Despite their many potential pitfalls, fad diets are everywhere. These types of diets are easy to spot—they promote seemingly magical results with promises of rapid weight loss. Unfortunately, they also tend to be incredibly restrictive and not based in solid nutritional science. At best you might see a single study or a few anecdotal testimonials supporting claims of a fad diet’s success. Still, it can be tempting to try out a new diet if it promises to help you lose 10, 15, or 20 pounds in a matter of weeks. Here’s a closer look at why you should avoid that temptation.

Fad diets don’t promote long-term weight loss.

Juice cleanses, the Keto Diet, the Fenoboci Diet… these are just a few of many recent diet trends that have been featured all over social feeds, magazines, and other media. You may even know someone personally who raves about their results with one of these programs. However, they’re called fad diets for a reason.

Although there’s always some trending diet making headlines, the individual plans are never the same—that’s because they simply don’t work. Most of these diets rely on extreme measures like cutting out entire food groups, significantly restricting your caloric intake, or even fasting for long periods of time. These strategies don’t add up to long-term weight loss. Even if you see results on the scale initially, they aren’t likely to last.

You may experience dehydration, malnutrition, and serious health problems because of fad dieting.

Fad diets tend to rely on claims that cutting out key foods or combining certain foods will result in weight loss. However, when you eliminate whole food groups, you may not get all the vital nutrients you need for good health. For example, avoiding carbohydrates altogether could have you lacking fiber in your diet. Instead, it would be more beneficial to swap out simple carbohydrates for complex ones, such as whole wheat pasta or brown rice.

Following a restrictive diet plan, you may experience dehydration, fatigue, nausea, headaches, and constipation. The Keto Diet even warns followers of the Keto Flu, which may include symptoms of irritability, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, muscle cramps, and poor concentration—clear signs that the body is struggling to adapt to an extreme diet. Over a longer period, these effects may significantly damage your health and put you at risk for more serious problems.

Fad diets don’t provide adequate fuel for your workouts.

Because fad diets aren’t nutritionally well-rounded, you may be lacking the building blocks you need for cardiovascular and strength training workouts. Exercise is a key ingredient for weight loss, as it helps you burn calories, build lean muscle, and boost your metabolism. However, you need a solid foundation of good nutrition to get your body ready to exercise.

To ensure that your body is fueled for your workouts, you should focus on balancing what you eat. Add more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to your diet while working to avoid processed foods, added sugars, and high sodium foods. In addition, you should stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout your day and even more during your workouts. Pre- and post-workout snacks including protein, fats, and complex carbohydrates—for example, a banana and a handful of nuts—can help you quickly refuel and stick to your fitness plan.

You’re likely to gain all the weight back after transitioning away from a trending diet plan.

If you’ve ever followed an incredibly restrictive diet, you know that food cravings and temptations don’t simply disappear. It’s tough to stick to extreme fad diets, and most don’t even encourage sticking to the diet long-term. So inevitably, you’ll transition back to a different way of eating, most likely falling back on old habits. As a result, you will probably see weight gain, which can ultimately be even more dangerous. Yo-yo dieting can throw hormonal levels off balance, put stress on your cardiovascular system, and cause you to gain more harmful belly fat.

Focusing on sustainable habits is a formula for success.

Selecting the right diet plan isn’t always easy. There are lots of factors to consider, including your dietary preferences, your previous experience with different diet plans, and your individual weight loss goals. That’s why the lifestyle and nutritional coaching programs at Body Essentials are customized to your needs and include ongoing support from a dedicated coach. As part of our Flourishing Program, we offer 21 Day Nutrition Challenges every other month that include different food themes, live group coaching, & weekly educational video lessons. The purpose is to support participants while providing accountability to the varying nutrition needs of all participants. Our next challenge begins on Tuesday September 14th!

Before you commit to any diet program, schedule a one-on-one consultation with a lifestyle and nutritional coach at Body Essentials. Our online personal training and coaching services can help you fit nutrition and wellness into your busy lifestyle. We also provide on-demand fitness classes and personal training sessions, so you can stay fit and active throughout your journey. Call us today at 802-345-9644 or request a consultation on our website.

If you’re exercising to lose weight, you’ll need to incorporate cardiovascular exercise into your routine. However, you may be unsure which type of cardio workout is right for your goals and current fitness level. Working with a personal trainer can help you identify the right targets for your workout and create a routine that puts you on track towards your goals. However, it’s also helpful to understand the difference between fat burn vs. cardio zones. 

Fat burn and cardio zones refer to your working heart rate and indicate how hard your heart is working during a particular workout. You might think that aiming exclusively for the fat burn zone is ideal for fat loss, but that’s not necessarily the case. Continue reading to learn what you need to know about achieving a fat burning heart rate during your cardio workouts. 

How the Body Burns Fat During Your Cardio Workout

Whether you’re walking, running, or riding a bike, your body needs to access energy to keep moving. Our bodies convert both fat and carbohydrates to usable energy (ATP) that our cells can access. However, it takes more oxygen to convert stored fat into ATP, so higher-intensity exercise is primarily fueled by burning carbohydrates consumed in the food we eat. The body does not always need oxygen to convert carbs to energy, and oxygen is less readily available to cells during intense exercise. In other words, higher-intensity workouts that put your heart rate in the cardio zone will use a higher proportion of carbohydrates than body fat to fuel your workout. But a high-intensity workout also burns more calories overall, which is helpful for weight loss. 

Identifying Your Fat Burn Zone and Cardio Zone 

As you’re weighing the differences of fat burn vs. cardio workouts, it’s important to understand where these zones are for you. Your heart rate zones will vary depending on your age. To calculate your cardio and fat burning zones, you’ll first subtract your age from 220. This will yield your maximum heart rate. The fat burn zone is 55-70% of your maximum heart rate, and the cardio zone peaks between 70-80%. 

So, a 40-year-old adult’s maximum heart rate would be 180 bpm. Their fat burn zone would be between 99 and 126 bpm, and the cardio zone would be between 127 and 144 bpm. Achieving a heart rate anywhere between 99 and 144 bpm will improve cardiovascular fitness—the difference lies in how your body is fueling your workout as discussed above. 

Setting the Intensity of Your Cardiovascular Exercise 

When you work out and target a higher heart rate zone, you’ll burn more calories overall with a lower proportion of fat calories burned. However, you will still likely see more fat calories burned. Consider the following example: 

If you walk for 15 minutes and achieve a heart rate of 55-60% (in the fat burn zone), you’ll burn about 100 calories; about 75 of which will be from fat burn. However, running for the same amount of time and achieving a heart rate over 70% of your maximum (in the cardio zone) will burn twice as many total calories with about half being from fat burn—a total of 100 fat calories burned. 

In addition to burning more calories at the time of your workout, you’ll see prolonged benefits from higher-intensity workouts as your body continues to burn more calories while you rest. But before you pack your schedule with workouts exclusively targeting the cardio zone, you should remember the importance of recovery. Maximum intensity workouts are harder on your body, so you’ll want to balance them with more moderate workouts that keep your heart rate in the fat burn zone. For example, you might choose to take three 30-minute walks and one 30-minute run each week. Alternatively, you may utilize interval training to target different heart rate zones within the same workout. No matter which cardiovascular workout plan you choose, you’ll need to measure your heart rate during your workout to stay in your target zone. Wearing a smart watch or fitness tracker is an easy way to keep an eye on your heart rate.

Fueling Your Body for a Cardio Workout 

With cardio workouts of any level of intensity, your body will need fuel from the food you eat. Ideally, you should have a small snack about 30-60 minutes before your workout. Pre-workout snacks should be high in carbs with some protein, and low in fat. Optimal choices include non-fat Greek yogurt with fresh fruit, a banana with a dollop of peanut butter, a handful of trail mix, or a smoothie containing non-fat yogurt. Avoid working out just after a large meal—give yourself about 2-3 hours before beginning a cardio workout. 

Starting a fitness routine doesn’t need to be complicated or difficult. Body Essentials can provide the support, guidance, and on-demand workouts you need to achieve your individual fitness goals. Access our online personal training programs today to start living your healthiest life!

Intermittent fasting for weight loss has been a frequent topic of conversation within the health and fitness community over the last few years. But what exactly is it, how does it work, and how can it benefit your weight loss journey? In this blog, we look at the basics of intermittent fasting and how working with a nutrition coach can help you decide if it is right for you.

What Exactly Is Intermittent Fasting?

In a nutshell, intermittent fasting involves having periods where you are fasting and periods where you are eating throughout the day or week. Intermittent fasting is not a diet from a timing standpoint. We repeat, it is not a diet. It is a shift in your eating patterns to initiate changes within your body to aid in weight loss. Often, people hear the word fasting and immediately think of going without food for lengthy periods, and that is an option, but it is not the only way it can be done. 

What Are the Different Methods of Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss?

Overnight intermittent is really the easiest method for those who are not breakfast haters or skippers. With that method you eat your meals in 12 hours and then nothing but water or whatever for the overnight 12 hours so 6am-6pm food and nothing again for another 12 hours. Truly sustainable for the long term. 

The next method is called Eat-Stop-Eat. This method is closest to the type of fasting some people imagine when they think of intermittent fasting. With this method, you would fast for a full 24 hours once or twice a week but eat as usual the rest of the week. The fasting period can begin at any time of day.  

Finally, there is the 5:2 diet. This method involves limiting caloric intake to only 500-600 calories two days out of the week while eating on a normal schedule on other days. Your limited intake days don’t need to be taken consecutively.  

No one method is the best intermittent fasting for weight loss. We suggest working with your nutrition coach to determine the method that is the most sustainable for your lifestyle, as well as your dietary and exercise needs. 

What Are the Advantages of Intermittent Fasting?

We mentioned that intermittent fasting causes changes within your body that facilitate weight loss. These changes include increasing growth hormones within your body to help burn fat and increase lean muscle without stringent calorie reductions. Fasting also triggers the release of the hormone noradrenaline, which is a fat-burning hormone. You’ll also lower your blood sugar and insulin levels, which makes it easier for your body to use up stored body fat and reduce insulin resistance. All these changes combined can result in an increased metabolism. In short, you are burning more calories than you are consuming, so you are likely to lose weight. 

What Are the Disadvantages of Intermittent Fasting?

The most frequent concern with intermittent fasting for weight loss is extreme hunger resulting in binge-eating. After 16 hours with no food, hunger is normal. A common strategy to limit hunger is to eat protein-rich foods for dinner, which will help sustain your body until your first meal in the afternoon. However, without careful planning, you run the risk of overeating later on. Even though intermittent fasting is not a diet, you still want to be mindful of the calories you are consuming during your eating period. The people who are the most unsuccessful at using intermittent fasting for weight loss think that 16 hours of fasting gives them a free pass to eat all they want in the afternoon and evening.

It’s also essential to plan fasting around your exercise schedule. If you work out first thing in the morning, your might feel sick or fatigued. This is because working out on an empty stomach leaves your body with little fuel for your workout. Your body needs some glucose before workouts and protein afterwards and, with intermittent fasting, you are not getting either of these. If you work out and are interested in intermittent fasting for weight loss, work with a nutrition coach to discuss the best options for you. 

Ultimately, the biggest disadvantage is that there is minimal research about intermittent fasting. There are some studies that have been conducted, but there is just not enough research to say definitively if this is the best weight loss option available. 

Intermittent fasting may not be beneficial for everyone. You should consult with a health professional before starting intermittent fasting, especially if you have a history of eating disorders, fluctuating blood sugar, diabetes, low blood pressure, or taking medications. Women who are trying to conceive, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have menstruation issues should also seek medical advice before fasting. 

Body Essentials offers lifestyle and nutritional coaching to support you in your weight loss goals. So, if you’re interested in intermittent fasting for weight loss or discovering other nutrition plan options, call us at 802-345-9644 or set up a consultation online

You’ve made the decision to get healthy, so now what? Where do you start? Maybe you’ve tried before but eventually you just lose your motivation. Alternatively, you might be embarking on a fitness journey for the first time. Either way, you can set yourself up for success with these top fitness tips for women!

1. Be SMART

The leading cause of failure is setting unrealistic goals. To be successful in fitness, you should set Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based goals. Goals like “start running” or “lose weight” are too general. A more specific goal would be “I want to run a mile”. To make this a SMART goal, you might say “I will be able to run a mile within 4 weeks”. How far you want to run is specific, measurable, and attainable; the deadline of 4 weeks is time-based. To make this a relevant goal, consider if it’s one that you are motivated to accomplish. You should never make a goal just because you think you should. Consider your motivation in any goal you set. 

2. Don’t Skip the Most Important Meal

Breakfast gets the spotlight as the most important meal of the day. However, when it comes to fitness, the most important meal is the one you have after a workout. Eating a combination of 10-15 grams of protein and 20-30 grams of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of your workout helps to promote muscle recovery, refuel your body, and amp up your energy. Getting plenty of protein also keeps you full to reduce the risk of reaching for an unhealthy snack. 

3.Get Some Sleep

We’ve all been told we need eight hours of sleep per night. This isn’t just important for brain function but also for fitness and weight loss. You may notice that you snack more frequently when you’re tired. Getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep will lower your chances of grabbing for that random snack for a quick pick-me-up.

4. Be Realistic

Are you a morning or night person? If you are a night person, working out after work or in the evening will come more easily to you than waking up early in the morning to work out. The best thing you can do is plan a workout schedule that works with you. Setting unrealistic expectations of yourself will lead to disappointment. You are more likely to stick to a new routine if it naturally fits into your schedule. The same goes for considering how often you plan to workout. Start small with 2-3 days a week and then work your way up. If you jump right in expecting to work out 4-5 days a week, you’re likely to get discouraged the first time you realize you’re overdoing it. 

5. Look for External Support

You’re more likely to stick with a fitness goal if you have a partner to keep you accountable. Consider starting your fitness journey with a workout buddy to keep you on track. Even better, start working with a personal trainer. Small group training can offer more accountability from both your trainer and your group members. 

6. Hide the Scale

There is nothing more discouraging that stepping on that scale and watching the numbers fluctuate from one day to the next. Weighing yourself too frequently contributes to depression and can discourage you while trying to achieve your goals. One strategy you might use is to put your scale away and pull it out only once a week. 

7. Take It One Day at a Time

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by your fitness goals, so remember to focus on one day at a time. If you’re just not feeling a long workout, doing something small is better than nothing. But that means the next day, you pick back up where you left off. Don’t let one off day stall you. Also, setting long-term goals is terrific but it is more important to focus on the day-to-day victories. Set small daily goals for yourself such as increasing your water intake by 8 ounces or shooting for 10 extra minutes on your workout. 

8. Change It Up

Going to the gym, doing the same circuit plan every day can get monotonous. It is perfectly acceptable, and encouraged, to explore a variety of workouts to avoid issues like Overtraining Syndrome. Online fitness classes make it easy to change it up with something new, like yoga or a Total Body Blast group workout. 

9. Do Your Research

Heard about a new juice cleanse or a new diet? Extreme diets brag about radical results with little to no reliable evidence to support them. The problem with plans like these is that they severely restrict caloric intake, which can have a negative impact on your health. Be sure to do your research and work closely with your trainer to find effective, sustainable strategies that are right for you. 

There’s an abundance of fitness tips for women out there, but it’s always worth doing the research to make sure those tips are right for your needs. 

10. Try a Group Fitness Class

Even the most independent person can benefit from a group fitness class. Working out in a group can help to increase motivation and improve your mood. Being around other people who are excited to be there and having fun is contagious! 

Body Essentials offers a variety of group classes including spinning, yoga, strength training, and total body—all through the convenience of a virtual platform! Learn more about our programs and start achieving your goals by calling 802-345-9644. If you’re in search of more fitness tips for women, browse through some of our previous blogs

Exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, and it’s so beneficial that you can safely include it in your daily routine. However, simply getting your heart rate up won’t necessarily yield all the results you’re hoping to see from your workout. If you’re exclusively focused on cardio—a mistake many women make when they start to hit the gym—you may not see optimal benefits from your time spent exercising. However, by incorporating strength training into your routine, you can maximize the results of every workout. 

Even if you do have some experience with weightlifting and other types of strength training, it’s helpful to work with a personal trainer to ensure that you are safely targeting the right muscle groups with proper form. Body Essentials can bring personal training to you with convenient online programs that offer plenty of variations to adapt to your increasing strength. Here’s a closer look at the benefits of strength training that you can look forward to. 

Build Lean Muscle

Often, women will shy away from strength training in favor of cardiovascular workouts. This trend originates from the misconception that lifting weights will lead to added muscle bulk. But for women, strength training yields lean muscle definition without much added mass—women only have about 10% of the testosterone men do, so we simply don’t tack on muscle the same way.  

Along with more visible definition in major muscle groups, you’ll start to feel noticeably stronger. Strength training can bring empowerment, endurance, and agility, as you’ll be better able to perform in both your workouts and in everyday tasks. 

Accelerate Fat Loss 

When you want to lose weight, it may feel like a hard 60-minute cardio workout will have a more significant impact on your progress than 15 minutes of strength training exercises. While you will burn more calories initially with the cardio workout, the strength training exercise will provide continued benefits throughout the day. As you build more lean muscle, your metabolism will increase. So, you’ll burn more calories per day when you practice strength training. Therefore, if you’re also following a balanced diet, you’ll see accelerated fat loss. 

You may also find that focusing on different muscle groups in strength training allows you to design a workout routine that yields specific results. For example, you might focus more energy into toning the muscles in the upper and lower back to improve your posture. 

Reduce Your Risk of Injury

The body naturally undergoes changes in the aging process that make us more prone to injuries, such as sprains and broken bones. While you can’t stop time from moving forward, you can fortify your body to prevent injuries by building more muscle tissue. Stronger muscles help absorb impacts from everyday activities, reducing the strain on the bones and joints. In addition, this type of exercise will help you maintain a healthier weight range for your frame, which reduces the added strain from excess body weight. For example, being just 10 pounds overweight can put about 40 pounds of pressure on your knees with every step you take, so managing your weight with strength training can be monumental for preventing injuries. 

There’s also an emerging body of evidence that weight training can alter bone composition by increasing spinal bone mineral density. Therefore, it could be your best defense against osteoporosis, which is incredibly common in older women. Although damage from osteoporosis cannot be reversed once it starts, prevention through strength training at any age can have a profound impact. 

Boost Your Mood (and Your Body Image)

Any type of exercise, including strength training, will release feel-good chemicals in the brain (endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine), which immediately boost your mood and reduce stress. The benefits can extend well beyond those first few minutes after your workout, however. You may begin to sleep better, respond to stress differently in daily life, and have more confidence in yourself and your fitness. Emotional wellness is just one more good reason to include strength training and other workouts in your daily routine.

Strengthen Your Cardiovascular Health  

Cardiovascular exercises like walking, running, and biking are those most strongly associated with heart health. That’s because these workouts increase your heart rate over an extended period. Still, you should not discount the benefits of weight training for your heart. Strength training has been shown to both reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and alter the way the body processes sugar to reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes. High cholesterol and diabetes are both among the most common cardiovascular health risk factors in American adults. 

If you are ready to transform your life with a personalized fitness journey alongside a dedicated personal trainer, connect with Body Essentials. We offer several virtual training programs, including on-demand personal training, group training, and group fitness classes. Schedule your free consultation with us to find the program that’s best for your goals! 

For many people, physical activity isn’t something that comes as a part of a normal daily routine. Especially if you work a job that requires sitting at a desk for significant portions of the day, you may have trouble getting the exercise that you need to stay healthy. Therefore, you might consider adding a daily workout to your routine. Doing so can have numerous perks for your health. Continue reading for a look at the benefits of daily exercise and some tips for designing a routine that you can stick to. 

Immediate Benefits of Daily Exercise

You’ve probably heard of a runner’s high before—maybe this is even a sensation you’ve experienced. But feeling good because of exercise isn’t exclusive to runners. Your body needs to move to stay healthy, so it rewards physical activity with the release of brain chemicals that improve your mood, help you sleep, and help your mind feel sharper. In addition to feeling good right after you work out, you’ll notice an immediate effect of reduced blood pressure. Over time, daily exercise will have even more benefits. 

Long-Term Benefits of Regular Exercise

Longer-term benefits of exercise can be achieved without working out every single day. If you get moving on most days, you’ll notice far reaching positive effects on your health. Perhaps the most important benefit is for your heart—regular exercise strengthens your heart and reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease. It also lowers the risk of at least 13 different types of cancer.  

Thanks to benefits like improved coordination, stronger bones, easier weight maintenance, and better balance, daily physical activity also helps reduce your risk of fall-related injuries as an older adult. Furthermore, studies have linked daily exercise with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s, depression, and other conditions that can impact your brain health. In addition, there’s a growing body of research that suggests a link between exercise and improved immune function. Given this data, it’s safe to assume that your fitness routine may pay off in ways you don’t yet even realize. 

What are the best exercises to do every day?

Because muscles need time to rest and repair after a hard workout, you might wonder if it’s okay to work out every day. In most cases, it’s safe and deeply beneficial to exercise every day or on most days of the week. The best way to work out daily is by varying your routine to give different muscle groups a break and prevent yourself from getting bored. Utilizing group fitness classes or on-demand training is a great way to keep your work out varied and dynamic. You can also select classes based on your target muscle group. 

Ideally, you’ll include endurance exercises, such as moderate to intense cardiovascular workouts, as well as strength and flexibility exercises like weightlifting or yoga. 

How long should your daily workout be?

The CDC recommends getting about 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily (moderate meaning that you’re having to put in a strong effort, but you’re not giving 100% throughout your workout). Even better, you can shoot for about half of that time to be comprised of intense physical activity. You can, of course, work out for longer sessions each day, but simply increasing the intensity of your workout may have better results. It’s better for your fitness to do a short workout each day than a long workout occasionally. So, even if you can only put in 5-10 minutes, it’ll be much better than no workout at all. 

What are some stretching exercises to do every day?  

If you’re feeling tired or sore, incorporating stretching into your exercise routine can help. Even in the absence of soreness, dynamic stretching before a workout and as part of your cooldown helps reduce your risk of orthopedic injuries and improves circulation. Taking a Mind-Body group fitness class can introduce you to some gentle stretches to move your body, relax the muscles, and connect your movement to your breath. 

How can you improve your motivation to work out daily?

Despite the numerous benefits of daily exercise, it may still be challenging to take that first step and start a new fitness routine. Alternatively, maybe you find yourself regularly starting up and burning out with the same set of exercises. Working with a personal trainer can help you overcome these hurdles. A trainer can offer accountability to help you stick with your workout in addition to offering new and exciting ways to get moving. Even more importantly, a personal trainer can ensure that you’re going at the right pace for your current fitness level and utilizing the right form in your workouts. This means that you’re less likely to get sidelined by an injury that prevents you from reaching your goals. 
Find fun and welcoming fitness classes along with online personal training at Body Essentials. We offer a variety of virtual programming to help you get fit and stay fit on any schedule. In addition to great workouts, we offer ongoing support and motivation to keep you focused on your self-improvement goals.

This week last year at Body Essentials (BE), we wondered what would become of working out in person! We spaced people out on bikes in Spinning class, altered our training sessions and other classes for more space and less equipment and fully disinfected each piece of equipment before putting away after every single workout each day. We even prepared for possible zoom or face-time workouts. Who knew we would be HERE now 1 year later!

The studio was ordered to close down on Saturday March 20, 2020 within an hour of having closed for the weekend after the morning classes! I was on my way to the studio to workout and clean when I heard the news from Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, while listening to public radio I quickly alerted all of our members and invited them to come and borrow equipment so we could workout together online while we waited out the pandemic. Little did any of us know at that time, we would never move that equipment back in because the pandemic kept dragging on but also because we enjoyed the convenience and ease of working out online! Less than 24 hours after closing our doors we all gathered for our first online workout, Mindful Movement. We needed that  quiet stretch that day and to figure out the Zoom setup. NONE OF US knew what we were doing, we just gave it our best shot and have never looked back.

On Business…….

Over the last year we have mirrored what we did in person online thru zoom, maintaining the same group fitness schedule and training schedule, we simply increased the size of our semi-private groups from 2-3 to now 4-5. Jumping so quickly into Zoom was not only a matter of survival but a means of community and service and connection during a period of time that was 100% uncharted territory for all of us. It would have been easy to be all doom and gloom about how bad virtual training was and that is what the outcome would have been but my mindset is that anything is possible and awesome if you engineer it that way and that was what we did. 5:30am online workouts all of sudden offered us more sleep because we did not have to commute. All that equipment we bought in years past, thinking we could workout at home on our own, all of a sudden came in handy and driving to the gym after work and not getting home until 7pm to still have to make dinner no longer happened. We engineered a schedule and system that increased the wellbeing for all of our clients.

By June when there was still a lot of unknown about COVID, but the slow down of life felt good as a human being I took another leap of faith and decided our studio would go permanently online maintaining our zoom virtual space indefinitely. Turns out it has been a great decision. Although I was still paying expenses on a physical location and then started remodeling an in home studio, I was by no means saving money but was very fortunate for the space at home to create a professional appearance. Our members did the same thing, leaning in to creating a permanent studio space or nook in their home and it has been so much fun to see how at home workout spaces have evolved!

There are so many highlights of creating a virtual studio from a business owner perspective. Being my own landlord is probably my favorite. It has allowed less headaches and 110% more creativity in programming and enhancing our mission beyond simply fitness. This time has allowed for reaching our greatest potential in nutrition and lifestyle programming especially as we have started 2021!

On Life………

As March of 2020 turned to April and it became clear I needed to get comfortable at home finding a balance of running a business in the space that was also my place of respite. What I knew for sure and said out loud to my beloved husband, Tom was that this pandemic was (thankfully and optimistically) going to be a once in a lifetime OPPORTUNITY to shed what was not working in any aspect of life and make time for the things that I was seeking in all aspects of life. For me this meant slowing the hell down and figuring out how to create a healthier flow to work and life including getting more sleep, adding in more leisure time activities, working less on the weekends to just scratch the surface. Whether it is noticeable to any one else I have been able to accomplish more than I thought possible. I will not bore you with the details. What I know for sure is that we become conditioned to working far too much, sleeping far too little and letting trivial details clutter our head space when in reality and when willing we can cut all of it back to a healthier (literally healthier, like prevent risk factors for disease level) levels and accomplish more, doing less. Life is short, we must play hard and not wait until retirement to do all the things “we don’t have time for” while we are working professionals.

On Fitness & WellBeing……

I consider myself a warrior of health because I wholeheartedly believe that only I am in responsible for my level of fitness and wellbeing, physically and mentally. In 2019 I made the switch to a Naturopathic Dr as opposed to a general physician. What a difference a Dr makes, focusing on health and not working from a place of illness. It even inspires me to want to do better. As such, this year I have increased my meditation time to 30 minutes per day because it truly helps me slow down my pace physically and mentally and be more fully present in everything I do in a given day. I have also spent the first part of the year cleaning up my nutrition which I can guarantee was not that “filthy” to begin with but was not as great in 2020. So that means now I practice 95% of my weekly nutrition being gluten, dairy, alcohol and added sugar free. The 5% means that I may have a beer per week or a toasted english muffin, or something else that would seem healthy to the average person.

Nutrition & exercise will always be the greatest form of medicine to me. I have never had so much clarity and energy and so little inflammation in my body as I have in the last month especially since upping my nutrition game and walking away from work when feeling frenetic, getting out in nature when feeling suffocated by working and living under one roof, and getting 8+ hours of sound sleep. There is no prescription medication that can make you feel as good as getting your lifestyle in order.

Perhaps some of this sounds preachy but I take the work that we do at BE very seriously and practice what I preach 100% but am on the journey just as much as our members are. Doom and gloom gets me no where and it is astounding to me that it took a global pandemic to create enough space to fully embrace the business and life of my dreams.

If you are skeptical about virtual fitness, I invite you to schedule a time to meet with me to find out how we are breaking all the rules about what it means to workout virtually. I say with confidence that we provide more extensive support, accountability, structure, programming and inspiration virtually than any in person gym in our local area does and beyond our local area. This post only scratches the story of the progress we as a collective community have made! Schedule a consultation on our website at https://bodyessentialspt.com/

Cheers to a brilliant 2021 & surviving OR thriving thru a global pandemic!

xoxo

Christie

Do you tend to stay motivated when you have peers encouraging your progress and offering a little friendly competition? If so, you may be a great fit for semi-private training! Body Essentials provides semi-private group training in a virtual setting to create an affordable training option that can be adapted to any schedule. This is a more attentive program than on-demand training but offers more flexibility than traditional one-on-one training. Continue reading for a closer look at semi-private personal training. 

A Group Dynamic Featuring Focused Attention from a Trainer 

Your semi-private training will take place in small groups of 2-5 members with a dedicated trainer instructor. These weekly sessions are 60-minutes long, and they’ll be designed around both individual and group goals. Semi-private training groups are organized based on common goals and fitness levels, so you’ll get the individualized attention you need. You’ll also have a great support network built into your personal training program. By following this program headed by a certified personal trainer, you’ll enjoy these benefits:

Is Semi-Private Training Right for You?

Good candidates for semi-private training are those who may want to ramp up their fitness but aren’t quite sure how to start. Alternatively, you may desire to work with a personal trainer but just don’t have the budget for one-on-one training. Semi-private personal training is a great solution that’s affordable and flexible for a variety of different schedules. If any of the following statements resonate with you, semi-private training may be a great fit. 

Semi-private training can eliminate many of the hurdles and excuses that may stand in the way of your fitness goals. With a lower cost than other training options, it’s easier to find room in the budget for this training program. In addition, you’ll have flexibility with scheduling your group sessions and participating in fitness classes. Plus, you’ll never get bored because there is such a wide range of classes to explore. And your trainer will be there along every step of your journey, helping you find new ways to challenge yourself and continue seeing results. 

Getting Started: How to Do Semi-Private Group Training 

To get started with semi-private personal training, Body Essentials will connect you with one of our certified personal trainers for a consultation. We’ll recommend a training group that fits into your fitness goals and your schedule. Then, you’ll check in with your trainer in weekly group sessions and get unique recommendations for your daily workout routine and continuing progress. 

In addition to personalized attention from your coach, you’ll have access to group fitness classes. Like your semi-private training sessions, these are led by certified trainers and cater to a wide range of fitness goals. Group classes include Spinning ™, circuit training, TRX, mind-body fitness, and total body blast. Many of these workouts require little or no equipment. So, you’ll have no trouble doing them right at home. Your trainer will guide you to the right classes and workouts for your body type, goals, and current fitness level. 

Continue Challenging Yourself and Meeting Your Goals

Just like working one-on-one with a trainer, semi-private training holds you accountable for your fitness goals and ensures that you’re safely challenging yourself with new activities. Because everybody’s physiology is unique and there’s always a potential risk of injuries with any exercise routine, working with a trainer is advisable at all fitness levels. 

Discover the benefits of semi-private group training for yourself with Body Essentials. Our personal training programs are 100% virtual, so you can participate in healthy exercise with us anywhere on any schedule. Contact us today to start working toward your fitness goals. 

Self-Care defined is the “active practice of protecting one’s own well-being & happiness in general and during times of stress.”

In our most recent healthy living workshop we discussed the topic of self-care and also skin care as we creep away from winter and plan for spring.

Here are some thoughts on both topics…..

Categories of self-care that are beyond exercise and nutrition, which we are active in day in and day out with our members.

Skin Care as Self-Care: Good skin care is good health care emotionally & physically, allowing us to age gracefully. Here are the steps our member presenter and 13 year Mary Kay Consultant Lisa Miglorie shared with us to practice regularly:

  1. WASH daily in the morning & evening
  2. Moisturize with SPF on face & neck using an out & up fashion to avoid pulling skin down. Apply eye cream with ring finger as it is the finger with lightest touch.
  3. Exfoliate (Wednesdays & Weekends)
  4. Supplement (Facial Mask)

What are some areas in self-care & skin area that you are doing well with and what are some areas you can improve upon?

Starting Monday March 8th, we will be launching our newest live online group training option, Adult Fitness Training. This program is perfect for adults who have not recently or ever engaged in a structured exercise program led by a certified fitness and health coach. Sessions will occur on a rolling basis on Monday & Thursday from 1:15pm-2:15pm and include all of the following:

As a result all participants will experience improvements in:

-increased strength

-decreased pain

-increased confidence

-increased endurance

-increased energy

…to name just a few

The cost is $97 per month.

To register, learn more or set up a consultation, contact Christie @ christie@bodyessentialspt.com / 802-345-9644.

Enrollment is ongoing and a waiting list will be utilized as needed.

Walking and running are popular exercises for good reasons. They don’t require any equipment beyond a pair of shoes and your feet. You can do both activities virtually anywhere, and they both have long track records of success when it comes to fitness. A persistent question about these exercises remains: Is it better to walk or run? When it comes to walking vs. running, you’ll need to consider a few factors. Here is what you need to know. 

Injury Risk
It is a well-documented fact that runners are prone to injuries. This is because running causes your legs and feet to absorb the pressure of about two-and-a-half times your body weight with each step. Runners often experience plantar fasciitis, hairline fractures, and knee injuries. However, many of these injuries are avoidable with a more gradual introduction to running. You’ll also want to maintain cross training routine—it’s a common misconception that running builds strength in the legs. In fact you need to focus specifically on strength training to gain muscle in the lower body. 

Walking, on the other hand, rarely leads to injuries. Walking is easy on the joints, and even at long distances does not pose the same orthopedic risks as running. However, you can ease from walking into a running routine with the following 3 tips to ensure your safety. 

  1. Start slowly by integrating short spurts of running into your walks. 
  2. Do not run every day. Give yourself time to rest and use non-running days building strength with weight training and other muscle toning exercises. 
  3. Avoid overexertion by checking your intensity level. If you cannot talk conversationally while running, you should slow down or switch to walking at a quick pace. You’ll build more stamina through time and find yourself better able to run longer, faster with this gradual approach. 

Fat Loss Benefits
Running and walking are both aerobic exercises, and both burn calories. You burn calories faster by running but walking also offers fat burning outcomes. If you’re motivated by fast results, you’re likely to see them more quickly through running. But if you love to walk yet can’t seem to get into running, walking will still help you burn fat effectively. 

Health Benefits
Running and walking both improve cardiovascular health, boost flexibility, and may even help to reduce depression and anxiety. Generally, about 15 minutes of walking provides similar health benefits to five minutes of running. However, both activities offer the benefit of getting outside, which can work wonders for your mental health in addition to your physical health. In addition, walking may have longer-term benefits for many people because it’s easier to stick with over time than running. 

Let Body Essentials help you find a well-rounded exercise regimen that works for you, including aerobic activity and strength building. Get on the path to weight loss and fitness by scheduling a free consultation today.

Losing belly fat is a great way to improve your overall health. Belly fat is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and a long list of other health complications. However, for women in particular, belly fat can also be the hardest type of fat to lose. Fortunately, there are many exercises to lose belly fat that you can do at home. Try these strategies to trim your abdominal region and safely burn belly fat at home.

Incorporate Aerobic Exercise
Strength training is a critical part of staying fit, but aerobic exercise has been proven to be effective in battling belly fat. Getting your heart rate up is a good way to burn fat. Riding an exercise bike, walking, jogging, or taking online aerobics classes are all good ways to get aerobic activity without going to the gym. Try to work up to 300 minutes of aerobic activity per week for peak benefits.  

Focus on Strength Training
When you build muscle, you’ll burn more fat at rest, including belly fat. To lose belly fat, experts recommend using heavier weight and cutting down your rest time between sets. Even a 15-minute workout with heavy weights will boost fat burning. However, it’s worth checking in with a trainer to ensure proper form for weightlifting so you reduce the risk of injury. 

Don’t Overlook Nutrition
If you want to lose belly fat, dietary changes are necessary in addition to aerobics and strength training. Working with a trainer can help you design a nutrition plan that fits your fat burning goals. In general, reducing your intake of sugars and simple carbohydrates will be a good start. You should also include more belly fat burning foods like avocados, berries, citrus fruit, and green tea in your diet.

Move more and eat less—that’s the key to weight loss, right? Unfortunately, most people end up struggling to lose weight and keep it off with this advice alone. In reality, losing weight to get healthy isn’t so simple. That’s where a weight loss trainer comes into the picture. If you’re on the fence about hiring a weight loss personal trainer, here are three reasons you should take the leap. 

A weight loss trainer can develop a personalized program. 
Are you exercising often and still not seeing any results? There may be lots of reasons you’re not getting the results you want. You may be doing the wrong exercises for your body type, or you may not be pushing yourself hard enough. A trainer will devise a plan that focuses effectively on the changes you want to make and that challenges you safely. A customized plan designed with your goals in mind will give you boost you need to stay motivated with consistent results.

You will learn how to exercise safely. 
There are right ways and wrong ways to work out. If you’re consistently doing movements with the wrong form, you could also risk serious injury—and fail to see results from your workouts. Personal trainers are educated in body mechanics and can show you how to complete your workouts safely, so you can remain active. 

Your weight loss trainer is an accountability partner. 
Losing weight is hard, so support is crucial. Your personal trainer for weight loss can help you stay on track by helping you stay accountable. It’s harder to blow off a workout when you know a trainer is waiting for you, and they can make sure you work hard throughout your session. This kind of support can be what makes the difference between you succeeding in reaching your goals and giving up. 

At Body Essentials, we’re here to help you become the best version of yourself. We offer a variety of training services designed for all fitness levels. Request a free consultation now.

The pandemic has increased interest in working out from home, but how can you ensure you’re getting the same quality workout if you’re not working with a trainer in person at the gym? The answer is virtual personal training. Virtual personal training lets you reap the benefits of having a fitness trainer without leaving your home. Even without the pandemic to consider, there are many benefits of using virtual personal training to stay fit. Here is what you need to know. 

Virtual Personal Training 101
Virtual personal training provides you access to a skilled trainer who can help you achieve your fitness goals. It simply happens via an online platform rather than in person. Your virtual fitness trainer can work with you on a customized fitness plan designed to help you reach your personal goals while ensuring you’re moving effectively and safely. Some online personal training packages include one-on-one meetings with a trainer, some offer personal training in small groups, and others offer pre-recorded workout classes on demand. 

Good Candidates for Virtual Personal Training
Anyone who is interested in getting in better physical shape is a candidate for virtual personal training. With this training experience, you can select the kinds of workouts that are best for you based on your goals. So, whether you are experienced in exercising or just getting started on a new fitness routine, you can find an online personal training package that aligns with your needs. 

Benefits of Online Personal Trainers
One of the biggest benefits of having virtual personal training is that it works on your schedule. Instead of trying to adjust your busy schedule to make room for a workout, you can pick a time that doesn’t complicate your day. You also get the advantage of customizing your workouts and having the accountability support of a trainer to keep you motivated. 

Contact Body Essentials and learn more about the best virtual personal training options for your needs. Request a free consultation now.  

In order for our clients to be fully prepared for a complete year of amazing fitness and health, I hosted our first Fitness Fest in place of our usual line up of classes on Saturday January 2nd. For four hours we focused on all the important details of starting and maintaining a fitness routine that will get results which of course includes many “not” fitness specifics. Here are the top tips from each hour for you to consider on your own journey.

  1. Know your body. There are plenty of subjective ways to measure improvements from exercise like being able to lift heavier weights over time, feeling and being more stable and balanced when doing 1 foot exercises, having more energy, experiencing less pain, clothes fitting differently, being able to exercise longer. However everyone likes numbers when it comes to body improvements from exercise so dump the scale and just take body measurements when you start and then periodically do it again (like every 2-4 months). Photos of your journey before, during and more during is a great way to see change over time! AND instead of trying to remember things in your head, write it down. What was your body feeling like when you decided you just had to start exercising or change your eating plan? Take daily or weekly notes. It is so easy and beneficial not only to write it down but to actually be mindful about what your body is feeling and perhaps how bad lifestyle habits are part of the problem and more importantly to see how breaking some bad habits can make you feel oh so much better! Not to mention, knowing your own body well can save a lot of wasted time going to the Dr’s for every cough, ache, and sniffle.
  2. Before our clients first workout we complete a movement screen with them that helps us understand areas we, as coaches, need to address right away to start building an effective program. It provides a great time to start good conversations about proper posture, stability and movement patterns when performing different exercises and in daily life! If you are beginning an exercise program on your own start slow and build up. Just like we meet clients where they are at (never intentionally making them so sore they have a hard time sitting down), meet yourself where you are at! You will be much more successful and less of a statistic of those who drop out of exercise after a short time, especially in January!
  3. Be clear WHY you are putting time into exercise and what you are trying to get from it and what that end result will look and feel like and WHY that will improve your life. Understand your own track record with creating a healthy lifestyle and be honest about how motivated you are to work thru the thick and thin of reaching your goals. Know who is on your side and will support you to work towards improved health vs those who will deter you from it. If you cannot answer 8 out of 10 as to how committed you are to seeing a consistent exercise program thru, spend more time considering why you should do it, stick with it and how amazing you will feel as a result! Anything less than an 8, especially working out on your own will make it very challenging to persist.
  4. Now perhaps most importantly, is how you workout and by that I mean make sure your exercise routine is based off of strength training the uses adequate weight being lifted. There are a couple hard and fast rules that we live by in our training. 1 is that there is VERY RARELY a reason for any of our clientele to lift a weight lighter than 6lbs. Women are not going to bulk up by lifting heavy weights, and I am not talking big barbells here. I mean 10, 15, 20, 25lbs….it is not going to happen. If you are working out and doing 3 sets of one exercise for 10 reps and you get to the end of that 30th rep and you do not feel fatigue, you are not lifting heavy enough (that is rule 2). Knowing your baseline weight on numerous different exercises and movements takes the guess work out and then depending how an exercise is scaled, you scale the weight to match. And most importantly do the exercise well, know what should be moving and what should be stable. If you do not overload the body in a reasonably safe manner you will not get results. Same goes for life. Status quo will get you know where.
  5. And finally, take good care of the rest of your life. You cannot out exercise a crappy diet and sleepless nights. Your body needs a well-rounded lifestyle to benefit from your workout routine. Wear good shoes, drink lots of water, surround yourself with good people, practice good posture in all your daily activities whether working out, cleaning your house or working at a desk and go to a physical therapist, massage therapist or chiropractor as needed and be knowledgeable about how to take care of pain points on your own with a foam roller, therapy ball or some type of percussive massage device like the Theragun. Whether you workout or not, your body is going to give you pain. Take care of it. And strength train so it is mostly good pain!

Make 2021 your  fittest and healthiest year. YOU deserve it!

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