Fitness isn’t a destination — it’s a journey. Along the way, you need to have reliable information about exercise, nutrition, and living a healthy lifestyle. On this page, you’ll find a number of different articles designed to help you live a healthier, happier life. Whether you need general lifestyle tips or specific information about running, weightlifting, or staying motivated when you’re about to slip into a rut, just look through our archive and you’ll find everything you need. Of course, you can always reach out to a member of Spunk Fitness if you would like more information about anything we discuss in these posts!
When choosing athletic shoes, two features we tend to focus too much on are (1) appearance and (2)price, but neither fashion nor expense should be the chief concern when choosing footwear. Elite-brand shoes with special features often promise to help you jump higher, move faster, and look good while you’re doing it, but they’re also overpriced for their actual performance. On the other hand, b…Read More
Look around any community and one thing is very clear; Americans are gaining weight. Furthermore, those that want to lose are having a much harder time because of sedentary lifestyles and diets high in processed foods. Weight gain in the United States has skyrocketed over the last 20 years, and, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC.gov), today almost 68% of Americans are over wei…Read More
Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries. When the doctor measures your blood pressure, the results are given in two numbers. The first number, called systolic blood pressure, is the pressure caused by your heart pushing out blood. The second number, called diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when your heart fills with blood. The safest range, often called no…Read More
We live in a fast paced society. Two of the common emotional issues that face millions of people are stress and some sort of depression or mood disorder. Stress; the word alone often causes people to tense up. Everyone feels stressed from time to time. Some people may cope with stress more effectively or recover from stressful events quicker than others. It’s important to know your limits …Read More
We all know how great it feels to get a good night’s sleep. You awake feeling refreshed and energized. Unfortunately, most of us also know what it is like to have a poor night’s sleep. Whether it is kids, stress, inability to turn your brain off, hot flashes or pain keeping you awake, not sleeping is no fun. In this article let’s explore the most common sleep issues and discuss ways …Read More
We all start an exercise program with the best intentions. Sadly, too many people “fall off” their program before they ever achieve success. One of the simplest ways to greatly increase the chances of attaining your goal is to set goals. As adults we often discard the need for setting goals, assuming that self-reasoning will help us stay on track. If that were the case, then America wo…Read More
As a result of research over the past several decades, there is controversy about the benefits of static stretching prior to exercise. Some research has determined that static stretching can hinder explosive movements, and if not done properly can promote instability in a joint. Most experts now agree that one should warm up by doing light cardiovascular exercises, such as slow jogging, for 5 …Read More
Endurance, or aerobic, activities increase your breathing and heart rate. These activities help keep you healthy, improve your fitness, and help you do the tasks you need to do every day. Endurance exercises improve the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system. They also delay or prevent many diseases that are common in older adults such as diabetes, colon and breast cancers, hear…Read More
Target Heart Rate simply means the heart rate range that’s best for a given individual. The target heart rate zone is generally calculated by using a percentage of one’s maximum heart rate, which is the maximum number of beats per minute the heart of an individual is capable of beating based on their age and physical condition. An estimate of a person’s maximum age-related heart rate can…Read More
Two terms used in wellness discussions are physical activity and physical exercise. They often are used interchangeably, but they are not the same. Both terms refer to voluntary movements that burn calories. Physical activities are activities that get your body moving such as gardening, walking the dog, raking leaves, and taking the stairs. Exercise is a form of physical activity that is specific…Read More
