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Kelcie Hromisin
Our Live Fit blog is designed to be your source for Fitness and Wellness – and we want to hear from you.
Let us know how your fitness is going and where we can help. We want to make a difference in healthier lifestyles here in our hometowns.
Here are some of the early questions we’ve received:
Q: I’m a 53-year-old man who weight trains and does about 30 minutes of cardio each day. Up until a year or two, this regiment seemed right for maintaining both weight and muscle mass. Lately, however, I’ve seen my weight creep up a few pounds, and I’m looking for advice on what I can do to change up my workouts.
A: Simple answer: Do more weight training each week!
Get more done.
Period.
It doesn’t have to be records on any exercise you do. Just get it done.
Complete MORE WORK per week. That’s it.
And of course do not compromise form! If you have time restrictions, reduce your rest breaks or perform more combination sets (or super sets) to save time.
If you’re worried about over-training, dial back the intensity. You don’t have to knock it out of the park every time you go to the gym — singles are great too. An accumulation of singles can win a baseball game, without ever hitting a homer in the first place. Find the balance your body needs.
Want take it a little further?
You can also experiment with different interval training methods to shake up your cardio bouts, rather than simply maintaining a consistent pace throughout. Google HIIT and you’ll be sure to find some solid entry-level and up routines you can easily implement today.
Q: My 15-year-old daughter is more interested in her video games than an active lifestyle. Can you give me some tips on what I might do to get her to embrace a more active and outgoing lifestyle?
A: Introduce her to things that are inherently FUN! If she likes video games, chances are she likes having a good time! And, she probably enjoys problem solving. Try leaning into these traits by suggesting activities like rock climbing, which is loaded with critical thinking situations and outside-the-box thinking. There are indoor gyms available for entry level climbers to get their feet wet in a safe, fun environment.
If that doesn’t work, you can use incentives and competition to get her more into it. Try having her count steps on her phone and hit a goal, or you can start her off with a fitness calendar that she can put an X on the day if gets her workout done. A streak of any sort can be hugely motivating.
Bottom line: tap into her interests.
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Matthew Dantone
Q: Are there any diets that you would recommend for weight reduction? I’m about 10 pounds over my ideal weight, and I’d love to take it off without doing a fad diet that would just bring the weight back after I left the diet.
A: The first thing to do is make sure your fitness routine hasn’t gone stale. Before you go messing with your diet, try switching things up, or adding more overall volume to your workload each week. Taking things to the next level with your training may be the key to keeping the weight off!
To take it a step further: Track. Your. Macros. Proteins, carbohydrates, fats. These three make up all the calories you eat (except for alcohol). Calories aren’t the only diet measurement.
If you’ve never tracked these before, now’s a great time to start. As little as seven days of tracking can reveal huge holes in your nutrition game! Or show you that you’re simply not eating enough, or not getting enough protein, etc.
If you’re smartphone savvy, grab a tracker app like MyFitnessPal (Google for others). It makes things easy, getting started setting goals.
Sometimes a few minor adjustments to your diet is all it takes. Rather than hop on another trendy diet, make a few critical changes that have the power to change the game.
Kelcie Hromisin and Matthew Dantone, dedicated fitness experts and personal trainers at Danko’s Gym in Plains Twp., are determined to help make NEPA residents healthier and more fit. Their Live Fit blog updates each Wednesday. If you have a question, reach out to them at kelciehromisin@gmail.com or matthew.dantone@gmail.com, and your question may be featured in an upcoming blog post. Live Fit, NEPA.
