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Level up your fitness journey with MuscleBlaze

Shaivy Choubey

How Important is It to have a Bench Press Arch?

Hello Ziddis! We all know strength training is a super important part of our fitness journey. This is where the real work happens that not only reflects in the mirror but your daily errands. However not knowing how it should be done causes issues that can result in injuries. These injuries could be minor like a sprain or major like a slip disc. Hence it is important to check your arc especially when you do bench press. Here is how you can make sure to stay safe and have the right arch for various types of bench presses.

Importance of Doing Bench Press

The bench press is a pillar of strength training focusing on chest development. It works on multiple muscle groups like chest, shoulders, triceps and also wrist strength. This makes it a compound exercise and a key to building a great upper body. But there is something to consider as you get started. The arch in your back during a bench press. This isn’t about lifting heavier but creating stability, balancing the weight and reducing strain on your shoulder, spine and elbow. Knowing and maintaining the arch will yield more benefits for your chest training while keeping your joints safe.

Incline Bench Press Exercise

The incline bench press refers to the position in which your body is inclined forward. Incline bench press targets the upper chest area helping in building a fuller and more defined chest.
Best Arch: Maintaining a slight arch that ensures your shoulder blades are retracted and stable to reduce undue strain on your shoulder could take you a long way and prevent injuries.

Decline Bench Press

The decline bench press helps build the lower chest. In the decline bench press, you lean all the way backwards with your legs elevated. This minimizes the strain on shoulders as compared to a flat or incline. Best Arch: Make sure the natural curve of your back rests well adjusted on the bench. This allows you to focus on isolating the chest.

Flat Bench Press

Flat Bench Press Exercise

The flat bench press is the most common variation and is done lying on your back. Flat bench press helps target all chest muscles, tricep and shoulder. It is also less injury-prone.
Best Arch: Keeping your back flat and parallel to the bench creates a shorter range of motion. This helps you lift heavier and keeps your shoulder safe. This arch also helps the proper distribution of weight evenly across your body.

Barbell Bench Press Exercise

The barbell bench press is as classy as is effective. It allows progressive overload and helps you grow stronger and with steady gains. It engages pectoral muscles or pecs.
Best Arch: Lie on the bench with your back straight and parallel to the ground. Keep your feet well-placed on the ground. This way you can reduce strain on your shoulder and create a stable base for your Barbell.

Takeaway

Whatever form of bench press you do whether it is decline, incline, flat or barbell, make sure to maintain your arch and body angle. This will help you stay away from injuries while keeping the weight right where it needs to be affected. Make sure you pack your gym bags with your favourite protein shaker, loads of water and a towel for all the sweating.

How to Find Your Work-Life (Fitness) Balance

Hello, fellow stressed beings! We are all living in a world of clenched jaws, tight shoulders and sloppy backs. But we are tired of living like this! So we are going to get on our feet and find a solution to it- a balance. So here are ways we can add some work life balance and fit our fitness into our busy lives.

What Does Work Life Balance Mean?

Work life balance is about creating an equilibrium about how much of yourself you put into your professional life and how much you save for yourself. A balance is needed wherein you do not indulge in either too much, in most cases leaning towards the work side. Juggling too many balls can be overwhelming. That is where work-life balances plays an important role.  

How to Separate Work Life and Personal Life

Here are a few practical tips to separate your work life from your personal life. Some of these may seem difficult at first but with practice get easy and others may seem easy but require a lot of your willpower to get into your routine.

  • Set Boundaries- With your workspace, relations or whatever seems to be taking more of your energy allocate that energy and time to fitness and relaxation
  • Have a Dedicated Space for the Workout- This helps you get into the mood of working out every time you step into this space
  • Go off the clock- When you are not working make sure you truly aren’t. Do not be thinking of work or planning tasks.
  • Have a strict schedule for yourself- Make sure you are not lenient with yourself especially when it comes to taking care of yourself.

Work Life Balance for Women

    Staying Fit with Work Life Balance for Women

    This is an observation that women especially if they are career women, often juggle many roles and try to ace in all of them. Here are some realistic ways to stay fit and bring work-life balance for women:

    • Dedicate time to stepping out for morning walks. The air, the sun and the movement are all great not just for mental and physical but also hormonal health for women.
    • Take a stroll while catching up on telephone meetings.
    • Do at-home workouts if you can not make time to hit the gym
    • Take supplements to boost your mood and energy.
    • Account for loads of proteins and fibres when meal-prepping.

      Tips to Have Work Life Balance for Employees

      If you are a working professional, you understand the value of work life balance for employees the most. Employees undergo a lot of stress due to a lack of balance in their company and end up having an unhealthy lifestyle. But no more compromises. Here are easy and quick ways you can catch up on your healthy lifestyle if you follow these tips to have work life balance for employees.

      • Have a set schedule not just for work but for your fitness routine
      • Meal prep for the week over the weekend so that you can save time and eat healthy at home.
      • Try to have an active commute like walking or cycling at least to run errands if not go to work.
      • Take breaks to stretch, stroll and practice mindfulness.
      • Consider a supportive workplace that promotes healthy living.

        Supplements to Nullify Stress and Promote Work Life Balance

        If you feel you need help to fix your work life balance, you could look at why you aren’t able to stay active in your 5-9 after your 9-5. Your stress levels, lethargy and low energy could be to blame. There are supplements to help you fix it.

        • Ashwagandha powder for its stress relief quality and boosting energy and stamina.
        • Electrolytes to keep your mineral levels optimum
        • Multivitamins in case of deficiencies and to meet your daily nutrient requirement
        • Shilajit boosts your energy levels, reduces fatigue and promotes wellness.

          Takeaway

          Work life balance is not an easy task. It can not just be fixed by time blocking but by resetting your mind and taking your energy back into your own hands. By following the above tips you would be taking action to have a better grip over your health. This starts with integrating home exercises and meal preps and goes a long way. So stay consistent in your efforts and balance your life.

          Sources:

          https://www.careinsurance.com/blog/health-insurance-articles/tips-on-how-to-manage-stress-and-balance-work-as-a-woman

          https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/employee/employee-work-life-balance/#:~:text=Employers%20benefit%20from%20supporting%20healthy,in%20lunch%20and%20break%20rooms.

          Why Tracking Your BMI is Just Not Enough

          Hello Ziddis! For years BMI has been the metric for evaluating health. It is the first question to be asked on any health survey, your dietician’s clinic or even your fitness tracking app. However, unless you understand the nitty gritty of the number on your BMI chart, you are never going to understand what steps to take to fix it or maintain it. Let us take a plunge and touch base on our basics of Body Mass Index!

          What is a BMI Calculator?

          BMI or Body Mass Index is the estimation of a person’s body fat based on their height and weight. It is a quick check to screen oneself and check if they are overweight, underweight or just the right weight.

          A BMI Calculator is used to determine that. It is a simple formula that uses your height and weight and places you on a chart that determines if your body fat quotient is healthy enough. A. The formula is simple:

          BMI = weight (kg) / height (m²)

          While this is easy to calculate using a BMI calculator, it does not account for the contribution of our muscle mass, bone density and fat distribution making it slightly misleading. The limitation is not always reliable when you are hoping to seriously take the matters of your health and fitness into your own hands.

          Body Mass Index Chart

          You know the formula to calculate the BMI now. The next step is simply to check out this body mass index chart and figure out where you stand. The Body Mass Index chart is as follows:

          • BMI < 18.5 indicates you are underweight
          • BMI 18.5 – 24.9 indicates you are in the normal weight category
          • BMI of 25 – 29.9 indicates you are overweight and need to act quickly about it
          • BMI> 30 is a sign of being obese which needs to be diagnosed and treated with a plan of action.

          This chart only provides a broad overview but not the cause of this which makes the body mass index chart slightly limited.

          Body Mass Index Chart

          BMI Calculator Men

          In the case of men especially those who engage in strength training and bodybuilding may find themselves in the overweight or obese category. This is because the BMI calculator for men does not exist and BMI as a concept is generalized. Hence it is important to go deeper when calculating this BMI to make any predictions about your body. It is useful to track metrics like body fat percentage and muscle mass too.

          BMI Calculator Female

          The BMI Calculator for females don’t exist either so the part where the body composition is taken into consideration is tossed out. A woman’s body goes through changes in her hormonal cycle due to menstrual cycle or pregnancy and the fat distribution is impacted too. This makes BMI a poor indicator of health metrics for women as well. A better approach for women is to focus on measurements such as wait-to-hip ratio and overall hormonal fitness.

          BMI Calculator by Age

          Another added layer of complexity to calculating BMI is the age factor. BMI calculator by age should have been a concept to be considered seriously. But since it is not we should not rely solely on BMI and instead also try to check our muscle mass and bone density as it often reduces as we age.

          What Should You Track Instead of BMI?

          Since BMI is outdated and inaccurate in most cases because of the lack of basic personalization, it is not enough to understand your health metrics. What we can monitor instead of BMI is:

          • Body composition varies in the genders
          • Waist-to-hip ratio
          • Muscle mass seems more relevant in people who work out for bodybuilding.
          • Bone density
          • Cardiovascular fitness
          • Strength levels
          • Stamina
          • Cholesterol levels
          • Hormone check

            Takeaway

            While BMI may be outdated and inaccurate it is a starting point but definitely not the whole story. Understand your body’s needs. When getting conscious about your health, make sure to try out supplements. If you are trying to bodybuilding, give a shot to bodybuilding supplements and if you are trying to stay lean, befriend oats protein. Just like your diet and supplements change, the metrics by which you measure your health and fitness change too. Grow into it and remember your health is about progress not a perfect number on the scales.

            The WORST Foods for Your Immune System

            Hello Ziddis! We know that our immune system is our body’s first line of defence. If it is strong enough it can keep us strong and healthy. But what is the ultimate way of fortifying our immunity system? It is the food we eat. Foods that are bad for our gut end up harming our immune system. So let us understand what foods to embrace and what to avoid in order to keep our immunity systems strong.

            Worst Foods for Gut Health

            There are tonnes of foods that we consume every day without realising how harmful they are to our gut health. These are some of the worst foods for gut health and you must stop yourself before your immune system decides to coup. Some of these foods are:

            • Sugary foods are bad because they mess up the balance of gut bacteria making them top the list of worst foods for gut health
            • Processed foods are loaded with preservatives, additives and unhealthy fats which can harm gut flora
            • Fried Food because of the trans fats in them can cause inflammation
            • Alcohol can harm the gut lining
            • Artificial sweeteners can impair immune function.

              How to Improve Immune System

              Improving immune system takes dedication and discipline to make mindful choices for your body and actively avoid the worst foods for your gut health.

              • Add whole foods to your diet
              • Stay hydrated
              • Exercise regularly
              • Prioritize sleep

                Natural Immune System Boosters

                There are many immune system boosters found in nature. These immune system boosters help repair our first line of defence and are great for our gut health.

                • Citrus fruits
                • Garlic
                • Turmeric
                • Ginger
                • Green teas

                Immune Boosting Supplements

                  What Are Immune Boosting Supplements?

                  Supplements are a way to fill in the nutritional gap that can not be easily fulfilled by your diet. Supplements that help in boosting our immunity are immune boosting supplements. Some of these immune boosting supplements are:

                  • Vitamin C
                  • Vitamin D
                  • Zinc
                  • Probiotics
                  • Echinacea

                    Are There Supplements for Immune System?

                    Yes, there are supplements formulated to help you boost your immunity.

                    • Multivitamins
                    • Superfood Powders like spirulina, moringa and ashwagandha for an added immune boost.
                    • Herbal Blends

                    These supplements are also available on MuscleBlaze.

                    How to Boost Immune System Naturally

                    By making some simple lifestyle changes you can boost immune system naturally. You just need to follow a few tips:

                    • Reduce stressors in your life
                    • Include some movement in your everyday
                    • Have a balanced diet
                    • Stay consistent in your routine including sleep, meals and exercise.

                      Vitamins to Build Immunity

                      Vitamins play a very important role in strengthening our immune system By adding vitamins to build immunity to your diet, you are playing it smart to reach your goals quicker. Some of the well-known vitamins to build immunity are:

                      • Vitamin A to support respiratory and gut health
                      • Vitamin B6 to help biochemical reactions in our immunity system
                      • Vitamin C to enhance the function of immune cells
                      • Vitamin D to reduce susceptibility to infections
                      • Vitamin E acts as a powerful antioxidant and supports immunity functions

                        Takeaway

                        Your immunity system requires for you to care and support it just the way it supports you. Nurturing your body with supplements like the best of the best protein powder, and immunity boosters and having a healthy diet are important. If you have a busy lifestyle choose healthy snacks like protein bars to keep your gut health well and your immunity system highly functional. Make sure you are making smart choices to keep yourself healthy. Today’s consistent steps will make your immunity system flourish tomorrow.

                        Sources:

                        https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/immune-boosting-supplements

                        https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vitamins-best-boosting-immunity

                        https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-that-weaken-immune-system

                        What are 5 Signs Your Gut is Unhealthy

                        Hello Ziddis! In today’s blog, we will try to figure out an answer to many of your health issues by looking at how your gut may be causing them. We know how our gut plays a crucial role in our overall health. It is our second brain and the house of instinct, but it is also our mood and feeling regulator. Understand the signs of an unhealthy gut to fix it and get actual control over your health.

                        10 Signs of an Unhealthy Gut

                        You experience digestive issues more often than others.

                        • You feel fatigued
                        • You develop intolerance for certain foods due to issues related to digesting them
                        • You fall ill more often
                        • You develop skin issues
                        • You have fluctuating weight
                        • Others may complain about your bad breath
                        • You have more mood disorders than others
                        • You crave sugar more
                        • You have a poor sleep cycle.

                        These are the crux of all that can go wrong in your body when you are dealing with an unhealthy gut. These 10 signs of an unhealthy gut can tell us a lot about what are the most common complaints shared by people having an unhealthy gut.

                        Bad Gut Health Symptoms

                        Bad gut health symptoms can show themselves in very common ways which we tend to ignore but shouldn’t. Here are a few bad gut health symptoms to watch out for:

                        Feeling uneasy after having certain foods which may cause food intolerances later on. This shows how your gut is getting weaker in its digestive function.

                        • You put on and lose weight drastically.
                        • You want more sugar because of the bacterial growth in your gut.
                        • You tend to fall sick even at the slightest of the weather change.
                        • You experience discomfort in passing stools if you happen to eat food other than your normal diet.
                        • Experiencing either lose motions or constipation often that you start noticing the patterns.
                        • You experience shifts between extreme hunger and loss of appetite.

                        Unhealthy Gut Symptoms That Often Go Unnoticed

                        There are also some underlying unhealthy gut symptoms. We often think they are not directly linked to the stomach so they may not be unhealthy gut symptoms. But more often than not, they are.

                        • Hair thinning or hair loss
                        • Irritation and emotional instability
                        • Brain fog
                        • Throat issues- these also happen due to increased acidic levels in your stomach
                        • Frequent UTI- this is more common in females.
                        • Headache and migraine
                        • Joint pain due to flared-up inflammations.

                        Unhealthy Gut Symptoms

                        Boost Gut Health

                        How can you boost gut health? It is not a difficult way. You just need to be vigilant of how you treat your body. Treat your body with love and respect and feed it good food. Some of the best practices to boost gut health are:

                        • Drink more water
                        • Exercise daily
                        • Work on reducing your stress levels
                        • Avoid starving yourself for long hours
                        • Eat more organic produce
                        • Reduce your sugar and soda intake.

                        Better Digestion Tips

                        Manage your gut health with these better digestion tips:

                        • Chew food well
                        • Do not skip meals
                        • Limit your sugar intake
                        • Include fibres in every meal
                        • Have fermented foods
                        • Take help of ayurvedic products for better digestion

                        Foods That Improve Digestion

                        There are foods that improve digestion and make it easier to take care of your gut. Trying to include these foods every day can help you have a healthier gut. Certain foods that improve digestion are:

                        • Probiotics like yoghurt
                        • Fermented foods like kimchi, dosa
                        • High-fibre foods like apples, oats, legumes
                        • Healthy fats like avocados, nuts and olive oil
                        • Anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric, ginger and berries
                        • Fit Foods which are rich in protein, fibre and nutrients

                        Takeaway

                        Your gut health dictates how your body will react to changes in atmosphere, season or even lifestyle. So making sure you keep your gut the most comfortable is very important. Take matters into your own hands but invest in food that improves digestion and lifestyle changes that keep your gut health.

                        Source:

                        https://www.frederickhealth.org/news/2021/july/10-signs-of-an-unhealthy-gut

                        How to Debloat After a Weekend of Cheat Days

                        Hello Ziddis! A show of hands from everyone who treats weekends as cheat days! Those who wait for Friday evening to start to hog on some pizza and fried food or street food? Who loves living their lives on weekends? We all do! But what when Monday comes in and you are too lethargic to pull yourself to your nearest treadmill and you don’t like how bloated you look? This blog is for all of us!

                        How to Debloat

                        Debloating is not as complex as it may sound. You don’t need deep cleansing of your gut every time but to understand what it needs this time. Here are a few tips that work like magic on how to debloat:

                        • Hydrate yourself as much as you can
                        • Move your body by going for a walk
                        • Try some basic stretches and yoga
                        • Rest out
                        • Depuff your face with an ice roller

                          Most of the time the question isn’t how to debloat but what your body needs.

                          How to Boost Gut Health?

                          There are tonnes of ways to boost your gut health. In case of want to have a reset, you may want to deep cleanse it. Here is how you can boost gut health:

                          • Detox
                          • Fast once a week or fortnight
                          • Infuse your water with herbs like mint
                          • Have salads made of hydrating fruits like watermelons or cucumbers
                          • Eat fibre-rich food
                          • Exercise everyday
                          • Move your body every day
                          • Do not sleep off right after having a meal

                            Foods to Improve Gut Health

                            Your bloating pattern is closely related to your gut health so indulging in foods to improve gut health is helpful. Here are some foods that are our top picks:

                            • Fermented foods like yoghurt, kimchi, dosa or probiotic supplements
                            • Electrolytes help you gain minerals while you stay hydrated
                            • High-fibre foods like fit foods, chia seeds or oats
                            • Hydrating fruits and veggies like cucumbers, watermelons, leafy greens, etc.

                              Why Does Cheat Meal Make it Difficult to Naturally Debloat?

                              Cheat meals are like rewards you give to your body for staying on track. But what happens when these rewards are itself cause the body to derail? Cheat meals often cause bloating. This is due to:

                              • Overloading your digestive system
                              • Excess calories consumed in small time
                              • Causes gut microbiome to be disrupted.
                              • All of this leads to causing hindrance in your body’s way of debloating naturally.

                              How to Debloat Stomach

                                How to Debloat Stomach?

                                It is possible to debloat your stomach quickly as well as to keep it up for a longer time.

                                To Quickly Debloat:

                                • Drink water water
                                • Infuse your water with lemon
                                • Stretch and twist your body in a comfortable motion
                                • Check for signs of constipation

                                  For Long-Lasting Effects:

                                  • Eat less in one sitting but more meals overall
                                  • Avoid carbonated drinks
                                  • Start practicing yoga

                                    Foods to Improve Digestion

                                    You can find many natural foods to help you in debloating. Make sure you have what will help you.

                                    • Fruits: Grapes, watermelons, muskmelons, ice apples, coconut water, berries, papaya
                                    • Vegetables: Cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, leafy greens
                                    • Supplements: Gut cleanse supplements, green juices, probiotics and prebiotics,
                                    • Herbs: Peppermint and spearmint tea, cinnamon, chamomile tea, ginger, turmeric.

                                    Incorporate these foods to improve digestion. Make sure you have the herbs when you wake up and the rest of these throughout the day.

                                    Takeaway

                                    Having a debloated stomach is everyone’s dream especially so that you don’t feel the guilt of indulging in your favourites. Make sure that stays. Focus on getting enough movement for your body and the right food on your plate and voila the bloating is gone.

                                    Understand that bloating is temporary and you should not feel any less confident but it can cause issues internally within your body throughout the day like lethargy. Hence it is important to cut it at its roots.

                                    Sources:

                                    https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-get-rid-of-bloating-tips-for-relief

                                    https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/foods-that-help-with-bloating#15-foods-and-drinks-that-reduce-bloating