weights and explosive exercises like plyometric jumps are excellent ways of boosting HGH.
Some hormones, like HGH, rely on a mix of activity and rest to properly metabolize. Good, restorative sleep is very important.
Healthy levels of the hormone serotonin can improve sleep and mood, as well as fight depression and improve digestion (which both have a positive impact on weight loss, of course).
Aerobic exercise is one great way to boost serotonin, including elliptical training, swimming, jogging, jump rope, and rowing. Getting a good night's sleep helps keep the body's hormones in balance, maintains brain health, and lowers overall risk of disease as well. All these factors are related to maintaining a healthy weight.
Unfortunately, many chemicals in the environment can affect our hormones, like Bisphenol A (BPA), a so-called hormone disruptor commonly found in can linings and plastics. BPA is associated with a host of negative health effects and can have estrogenic effects — bad for men trying to lose weight and stay healthy.
BPA can linger in the body but also comes out in sweat, making exercise a good way to rid the body of this toxic menace (and a good reason to lose fat, as this is where BPA is stored). With a home gym, workouts are easy and flexible, and men can make sure they have a variety of exercises available to them.
Scientists are constantly refining their understanding of the complex interplay of hormones and weight gain, but their conclusions are consistent in recommending exercise as a tonic. With many home options including trainers, exercise can boost mens’ levels of feel-good hormones, and keep them in good shape for the entire duration of their lives.
]]>If you’ve tried every possible diet under the sun and still can’t lose weight, there could be a lot more to it than meets the eye. When people talk about weight loss, the discussions often revolve around diet foods, eating schedules, workouts, drinking adequate amounts of water, sleeping well, aging, or just plain genetics.
For most women, losing weight happens naturally by following a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly. But for a smaller percentage of women, the ability to lose weight and keep it off could be hampered by a very important piece of the puzzle that’s become more visible in recent years — female hormones.
Hormones are chemical messengers released by the endocrine glands directly into the bloodstream. Hormones control the way cells and organs do their work in the body. They are responsible for almost all of the major functions performed by your body, including:
When your body doesn’t produce the right amount of a hormone, the imbalance can cause issues such as high blood pressure, lack of sleep, moodiness, fatigue, and weight gain.
But before we rush to make hormones the evil villain of the story, let’s do a quick fact-check on hormonal weight loss/gain.
According to endocrinologist Dr. Joshua Thaler, while there are many hormones involved in regulating body weight, few directly cause weight loss or weight gain in an individual. It’s often the health conditions resulting from hormonal imbalances that may lead to significant weight gain or loss.
Levels of certain hormones change with age as well, and that can sometimes cause weight gain. For most people who are overweight, however, hormones are not the main cause.
The female human body produces over 200 hormones, but only some of them pose challenges to weight management in women. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most important ones.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas. It helps you convert the food you eat to blood sugar used for energy right away or stored for when you need it later. Insulin is also responsible for the way your body stores fat and holds on to it.
When there’s not enough insulin in your body, your sugar levels can go up, eventually causing diabetes. One of the treatment protocols for diabetes is insulin therapy, which can cause weight gain. If you have a condition called hyperinsulinemia, where you have high insulin levels, it can also cause obesity.
Because insulin is caused by excess sugar, having a healthy diet without excess calories is very important. A low-carb diet has been found beneficial in balancing insulin levels. Work on reducing or completely cutting out sugar while adding good quality protein.
Leptin is the hormone that signals to your body that it’s full, so you can stop eating. When leptin isn’t working properly in your body, you don’t accurately get the signals that tell you when you’re hungry.
Women who are overweight often have high levels of leptin in their blood. Sometimes genetics can cause your leptin imbalance. But it could also be caused by inflammation, which can be managed by most people with a healthy diet and lifestyle changes.
In general, following good diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits can help you greatly relieve any inflammation that could be contributing to high leptin levels. Cut out processed foods and sugar, as these can cause inflammation in your body. Eat a protein-rich diet and supplement with omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods like salmon and sardines. Aim to exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and drink adequate amounts of water.
Ghrelin works differently from leptin in that it tells you that you need food because your stomach is empty. Ghrelin also influences how energetic you feel. If you feel sluggish, you won’t be as motivated to exercise or follow a healthy diet — or any type of healthy lifestyle change. In this sense, ghrelin can be linked to the all-too-familiar battle of the bulge.
More ghrelin gets released while you sleep so that you wake up feeling hungry. And that’s not a bad thing. It means that your body is working exactly the way it should.
The same things that work to balance leptin are just as effective for ghrelin. But good diet, exercise, and lifestyle habits are just basic common sense protocols to live a long, healthy, and productive life. Avoid processed foods and sugar. Aim to eat fresh, wholesome foods as part of your daily diet.
Cortisol, also known as the “stress hormone,” is produced by the adrenal glands. It helps break down protein to produce more energy. Cortisol often gets released in response to stressful situations such as physical injuries or daily stress from work, relationships, and other lifestyle triggers. It can also be released during some forms of exercise such as weight lifting or cardio workouts.
Cortisol release, when it’s needed, is an essential part of our body’s fight-or-flight response. But when your levels of cortisol are elevated over a long period of time, it can cause your insulin levels to increase. This makes you want to eat more sugary foods.
High cortisol can also upset your immune system and the way other hormones are produced in your body. You may even start to see more fat around your waist and lower abdomen.
Aside from maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to manage your stress levels to keep cortisol balanced. Indulge in activities that make you feel happy and revitalize you, whether that means taking up a hobby, going for a full-body massage, or learning something new. Cultivate healthy, positive relationships.
Additionally, avoid caffeine at night and aim to get good-quality sleep.
Thyroid hormones are produced by the thyroid gland located at the lower part of the front of your neck. These hormones are responsible for many important functions in your body including regulating your heart and metabolic rate.
When your thyroid hormones are imbalanced, you may have an unexplained change in weight where you either put on a lot of weight or lose a lot of it. Hypothyroidism is a common condition where your body doesn’t have enough thyroid hormones. It can make you feel tired, sluggish, and fatigued.
Hypothyroidism is relatively common for women over 60, and because it disrupts your moods and menstrual cycles, it can often be mistaken for menopause. The real cause can be determined by consulting a doctor and getting tested.
If you have more thyroid hormones than you need, you can lose an unusual amount of weight, a condition called hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism can make you feel irritable, anxious, and cause difficulty sleeping.
Consult a physician who can advise you on the right course of treatments for your condition. Interventions in the form of medication or sometimes surgery may be needed. Early detection can help with successful management.
The hormone testosterone is just as important for women as it is for men. Testosterone regulates sexual function and metabolism, promotes bone density and follicle growth, and synthesizes protein to build muscle. When your testosterone levels drop, your energy levels and metabolic rate can also drop, causing weight gain. Stress and aging can also cause testosterone levels to come down.
Estrogen is a female sex hormone that doesn’t just develop your secondary sex characteristics — it also influences how you use up sugar for energy. It impacts bone health, memory, and cognition. During the perimenopause stage of a woman’s life, estrogen levels can start to drop, and you can often see the weight begin to pile on as a result.
Losing testosterone and estrogen as you get older is a natural part of aging. You may opt to choose hormone replacement therapy — consult your doctor for options. Try to incorporate weight lifting or strength training into your exercise program to stave off the adverse effects of aging.
While it’s true that hormones play a major role in weight gain or loss for women, imbalances aren’t the likely culprit for the extra pounds you may see as you get older. However, treating any that may arise is usually as simple as making changes to your diet and exercise. Maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle is really the key to remaining fit for life.
]]>During summer, working out can be as simple and fun as heading to the park for some volleyball or going on a hike or a long bike ride. Cold and wet weather removes many options, and this season brings all the additional challenges of a pandemic.
So how do you stay motivated and fit through the long slog of winter?
Winter doesn’t have to mean the end of outdoor fun and games. Cold-weather sports can be major calorie burners. Stop hibernating on your couch and make plans to go:
Just stay safe! Make sure to bundle up and stay dry. It’s also extra important to warm up when your muscles are literally cold.
Studies have shown that working out with a friend benefits health at any age. It helps increase both accountability and intensity.
Take a Zoom workout class together! See if old favorites have gone online, or try something new from the privacy of your own homes. This is your opportunity to experiment with yoga/dance/kickboxing/HIIT/Crossfit — whatever fitness craze has piqued your interest.
There are also fitness apps that allow you to check in with friends, share your struggles or successes, and support one another as you work towards your goals.
Sometimes, runners or cyclists need an extra push from friends or “foes.” If that sounds like you, the designers behind the social fitness app Strava had you in mind.
Strava lets you “race” others — record your times on given routes and pit them against others doing the same workout at different times.
If you’re not a racer but would benefit from a little gamification, give Fitocracy a try. The app lets you level up, earn badges, and unlock new workouts.
You can also push yourself by designating milestones and rewarding yourself when you hit them. New fitness toys can help motivate you before and after purchase.
Variety is important, so switch up those workouts to keep both mind and body engaged.
There are fun stories you can work into training. The popular Zombies, Run! will structure your runs around town or treadmill sessions into a tale of zombie-apocalypse survival. Other apps have followed its success and will present new stories to scare you healthy.
Or give BitGym a try. The app will turn any treadmill/elliptical/stationary bike into a trek across the most gorgeous terrain on earth. To make it even more realistic, add some incline to your machine.
Set yourself up for success with motivational tricks. Put your exercise clothes on immediately after work, turn the heat up for morning yoga, or get your blood pumping with the right song for your alarm.
Check back regularly for more fun ideas and tips to keep you going all winter long. We’ve got the gear and the knowledgeable staff to help you meet your goals.
Contact us today and let us know how we can help!
]]>Inspire Fitness is a very well known name in the fitness world. Their prized fitness equipment, and especially their home gyms, are known for being top-of-the-line in every regard. The two mainstay functional trainers are the FT1 and FT2. Both the FT1 and FT2 home gyms are complete home functional trainer systems, but the FT2 comes with a high-powered Smith machine to take your workout to the next level.
Here, we’ll look at the FT1 vs the FT2, so you can make the best fitness choice for your household.
Important Note: The features and functions of these home gyms are countless and no article can give them justice. In order to get the full overview of the Inspire FT1, FT2, and more home gyms, visit or contact your local G&G Fitness Equipment Showroom.
Click here for appointments, virtual shopping, or consultation.
What do you want out of a home training machine? The first thing is durability: It’s an investment in yourself, and you expect that investment to last. The Inspire FT1 (like the FT2) is built solid, with a heavy steel frame matted in black and silver — which means it keeps off those unsightly dings and scratches.
The next is versatility, and here the FT1 truly shines. Workouts are executed via the built-in cable system. Adjustable and flexible, they attach up and down the full length of the frame on both sides, allowing you to perform a wide range of movements depending on the muscles you want to target.
That makes the FT1 home gym a superb platform for:
The FT1 comes with two weight stacks in each tower, each weighing 165 lb. That’s more than enough to do some serious lifting, but you also have the option of upgrading the weight as needed, up to a total of 50 lb extra per side.
As you can see, there’s more than enough here for a full-body workout. To add to the FT1’s value, however, Inspire also includes a number of optional attachments to let you change it up even more. The FT1 comes with:
Fully assembled and with the optional bench, Inspire’s FT1 would weigh in at over 700 lb. Minus the bench, it’s a more modest 540. It’s 83 inches tall and 54 inches wide, so you’ll need a reasonable amount of space to set it up, but nowhere near as much as other trainers. The FT1 is, in fact, quite high-powered and versatile, considering how compact it is. You may want a second person on hand to help you with the assembly, however.
Unlike some home trainers, the FT1’s towers come in one piece, taking a lot of the legwork out of installation. The instructions are clearly mapped out and diagrammed, and most of the tools you need to do the job are included, though you’ll want to keep your toolbox handy.
All together, and preferably with a helping hand (the equipment is heavy, after all), you’re looking at an assembly time of 2 to 3 hours.
Inspire offers a full lifetime warranty on the FT1’s frame and parts, which is pretty incredible, given the trainer’s premium quality. The initial price tag might seem high, but a lifetime warranty means you can use this gym with confidence for years, and even decades to come.
The Inspire FT1 Home Gym is, without a doubt, a best-in-class functional trainer at this price point. But what about its cousin, the Inspire Fitness FT2? Is it worth the upgrade?
Still can't decide? Try before you buy! In order to get the full feel of the Inspire FT1, FT2, and
more home gyms, visit or contact your local G&G Fitness Equipment Showroom.The Inspire FT2 is Inspire Fitness’s premium model, a fully loaded functional trainer and strength-training platform. It’s exceptionally durable, built to withstand years of heavy use. Made with heavy-duty steel tubing, the FT2’s weight and dimensions actually exceed Inspire’s FT1 model. The FT2 is also heavy enough that it doesn’t shake or wobble at all during use.
With the FT2, you’re looking at a wealth of possible exercises. The FT2 is equipped with two adjustable metal weight stacks on either side, each weighing in at 160 lb. You can easily change the weight you're using with the locking pin on each stack. You can also raise the weight on each stack, up to a total of 210 lb each.
The cabling system is height adjustable, allowing you to exercise a full range of motion to get the most out of your investment. A sample of exercises you can do with the FT2 include:
Inspire’s FT2 is equipped with a Smith machine with an Olympic-level bar, which greatly adds to its versatility and long-term viability. The bar attaches directly to the FT2’s weight stacks with its pin-locking mechanism, so you can easily choose the setting that’s right for you. The included safety catches help make the FT2 one of the safest home functional trainers to lift weights on.
The FT2 comes with a number of optional accessories, including:
Make no bones about it, the FT2 is a heavy, rock-solid piece of machinery. Assembly will take a few hours, although Inspire’s included manual and diagrams provide all the information you need to get the job done. You’ll also need some common household tools, especially a screwdriver and ratchet. It’s not really a solo job, but once the installation is done, it’s done for good.
There are few things more comforting than knowing that, if anything happens to break with your functional trainer, you’re fully protected. The Inspire FT2 comes with a full lifetime warranty for residential use and a 10-year warranty for commercial applications. That’s exactly what you’d expect from a machine like this.
Let’s state it clearly right off the bat: Inspire’s FT1 is an excellent machine. It’s one of the greatest home-training systems on the market, especially at its price point. It’s not a budget model, and it’s not a machine you buy and then let collect dust: No, the FT1 is a serious exercise platform, made for serious people who want serious results. Its lifetime warranty will serve you well for many years.
But the FT2 is all that and more. It’s heavier, bigger, and more versatile. It offers a wider range of exercises, both at its default setting and when upgraded with optional add-ons. The FT2 offers a number of upgrades over the FT1, especially in terms of the:
Simply put, the FT2 is a beast. And this beast could be exactly what you want, but if you’re living in a smaller space, you may find the more compact FT1 to fit you better.
Now, both the FT1 and FT2 are upgradeable. You can add bench and leg attachments to increase your workout range. But if you have the FT1, you won’t get the FT2’s Smith machine or fixed cable pulley system. You also can't upgrade the FT1 to include these later on, which is something to keep in mind.
In practice, the FT2’s fixed cables increase its stability during weight lifting exercises. That helps your muscles during the exercise and naturally increases resistance—the pulleys can actually feel heavier than the equivalent level in free weights would.
The FT2’s Smith machine is not like other Smith machines. As you probably know, Smiths have a somewhat mixed reputation in the fitness world, with some people arguing that they make lifting artificially easy. There could be something to that, but that's not entirely relevant to the FT2’s Smith machine.
That’s because lifting with the FT2’s Smith machine is simple, safe, far from easy, and never artificial. Inspire fitted the FT2’s Smith machine with a hefty weight multiplier, raising its Smith’s total weight resistance up to as much as 460 lb. That’s a superlatively high metric, but since the lowest setting is just 20 lb, you have a lot of room for improvement if you’re new to lifting.
The FT2’s Smith machine is truly the star of the show. It’s simple to use and easy to move out of the way when you're not using. You can adjust the lowest height that the Smith will reach during each repetition, so that the bar will stop automatically if you're unable to control it.
All of this means that you’re not going to outgrow the FT2. The Smith’s maximum weight is high enough that you could work on it for the rest of your life and never max it out.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you won’t want to try.
Still can't decide? Try before you buy! In order to get the full feel of the Inspire FT1, FT2, and more home gyms, visit or contact your local G&G Fitness Equipment Showroom.
Though they are similar on the outside, the FT1 and FT2 actually fulfill different purposes. If the added strength-training capabilities of the FT2’s included Smith machine don’t interest you, then the FT1 is a great choice. That said, you’ll be using these machines for years to come, and the FT2’s Smith machine is second to none in terms of usability and sheer power. Keep that in mind as you decide which machine is best for you!
That’s where we come in! The fitness equipment specialists at G&G are here to help you find a solution that works for your fitness goals, home, and budget. We even offer financing. Give us a call or stop in to a G&G Fitness Equipment Showroom near you for a free consultation.
]]>Luckily, motivation can be streamed on our mobile devices. Finding our favorite fitness podcasts may be just the thing that inspires us to stay fit.
For those of us who are looking to enter the running world, the best podcast to start streaming is the Ali on the Run podcast. Ali interviews runners from all walks of life — people who lead interesting lives and offer inspiration to other aspiring runners.
We can jump on the treadmill, turn up this podcast, and be inspired to run. We need the correct equipment to help us along on our fitness journeys. For a high-end, well-made treadmill, head to G&G Fitness Equipment to add a treadmill to your home gym.
Some of us love picking up a set of dumbells and grinding out a grueling weightlifting session. The Muscle for Life podcast hosted by Mike Matthews gives us science-based inspiration to build our best bodies. He tackles topics such as which exercises are the most effective for building and maintaining muscle, as well as offering nutrition and supplement suggestions.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an intense sweat session that can be done at home. Listen to some inspiring stories that uncover the benefits of HIIT on the Working it Out podcast. Host Alex Cole of Humans of HIIT interviews individuals who have overcome physical and mental barriers to achieve success in their fitness goals through HIIT workouts.
Many of us may enjoy long bike rides, but some of us prefer getting a workout in on a stationary bike. Hosted by Mitch Docker, an Australian professional cyclist, Life in the Peloton is a podcast for people who are interested in learning more about the sport of cycling and hearing stories from the athletes who have made it into a profession.
We can add exercise bikes from G&G to our home gyms and imagine what it would be like to cycle around the world as professional cyclists do.
We don't need to go to a gym to reach our fitness goals. The Crunches and Cosmos podcast aims to help us get the most out of our home gyms by providing at-home workout tips and insights, as well as reviews of products and workout plans.
We can maximize our home gym experience by acquiring the right equipment. G&G Fitness Equipment has multiple home gym options to give us the extra boost we need to keep pushing towards our fitness goals.
When it comes down to it, choosing the right podcast can help us feel motivated to work out every day. For more motivation to keep up a workout routine, a consultation with G&G Fitness Equipment can bring fitness equipment right to our homes—making fitness a part of life.
What's your favorite podcast to workout to? Leave it in the comments!
]]>You may be ready to conquer a new fitness regimen, but are you ready to return to the gym? You may even be wondering: “Is the gym safe?”
Even though the number of vaccinated people continues to rise, it still remains risky to work out in an enclosed space, according to the CDC. The nature of working out at the gym means sharing space with a group of people who are breathing heavily, sweating, and moving throughout the room. Without proper ventilation, these activities heighten the risk of sharing COVID-19, even when gym-goers are wearing a mask. The risk grows even more when paired with the fact that masks are ineffective when they become wet from sweat.
One in four Americans who used to hit the gym regularly say they may never return to their old habits. However, others are eager to revisit the gym and rejoin the exercise community. Whether you are on the fence about making plans at your local gym or starting to warm to the idea, there are precautions you can take to ensure you’re making the right choice for you and your health.
If you are planning on returning to your local fitness center, it is important to learn about the efforts they are taking to minimize COVID spread at the gym. Some important questions to ask include:
It goes without saying that gym patrons should always sanitize their hands and clean their equipment before and after use. However, it's important for gyms to step up their sanitation practices to meet the risks of COVID.
Ask your local gym how — and how often — they are wiping down equipment. It is helpful to know whether your gym provides antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer to its patrons. Most importantly, inquire about the ways the gym is disinfecting the air. COVID is much more likely to be passed through the air you breathe versus the sweat on your equipment.
It is possible to pass COVID from person to person in any indoor class, but the risk is significantly elevated by high-intensity workouts.
Naturally, the amount of air you breathe in and out of your lungs rises when you take part in high-energy classes — like cardio, dance, or spin. Because of this, lower energy classes — such as pilates, yoga, or strength training — are much safer. Reach out to your local gym to see which type of classes are being held throughout the day and whether they are being held indoors or outdoors.
Many gyms and fitness studios have been advised to implement new ventilation standards to combat the spread of COVID-19. Good ventilation practices include:
When checking out a gym for positive ventilation practices, avoid a space that blows air towards you or simply recirculates the air already in the room. Fans or devices that recirculate stale air elevate the risk of spreading COVID and other illnesses.
The CDC continues to recommend social distancing in gyms and other public settings. Some doctors even recommend expanding that distance to 10 feet when surrounded by other exercising people.
Though social distancing is still ideal, many gyms and public places have relaxed or dropped their social distancing and mask requirements. Others have installed plexiglass shields between equipment or areas of the gym to minimize the spread of the virus. Contact your local gym to see what social distancing rules are in place or if they are utilizing physical barriers.
Rules about capacity vary from state to state and, as America continues to reopen, many have been dropped. However, some gyms continue to maintain a limited capacity to help prevent a resurgence of the virus.
Experts continue to recommend social distancing in a gym setting. As a rule of thumb, look for a class size that allows you to maintain ample distance between you and your gym-mates. Ask your local gym about their current capacity or class sizes and how they enforce them.
In many states, masks are no longer required. However, it is still recommended that you wear a mask while working out in an enclosed space. Find out whether your gym has a mask mandate in place and whether they enforce it — many gyms and studios do not.
Some of the fears of walking into a public space are minimized when you know everyone around you is vaccinated against COVID. However, every gym has its own vaccination policy. Some have created a vaccination passport system that requires patrons to check in beforehand and provide proof of immunization. Others simply ask that non-vaccinated folks wear a mask and allow vaccinated gym-goers to work out maskless.
Ask ahead of time about your gym’s vaccination policy and whether it is enforced. Keep in mind that it is impossible to tell who is vaccinated and who is simply opting to go without a mask in an honor system setting.
Health and fitness organizations around the world have introduced initiatives that encourage gyms to make a public commitment to safety. For example, The International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association created the IHRSA Active & Safe Commitment. The program includes a pledge that upholds:
Check your gym’s website for a list of safety protocols or pledge to public safety. If you can’t locate one online, reach out to the gym to learn more about their commitment to keeping gym-goers safe.
Once you’ve assessed the safety of your gym, it’s up to you to decide whether you feel comfortable working out there. If you do opt to return to your gym in person, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk of COVID-19:
The key to staying safe is to prepare yourself before heading to the gym. While gyms are reopening, there may be a long time yet before you can casually run out the door to a weight lifting session. Important preparation steps include:
Whenever possible, try to choose a class or plan your workout before or after the rush. Peak times at the gym include early mornings, lunch break hours, and immediately after work. Instead, try to sneak away for a late morning, late afternoon, or late night gym session to avoid congestion.
If your gym utilizes an online reservation or hands-free check-in system, use it! A check-in can save you time and ensures that you will be visiting a gym with a limited capacity.
Whether or not your gym requires it, try to stay at least six feet away from others to minimize the risk of spreading illness. Be considerate when waiting for others to finish reps on a piece of equipment by giving them a six-foot space rather than crowding racks or cardio equipment.
When using gym equipment:
To minimize the amount of air you’re bringing into your lungs per minute, choose a low-intensity workout. Similarly, give ample distance to patrons who are engaged in high-intensity workouts like running on a track or treadmill.
If your gym offers outdoor classes or workout spaces, use them. Outdoor gym space offers a safer alternative to an enclosed space with recycled air. Beyond safety, outdoor workouts provide a great way to get fresh air and improve your mood.
Traditionally, gyms are a place to build community and friendships. While it can be tempting to share a friendly high-five, elbow bump, or hug, skip physical contact whenever possible.
Chances are, your gym has rules in place to protect your health in their showers, locker rooms, and other facilities. Be aware of all signage and follow the protocols in place. Be ready to wear a mask when asked, whether you are vaccinated or not.
Because of tragic gym-related outbreaks early on in the pandemic, it's natural to worry about the idea of a future resurgence of COVID-19 and what it means for public gyms. As many states lift restrictions, it is important to remain vigilant even as you return to normal activities like going to fitness centers. Steps you can take to prepare for future outbreaks include:
The CDC recommends continuing to utilize disposable gloves, hand-washing, and sanitizer to keep yourself clean when out in public. It also recommends that gyms and other public spaces continue to clean high-traffic areas and surfaces with disinfectant.
While you can’t control your gym’s policies on sanitation, you can remain aware of their practices and only choose a gym that keeps your safety at the forefront. You can also continue to maintain strict hygiene practices as public restrictions relax.
The CDC and WHO continue to encourage people to be cautious in their interactions with others. Continue to maintain a six-foot distance while at the gym and only train with peers you know to be vaccinated and healthy. If you or any of your household is feeling under the weather, stay home from your gym workout or class.
Even as more and more familiar establishments reopen, life is not returning to what it was pre-pandemic. In the new normal, it is important to continue to protect yourself and others from the virus. Precautions to consider include:
Ultimately, it is likely that the world will see waves of COVID-19 in the foreseeable future. If you are worried about COVID reemerging in your area, plan accordingly by being cautious at your local gym or using an alternative workout method.
If you’re feeling stressed about the prospect of returning to the gym, you’re not alone. Many Americans are unsure about ever sharing a workout space with strangers again. Whether you want to put off your return to the gym for a few more months or are planning to stop entirely, there has never been a better time to invest in a home gym.
With a home gym, you can put your future outbreak anxieties to rest by working out in the comfort of your home. If you’re building your own at-home gym, essential pieces include:
One of the key elements of any home fitness program is sustainable cardio. Fortunately, there are plenty of machines to meet your workout needs. Popular choices include:
The second key to building an effective at-home gym is a great set of strength training equipment. Vital equipment to consider includes:
Another great way to build your home gym is through fun accessories to enhance your workout. Examples include:
When it comes to making the most of your home gym, the right fitness equipment and accessories can change everything. Let the fitness equipment experts at G&G Fitness lend a helping hand. Whether you are looking for a new foam roller or a kettlebell to elevate your workouts, G&G Fitness will help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Contact us today!
]]>Luckily, it’s possible to find motivation by yourself. You can teach yourself to develop a better attitude toward fitness just like you can build any healthy habit. It takes practice and commitment, but it’s ultimately up to you to have a better attitude toward fitness. Here are a few quick and easy steps you can take to get in the mood to exercise.
First, think about where you work out.
If your equipment is in a dark basement, you’re probably not excited to get down there. Instead, join a local gym or enroll in a dance class where you’ll be around other motivated individuals. Or maybe set up your own home gym with plenty of free space and healthy lighting.
If you choose to go for a home workout area, be sure to incorporate your biggest motivators. For instance, if you want a yoga room in your home:
If working out the same way and in the same space starts to feel stale, switch up your routine or redo your setting once in a while. Go outside for a run or a bike ride, and maybe incorporate your favorite music into your workout routine.
Working out does not have to be a chore. When you establish the right setting for yourself, you will start to see improvements in your motivation.
Another great fitness motivator is getting the right equipment. This means investing in the right machines, like high-quality treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, and weights. It also means finding the right shoes and workout clothes.
Build up a home gym with all your favorite fitness equipment. What are your go-to machines at the gym? What exercises make you feel the most challenged? Consider investing in fitness gear that’s versatile so you can do multiple exercises or workouts with one piece of equipment.
Order a new pair of running sneakers and there’s no doubt you’ll feel more motivated to get outside in them. Find clothing that you feel comfortable and confident in. Even if you’re just working out at home, these small upgrades can be big motivators.
We all have moments when we feel extra motivated. In those moments, we tend to start setting lofty goals like, “I’m going to start running five miles every day” or “Every morning when I wake up, I’m doing an hour of yoga.” While these goals are attainable for seasoned athletes, when you’re just starting out, it’s best to start smaller.
When creating fitness goals, there are a few tips to keep in mind:
Be sure to establish rewards for reaching your goals. Rewards can be anything from taking a day off from exercising to eating your favorite meal.
Setting fitness goals is a great way to hold yourself accountable and keep you motivated to work out.
There’s one big reason many people fail to keep their fitness goals: drinking too much alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant that can have major impacts on your mood, mental health, and motivation. It also affects your physical health by dehydrating you and impairing your balance.
Drinking too much alcohol makes it harder to stick to healthy habits like getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising regularly. It’s almost impossible to maintain a positive attitude toward working out if you drink too much.
Try cutting out or minimizing drinking in your life. According to the U.S. government’s dietary guidelines, you should drink in moderation—limit yourself to just one or two drinks per day at most.
We get that it can be fun and relaxing to kick back with some alcohol on the weekends. But when treating yourself, be sure not to overdo it. Instead of letting alcohol control you, control the alcohol in your life to stay fit, motivated, and healthy.
Exercise and healthy eating go hand and hand. When you pay attention to what you put into your body and choose to eat right, you’ll start to feel better overall. But if you regularly eat junk food or overindulge, your attitude toward working out will become worse. When you eat healthy, you’ll feel better. And when you feel better, you’re more likely to feel motivated to go out for that run or perform those stretches.
Finally, remember this: working out helps improve your mood. While you’ll have different results after each workout, the very act of working out can help motivate you. After a jog or yoga session, relish in how positive and healthy you feel. Hang onto that feeling of after-workout triumph or relaxation when it’s hard to get up and move. When you focus on how much better you’ll feel after exercising, you’ll feel motivated to chase that feeling however you can.
It’s not always easy to get in the mood to exercise. But remember that it’s up to you to turn things around:
As with all other aspects of fitness, it’s about consistency. One way to motivate yourself to keep going is to remember the many health benefits burpees can provide.
Here, we’ll teach you how to do a burpee before running through seven reasons why you should incorporate the exercise into your daily workout routine.
There are many burpee variations you can choose from, and you can select the style of burpee that works best for you based on your needs and current level of fitness. You can do simpler exercises as you work up to the burpee. Once you master the standard burpee, you can change things up in the motion to make the exercise more challenging.
Let's start at the beginning.
Now that you know how to do a burpee, let’s go over the seven main reasons why you should do this exercise on a consistent basis.
The burpee is a simple yet effective tool for a total body workout. It’s a great way to work most of your body’s major muscle groups to efficiently strengthen your upper and lower body. Even extremities like your hands get a workout!
Every burpee helps to strengthen your:
Practically a total body workout, burpees are an excellent exercise to help you get in shape fast.
Burpees combine both cardio and strength training. When done properly and consistently, the exercise provides a high-intensity workout that is sure to not only condition your muscles, but also get your heart pumping, your lungs working, and the sweat flowing.
The exercise is also a clever way to gauge your fitness. If you start feeling sore after just a few burpees, your challenge will be strength-based; if you catch yourself running out of breath, your challenge will be cardiovascular and stamina-based. The nice thing about burpees is that the exercise helps you develop on both fronts.
Start by setting a timer for three minutes and see how many burpees you can complete in that amount of time. Even if you complete just a few burpees every day, you will start to notice improvement over time — you will be able to do more reps in that three-minute timeframe over the course of weeks or months.
Because burpees double as cardio and strength training, the exercise is a go-to choice for folks who want to burn calories and fat.
In just one minute, you might be able to burn upwards of 15 calories. Over time, this will mean helping you lose fat.
Remember, the burpee provides practically a full body workout. All the muscles involved will need to work extra hard, and they’ll use up calories for the energy they need and ultimately help you to slim down.
Your core muscles are important for providing stability and reducing the risk of injuries. Burpees are an effective workout for your core muscles, as you’ll need to keep your core engaged from start to finish.
Incorporating burpees into your workout routine is a great strategy if you’re looking to target your abs while strengthening other muscle groups at the same time.
Because burpees target so many muscles and involve a wide range of motion, they can help improve your mobility, balance, and coordination. When you do burpees on a consistent basis, your body will become stronger, your health will improve, and you will move better and feel better.
One of the biggest advantages that comes with doing burpees is that you can do them anywhere, anytime, without any equipment whatsoever! You don’t need to go to a gym or invest in fitness equipment like treadmills or ellipticals.
You can do burpees from the comfort of your own home. You don’t need a lot of space either; even if you are travelling, you can do some burpees in your hotel room so you don’t skip a beat in your workout routine — no excuses!
When you have mastered the classic burpee and feel ready for a new challenge, there are many burpee variations you can choose from.
For instance, you can:
You can also vary the intensity of your burpees — take a short breather between each burpee, go for slow and controlled burpees, or try to crank out as many burpees as you can in three minutes!
Burpees are a powerful, effective, and comprehensive bodyweight exercise that provides numerous health and fitness benefits. Even if you don’t do a full workout every day, performing a few burpees on a consistent basis will give your body boosts of energy and keep your muscles strong. Get started with burpees today and be sure to check out the LiveFit Blog for more fitness tips and tricks!
]]>Made a mistake or lost confidence? You can learn from it. Got sick or stuck in a rut? You can heal and grow. When trying to create your workout routine, take heart in the journey. Read on for our tips on how to make healthy-boosting fitness a part of your life.
You may have visions of daily workouts, perfectly toned abs, and defined muscles, but you can’t make a habit out of nothing. You should start with realistic expectations and actionable goals. By starting small, you can build your routine in increments and feel pride in your improving strength and endurance.
While big goals sound great, they’re not realistic. Small steps help you build momentum and excitement for what lies ahead. If you need to, focus on 5- to 10-minute routines so you don’t burn out or hit a wall of resistance.
Set out prompts for yourself so you don’t need to think about when to fit fitness into your day. You could add exercising to your email calendar, use an app to send a chime reminder, put your workout clothes on a bench in a visible spot, or take your dog for a walk and then immediately head to your home gym. Anything that automates an activity reduces indecision.
We want to stress the importance of fun in fitness. Working out shouldn’t be one of those things you dread. And it shouldn’t cause genuine pain either. When you tie fitness to movements you enjoy, you’re much more likely to look forward to it. And once you’re in the groove, you’ll love the exercise health benefits too.
If you like short bursts of activity, try a rowing machine or kickboxing. If you like to zone out on one action while daydreaming, try a treadmill.
You’ve found movements you enjoy, but that doesn’t mean you will form a habit. In the early stages, reward yourself with a special treat once you finish working out. Perhaps it’s a chapter of a new novel, an episode of your favorite show, or a new podcast you downloaded. Maybe it’s a glass of wine or a cup of coffee from those beans you ordered from your favorite shop. If you know a reward is coming, you can push yourself to keep going.
Repeat after us: perfection doesn’t exist. Trying to achieve the unachievable is the easiest way to get into your own head and convince yourself you’re no good.
What works for you in terms of fitness is all that matters. Then, adjust as needed if you have days where you’re feeling uninspired. If you feel tired, try to work out for just a few minutes. You’d be surprised how much better you feel when the endorphins start pumping.
Are you ready to take the next step but don’t know where to begin? Reach out to us at G&G Fitness Equipment for expert advice on the home gym equipment that’ll help you get fit and form a lifelong habit.
]]>Having entertaining exercise options and the right equipment can turn your at-home workout into a positive experience that leaves you healthier and wanting more out of life. To avoid workout boredom, we are here to offer 5 tips for getting out of a training rut:
With the explosion of exercise technology over the last few years, you have multiple options to increase the effectiveness and enjoyment of an at-home workout. Technology can increase your enjoyment and amp up your workout — resulting in a healthier lifestyle. This technology includes not only the workout equipment you may be using but also anything that can help keep you entertained during your fitness routine.
Home fitness equipment of every kind is available to personalize your workout experience. This kind of technology can enhance your movements and help burn calories more efficiently. Keeping entertained is a great way to avoid the feeling that a workout is "work."
Watching something on television, your phone, or another entertainment device can pass the time and let you enjoy the physical exercise.
For example, you can enjoy having a screen attached to your fitness equipment at home with Matrix XUR Console. Its premium 22-inch screen offers the largest and the brightest HD touchscreen display — bringing workouts, movies, and videos to life. With this console attached to your bike, elliptical, or other equipment, run a workout, watch your favorite streaming service, or browse the internet. Listen to the audio on its in-built speakers or connect your Bluetooth headphones.
Getting the most out of your workout takes the right planning and equipment. A cardio workout helps you burn energy and calories. Getting on a treadmill, a spin bike, or an elliptical can help keep your heart rate elevated at a healthy level and your body working toward your fitness goal.
When it comes to weight loss and efficient calorie-burning, a continuous movement workout on one of these machines can help you reach your goals.
Whether your workout comes from a book, the Matrix XUR Console, or your own planning, knowing what you'll accomplish ahead of time will make you more effective. You'll also get to enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after a great cardio workout.
Adding a strength training routine to your cardio can help break up the monotony. It also increases the effectiveness of your workout. Strength training equipment for your at-home gym allows you to increase your metabolic rate and gain muscle. Use of strength training equipment might include:
You can sculpt your body and add muscle mass — all while losing weight with a cardio workout. Short breaks to include strength training in your treadmill or elliptical routine is not only healthy but also a much more entertaining way to work out.
One of the main reasons you may get into a workout rut and lose interest quickly is the monotony of doing the same routine every time.
To remedy this, add other types of workouts to your cardio and strength training. Consider yoga, dance videos, or even rowing workouts. Focusing on certain parts of the body on certain days helps prevent muscle fatigue and leads to better overall health.
Home fitness programs that contain more variety are more enjoyable and help keep your interest. To avoid getting bored with your home workout, mix it up and keep fighting for your fitness goals.
Many workouts can be a nice solitary experience — a great reprieve from your family or life stressors. But, sometimes, a workout may feel lonely.
You can fix this problem by partnering up with people to challenge yourself in a variety of ways that fit your style and needs:
Working out at a home gym provides you the option to have some alone time or to get the social interaction needed to push you even further in your goals.
With livefit.com, you can have access to premium equipment that makes your workout the most effective it can be. Visit our website to get started on your fitness journey today!
]]>Let's talk about couples' fitness.
Normally, you head to the gym to lift some weights. In the back corner of the facility, you and a bunch of other dudes lifting weights grunt and groan while trying to do “one more rep bro!”
Meanwhile, your significant other is taking a spinning class at another health and fitness facility across town.
Fitness is important to both of you, but you just don't know how to exercise as a couple when you both have different fitness interests.
When you get home, you both feel good from your respective workouts. But you wonder...
There have been numerous studies that show couples who exercise together find they stick to a workout program longer and maintain a healthier relationship. One study, from the Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University, surveyed married couples who joined health clubs together and found that couples who worked out separately had a 43 percent dropout rate over the course of a year. Those who go to the gym together, regardless of whether they focused on the same type of exercise, had only a 6.3 percent dropout rate.”
Everyone knows that having a gym buddy is a great tool that helps a lot of people stay accountable and dedicated to their fitness goals. So, it makes sense that more couples are looking to become each other’s fitness partner. Besides, who knows you better or spends more time with you than your significant other?
So maybe you are intrigued but you have a problem. You don't enjoy spinning classes and your lady has no interest in joining the cavemen in the free weight room.
Is there another way the two of you can exercise together in a way that makes everyone happy?
There is a workout for couples, and you're about to find out what it looks like.
This workout is one of my all-time favorites for couples or partners. It's called you go-I go because the structure is just like it sounds; you do one set of an exercise, then your partner does a set.
It's simple to follow, and an ideal setup for two people who have different fitness levels. For example, you can do twenty push-ups in a set, but your partner can only do seven. No problem. As you perform your set, your partner rests. Then you rest while your partner does her set.
It may seem unfair that one of you rests for longer, but it works itself out during the training session. Each person is challenged relative to his/her own fitness level.
Let's dive into the workout here. This example will require no equipment or fitness trainer. Just your body weight.
Remember- you go, I go. When your set is complete, your partner begins her set, and vice versa, until all sets are finished.
HIIT (High-intensity interval training) is discussed in detail in "From Fad to Fact: HIIT Training Just Plain Works."
For this workout, you will still be following the “you go, I go” structure but instead of body-weight exercises, you'll be using one of my favorite pieces of equipment for interval training- an Airdyne bike or rower.
Check out the Airdyne Bike:
Does this mean that you have to exercise together all the time? Not at all! You can still hit the weights as your partner goes spinning. But if you want to experience the benefits of working out together, schedule a day or two each month. Get sweaty and have fun!
About the Author
Jim White is a freelance contributor for G&G fitness. He's also a personal trainer and owner of Strength Essentials716. He loves helping people build Strength for Life. When he's not writing or training clients, he loves hiking and howling at the moon. He has a natural ability to see great potential in you, even if you can't see it in yourself. Jim also enjoys long walks on the beach and classic novels. Find out more at strengthessentials716.com
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I personally struggle with working out in the winter, finding myself making lame excuses for skipping my workout and then feeling bad about it afterward. Remember, no one ever regretted a good workout, so here are some reminders and tips to keep you happy and healthy this season.
So, even with these benefits in mind, you still may found yourself saying things like, "It's too cold for a run" or "I don't want to drive to the gym in the snow." The solution is simple: work out at home!
While some may feel they are limited by space in their homes, the reality is you can still get in a killer workout, even in a tiny apartment––you just need to have the motivation. You can always do body-weight workouts, High Intensity Interval Training or PiYo, and hand weights and kettlebells take up no more room than a blender.
And for those of you looking for an extra level of accountability, I'd say to seriously consider investing in home gym equipment. I know there's always stories about people buying treadmills or bench press sets and then watching it collect dust, but that's sadly because they haven't bought the right equipment or chose to stop prioritizing their fitness, plain and simple. At the end of the day, it's up to you to decide what your health is worth, and not just in a financial context.
You deserve something that will make you feel good, inside and out––why not something you can use for the rest of your life? Quality fitness equipment is an investment that will last many years.
Investing in something like a high-quality treadmill, rower, bike or even a home gym is a purchase that you or anyone in your family can use, and because it's in your own home, you can multitask. Instead of Netflix and chill, Netflix and run a few miles! You can now binge watch your favorite shows without feeling lazy, because you're up and moving.
Another benefit of working out at home is that it lets you focus solely on YOU, not what the person next to you is lifting. I find that when I just strive to beat myself, instead of comparing myself to a random stranger, I tend to get much better results and feel more satisfied with the overall work out. And even for those with kids and pets, you can still keep an eye on them while you do your thing––just remember, that time on your machine is ultimately your time, so don't let yourself be too stressed with what Charlie or Sparky is up to.
There are plenty of options to choose from when picking out equipment, so I also recommend talking to a professional that can guide you in the right direction based on your budget and unique fitness goals.
And on those chilly days when you feel too cold and tired to do anything, just remember how good––and warm––you felt after your last sweat sesh, throw on your favorite workout gear, and you'll keep that summer bod and internal glow all winter long.
]]>Does that mean you’re crazy for setting New Year’s resolutions?
Are you nuts for wanting to better yourself and become more fit in 2022?
Of course not!
By setting New Year’s resolutions, you acknowledge that you are capable of achieving more. But to be sure that this year will yield better results, let’s do things differently this year.
Reflecting on last year is not an exercise in self-flagellation. If you’re beating yourself up for not achieving your fitness goals, stop! If change were easy, everyone would do it.
Focus on the positives. For each of last year’s goals, determine what went well. How long did you stick with the New Year’s fitness plan? What kept you on course while you were still on it? How did staying on track make you feel? Remember the positives to motivate yourself and prevent you from veering off course.
Once you've taken stock of what you accomplished last year, remember, it's never too late to adjust this year’s New Year's resolutions. Because we're not insane, we’re going to do things differently. To succeed this year, we’re going to make measurable, achievable fitness resolutions. Don't fall for the cliché, “new year, new you.” A “new you” isn't necessary. You're setting goals to make the current you healthier and happier.
Make sure your fitness goals are SMART:
Specific: Each goal should be specific. “Go running” won’t work; try, “Jog for 15 minutes every morning.”
Measurable: To make a goal achievable, it must be measurable. Did you manage to reach 25 pushups? Did you manage to run your mile in less than 15 minutes?
Attainable: Be realistic about your goals. Promising to lose 50 pounds in a week won’t do you any favors and will just set you up to feel like a failure.
Relevant: Focus on what makes the goal important to you. Why do you want it? What makes this goal resonate with you? This will keep you energized and motivated in 2022.
Time-Bound: Your resolution needs a timeline, otherwise it’s too easy to “get to it when you get to it” or put off until “tomorrow.”
An example of a SMART resolution is: “I will run the 10K in the Boston Harvest Half Marathon on September 20 in under 90 minutes.”
You’ll need a plan to achieve your New Year’s fitness resolutions.
Be realistic when planning. We’re not going for 200 ab crunches a day. Instead, aim to commit 30 minutes to a home workout, treadmill, or elliptical session every day.
For the marathon example, your plan could be to run on your treadmill for 30 minutes twice a week, use an elliptical for 30 minutes twice a week, and finish strong with one long 60-minute jog at the end of each week.
Visualize yourself accomplishing your goals. Imagine a typical day for you with your fitness plan as part of your life:You will have days where you’ll want to quit or give up. Plan for those. Think of all the excuses you’ve used, then come up with counterarguments. Focus on why you’re making your resolutions. Write these down to remind and motivate yourself.
You're ready to go for it!
Your friends at G&G Equipment will help you get started with the best fitness equipment for your home gym. The experts at G&G will also work with any needs you have, though remember to consult your medical provider before starting any new workout plan.
Focus on the ways you're working toward your goals and feel proud of every step. Enjoy your workout! Make it fun!
Progress is not a one and done event. If you want your resolution to stick and become a new habit, you have to check in with yourself every day.
Don’t wait until the end of the year to reward yourself; make rewarding yourself part of the process. Honest reflection and small rewards are wonderful ways to keep yourself motivated and on track to complete your fitness goals.
Consider using a sticker chart. Sticker charts aren’t just for kids’ chores; they provide simple, visual confirmation of your awesomeness! How difficult was it to get out of bed and start those pushups? But did you do it anyway? Give yourself three stars! Did you get your workouts in every week for a month? That’s fifteen stars! A sticker chart comprises daily rewards in the form of a sticker. It's small, but it feels good. (Trust me!)
Once you’ve earned enough stickers, reward yourself with something fun. Go see a movie or take a nice bath. Treat yourself to a spa day or massage. Get a new workout outfit or pair of shoes.
Your New Year’s fitness plan is not something you start and end. It’s also not something where if you fall off or slip, you can’t get back up. This is a process.
Consistently plan, act, and reflect. Be active and perseverant, but also kind and gentle with yourself. If you suffer an illness or injury, take some time off. You do not need to wait until December 31 to start again.
Finished today? Tomorrow will be easier.
Finished the week? Next week will be easier.
Finished the month? Next month will be easier.
Focus on your New Year’s fitness resolutions every day. Focus on how great you feel when you commit to and achieve them. This year will be different. You’re not insane to know you can be healthier and happier, and we’re here to help and cheer you on!
]]>“Summer is around the corner. Make sure your beach body is ready!”
“Has the scale gone up over the holidays? Lose that holiday bulk!”
These seasonal reminders to keep an eye on the scale are just a few examples of how we’re conditioned to consider weight loss as the main part of a healthy and happy lifestyle.
This focus on weight as an indicator of good health is incredibly misleading, since multiple studies have debunked the myth that weight is a major determiner of health. However, this idea still persists in our culture and many of us continue to set “target weights” for ourselves and make weight loss a primary goal.
The truth is: your weight is affected by lots of different factors. It may go up or down for several reasons, which may or may not be in your control. Everything from time to genes can have an impact. Overall, it’s much better to focus on being healthy rather than being a specific weight.
Let’s put this in perspective with some of the reasons why the number on the scale may change and why it isn’t something you need to, ahem, let weigh you down.
What you weigh is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to your health.
Consider that when you go to the doctor for a checkup, they look at several indicators of your health, such as:
All of these factors tell a far more accurate story of the state of your body and its functionality than your weight does. So if you want to improve your health, it’s important to make changes where it matters, rather than solely focusing on getting the number on the scale to drop.
Health is about so much more than weight.
If you’ve ever gotten into the habit of giving yourself daily weigh-ins, then you already know that your weight can go up or down by a few pounds in the course of a single day. Eat a little bit too much salt, and boom! Your body starts retaining water and your weight increases. Or you have a particularly intense workout where you sweat a lot, and your weight goes down.
Those changes don’t provide you with detailed information about the state of your health. If anything, they’ll cause you stress, which can actually damage both your physical and mental health. You may believe that any deviation from a number means you have to work twice as hard or that you made an error at some point. It's not true; just remember the number is not constant.
The more you work out, the more muscle you build.
Muscle is denser than fat, so you may discover that no matter how many miles you run on the treadmill, your weight won’t go down — and in some cases, may even go up.
What does this mean? For one, it indicates that the number is not as important as the muscle percentage. A lot of exercise will build muscle and cause you to put on weight, but not in an unhealthy way. It shows that, once again, your weight doesn’t really matter all that much. If you are concerned about your physique and silhouette, a better way to gauge your progress is by looking at well how your clothes fit (and even then, your issue might not be weight-related, but tailor-related).
One of the most important elements in sticking to a workout routine is keeping yourself motivated.
Setting a goal weight is a very common way for us to stay encouraged and motivated. The problem is, this tactic usually ends up having the exact opposite effect. When we aren’t able to hit that “ideal number” or make progress toward it as fast as we would like to, we end up dispirited and unmotivated. Many people have abandoned their fitness goals because their weight didn’t change the way they expected and wanted it to.
There is a much healthier approach to motivation that will have you looking forward to your sessions on your elliptical or rowing machine. Instead, you should notice the changes that are happening to your strength, stamina, and endurance. You can observe milestones in how much time you spend exercising, the amount of weight you can lift, and how long it takes you to run a mile.
Good health is the result of a complex set of factors that go far beyond pounds and ounces. Measuring your health is likewise something that should involve more than deciding on a goal weight and determining your success based on how close you are to that weight.
Of course, maintaining your health requires regular visits with your primary care physician, so they can monitor your vital signs and look for signs of disease, damage, or infection. But in addition to good quality medical care, there are a few ways you can assess the state of your health and well-being, and none of them require the use of a scale.
This one may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how often we can forget to check in with ourselves and actively ask, “How am I feeling?”
One reason why this may occur is that the world of fitness has been both blessed and cursed by an explosion of health-tracking technologies and gadgets, like Fitbits and digital calorie counters. These devices encourage us to put our health in terms of steps taken and ounces of water consumed each day. This focus on data and statistics completely overlooks the intuitive aspect of health.
In simpler times, we knew that we could get a good reading on our health just by paying attention to how we felt. This “back to basics” approach is still available to us anytime we choose to embrace it. Take note of when you feel awesome and when you don’t. Your body is constantly sending you signals in the form of headaches, upset stomachs, skin rashes, muscle pains, and more. You can learn a lot about your health just by observing these signs.
Here’s another obvious truth that isn’t so obvious in this fast-paced day and age: it’s not normal to feel tired all the time. Lethargy, mental slumps, and “hitting the wall” every single day are wake-up calls that something is off with your health. We may have been conditioned to believe that exhaustion is a necessary part of life — and even a virtue — but the truth is, constant fatigue is a symptom that all is not well.
Sometimes it means you need to slow down and get more rest. But it can also mean just the opposite — that you need to get moving and exercise more! A half hour of moderate aerobic exercise, such as a spin on an exercise bike, can do wonders for your energy levels.
How far can you walk or run before running out of steam? How many push-ups and sit-ups can you perform in a set? The answers to these questions can tell you a lot about your strength and endurance, and therefore your physical health. Rather than focusing on the number on the scale, you’re far better off focusing on the number of miles you can run or reps you can do on your strength training equipment.
It’s always a good time to focus on your health, even if you are already in good shape. Good health requires constant maintenance, and there are several ways you can take care of yourself that don’t involve watching the scale.
Self-care can mean different things to different people, but in general it involves listening to yourself and responding to your needs. For some people, self-care revolves around stress management, which is absolutely crucial to protecting your health.
Think about what makes you feel good, strong, and powerful. Maybe it’s a brisk walk in the morning or a warm bath at night. Or maybe it’s choosing nutritious foods that energize you over fast food that tastes good but leaves you feeling sluggish. Whatever your self-care routine involves, it’s important to make it a consistent part of your life in order to reap the greatest benefits from it.
Good self-care helps you stay motivated.
Another important aspect of health is protecting yourself from illness. Now more than ever, a strong immune system is one of the most essential assets you can have. A robust immune system is the product of a healthy lifestyle that includes enough rest, a well-balanced diet, adequate exercise, and a multitude of other factors. It’s also the result of the habits you avoid, such as smoking and overconsumption of alcohol.
We are far more likely to stick with a workout routine if it’s one we enjoy and if it’s convenient to maintain. That’s why building a home gym is an incredible way to stay fit and healthy. Creating a home gym lets you pick and choose the workout equipment you love using the most, so exercise becomes something you actively look forward to. Even better, a home gym puts your equipment within arm’s reach, so you can fit in a workout whenever the mood strikes. You can hop on the elliptical or treadmill for some cardio, or you can lift dumbbells for resistance training. The choice is always yours with a home gym.
If you’d like to enjoy the health benefits that a home fitness gym can provide, the experts at G&G Fitness can help you build a home gym that is customized to your unique needs and preferences. There’s never been a better time to put your focus on your health (and ditch the scale) so that you can build and maintain a strong body that lets you live the life you want to live. Contact us today to get started.
A strong body and mind is the goal.
]]>And if you’re anything like most of the general population, chances are you’ve been down this road before. Almost everyone has the experience of picking a resolution and getting really psyched up about it - only to have it completely fall apart by spring (or worse, by February).
Having watched so many people try and fail at this, you may be tempted to think that a New Year’s resolution is simply a massive waste of time and mental energy. But that simply isn’t true. The problem isn’t the fact that people are setting goals for the New Year, it’s the way they’re setting them that’s problem.
Since the majority of people reading this blog are likely interested in fitness related ambitions, that’s what we’ll be using as our outline. With that said, this process can be applied to any goal you choose.
And at the end of the day, some are better than others. Deciding that you’re somehow going to lose thirty pounds of fat and gain twenty pounds of muscle by spring simply isn’t going to happen for the vast majority of people.
First thing’s first - your goal needs to be realistic and doable. The aforementioned example in which you completely change your body composition in three months is just unrealistic. Generally speaking, when it comes to weight loss, anywhere from one to two pounds per week (three if you’re very overweight) is what you should be shooting for.
For gaining muscle, it tends to be much more of a slow-moving ship - once you’ve been training for a while and tapped out your “newbie” gains, you’re probably only going to put on a few pounds per month (also keep in mind that losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time is going to be incredibly difficult for most people).
Your goal also must be measurable, bound by a deadline, and attached to a specific action plan (all of which we’ll be covering in detail).
Fortunately, this is quite straightforward with most fitness goals. Let’s say you want to lose 20 pounds (a common resolution). A deadline is important because, as you probably know, an open-ended “I’m going to lose twenty pounds” almost never happens. You’ll also need to make sure you’re tracking (in this case, by using a scale and taking your measurements) regularly to make sure you’re on the right path.
Let’s look at a performance goal, because the same principle applies. If you want to bench 200 pounds for your one-rep max, look at where you are now, and set a deadline for yourself. From there, ensure that you’re keeping track of everything (reps, sets, rest, all that good stuff).
The trick is finding the right balance - set a deadline that’s too far in the future, and you’ll end up losing sight of it. Set a deadline too close, and you may end up overextending and burning yourself out.
For most fitness related goals, a few months is usually a good length of time. If you have a fairly large goal (like losing 50 pounds) then you’re probably going to want to break it up into manageable, three or four month chunks.
It’s also really important to keep track of things on a regular basis. In the case of weight loss, this would mean weighing and measuring yourself every few days, and being as accurate as you can (consistently weighing yourself first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, for example).
Goals by themselves are meaningless. One of the biggest reasons that most people fail at this is because they have a vision, but no plan. In other words, they have a goal that they want to reach, but they haven’t thought out the steps to get there.
And while much of your action plan will need to be changed and tweaked as you move forward, you should have the fundamental road map laid out.
Go back to the weight loss example - rather than simply saying “I will lose 20 pounds by April 1st”, you should say something like:
“I will lose 20 pounds by April 1st by eating 2200 calories per day, doing 30 minutes of cardio three times per week, and eating at least 20 grams of protein with every meal”.
That may sound incredibly specific, but that’s the point. You want a detailed action plan, filled with steps that you take on a regular basis. Doing so will not only get you going in the right direction, but it will build up sustainable habits. In fact, you could even get more specific than that - “I will do 30 minutes of cardio Monday, Wednesday and Friday first thing in the morning so I don’t skip it”. Doing it this way will make it substantially harder to talk yourself out of it when the going gets tough.
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The beginning of a new year is a chance to start fresh. Whether you want to quit smoking, lose weight, or spend more time with your family, the new year is the perfect time to set goals for yourself.
But staying on task for these goals can be challenging—too often, even the best-intentioned resolutions can fall apart by the end of the month. To make goals that stick this year, make sure to avoid these common New Years' resolution mistakes.
When the new year comes around and everyone starts talking about the changes they're going to make, it's easy to get competitive and aim for something unrealistic. Unrealistic goals that are destined to fall flat. Want to lose 20 lbs. this month?
Your New Year's resolution should be something you can reasonably achieve. Shooting too high means setting yourself up to fail, which doesn't do your motivation any favors. Think about your strengths and limitations when you set your goals.
Acknowledging a change that you'd like to make is a great first step. It doesn't mean much, however, if you don't create a plan for how to make that resolution happen.
If you’re hoping to lose weight, for example, decide ahead of time how you're going to do it. Will you change your diet? Will you hit the home gym at least once a week? Define your goals in a way that you can measure.
The turn of the year is a popular time to assess where you are in life while taking stock of your goals and ambitions. If you make a New Year's fitness plan though, make sure it's tailored to your needs, not the latest trend.
There will always be trends to follow, but it'll be tough to see your resolution through if you don't truly believe it's the right thing to do for you. Although there's nothing wrong with looking for inspiration, your New Year's resolution should be uniquely yours—not just what all the fitness gurus on Instagram are doing.
No matter your age, experience, or ability, you are never immune to failure. Sometimes failure is necessary and can be used as a motivator, and sometimes it means you need to reassess your goals. You're going to run into adversity in pursuit of your goals, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. New Year's resolutions can be difficult, intense, and even frustrating, but keep in mind that this challenge was meant to be exactly that: a challenge. So don't get discouraged if you get a little off track, or miss a home workout every now and again.
A year is a long time, and you might not have the same vigor and conviction in June as you did in January. Keeping your motivation can be difficult, but it's the only way to stay true to your New Year's resolution. Remember to reward yourself along the way, and check out your results regularly for some positive feedback. If your goal is to get more fit, it helps to have an elliptical or treadmill at home to remind you of your mission.
A New Year's resolution is a commitment to change according to your needs and ambitions. Your resolution can be as big or small as you want it to be, and it doesn't have to be done within the year. Set reasonable goals and make a framework to accomplish them, and remember to stay true to yourself and keep your head up through the duration—even when it gets tough.
Have questions? Ask them in the comments below!
]]>Most people understand that staying fit and healthy can benefit everything from their heart to their waistline. But, fitness actually goes so much further than that.
There are plenty of under-discussed reasons to regularly exercise and stay fit, but they’re just as beneficial as maintaining muscle or watching your weight.
Whether you’re trying to lead a healthier lifestyle or reach specific fitness goals, understanding how a fitness regimen can keep you safe might offer a big motivational boost to keep you active. With that in mind, let’s cover a few of the ways fitness and safety go hand-in-hand.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no question we’re experiencing a physician shortage in hospitals across the country. That’s causing some people with chronic conditions to wait longer to receive care, and for those with serious illnesses like COVID-19 to perhaps not get the time and attention they need.
Staying fit can help you by boosting your immune system and strengthening your body. Studies have shown that COVID symptoms mostly affect older individuals or those with compromised immune systems.
By keeping yourself healthy, you’re less likely to experience severe symptoms, even if you catch the virus. Regular exercise can improve lung capacity and heart health in addition to an improved immune system.
Because of that, you likely won’t have to take up a hospital bed or see a physician that could be helping someone else in a more serious situation.
If you do develop any kind of illness, you can utilize telehealth to connect with a doctor from the comfort of your home. It’s a safe and effective way to discuss minor injuries and illnesses without “clogging” up the healthcare system more than it already is.
When you exercise properly, you can reduce your risk of getting injured through everyday activities. Granted, it’s important to have safety measures in place when you’re working out. Stretching before and after you exercise, staying hydrated, and wearing the right gear are all important.
But, if you know what you’re doing, staying fit can help with:
Strengthening bones
Strengthening muscles
Improving coordination
Bettering your balance
Quickening your reflexes
All of those benefits can make it easier to avoid slips and falls, tripping, and other accidents throughout your day. If you do fall or something hits you, you’re less likely to break a bone or experience extreme injury when you’ve worked on strengthening your body from the inside out. That’s important for everyone, of course. But it’s an even bigger benefit for older individuals who might be more prone to falling and breaking something.
As a bonus, your body will heal itself faster when you have a strong immune system, so you won’t have to worry about that bruised tailbone for too long!
Keep in mind that you can do too much of a good thing. If you’re new to regular exercise or you’re starting to see the benefits and want to push yourself further, be careful.
As beneficial as working out can be to strengthen your body, going too far can actually increase your risk of injury. You don’t want to pull a muscle or strain something because you weren’t playing it safe. Take precautions and be smart about your routine.
You might not immediately consider mental wellness as a “safety” issue, but it certainly can be. People with severe depression and anxiety can often experience thoughts and behaviors that could put themselves or others in harmful situations. Being able to monitor and manage your mental health is extremely important.
You’ve undoubtedly heard of a “runner’s high” before, but it’s not just running that boosts your endorphins – it’s any type of physical activity. Exercise has been proven to boost your mood and your energy levels, making you feel happier, even for a period of time after you’re done.
Staying fit also helps to reduce stress and can make you feel calmer. If you do have a mental health condition, regular exercise is a great way to manage your symptoms and feel more in control over your thoughts.
You don’t have to be a fitness buff or go to the gym every day to stay strong and healthy. More people are actually working out from home in light of the pandemic, and there are plenty of benefits to that. Thanks to technology, it’s easy to get in a good home workout every day. Take advantage of things like:
Smartwatches
Fitness apps
Online fitness communities
Free workout videos
Customized fitness plans
Virtual trainers
Whether you choose to work out at home, in the gym, or outside, getting in shape will do more for you than boost your physical appearance. It will make you stronger, healthier, and safer as you go through life. If you’re looking for some inspiration to get started with a fitness routine, let these benefits be your motivation!
]]>Having an attractive home workout space that motivates you can help you get moving. Working out in the same space over the course of the year may have you feeling uninspired. However, bringing the latest gym trends right to your own space will surely bring out the fitness guru in you. This can be something as simple as putting up some motivational posters, or painting a wall a vibrant color. Why not even consider wiring your space with some surround sound speakers to pump yourself up with your favorite soundtrack? Why not take a look at your fitness equipment? You can give yourself a holiday gift by investing in a new exercise bike. Simple changes can really make you want to get active.
Taking care of yourself, especially your skin is a really important part of any fitness regimen. If you have not thought about fitness skin care before, this could be one really great resolution to include in your fitness routine next year. Some considerations for your fitness skin care routine can be minimizing sweat build-up, trying face yoga, and cleaning your skin properly. The best way to clean your skin is to wash it gently to remove any bacteria and sweat from your face. You can also try using some prescription skincare products to better moisturize and keep your skin clean.
A critical part of working out is your diet. What you eat can really help you tone your body, build muscle, and recover better. A great resolution can be to evaluate your meals and overall nutrition. Having a tailored diet and specific meals that go hand and hand with your workout plan can really optimize your results. A convenient way to help put together a healthy diet is to try a meal plan. Meal plans come with great tasty options full of protein and are nutrient-rich. They also can save you time and you won’t have to worry about figuring out what to eat after working out.
Home workouts can be challenging to stick to. You may be tempted to skip routines and turn on the tv rather than working out. Think about your workout habits this year and how you can improve them. One powerful way to hold yourself accountable for prioritizing your health and fitness is to set a regimented workout schedule. Setting yourself a fitness schedule will ensure you have time to balance your workouts with your personal and professional life. Determine what days and times work best for you, and stick with it. You can make things more interesting by building a workout plan that includes creating quick but high-intensity circuits for certain days of the week.
]]>Getting fit is like any other life change; it requires dedication for it to last. Luckily, the emergence of fitness apps helps soon-to-be healthy individuals not only reach their short-term goals but also helps them change their lives for the better.
Most of us have heard of them. We see runners checking their digital watches to find out how many calories they've burned. Fitness apps are used in many different forms to track user's workouts, but workout apps for home exercise are different.
Instead of simply counting our steps, miles, and calories as digital watches do, workout apps for home exercise offer more. The best app for treadmill/elliptical workouts will not only track workouts like a digital watch does, but it will also offer additional perks such as guided workouts, virtual classes, and more.
The objective of workout apps for home exercise is to motivate, track progress, and keep us on a regular exercise program that will turn promises and goals into a sustainable lifestyle.
Great fitness apps will often ask for information on where you are and where you want to be. Additionally, they'll take note of the time frame in which you would like to meet your goals. They do this so that they can customize a workout plan just for you to meet your goal on time.
Users who choose to work from home no longer have to worry about making it to their favorite instructor's class on time. At-home fitness apps often offer pre-recorded classes that guide the users through a workout on their own time. No more rushing around to make an appointment at an inconvenient time.
Far gone are the days of popping in the same old workout DVD — or tape, depending on your generation — and going through the same boring routine every day. Home exercise fitness apps are constantly evolving, changing up their workouts in order to give their subscribers challenging and engaging workouts that keep them coming back.
It's not just on-demand classes that are a big hit with home workout apps. Live classes are often offered for those who need the extra motivations that live interaction offers. Some fitness apps even offer exercise series that take users on a journey through places like Costa Rica and Mount Everest. How's that for motivation?
Getting fit and healthy isn't just about the workout itself. Most of them will come with extras if you opt for a subscription service with an at-home workout app. These range from nutrition and health tips to mental wellness exercises and even cooking classes. Extras like these will help anyone to stay on track and really make building and maintaining their health part of their daily routine.
iFIT has reimagined at-home interactive fitness. Its workout apps for home exercise can be utilized on your home exercise equipment, television, and mobile device. It features a library of more than 16,000 on-demand and live interactive classes specifically designed to motivate our workout goals and keep us coming back for more.
With iFIT attached to a treadmill or elliptical workout equipment, we can find ourselves traveling around the world. iFIT can also connect to Bluetooth-enabled fitness equipment so that trainers can automatically adjust our settings, allowing us to focus on the challenge ahead. And what's more, iFIT offers extras like cooking classes and mindfulness techniques with yoga and meditation so that we can be fully immersed in a commitment with a healthy lifestyle.
Great workout apps for home exercise require great home fitness equipment. G&G Fitness Equipment has been operating since 1990 and has evolved into the premier source for fitness solutions in the United States. We seek to help you achieve your fitness goals by providing you with the best high-quality at-home fitness equipment on the market.
We offer free consultations to help you decide which equipment is best for your home gym. Contact us today to start your journey to a healthier and happier life.
]]>2020 and 2021 saw an incredible surge in popularity for home fitness equipment. With more people working out from home than ever before —and many gym-goers vowing to never look back — the fitness industry is taking notice.
The result is a fleet of fitness equipment that is more advanced and user-focused than ever before. Looking forward, 2022 is all about technology that takes fitness to the next level by placing the user’s experience above all.
Fans of the at-home workout should start celebrating now: the newest crop of fitness equipment features technology paired with quality and unparalleled health benefits. The fitness trends of 2022 make it easier than ever to maintain their health and fitness from the comfort of their home — and have fun doing it.
For athletes and home workout buffs looking for new fitness equipment, there are several trends to keep an eye out for in the coming year. Here are the top 5 pieces of home gym technology to check out:
At the top of the list in 2022 fitness trends are consoles that change the cardio game. We all know that a tried-and-true treadmill or elliptical is a great way to sweat, but it’s easy for stationary cardio workouts to feel stale or dull over time. This is where console technology comes in. Consoles are the machinery or screens at the front of the treadmill or bike. With the right console, users can completely revitalize their at-home cardio experience.
One of the hottest new pieces of cardio equipment on the market is the Matrix XUR Console. This high-quality console marries cardio sensibilities with high-end technology. Gone are the days of needing to choose between adventure and functionality — the XUR Console provides both.
Paired with high-powered cardio machines — such as a bike, treadmill, or elliptical — the XUR Console offers one of the biggest, brightest high-definition touchscreen displays on the market. The 22-inch screen brings new life to your favorite workout videos, movies, and virtual journeys.
The cutting edge features we love about the Matrix XUR Console include:
No matter where an athlete might be in their fitness journey, the Matrix XUR Console offers an allure that keeps users coming back workout after workout. The versatility of its features ensures that users can keep leveling up in their workouts by connecting with new programs, apps, and media whenever they want.
Workout equipment is great, but — as long-time athletes know — the lifeblood of a quality fitness routine in a strong mental game. Professional athletes achieve consistency through mental toughness, but, for the rest of us, it’s important to find tools that help us come back to our routine day in and day out.
One of the best ways to stay hyped up about a workout regimen is with equipment that is well-connected to a powerful fitness app. Two of the best brands in the game are Matrix and Echelon. Each brings its own unique strengths to the table:
The brand Matrix asks, “Can a machine change the way you think about fitness?” Matrix certainly thinks so, and — based on the exhilarating Matrix collection of cardio machines — we do, too. The things we love about the collection include:
Echelon invites users to “be a part of something bigger.” That something bigger is an expansive collection of live and on-demand studio fitness classes that are led by professional trainers. We love Echelon bikes for the immersive online community that comes with them. Features include:
Cardio machines from both Echelon and Matrix connect users with a supportive fitness community and a never-ending collection of motivating fitness programs to keep at-home athletes moving forward.
Peloton bikes have taken the wellness world by storm, but is the buzz worth it? More often than not, we would argue that customers are better off with a high-quality product they can try in-store. Made-for-tv products often come with unexpected problems when they arrive at the customer’s doorstep.
NordicTrack and Peloton are popular, but at what cost? Many brands that are promoted with online or late-night ads are made in mass quantities. Despite their high prices, consumers may be left feeling cheated when it comes to quality and durability.
Many trendy pieces of equipment come with sneaky hidden fees or subscriptions. We recommend spending time in a brick-and-mortar storefront talking to fitness experts who can walk consumers through the ins and outs of their new equipment.
Where many hot equipment pieces fall short is in customer service. Rather than connecting with fitness experts, consumers are likely to have to deal with call centers or impersonal emails. They are also unlikely to offer in-home setup, repairs, or maintenance.
Popular workout equipment often gains that popularity from well-crafted advertisements and persuasive reviews. Consumers shouldn’t be fooled by alluring ads. Instead, look to the tried-and-true equipment that fitness centers trust with their business.
Perhaps the biggest pitfall of tv fitness equipment is its highly inflated price tag. When it comes to persuading customers to shell out top dollar for their equipment, they are true professionals. However, customers shouldn’t have to break the bank to build an effective at-home gym.
Instead, we recommend tried-and-true products like the Echelon EX7S Connect Smart Bike. Products like the Echelon combine high-end gym-quality functionality with at-home reliability. While Peloton and other trendy products are likely to continue gaining popularity, those in the fitness industry know that 2022 fitness trends are all about investing in quality products that are guaranteed to last.
One trend that will never go out of style is quality service. A great piece of equipment can quickly lose its charm when users are faced with damage, breakdowns, or regular wear and tear.
Fortunately, this is where the G&G Fitness Service Team comes in. The hottest fitness equipment of 2022 features advanced technology and high-powered potential. With that comes a need for expert care. While many fitness brands don’t offer access to their own repair teams, we guarantee our customer's personal service, high-quality equipment, and minimal wait times.
The advantages of the G&G FItness Equipment Team include:
Ultimately, the G&G Service Team is committed to keeping our customers working towards their fitness goals with equipment that runs smoothly time after time.
For customers who find themselves dreaming of the latest fitness technology, we invite them to visit one of our local stores to try them out for themselves. Here are some innovative pieces of workout tech we would love to show you:
The Mirror is truly one of the hottest fitness trends of 2022 — and for good reason. This innovative piece of equipment offers a full-body workout while being nearly invisible. Disguised as a well-designed wall mirror, The Mirror transforms into an immersive home gym at the touch of a button. The features we’re excited about include:
Between The Mirror, Matrix Consoles, and Echelon's latest bikes, the inventory at G&G Fitness truly represents the best in new tech. Best of all, our experts are eager to show you the ropes! We strongly recommend that all customers take the time to stop into a local storefront and check out the freshest new technology for themselves. Why? Advantages include:
A good warm-up kicks the cardiovascular system into gear and boosts blood flow to the muscles. Preparing the body for more strenuous exercises to come helps joints, muscles, and tendons better handle sudden, explosive movements. Warmed-up muscles execute moves with greater power, which is key for building strength and leveling up overall fitness.
Stretching should be done after warming up, not before, when the muscles are still cold and not as flexible. Use accessories such as foam rollers and acupressure balls during the warm-up to help loosen up stiff muscles and improve circulation. Once the body is properly primed and prepped, it's ready to perform a challenging workout and more likely to avoid workout injuries.
Exercise should be challenging and produce sweat, but it shouldn’t include too much stress or strain. Knowing how much is too much is essential to staying safe during a workout, especially for people with a pre-existing injury or condition. For example, a person with lower back issues may need to avoid exercises that exacerbate the pain, such as sit-ups and toe touches.
Sharp, shooting pains or movements that don’t feel “right” are clear signs to stop, take a break, and adjust form or technique. The old adage “no pain, no gain” has gone out of style for a reason — exercise shouldn’t be painful, either during or after workouts.
Those just starting out or getting back into an exercise regimen can learn a lot from a session or two with a professional trainer. A trainer can offer expert advice on preventing injuries and making the most of an exercise regimen at home. They can help:
A trainer can also recommend accessories, such as lifting gloves and wrist supports, that can help avoid workout injuries.
Overtaxing the body with daily strenuous workouts is a surefire way to cause strains, pulled muscles, and potentially more serious injuries. The body needs time to rest and recover between workouts, so it’s important to include rest days in any exercise regimen.
This doesn’t mean that movement of any kind is off the table, though. Our favorite ways to stay active and keep the blood flowing on rest days include going for a brisk walk or bike ride and doing household chores or repairs that require a little elbow grease. Use fitness accessories like grip strengtheners and stability balls are also good ways to channel excess energy and engage the muscles without overdoing it.
Sometimes injuries happen during a workout because of plain, old, run-of-the-mill accidents. Exercise areas can be a minefield of hazards if untidy and disorganized. Many have stumbled over a stray dumbbell or slipped on a puddle of spilled water on the floor of their home gym. It takes just a few minutes to ensure that everything is clean, dry, organized, and in its proper place. It’s well worth that little extra time to prevent accidents and avoid workout injuries.
It’s also important to do regular checks of all workout equipment to ensure every piece is in good working order. We recommend checking the components of at-home fitness equipment like treadmills and ellipticals at least once a week. Look for cracks, loose bolts, frayed wires, and other signs of wear and tear. Equipment that is damaged or past its prime should be repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
For anyone looking to update or add to their home gym, we have an array of fitness equipment and accessories that will elevate the at-home workout experience. The experts at G&G Fitness are ready to offer their advice and insider knowledge on how to build a home gym and create an exercise regimen that maximizes benefits and minimizes injuries. Contact us today!
If you’re looking for affordable, high-quality fitness equipment, the experts at G&G Fitness can help you curate the equipment you need to build the healthiest version of you this year.
And of course, G&G has plenty of tips and great equipment to try. Contact our fitness experts and get started today.
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You may be ready to conquer a new fitness regimen, but are you ready to return to the gym? You may even be wondering: “Is the gym safe?”
Even though the number of vaccinated people continues to rise and COVID rates continue to fall, it still remains risky to work out in an enclosed space, according to the CDC. The nature of working out at the gym means sharing space with a group of people who are breathing heavily, sweating, and moving throughout the room. Without proper ventilation, these activities heighten the risk of sharing COVID-19, even when gym-goers are wearing a mask. The risk grows even more when paired with the fact that masks are ineffective when they become wet from sweat.
One in four Americans who used to hit the gym regularly say they may never return to their old habits. However, others are eager to revisit the gym and rejoin the exercise community. Whether you are on the fence about making plans at your local gym or starting to warm to the idea, there are precautions you can take to ensure you’re making the right choice for you and your health.
If you are planning on returning to your local fitness center, it is important to learn about the efforts they are taking to minimize COVID spread at the gym. Some important questions to ask include:
It goes without saying that gym patrons should always sanitize their hands and clean their equipment before and after use. However, it's important for gyms to step up their sanitation practices to meet the risks of COVID.
Ask your local gym how — and how often — they are wiping down equipment. It is helpful to know whether your gym provides antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer to its patrons. Most importantly, inquire about the ways the gym is disinfecting the air. COVID is much more likely to be passed through the air you breathe versus the sweat on your equipment.
It is possible to pass COVID from person to person in any indoor class, but the risk is significantly elevated by high-intensity workouts.
Naturally, the amount of air you breathe in and out of your lungs rises when you take part in high-energy classes — like cardio, dance, or spin. Because of this, lower energy classes — such as pilates, yoga, or strength training — are much safer. Reach out to your local gym to see which type of classes are being held throughout the day and whether they are being held indoors or outdoors.
Many gyms and fitness studios have been advised to implement new ventilation standards to combat the spread of COVID-19. Good ventilation practices include:
When checking out a gym for positive ventilation practices, avoid a space that blows air towards you or simply recirculates the air already in the room. Fans or devices that recirculate stale air elevate the risk of spreading COVID and other illnesses.
The CDC continues to recommend social distancing in gyms and other public settings. Some doctors even recommend expanding that distance to 10 feet when surrounded by other exercising people.
Though social distancing is still ideal, many gyms and public places have relaxed or dropped their social distancing and mask requirements. Others have installed plexiglass shields between equipment or areas of the gym to minimize the spread of the virus. Contact your local gym to see what social distancing rules are in place or if they are utilizing physical barriers.
Rules about capacity vary from state to state and, as America continues to reopen, many have been dropped. However, some gyms continue to maintain a limited capacity to help prevent a resurgence of the virus.
Experts continue to recommend social distancing in a gym setting. As a rule of thumb, look for a class size that allows you to maintain ample distance between you and your gym-mates. Ask your local gym about their current capacity or class sizes and how they enforce them.
In many states, masks are no longer required. However, it is still recommended that you wear a mask while working out in an enclosed space. Find out whether your gym has a mask mandate in place and whether they enforce it — many gyms and studios do not.
Some of the fears of walking into a public space are minimized when you know everyone around you is vaccinated against COVID. However, every gym has its own vaccination policy. Some have created a vaccination passport system that requires patrons to check in beforehand and provide proof of immunization. Others simply ask that non-vaccinated folks wear a mask and allow vaccinated gym-goers to work out maskless.
Ask ahead of time about your gym’s vaccination policy and whether it is enforced. Keep in mind that it is impossible to tell who is vaccinated and who is simply opting to go without a mask in an honor system setting.
Health and fitness organizations around the world have introduced initiatives that encourage gyms to make a public commitment to safety. For example, The International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association created the IHRSA Active & Safe Commitment. The program includes a pledge that upholds:
Check your gym’s website for a list of safety protocols or pledge to public safety. If you can’t locate one online, reach out to the gym to learn more about their commitment to keeping gym-goers safe.
Once you’ve assessed the safety of your gym, it’s up to you to decide whether you feel comfortable working out there. If you do opt to return to your gym in person, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk of COVID-19:
The key to staying safe is to prepare yourself before heading to the gym. While gyms are reopening, there may be a long time yet before you can casually run out the door to a weight lifting session. Important preparation steps include:
Whenever possible, try to choose a class or plan your workout before or after the rush. Peak times at the gym include early mornings, lunch break hours, and immediately after work. Instead, try to sneak away for a late morning, late afternoon, or late night gym session to avoid congestion.
If your gym utilizes an online reservation or hands-free check-in system, use it! A check-in can save you time and ensures that you will be visiting a gym with a limited capacity.
Whether or not your gym requires it, try to stay at least six feet away from others to minimize the risk of spreading illness. Be considerate when waiting for others to finish reps on a piece of equipment by giving them a six-foot space rather than crowding racks or cardio equipment.
When using gym equipment:
To minimize the amount of air you’re bringing into your lungs per minute, choose a low-intensity workout. Similarly, give ample distance to patrons who are engaged in high-intensity workouts like running on a track or treadmill.
If your gym offers outdoor classes or workout spaces, use them. Outdoor gym space offers a safer alternative to an enclosed space with recycled air. Beyond safety, outdoor workouts provide a great way to get fresh air and improve your mood.
Traditionally, gyms are a place to build community and friendships. While it can be tempting to share a friendly high-five, elbow bump, or hug, skip physical contact whenever possible.
Chances are, your gym has rules in place to protect your health in their showers, locker rooms, and other facilities. Be aware of all signage and follow the protocols in place. Be ready to wear a mask when asked, whether you are vaccinated or not.
Because of tragic gym-related outbreaks early on in the pandemic, it's natural to worry about the idea of a future resurgence of COVID-19 and what it means for public gyms. As many states lift restrictions, it is important to remain vigilant even as you return to normal activities like going to fitness centers. Steps you can take to prepare for future outbreaks include:
The CDC recommends continuing to utilize disposable gloves, hand-washing, and sanitizer to keep yourself clean when out in public. It also recommends that gyms and other public spaces continue to clean high-traffic areas and surfaces with disinfectant.
While you can’t control your gym’s policies on sanitation, you can remain aware of their practices and only choose a gym that keeps your safety at the forefront. You can also continue to maintain strict hygiene practices as public restrictions relax.
The CDC and WHO continue to encourage people to be cautious in their interactions with others. Continue to maintain a six-foot distance while at the gym and only train with peers you know to be vaccinated and healthy. If you or any of your household is feeling under the weather, stay home from your gym workout or class.
Even as more and more familiar establishments reopen, life is not returning to what it was pre-pandemic. In the new normal, it is important to continue to protect yourself and others from the virus. Precautions to consider include:
Ultimately, it is likely that the world will see waves of COVID-19 in the foreseeable future. If you are worried about COVID reemerging in your area, plan accordingly by being cautious at your local gym or using an alternative workout method.
If you’re feeling stressed about the prospect of returning to the gym, you’re not alone. Many Americans are unsure about ever sharing a workout space with strangers again. Whether you want to put off your return to the gym for a few more months or are planning to stop entirely, there has never been a better time to invest in a home gym.
With a home gym, you can put your future outbreak anxieties to rest by working out in the comfort of your home. If you’re building your own at-home gym, essential pieces include:
One of the key elements of any home fitness program is sustainable cardio. Fortunately, there are plenty of machines to meet your workout needs. Popular choices include:
The second key to building an effective at-home gym is a great set of strength training equipment. Vital equipment to consider includes:
Another great way to build your home gym is through fun accessories to enhance your workout. Examples include:
When it comes to making the most of your home gym, the right fitness equipment and accessories can change everything. Let the fitness equipment experts at G&G Fitness lend a helping hand. Whether you are looking for a new foam roller or a kettlebell to elevate your workouts, G&G Fitness will help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Contact us today!
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