Fitness & Wellness

If you’ve been on a number of diets and either lost weight, but gained it back again or simply quit after eating some forbidden food, you know the frustration of yo-yo dieting. You lose five pounds only to gain six. You start a diet on Monday, but are starving by Thursday and head for the candy machine at work or grab a chili dog at the gas station. It’s time to break out of that prison and quit living a life that’s a constant diet. (Klonopin online) It’s time to learn how to develop a plan of nutrition for life.

Too often people think that eating healthy is just like dieting.

Eating healthy is so very different from dieting. The biggest difference is that dieting always ends. Sometimes, it ends in success and other times it ends at three in the morning with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. Eating healthy never ends. It’s more about making smarter choices when it comes to food, rather than depriving yourself. When you eat healthy, you can still have some of your favorite foods that might be forbidden on a diet. You just can’t eat them as often and always keep portion control in mind.

Eating healthy can mean substituting one food for another.

Do you love sour cream on your baked potato? How about trying a dollop of Greek yogurt instead? It still creates a creamy texture when added, adds that delicious flavor, but is higher in nutrition and lower in calories. If you love baking, you’ll appreciate substituting unsweetened applesauce for some of the sugar or oil. It adds to the flavor, while cutting calories and adding nutrition. There are many different substitutions you can make that won’t detract from flavor or your enjoyment.

Planning ahead will help you stick with a program of healthy eating and we can help you do it.

It’s a busy world and sometimes it seems easier just to stop for fast food, even though it’s not the healthiest choice. Sometimes, your hunger overwhelms you and you head for the candy machine at work, the candy counter in the store or those candy bars you stuck in the freezer last Halloween. Eating healthy makes sure you never get to that point of desperation. It provides for three meals a day plus healthy snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

• The biggest change may be giving up processed foods and foods with added sugar. Switching to whole foods—food that is closer to its natural state—isn’t easy at first. You’ll still crave added sugar for a while, but that quickly goes away in the second or third week.
• You’ll be less tempted to grab a sugary snack if you combine the program of healthy eating with adequate sleep and exercise. Lack of sleep messes up your hunger hormones and exercise can lift your spirits and eliminate stress that cause you to overeat.
• You’ll be amazed at how delicious real food tastes. Your sense of taste is destroyed by added sugar and once it returns, you’ll note the true sweetness of fresh fruit and the just how delicious healthy food tastes.
• At Evolution Lifestyle Fitness, we make it easier to eat healthy. You can access all the information from your phone or computer that provides healthy menus, bar code scanners to find healthy options and even grocery lists to make it easier.

For more information, contact us today at Evolution Lifestyle Fitness

One of the biggest problems I often see in the fitness world is that people spend their whole life feeling like food is the enemy. After all, isn’t food what packs on the pounds? That’s not true. It’s not food, but the wrong type of food that can make you gain weight. Food, no matter what type it is, isn’t inherently evil. You have to have food to live. However, making smarter choices on the food you select, can make a difference whether you gain weight or lose it, feel good or not.

The problem most people face when dieting is that you have to eat to live.

If you have a problem with weight, people often think that skipping meals and not eating is the answer. Unlike quitting smoking or giving up other habits, you can’t quit eating. You need to eat to live. It’s not about how much you eat, it’s about what you eat. If you choose healthy food, you’ll lose weight, even if you eat a lot! It takes a lot of fresh fruit or vegetables to gain weight and most people simply can’t eat that much. It would take three and a half cups of broccoli to consume 100 calories. If you chose lettuce, you’d have to eat 20 cups of that! If you’re looking for a sweet treat, it takes over two cups of diced watermelon to reach the 100 calorie mark.

It’s all about eating smarter, not eating less.

Now that you know you can eat two cups of watermelon for a snack of 100 calories, compare that to the amount of chips you can eat for the same number of calories. It’s only ten! Would you feel fuller eating ten potato chips or two cups of watermelon? That’s one obvious change you can make, switching out junk food for healthier options, but there are more changes that are even simpler. For instance, choosing brown or wild rice over white rice saves calories. It’s simple and saves a few calories, but each one adds up.

Eating healthier isn’t dieting, it’s making food your friend.

I love to eat. I eat a lot, but the food I eat is healthy. Sometimes, I do eat junk food, but not very often. Choosing healthier eating doesn’t mean giving up foods you love, just eating them in moderation and keeping an eye on portion control. You’ll be amazed at not only how much you can eat, but how delicious it tastes. There’s a world of food adventures awaiting you and you never have to feel guilty about eating again.

• What you drink is as important as what you eat. If you just drink two soft drinks a day, you’ll consume enough calories from them to gain a pound in less than 18 days. Water quenches your thirst, makes you healthy and doesn’t contain calories. Studies show that diet drinks add inches to your waist.
• The hardest part of eating healthy is consuming less sugar. If you read the ingredients of food, you’ll find a lot of hidden sugar. Even condiments like ketchup contain sugar.
• You’ll have more energy when you workout regularly and eat healthy. While you can’t out-exercise a bad diet, exercising can help you lose weight. It builds muscle tissue and the more muscle tissue you have, the higher your metabolism is.
• Evolution Lifestyle Fitness can help you become friends with food by providing help with meal planning and healthy eating. You’ll increase your nutrition, while you lose weight with our plans.

For more information, contact us today at Evolution Lifestyle Fitness

There’s a lot of reasons clients come to Evolution Lifestyle Fitness in Raleigh, NC. Some want to lose weight, some want to overcome limitations and still others just want to feel better. While each person loves achieving their original goals, one thing that they also experience is the feeling of being fit and awesome. The minute they feel the change, they’re motivated to do even more.

No matter what your age, we can help you to feel better.

Getting fit is important at any age. Looking your best and feeling your best comes with that priority. We have programs to help everyone no matter what your age. If you’re a senior you may want to have more energy or be able to get up out of a chair with ease and have pep in your step. For kids, it’s all about learning how to live healthy and performing your best in school and at sports. It also includes looking your best and developing the confidence fitness brings. For everyone in between those two, getting fit means having the energy you need to accomplish life’s goals, protecting your future health and looking great.

Getting fit includes both eating healthy and working out.

While working out will help boost your strength, endurance and flexibility, to be your best, it takes more. It takes the right fuel to keep your engines of energy running. That fuel is a healthy diet. You can’t boost your energy with empty calories and expect that to last very long. While a sugary treat might give you a more energy for a short time, when it wears off, you’ll have an even lower energy level. You can’t build strong muscles and a toned body if you don’t have the building blocks. That’s why choosing a healthy diet is so important.

Getting fit starts by taking the first step.

The hardest part of any fitness program is getting started. Whether you start at home slowly by taking walks and doing a few exercises or get the benefit of having a personalized program from a trainer, taking the first step is the most important part. You can begin both an exercise and healthy eating program slowly. Just say no to that donut and switch to a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts instead. It’s all the small changes that you make that add up to a big difference.

• Don’t forget to hydrate frequently. Some people forget about the most basic need. The need for water. You’ll be amazed at how much of a picker-upper it is when you’re tired. Most people feel it’s better than coffee.
• Getting adequate sleep is an important part of any fitness program. Not only is it heart healthy, it’s also helpful to weight loss. Lack of sleep can cause an increase in ghrelin the hunger hormone and a reduction of leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full.
• You’ll be amazed at how much more confidence you have and how people will notice that. Regular exercise helps your posture so you look more confident and awesome.
• At Evolution Lifestyle Fitness, you’re guaranteed results. We even offer a free week of training for anyone, including children as young as five and seniors over 70.

For more information, contact us today at Evolution Lifestyle Fitness

My clients in Raleigh, NC, work on getting healthier for a number of reasons. Some of them are for better health, some are to get more energy and others start a fitness program to provide a good role model for children. Now we offer family fitness programs to get everyone involved. No matter what your age, there’s a class designed specifically to help you get fit. Whether you’re a golden oldie 71 or more, or a tyke of five, we make sure everyone in the family has a chance to get fit.

The older you are the harder it is to build muscle tissue, but the more important exercise is.

We focus on more than just mom, dad and kids. We make sure there’s a program for Grandma and Grandpa, too. Today, many people are helping care for their aging parents as they also raise their children. That’s why having a program for seniors 71 and above is so important. Mom or dad can go with the family to the gym and workout to build strength to keep them independent longer.

Young kids need a different program from a teen, but they both benefit from regular exercise.

No matter what their age, children benefit from a program of regular exercise. It not only helps them become stronger and healthier, it also builds confidence and helps them in school. Studies show that children who are active and fit, get better grades. Fitness training helps kids focus better, improves their posture, lowers stress levels, improves sleep and encourages stronger heart, bones, muscles and healthier growth.

As an adult, not only will you be a good role model, you’ll have the energy to do more with your family.

What’s the use of being fit and having more energy if you can’t use that extra energy to enjoy life more. As you and your family get fitter, you’ll find loads of things to enjoy together, such as rock climbing, hiking and swimming. You won’t be just a spectator when you’re fit, you’ll be a participant and help make memories you and your family will cherish forever.

• Our program of exercise for kids provide an atmosphere where kids can socialize with one another, while achieving goals that will help them all their life.
• Getting fit together also focuses on eating healthy. We work with all ages to help them understand how to do that. It can make switching to healthy eating far easier.
• You don’t have to have the whole family participate, but you’ll be glad that you did if you do. It can provide a common bond that everyone will share.
• Evolution Lifestyle Fitness can help you live healthier no matter what your age. Not only do we offer training for all ages, we also have small group, individual and online training.

For more information, contact us today at Evolution Lifestyle Fitness

Our Raleigh, NC, our exercise classes for kids fill up fast. Kids enjoy exercising, especially doing those exercises that are like yoga poses. Not only do the poses provide a great workout, they also unleash the imagination of children. Even without learning such movements as downward facing dog or the cat or cow pose, kids have been mimicking the movements of animals as part of their play since time began. These movements build strength, flexibility, coordination and concentration, while it boosts their relaxation and sense of calmness.

The cat pose imitates the movement of feline friends.

Watch a cat and see how it glides through life, stretching each muscle with every other movement. It starts on hands and knees, like a cat standing on all fours. Arms and legs are perpendicular to the floor with the head in neutral position and eye looking at the floor. The child breathes in and as he or she exhales, rounds his or her spine toward the ceiling, like a Halloween cat, keeping the shoulders and knees in the same position, but allowing the head to drop toward the floor. It’s time to inhale and get back to the original position of relaxed cat, back straight and hands and feet on the floor.

Changing from a cat to a cow can be part of the move.

I’ve watched the yoga classes where kids have a great time switching to a new animal and back. A child friendly yoga grouping is combining the cat pose with the cow pose. After dropping the arched spine back to neutral position—tabletop position—with the knees directly below the hips and hands below the shoulders, instead of arching the back, the cow pose is the opposite. It lifts the hips and chest upward and lets the belly sink to the floor with the head lifted to look straight forward. It then goes back to starting position.

Downward facing dog is another animal position that builds muscles, endurance and flexibility.

Whether it’s called downward facing dog, grizzly bear or other animal, this pose helps kids build arm and leg strength, increases flexibility and can even calm kids when they need to take a step back. It starts on hands and knees, with the hands spread and palms on the floor. Slowly the bottom is lifted as the child straightens hi or her leg and makes an inverted V-shape. Expect the child to try walking that way, it’s just too irresistible not to do that.

• Animals aren’t all that the poses can look like. Consider the bow pose, boat pose and bridge. These all can build flexibility, but most of all, boost core strength. Do them with your child and you’ll find a six pack developing. They’re tough, but for kids, fun to do.
• A mouse and butterfly/cobbler pose boost flexibility and imagination. Whether rolling up in a ball like a timid little mouse or using their legs like wings on the butterfly, these poses maintain or builds flexibility, endurance and imagination.
• Slithering like a snake or cobra comes naturally and lifting your upper body and head off the ground is part of it. That builds abdominal muscles, too. Add a few hisses for fun.
• At Evolution Lifestyle Fitness, we have fitness and nutrition classes for the whole family, regardless of age. There’s even classes for seniors. Come see what we have to offer and take advantage of our free session.

For more information, contact us today at Evolution Lifestyle Fitness