Are you taking the first few steps to a healthier, slimmer you? Yes? Then you may be considering how to determine your caloric intake to workout ratio. This is arguably the most important aspect of your weight loss efforts.

In a nutshell, this ratio is simply how many calories you need to consume and burn each day in order to lose weight in a healthy manner. There are too many factors that go into determining an individual’s caloric intake to workout ratio to be able to give a simple, clear answer. A professional personal trainer can work on your individual plan, but here are some of the factors that will be considered.

Weight

Surprisingly, the more you weigh, the more calories you burn. A 200-pound person walking the same distance at the same speed as a 120-pound person burns more calories. This is because the body must work harder to move 200 pounds than it does to move 120 pounds.

Activity Level

Are you a couch potato, or does your job leave you physically exhausted at the end of the day? The level of activity you perform on a daily basis (aside from your workouts) will determine how many calories you burn daily without working out.

Ultimately, your body burns calories doing menial tasks such as breathing, sitting, and even eating. A professional can determine how many calories your body needs to simply function throughout the day (your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate).

A 5-foot, 4-inch female that weighs 145 pounds has an approximate BMR of 1,500 calories. This means that, functioning daily without exercise, this person will burn 1,500 calories. Once you know your BMR, you can adjust your caloric intake accordingly to lose weight. (Use My Calorie Counter to find your BMR)

Need Some Added Motivation?

Your best option to lose weight and determine your caloric intake to workout ratio is through the help of a qualified personal trainer or dietician. TalkLocal can find a personal trainer in your area for free. We will only find qualified individuals, and you will be speaking to them within minutes. You don’t have to go at it alone.

A crunch is one of the most popular abdominal exercises out there, and one that personal trainers use to whip their trainees into shape. It’s not as intense as a full sit up, but it offers a lot of the same benefits. No matter how many of them you do, you won’t enjoy the benefits unless you know how to correctly perform a crunch. The guide below can help you with just that.

How To Correctly Perform A Crunch:

1. Start by lying on your back and looking towards the ceiling. Make sure you’re lying evenly and not tilting your body in any way. You want your weight to be evenly distributed. Try lying on a thin mat if the floor is too hard for you.

2. Bend your knees and plant your feet firmly on the ground. Bend your knees in a way that is comfortable and natural feeling. They don’t have to be completely bent so your calves are touching your thighs, but they need to be raised more than a few inches off of the ground.

3. There are multiple ways to use your arms while doing crunches. You can lace your fingers behind your head, cross your arms over your chest or make fists and keep your arms straight down at your side. Most beginners feel that keeping their arms crossed over their chest is the easiest way to avoid hurting their neck or trying to use their hands to pull themselves up.

4. Now that you’re in position, you want to use your abdominal muscles to pull yourself up. Make sure you’re moving through your shoulders. Basically, move by lifting your shoulders off of the ground. One big mistake to avoid is moving your neck to crunch up. Don’t do this. Use your shoulders and keep your neck straight and as still as possible to avoid injury.

5. You don’t have to come up all the way to your knees. Come up about half way or as close as you can get, hold it for a quick second, and slowly lower yourself. Repeat this as many times as you can.

Remember that crunches tone and strengthen your abdominal muscles, but healthy eating is perhaps the most important factor for getting and staying in shape.

Feel The Burn With A Trainer

If you need help with diet and exercise, you may benefit from hiring a personal trainer. Talk Local can help you find those fitness professionals in your area to get you on the road to a more fit, toned you.

Spend any time watching the Olympics — or many other sports competitions, for that matter — and you are bound to see this colorful tape adorning athletes, but does kinesio tape work?

Those using the tape do so for a variety of injuries in various joints as well as muscle strains and sprains. However, it is only effective when applied correctly. A kinesiologist or even a personal trainer might be able to help in such a situation. Here are some facts you need to know about kinesio tape.

The Claim

According to one retailer of kinesio tape, it works by relieving pressure on the affected area. When muscles or joints are injured, they swell. The tape pulls the surface of the skin enough to create a space for the inflammation. This relieves pressure, allowing for the inflammation and pain to subside more quickly than if left untreated.

But, Does Kinesio Tape Work?

Some physicians say yes, though only if applied correctly. A working knowledge of musculoskeletal anatomy is required to determine the placement of the tape. It needs to be applied in such a way that it will effectively relieve the pressure in order for it to actually work.

Athletes and those with injuries need to be shown by a professional how to apply the tape correctly in their individual circumstances. Some physicians say that the relief many experience even when the tape is not applied correctly is likely a placebo effect.

Ask An Expert

Fortunately, one of the many benefits of a personal trainer is that he or she has likely studied long and hard about various sport and work injuries. He or she will be familiar with the tape (it has been around since the 1980s) and will be able to show you the proper way to apply it in order to achieve success.

If you are looking for a qualified personal trainer in your area, try using TalkLocal’s free service. We will get you in touch with a personal trainer you can count on within minutes.

If you are among the many who could not avoid putting on the seemingly inevitable holiday weight, you might be interested in knowing the benefits of a personal trainer. Having a coach to guide you can make your workouts far more effective, resulting in more drastic and noticeable weight loss and muscle growth. Here are some of the benefits and things to consider before you hire one.

Benefits

Keep in Mind

If you are concerned about the price of a personal trainer, many gyms offer a free workout with one just for trying their gym. Although you generally only get one workout, it can still help you determine your fitness needs and even learn some exercises. While that may be a good start, doing the same exercises will only help for so long. Eventually, you will hit a plateau. Personal trainers can help you get over that plateau.

Find a Personal Trainer

In a sea of gyms, it can be overwhelming trying to find the one with the right trainer for you. Fortunately, you aren’t alone. TalkLocal has a free search engine that will quickly connect you with a highly-qualified professional in your area. You won’t be bogged down with worthless links and will be speaking with a local trainer in 90 seconds. It really is the best way to search as a consumer.

During the holiday season, Americans pack on an average of  8 whopping pounds per person. Then, come New Year’s, many of those people make the resolution to drop that excess weight and attempt to eat healthier. However, knowing how to enjoy the onslaught of Thanksgiving foods and still stay fit  ispossible by following a few simple guidelines.

Watch Your Intake

People have a tendency to let their taste buds take over during the holidays—especially Thanksgiving. One way to enjoy the onslaught of Thanksgiving eats and still stay fit is to watch how much you’re eating and exercise some portion control. You can do this by counting calories or simply by sticking with small portions of the high-calorie treats that everyone else is enjoying in large doses. You can also decrease your caloric consumption by avoiding alcohol and excess desserts, both items chock full of sugar and empty calories.

Stick with Your Exercise Program or Start One

If you already work out, stick with your existing program. If you aren’t exercising, begin doing some light to moderate exercise, such as walking, bicycling or easy weightlifting. For those who already have a workout routine, it can help keep the extra pounds away if you can manage to sneak in an extra workout or two. Burning those extra calories can help to make up for any Thanksgiving overindulgences.

Work with a Trainer

People who work with personal trainers often make greater health and fitness gains than those who don’t. A trainer will hold you accountable for your eating habits as well as your exercise habits. Rather than being accountable only to yourself, you’ll have to explain to your trainer why you overate at a holiday feast or why you haven’t been showing up for exercise sessions. In most cases, a trainer will also push you harder than you will push yourself, challenging you to do one more rep or one more mile. Over time, those extra reps and miles add up to fitness gains. A personal trainer can also help you define realistic fitness and weight loss goals, and he or she will have the knowledge and expertise to help you meet those goals.

If you would like to find a quality personal trainer or exercise specialist, search TalkLocal to find a fitness professional you can trust.