8 Glasses a day keeps the Fat away

Water is quite possibly the single most important factor in losing weight and keeping it off. Although simple, water may be the answer to losing weight and keeping it off.  Here’s why: 

Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. The kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When the kidneys don't work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. If the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, more fat remains stored in the body, and weight loss stops. 

The overweight person needs more water than the thin one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we now know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water. Water helps maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss - shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy, and resilient. Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of - all the metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush out the waste. 

How Much Water is Enough?

On the average, a person should drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day. That's about 2 quarts. However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. Some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually help burn calories.  When the water is colder than body temperature, the body actually has to burn calories (energy) to raise the temperature of the water in order to use it.

Morning Workouts for Fat Loss

Working out and not losing the body fat that you want?  Try a morning workout.  Upon waking in the morning, try working out for at least 30 minutes to an hour.  Studies show that working out in the morning burns up to 3x more fat as opposed to working out later in the day.

During the day your body’s main source of energy is the carbohydrates that you get from eating your meals.  When you sleep at night your body uses up all those carbohydrates as energy for vital bodily functions.  When you wake up in the morning your body has depleted your carbohydrate stores and will look to burn fat instead for energy.  

If you decide to take advantage of this morning fat burning session, do not eat breakfast before the workout. If you do, it will just replenish the carbohydrates in your body and will burn those instead of the fat that you want to burn.

Another great thing about working out first thing in the morning is that your metabolism gets revved up after your morning workout.  Morning workouts keep your metabolism elevated throughout the day, another important factor in fat loss.

If you workout at night you may still burn fat while you workout but as soon as you go to sleep your metabolism will slow down and you’ll miss out on all the extra fat that you can burn during the day if you had exercised in the morning.  

I’m not saying that you must only workout in the morning to lose fat, but switch it up.  Take one of your evening workouts and switch it to the morning and watch the fat melt off!!

Our trophy case. Megan Conrad.

​Coach Megan started out like many current athletes today:  she began playing sports at an early age, and by high school, focused solely on one sport to take her to the college level.  She played soccer, softball, and tennis in high school until deciding on soccer as her highlight sport.  Megan went to Wesley College because of their sports medicine program, but also because of their renowned athletic teams.  

​Coach Megan always knew she wanted to combine athletics and science in her career, so she studied sports medicine because it seemed the most logical route.  She has practiced exercise physiology/sports medicine since graduating from Wesley in 2003. She began in a physical therapy clinic and undertook the challenge and rewards of independently training her own clients.  Her coaching career was sparked when she started researching why there were so many more females with ACL injuries.  With the help of mentors, she developed an ACL injury prevention program and started doing ACL prevention camps, speed and agility camps, and sports camps in 2005.  Megan began to notice that she had more influence, respect, and results on these athletes than when she saw them post-injury.  Her coaching philosophy now has to deal more with breaking down movements, finding weaknesses and improper form, and fixing them before it becomes a traumatic or overuse injury.

​Megan is the primary Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Hive Sports.  She is certified through the NCSA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) to train all of their athletes to improve cardio, strength, endurance, and find any weaknesses that may affect their particular sport or position.  Not every organization has a strength and conditioning specialist, and Hive Sports understands how much more these athletes get out of working with one.  We really appreciate all you do for us, Coach Megan!

Learn more or schedule an appointment with Megan:

http://hivesports.com/megan-conrad/

Our Trophy Case. Isabella Kostic.

​Have you ever seen a baby deer stand for the first time?  Their legs are so weak that they struggle to stay standing, yet they continue to get up in hopes of being able to walk.  The continuous work strengthens the baby deer’s legs and they are finally able to walk on their own.  Isabella Kostic began as one of those pitchers that is like a fawn grown into a leaping, strong doe.  Just like a baby deer learning how to walk, Izzy had to learn what it takes to become an effective pitcher on the mound.

​In the beginning of her pitching career, Izzy wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do in order to gain speed and finesse in her pitching.  Once she decided she wanted to fully commit to pitching, she went to Coach Jordyn to get instruction.  Izzycredits Coach J with giving her the confidence boost and extra motivation to keep working towards becoming a threat on the mound.  She knew that she wasn’t going to get to where she is now without that extra help because she wouldn’t have known the direction and instruction to keep moving forward.  Izzyacknowledges that her work ethic has greatly helped her mature into the athlete she is now.  She has lessons and participates in clinics with Coach J while playing in as many games as possible on her recreational and travel teams in order to get as much in-game experience as she can.  

​Izzy has progressed so extraordinarily, and it is no surprise that her progress has helped her land a spot on the 14U Lady Stormers travel team.  Not only that, she is also a starting pitcher, which hints at the awesome transformation she has undergone to get to this point in her athletic career.  She is very excited to see where this path will lead her towards her future goals as a softball pitcher.  Of course making the high school team is one of her goals, but her lifelong dream is to play softball in college.  Currently, Izzy is hoping to be a pitcher for the Penn State Nittany Lions.  Keep working towards your goals, Izzy, and continue to transform into the athlete that you want to be.  Good luck during the summer for both of your teams!

Our Trophy Case. Sarah Deller

Meet Sarah Deller, the girl who is committed to any and all training.  While she didn’t play on a stellar team, she worked really hard at pitching, work outs, and hitting lessons all winter.  Although there may be days when she doesn’t really feel like going to lessons or getting in her work out, her attitude towards hard work is exceptional.  When asked about it, Sarah responded by saying that she tries to work her hardest when needed because she believes that if you don’t work hard, you won’t see any improvement in your skills.  Sarah knows that her hard work has been paying off.  When she is in a game and can feel herself struggling, she just remembers what Coach Jordyn told her about certain mechanics so she can adjust during competition.

Sarah has entered her freshman year at Dallastown High School, and when asked about how her training has prepared her for it, she responded with a sense of excitement and confidence.  Sarah believes that she will definitely fit in and could possibly stand out on the team because her training has helped to get her a level above the athletes who aren’t as committed.  She also feels confident in her pitching that she would be able to lead the team on the mound.  However, Sarah knows she needs to keep working to get better and stronger to play at the level she wants to be at and also be a stand out player.

Sarah is the girl that any coach would want:  dedicated and committed to all aspects of the game.  She doesn’t complain about the hard work that she has to put in to improve her own game so she can help her team succeed.  Keep up the hard work, Sarah, and good luck this spring!