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The Weekly Burn

8 Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight

The Weekly Burn / By

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction, accomplishment and energy that comes from losing weight. Seeing results from the healthy choices you make around food and exercise is the ultimate motivator to keep moving forward. But what happens when you stop seeing results? What happens when you feel like you’ve suddenly hit a wall and it seems like your progress has stopped? That’s the point when so many people revert to their old ways and end up gaining back the weight they’ve lost and maybe even more.

If you’ve been coasting along on your weight loss journey but now feel like you’re not seeing the results of your effort, there are many potential reasons why. Ask yourself if any of the following apply to you.

You overeat healthy foods. Regardless of what food you’re eating, portion sizes do matter. Just because a food is healthy for you doesn’t mean you have license to eat as much as you want. Nut butters are a great example of a food that is good for, but also really high in calories. Just two tablespoons contain about 200 calories. So, pay attention to your serving sizes regardless of what you’re eating.

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Here’s How to Burn Off Your Holiday Meal

The Weekly Burn / By

As we close in on Christmas week, I hope you’re all feeling as excited for the holiday as I am. With all the build up and sometimes the stress leading up to it, I’m looking forward to the actual day when all of that is behind us, spending time with my family and sharing a delicious meal together. I wholeheartedly believe in enjoying the tastes of the season. And while I don’t deny myself of any of the foods I love around the holidays, I always do make an effort to maintain a balance and keep myself in check.

One of the ways I maintain a balance is by putting in a few higher intensity workouts. In the days leading up to and the few days after I make it a point to push myself a little harder whether I’m working out at the gym or being active outside. As I’m doing it, I imagine my body efficiently burning through all the extra calories.

Did you know that the average American Christmas meal is about 5,000 calories?  If you want to plan your pre- and post- holiday workouts here are a few exercises that will offset your holiday indulgences.

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Why You Should Never Skimp on Sleep

The Weekly Burn / By

We all know that when it comes to being healthy, your diet and your activity level are two very important factors. But there’s another factor to health that so many people overlook and often skimp on. It’s sleep. Research has shown that sleep plays a critical role in maintaining health and unhealthy sleep habits have a negative effect on almost every other facet of your life.

Here are a few important facts that will make you think twice before burning the midnight oil.

  • Research has shown that people who sleep less weigh more. In fact, not getting enough quality sleep is a huge risk factor for obesity. One study showed that children and adults with short sleep duration were 89% and 55% more likely to become obese. These same studies proved that people who are sleep deprived have bigger appetites and consume more calories each day. This is because sleep deprivation disrupts the hormones that regulate your appetite and your hunger and satiety cues.
  • Getting better sleep also improves your brain function. When you are well rested, your cognitive, memory and problem solving abilities are higher. One study showed that prolonged periods of short sleep can affect brain functions in the same way that being intoxicated does.

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Sip Smartly this Holiday Season

The Weekly Burn / By

Sorry to be the Grinch but the truth is there are no healthy alcoholic beverages. Sure, there’s some evidence that red wine in small portions can be healthy for your heart. But by and large, alcohol contains no nutritive value. All alcohol breaks down into sugar which is why it doesn’t really fit into a healthy diet. But, around the holidays especially alcohol seems to be a part of every celebration. If you’ve read any of my posts in the past, you know I’m not one to say that any food or drink is “forbidden” and I’m all for enjoying everything in moderation. So, here’s some guidance to help if you want to raise a glass this season.

 

  • Don’t show up to any holiday party hungry and certainly don’t consume alcohol on an empty stomach. If you haven’t eaten all day, any alcohol you drink will hit you fast and hard.
  • Know what constitutes “a drink.”
    • A glass of wine is 5 ounces.
    • One beer is 12 ounces.
    • A serving of hard alcohol is 1.5 ounces.
  • Each of these has about 100 –

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Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs

The Weekly Burn / By

If you had to describe a holiday based on its menu, the word for Thanksgiving would be carbs. Mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, rolls with a little turkey thrown in for good measure, of course. It occured to me as I enjoyed my holiday meal that carbs have gotten a bad rap lately. With so many people adopting a low carb lifestyle and diets like keto being all the rage, carbs have really been vilified. But if you ask me, carbs have an important place in our diet – they are the body’s primary energy source – and should be embraced instead of avoided.

I feel like a lot of the negativity around carbs stems from misunderstanding. There are good carbs and bad carbs; carbs that you should incorporate into your meals and those you should avoid. Here’s my best attempt at breaking it down so you can easily figure out what is what.

There are two categories of carbohydrates – simple and complex. Foods fall into either category based on what they’re made of and how your body breaks them down. Some people think simple carbs are bad and complex carbs are good.

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The Perfect Pushup

The Weekly Burn / By

When a new member signs up at Synergy, one of the first things we do during the fitness assessment is count the number of push ups they can do. There’s a reason for that, and it is because that number is an excellent indication of someone’s overall fitness level. Now, you might think a pushup is all about upper body strength. But the reality is that to perform a pushup with proper form takes total body strength. And, doing them regularly has massive benefits.

A traditional pushup hits your upper body by engaging your triceps, chest and shoulders. And when you’re doing them on your toes you build strength in your core and lower back. You’ll keep your legs and butt tight too.

You can hit different muscles with a push up by changing the position of your hands. The most common push up, with your arms slightly wider than your shoulders, works mostly your chest and your shoulders. Bringing your hands and arms in tighter to your body turns a traditional pushup to a tricep pushup. For most people these are more challenging since they rely on the tricep, a much smaller muscle,

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Healthy Through the Holidays

The Weekly Burn / By

Here we go, people. It’s November. Halloween is behind us and it’s officially the start of the holiday season. It’s a time of year that can be extremely challenging for some people who struggle to stay committed to their health and fitness. It seems like temptations are everywhere and there are a million reasons this time of year to miss workouts and fall off the food wagon and flat onto your face.

I’ve already had several conversations with members who are anticipating how tough it will be. But my message to them and to you is that it does not have to be. The holidays don’t have to be the time of year that you blow your diet. It doesn’t have to be the time of year where you skip the gym more often than not. It doesn’t have to be a time when you gain weight and go into the new year feeling sluggish, guilty and regretful. Let this be the year when you coast through the holidays healthfully – where you treat your body well by enjoying the tastes and flavors of the season in moderation and keep yourself feeling energized with simple and effective workouts.

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Losing Weight is All in Your Head

The Weekly Burn / By

If you ask Google how to lose weight, it’ll return millions of articles and videos telling you what to eat and how to exercise. But there’s another overlooked factor that goes in to achieving lasting weight loss and fitness that is MORE important than what you eat and your workouts. It’s your mindset. And, I’ve discovered that a lot of people who set out on a health journey with the best intentions are held back from the results they want by the wrong mindset.

Before you roll your eyes, you should know there is research to prove what I’m saying – it’s not just new age, feel good stuff. Studies have shown that a negative mindset can actually prevent you from reaching your goals. Even if your diet is spot on and you are actively exercising, a negative mindset can squash your progress.

Your mindset plays a role from the very beginning and many people start off on the wrong foot entirely. They decide to lose weight because they are feeling bad about themselves. They don’t like the way they look. They don’t like the way they feel. They are focused on their fat, on their trouble spots and on what they perceive is “wrong” with them.

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Synergy 30 Day Challenge – Fall 2018 – Tracking Sheet

The Weekly Burn / By

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Monitor your progress for the 30 Day Challenge using the tracking sheet.[/vc_column_text][mk_button dimension=”flat” corner_style=”rounded” size=”large” url=”https://synergypft.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/synergy-30-day-challenge-fall-2018.xlsx” target=”_blank”]Download Tracking Sheet[/mk_button][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Healthy Halloween Tricks and Treats

The Weekly Burn / By

Walking through the drug store the other day it hit me. It’s only the beginning of October but the start of the holiday season is here. If you think I’m wrong, take a quick walk through CVS or BJs or Target and you’ll see it too. Right now the aisles are literally packed from top to bottom and beginning to end with Halloween candy. And, when that stuff is gone, there will be enough Christmas stuff to build a candy wall to the North Pole. This time of year can be really difficult for those of us who are trying eat clean, stay fit and live a healthy lifestyle. Because everywhere you turn you’re bombarded with marketing messages that would have you believe you’re not really enjoying the season if you’re not over indulging.  

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t really believe in deprivation. I don’t think you can follow any diet where certain foods are completely off limits, because life happens and you absolutely should be able to enjoy treats once in a while. So, to take a little of the guilt off for those of you who might dip into the trick or treat bags I thought I’d put together some suggestions on ways to balance out and even burn off those extra seasonal calories.

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