Spunk Fitness Silver Spring

Have you ever participated in a group weight loss competition only to feel like the men in the group had an unfair advantage? Well, they do, in some ways. Fundamental difference between how men and women’s bodies handle diet and workouts at the fitness center affect how quickly they lose (or even just seem to lose —yes, some of it’s an illusion) weight. Here’s a breakdown of what these differences are and how women can work with, instead of against, their genetics to come out ahead in those friendly competitions. Body composition: men carry more muscle weight; women carry more body fat.  Body composition affects metabolism, which directly affects efficiency at burning calories. The more muscle you carry, the higher your metabolism. Numerous studies show that men naturally carry up to 40% more muscle in their upper bodies and up to 33% more in their lower bodies. At the same time, women carry up to 11% more body fat than men, even at their fittest. It’s no wonder, then, that men’s m...

The end of the year is a good time to check in on your health and fitness goals — even if you choose not to call them resolutions.  So, how did you do? And how do you know? Overall progress is usually very visible.  All you need to do is look in the mirror, step on a scale, or try on a favorite pair of pants and compare that to when you first started your fitness journey. But, to see what made the difference day to day and allowed you to achieve your overall goals, you need the details — and a workout journal is one of the simplest ways to do that. The Earliest Fitness “Tracker” Before we had fitness gym equipment that stores workout stats, personal trackers, or smart watches that do it all, there was paper and pencil. This is what the great athletes and trainers of the past used to record, monitor, adjust, and track their training and improvement over time. Yes, there’s plenty of technology available to make tracking your workouts easier, but writing still holds at least a fe...