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Smoothies And Spandex

Smoothies And Spandex

Published by on April 25, 2024

If you have a mental image that every person who exercises wears spandex and sips on smoothies all day, you need to rethink that image. When people start on the road to fitness, they wear comfortable clothing that allows free movement. Spandex is one of those, but not the only one. You might believe they consume only smoothies, rice cakes, and celery. Doing that almost sounds like punishment. Dressing for comfort and movement should be the top priority.

Your clothing should allow you to move freely and keep you cool as you exercise.

The clothing you wear to a gym should be made of the right type of fabric to ensure your comfort. Spandex may be your choice if you need more support and stability when doing strenuous exercises like HIIT or weight lifting. You also need fabric that’s moisture-wicking and breathable. The sweat-wicking material removes the moisture from the inside of the clothing and moves it to the outside where it evaporates so it’s not next to the skin. Breathable fabrics keep you cooler. The top breathable fabric is cotton, which may be why t-shirts are so popular.

You don’t to have drink your meal.

Smoothies are an especially quick way to get loads of fruit and vegetables. They are filling, but not nearly as satisfying as eating a full meal. Our certified nutrition coach can help you create delicious and nutritious meals that will satisfy your appetite. We also provide the convenience of locally-made meals from Aiea Meals that are nutritious, portion-controlled, and delivered to Egan’s Bootcamp facility. You’ll get the pleasure of eating complete and delicious meals without the excess calories.

The focus should always be on fitness and comfort.

People who workout at Egan’s Bootcamp focus on their workout and pay little attention to what others wear. We’re one big caring family and live the spirit of ohana, cheering each other on to success. If you’re more worried about your appearance than your exercise program, you’re not maximizing your experience. Nobody is here for fashion, but for fitness. The 30-minute workout will build your confidence far more than any clothing ever will. .

  • Choosing the best workout clothing is more about how you feel when you wear it working out. You want clothing that provides support without tugging, chaffing, or tightness.
  • Focus on undergarments that provide the support you need, such as bras with wider straps. They should be comfortable, easy to put on and remove, and have a good cut and strap style that doesn’t bind.
  • If you do replace a meal with a smoothie, add superfoods. Blueberries, one superfood, have potent antioxidants. Greek yogurt adds protein, probiotics, B12, riboflavin, and vitamin D.
  • Some workout clothing offers mesh ventilation. Others use modern fabrics that inhibit the growth of odor-causing germs. Always check the label for wickable, breathing fabric that draws moisture and heat away from the body.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

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How To Reward Yourself After A Tough Workout

How To Reward Yourself After A Tough Workout

Published by on April 15, 2024

It is motivating and acknowledges all the effort and mental toughness you exerted.

You’ve just completed a tough workout, so why should you reward yourself? Isn’t finishing the workout reward enough? While the knowledge you finished is a reward, doing something special can further boost your motivation. Achieving something difficult deserves recognition. You won’t see immediate results if you’ve just started your fitness program. It’s important to celebrate the accomplishments along the way.

Taking a day, afternoon, or even an hour to yourself can be a reward.

If you want to soak in a bubble bath for an hour or prefer to take a nap, the choice is yours. Only you can find the prize that will truly reward you for giving it your all. Find your guilty pleasure and do it or buy it. It also could be something you want to avoid. If you hate to cook supper, buy supper that night. Your reward can be not doing something you despise.

If you want something expensive, consider creating a fund.

You might want an outfit out of your price range or a vacation weekend you can’t afford. Make a jar to help make your dream come true. Create a payment schedule that includes regular exercise with a sliding scale based on difficulty. If your average workout was $1, completing a particularly tough one is $5. Put money in the jar after each session. If money is tight, do something different. If you fail to workout that day, add money to the jar. On the last day of the month, donate that money to a good cause.

Track your progress offline or online or tell a friend.

Tracking your information is rewarding. You get to see your accomplishments daily. Elementary school teachers who give stickers for accomplishments understand the power that acknowledgment provides. Those stars or stickers mean something pretty special. Those stickers are similar to the reward you get when you record your progress. Sharing your progress with a friend, especially a workout buddy, or sharing it online provides even more motivation.

  • The importance of the accomplishment doesn’t have to relate to a price range or be something expensive. Rewarding yourself doesn’t require money. You choose your reward, so keep it within your budget.
  • If you’ve accomplished a tough workout, it probably was intense. Make the next day’s workout easier. Spend the next day in active recovery, which also can be a reward. Take a walk, leisurely ride a bike, or go for a swim.
  • Schedule time with friends or family as your way of celebrating. You can let them in on the reason or invite them to join without telling them the reason. Call a friend to meet you for coffee immediately after the workout.
  • One reason group sessions and boot camps are so beneficial is the camaraderie. Everyone knows how hard you’ve worked, so you’ll get plenty of affirmation to keep your motivation high.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

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Flex For Fun

Flex For Fun

Published by on April 5, 2024

The phrase “the more the merrier” is front and center at Egan’s Bootcamp in Honolulu, HI. It’s a place to make new friends, have fun, and improve your fitness to impress others when you flex your muscles. You’ll find a welcoming “ohana” culture dedicated to your success. Besides working out, we provide nutrition training to help you slim down and become the healthy person you were meant to be. Group sessions work for many reasons. Having fun is just one of those.

You’ll have more fun but also be more accountable.

You’ll get the expertise of a personal trainer who designs a program to meet your needs, goals, and fitness level. The trainer checks your progress continuously, holding you accountable. Knowing someone else is also tracking your progress makes it easier to stick with a program. The group also holds you accountable. They notice if you aren’t there. Sometimes, you’ll even have friendly competition that pushes you harder. You’ll work harder and be less likely to quit before you finish your workout.

You’ll get nutrition advice.

Learning to eat healthier is the key to losing weight and sustaining that weight loss. You don’t have to starve yourself or eat rice cakes forever. Saving calories can be as simple as using Greek yogurt on baked potatoes instead of sour cream or eating brown rice instead of white rice. Once you realize how good healthy food tastes, you won’t want to return to eating the empty calories of junk food. We customize your meal plans to your preferences and needs. People often share recipes or offer suggestions of their favorite food at bootcamp.

You’ll save money working out with a group.

Even though you have a personal trainer and nutrition and exercise plan designed specifically for you, it doesn’t cost as much as private sessions. Everyone shares in the cost of the trainer and certified nutrition coach’s time. You’ll get the best of all worlds, a personalized program from experts, and a lower, money-saving price.

  • You’ll never have to diet again when you switch to healthier meals and include exercise in your daily routine. You may want to continue working out with the group since it’s so much fun.
  • You’ll learn to do every exercise correctly. Doing an exercise right boosts progress and helps prevent injury. The trainer shows you the exercise and watches to ensure you do it right every time.
  • If you’re like most people, it’s hard to make new friendships with like-minded adults. Group workouts are one place you can do it. Some people even make lifelong friendships or workout buddies.
  • You’ll develop a habit of exercising. Consistently working out at the same time each day becomes a habit. Habits are hard to break. You’ll feel fabulous and learn how little time it takes to live healthier.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

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How To Build Muscle On A Vegan Diet

How To Build Muscle On A Vegan Diet

Published by on March 25, 2024

If you want to build muscle tissue, you need protein. A vegan diet limits complete protein choices. While it’s harder to build muscle mass, it’s only because you have to be more careful in your menu selections. You have to ensure you have all the essential amino acids necessary to create muscle. There are 21 amino acids, but only nine the body can’t make. These are called essential amino acids. When you eat animal protein, you get all nine essential amino acids. Vegan protein options aren’t as easy to choose. Many of the protein options are incomplete, so they don’t contain all nine essential amino acids.

First make sure your diet contains enough calories.

If you are trying to lose weight and build muscle, don’t cut too many calories or you won’t have enough to build muscle. You may need to increase your caloric intake by 350 to 400 calories. If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t drastically cut your calorie count. Identify the calories required for your weight and cut that number by approximately 500 calories. You’ll have enough calories to build muscle tissue but a deficit to help you shed those extra pounds.

Determine the amount of protein you need.

Building muscle tissue requires approximately 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. The key is to get complete protein. You’ll do that by increasing the variety of protein options you choose and combining them to get a complete protein. Rice is not a complete protein. Neither are red beans. Combining red beans with rice creates a complete protein.

Make sure you get adequate vitamin B12.

One of the vitamins that are plentiful in animal products but limited in a plant-based diet is vitamin B12. You can handle that challenge by increasing the vegan food that contains vitamin B12 or taking supplements. Vegan fortified sources of B12 include non-dairy milk, meat substitutes, nutritional yeast, breakfast cereals, and vegan spreads. Many also contain folic acid—vitamin B-9—which is difficult to get in a vegan diet.

  • Ezekiel bread has many virtues. One of those is it’s vegan. Another is that it’s high in protein. It has about five grams per slice of bread, far more than whole wheat bread with 3.6 grams per slice.
  • Good protein sources for a vegan diet include soy products like tempeh, tofu, edamame, beans and legumes, nutritional yeast, pumpkin seeds, and green peas. Many vegan protein powders contain pumpkin seeds or pea protein.
  • If you’re using protein shakes or protein bars to supplement your diet, research to ensure you’ve chosen one that’s not just a candy bar with a healthy-looking wrapper. No matter what type of food you select, don’t choose it only because it says vegan on the label or has the VE sign.
  • Most of all, exercise regularly. Lift heavy weights and do compound exercises that work all your muscles simultaneously. Do HIIT workouts if you’re trying to lose weight and want to get fit faster.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

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Best Stretches For Tight Muscles

Best Stretches For Tight Muscles

Published by on March 15, 2024

Are tight muscles causing you pain? Consider stretching to bring relief. Stretching can relieve tension. It helps keep muscles more flexible and increases the range of motion. If your muscles become tight with a limited range of motion, they also become weak and prone to injury. If you’re constantly sitting, when you get up, your leg muscles are tight and it’s hard to straighten your legs completely. That can change how you walk and your posture, causing issues in other parts of your body. Stretching tight muscles keeps your entire body functioning at its best.

Stretch up and reach the sky.

If you’re first getting out of bed, touching your toes should be the last thing you do. Your muscles need to be warmed to do that. Start by stretching your arms out and back, similar to yawning arm motions. Stand next to the bed. Raise your arms and try to touch the ceiling, stretching upward as far as you can with your upward body. Bend side-to-side with your arms up then lower your arms and keep them out to your sides and twist your upper-body from side-to-side.

Stretching your hamstrings can bring relief from back pain.

There are many types of hamstring stretches. One of the simplest gets great results. You need a towel to do it. Lie on your back on the floor. Create a loop in a long towel by holding one end in each hand. Loop it around one foot and lift that leg as you keep the other leg on the ground. You’ll start to feel it stretch on the back of your thighs. Hold that position for up to a half minute. Lower your leg and do the other leg. Repeat several times.

Use yoga to loosen muscles and improve flexibility.

Yoga poses are stretches. Many work on core muscles. Combining two poses, the cat and the cow pose, can improve core muscles and help relax tight muscles. Start on your hands and knees on a mat. Do the cat pose first. Arch your back like a cat as you lower your head. Pull your stomach in tightly. Hold that pose for a half minute. Then lift your head and drop your belly, creating a swayback appearance. Hold the pose and return to the cat pose.

  • Do arm circles, across-the-chest stretches, chest expansion, and seated twists to help relieve shoulder tension. Just rolling your shoulders can be enough to bring relief.
  • If you’ve sat at a computer for over an hour, getting up and stretching helps increase mental capabilities and improves overall health. While getting up and stretching is best, seated arm stretches are also beneficial.
  • Doing a butt kick can help relieve muscle tension in the legs. Lift your leg behind you until it touches your bottom or you can’t get it any higher. Eventually, your muscles will loosen until you can reach your buttocks. Repeat on the opposite leg.
  • More flexibility not only protects the muscles from injury and helps prevent pain from muscle tension, but it also helps improve your posture, making you look more assured and thinner. It also improves digestion and other bodily functions.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

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Can Foods Help My Cardiovascular Health?

Can Foods Help My Cardiovascular Health?

Published by on March 5, 2024

There’s a reason we focus on more than exercise at Egan’s Bootcamp in Honolulu, HI. One of the most important factors for improving your health is the food you consume. A diet high in salt, processed meat, and sugar is harmful to your health and dramatically affects your cardiovascular system. To function at its best, the heart needs specific nutrients. Choosing foods that boost heart health and eliminating those that harm it can make a huge difference in your longevity.

It’s all about a healthy balance.

Omega-6 is beneficial to your health and so is omega-3. The key to good health is a good balance between the two. While many people disagree on the exact ratio, it’s somewhere between a 4 to 1 and a 1 to 4 balance with omega-6 being the first number and omega-3 the second. The American diet today is 25 to 1 with omega-6 the 25. Many people believe it’s even worse than that. Why does it matter? Too much omega-6 prevents the body from metabolizing omega-3. That can cause inflammation. Increased inflammation causes an increase in cholesterol, an increased risk for heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Choosing colorful vegetables and fruit can help improve your heart.

Cherries, pomegranates, beets, and red kidney beans all have one thing in common. They all contain anthocyanin. It’s what gives them the red color. Anthocyanin helps lower bad cholesterol and boost good cholesterol. It keeps arteries more flexible. Yellow and orange veggies and fruit contain carotenoids that reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Green vegetables, such as kale, lettuce, or broccoli, contain nutrients to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. If you have a plate filled with a rainbow of colors, you’ll reduce the risk of heart disease.

There’s a reason people soak their feet in Epsom salts.

Soaking in Epsom salts—magnesium sulfate—helps relieve tight muscles. The magnesium in the salts absorbs through the large pores in the soles of the feet. Magnesium helps the muscles relax, including the heart muscle. Lack of it can cause irregular heartbeat, osteoporosis, asthma, and mental disorders. You don’t have to soak in a tub high in magnesium. You can get magnesium from raw spinach, dark chocolate, and avocados.

  • Eating food high in antioxidants can help protect the heart from inflammation. Inflammation can damage arteries and vessels. Lowering inflammation reduces the risk of arteriosclerosis. Asian pears, bananas, carrots, and bell peppers contain antioxidants.
  • You can get vitamin D from the sun in Honolulu. In northern areas, that’s not true all year. Getting vitamin D from egg yolks, cheese, and beef liver helps. Vitamin D reduces the chances of heart disease and boosts immunity.
  • Food high in fiber helps regulate blood sugar. It helps regulate weight and reduces cholesterol. All those things boost heart health.
  • Beans provide a lot of benefits for your heart. They’re high in fiber. They contain folate which reduces the risk of heart disease. Depending on the beans, some contain vitamins A, B, C, and lutein that fight inflammation and prevent hypertension.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

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Incorporate A Stability Ball In Your Life

Incorporate A Stability Ball In Your Life

Published by on February 25, 2024

What’s a stability ball and how does it help boost your fitness? A stability ball works the core muscles that help maintain balance. Just sitting on the ball can increase the effort of the core muscles. Since the ball rolls, it’s harder to maintain stability and creates a workout that’s second to none. Some people use large stability balls as seating when they work at their desks for extended periods. It works the abs and can prevent back pain as you work.

Besides forcing the muscles to work harder, you’ll change position more frequently.

If you use a stability ball as a chair it helps your posture in several ways. First, it builds the core muscles that contribute to good posture and help relieve back pain. You also move more frequently when you use a stability ball as a chair. Changing position more frequently can help prevent stressed muscles and strains. It can eliminate the injuries caused by remaining in the same position too long and increase circulation.

If you want great abs, look no further.

Are washboard abs your goal? You’ll be amazed at how a little effort using the stability ball can help you reach your desired outcome. You can boost the power of crunches and other ab workouts by incorporating it into your session or just use it as a backup to sit on it and let nature take its course. You’ll feel the difference after just a few minutes. People who use the stability ball for the first time often incorporate it into their workout since they can feel the difference immediately.

No matter how you use it, it burns extra calories.

Losing weight can be an incredibly long journey. It seems to take forever to lose just one pound. That’s why anything that can help make it go faster is a benefit. Using a stability ball, whether sitting on it at the computer or using it during a workout, can burn extra calories and help weight loss occur quicker. The muscles put out extra effort that can burn an additional 350 calories a day. That’s an extra pound in just ten days. It won’t replace a traditional workout program or healthy diet but it will provide a bonus you might otherwise miss.

  • Getting up and moving for five minutes every hour is recommended to be your healthiest. When you’re using a stability ball as a chair, you’ll be more apt to do it.
  • People sit on stability balls to relieve back pain. Several exercises with this equipment can diminish tight muscles quickly and leave you feeling great.
  • Besides building abdominal muscles, you’ll improve your balance by exercising with a stability ball. It can help improve your overall grace and prevent unnecessary falls.
  • Using a stability ball frequently can help improve your circulation. Improved circulation helps all parts of the body from the skin to the heart.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

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Should You Worry About Hormones In Food?

Should You Worry About Hormones In Food?

Published by on February 15, 2024

Today’s society is further from their source of food than ever. When people raised their food, they knew what those animals ate and didn’t use chemicals to boost productivity. Today, food might as well be grown on a different planet. A lot happens at factory farms that were never part of farming. Farmers give hormones to animals so they grow bigger or mature faster. There are hormones given to cows to produce 15% more milk, and beef cows get shots to grow to full size 20% faster. Even fish are given hormones to mature twice as fast. We’re eating the treated animals, so does that mean we’re also getting the treatment? Are there hormones in food we should worry about?

Organic pastured beef has become popular.

The FDA has tested the food and agrees that there is no harm in eating the meat from animals given hormones. The limited research results don’t indicate whether it is a problem. One widely used hormone is rBGH—recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone. It boosts milk production in cows. Do these pass on to people consuming animal products? It’s no wonder people are choosing a more natural option for their food, organically grown meat and milk from pastured cattle.

rBGH is in the milk.

The biggest concern about hormones occurs with milk production. Does drinking milk from animals using rBGH increase IGF-1—growth hormone levels? What are the effects of that increase? Does it increase the risk of cancer? Animals given rBGH tend to have more udder infections, causing farmers to give antibiotics. Does the increased use of antibiotics cause antibiotic-resistant bacteria?

rBGH does trigger the production of IGF-1.

rBGH won’t hurt you, but it does trigger the release of IGF-1—insulin like growth factor that may affect your health. The human body produces it, as do cows. The question is whether the rBGH increases it beyond normal levels and whether that can affect humans. There is a link between prostate, colorectal, and breast cancer and high levels of IGF-1 in the blood. Although there’s a link, scientists still don’t understand what that means for health.

  • Some evidence indicates that pasteurization does not deactivate the IGF-1 in milk and whether it’s absorbed through the digestive tract. One study suggested that the increase would only be 0.09% of normal daily production.
  • Another study identified that even if an infant drank 1.5 liters of milk with IGF-1 protein, it would be less than a 1% increase of the child’s normal daily production and have no effect.
  • Concern grew enough to create an outcry in the market. Today you’ll find products labeled rBGH or rBST-free. It doesn’t mean they didn’t use other synthetic hormones raising the animals.
  • Large companies like Kraft have now started using milk from cows raised without the use of rBGH in their Natural Cheese product, even though they found no significant difference between the milk from treated or untreated cows.

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

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Are You As Healthy As You Think You Are?

Are You As Healthy As You Think You Are?

Published by on February 5, 2024

Many people in Honolulu, HI, take their good health for granted. They believe they’re healthier than they are. Most won’t visit the doctor and have the appropriate tests to prove they’re healthy or if they have a chronic underlying issue that needs to be addressed. These silent chronic illnesses are more dangerous or just as dangerous as any virus that spikes a fever or sends you to bed.

Do you have problems with chronic inflammation?

Inflammation is like fire. It’s beneficial in most cases unless it gets out of hand. It’s the body’s way of eliminating pathogens, damaged cells, and other irritants. It causes fevers that help destroy viruses and bacteria, preventing further damage. It helps speed the healing of wounds. Like fire, it can get out of control. Then the inflammation goes from acute to chronic. It is low-grade and can lead to serious conditions like cancer. Checking inflammation levels can identify problems earlier.

Are your belly bugs in balance?

Your gut microbiome controls more than just digestion. It plays a role in your overall health, including your mental health. Your microbiome is easier to control than several other issues in the body. Making lifestyle changes can help. The food you eat, medications, stress level, and weight can make a difference between a healthy microbiome and an unhealthy one. If your microbiome is off kilter, it can cause weight gain and other problems. If you’re chronically bloated and gassy, check with a doctor.

Are you getting the benefits of all the necessary minerals, vitamins, and nutrients?

Having a blood test can pinpoint any nutrient deficiencies, whether it’s vitamin D, iron, or other important nutrient. Having a blood profile can look at all the body’s nutrient levels and pinpoint areas where an improved diet could help. It also can show places where absorption isn’t adequate or some other health condition exists.

  • Your eyes can show when there’s an internal problem and so can your skin. Rashes, eczema, acne, and other skin problems indicate you may have an underlying health condition. Skin problems can also indicate digestive issues.
  • Are you getting a good night’s sleep without waking up several times throughout the night? If you sleep through the night and wake up refreshed, it’s a sign of a healthy lifestyle. Waking up tired is an indicator there’s a problem.
  • You don’t need a doctor to tell you that you’re getting winded doing simple tasks and that’s not good. If loading groceries into your car makes you want to sit and rest, talk to your doctor. You may need to increase your daily exercise, lose weight, or have a health issue that needs addressing.
  • Is your blood sugar stable? Do you go through super lows where your personality changes or you are ready to drop? Do you suffer from cravings that may indicate stress, hormonal imbalances, or instability of blood sugar?

For more information, contact us today at Hawaii Fit Camp!

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