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Magnesium 101: Why You Need it and Where to Get It

Written by Emily Trinh

Magnesium is more than just an element on the periodic table. It’s a vital mineral to keep the body functioning properly. Dominic Gallo, accredited practicing dietitian and owner of DG Dietetics and Fitness, explains, “It is a co-factor in more than 300 enzymes. And it’s involved in many body processes, such as taking energy from food and making new proteins, helping [to] keep your muscles and nerves healthy. [It is also] important for the formation of healthy bones. Almost every cell in the body requires magnesium.” Let’s break down this important mineral a bit more. What are the benefits of magnesium? Not only does magnesium help your body processes, but it also assists in lowering blood pressure, improving blood sugar, improving sleep quality, and preventing migraines. Women, in particular, will also greatly benefit from the mineral, as it helps reduce PMS symptoms. It is said to enhance athletic performance, as well. In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 124 healthy, elderly women were given oral magnesium supplementation over 12 weeks. At the end of the 12-week period, …

4 Reasons Why Men Shouldn’t Ignore Flexibility Work

Written by Emily Trinh

Men tend to be more resistant to flexibility work than women. And, while flexibility doesn’t seem to fit in the fitness world of weight and strength training, in reality, it really does. In fact, it can make all the difference in terms of gains and progress. So, if you’re a man who’s hesitant to stretch, beyond when you’re warming up, here are some great reasons why you should incorporate flexibility work into your fitness lifestyle. Better Mobility Matty Nguyen, an expert strength and conditioning coach at The Heights Barbell Club, explains, “Flexibility is important for a number of reasons. To begin with, we have range of motion, which is the actual degree of movement that we have available with our joints. Each joint has its own space of freedom to move, which can be restricted with muscular tightness. This isn’t due to the muscles being ‘tight,’ but rather being protective, making sure that the body doesn’t go into a range that could cause injuries, such as muscle or ligament tears.” To improve your range of motion and …

Add These Muscle-Building Foods to Your Diet

Written by Emily Trinh

While strength training is essential for muscle growth, so is nutrition. What you eat can really help stimulate your muscles and provide them with the nutrients they need to grow. We turned to expert dietitians to learn about the best muscle-building foods. Are there minimum and maximum protein requirements? We all know that protein is essential for muscle-building, but what is less certain is how much we should eat. Dominic Gallo, accredited practicing dietitian and owner of DG Dietetics and Fitness, explains, “As per Burke and Deakin’s Clinical Sports Nutrition, the highest protein intake needed for any athlete would be around 1.7g/kg per day.” Protein requirements will differ depending on each individual, their training, and their lifestyle, but Gallo recommends these amounts as a guide: Sedentary men and women require 0.8-1.0g/kg per day Endurance athletes require 0.8-1.6g/kg per day Resistance athletes require 1.0-1.7g/kg per day Female athletes require about 15 percent less than male athletes There is some misconception that the more protein you consume, the faster or bigger your muscles will grow. However, this …

How Does Gut Health Affect Weight Loss?

Written by Emily Trinh

It is crucial that you keep your gut happy. Your gut health plays a pivotal role in the proper functioning of your digestive system, immune system, and your overall wellbeing. It has also been said that the health of your gut can impact your weight. So, we’ve turned to experts to learn more about gut health and weight loss. Find out whether it actually affects those numbers on the scale. Why is gut health so important? Demi-Maree Faulkner, accredited practicing dietitian (APD), accredited nutritionist (AN), and sports dietitian, says, “The gut plays an important role in your total health. This includes food sensitivities, nutrient absorption, immune system function, bowel health, weight, and allergies.” Dr. Megan Rossi, aka The Gut Health Specialist, adds, “The importance of gut health extends beyond the gastrointestinal tract. [It] impacts other vital organs, like your brain, heart, kidney, and liver. How it does this is through the trillion of bacteria that live in our gut. Scientists call [these] our gut microbiota).” If you’ve ever had an unbalanced or unhealthy gut, then …

Common Indoor Cycling Injuries and How to Avoid Them

Written by Emily Trinh

Indoor cycling is becoming more popular than ever. Cycling bikes come with an array of benefits that help you work up a sweat without even going anywhere. However, they also come with the risk of some injuries. But fear not, we have solutions to common indoor cycling injuries, so you can keep on pedaling without the pain. Common Indoor Cycling Injuries Tanya Weeks, managing director and master trainer at Vicious Cycle and Vicious Ed, says, “Indoor cycling is a cardio program that builds both strength and fitness with very little impact to your joints, so it’s a program that almost anyone can do.” However, as Aaptiv trainer and certified holistic health coach Kelly Chase explains, “With any movement one does repetitively, it can cause injury or for the body part to become ‘worn.’ That’s why it’s a good idea to cross-train, so the muscles/bones are being used differently.” Here are some indoor cycling injuries to look out for—and solutions to avoid them in the future. Knee Injury Indoor cycling can be quite taxing on the …

4 Reasons Why You’re Losing Muscle and Not Fat

Written by Emily Trinh

Typically, when you want to “lose weight,” you mean you want to lose fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible. If you’re losing muscle and not fat, then you may need to make some changes to your diet and exercise to counteract this. Dominic Gallo, accredited practicing dietitian and owner of DG Dietetics and Fitness, explains how to cut the fat, but keep the muscle. Is it possible to cut fat, while still building lean muscle? “Absolutely,” says Gallo. To do this, you need to be in a slight energy deficit where you are not starving yourself, but are still consuming fewer calories than you are burning. You also need to be eating adequate amounts of protein to achieve this. However, just eating protein isn’t enough. As Gallo points out, “The key is plenty of exercise (a mix of cardio and resistance). Without stimuli or a trigger, the muscles won’t want to grow, since they aren’t being used.” Signs That You’re Losing Muscle and Not Fat Look out for these signs that the weight you are …