Image by alba1970 from Pixabay Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog Levels of Fitness: The Components Do you know your level of fitness? It’s important to know how fit you are. Knowing how fit you are will help you set goals, track progress, and remain motivated. How fit you are can be determined by measuring your performance with respect to each one of the five components of fitness. These are five components of fitness with which you should be concerned.  1.Cardiorespiratory fitness, according to the American College of Sports Medicine ..read more

Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog 1. Do Cardiorespiratory Exercise and Resistance Exercise on Opposite Days.  Avoiding  conflict between cardiorespiratory exercise and resistance exercise is just one of 8 fitness tips to make your workout far more effective. When they are done in the same session, gains in muscle mass and strength are adversely affected. The molecular mechanisms in the muscles involved in strength gains need approximately 3 hours to reset. This is why you should do cardiovascular exercise and resistance training at least 3 hours ..read more

Image by Taco Fleur from Pixabay Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog Types of Common Gym Injuries Learning how to avoid common gym injuries will help avoid setbacks with regard to your fitness regimen, allowing you to make progress faster. There are several types of common gym injuries you’ll want to avoid. Fractures Fractures can be the result of the following: High impact repetitive exercise  Incorrect training progression  Low bone mineral density (BMD)   Females at risk for the “female athlete triad” (disordered eating, a ..read more

Image by Gabin Vallet from Pixabay Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog What is Plyometrics? Plyometrics is a specialized type of training intended to improve neuromuscular performance. It consists of powerful, quick movements that create a rapid stretch of a muscle (eccentric or lengthening) and then a quick shortening of the same muscle (concentric). So how can plyometrics help maintain cardiorespiratory fitness? The answer is to integrate plyometrics into high intensity interval training (HIIT). I’ll get into more detail on how to do this l ..read more

Image by Pedro Alvarez from Pixabay Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog Why 10 Healthy Habits for Mental Fitness are Important No matter who you are or what you do, you likely experience days in your life when you’re not feeling 100% mentally.  It’s important to practice some of the 10 healthy habits for mental fitness to reduce the effects of stress, improve relationships, become more productive, and live a longer healthier life.   There are endless things that can contribute to mental health problems, and it may seem as thoug ..read more

Image by Fernando Zamora from Pixabay Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog High Intensity Resistance Training: What is it? High Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT) is a technique that emphasizes short rest periods between intense bouts of resistance training.  The intensity of resistance training is often determined by a percentage of your one repetition maximum (1-RM).  The greater the percentage of your 1-RM, the lower the number of repetitions in a set. The number of repetitions in a set will vary depending on your goal, whether ..read more

Image by Pexels from Pixabay Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog Why Dynamic Balance Exercises are Important As a consequence of aging, our balance tends to deteriorate. More specifically, this means loss of sensory ability and motor control, as well as a decline in musculoskeletal function from sarcopenia. This is why you may need dynamic balance exercises for improved stability. Dynamic balance is the maintenance of equilibrium while moving, as opposed to static balance, which is the maintenance of equilibrium while stationary.  Dynami ..read more

Image by AndiP from Pixabay Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog Why Tips on Sustaining an Active and Healthy Lifestyle as You Age are Important As we get older, it’s important to take care of our bodies. Taking steps to stay healthy and strong helps us age gracefully but it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together tips on sustaining an active and healthy lifestyle as we age to give you a starting point.    Tip #1 Exercise Smartly As we age, our bodies go through natural changes that can affect the way we mov ..read more

Image by Ichigo121212 from Pixabay  Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog The Importance of Preventing Lower Back Pain When Lifting Weights There are many causes of low back pain, which results in loss of productivity and the inability to do the things you enjoy. This is why learning how to prevent lower back pain when lifting weights is integral to your success.  With aging and many years of use, the disks in the spine tend to degenerate, resulting in arthritis.  Low back pain can also be caused by the following: Scoliosis Hern ..read more

Image by Pexels from Pixabay Kent Probst, BS, MEd Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog Why Strength Training for Women Over 40 is Important As women pass 40, metabolism slows down and weight gain sets in. The risk of loss of bone mass increases. These are reasons why strength training for women over 40 is more important than ever. Sarcopenia, or age-related loss of muscle mass, continues unless efforts are made to reverse it.  Most people lose 3% to 5% of their muscle mass per decade after age 30. If you’re over 40 and you’re not doing regular strength traini ..read more