Cor's Corner Holidays 2024 - Fitness Incentive

“Losing muscle mass is not healthy, as we already tend to lose muscle mass as we age, and strength is one of the most powerful markers for longevity. If you want to live longer, stay stronger.“

Corinne Brown

Begin Again

Get a Fresh Start in 2025

I field many questions from members, but they are often quite similar or related. Everyone, it seems, is trying to figure out how to gain muscle, lose fat, eat better, and exercise smarter.

Where to Begin

Before we can begin to get where you want to go, we need to find out where you are right now. The way we do that is though an InBody scan. It’s the easiest, most affordable way to gain invaluable insights into your health and fitness and is a great way to measure your progress. Your InBody scan will take just a few seconds, but it reveals a tremendous amount about your body composition. Using this data, we can determine exactly what you need to be doing to achieve your goals. It’s a great place to start.

Next Up: Clean It Up!

For almost everyone, I start with basic dietary modifications. Most clients I work with consume a diet with too many processed foods, sugars, and simple carbs. This makes the first step easy: stop consuming sugar and processed foods. Simply eliminating these will begin your journey to a stronger, more energetic, youthful body with fewer chances of metabolic syndrome. Many clients who take this simple step alone experience a dramatic reduction in body fat and a jump in energy, depending on how strictly they follow this recommendation. And trust me, it sounds harder than it is.

Next, Let’s Build Some Muscle

The mantra here is also simple: Lift heavy things. Lift! Lift! Lift! At least 3 days per week, for 20 minutes or more a session. Start with lighter weights you can handle for 8 – 12 reps, and work yourself up in increments to heavier weights.

One simple yet highly effective move is the Farmer’s Carry. You pick up a weight plate in each hand and walk with it for as long as possible. The move is similar to carrying two buckets. That’s it! As you get stronger, increase the weight until you can carry 75 percent of your body weight for at least a minute. The farmer’s carry is a whole-body strength movement that is especially good at building grip strength, which some experts consider a longevity indicator. When done consistently, it’s an effective way to increase bone density and improve balance.

Get Hanging!

Here’s another fundamental movement that is super-effective: hanging! Hanging from a bar, both feet off the ground, helps decompress the spine and build grip strength. It’s also a gateway to more demanding movements like pullups and chin-ups. Hang for as long as you can. You may be shocked at how short a time this is to start, but you will quickly improve if you do it regularly. Shoot for one minute or longer.

Stretching, Yoga, and Pilates

Stretching means mobility, and mobility = longevity. Don’t shortchange this aspect of your fitness. Too many people skip the stretch, and that is a mistake. I should also mention meditation here, which can take many forms, including a simple walk outside, where you get some sunshine and experience nature. Walking in nature boosts Serotonin and regulates Melatonin, which encourages better sleep patterns. Not only will you find your energy and mood are positively altered, but you’ll be adding some steps to your daily total – about 2000 per mile – as a bonus.

The Big One: Losing Weight

If your goal is to lose weight, you must focus on fat loss and muscle retention. Losing muscle mass is not healthy, as we already tend to lose muscle mass as we age, and strength is one of the most powerful markers for longevity. If you want to live longer, stay stronger. Cutting too many calories makes weight loss even more problematic, as the weight you lose will be approximately 40% lean mass, which is not good! The right approach is to emphasize protein and healthy fats while cutting calories from sugars and simple carbs. Remember, it isn’t consuming fat that makes you gain weight, but rather carbohydrates, which trigger the body to store excess calories as fat. To retain lean mass, aim for about 1 gram of protein for every pound of your ideal weight.

It’s Not the Pounds, It’s the Body Fat

Losing weight is really about changing your body composition—you want less fat and the same or more muscle. This is where lifting heavy things plays an important role. Lifting builds muscle, which we want because muscle burns calories, and, as I noted earlier, being strong means living long. To build muscle efficiently, we need to consume protein (see above). So again, cut back on the sugar and carbs, but make sure you are getting enough protein for lifting heavy things.

Walk And Don’t Look Back

Walk and walk often, especially after a meal. A 10- to 15-minute brisk walk helps with digestion and lowers post-meal glucose levels. It doesn’t get more basic than that!

Let’s all start 2025 feeling amazing, not broken! Our goal at Fitness Incentive is to provide you with a long-lived, healthy body and mind. Yes, building bodies that last. This is how you do it!

Rules I Live By

Hydrate, Morning, Noon and Night
When you feel stressed, walk, run, and exercise!
When you feel down, get some sun.
Tired? Go for a walk, remember “Comfort Wants you Dead.”
When you feel doubt or anxiety, meditate and practice deep breathing.
When you feel angry, lift weights and make them heavy.

If you are interested in a one-on-one experience with me, consider an Inbody scan. It’s thirty minutes of focused individual attention to your needs and concerns. Sign up at the desk and ask for an Inbody with Cor.