healthy Archives | N1 Motion

3 Ways to Get the Scale Moving

Do you want the scale to move – and MOVE NOW!? Here’s 3 ways to get the scale moving in the right direction, RIGHT NOW!

Start with Nutrition. Most people think that working out is what they need to do right away to get the scale moving. And yet, truthfully, food is where you can see the most results. 80% diet and 20% working out is a great rule to follow. You can’t out-train a poor diet – it’s impossible! So starting in the kitchen is a huge key to your overall success and getting the scale moving in the right direction (no matter what direction that may be). I also highly recommend tracking your food. What get’s measured get’s improved – right? I’m unsure of who said this, but – they are right! Even if you don’t want to use a tracking app, simply writing down what you eat in a day can be a very eye opening experience. But, overall – food is key in overall health and fitness goals. This is a foundation when it comes to getting results.
Comprehensive Programming. Now, let’s get to the working out part. There is a strategic and science-based way to optimally train when it comes to working out. It’s not one size fits all. Find something that first, interests you and keeps you interested and also, that works for you! If you need help in this area – we have your back! We offer custom comprehensive programming. If you are interested in this – please reach out to us and we’d be happy to help in any way that we can!
Find a Plan that’s for YOU. Again, it’s not one size fits all. The best plan for you is the one that you will stick with – for a LIFETIME. We truly believe in making health and wellness a lifestyle because that is the only way you will get results and maintain those results. In addition, there are so many positive benefits to living a healthy lifestyle. This does not mean you need to restrict, restrict, restrict. That’s only going to cause you to binge and restrict again and get stuck in that cycle. Not to mention, you’ll be miserable every time your restricting! Nobody wants that. It’s finding what works best in your life.

If you are looking to get started on your healthy lifestyle, contact us! We’d be happy to help you find a nutrition plan and workout plan that works for you.

Fitness, Gym, Nutrition, Sports Performance, Workouts

Have You Hit a Plateau in Your Fitness?

One thing we probably all have experienced before, no matter what our fitness goals are, is a plateau. Plateau’s can happen for several different reasons, which is what we will go over. In addition, we will give you 5 ways you can get over plateaus!

Why Do Plateaus Happen?

Caloric Deficit – Now, you might say “I thought the rule was calories in vs. calories out” in a weight loss scenario. And yes, this is true to a degree. However, if you are at too much of a calorie deficit your body is also not getting all the nutrients it needs. And if this happens for too long, this is where a plateau will occur.
Starvation Mode – When you are hungry, your body releases a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin is also the hormone in your body that promotes fat storage. Whenever you have feelings of hunger during the day, your body is producing too much ghrelin. This in turn causes your metabolism to slow down and fat storage to go up.
Tracking – If you are not tracking your food, you can expect to hit a plateau. And if you do track your food, a lot of us don’t track properly or report all calories eaten.

Here’s 5 ways to get past that stubborn plateau:

Stop Starving Yourself – Work with a professional to figure out what a good calorie intake would be to reach your goals. In addition, if you are starving yourself, you are less likely to stick with this type of diet and you will feel deprived constantly. And this may cause you to get into the restrict – binge cycle a lot of us know so well.
Track – When you have specific fitness goals, tracking is a huge way to reach these goals. And ensure you are tracking properly by measuring your intake as well. There can be a huge difference between guessing and actually measuring:

For example: A medium apple (100g) = 52 calories and 14 carbohydrates. A large apple (223g) = 116 calories and 31 carbohydrates. So, if you are not measuring that apple and tracking the calories for the exact size, you could potentially overeat quite easily.
Some of our favorite Tracking Apps:

My Fitness Pal –
My Plate Calorie Counter
Lose It! Calorie Counter
LifeSum: Diet and Macro Tracker

**Our suggestion is to work with a professional to figure out calories and macros (protein, carbs, fat daily count) that is for you and your goals. A lot of times apps will restrict your calories too much and this will cause a plateau as mentioned above.

Make it a Lifestyle – Finding a diet and exercise routine that fits best into your life is ultimately the one you will stick with. Stop restricting and binging. Stop getting some results, stopping and then starting over. Making your health a priority and part of your everyday life is ultimately the best way to get results and maintain those results long term.
Rest – If your goals are losing weight, it’s common that losing weight up front is easier than losing those last few pounds. As we get leaner, our body holds onto certain weight a lot more because of survival purposes (and for women, perhaps child bearing purposes). In this scenario, a lot of people think they need to restrict calories even more, which will in turn create a more negative outcome. Giving your body rest is important in this case. Taking stress off the body will be huge in this scenario. Additionally, try increasing your calorie restriction 10% each week until you are only in a 500 calorie deficit. This will help jump start your weight loss once again!

Change it Up – Have you been doing the same classes each week? Or the same program? Our bodies are made to adapt. As workouts become less challenging, they also become less effective. That does not mean you have to progressively make your workouts harder and harder. But, you could simply change the types of exercises you’re doing. You could go heavy with strength training with fewer reps and then switch to lighter with more reps the next week. For example, if you normally do push-ups maybe switch it up to a bench press this week. And if you are not sure where to start on switching things up, we have you covered! Our programming is specifically created with this in mind!

Nutrition, Uncategorized

Micros: Easily Overlooked and 3 Ways to Get Them

What are Micros?

Macro is a word often heard in the fitness community. Many of us have probably heard people say, “I’ll eat it as long as if it fits my macros.” But, something that is easily overlooked is micros. “Micronutrients are dietary components, often referred to as vitamins and minerals, which although only required by the body in small amounts, are vital to development, disease prevention, and wellbeing,” (CDC.gov). A lot of times when we focus on eating healthy, we direct our attention to the protein, fats and carbs on the nutrition labels, but we don’t focus on all the vitamins and minerals we may or may not be getting. Ultimately it comes down to food choices. For example, let’s compare an orange and a jellybean.

10 Jelly Beans Nutrition:

Fat: 0g

Carbs: 10g

Protein: 0g

1 Small Orange Nutrition:

Fat: 0.1g

Carbs: 11g

Protein: .9g

On a Macro level, these two foods look like they are pretty similar – about 10g of carbs per serving. But, on a Micro level, these two foods are very different:

Here are 3 Ways to Ensure You are Getting the Micronutrients You Need:

1. Shop the outer rim of the grocery store: Food choices are very important when it comes to micronutrients. The outer rim is typically fresh whole foods, which means that they will be packed with both macronutrients and micronutrients. Typically things that are frozen or come from a bag or box will not give you the micronutrients you need.

2. Eat Your Fruits and Veggies: Fruits and Veggies are packed with all kinds of micronutrients.

3. Supplementation: Food is always the best source to get your micronutrients, but this can often be a challenge. This is where supplements come into play. Taking a multi-vitamin and fish oil is very foundational for most adults. If you’re not a huge fan of veggies, or have some digestion issues, adding a green supplement into your regimen could be a good idea too. Here’s the supplement stack we recommend: https://1stphorm.com/products/stacks/sports-performance/the-essential-stack (You also get FREE shipping using that link!)

Balance is Key

The key to optimal nutrition fueling is consuming a variety of fruits and vegetables, healthy proteins, and carbohydrates. You want to limit your consumption of refined process carbs like sugary cereal, syrups, candy, cookies, ect. Aim for one meal every 2-4 hours to meet your daily caloric requirements. This may vary from person to person based on sex, age, weight, height, and activity level.

For more information schedule a nutrition consultation today!