Perfect Fit Personal Training- Health and Fitness Blog

If you're wondering why navy beans are so great, let me tell you! In one cup they have about 15 grams of protein, and a whopping 19 grams of FIBER ! You are suggested to have about 30-40 grams per day, so have a cup of navy beans and you're well on your way to your daily intake. You can make them from a can or soak dry beans overnight. Stick them in chili, put them in a wrap with some quinoa or brown rice, add some cheese and make a quesidilla; the list goes on. For more information on the navy bean, click here . What is your favorite bean?

I was just doing some research for a query on Exercise and Menopause, when I found this doozy: Abstract Objective : To evaluate the effect of moderate-intensity exercise on the occurrence and severity of menopause symptoms. Design : A yearlong, randomized, clinical trial, conducted in Seattle, WA, with 173 overweight, postmenopausal women not taking hormone therapy in the previous 6 months. The intervention was a moderate-intensity exercise intervention (n = 87) versus stretching control group (n = 86). Using logistic regression, odds ratios comparing exercise with controls were calculated at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months for menopause symptoms and their severity. Results: There was a significant increase in hot flash severity and decreased risk of memory problems in exercisers versus controls over 12 months, although the numbers affected were small. No other significant changes in symptoms were observed. Conclusions : Exercise does not seem to decrease the risk of having me

Fiber, ahh, good old fiber. It fills you up and is so darn good for you. Soluble, insoluble; veggies, fruits, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds! Men under 50 should get 38 gm per day, while women should get 25. After age 50 it goes down to 30 grams for men and 21grams for women. So, want to learn more about fiber? There are a number of great resources on dietary fiber out there. The Canadian Dieticians provide lots of info here . You may want to know more about insoluble versus soluble fiber. Most of us don't get nearly enough fiber every day; especially if we are eating too many processed foods, or foods rich in white flour and sugar.

If you're like me, sometimes you don't have time to get the gym; you need to work out at home.  You'd rather sit on the couch... It can be a little unmotivating sometimes to get your workout in when you have so many other things going on; dishes, laundry, errands etc. Having a workout that you can follow along can be much easier; you don't even have to think about it. In searching around on the internet, I found this great workout! It's short, intense, and you need NO EQUIPMENT! Amazing. I wanted to share this fun and effective workout with you that I found on FitnessBlender.com I hope you can try this fun FitnessBlender.com workout at home. Tell me what you think! Did you try it? What's your favorite go-to workout at home? As a bonus, I'd like to offer you a FREE workout in your home! I can come to you, put you through an hour long workout and get you going on your road to fitness. This free workout is included when you purchase 6 sessions

High impact exercise has it's place; I love HIIT training one to two times per week, but what happens if you're too high impact for too long? A new study out of Copenhagen has looked at death rates in joggers who jog more than three times per week and jog vigorously compared to those who jog at a low intensity three or less times per week. Read the study here to find out more. What's your go-to high intensity exercise?

Most people have experienced low back pain at some point in their lives. Maybe post partum, after a car accident, or from too much sitting. Low back pain is a prevalent issue in today's society, and there are too many reasons for people to experience it these days. Here is a great link to some easy at-home low back exercises and stretches to do to help prevent low back pain or help you if you already have it. What has caused your low back pain? How are you managing it? Pinterest also has some great handouts you can print out on low back pain exercises and stretches.

Have you tried foam rolling? Or perhaps you stick a tennis ball or lacrosse ball under your shoulder blade/butt cheek/hamstring and roll on it? If  you've ever tried foam rolling, you know that it can be PAINFUL! It is usually that good kind of pain though, you know, the kind where you hurt but it feels good simultaneously? Here is a very informative and question and answer type article with plenty of research to back it up. If you ever had a question about foam rolling, you will probably answer it here . Foam rolling can be done on all of the major muscle groups. Your quads, hamstrings, glutes (my favorite!), lats, etc can all be rolled out before or after exercise. So why roll? Increase flexibility Increase mobility Increase circulation Reduces pain (when you're done) Feels good! Understanding how rolling works is kind of complicated, but it really does make sense. There's a great chart here to show you how your body reacts to injury with infla

Running, walking, swimming, biking; all of these exercise modalities work your heart and lungs. February is heart month, so it's a good time to take a look at your current program and see if you're doing enough to keep your heart healthy. Besides eating good foods and maintaining a healthy diet, it's important to work your heart regularly through cardiovascular exerecise. Here is my latest article in February's Alive magazine on Heart Rate Training. Have a healthy day!