5 Secrets to Weight Loss Success

We have all seen those people. The ones who can seem to do no wrong and accomplish everything they set out to do. They may be in the gym rocking it with all their friends, in the club dancing it up or just walking by you on the street, but we all see them. They are often referred to as the skinny ones and the ones with the bodies we want but will never have. Well, instead of being jealous of those people, it is time to turn ourselves into one of those people. Here is a look at some of the best secrets to use when you are trying to shed those extra pounds.

1. Have a plan. You can not achieve anything if you do not have a plan. How can you attempt having a set fitness routine, when you are all over the place? You need to know ahead of time what your goals are and when and how you expect to achieve them. You should also write down a meal plan and keep track of everything you are eating. If you can plan a nutritious meal ahead of time then you are more likely to avoid any unhealthy options. You should also know where, when and how you are going to workout. By having your workouts sketched out ahead of time, you will more than likely lose a few of the normal excuses for skipping the gym. If you are prepared for your day ahead of time, your chances of failing will be pretty low.
2. Be aware if what you are putting into your body. Nutrition labels can be misleading, and portions can be out of control. Many of us do not even check the labels on the food that we are eating, and if we do, we may not notice how small the portions actually are. So, it is time for you to take notice. Check those labels and measure your portions prior to digging in, and if you go out to a restaurant to eat, you can be pretty sure that your meal is going to be way above the recommended size. So, to play it safe, you should eat half now and save the other half for later.
3. Don’t focus on only one type of exercise. Cardio is great at burning calories, so in order to lose weight quickly, we should do as much cardio as possible, right? Cardio is a great element to have in your fitness routine, but in order to get the best results, your workout should contain many different types of exercise. This type of mindset can also keep you away from one of the best ways to lose weight, strength training. Strength training helps you shed fat and build muscle, and we all know that muscle is more compact than fat and can help us burn calories even after we finish our workout. Also, you need to add a little variety to your routine to ensure that your body does not get to use to your routine and you stay engaged and motivated throughout your routine.
4. Have fun. People will find an excuse to avoid things that they do not like, and their fitness routine is no different. If you find yourself trying to power through your regular fitness routine, you definitely need to change things. Your fitness routine should never be something you have to get through. It should be something you look forward to doing. Only you have the power to get into this mindset. You have to find something you enjoy that will have you stay physically active. There are so many different options and fitness classes out there. All you need to do is put yourself out there and find something that does not feel like work to you.
5. Take baby steps. You want to maintain your motivation throughout your weight loss journey, and nothing can affect your motivation like the feeling of failure. You do not want to set goals that will take a long time to achieve or ones that are so hard it is virtually impossible to achieve them. You need to set goals that can help push you along the way. It can feel good to notice the little changes and celebrating these baby steps can boost your motivation. You could reward yourself for sticking to your fitness routine for an entire week, drinking more glasses of water, introducing new fruits and veggies to your diet or adding five extra minutes to your workout. Remember that all of these little steps can inch you that much closer to success.

Hopefully, you will be able to put a few of these secrets to good use, and you may even be able to turn yourself into one of those people that everyone is jealous of and wants to be. Who knows, one of them may be that one thing you needed to help you achieve those weight loss goals?

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/5-secrets-to-weight-loss-success/

Three Benefits to Working Out in Cold Weather

It is that time of year again. We can say goodbye to the sun and warm weather and hello to the cold breeze of winter. This downright chilly season can have a lot of us wondering what we can do about our outdoor fitness routine. Many of us long for that nice long morning run, but we seem to scamper away from the outside as if it is poison once the temperatures start to dip. However, there is no reason why you have to take your workout indoors. You can actually benefit from exercising in cooler weather. It helps you become more energized, burn more calories and can improve your mood, so instead of hiding from the cold, you should embrace it.

Increased energy

Fresh air can do a lot of good for your body. It can empower you and give you that little boost you may be needing to get over certain hurdles in your fitness routine. Most of us do not know that the summer heat and humidity can seem to drag our bodies down. You may notice that during your summer runs, you seem to tire out quickly, but those winter runs have a totally different effect. The cold air most likely will have an invigorating effect on you and stimulate you to work harder. You feel as if you could run longer than before. That is right; nothing can stand in your way, especially not the cold.

Burn more calories

Did you know that researchers have discovered that race times are actually faster in cooler weather than in warmer weather? These quicker run times add up to more calories burnt for you. Your body is actually making itself work harder in the colder temperatures, so you can reap the maximum benefits from your everyday fitness routine. This means you will achieve the results that you have been craving in a shorter amount of time. These winter workouts can do wonders when it comes to shaping your body and achieving your fitness goals, which can be a real deciding factor when you are trying to pull yourself out of bed at five in the morning.

Improve your mood

We all know that our bodies release endorphins as we workout. However, the harder your body works out, the more endorphins are released. And, as we stated before, your body tends to work harder in cooler temperatures. This means more feel good hormones are released, and you benefit by an even bigger boost to your mood. Winter is the time that many of us will need this mood boost. Many people become depressed or sad because of the shorter days and longer nights. It has been proven that people need to have some exposure to sunlight to feel happier, and winter may make it difficult for us to get the recommended amount of sunlight. So, why not go for a run or take a walk in the park on those days that you feel kind of down? It just might help you achieve a better state of mind.

You do not have to allow the cold weather trap you inside. You can still go out and enjoy the outdoors. However, you need to be prepared for the chill in the air. Try to take the necessary precautions in order to stay safe. If it is too dark, raining heavily or snowing, you may want to stay inside, but if it is a pretty day, then take advantage of it. You can go a little stir crazy or become depressed if you try to lock yourself in all winter, so get out there and have some fun.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/three-benefits-to-working-out-in-cold-weather/

4 Myths Women Believe About Strength Training

Strength training is a great element to add to your fitness routine if you are wanting to lose weight and tone your body. However, many women believe preconceived notions about strength training that make them hesitant to add it to their fitness routine. These ideas about lifting weight have been around forever and just won’t go away. So, here we will look at a few of the more common weight lifting myths floating around out there and bust them. Hopefully, we will be able to help you change your mind about adding that weight lifting routine to your daily workout.

1. I will become bulky. Most women can not gain muscle mass very quickly or easily because it requires a lot of testosterone to build muscle. Believe me, you will not start a weight lifting program and wake up the next day turned into the Hulk. In fact, strength training is the perfect way to rev up your metabolism and continue to burn more calories after your workout. You may notice that you are hungrier after you strength training routines, but that is to be expected because of the revved metabolism and the higher number of calories burnt. Therefore, you may need to watch what you are eating to ensure that you do not gain weight, but as a woman, you are highly unlikely to turn into a body builder just by adding a strength training routine to your usual workout.
2. Strength training can target and tone certain areas. It is impossible to dictate to your body which areas you to shed fat in first. Some of the lucky ones will be able to lose weight in their so called problem areas, but others may lose it everywhere except the place they were targeting. Unfortunately, we do not get to pick and choose which sections we would like to shape. It would be great if we could, but it is basically up to your body to decide where the fat is going to come off first. For example, most of us think that if we do a hundred crunches, we will have those perfect washboard abs we have always dreamed of, but as most of us find out after relentlessly doing a hundred crunches, this is just not true. The same holds true for strength training exercises.
3. It is too dangerous. Any exercise is dangerous if you do not know how to perform it. I mean these days trying to walk across the street can be dangerous, especially if you just blindly run across it. The main thing here is to seek out the proper ways to strength train. There are many things you can do to lower your risk of injury such as hiring a trainer, perfecting your form, seeking the help of professionals and knowing your limits. You do not want to jump into strength training without knowing anything about it. Just like, you do not want to run across the street without looking both ways and determining if you can move fast enough to avoid being hit by a car.
4. Strength training can transform fat into muscle. There is no way that you are turning fat into muscle. You can not turn a dog into a cat. They are two completely different things. It is just not possible. However, you can reduce your body fat and increase your muscles mass, which may make you believe that you turned fat into muscle. The same could also be said if you stop building muscle. Your muscle will not turn into fat, but you may increase your fat and lose some muscle mass. However, they did not transform into one another. The main thing to remember is that you want to strength train to decrease your body fat and increase your muscle mass because we would all like to be a little less jiggly and a lot firmer.

There are a lot of good reasons to add strength training to your fitness routine. It helps us achieve our weight loss goals faster, builds up our strength and endurance, boosts our confidence and makes us feel healthier. If you have steering clear of strength training because of these myths, then it may be time to revisit the idea of adding some sort of strength training routine to your daily workout.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/4-myths-women-believe-about-strength-training/

How to Play it Safe During Your Winter Workouts

You may have noticed that the temperatures have already started dropping. Winter is on its way, and this means you have to rethink your workout plans. There are many new obstacles you may face with your outdoor workout routine that you did not have to worry about in the summer. Many of us may want to hide inside for the rest of the season, but there are still a lot of us who long for the great outdoors and like to take advantage of the cooler temperatures. We need to remember that it can be fun to venture outdoors, but we need to play it safe and be prepared for these extreme temperatures. There are a few things that you can do to make your outdoor workout a little more enjoyable and easier on your body.

Know your route

You should always plan your route ahead of time, but in the winter, it can be a necessity. You want to be aware of your surroundings and know where every hole or patch of ice may be. Of course you should always opt for paths that are well lit and regularly traveled, and if you live where it snows a lot, you will want to seek out pathways that are plowed and kept up regularly. Black ice is also a hazard for those who enjoy outdoor winter workouts. It can be hard to see black ice, but if you are familiar with the area, you may be more aware of where it could be or tends to be, which can help you avoid a nasty fall.

Don’t forget the warm up

The warm up is the perfect time in any workout to help prepare your body for the workout ahead. It can also help our bodies prepare for the harsh cold that awaits us. Before you rush out that door for your afternoon jog, remember to prepare yourself. You need to get your body warm prior to exposing it to outside elements. You should walk or jog indoors for at least five minutes to help get your core temperature up and get your body ready for the workout ahead.

Take little steps

When you begin your winter workout, try not to overestimate your abilities. Just because you were running five miles in the summer, does not mean you should expect the same results in the winter. Your body reacts differently to the cold and has to work harder. This means you may not be able to achieve the same results, so you should try to do about half as much as before. You do not want to overdo it and end up stopping to catch your breath. Once you stop, you will notice your body temperature dropping, and you do not want to get hypothermia. It would be even far worse if you were miles from home and out of breath in the cold. So, play it safe and take small steps in the beginning to give yourself the chance to learn your limits.

Stay hydrated

It is easy to notice how much we are sweating in the summer, but in the winter, it can be a little trickier. Your may not notice how much you are sweating under all those layers, but you can rest assured that even in the winter you are sweating. So, you need to pay more attention to hydrating yourself because it would feel horrible becoming weak and dehydrated in the cold. You may need to keep your water bottle under your clothes or close to your skin to keep it from freezing, but you definitely need to take some water with you during your winter workouts.

Switch up your schedule

You may love starting your day off with a morning run or ending your day with an evening, but during winter, these are some of the coldest times. It may be frustrating having to change up your workout schedule, but it could help you stay a little safer and warmer during those cold runs. If you can hold off until the mid-afternoon, the temperatures will have warmed up and the pathways are more likely to be plowed. This means the best time to enjoy your run may be a little later or earlier than you are used to, but it can help you be safer and more comfortable in the long run.

It can be difficult trying to maintain your fitness routine in the winter. The cold can make us want to stay under our blankets a little longer and safely hide in our nicely heated homes. However, if you can find the willpower to venture outside, you just might discover that the weather is not as bad as you once thought it was.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/how-to-play-it-safe-during-your-winter-workouts/

How to Relieve Sore Muscles

It is normal to experience a little soreness after working out, especially if you have added a few changes to your fitness routine. It can be fun to mix it up every now and then, but muscle soreness is something you should be expecting when you do this. If you up the intensity, lengthen your workout time or perform new moves, your body has to have the time to get use to it. This all adds up to a higher risk of experiencing some body aches. So, how do you cope with these aches and still continue your fitness routine? Here are a few tips to help you get through these times and back to your fitness routine as soon as possible.

• Indirectly ice it. Most experts recommend wrapping an ice pack in a thin towel and applying it to the affected area. This should give you instant relief, help lessen the damage done and speed healing. While a heat pack may feel great while it is on, it will not lessen the damage done or help your aches go away sooner. So, you should put ice on the sore area, and if you feel the need to add heat later, it will not hurt. In fact, heat will help to increase your circulation and ease your joint pain when applied after your ice pack.
• Take a bath. Many people love the feeling of a nice bath on their sore and achy muscles. It can enhance your circulation and give you some temporary relief from the pain. Also, if you add epsom salts to your bath, you can get an added boost to relieving your sore muscles. You can even find epsom salts that are specifically geared towards relieving those sore and achy muscles. You could even splurge on some nicely scented ones that will help you relax after your long, hard workout.
• Drink plenty of water. We all know that water is a main component of our workouts. We have to stay hydrated. If you do happen to become dehydrated, it will only make your sore muscles feel worse. Therefore, you should always drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout to try to prevent the onset of sore muscles and to help ease the pain just in case you happen to overdo it.
• Stretch. Stretching is an important part of every fitness routine. Before you cool all the way down, you need to stretch your muscles. You do not want to allow them to stiffen before you get the chance to stretch them. By stretching, you are helping your muscles become more flexible and increasing the flow of oxygen to them. This increased oxygen will help your muscles relax and recover. So, you need to remember to stretch at the end of every workout to reduce your chances of being sore and achy.
• Rest. You need to get plenty of sleep and relaxation. Sleep is the time your body uses to repair itself, so by denying yourself sleep, you are denying your body the chance to repair itself. You also need to take it easy until your muscles have completely healed. This means cutting back on your workout and enjoying a little bit of down time. You do not have to quit your fitness routine entirely, but you need to pay attention to your body and try not push yourself too hard while your body is trying to recover. Play it safe and take it easy for a few days, and then see how your body feels before jumping back into your normal fitness routine.

It is normal to experience muscle soreness every now and then from your fitness routine, but if you are experiencing it more and more or if the pain is more intense, then you need to seek the advice of your doctor. You do not want to have an injury and push through it because you will only end up making the injury much worse and taking a longer break from your fitness routine than you planned. Therefore, you need to play it safe and take the time needed to repair your sore muscles.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/how-to-relieve-sore-muscles/

6 Reasons to Love the Gym

A lot of us have a love-hate relationship with the gym. We know we have to go, but for some of us, we dread walking through those doors. We need to find a way to love going to the gym so that we look forward to our fitness routines. This can help us stay motivated and easily achieve our goals much faster. So, how can we change our attitude about the gym? Here are just a few reasons to keep in mind when you start dreading your visit to the gym.

1. Socialize with people who have your same goals. This is the perfect place to become connected with others who are striving to do the same thing you are. They can become your fitness buddies, motivate you to work harder and offer you support in times of need.

2. Exercise year round. It can be fun exercising outside but sometimes the seasons just don’t agree with this. You may have allergies that act up at a certain time. The rain, cold or heat can also dampen your outside workout plans. Weather can be fickle in many places but if you visit the gym, you can always workout no matter what the weather is doing outside.

3. Access to professionals. If you are a fitness newbie or trying to switch up your routine, you may need expert help. Most gyms give you access to a personal trainer that can help walk you through your fitness routine and even design it just for you. If you do need help, do not hesitate to ask the gym employees for help. They are a great perk that comes along with your gym membership.

4. Access to different types of equipment. Some of us may be afraid to try new things, but by trying new or different types of exercises, you can workout your entire body and easily achieve an overall toned look. You can achieve a more effective workout by adding in some variety and seeking the guidance needed on how to successfully perform these moves.

5. Meal planning help. Most gyms are now realizing that in order to help their members reach their goals, they need to offer them assistance with meal planning. Many gyms now have an onsite nutritional team that can map out the perfect meals tailored to help their members become healthier.

6. Guidance from a trainer. Some gyms have a trainer that can assist you in properly performing any new or difficult exercises you are trying to learn. Most gyms charge extra for a trainer, but there are some brands that actually have the trainer included in your workout at no extra cost. 9Round Fitness is one of them.

The gym can be a scary place that many of us are afraid to visit. However, we can easily start to look forward to going to the gym. All we have to do is change our attitudes and how we view our gym visits. Then we may actually begin to see just how much fun going to the gym can truly be.

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/6-reasons-to-love-the-gym/

4 Diet Myths We Need to Toss

There are many misunderstandings when it comes to dieting. There are a lot of rumors floating around out there that any of us take for truths. Whether we know the real facts or not can cause major havoc in our diets. If we believe these false truths, we could end up sabotaging our weight loss goals. Here we have gathered four of the most common diet myths and help you find different ways to go about dieting that can get you those results you have been craving.

1. If your aim is to lose weight, then you have to cut back on food. This is often not true. You should never starve yourself to lose weight. Instead we need to learn about portion control and eating healthy foods. If you try to eat less, it could cause you to be in a very bad mood and make you eat more unhealthy foods at the end of your day. However, when you eat properly throughout the day, you will feel more satisfied and more eager to follow this type of nutritious meal plan.
2. Fat in any form is bad. A lot of us think that we have to eliminate all fat from our diets. This is not actually true, as many of us can’t seem to believe. There are different types of fat, and some of them are bad for us, (think fried chicken or doughnuts) while others happen to be essential for us. So, if you are opting for fat free items because you think it will fast track your weight loss, then you’re missing the mark. Your body has to have a certain amount of fat to process certain vitamins antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin D, and vitamin E. So, do not be afraid to allow the proper amount of healthy fats in your diet. Nut butters, lite cheeses, oils and avocado are great examples. Fats should be 20-30% of your diet daily.
3. Meals low in fat and salt have no flavor. There are multiple ways to incorporate different flavors and tastes into your meal. You do not have to rely on fat and salt to bring you flavor. You could try some new spices, experiment with different herbs and look for healthy types of condiments. You never know how much they can take your food to the next level without adding fat or sodium to your diet, until you try them. However, if you are buying ready made spice mixtures, you should check the label for its sodium content just to be sure. Many pre made seasoning kits come with salt already added.
4. You have to bake or steam your food to lose weight. Many of us believe that in order to eat healthy and lose weight, we have to cook all our food by baking or steaming it. This is not true and can get pretty boring eating the same thing over and over. You need to branch out and realize there are other healthy ways to cook your food. However, you could try grilling, roasting, sauteing or broiling your food. This way you could get a little more variety in your meals, and you would still be eating a healthy and nutritious meal that is full of flavor and still supports your weight loss goals.

It can be a long hard struggle trying to lose weight, and we do not need to be following false truths trying to reach our ideal weight. This will only lead to failure and disappointment. So, do the proper research before you believe any weight loss gossip that happens to be floating around. Healthy living is fun when you do it right!

- See more at: http://www.9round.com/blog/4-diet-myths-we-need-to-toss/