Women sometimes avoid lifting heavy weights for lots of reasons but the most common reason is that they mistakenly think it will make them look bulky or manly. Study after study has disproven the 'bulky" myth and proven the benefits of strength training for your overall health and for fat loss. Let's debunk 5 myths, shall we? Myth #1 - strength training will create a bulky/manly look for women.This is completely false and a very common myth. Women do not produce enough testosterone to create the bulk that a man can. Research shows that men and women build muscle very differently even on similar training programs. As a women, unless you are taking testosterone injections or eating in a large calorie surplus, you will not get big and bulky like man can. However, you can use strength training as a tool to build muscle to make your muscles look more defined and aid in fat loss which will reveal your beautiful muscles! myth #2 - women can't lose weight through lifting100% false! The truth is quite the opposite. The BEST tool for aiding in fat loss is strength training. Lift more, lose more! It is a common misconception that long, steady state cardio workouts is best for fat loss and calorie burn when in fact, you burn as many if not more with strength training. When you lift weights you create an "after burn" effect. This means that our body continues to burn calories after your workout is over during the recovery process for a longer period of time. When you stop doing steady state cardio, like jogging, biking or walking, you stop burning calories. I am not saying steady state cardio doesn't have a place in your workout routine but strength training and increasing your cardio intensity in bursts of shorter intervals should be your center focus for fat loss. Plus, research shows that your body uses more energy to maintain your muscle mass so the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate! myth #3 - training one area will target fat loss specifically to that area.False. Sorry guys but you cannot spot reduce your body fat. You cannot burn fat in specific areas of your body with targeted exercise. You can gain strength and build muscle but your body will lose the fat wherever it wants, based mostly on your genetics, and only when you are in a consistent calorie deficit. myth #4 - lifting light weights with high reps will give you a "toned" look.The fitness industry created this word "toned" to sell more gym memberships and get more women into "toning" classes. Your muscles can get bigger or smaller but you cannot change the shape. You can however lose body fat and reveal your muscles but you cannot "elongate or tone" the look of them nor can you spot reduce your body fat. Lifting lighter weights with high reps will increase your muscle endurance but it's not as effective for building muscle, which is really what it means when you hear the word "toned." Again, lifting heavy weights builds muscle and aids in fat loss so that you can reveal all the hard work you do lifting so to show off those strong muscles, feel empowered and stay functional in your life! myth #5 - It's scary or intimidating to begin a strength training routine.Learning anything new can be a little scary, however if you have a knowledgable coach that can walk you through proper form, teach correct strength training so to void injury and make the most out of your lifting time, you will be successful and feel strong and empowered! You should start with the basics, learn proper form first and then begin to increase the weight you lift over time as you gain proper knowledge and strength. Strength training benefits are huge. It improves your overall health by aiding in fat loss, increasing your metabolism, building bone density and joint strength, decreases your risk for numerous diseases, it makes you feel confident and empowered, gives you more strength to go about your life functionally and without injury.
As an experienced, educated and knowledgable trainer, I am happy to help you with any questions you have about strength training and how it can improve your health and your life. Shoot me an email anytime.
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As a trainer and nutrition coach, I teach my clients how to create new habits to reach their health and fitness goals. Most of my client's goals center around reducing body fat, gaining muscle and creating healthier habits. No matter what your goals are, changing your body composition is downright hard. Everyone struggles, but here are some hard truths that I share with my clients that can be eye opening and may just help nudge you in the right direction towards your goals. 1. It will take longer than you thinkNo matter what your goals are, it will take longer than you think. There is no shortcut, there is no quick fix. Building new habits that serve your health goals takes time and consistency. You will need to manage your timeline expectations. 2. no one can make the changes you need but youYou and only you are responsible for your own choices everyday. Whether it be a workout or food choices, it is all on you to make the choice that best serves your goals. This is a good thing because it also means that you are in total control! 3. the only road to fat loss is a calorie deficitThe science is clear, the only road to fat loss is a calorie deficit, the only road to maintaining your current weight is to eat at your maintenance calories and the only road to weight gain is to eat in a calorie surplus. Read that again. It all comes down to calories in/calories out. You must burn more calories than you take in. Most people underestimate how many calories they eat in a day and overestimate how many calories they burn in a day. It can be an easy trap to fall into. A great tool to assess how much you are eating for a period of time, is to keep an accurate and honest food journal. 4. you must be consistentIf you are not seeing the results you want, then you are not being as consistent as you need to be over time. Not being consistent will stall your progress. Building healthy habits that last and are consistent is key. 5. You cannot rush itThe more you try to speed up the process the more you are setting yourself back. Again, there are no shortcuts that are lasting. You must change your overall daily habits for long term success. 6. you must make sacrificesLast but certainly not least, you will have to make sacrifices to see the changes that you want. You cannot keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results. Changing your daily health habits must become a priority in your life. You don't have to make huge changes fast, but you can slowly make small changes that add up over time. Making sacrifices and changes are inevitable if you want to see the results you seek.
If you are interested in exploring your health and fitness goals with me, I am happy to chat with you for a free consultation about what you are seeking and my coaching process. Some of my clients are in other cities and I coach them remotely, so you don't need to live near me. You can visit my client testimonial page and see before and after pics on my nutritional coaching page. Contact me at [email protected] or text or call 210-332-7253 Society teaches us that drinking is normal and just part of our culture, but many people don't realize or choose to ignore the heavy risk and damage it causes. Studies show that even one drink per day can cause long term brain damage and add huge roadblocks to your fitness goals. If you are a regular drinker, it's time to take a look and rethink the habit. You will be surprised at how amazing you feel when you lay off drinking. Here are six (very convincing) reasons to ditch the drinks for your health! 1. Brain functionI wanted to start with this one because it is the most recent research out on this topic and the results are eye opening! A recent study out of the UK found that just one alcoholic drink per day can literally shrink and age your brain. And as expected, the more you drink the worse the damage. "On average, people at age 50 who drank a pint of beer or 6-ounce glass of wine (two alcohol units) a day in the last month had brains that appeared two years older than those who only drank a half of a beer (one unit). The brains of people that age who said they drank three alcohol units a day had reductions in both white and gray matter that looked as if they had added 3.5 years to the ages of their brains." -CNN news report on the study These findings show that even moderate regular drinking causes serious brain problems. Ultimately, keeping your brain healthy long term and alcohol don't mix. 2. Weight gainDrinking alcohol will make you gain weight because it's high in calories, it makes you hungry and leads to poor food choices. The calories in alcohol are "empty calories", you are providing zero nutritional value to your body while consuming excess calories. Alcohol also increases your appetite, you are more likely to make food choices that do not serve your health and eat them in larger quantities than you would normally. Then add in a hangover, and it's a perfect storm for overeating and skipping your workout. Alcohol actually slows your metabolism, weakens your muscles and makes you feel fatigued. If you have fitness and health goals drinking alcohol will not help you reach those goals, in fact it will stall or reverse your progress. 3. athletic performance"Alcohol use is directly linked to the rate of injury sustained in sport events and appears to evoke detrimental effects on exercise performance capacity." -Better health Studies show that drinking alcohol reduces muscle strength and growth, negatively effects the cardiovascular system and increases risk for injury. It will hinder your fitness progress and hold you back from making the gains you are looking for. If you want to grow stronger, improve athletic performance, get faster and more functional, skip the booze. 4. Sleep disruptionAlcohol and getting a good nights sleep don't mix. Getting proper sleep is essential to muscle repair and recovery, keeping your appetite in check, mental health, alertness and energy. Studies show that even one drink before bed reduces the amount of the precious REM sleep that we all need. The more you drink the worse the REM disruptions gets. You may think having that drink will help you sleep, but that is a myth. You might fall asleep faster but the sleep that counts most (REM) sleep lessens which disrupts nearly all aspects of health. 5. Increase risk of deadly diseasesThe Center for Disease Control states, "There is strong scientific evidence that drinking alcohol increases the risk for cancer, including cancers of the mouth and throat, liver, breast (in women), colon and rectum, and for some types of cancer, the risk increases even at low levels of alcohol consumption (less than 1 drink in a day). The evidence indicates that the more alcohol a person drinks, the higher his or her risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer." -CDC Ditching the drinks will lower your risks for so many deadly diseases, it is just a cold hard fact. 6. worsens stress levelsI say this all the time, the one thing that never lets me down 100% of the time to relive my stress is a workout. It is proven to be the best form of stress relief. You might think that having that drink relieves your stress but that is another myth. In fact, it actually worsens your stress. Alcohol causes the release of hormones that cause stress like cortisol. It shifts your hormonal balance to increase stress. It might feel like it helps in the moment, but long term you are making your stress worse. If you want to relieve your stress, skip the booze and get a workout. It can be any workout including walking, running, biking, yoga, a fitness class, or whatever you enjoy. You can still be the life of the party and have fun without drinking. Don't let fear of missing out (FOMO) stop you from being healthy and achieving your fitness goals. Your long term health is more important than a short term buzz. When you are out, have a sparkling water with a lime and splash of cherry juice, or treat yourself to a "mocktail" so you still feel like you are part of the group but you will feel proud that you are the one crushing your health goals!
I propose that we work on loving ourselves and appreciating our amazing bodies this Valentine's Day! Society has trained us all to hate certain parts of our bodies, especially as we age, after childbirth, or with weight gain. We all struggle, which is hard, but it negatively affects our self-esteem, mental health, and motivation. Here are ten things you can do to improve and create a more loving relationship with yourself and your body. 1. flip the scriptFor every negative thought in your head or word out of your mouth relating to your body, replace it with three positive ones. You can slowly train yourself to reframe your inner and outer dialog. For example, ask yourself, "Would I say these things to my child or best friend?" If the answer is no, stop and respond to yourself with three positive thoughts about your body. What you say to yourself is very powerful. For example, if you hear yourself saying, "I hate my thighs," reframe it with something like this, "My thighs serve me well and are strong enough to get me where I want to go." It's ok to have fitness or weight loss goals to improve your health. However, being unkind to yourself will only hinder that process by lessening your motivation and creating self-pity, which leads you down the path of serving habits that don't suit your health. I'll repeat it, what you say to yourself is very powerful! 2. Commit to itCommit to being kinder to yourself. Say it out loud, "I am committing to saying nice things to myself and kind things about my body." Our bodies are amazing! They can create life, sustain life, walk, run, lift, grow, and so much more! Think about what your body has given you throughout your life and how it has served you well. Commit to being kind to it every day. 3. Ditch the "perfect body" equals happiness narrativeStop saying to yourself, "When I get to this weight or this size, I will finally be happy." That statement is false. Happiness does not come from a number on the scale or a clothing tag! Human beings all have unique body types and genetic makeups. The "perfect body" does not exist and is unattainable. If you have goals for fitness and health, trying to reach an impossible goal only brings frustration and the risk of failure. That will certainly not motivate you or help build sustainable, healthier habits. Make realistic and smaller goals. For example, a great plan could be performing a certain number of push-ups or pull-ups, reaching a daily step goal, eating one more serving of fruits and vegetables a day, attending several fitness classes per week, or 5 minutes of meditation each day. Focus on smaller, more realistic goals, and your larger ones will come in time. 4. STOP judging and comparing yourself to other peoples bodiesJust stop it! We are all different and unique and come from different backgrounds, experiences, and genetic make-ups. Comparing yourself to someone else's body is like comparing apples to oranges or the ocean to the mountains. Both are beautiful and unique and wonderfully different things on this earth, but judging them against each other is a waste of time and energy. Comparing your body to someones else's body will not serve you or your goals. Think of your body as its unique vessel that suits you, only you, and no one else. 5. Cleanse your social mediaIf you see things in your social media feed that make you feel bad about your body, delete, unfollow, unlike, unfriend, or whatever you must do to get it out of your sight. Don't fall into the trap of unrealistic expectations with photoshopped and video-edited bodies that aren't real! Get it out of your feed, and you will be glad you did. 6. positive affirmationsI don't care what anyone says, Stewart Smalley from SNL had it right! It might seem cheesy, but who cares?!?! If something helps you, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks! I get notifications on my watch and phone daily with a positive affirmations. I read it and sometimes say it out loud. It is lovely and helps me tremendously. It's a powerful tool that provides verbiage to retrain thinking around certain things especially being kinder to yourself. There are lots of free apps for this. Get one! 7. Thank your body for how it serves you everyday.Practicing gratitude towards the amazing things your body has done, can do, and will do for you, is another powerful tool to repair your relationship with it. Think about all the great things your body has accomplished and thank it daily. Say to yourself, "Thank you, body, for giving my life so much. I am grateful." 8. Stop punishing yourselfSuppose you beat yourself up for having a bowl of ice cream or look at your workouts as punishment for eating foods that don't serve your goals, STOP it! Thinking this way harms your self-esteem and will only lead to repeating cycles of bad habits that don't work for you. Everyone enjoys an indulgence, and research shows making a habit of giving yourself a treat now and then is healthy. Depriving yourself and being too restrictive with your diet leads to overindulgence and binge behavior. Instead, look at having a treat as an act of love, treating your body to something it enjoys rather than being "bad." There are no "bad" or "good" foods. Food is food. Research shows that exercise is a gift to your body, builds precious muscle, keeps your heart and lungs healthy, improves your mood, improves your quality of life, and extends your life. It should not be punishment for what you ate. You cannot out exercise poor diet, period. So looking at it as punishment is pointless if you think it will ex out foods you ate. That kind of thinking will cause associating workouts with dread and increase the likelihood of giving up. Say to yourself, "This workout will make me feel amazing and give my body what it needs to be healthy and strong." 9. feed your body healthy foods full of nutrients it needsIn addition to that treat now and then, feeding your body proper nutrition will make you feel good about yourself. Eating all the colors of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and lots of water will give your body what it needs to be the best it can be. Healthy foods are also a gift to your body and improve many aspects of your life, including mood, digestion, sleep, and fuel your workouts. Loving your body enough to create healthy eating habits most of the time will improve your relationship with your body, and you will feel great! 10. move your body everydayResearch has proven that a sedentary life is a shorter life. A life without movement and exercise contributes to obesity and increases your risk for chronic and deadly diseases. Being active helps you appreciate your body and gives you confidence when you see the health benefits and experience how good it makes you feel. Any regular activity throughout your day is fantastic! I hope these suggestions help you love yourself more, even when it's hard. So choose to love yourself this Valentine's Day! Keeping your workout routine new and exciting by mixing up different workouts into your routine has enormous benefits to your fitness goals and overall physical and mental health. Here are 5 reasons to mix it up and some ideas for different workouts to keep it fresh. 5 REASONS TO MIX UP YOUR WORKOUTS 1. Injury Prevention Overuse injuries are very common when people do the same repetitive movement over and over. These injuries can occur anywhere on the body and can be chronic. Mixing up the workout styles you do throughout your week gives your muscle groups, joints and ligaments time to heal and recover, while still working other muscle groups. 2. Pushing Past Plateaus Whether your goal is to lose weight, complete a 5K, grow muscle, or all of the above, it is common to reach a plateau and feel stuck. Mixing up your workouts keeps your body from acclimating to one style of movement. Your body becomes more and more efficient over time and will burn less calories at one particular movement like running, swimming etc. If you confuse your muscle groups with cross-training you will make the gains and strides you are seeking. 3. Beat workout Boredom If you find yourself counting down the minutes until your workout is over, you need a mix up. Boredom will not serve you well and you will be less likely to stick to it. You should leave your workout feeling invigorated and happy. It is exciting to try new things and seek out new ways to have fun with workouts. Being open to new experiences will not only serve your physical goals but it will also serve your mental health. 4. Build New Muscles Building new muscles physically and mentally benefits your over-all health. There is study after study citing overwhelming evidence that having more muscle can help prevent numerous deadly diseases, increase your metabolism and prevent injury. Mixing up your workout activates muscle groups you many not use often and will work to build that precious muscle you need. It also activates your mind requiring your mental muscle, coordination and mind-body connection to flex by moving your body in different ways. 5. Make New Friends The social aspect of joining into group fitness is huge for accountability, consistency and mental health. Making new friends is fun, exciting, and helps you look forward to the next workout together whether in person or virtually. Bonding over how the workout makes you feel and how fun or challenging it is, keeps you motivated. Of course making friends might seem easier in person, but you will be surprised at how quickly a virtual group becomes a community by taking a few minutes before or after class to get to know each other and talk about how the workout felt with like minded friends. It's great to mix both in person and virtual classes throughout your week, that way you meet people locally and from all over. It may also give you more options for class formats and time slots from home. SOLUTIONS TO KEEP IT FRESH Don't let the title or name of a class intimidate you. You will be surprised at how most classes will offer modifications and various levels of intensity to accommodate all fitness levels. Be open to trying new things, what is the worst thing that can happen? Maybe you get into it and realize it's not for you, so what. OR maybe you get into it and realize you love it and now have a new option to benefit your goals! It's worth a try. YOGA- All styles of yoga are good for you. Whether you try a power flow vinyasa, restorative, yogalates (Yoga/Pilates mix) or balance/meditative, you will find that one or more benefit your strength, mobility, muscle recovery and mental health. HIIT- High Intensity Interval Training may sound intimidating but it's not as crazy as you think. This class consists of cardio, strength and core moves in various time intervals of work and rest. There are modifications and levels of intensity/low and high impact for every move so all levels of fitness can participate. The science behind the benefits of HIIT are huge, giving your body a great mix up, working your whole body, varying muscle groups and improving your cardiovascular fitness. It is proven to be a very effective and efficient way to get a total body workout and burn lots of calories. STRENGTH TRAINING- As I mentioned before, the list of science proving the great benefits of strength training is endless. Whether you train with body weight or with weights, your body is getting stronger, faster and more functional. Form is key to preventing injury, get with an instructor who can guide you through proper form in a class or one on one so that you can get stronger safely. CARDIO- Taking a dance class like Zumba or hiphop, or mixing up your cardio with cycle or a cardio focused class keeps your heart and lungs healthy. Fluctuating your heart rate and also keeping it at an elevated steady state for various periods of time, burns calories and gives you the cardiovascular benefits you need. As a trainer, I highly encourage and recommend that my clients be open to various formats and mix up their workout routine. Give your routine an overhaul and you will love the results! Amy Francis is a certified and experienced group fitness trainer, personal trainer and nutritional coach based in Colorado. 15 years in the fitness industry with many happy clients, Amy offers in person and virtual classes. Try some classes for free!
Sticking to a workout routine or building any new habit can be a challenging task. However, using a few simple tools to slowly build up habits 1% at a time, can bring a successful outcome. I drew ideas for this post from a book called "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. This book has an interesting story about an event in the author's life and how it led him to become a writer focusing on habit building and the science and psychology behind it. His approach is all about small changes building to bigger ones. 1. Change Your Mindset Self-talk is a powerful way to change your mindset Rerouting your inner by dialog changing the things you say to yourself from "I have to workout" to "I want to workout" or "If I don't workout, I won't be healthy" to "I am going to feel so good after this workout." Shift the way you perceive the activity through positive self talk. Just identify the negative thought and shift it to a positive one. 2. Take It Easy I bet you haven't heard someone tell you to "take it easy" when talking about workout routines! If you go too hard too fast you are at high risk for burnout and injury. Starting small gives you the opportunity to be successful, build confidence while gaining strength slowly. For example, If you want to be able to run a 5K, you don't just go out and run 5K after not running for years. You take it easy, start with 1/2 to 1 mile walk and work up slowly over time to a 1/2 to 1 mile run and so on. Take your levels of intensity slow and steady and work up to it as you grow stronger over time. Start with small goals that are easy to attain, and then build upon that. 3. Affirm Out loud Affirming to yourself out loud is a powerful tool to stay on track. When you feel unmotivated to workout say to yourself out loud "I am feeling unmotivated to do my workout today but I know that after I finish I will feel great and proud of myself. I also know that if I don't do this workout, I will feel guilty for not doing what I said I would do." Laying out the positive and negative reinforcements you will face post workout and saying it out loud helps you see what is clearly the better choice. 4. Get An Accountability Buddy Finding support is key to sticking to a new routine. An accountability partner is someone who will cheer you on and help keep you accountable. This person can be supportive verbally as your cheerleader or they can be someone that you workout with which gives you someone else to "show up" for. You can be accountable to each other if you have similar goals. This person can be a friend, parent, sibling, health coach or anyone who will be an uplifting voice of support. If you don't have someone like this in your life there are tons of Facebook groups or other online support groups that can help you find a buddy to stay accountable to. I hope these tips help you stick to your workout routine. I highly suggest you read the book "Atomic Habits" by James Clear if you want a deeper dive into this topic that can apply to any area of your life for building new positive habits and change. Amy Francis is a certified and experienced group fitness trainer, personal trainer and nutritional coach based in Colorado. 15 years in the fitness industry with many happy clients, Amy offers in person and virtual classes. Try some classes for free!
Choose the level of intensity that fits you. In your workout, choosing the right level of intensity that fits where you are today in your fitness journey is key to sticking to a workout routine. If you go too hard too soon, you risk injury and burnout which will surely stall your fitness goals. Respecting and listening to your body so that you can keep working out, is key to making gains. As a trainer and while instructing my classes, I offer several levels of intensity that fit people at all fitness levels. If you are coming back to workouts after a break, are new to fitness or rehabbing an injury, staying at the level one intensity is very important. As you gain strength and endurance, it will be time to move up the levels and push your body. However, don't rush it, take your time and your body will tell you when it becomes too easy and then you will need to step it up a notch. The levels explained During my in person and virtual class workouts, I demo the moves for several levels of intensity. I usually give the level 1 first and then work up from there. Level 1 being the least intense and lowest impact and then level 2 and above takes it up a notch incrementally to higher impact, harder moves and heavier weights. Levels for cardio moves Let's look at the levels of intensity for a simple cardio move like the jumping jack. Level 1 jumping jack This level is low impact with no jumping off the ground. You will tap your feet out to the side one at a time and then touch your hands above your head. This will still get your heart rate up especially if you increase speed but won't add too much pressure to your lower body joints. Level 2 jumping jack This level adds the jumping motion in a jumping jack that we all know where your feet come off the ground jumping side to side. Level 3 jack with a squat This levels adds an extra lower body explosive element. Challenging your lower body muscle strength and endurance plus adding a more difficult cardio element. Level 4 is a star jumping jack This move is a big explosive plyometric move where both feet come off the ground at the same time and don't return to the ground until the feet come together. This level is for those who are ready to seek a bigger more intense challenge. Levels for strength training with weights If you are doing strength training with weights your levels of intensity are the weights you choose for a movement. Lighter weights being the lower level and heavier being higher level. You want to choose a weight that takes you as close to muscle failure as possible during your workout. When you are starting out with strength training, that will be lighter weights and as you grow stronger you will need to shift to heavier and harder weights to get you to failure and build your precious muscle. It is very easy to injure yourself while lifting weights, so until you get the form down, it is best to lift lighter weights. As you master the form and gain strength, you can lift heavier weights and reach muscle failure faster. Levels for strength training with body weight For body weight strength training there are modifications you can choose to reduce the load of the movement. For example, lets look at a push-up. Level 1 push-up This level can be performed in a tabletop position with your knees under your hips or on the wall. Level 2 push-up This level places your knees pushed back and your hips driving towards the floor. Level 3 push-up This move is on your toes. Level 4 push-up This higher level is the push-up done on a single leg. Toggling between the levels as you grow stronger I love to tell my clients that have shown some strength gains, to try the higher level for a few reps and then go back down to the lower level and go back and forth. Its a great way to "dip your toe in the water" to so speak with the harder level moves. Toggling between levels is a great way to teach your body to tolerate harder moves. I always encourage clients to listen to their bodies and take it down a notch if their body is telling them to, or take it up a notch if they feel good and are ready bring it to the next level that day. Not every day will feel great or not so great, so take it one day at a time and if you listen to your body, are consistent and stick to your fitness routine, you will move up the levels faster than you think and crush it like a beast! Amy Francis is a certified and experienced group fitness trainer, personal trainer and nutritional coach based in Colorado. 15 years in the fitness industry with many happy clients, Amy offers in person and virtual classes. Try some classes for free!
Setting up a special space in your home for your virtual fitness classes is key to motivation and consistency. Using the same space in your home for every workout trains your brain to get into workout mode when you enter the space for your daily routine. Choosing the right space Your workout area does not have to be a big space, it just needs to be large enough to fit a yoga mat and have some room to move around. This area can be your living room, basement or any corner in your home, office or bedroom. Store your equipment in your workout space Storing the equipment in the same area you take your classes is important for making it feel inviting for your workouts. This also keeps the equipment handy so you don't have to drag it out from a different area every time. Many classes don't require any equipment but for some classes you might need a few hand weights, a resistance band or a yoga mat depending on the class format you are taking. It is important to store all of these items near your workout space to give it an inviting fitness studio feel. Use a larger viewing screen Using a larger screen such as casting from your laptop to a TV screen or viewing from a large monitor or large laptop is a great way to see your instructor better. The larger view makes it feel more like an in person experience. This view will enable you to see the instructor cue correct form so to follow along with the workouts more clearly. Set your lighting If you are taking a high intensity class such as HIIT or cardio intervals you probably want a brighter lighting setting. However, if you are taking yoga or stretch and meditation class you may want dimmer lighting to create a calmer setting for your workout. Make the lighting fit the workout and class format vibe! Enjoy your workout! There are so many great options for virtual classes, you never need to leave the comfort of your own home to get an awesome workout that's fit just for you. Amy Francis is a certified and experienced group fitness trainer, personal trainer and nutritional coach based in Colorado. 15 years in the fitness industry with many happy clients, Amy offers in person and virtual classes. Try some classes for free!
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AuthorAmy has spent her career helping others reach their health and fitness goals. "I hope sharing my knowledge and experience with others can help someone to live a healthier and more joyous life." Archives
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