Blog | Catalyst Fitness
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Are Frozen Veggies Just as Good as Fresh? Spokane Wants to Know!
You are probably aware that you should try to eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can for good health. But what if your favorite fruits are not in season, or the veggies on your Sunday shopping list will be eaten much later in the week? It might be time to favor frozen. Going frozen means you can enjoy your favorite berries or peaches during wintertime. It also means less spoilage, allowing you to enjoy produce when it's close to its nutritional best -- that is, whenever you decide to consume it. In fact, research has revealed that frozen fruits and vegetables can have just as many vitamins -- and sometimes more -- as compared to fresh. "In terms of the ways humans have come up ....
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Handling Those Nasty Muscle Cramps that Come in the Heat of a Spokane Summer
Muscle cramps. Charley horses. Muscle spasms. No matter what you call them, those twitches are downright annoying — not to mention painful — especially when they hit during your workout or when you’re sleeping. Here’s what you need to know about cramps and how to deal with them when they strike. WHAT CAUSES MUSCLE CRAMPS?
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A muscle cramp is an involuntary and forceful contraction of a muscle. These can last as little as a few seconds or as long as 15 minutes — and they commonly strike in the thighs, calves, foot arches, arms, hands, abdomen and along the rib cage, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Despite their name, muscle cramps are not a muscle .... -
What Bad Habits are Hindering Your Weight Loss Spokane?
Feeling like you’re eating well but not seeing any weight loss is a common, and frustrating, experience. One main culprit: estimating your portion sizes. Here, a look at the main problems with this approach and how you can take guessing out of the equation: IT’S DIFFICULT TO CORRECTLY GUESS HOW MUCH YOU’RE EATING
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“Most people are not accurate with estimating how much they are eating unless they have long-term practice weighing and measuring a variety of foods,” says Emily Field, RD. In fact, even experts are pretty bad at it. “Research shows that nearly everyone from nutrition professionals to healthcare practitioners to the average person is .... -
Fitness to Fight Sleep Apnea. Not Just for Men Spokane!
When we think about sleep apnea, we usually consider it an obese man's disease. Turns out, this isn’t the case: Overweight men are just the most likely to be diagnosed with sleep apnea because their snoring symptoms cause doctors to take a closer look. The reality is, 80 percent of people who have sleep apnea don’t know it. And it is believed that 9 percent of women are affected by sleep apnea to one degree or another. If you do have sleep apnea, it could be the reason you’re tired all the time. It could be the reason your mood is uncharacteristically low. And it could be affecting your performance in the gym. Before we look at that, though, let’s consider what ....
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Lose the Rigid Meal Plans to Really Succeed
Matt Griffith, CSCS As a trainer I've heard the "I can't follow this meal plan anymore, it's too hard!" complaint over and over again.People feel particularly motivated to lose weight, gain mass—whatever their body composition goal is—and think a meal plan will ensure they muster up enough discipline to finally make these diet changes. The thing is, we’re just not wired, nor is it practical for our lives, to be that rigid all the time. Further, often an even bigger problem arises when people fall off their meal plan, because now, not only do they feel like a failure, they also have no idea what they should eat and then all hell really breaks loose. To a certain ....
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Is Organic More Nutritious? Find out Spokane!
Kale recently made headlines for reasons other than its longstanding ”super-food” status. For the first time in a decade, it ranked in the top 12 of the Environmental Working Group’s “dirty dozen,” or the fruits and vegetables the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found contains the highest amount of pesticides and often recommends be purchased organic. It’s important to keep in mind this organization’s methodology, data and lists are not peer-reviewed, so they should be taken with a grain of salt. Here, a look at why pesticides aren’t as harmful as you might think, how nutrition plays a role and why it’s more important to eat ....
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9 Reason's Why a Personal Trainer is Worth the $$
When you are just starting out with an exercise program or you aren't seeing results with your current routine, a personal trainer can give you the help you need. Knowing how you can benefit and whether it will be worth the expense can help you decide whether this is a good choice for you. There are a number of reasons people work with trainers. Some want an individualized program so they can lose weight or get in shape while others simply need to be held accountable for their workouts. Wherever you are on your exercise journey, a personal trainer may be just what you need to finally reach your fitness and weight loss goals. See if these 9 reasons to get a personal trainer strike a chord ....
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Why Healthy Eating Beats "Diets"
Matt Griffith, CSCS The Boston Medical Center estimates that 45 million Americans go on a diet each year. In 2018, nearly half of all Americans resolved to lose weight or get into better shape. That’s a lot of people. So it’s no surprise many turn to fad diets or other extreme measures in attempt to kickstart their weight loss. Unfortunately, while doing so may produce quick results, they rarely last. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “evidence shows that people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about 1–2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off.” This slow-and-steady mentality is most associated with an ....
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Combat the "Slowing Metabolism" Monster
Matt Griffith, CSCS Metabolism is what influences your body’s basic resting rate energy needs. But when it comes to weight loss, the main factors for success include how many calories you consume and your physical activity levels. Even at rest, your body burns energy to maintain internal functions (i.e., blood circulation, muscle repair, cell generation and repair, balancing hormones, etc.) The number of calories your body needs to carry out these internal basic functions is your metabolism, also called your basal metabolic rate — and it’s not something you can control. Here, a look at how the body burns energy, how metabolism changes as you age and what you can do to ....
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5 Foods to Gain Muscle! Get Stronger Spokane!
Matt Griffith, CSCS So many people have a really hard time realizing that to gain muscle you have to eat. Those that seem to have the most difficult time changing the mindset are those look to drop some pounds as well. But you cannot have one without the other! To lose weight you need to burn calories, and nothing burns more calories than muscle!! Just stay aware of your caloric intake and take a gander at this list of great muscle-gaining, protein-packed foods. 1. Animal Meat (No-brainer right?)
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It’s really hard to gain mass without getting enough protein. Two tried and true ways are beef and chicken. Beef is filled with iron, zinc, B-vitamins, and creatine, which help with ....
