Women of Fitness: Yulonda N.

My name is Yulonda. I currently work as a service excellence rep in the security department for presence health. I really enjoy working in a hospital because I love helping people. I am also family oriented, so I spend a lot of time with my family. Growing up, sports played a huge factor in my family.

We were ALL extremely athletic. I played volleyball, basketball, ran track, and was on the cheerleading team throughout my entire academic career. But of course as I got older, I wasn’t very active anymore. With work and everyday life, things had drastically changed.About three years ago, I went to the doctor because I felt dizzy all the time. It was then that I found out that I was prediabetic, and had high blood pressure. I remember feeling really sad, and thinking to myself, I didn’t want to have to take pills every day for the rest of my life. I knew I had to change my lifestyle. I purchased a set of 10lb weights, meal prepped, and worked out to you tube videos for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. I started seeing great results, I felt more energetic, and things were great.

In August 2016, I had to have gallbladder removal surgery. During my recovery, I wasn’t able to work out for at least 6 months. That was a major setback for me and the lifestyle I had created. By the time I had the clearance to start doing physical activities, I was right back to where I started. I gained all of the weight back. I was extremely discouraged, but I knew that if I did it before, that I could do it again.

I started back doing my routines as I had before, but I felt like I was missing that extra push I needed. I decided to join a gym. I did some research, tried out a few facilities, and eventually came across W3. W3 has given me what I was missing and more!!!! The classes are amazing, and all of the trainers are outstanding. The members are really encouraging and inspirational as well. When you walk in a gym and everyone knows your name, and will come over to help you with your workout, it truly feels like a second family.

I am happy to say that through my ups and downs, that I am no longer on any prediabetic medication. I know that as long as I continue to stay focused, that I will be able to accomplish anything. That I can continue to create a lifestyle where I can be here for my family, and I can be a healthier, happier, stronger ME!

What to Eat Before & After a Workout

Are you ready to sweat and kick butt in the gym? Not so fast. For the people who make it a point to get to the gym every day, don’t let your efforts be unsuccessful due to skipping out on pre and post workout fuel. Many women believe the less they eat, the more they lose. While that may be true for some, they also tend to gain it all back that much quicker. Eating the RIGHT meals is essential for your performance and results.

Eating right not only burns more but helps your body recover in the long run. Taking pre and post workout nutrition seriously is the first step to weight loss no matter what type of workout you are doing. Also keeping a healthy lifestyle is the overall factor of whether you remain fit.

Not sure what to snack on. Not to worry. Below is a chart created just for you to gain more information on the smart choices that take place before your incredible workout.

Pre Workout (Energy Phase)

While it is true that you burn calories (sometimes quicker) on an empty stomach, fat also stores during your workout. This fact does not actually reduce your body fat. Eating a pre-workout meal or snack will give you energy, stamina, and help blast through your fat storing system while building muscle.

1-2 Hours Before Workout:

Hearty salad
Lettuce Wraps
Veggie Omelet
Smoothie
Oatmeal

50-90 Minutes Before Workout:

Fruit & Yogurt
Peanut Butter & Apple
Fruit & cottage cheese
Banana and almonds
Broccoli

Post Workout (Anabolic Phase)

It is important to refuel after a workout. This will help your body recover from the stress caused during the workout. To recover you can combine the right balance of protein and carbs. For the best results, eat within 30-60 minutes after exercise, due to the fact that your muscles are the most receptive at this time. This ensures your body to recover, adapt, and improve.

1 Snack Immediately After Workout

Kefir Probiotic
Dried Fruits and nuts
Banana
Trail Mix (Healthy Mix)

2 Meals Immediately After Workout

Quinoa & salmon
Black bean and rice soup
Tofu Stir Fry & Brown Rice
Sweet Potato & Chicken
Grilled Turkey Sandwich

Portion of food depends on:

Height and weight of individual
How much you exercise
What exercise you do and for how long you do it

These are a few of the options to stay healthy and strong. There are a million other light recipes for your body to refuel. Also remember to stay hydrated. A well-hydrated athlete feels better, stronger, and can work out longer!

Follow us on Pinterest @W3Body for more pre and post recipes and awesome workouts!

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What to Wear to the Gym for your Best Workout

Enhancing Your Performance

Many women don’t think twice when it comes to what they wear to the gym. They have their favorite pair of workout shoes, that one sports bra that feels just right (or so it seems), and their favorite pair of yoga pants they wash every day because let’s face it- they want to wear them again tomorrow. At this point holes may be forming in the inner thigh, and they are fading in the butt area, but they’re your favorite right?…you can’t just throw them away! Wrong!

Athletic apparel is a booming industry in fashion today. Many women feel that they don’t need to look cute while working out, versus the girls that go to the gym just to look good. Well let me tell you there is a lot more to athletic wear than what meets the eye. Actually, it’s an entire world of science, technology, fabric innovation, manipulation and perforation. Athletic apparel is created for a reason, and it is broken off into different categories for a reason- the reason being you. Yes, the reason is to enhance your performance through allowing the maximum range of motion, stability, and acceleration. Being aware of what you put on your body may severely impact your joints, muscles and the ladies(chest) in the long run. Athletic wear can get expensive, so I’ve come up with a list of a variety of products perfect for your specified workout and their equals for less!

#1 Taking Care of the Ladies!

I don’t care what cup you are- how small or big- you have to wear a supportive sports bra. Wearing a supportive sports bra while doing physical activity will ensure that the coopers ligaments in your breasts don’t stretch out to maximum capacity, meaning you will defy gravity for as long as you can! Are you experiencing back pain and upper back and shoulder problems? This may be due to your bra. 80% of women statistically are in the wrong size, so before you go out on your search, make sure to get measured professionally. Here are some photos of bras ranging from low to high-intensity support depending on your workout of choice and size of chest!

Great for light workouts. These bras are meant mostly for ladies with cups A-C who are lifting weights or doing light yoga, Pilates, and PiYo.

Medium Impact Bras

These bras are best for women with A-C cups who are performing any activity from Zumba class, a long run, or just doing moderate cardio at the gym. They will support the ladies but also give them room to breathe! Getting the right size is the key to a good bra. These bras range from small to extra large. Ask an associate if you are not sure, and they will be glad to assist you!

High Impact Bras

These bras are designed with molded and adjustable straps to really help secure the chest. These bras are mostly for women with C-E cups. With extra support and padded straps, you will be able to move securely without having to worry about back aches or anyone staring at your chest! They are created to tame the ladies! The Hero as well features an traditional snap off for easy removal.

#3 The Right Tights for your Workout!

Having the right tights for your workout will be one of the key aspects of your performance. The main two categories of tights are running and yoga/training. Most running tights feature a drawcord for stability and less spandex for breathability. They usually will have an inseam or zipper pocket to stash your keys etc. Training tights, on the other hand, tend to have a higher waistband for extra coverage when doing yoga, Pilates, or any workout that asks for minimal distraction when lying on your back. It is important to be comfortable when doing your workout, so you are not pulling your pants up every five seconds! Being comfortable in your wardrobe will only make you concentrate harder due to less distractions. Nike, Lu Lu Lemon, and Under Armour all use a sweat wicking system in which the fibers will wick the sweat to the surface, allowing you to stay dry in the long run!

Running Tights

TRAINING PANTS:

#4 Do Not neglect your feet!

The importance of wearing the right shoe for your workout is crucial, if not the most important. If you are training, you must wear a training shoe! If you are running, you must wear a running shoe! No questions asked. This is crucial to your health, performance and pure enjoyment of your workout. Having a training shoe will help you with stability, jumping, and locking them in place when you need to. Training shoes tend to have more contact with the ground, allowing your movements to be fluid and intact. There are many different kinds of support; asking an expert will help you get on the right track. Finding the correct running shoe is key to your performance and overall bone health. Most runners need support and tend to switch their shoes out to work different muscle groups. It is important to have arch and ankle support if you have bad knees. In this case, you may need a Lunar Glide or Pegasus if shopping via Nike. Below are a few examples ranging from most minimalistic/barefoot to highest support.

Running Shoes

TRAINING SHOES

These are a few tips to keep in mind. Places like Nike and Under Armour offer services like gate analysis in which they find the correct shoe for you by testing your feet on a treadmill. Now go out there and get the clothing that best suits you! Your hard work deserves the best. Follow our Pinterest page @w3body for more inspiration on athletic fashion! (Women’s Workout & Wellness)

*Post and information provided by Vanja, W3 Marketing Intern

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Fit Tip: How to Make Exercise a Priority

With only 20% of the population working out, it’s obvious that exercise for the typical American is not a priority. It’s not necessarily that the majority of people don’t want to lose weight or get fit and healthy… it’s more that they don’t fit exercise into their everyday lives. The point is, if you don’t actively work to make sure you workout 3-5x/week, you most likely won’t just stumble upon the time to exercise.. unless you work in a gym of course!

Whether you’re part of that 20% of the population or not, you most likely struggle from time to time to make it to the gym. It seems more convenient than not to just skip today… “oh, I’ll get there tomorrow!” Easier said than done. How do you KNOW you’ll get there tomorrow? What are you doing to make sure you will step foot in the gym and workout hard? If the answer is nothing, you might just keep putting it off another day.

So what do you need to do to get fit and healthy? Make exercise a priority! Do this by tackling the reasons or excuses you come up with for not working out. Are you tired? Workout first thing in the morning. And not only that, but you have to plan how that workout will fit into your day. You can’t go to work and say you’ll workout on your way home if you don’t bring any exercise clothes with you. It’s not just going to happen… you have to make it happen! Here are a few examples of overcoming those excuses. If you know you are tired at night after work and you’ll most likely skip your workout, PLAN to workout in the morning. Do what you need to do to workout in the morning. This might consist of going to bed earlier, laying out your clothes the night before, preparing your breakfast if you’re in a hurry, and having a backup plan. Another example is if you tell yourself you’re not going to workout because you’re hungry after work…. Bring a snack with you! Another big one is “I don’t have time.” That’s the whole point- you have to MAKE time! Do you have time to watch TV? Surf the web? Talk on the phone? Trust me, you have time to workout.

As always, you should have a backup plan. To make exercise a priority, you have to put it FIRST before doing other things. If you have the mindset that you can’t do any other activities until you workout, you will plan ahead and fit that workout where you need to! Make exercise a priority TODAY! It will benefit you in more ways than one.

Stay fit~ Stay fabulous~

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