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Gym Essentials to Ask for This Christmas

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With the holidays approaching, now is a great time to start putting together your Christmas list, and what better items to ask for than gym equipment? It's incredibly useful, and your relatives will be impressed with your new lifestyle change. Here are some essential items I use all the time in my fitness journey that you should put on your list to Santa:  1. Gym Clothes I used to throw on shorts and a T-shirt for a workout, but I really enjoy getting DRESSED for the gym -- similar to getting dressed up to go to a nice restaurant. It makes me feel confident and like I belong. There are so many fitness brands that exist today that didn't five years ago. Some brands are really good, and others are far too expensive for what you receive. My favorite fitness clothing brand is YoungLA. Their items have gone up in price lately due to their surge in popularity, but most of the items I have received have been amazing. Gymshark is also a strong brand choice. Their clothing is not as wel...
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A Beginner's Guide to Fitness

 Starting a fitness journey can feel intimidating, but it's a powerful step in the right direction towards improving both your physical and mental health. It's important to remember that everyone starts somewhere, and that it's normal to feel unsure at first whether or not working out is for you. I assure you, working out IS for you, and it will be one of the best decisions you ever make. In this article, I will outline the first steps you should take on your fitness journey. Understanding Fitness Fitness is an umbrella term that includes your physical, mental and emotional well-being. There are five components of fitness: strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and body composition. Mastering these five components will ultimately help you improve your physical, mental and emotional well-being and truly make you a healthy individual.  Setting Realistic Goals Similar to your business classes, your fitness-related goals should be SMART. They must be specific, measurable, ac...
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Everything You Need to Know About the Body Mass Index

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A lot of us have been here before: you're at the doctor's office, and they'll say, "Your BMI is too high/low. You need to lose/gain weight." They're proceed to tell you a number and say you have to get that number up/down or you're more at-risk for heart disease. So, what is this BMI number, and how is it important? The Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a common tool used to measure health standards and obesity rates. Lately, however, it has fallen under scrutiny due to the belief that it doesn't accurately depict overall health. Let's dive in and see if the BMI has any validity. How To Calculate BMI and What It Means Equation: 703 x [ Weight (lbs.) / Height (inches squared) ] Results:  < 18: Underweight 18 - 24.9: Healthy 25 - 29.9: Overweight 30 - 39.9: Obese > 40: Severely Obese Example: I weigh 180lbs and am 5'11". My equation looks like: 703 x [180 / (71^2)]. My BMI is 25.1, and I am classified as overweight.  Please Note:  The BMI sc...
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Are Fitness Influencers Helping or Hurting Our Journey?

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In today’s digital age, fitness influencers have become prominent figures, shaping trends and encouraging millions to pursue healthier lifestyles. With their curated posts, engaging content, and motivational messages, they can inspire positive change and foster a sense of community. However, the influence of these personalities is not without its drawbacks. Many influencers may prioritize sponsorships with athletic wear companies over genuine health advocacy, leading to potential conflicts of interest. This can promote unrealistic body standards and the risk of misinformation, complicating their impact. In this blog, we’ll explore the multifaceted role of fitness influencers, examining how they can both uplift and mislead their audiences. Unrealistic Body Expectations I have always been skeptical of the term "unrealistic expectations" when discussing fitness. The aim shouldn’t be to mirror the physique of a fitness influencer, as individual differences in muscle insertions—wh...
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The Evolution of Fitness Culture

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Weightlifting and fitness have never been more popular than it is today, and that is thanks to the overwhelming number of influencers that have entered the industry in the last ten years. Previously, the only real "influencers" were famous bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman, who had incredible physiques but obviously took copious amounts of steroids. Most people weren't even aware of bodybuilding until the documentary "Pumping Iron" released starring Arnold, but this documentary inspired thousands of people to begin weightlifting in the hopes of looking like the Terminator actor.  Zyzz When social media became relevant, the term "aesthetic" became increasingly popular in the world of fitness. When thinking of bodybuilders, most people thought of these hulking, massive guys posing on stage but a man who went by the name of Zyzz changed that perspective. Zyzz had a very lean, muscular physique and was known for his upbeat perso...
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How Your Body Uses Macros for Fuel

Dieting is crucial when it comes to working out. It doesn't just apply to seeing results such as weight loss or muscle gain. What you eat beforehand plays a major role in your performance for that gym session. In this blog post, I will explain how your body burns nutrients during a workout. Macros in Fitness Of the three macros, fats and carbs are the most useful DURING a workout, and proteins are most useful AFTER a workout. The reason for this is that fats and carbs are easily converted into ATP, our body's primary source of energy, whereas proteins are most useful in healing our bodies after a workout. Fats are mostly used for low-intensity, aerobic (with oxygen) workouts, and carbs are mostly used for high intensity, anaerobic (without oxygen) workouts.  Ventilatory Thresholds Your body burns calories throughout the day through a process called basal metabolic rate (BMR), and these calories are contributed to bodily functions such as breathing and blood circulation. This is...
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What Are Macros?

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I'd always heard that gains were made in the kitchen, but for a while I never bought into that ideology. For two years, I'd work out without paying attention to what I was eating. For the last three years, I knew that eating played a crucial role in strength, so I would eat whatever was in sight to gain muscle. Now, I know exactly what roles macronutrients play in exercise science, and I'd like to share what I know. What Are Macronutrients? When you hear fitness fanatics talk about macros, they are referring to macronutrients. Macronutrients consist of carbs, fats, and proteins. A common misconception is that fats and/or carbs are bad for you, but this isn't the case unless eaten excessively. When attempting to lose or gain weight, consider the First Law of Thermodynamics: matter cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. Fats Lipids, also known as fats, have been deemed by society to be a bad thing, but this is only mostly false. There are...
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