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How Much Water You Actually Need To Drink For Your Size?

How Much Water You Actually Need To Drink For Your Size?

The body requires the amount of water necessary varies by weight, age, and other factors. How much water do you need to stay healthy? While your size plays an important role, your activity level also affects your intake. If you’re out in the hot sun, you’ll need more water than if you’re sitting in an air-conditioned room. How do you decide how much you need? You have to start with a baseline.

Establish your baseline first.

You’ve probably heard that drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day is enough. That’s an oversimplification. Sex, weight, and age determine how much you need. Men should drink more fluid per day than women. That fluid can come from any type of drink or food, such as watermelon. Men need as much as 15.5 cups a day, while women need approximately 11.5 cups. Most people get 20% of their water from food, which in the case of the average man, would be about 4.5 cups. Weight also plays a role.

Take half to 2/3 of your weight in pounds to find out how much water you need.

Just convert the number of pounds to ounces per day of water. If you weigh 150 pounds and are female, you’d need 75 ounces of water daily if you’re inactive. If you’re more active or older you need more fluid, so use 2/3 of your body weight, or 100 ounces. Add more fluid when you perspire more, whether it’s caused by the heat or sweating from exercise. If you live at a higher elevation, your body also requires more fluid.

Your body is mostly water.

Newborns’ bodies are almost 75% water. As you age, the body’s percentage of water diminishes. The more fatty tissues you have, the less fluid you have, since fatty tissues contain less fluid than lean muscle mass. Older people have less fluid and also dehydrate quicker. Since the brain is 70% fluid, dehydration is often mistaken for dementia in older people. No matter what your age, even mild dehydration can make you sleepy and mentally ineffective. Drink a glass of water if you want a mental lift that picks you up without making you jittery.

  • You can drink too much water at one time causes hyponatremia. It’s based on the amount consumed in an hour. The amount varies, but it’s upward of more than four to five cups an hour.
  • The easiest way to determine if you need more fluid is by checking your urine. The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are. If it’s clear, you’ve consumed too much water.
  • Vomiting, fever, or diarrhea increases the amount of water you need. Pregnant and lactating women also require more water daily. Exposure to heat also increases the need for more fluid.
  • Drinking a glass of water before a meal can help you lose weight. It can make you feel full quicker, so you eat less. Drinking more water can help prevent kidney stones and help lubricate aching joints.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness


The Importance Of Sleep

The Importance Of Sleep

Probably one of the things for good health that people might think is easy, may be one of the hardest things to do. It’s getting adequate quality sleep. It’s even worse in today’s society, where lack of sleep is almost a virtue. It’s all about the quality of your sleep and how much your body requires. Everyone is different. Some people thrive on less sleep than others do. It doesn’t make either one good, bad, lazy, or ambitious. It’s just the difference in their bodies. Most adults require 7 to 9 hours of sleep, but a small minority require 6 or less, with a similar group requiring 10 or more hours.

Lack of sleep can cause many problems.

Are you gaining weight because you’re always hungry? It could be too little sleep that’s causing the problem. When you don’t get enough sleep your body produces more ghrelin—the hunger hormone, and less leptin—the satiety hormone. You also eat high-calorie sugary food for a quick energy boost. One study found that women who slept a minimum of 6 ½ hours lived longer than those who slept less than five. Another study found that lack of sleep can lead to elevated blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease, and inflammation.

People lose focus and have poor mental performance with too little sleep.

Lack of sleep causes physical problems. It can affect your productivity and mental performance. When you sleep, your brain sorts out the day’s events and creates links to help you remember things better. It ties all the memories, including feelings and sensory input, together for additional help. Lack of sleep can cause stress, which affects you both mentally and physically. It causes the body to create stress hormones, like cortisol. The hormones are linked to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and even abdominal fat accumulation.

How do you improve your sleep?

Some people take their phones or computers into the bedroom and continue reading or chatting on social media. That’s not a good way to get quality sleep. You need a sleep schedule, which you follow even on the weekends. Don’t take electronic devices, like your phone, TV, or computer, into the bedroom. The bedroom should be relatively cool and as dark as possible for the best night’s sleep.

  • When you get adequate sleep, you’ll improve your athletic performance. It also works the other way, the more active you are, the better your night’s sleep.
  • A diet low in sugar and processed food can help you sleep better. Almonds and other food high in melatonin can help you sleep, just as turkey or food with tryptophan can. Food high in vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids improves sleep quality.
  • Taking a nap during the day can reduce any sleep deficit, especially if your body requires more than the traditional 8 hours. Knowing your body is vital. Too much sleep can leave you feeling as groggy as too little.
  • The CDC released estimates indicating 1/3 of adults aren’t getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep affects your health and your safety. They estimate that over 100,000 accidents occur due to fatigue.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness


Why 10,000 Steps Per Day?

Why 10,000 Steps Per Day?

Working out at Next Level Fitness in Irvine, CA, provides a well-rounded program and is one way to improve your health. Some people include 10,000 steps a day or use that technique as their only fitness workout. Is it beneficial? Why are 10,000 steps best and not 5,000 or 15,000? How did we arrive at that number and does it work or do you need more than just walking? There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the 10,000 steps recommendation.

How the 10,000 steps originated.

The 10,000 steps phenomenon didn’t start in a lab or with a researcher but at a marketing meeting in the 1960s. Japan was experiencing an increased focus on exercise, due to hosting the 1964 Olympics. Much of the country had taken up running and walking. Walking clubs formed and pedometers became popular to track progress. A Japanese company created a device called Manpo-kei, which translates to 10,000 steps. Ten thousand steps became the gold star baseline marker for anyone serious about walking.

Only later was the concept of 10,000 steps tested.

While the dedication to 10,000 steps may have started in Japan, it spread worldwide. The enthusiasm for this benchmark spread and only later were studies completed to check its validity. Studies show going from a sedentary lifestyle, approximately 2700 steps, to one with more activity, 4400 steps, increased longevity, reducing mortality by 41%. The mortality rate continued to decrease until it leveled at 7,500 steps per day.

It’s a good place to start.

If you can’t get to the gym or are sedentary, 10,000 steps are a good starting goal. Walking 10,000 steps is like walking approximately 4.5 miles since the average person takes 2,250 steps per mile. If you only wore the pedometer for a walk, and not throughout the day, you’d be increasing your activity level by 80 minutes a day. But you don’t. The pedometer is worn all day. For most people, it means increasing the number of steps they average daily. It’s good, but more is necessary for fitness. It takes strength, flexibility, and balance training, too. Alternate your days at the gym with 19,000 steps.

  • You can modify your walking and make it a HIIT-high intensity interval training workout. Walk a minute or two at high-intensity speed, then reduce your pace to recovery, alternating between the two.
  • Walking is a good way to start a fitness program, especially if you’ve lived a sedentary lifestyle. You can increase the amount you walk by doing simple things, such as parking at the first parking spot you see and walking further. It saves on gas, too.
  • If you take a bus to work, get off at a stop before your destination and walk the rest of the way to increase your step count. Take the steps instead of the elevator for as many floors as possible.
  • You don’t have to do all the steps at once. Break it up into smaller sessions. Stand up and walk around the room for a few minutes every 55 minutes. It will help you work more efficiently and keep you healthier.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness


Workouts For Better Mental Health

Workouts For Better Mental Health

Workouts can improve your physical health, but now there’s evidence it does the same for mental health. It increases circulation, which sends oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the entire body, including the brain. It also affects the gut microbiome that influences your mood. They increase or diminish neurotransmitters and improve your feeling of well-being and happiness. The gut, not the brain, produces most of the serotonin in your body, so improving the microbe balance can boost your mood.

Walking more helps depression and anxiety.

One study found that walking every day for a half hour improved mental health by lifting depression and calming anxiety. If you can do it in nature or walk barefoot on the grass, there are theories that it’s even better. A natural setting is relaxing and so is walking barefoot on the ground. It’s called grounding and often used by mental health specialists to calm people. Grounding, often called earthing, brings pain, depression, stress, and fatigue relief. Walking barefoot in the park, on the beach, or in other places where there’s natural ground, not asphalt or concrete, beneath your feet improves the benefits from the walk.

Strength training can improve your confidence and mood.

One study followed people who had strokes. One group used traditional recovery techniques and the second group added strength training. The group that did strength training showed improved self-confidence and self-image. They had less incidence of depression. Other studies show that improved strength also boosts self-image and can lift mild depression. As your muscles gain strength, your posture improves and that alone can improve your mood. Try it yourself. Slouch first and note how you feel, then straighten your body to proper posture, and you’ll feel the difference in your mood.

Burn off stress hormones with a HIIT—high intensity interval training—workout.

HIIT isn’t a type of exercise but a way of doing any exercise. You first do a few minutes—or even seconds—of the exercise at maximum intensity, then you do the same length of time or longer at a recovery rate. Alternate between the two throughout the workout. HIIT has been shown to be beneficial for physical fitness. It burns stress hormones faster and replaces them with ones that make you feel good.

  • Any type of exercise will make you feel better. Most people want to pull the covers over their heads and stay in bed when they have the blues. Just getting up and getting moving can make you feel better.
  • Turn up the music, make the song happy, and dance. It combines the benefits of HIIT exercises since you’ll be alternating your movements and pace. You’ll start to feel better in just a few minutes.
  • If you don’t have the endurance or fitness for a fast-paced routine, try yoga or tai chi. Tai chi is a gentle exercise that almost anyone can do. You can modify it for people bed or chair bound.
  • If you have mild depression, anxiety, or just a case of the blahs, exercise can help. If you have severe issues, always consult a mental health specialist. While exercise helps, it’s not the entire answer for severe mental issues.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness


Understanding Food Cravings And How To Manage Them

Understanding Food Cravings And How To Manage Them

If you have a desire for a specific food or type of food and nothing else will do, you have cravings. While some cravings are purely physical. If you’re craving watermelon or a juicy fruit, you might need hydration. Some people also have healthy cravings that are the body telling you that you need certain nutrients. Most cravings, however, are strictly emotional. Cravings are part of the reward system that is located in several areas of the brain. It’s more than just being hungry. The part of the brain that tells you it’s hungry or thirsty is located in the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, while the reward system is throughout the center of the brain. If you eat something sweet, it makes you feel good because it triggered the reward system.

People are built to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

Our rudimentary system is all about the carrot and the stick. If a food tastes bad or makes you sick, you’ll avoid it. If it makes you feel good or you associate it with something that made you feel good, you associate that food with bringing pleasure. Maybe your family celebrated happy events by getting ice cream cones. Ice cream cones become a symbol of happiness. It’s easy to see how sweet treats are often pleasure-givers since they’re associated with celebrations. They also trigger the same neural receptors as dopamine, the feel-good hormone.

Your hormones can be the cause of the cravings.

Hormonal changes can cause some cravings. You often hear of pregnant women having unusual cravings associated with hormones. Young children can also have pica—pica is the desire to consume non-food items. It can include dirt, coins, cigarette butts, and other odd objects. One more common form of pica is eating ice. Pregnant women and women with a heavy menstrual cycle may have it. It can be from hormonal fluctuations or iron deficiency.

Is your craving selective or nonselective?

Selective cravings tend to be emotional or nutrient directed. Nonselective cravings for food are more common. They’re the signs of hunger and any food will do. There are cravings between the two. Sometimes, dehydration can trick your brain into thinking you’re hungry, but you’ll be more likely to desire something juicy, like fresh fruit, making it a bit more specific.

  • You can manage food cravings in several ways. If you aren’t sure if you’re hungry or thirsty, drink a glass of water. If you desire comfort food, get up and move. Walking helps lift your spirits as much as comfort food.
  • Manage food cravings by getting more sleep. When you lack sleep, your body creates more ghrelin—the hunger hormone—and less leptin—the one that makes you feel full and satisfied. More sleep helps you control cravings.
  • Sometimes chewing gum or drinking water helps. If you regularly have an urge for sweets between meals, have fresh fruit ready as a snack.
  • If you’re craving sweets, maybe you have a problem with your microbiome. Consume probiotic food like yogurt or prebiotic food to feed healthy microbes, such as leafy greens, apples, bananas, cocoa, and bran.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness


Workouts To Increase Flexibility

Workouts To Increase Flexibility

You’ll get more than just strength training or endurance training at Next Level Fitness in Irvine, CA/ You’ll also work on exercises to increase flexibility. Flexibility workouts help improve your range of motion and can prevent injuries. What are the best flexibility exercises? They’re stretches. Stretching boosts blood flow to the muscles. That can also help increase their size and strength. It also helps improve posture. Here are a few exercises that help.

Static stretching helps boost flexibility.

Dynamic stretching is for warming up, while you do static stretching after you’re warmed up. Dynamic stretching gets blood moving to the muscles, preparing them for more difficult tasks. They include wide lunges and jump squats. Static stretches include touching your toes and the cobra pose. Once the muscles are warm and flexible, these exercises increase your range of motion. You stretch the muscles as far as you can and hold for 15 to 20 seconds.

Yoga stretches can build flexibility and core strength.

The bird dog has many variations. The stretch begins on hands and knees. Start by lifting one arm off the ground as you lift the opposite leg. Straighten the back leg level with the body as you straighten the arm. You’ll need to engage your abdominal muscles to do this, so you’ll be building core strength, too. Hold the position for a few seconds, then lower and lift the opposite arm and leg. Do several repetitions and sets.

The child pose is an excellent yoga pose to stretch.

Once you learn the child pose, you can use it as a stretch and resting position. Start on your hands and knees. Your feet should be together and your hands flat on the floor. Sit back gently with your buttocks on your thighs. The Warrior 1 position also improves flexibility. You’ll open your hips and shoulders. Start with feet wide apart, twist the body to the side until the feet are both pointing to one side and feet are aligned. Bend your front knee as you lower your body and raise your hands overhead. Straighten and twist to the other side.

  • Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and arms extended. From this position you can twist side to side or lower your body to the right side, attempting to touch the side of the right foot or right knee, depending on your flexibility.
  • A cat/cow pose is excellent for back pain. Start on hands and knees. Lift your head and drop your belly for the cow pose. Hold for a second then lower your head and arch your back for the cat pose.
  • Another great yoga pose to relieve back pain is the bridge. Lay on your back with arms to your side, knees bent and feet flat on the floor with your heels as close to your butt as possible. Inhale as you lift your hips, forming a straight line with your body. Hold and lower your body.
  • The core stretch or cobra pose is simple. Lay on the floor with your chest down and hands beside the head at shoulder width. Push your upper body up, straighten your arms, lifting your upper body off the floor as you stretch.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness


Reward Yourself

Reward Yourself

If you feel like every workout is punishment and eating healthy is the price you pay for overindulging, you’ll spend every minute getting fit miserable and probably won’t stick with it long. Celebrate every movement, appreciate how good you feel, and reward yourself when you’ve achieved a goal. The reward can be for reaching a goal, completing a tough workout, or sticking with a plan of healthy eating for a month. The celebration can be for accomplishing something hard for you to do, even if it’s easy for everyone else.

Enjoy an afternoon lounging.

Whether it’s taking a long bath, a visit to a spa or sauna, or binging on your favorite TV show, give yourself a break and do something you love, but never have time to do. It should be a guilty pleasure, but not one that involves unhealthy food, especially when you first start. You might play hooky from chores at home and take a walk in the park.

Get a new workout outfit or buy clothing that’s now a size smaller.

You don’t have to love shopping to appreciate how good it feels to get clothing that’s a size smaller. If you can’t afford a new wardrobe or want to wait and purchase an outfit after you make more progress, just trying on clothing can be a reward. Getting yourself a new piece of gym attire, whether it’s just a headband or an entire workout outfit, can give you a boost and reward you simultaneously.

Don’t skip your next workout, do it somewhere else or differently.

Make your reward a workout that’s a change of pace. If you love to go dancing, make that your reward and replace our workout with a night on the town, but make sure you dance the night away. Go to the pool and do laps or take a walk in the park. You can alternate your speed between a fast walk and a recovery pace to turn it into a HIIT workout. Go for a bicycle picnic, peddling your way to a location with friends and sharing a healthy meal.

  • Share your accomplishment with a few friends who understand how hard you’ve worked. Sometimes just the recognition of your efforts is enough.
  • Keep a workout jar to save money. Every time you do your best, pay yourself to do something special. Pay more when you’ve worked extra hard. When you’ve saved enough, use it for your special joy.
  • Go out to dinner at a place that serves healthy food. Many restaurants now offer healthier options. You can normally find their menu online and choose the meal that fits your eating plan.
  • A picture is worth 1000 words. Track your progress by taking a photo every week in the same place and in the same outfit. When you reach a goal, share your progress with friends and family or just enjoy it yourself.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness


Reach Your Goals

Reach Your Goals

If you’ve made goals before and never achieved them, don’t give up. Here are some simple ways to help you reach your goals. The first is to write down your goals. Do you want to have more energy, lose weight, or just feel better? Decide how you’re going to do it. Will you change your diet? Get more exercise? Or is doing a combination of the two your road to victory? Having a plan of action is important.

Make a SMART goal.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. If weight loss is your goal, how much do you want to lose? You can use anything from the number of pounds to the ability to fit into a specific article of clothing. That’s also how you make it measurable. Losing 30 pounds by the next week isn’t achievable in a healthy manner, so make sure your goal is both achievable and realistic. The last letter, T for Timely is the most important. Give yourself a deadline. If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter, you know how important a deadline can be. Without a deadline, you’ll always be putting off your goal until tomorrow, which never comes.

Break your goal into smaller units that are easier to accomplish.

A huge goal can be overwhelming. If you need to lose 50 pounds, it can look insurmountable and even losing a couple of pounds can feel like failure. If you break down your goal into smaller units and spread it over months, it can bring success quickly and give you a feeling of accomplishment. Losing 2 pounds a week for 25 weeks keeps you motivated and gives you the successful boost you need every week.

Start meal planning.

If you want to stick with any healthy diet, make it easier to do by planning. You plan the meals one day, shop for the ingredients a second day, and do all the cooking the third. Then you just store the food for the week. Every day, just heat and serve. You even plan snacks for the morning and evening. Meal planning saves money and time. It keeps you on track for success.

  • Make your workout an appointment and put it on your calendar. Keep it at the same time every day. Doing it at the same time helps create a habit.
  • Track your workout. Winners keep score. Have a workout plan ready. Include the number of sets and reps. You can see your progress on paper and make workout time a game.
  • Make it a point to be more active. Walk or take a bike instead of driving if possible. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. If your work is sedentary, get up and move every 50 minutes. Stand up, walk in place, or do other movements.
  • If you want to lose weight, eat slower. It’s good for digestion and helps your brain catch up with your stomach to tell you you’re full quicker. Make sure you get more sleep. Lack of sleep causes an increase in ghrelin, the hunger hormone.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness


Why Exercise Is Good For Your Health

Why Exercise Is Good For Your Health

Why do people exercise? It isn’t natural to make your body work harder or create unnecessary effort, yet thousands of people in Irvine, CA, do it every day. One of the most important reasons, beyond making you feel and look fabulous and that boost of energy, is the fact that regular exercise is good for your health. For thousands of years, man has had to work hard just to survive. It’s only been in the last 100 years that science has lifted the physical burden from the shoulders of man. While science is good and the free time allows even more opportunity for advancement, our bodies still need the grueling effort life used to require to be its healthiest.

We evolved to exercise and exercise helped us evolve.

If you followed a great ape, one of the closest animals to us, your day would be spent eating, lounging, sleeping, and eating again. The other members of the primate family are equally as inactive. Early on, only man was the active one in the group. Chimps eat a high-cholesterol diet and move less than a sedentary person, yet don’t have arterial sclerosis or heart disease. Our physiology developed differently and requires more movement. The constant activity of hunter-gatherers helped build bigger brains and changed all body parts to the cellular level to the point we need far less sleep than other primates and far more activity. In other words, our bodies evolved to stay active, not sit, lounge, or sleep long hours.

Exercise helps to maintain lower blood pressure.

When you exercise, your body creates nitric oxide that opens arteries to lower blood pressure. It increases the effectiveness of the heart, also lowering blood pressure. Increasing your exercise can lower both the top and bottom blood pressure numbers. Even mild exercise like walking or Tai chi can help lower blood pressure. It also helps reduce inflammation, which can cause serious problems, including arterial disease, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Yes, exercise does help you lose weight.

Obesity is a pandemic that is slowly killing millions of Americans. It is the leading risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, breathing difficulties, and gallbladder disease. A program of regular exercise can help prevent it. Of course, eating healthy is also vital. Exercise can help prevent insulin resistance which causes the body to create more insulin. The more insulin you have, the more weight around your midsection increases, causing the body to be more insulin resistant. When you workout, your muscles use the glucose, and the cells function better, reducing the potential for insulin resistance.

  • Reduce pain with a program of regular exercise. Exercise can help reduce the pain of arthritis. It helps build muscles, reduce weight, and lift the pressure off joints.
  • Exercise improves your posture, which affects many parts of the body. Good posture reduces back pain and improves breathing and digestion by aiding the flow of food through your system and preventing acid reflux.
  • Exercise not only helps build neuropathways in your brain and increase your cognitive function, but it also plays a role in your mood. It can lift mild depression, burn off stress, and help reduce anxiety.
  • Weight-bearing exercise can help reduce osteoporosis and keep bones stronger and denser. It also improves circulation, sending oxygen and nutrient-laden blood to all parts of the body.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness


Are Teenagers' Nutritional Needs Different From Adults?

Are Teenagers’ Nutritional Needs Different From Adults?

If you have a teenager, you probably already know how difficult it is to ensure they get proper nutrition. They seem to be constantly on the go, often skipping meals and replacing them with snacks and junk food. It’s even harder when you consider that teens have different nutritional requirements than adults and even from those when they were young children. Their bodies are changing, and they require a balanced diet to ensure a healthy adulthood by providing the support necessary for a healthy growing body and cognitive development.

Teens are going through many changes, including puberty.

Teens undergo significant changes affecting both the body and cognitive functioning. Growth is taking place, which takes more energy. That means teens may need a diet higher in protein, vitamins, and minerals, besides the increase in calories to fuel their higher metabolism. Bone development requires calcium, vitamins K and D, and other changes require a diet higher in B12. Muscle development requires more protein.

Make sure your teen gets adequate omega-3 fatty acids.

Most people probably lack adequate omega-3 in their diet. That can lead to heart disease and a host of health issues. Studies show that low levels of omega-3 fatty acids can lead to ADHD, depression, asthma and increase the risk of diabetes for individuals already at high risk. Studies linking omega-3 fatty acids to mental health have shown that increasing omega-3 reduced the incidence of violent behavior, bipolar disorder, and depression. Adding fish to the diet once a week and having walnuts for snacks can boost the omega-3 in the diet.

Focus on whole foods, but make sure there’s adequate energy provided.

While you might need to stick with a lower-calorie diet, your teen might need to eat more. That’s because of metabolism and level of activity. Most teens are far more active than their parents. If they aren’t, find a way to encourage activity. Each child is unique, so what applies to one, doesn’t always apply to all. A teenage girl requires more iron than a teenage boy, for instance. Ensure they have more iron-rich food like spinach, broccoli, and poultry. Teens generally require more B vitamins for good health. These include folic acid, riboflavin, thiamine, and niacin for a functioning brain and nervous system.

  • No matter what the age of your child, they learn what they live. You need to provide a healthy food environment based on whole foods, especially fruits, vegetables, and a lean protein source.
  • Increased riboflavin can help improve energy production, just as niacin does. Niacin also can boost skin health. Thiamin aids in muscle and nerve functions.
  • A lot of brain development takes place during the teen years. A healthy diet should include nutrients like folic acid, zinc, and iron for improved concentration and memory.
  • Don’t forget fiber. The need for fiber is far higher in teenagers than it is in adults. Fiber can come from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. It can help prevent digestive issues and nurture a healthy gut microbiome.

For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness