6 Tips To Avoid Post-Flight Sickness

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Stay Healthy While Flying

Airplanes are notoriously filthy, and they’re cleaned far less frequently than you might think. Certainly, deep cleaning isn’t done during the short period of de-boarding and re-boarding at most airline gates. In addition, there are several other travelers that have been in the seat before you. Germs such as bacteria and viruses can live on surfaces for several hours, so chances are you are sitting in the midst of others germs when you take your seat on the plane!

In spite of the ease of getting practically inoculated with germs on the airplane, there are some simple things to remember in order to avoid getting sick after you de-board the plane.
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The Link Is What You Think: Is Your Mindset Altering Your Workout Results?

mindset

How Your Mindset Is Altering Your Workout Results

Have you ever stopped to think about how your frame of mind is impacting your workout?

Answer these questions about yourself:

  • Are you at the end of your race or at the beginning?
  • Have you lost all of the weight you can or do you think you can lose more?
  • Do you believe your body image is as improved as it can be, or do you believe you can continue to improve?
  • Do you think you can’t do any more to help your body image or do you think you can always do more?

Simply put, this set of beliefs or thoughts  – which can be summarized by either “I can improve” or “I cannot improve any further” – is called “mindset.”

Defining Mindset: Fixed Vs. Growth

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The Difference Between Compound and Isolation Exercises

compound vs isolation exercises

Compound vs. Isolation Exercises

In the 90’s I trained to compete in body building competitions. In those days, we trained mostly with isolated exercises. The textbook definition of an isolated exercise is any exercise in which only one major muscle group is trained. Examples of these can include bicep curls, tricep extensions, leg extensions, leg curls, and calf raises. At the time, we thought that we could only build larger muscles if we trained this way.
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Eat Healthy on a Budget

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Healthy Food Staples to Buy On Your Next Trip To The Market

The key to healthy and nutritious meals at home is a well-stocked freezer, refrigerator and pantry. There are two main goals of a well-stocked kitchen. The first is to have the basics on hand so that your weekly grocery trip is just produce and maybe some fresh fish, chicken or beef. This makes grocery shopping quick and inexpensive, which is important when you are trying to eat healthy on a budget. The second goal is to have enough ingredients on hand to throw together a quick and delicious meal rather than finding yourself in the drive-thru. Print out the list below to make sure you have all the most important healthy food staples on hand!
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Maria Sollon’s Favorite Quick Total Gym Moves To Add To Your Routine

Maria's favorite total gym exercises

5 Fast, Fierce, and Fabulous Total Gym Moves

Every trainer has their own set of favorite exercises that they feel are the best to do with certain pieces of equipment. Having a variety of different exercises to experiment with and add to your fitness repertoire can always make any routine different as well as add a challenge.

When working out, I always try to have a plan of what I want to accomplish. Whether it’s a cardio day, a combination of core and strength intervals, or a Pilates workout, it’s always best to throw in some of your favorite exercises to accomplish significant results. I have compiled some of my favorite Total Gym exercises that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously. These functional movements combine strength, core, and cardio components that train the entire body in a short amount of time to produce maximum results!

Maria’s Favorite Exercises

Here is my set of go-to exercises that I do when I’m short on time and want an effective and efficient full-body workout. I suggest incorporating these exercises into your routine and performing them at least twice a week.

Remember:

  • The reps and sets will vary depending on your fitness goals. For a reference, try to perform 10-15 reps and 2-3 sets.
  • Perform the following 5 exercises in circuit format. Rest briefly, then repeat to complete your workout.
  • If you’re interested in more Total Gym Circuit Workouts, check out this post!

  1. Arm Circles

    Goal: To target the entire arm area (shoulders, triceps, biceps) & core
    Description: (cables / low-med level)Lie flat on the glide board with the cables in each hand. Exhale as your arms sweep in a continual motion to perform a complete circle. Perform an equal amount in each direction.

     * Keep the spine in a neutral or imprinted position throughout the motion. 

    • Beginner: Keep your knees bent while your feet rest on the glideboard (GB). Try to keep your head, neck, and shoulders resting on the GB while the arms circle, to avoid unnecessary strain.
    • Intermediate: Lift your legs and bend them at a 90′ angle. Lift your head, neck, and shoulders into a crunch position and hold to engage your abs.
    • Advanced: Extend your legs straight and lower them closer towards the GB while keeping the correct spinal alignment.

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Incredible Upper Body Workout

Incredible Upper Body Workout

Incredible Upper Body Workout

Fitness trainer John Peel joins us once again today on Total Gym Pulse to bring us his incredible upper body burnout workout using The Total Gym. This workout consisting of four different exercises working four different body parts with thirty seconds for each movement.

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The first exercise John demonstrates in this series is the pull up. Lay flat on your stomach on the glideboard of The Total Gym and have both cables in hand. Make sure to keep your elbows wide and squeeze your back as you pull yourself up. This is the same motion as a regular pull up and you can modify the intensity of the exercise by moving the level either up and down. Do this exercise for thirty second with no rest. (more…)

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Are You Fit Enough To Finish The Total Gym Challenge?

The Total Gym Challenge

Are you looking for a dynamic and inspiring way to challenge your body, to reach a higher fitness level, and produce real results?

If you can say “YES!” to this question, then my friend, we have a goal! It’s not about being fit enough, it’s about having the will to commit and accept the challenge for YOU. Everyone will start at a different level of fitness and progress at their own pace. This is the exciting part about accepting a challenge for a set period of time and seeing how your body responds.

The workouts can be modified for any fitness level to accommodate a novice or a more experienced participant. So why not accept a challenge that is beneficial for your health and your fitness goals?

What Is The Total Gym Challenge?

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7 Overlooked BBQ Mistakes That Can Make You Sick

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Avoid These Commonly Overlooked BBQ Mistakes That Make You and Your Guests Sick

Having a good old-fashioned BBQ can be lots of fun and makes summer cooking easy. However, there are cookout mistakes that can make you and your guests sick, so keep in mind these safety tips to avoid foodborne illness this summer.

Food Safety Tips for Barbecues

  1. Wash Hands Often
    Wash your hands before beginning any food preparation and keep washing them often, especially if you touch raw meat. Germs linger in many places, so something seemingly harmless like touching a doorknob then touching ready-to-eat foods like fruit, chips or the veggies and dip can lead to foodborne illness. Properly wash hands with soap and warm running water. If you hum “Happy Birthday To You” while washing (approximately one minute), you will know that you’ve washed long enough to remove most harmful germs from your hands.

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Total Gym’s 8 Do’s and Don’ts To Tighten Your Stomach After 40

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How Get A Flat Belly After 40

Life after forty can be fabulous and fit rather than fat and flabby.

Some may say that the second the birthday candles are blown out, their metabolism went on vacation! Was it the extra cake?  Or was the culprit the aging process taking over? How do we prevent this from occurring, knowing aging is inevitable?

If you are over 40, at some point or another, you may have developed a middle age pouch either from lack of exercise, a poor diet, or post-baby. Even though a tummy tuck may sound like a good solution, there are good and natural ways to slow down the fat-storing process, such as eating healthy foods, performing intense core workouts, and having the goal to make it happen!

The 8 Do’s and Don’ts:

Having a flat and firm core after forty takes patience, effort and knowledge of some important facts. A tight tummy is more than just for looks. Here are some ‘core truths’ that can help you banish belly fat and get a flatter, tighter, and ageless midsection!

  1. DO Strengthen Your Core To Improve Your Overall Health– Core muscles support the back, protect vital organs, and allow daily functional movement. Ignoring the core and allowing extra fat increases the risk for coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. (See the workout at the end of the article!)
  2. DON’T Go Crazy On The Crunches – Performing traditional crunches have value, but doing hundreds will not lead to a tighter midsection! Abdominal muscles often stay hidden underneath a thick layer of belly fat, so the key is to train your abs a few times a week with a variety of core movements and burn fat with cardio sessions. More isn’t better!
  3. DON’T Ignore Cardio and Strength Training- A solid combination of cardio and strength training plays a vital role in melting the excess fat the body holds onto. To get a flat tummy and muscle tone, you need to burn off the top layer of fat in order to replace it with lean muscle from strength training. (more…)

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