Nutrition Simplified by Sam

Got extra fruit starting to go bad? We sure did! Our eyes were bigger than our tummies when we purchased fruit galore (lots of summer fruits in season now) so we took one morning and chopped it all up and created freezable smoothie bags in different fruit combos 🍓🍌🍍🍑 When we were ready to use one, I added my favorite (no kickback, just my honest fave) and unsweetened almond milk and voila! Extra points for adding veggies 😁🥬🥕 Bell pepper is a surprisingly refreshing addition! @ Houston Heights

Today we’re talking about the health benefits to lifting weights 🏋🏻‍♀️ (Quick thanks to for the pic 😁)

Despite what you may have heard about CrossFit causing injury, weight training actually prevents injury by building muscle mass and increasing bone density. That means when you do go to pick something up, your muscles are used to the movement and weight and you’re able to safely move that object. Of course, it goes without saying that you absolutely need experienced and competent trainers to advise you on your form and movement so as to not cause injury BUT assuming you have that, adding weight to your workouts can help with:

- Decreasing your risk of osteoporosis and improving bone health.
- Increasing the number of calories you burn throughout the day by increasing your muscle mass and improving body composition.
- Improving heart health through increasing your heart rate during workouts.
- It’s a great and effective way to lower your blood sugars. Activity in general for 15 minutes can help immediately lower high blood sugar readings.
- Decreasing abdominal fat, which also decreases your risk for certain cancers and metabolic syndrome.
- AND it can help you shift your focus towards achieving fitness goals such as increasing your back squat or getting your first pull-up, which can motivate you more to get to the gym and keep going. This also strengthens your mental health by testing your resiliency and releases endorphins to improve your mood.