Merritt Clubs Blog

   

Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

Posted by Joanna Meade

Feb 12, 2015

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Topics: recipes to get more vegetables, Healthy Recipes, Personal Training, health fitness tips, Merritt blog, Weight Loss, healthy lifestyle, Fitness Tips, best way to lose weight, recipes for healthy snacks, Broccoli, Personal trainer, Baltimore fitness, diet lifestyle change, healthy weight loss, healthy diets

How to Overcome Hurdles to Achieving Good Physical Health

Posted by RaySa

Sep 27, 2013

 

A few years ago, I was 255 pounds, drinking a 30 pack of beer, and smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day. I had the worst diet, eating fast food and sweets exclusively. I was constantly out of breath, dizzy, and thoroughly miserable all the time. I felt like i was walking dead, numb to the world around me and actually welcomed death. If there was ever a poster for bad lifestyle decisions, it would have my picture on it.

Several events lead me to sober up and stop smoking. These changes were tough. My body was telling me I had better change something soon, or else. My physical and mental health were at the breaking point. I felt considerably better after quitting drinking and smoking, but still felt badly and lacked any energy. So I changed my diet and started walking some. Immediately I started feeling somewhat better, and knew I was headed in the right
direction for healthier living. I was still not feeling as good as I thought I should, so a friend of mine recommended I join a gym, and that he was a member of Merritt in Eldersburg. I joined immediately and started going consistently soon after.

I quickly figured out I would need help developing a routine, getting familiar with the equipment, and most importantly avoiding an injury. Steve Ruby was recommended to me by a friend and immediately I felt comfortable working with him, as he had been through his own struggles as well. There's a huge difference in working with a trainer who has been through the struggle themselves, compared to one who just read about it in a book. Steve has proven thoroughly knowledgable with all aspects of fitness. He keeps me guessing as to what the workout will be that day, and the results are dramatic. I love how Steve always finds a new way to challenge me.

As a direct result, I am now in the best shape of my life, and look forward to my time in the gym. The positive benefits of Lifestyle change and exercise I cannot possibly explain or emphasize well enough. For me, working with someone experienced has made all the difference. Start your journey with a trainer who has walked in your shoes. My highest recommendation is Mr. Steve Ruby

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Topics: Personal Training, get fit, Merritt blog, best trainers, fitness stories, fitness results, Fitness Tips, member success, fitness, best gyms in baltimore, get in shape, baltimore trainers, best workout plans, Member Success Stories, lifestyle change, nutrition, healthy weight loss

Choose Merritt Athletic Clubs to Lose Weight and Boost Metabolism

Posted by RaySa

Mar 8, 2013

“If you never had problems losing or maintaining your weight in your 20s or even in your early 30s, you may not be ready for what happens next,” warns Madelyn H. Fernstrom, Ph.D., director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “Your metabolism slows by 5 percent each decade. Compared to age 25, you’ll burn about 100 fewer calories a day at 35 and 200 fewer at 45. Do nothing, and you could gain eight to 12 pounds a year.”

Read more: Boost Metabolism - Lose Weight - Middle-Age Weight Loss - Good Housekeeping

Is this where you find yourself? Running just to stay in place? It may not be your metabolism slowing down at all. It may be about body fat. The more body fat you have, the fewer calories you will burn. As we age, our bodies develop more fat than muscle unless we work at building muscle and keeping fit. Merritt Athletic Clubs are a great place to get help.

Ask for a body-fat reading at your health club or from your doctor. Then chart your progress approximately every three months. You can also check for a general idea of body fat. If you can pinch an inch or more of fat at your waist or upper arm, you are carrying more fat than you should.

Then it's time to set up workouts with an expert to gradually lose weight and build muscle. The key is to lose the weight slowly so it stays off and to develop the habit of a regular fitness routine. Many weight loss plans fail because healthy eating and healthy workouts never become a habit. Just as we can have a habit of snacking and late night pizzas, we can develop the habit of exercising and eating appropriately. It has to become a lifestyle change and not just a weight loss plan.

Exercise has so many side benefits beyond weight loss that it should be an easy habit for us to develop. We just plain feel better when we move more and sit less. Merritt Athletic Clubs can help you feel good and lose weight all at the same time.

For more information, http://www.merrittclubs.com/contact-us/index.html

or visit our website http://www.merrittclubs.com/

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Topics: Merritt Athletics, Personal Training, Merritt blog, Weight Loss, losing weight, Fitness Tips, how to lose fat, how to lose weight, best weight loss plans, ways to lose weight, nutrition, healthy weight loss, group fitness, how to boost metabolism

Reasons why you shouldn't weigh yourself every day

Posted by Maritza Rodriguez

Mar 22, 2012

There is an obsession with the number on the scale and people weigh in a lot in one day; when they wake up, before working out, after running, after a fitness class, after weight training, before they eat, after they eat, before going to bed. The most common one I see is people weigh in before and after working out and having a disappointed look. Are they expecting a big number after one workout that was probably an hour or less?

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Topics: weight loss workouts, workout routine to lose weight, Fitness Tips, loose weight fast, how to get healthy, weight loss healthy, get healthy, best fitness tips, nutrition, healthy weight loss

Get Advice from a Trainer

Posted by Eric "Scott" Landers

Mar 7, 2012

When many people decide that it is time to get fit, hit the gym, or start to exercise regularly they simply join a gym and start doing what they think is the best exercises for them to reach their goals. While joining a gym and showing up on a regular basis is definitely the first step and very admirable, it is by no means the best way to achieve goals. People tend to believe that they know what to do because it is their body, they have lived in it for however many years and they may have read an exercise book or two or played lacrosse in high school. Maybe they even used to work out or have friends that either did or currently do work out.

The human body is the most intricate and complex machine ever created; so, why do we assume we can figure it out just because it’s time to get fit? I drive a car and I have almost every day of my life since I was 17 years old (I’m now 32). I’m very familiar with how to operate my car and I would venture to say that I’m a pretty good driver. That being said, when it comes time for a tune up or a repair, I don’t usually pop the hood myself. And if I do, I soon realize that I’m going to need the help of a professional - a mechanic or someone trained to know how a car works internally and knows how to make the proper repairs is way more suited to handle the job. The human body is far more complex than a vehicle; so when going to make repairs or even regularly scheduled maintenance, it is best to seek the advice of a fitness professional.

Variables such as which exercises, rep schemes, heart rate, VO2 max, BMR, proper form, time of sessions and periodization are just some of the many things that have to be considered to achieve maximum results while avoiding injury. If these things seem foreign to you, like a piston of a car engine is foreign to me, than it is time to consult a fitness professional to maximize your fitness goals!! Ask us, that’s why we’re here. It’s our job, it’s what we do!!

By: Eric “Scott” Landers, Personal Trainer at Towson

Have a Question? Ask a certified personal trainer or lifestyle and weight management consultant, Click here

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Topics: weight loss exercise, body fitness, Personal Training, health fitness tips, fitness advice, health fitness centers, fitness training, Baltimore fitness, healthy weight loss

30 Tips to help freshen up your gym bag!

Posted by RaySa

Dec 6, 2011

Get ready to pack your bags and hit the gym with a whole new attitude!

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Topics: workout, exercise, Fitness Tips, fitness, great fitness tips, sports, best fitness tips, healthy weight loss, gym, top fitness tips, muscle

Plantains and a Healthier Puerto Rican Dish

Posted by Maritza Rodriguez

Jun 9, 2011

Plantains are like a banana but with less sugar and starchier. They are used a lot in the island of Puerto Rico and other Latin countries.

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Topics: Healthy Recipes, recipes in Spanish, Spanish recipes, spanish cuisine, healthy recipes for chicken, healthy meals recipes, healthy foods diet, healthy dinner recipes, healthy weight loss