All posts by Coredtofit

Lifestyle, Weight management

Myth #1: Cardio is the Only Way to Lose Weight

Which of the following pictures depict the best form of exercise for weight loss?

If you chose the dumbbells in the picture on the far right, then you are correct!

It is a common misconception that long-duration, steady-state cardiovascular exercise, such as riding an exercise bike, using an elliptical, or running on a treadmill for an extended amount of time, is the only way to decrease body fat and lose weight.

First, it is important to mention that this form of exercise is beneficial and should not be taken completely out of an exercise program. In fact, HIIT exercise training and interval training are very valuable forms of exercise. However, hours of cardio and nothing else is not the most effective way to reach your weight loss goal.

So, how much do you need to exercise to lose weight?

The American College of Sports Medicine is a nationally recognized leader in the fitness industry. Otherwise known as ACSM, this organization gives the following guidelines regarding exercise with the goal of weight loss:

ACSM recommends that adults participate in at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity to prevent significant weight gain and reduce associated chronic disease risk factors. For most adults, this amount of physical activity can be easily achieved in 30 minutes/day, five days a week. Overweight and obese individuals will most likely experience greater weight reduction and prevent weight regain with 250+ minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity. ACSM also recommends strength training as part of this health and fitness regimen, in order to increase fat-free mass and further reduce health risks.

How does strength training help you lose body fat?

In addition to improving your body composition, the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) also describes how resistance training contributes to fat loss.

In a NASM article entitled “Resistance Training Tips,” author Fabio Comana says that resistance training contributes to, “the preservation of, or an increase in muscle mass and bone density, and an elevated metabolic rate that effectively helps us burn more calories and lose unwanted body fat.”

To achieve your 2017 fitness goals, call Indy Core Wellness & Fitness at (317) 430-0063.

Flexibility, Recovery

Why You Should Get a Massage

By:  Matt Nicholson              April 14, 2017

Massage therapy is both physiologically and psychologically potent and as a natural method for healing. “How well you respond to an injury has everything to do with how tense you’ve been for the last ten years”.  Massage therapy manipulates and stimulates all of your skin, muscles, nerves, connective tissues, and joints.  Muscles are mostly water which means stiff and sore muscles are sick muscles.  Massage therapy can break the myofascial pain syndrome including waste products of metabolism and it also serves as a form of passive exercise, increasing circulation, waking up the enormous complex tissues of your skin and muscles by stirring the forces that keep them fit and vital.  We are tactile beings; the human body needs tactile stimulation which is often deprived. 

Continue reading Why You Should Get a Massage →

Lifestyle, Weight management

Myth #4: You Have to Do Aerobic Activity to Lose Weight

Lose the Misconception You Have to Do Aerobic Activity to Lose Weight

By: Matt Nicholson

While aerobic activity is certainly important and can greatly contribute to weight loss, there is a common misconception that aerobic activity is the only exercise that will lead to weight loss or that strength training will add muscle mass and cause weight gain.  “We naturally lose muscle mass as we age, so we need an activity that helps us maintain muscle mass as we get older”, says Rania Mekary, a researcher with Harvard School of Public Health.
Continue reading Myth #4: You Have to Do Aerobic Activity to Lose Weight →