Caitlin Anthony Fitness

The diaphragm is an important muscle associated with breathing. It's also important as a core/postural muscle to create spinal stability. Unfortunately, this one of the most dysfunctional muscles in most people! Many are unable to properly recruit their diaphragm and therefore breathe in an inefficient manner. Having proper recruitment and control of using your diaphragm can affect all of the following: Stabilization during compound lifts such as the squat, bench press and ...deadlift Allows your body to release tension and ease into stretches. Controlling heart rate Energy Perform 2-5 minutes of deep breathing at the end of your workout, day or whenever you can spare the time. Practice how to use your diaphragm well. This is a muscle that should be "trained" like any other. NOTE: Rather than using the analogy of laying on your back and inhaling into your stomach like a balloon (which can further perpetuate problematic breathing for some), focus on breathing into the space near your solar plexus region and connect your mind to that area and feel the expansion occur from this area as your belly expands. Exhale and notice the gentle feeling of your navel contracting towards the spine. Ps. Taking time to practice deep breathing is also a great technique used for stress reduction and inducing a state of relaxation. LIKE & SHARE IF YOU FOUND THIS POST HELPFUL

Please read if you have been or are confused about fat loss and training. If someone tells you, you NEED to do (insert one of the points below) to lose fat, they probably don’t understand the body or how fat loss works, and you should seek another opinion. Especially if you feel deprived and unhappy with your current training and/or diet. -Juice diets... -Diet tea -Intermittent fasting, keto, high carb, low carb, atkins, zone, vegan, vegetarian, carnivore or any specific diet -High Intensity Interval Training -Cardio but no weights -Weights but no cardio -No sugar -No fruit -No alcohol -No grains -Non GMO -Only organic foods -Functional training, bodybuilding, crossfit, bootcamps, circuit training or any specific training modality -Sauna/steam room -Certain supplements or meal replacements -Not eating after 6pm -Not eating before 10am -Sweat bands or other fad fat loss tools -Cool Sculpting -Ice baths -Green tea -Ephedrine or caffeine -Getting rid of toxins -6 meals a day -3 meals a day -Genetics -All natural shampoo, soap etc. -& there’s so much more We need to stop being confused about the little things and start getting healthy and focusing on the bigger picture. Do we use certain diets and training protocols listed above? Yes, for various reasons which are usually because the client enjoys it, they can be consistent on that specific plan because it coincides with their lifestyle, it provides them with a sustainable caloric deficit, and does not stress them out or leave them feeling confused and deprived. We have never used some of these methods because it is the ONLY way for fat loss to occur. We want our clients to learn basic nutrition skills so they can have the autonomy and the power to make conscious decisions that will benefit them and allow them to live stress-free and enjoy life beyond their exercise and time with us. If you have any questions or if you are still confused feel free to send us a message. LIKE & SHARE IF YOU FOUND THIS POST HELPFUL :)

I need to burn 600 calories at the gym before I go out to eat tonight. If only the body was this simple. While energy balance- calories in v calories out does dictate what your body weight will do (go up, down or stay the same). Your body is not a simple math equation A+B = C. Many people believe that what we eat only gets stored as fat or muscle and our exercise burns the fat that is stored. Although this does happen, the energy we eat is utilized for many other functions... beyond fat storage. For example, our brain consumes the most energy of any organ in the body. We often use the analogy of pulling an elastic band when trying to explain to our clients why guilt exercising does not work, especially long term. Your body is always trying to achieve a state of balance called homeostasis. If you’re training more than 45-60 minutes, or doing multiple workouts per day, you may begin to move less throughout the day, have trouble concentrating on tasks or feel too tired to interact with people. This is your body turning down other bodily processes because your caloric deficit may be too large. If you continuously override this feedback and disturb this process by continuing to exercise too much, you may find that you often binge and crave high calorie foods. In some cases, you may stop exercising for periods of time because you have lost the will to do so. Much like an elastic band, if you pull and irritate your body to a point where it does not want to go, it will eventually snap. Enjoy the food you eat, think of it more as a way to nourish your body less like a set of numbers. Enjoy the exercise you do. Stop thinking you have to exercise to account for every calorie you consume, calories serve many roles in the body and are not just limited to fat gain or fat loss. Choose your foods wisely, if you mess up and eat too much it won’t make you fat overnight. REMEMBER consistency trumps all! (80-90%)

"What is the best supplement for fat loss?" "I just need a good fat burner to help me lose fat." "What is the best time to train for fat burning?" These questions are frequently asked by many people! We focus so much on minute and insignificant things that we think will have the biggest impact, or holds the magic answer. In reality, as we ask these questions we forget to do the simple things that have the biggest impact on our fat loss goals. We tend to focus on the 1% inste...ad of the big picture. Are there supplements that can potentially aid in fat loss? Yeah.... Is there an optimal time to train? There might be.... Can meal timing have a role on fat loss? Potentially... However, all of these things result in such small differences most of which are not noticeable and not important to us and in many cases are not realistic at all for the everyday person. Focus on what really matters and stop running in circles achieving nothing and jumping from fad to fad. If you perform the following steps consistently you WILL progress and achieve what you want as long as you don't give up, & you may save a fortune by not spending good money on useless products. Sleep consistently well for 7-9 hours Eat a wide variety of veggies, fruits, and protein 80-90% of the time (and be in a caloric deficit- if the goal is fat loss). Chew your food and slow down when you eat Perform a reasonable amount of NEAT per day (7000-10,000 steps/day) Drink enough water so that your pee is clear Be happy and spend time with people who make you smile and laugh. Have a plan and exercise 2-4x for 45-60 minutes per week consistently. There is no magic to getting where you need to go. Be disciplined in doing the basics as frequently as possible and you will succeed in your health goals!

Fruit has been given a bad reputation over the last few years with all the low carb diet trends. Fruit is healthy and should not be avoided. It won’t make you fat as long as your total energy intake is under control for what you’re trying to achieve, whether that be fat loss or weight maintenance. It was long believed that fructose should be avoided at all costs. Although fruit does contain fructose it does not contain the amounts that would cause harm to your health. This ...is only seen in food products that contain large amounts of high-fructose corn syrup (found in sodas or highly processed foods) refined products and sweeteners like agave nectar. Fruits are great sources of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and provide fibre for a healthy digestive system.