What are some medications that cause weight gain?

• Antidepressants
• Thyroid medication
• Hypertension medication
• Antihistamines
• Mood stabilizers
• Asthma medication (steriods)

What causes muscle soreness?

Muscle soreness has many origins, one of the major causes appears to be damage to the connective tissue of the muscle. This damage usually follows eccentric contractions during weight training (i.e., lowering weight during chest press). Microscopic tearing of muscle fiber is also present during prolonged endurance events at a high intensity. (i.e., marathon running). Adequate stretching appears to help prevention of soreness, along with an adequate warm-up, and avoiding excessive eccentric contractions during weight training.

Why is strength training so important?

• By gaining muscle you can increase your resting metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day. In the long run you'll lose more fat.
• You can increase your muscle strength to make it easier to perform activities of daily living.
• Weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density by 13% in six months.
• You can reduce risk of adult onset diabetes by increasing glucose utilization.
• Lessen or even eliminate back pain by strengthening the core muscles of lower back and abdomen.
• Improve your athletic ability, decrease your risk for injury, and become more efficient in your movement for any sport from golf to tennis.
• Fight heart disease by improving your blood pressure and cholesterol profile with a well-rounded program that includes aerobic exercise and flexibility training.

What can I do to stay consistent with my fitness program?

The most effective way to stick with an exercise program is to add variety to your workouts through periodization, which means making systematic changes in your fitness routine. Periodizing will help you avoid injury, overtraining, and boredom. In return you will make greater gains and improve your overall fitness. Give purpose to every workout. By having a well-defined goal you can carefully integrate an effective exercise session by monitoring your progress in a workout log. Start each workout with an adequate warm up with low exertion rhythmic movements and stretching. Progress slowly and gradually. Add a combination of strength training, cardiovascular exercise, flexibility training, and mind body exercise like yoga in your fitness program. By changing your exercise routine daily, your fitness program will be more meaningful, exciting, and effective. Evaluate your progress every four to eight weeks. Keep a detailed record, monitor your results, and be prepared to change your workouts to accommodate soreness, mood, or illness.

How do I get my stomach in shape and get rid of those love handles?

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as spot reduction. Therefore, doing a high number of abdominal crunches won't eliminate the stored fat that everyone carries around the midsection. A complete exercise program which incorporates abdominal training, consistent aerobic activity, strength training, flexibility training, and most important of all a healthy diet will help you reach your goals.

What is staleness?

Staleness or overtraining can be related to chronic fatigue. Chronic fatigue may result in when stores of muscle glycogen are lowered over the course of several days of intensive training. A training schedule that does not allow adequate recovery has shown to drastically reduce glycogen stores in working musculature, even when normal amounts of carbohydrates are consumed. Other factors in staleness besides chronic fatigue can be related to boredom, depression, and lack of interest.

How long does it take for weight training programs to produce noticeable gains?

With just about any training program, strength gains may be noticeable within four weeks of training, when the training frequency is three times a week. Greater strength gains may be obtained by training five days a week, using five to ten maximal contractions held for five seconds each.

What is interval training?

Interval training programs consist of repeated bouts of exercise alternated with periods of relief.(the relief periods consist of light or mild exercise.) The biggest advantage of the interval training system is that it develops all three energy systems. Circuit training is a form of interval training which consists of several exercise stations, where the person performs a given activity within a specified time period. The activities consist of mainly weight resistance exercises; however running, swimming, cycling, or calisthenics may also be included. Interval training is designed to increase strength, muscular endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, and flexibility.

Why do diets fail?

There have been thousands of weight loss diets marketed promising permanent weight loss, but most of them don't work on a permanent basis. The commercial weight-loss market generates nearly $36 billion each year on repeat business. Many people rush into these yo-yo diets losing weight and gaining it back. Conventional weight loss programs experience a 98% failure rate.Most of these diets rely on medical therapies, nutritional supplements, surgery, calorie restriction, and psychological strategies. None of these systems take into consideration genetics, metabolism, fitness level, medical history, and your current lifestyle. Leave the yo-yo diet cycle and eat a consistent number of calories determined by your Basal Metabolic Rate and exercise habits. Proper nutrition, productive exercise, and the right positive motivation from a qualified personal trainer will get you on the right track toward long-term weight management.