Barbara Blackburn's Fit Edge

Fit Edge Launches New Brand and Website

Hi everyone! I am so excited about the launch of the new branding and website I invite all of you to visit my blog to keep updated on all of the latest information on fitness, nutrition and upcoming programs at The Fit Edge.

The Fit Edge is introducing a new and exciting program called FIT LAB. For the past few years I have been toying with the concept of a fitness retreat in town. Most people leave town to go to wellness retreats with the hope that after an eight to ten day intensive workout and eating regime they will lose 10 pounds and are determined to keep it off when they return home. Upon their return, the average person will stick with a plan for a few days. Before long they find themselves back in the daily grind and succumbing to old habits. The weight returns, frustration sets in, and the cycle begins again.

Let’s face it, getting yourself into a weight predicament doesn’t happen overnight, so how realistic is it for anyone to think they can make such a big lifestyle change in an 8 to 10 day period! Not to mention all of the hard earned dollars they spend on what they hope will be a “quick fix”.

This thinking led me to FIT LAB…”Your fitness retreat in town”. The Fit Edge is the center for this multiple week program. We integrate both exercise and education teaching you how to apply a personalized wellness program into your daily lifestyle. The new habits are put into action in your local environment. When you reach your goals maintenance is made easier because you are already living it. You are given all of the tools necessary to reach your specific goals and maintain.

FIT LAB is in its initial phases. We are starting this incredible program with an innovative five week intensive workout program designed to promote body fat and weight loss. Two teams compete against each other for results in this fun and interactive class. Each session combines functional strength, core and cardiovascular conditioning to burn an abundance of calories and define the muscles. Classes are limited in size to provide quality workouts and modified to prevent injury. An initial fitness assessment is mandatory and will help us determine your individual goals and physical limitations so we can prescribe to you the safest workout for the best results. Nutritional journals are provided and daily food entries are required. If you want to work hard and reshape your body in a friendly and safe environment, this class is for you.

Strength Training for The Heart

The heart like the bicep is a muscle. We weight train to develop our muscles. We can see whether our bicep is developed or atrophied by its appearance. Since we cannot see the muscular condition of the heart, a good indicator of its condition is how we feel after running up a short flight of stairs. Out of breathe?, . atrophied heart. Since you cannot give the heart a weight to perform a bicep curl how do you strengthen it? Cardiovascular conditioning is what I call the weight training of the heart muscle. There are many ways to condition the heart. Two methods are aerobic and anaerobic training. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a training approach that includes both of these methods while providing many other healthy benefits.

High Intensity Interval Training

HIIT is a specialized form of interval training that involves short intervals of maximum intensity exercise separated by longer intervals of low to moderate intensity exercise. It is designed for people whose primary concerns are boosting overall cardiovascular fitness and fat loss without losing the muscle mass they already have.

Benefits:

Conditions both your anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.

Increases the amount of calories you burn during an exercise session and afterward because it increases the length of time it takes your body to recover from each exercise session.

Causes metabolic adaptations that enable you to use more intramuscular fat as fuel under a variety of conditions. This will improve your athletic endurance as well as your fat burning potential.

Appears to limit muscle loss that can occur with weight loss, in comparison to traditional steady-state cardio exercise of longer duration. Less muscle loss means higher resting metabolism.

Strengthens the heart resulting in lower resting heart rate a accelerated recovery after workout.