Fitness

How Aerobic Exercise Could Prevent Alzheimer’s

Bridgers Fitness
January 26, 2020
Fitness / Health

Looking after your health, particularly as you age, is going to offer all kinds of benefits. You’re going to look at your best, feel at your best, and have more energy to carry on doing the things you love. However, did you know that aerobic exercises could aid the memory part of your brain and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s or dementia? What is Alzheimer’s Disease? Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that’s both progressive and irreversible. It destroys your ability to think and even erases your memories. It also makes it challenging to carry out simple tasks. Out of all dementia types, Alzheimer’s is the most common. What Do We Know About Exercise and Alzheimer’s? What we know so far is that exercise and focusing on fitness can have an impact on your Alzheimer’s risk. A Rush University Medical Center study, among many others, showed that remaining fit and active allowed people to keep more of their cognitive functions, than those who didn’t partake in regular exercise. Even if those people had biomarkers of dementia, they showed signs of better memory and cognitive skills, as well. What About Aerobic Exercise? According to the latest research in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, aerobic exercise can slow down the shrinkage of the memory part of the brain known as the hippocampus.

What Group Fitness Does for Your Motivation

Bridgers Fitness
October 9, 2018
Fitness

How often do you egg yourself on, motivating yourself to run faster, walk a little further, or do a few more press-ups? If the answer is “not very often,” then it’s similar to many other people trying to get fit and healthy on their own as well. Motivation is hard to find if you aren’t involved in a group fitness class. But, what does motivation mean, and what does having it do for you?

Helps You Lose Weight

If you are looking to not only get fit but lose weight, then putting your training shoes on and being a part of a group fitness session can help. While running around the block and eating healthy on your own will also be beneficial, group fitness classes such as spin cycles, track running, BodyBalance and BodyAttack can accelerate the process. You are surrounded by others on the same journey as you, so you’re able to be motivated by their progress to get the same results for yourself.

Stay on The Bandwagon

If sweet treats and deep-fried food is your downfall, then you may struggle to keep your hands off it. However, that small voice in the back of your mind often tells you “you just went for that big run, you deserve that custard square”. In reality, you are undoing all that hard work. If you are a part of a group fitness class, however, you want others to see your success, and you don’t want to fall behind in your weight loss and fitness goals. You are more likely to stay on the bandwagon as a result.

What is the Best Fitness Apparel?

Getting fit and staying fit can take a considerable amount of effort and motivation. However, did you know your clothing can play a part in the effectiveness of your routine as well? Contrary to popular belief, heading out in your ratty old t-shirt and shorts is not going to spell a decent workout. In fact, you’re bound to come home sweaty, uncomfortable, irritated, and vowing never to wear those clothes again. Here’s how you can choose the best fitness apparel for a better workout experience.

Breathability

During your workout, you’re bound to work up a decent sweat. That is, after all, the purpose. However, the last thing you want is for that sweat to soak into your clothing, making you wet, uncomfortable, and a little bit smelly. Instead of wearing a casual tee for your workout, you need to instead purchase clothing that breathes and has wicking abilities.

Most retail shops that sell activewear have a special section for such clothing, featuring lycra and polyester blends. Not only are these fabric types perfect for accentuating your curves and being comfortable and freeing to wear, but they can wick away moisture as well. Even when you find yourself sweating heavily, lycra clothing dries far quicker than cotton.

5 Steps to Running a Marathon

Bridgers Fitness
January 2, 2018
Fitness

One of the best ways in which to get motivated and improve your fitness is by aiming towards a goal. Rather than focus on something generic like “lose weight” or “get fit”, you can instead set your sights on something more specific such as completing a marathon.

Whether you’ve decided you’ll run or walk or complete a full or half marathon, here are some helpful fitness tips to prepare you for the journey ahead. You are sure to find reaching the goal is that much sweeter when you know how much effort you’ve put into preparation.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Complete fitness is not something that happens overnight. You don’t go from being able to walk as far as 100 metres without getting puffed one day, to being able to run 42 kilometres the next. Therefore, if you’re looking to complete a marathon and you’re only just beginning, you want to give yourself at least a year. It may even take longer if you’re new to the entire world of fitness.

Find a Suitable Event

Once you know that you want to improve your fitness, get healthy, and eventually complete a marathon, it’s not a bad idea to start hunting for suitable events. Often, marathons and charity runs take place on the same day or week every year. Find one that you feel might tick all the boxes, then write it down. That is the date you want to be able to reach your goal by.

Have You Been Using Weights Wrong This Entire Time?

Bridgers Fitness
August 27, 2015
Fitness

Staying fit and getting healthy is not a five-minute job. It can take weeks to notice any results, and even longer if you aren’t carrying out exercises correctly. If you’ve decided to include weights into your workout to help with staying fit and building strength, then you might be making these mistakes.

You Tire Yourself Out with Cardio First

Including cardio in your workout regime is a good idea, but there has to be a healthy balance if you’re also weight training. Many people spend a significant amount of time doing cardio workouts, leaving weight training to almost be an afterthought. If you’ve tired yourself out with too much cardio, you’re less likely to put as much effort into weight training. Next time you work out, start with weight training before moving on to cardio and see if you notice a difference in your stamina.

You Rush

By speeding through your weight reps, you may think you’re able to build muscles in a shorter space of time, but momentum is helping the clock rather than benefiting your body. If you don’t slow down and let your muscles expand and contract, you’re not able to benefit from the weight training nearly as much. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to using weights.

You Don’t Warm Up

Before you carry out any exercises, you need to warm up your muscles. Weight training is no exception to the rule. If you don’t warm your muscles up before tackling those heavy weights, you are more at risk of injury. What’s more, you may find your muscles aren’t as flexible either. Before you pick up those weights, do some arm stretches. You can get the blood flowing and be ready for action.

Complement Your Waist Training Routine with These Helpful Tips

Bridgers Fitness
October 9, 2013
Fitness

Celebrities and well-known TV personalities have now brought the benefits of waist training to the surface. However, with all the truths and information surrounding waist trainers, there is just as many mistruths which give users unreal expectations.

Without a healthy diet and exercise, your waist trainer isn’t going to have those “wow” results you would expect. Instead, their purpose is to work alongside a healthy diet and physical activity to help with toning and flattening your stomach and accentuating your curves.

If you are looking to get involved in waist training but you want to make sure you’re on the right track to succeed, take note of these tips below.

Choose Unsaturated Fat over Saturated Fat

Fats can be confusing as the information you receive can be conflicting. However, to put it simply, you should always opt for unsaturated fat over the saturated variety. Your body needs fat for proper bodily functions, but too much can have the opposite effect. As a rule of thumb, you should be limiting your overall consumption but be trying to eat oily fish, avocado, and using vegetable oils as opposed to butter or margarine.

Get your 5+ a Day

To help your waist training routine be more effective, make sure you are eating enough fruit and vegetables. Health professionals recommend three servings of vegetables and two of fruit – making up your five servings per day. Vegetables and fruit help to provide those much-needed minerals, vitamins, fibre, and nutrients that you require on a daily basis.