Looking to boost your daily activity effortlessly? Try a post-meal walk! Just 5-30 minutes of walking after meals can offer remarkable benefits. See below for some of the positive effects going for a walk has on the body.

1.Aid in Blood Sugar Control: Walking activates muscles that use glucose for energy, which may reduce blood sugar spikes after a meal preventing the usual post meal crash. Research suggests that walking for as little as two to five minutes can help. 

2.Digestion: Walking can help relieve indigestion symptoms like bloating, constipation, acid reflux, and upset stomach. Physical activity like walking can help move excess gas through the digestive tract.

3. Weight management: Walking is a great way sneak in some extra activity into your day which can aid in maintaining a healthy weight

4. Heart health: Regular exercise like walking can lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

5.Sleep: Walking can help...

Do you find yourself tending to hold your breath when you exercise, especially when lifting weights? If so, you're not alone. However, you may be putting yourself at risk for decreased performance and injury.

*This information is meant for general exercise, especially in adults. Guidelines and recommendations will differ for powerlifting and bodybuilding-specific workouts*

So, what happens when you hold your breath during a lift?

Elevated heart rate/blood pressure.

- Whenever you exercise, your heart has to work harder to keep your systems running. When you hold your breath, you reduce/eliminate the oxygen that your body is getting. In response, your body has to work harder to compensate, increasing heart rate and blood pressure. This can be problematic, especially if you're already a higher-risk individual regarding heart health or blood pressure.

Reduced performance.

- Along with glucose, your muscles use oxygen to aid contraction during exercise. While holding your breath can...

Joint distractions are an excellent technique for creating "space" within the joint complex. This space helps reduce friction in tight, compressed tissues, allows more synovial fluid to circulate, and improves movement fluidity. Here are some simple examples of banded hip mobilizations using a heavy band. Incorporate these into your routine and enjoy the benefits of better mobility! Connect with your trainers to see how joint distractions may benefit you!

Sending a shoutout this weekend to Chris Butler!
Chris has been with Northstar for multiple years now, and continues to build healthy habits to last a lifetime day by day.
We always look forward to talking Bills and Sabres with Chris, and while he never fails to give 100% effort in his workouts...we do notice he brings a little extra juice when they're doing well!
Keep up the good work Chris!

Do you struggle with feeling balanced and stable in everyday activities? These exercises are built to stabilize the core and increase proprioception (the ability to know and control what your body does without visual cues). Doing exercises like these in a controlled environment (ideally with the help of a professional) will set you up to handle any activity you need to do, without fear of injury!

This week we would like to shoutout, Lisa! Lisa is always cheering clients on at the studio and she has seen success of her own throughout her journey at Northstar Fitness.
We are proud of you, Lisa!

Struggling with shoulder pain, tightness or just wanting to improve your shoulder health? These controlled articular rotations(CARS) are a great way to actively move the joint and muscles through a full range of motion. Follow below to learn how to perform the movement, add this into your daily routine and start enjoying the benefits of improved shoulder mobility.

How to.

1. Stand tall, engage your core as if you were in a plank position.

2. Make a fist with the arm you are working, hold the arm straight out infront of your chest

3. Push the shoulder of the working arm forward feeling the scapula protract

4. From this position slowly bring the arm overhead breathing through any stiffness.

5. As the hand reaches the top, slowly start to rotate the arm so your palm faces away from you as you move the arm back behind you. Go as far as you feel comfortable again breathing through stiffness.

6. Once the arm reaches your side, slowly reverse the movement until you are back in the starting...

Happy Easter from everyone at Northstar Fitness! Enjoy the time spent with loved ones and safe travels to everyone who is traveling! 

We are pleased to warmly introduce the newest member of our growing Team! 

He graduated from UW-Whitewater and received a masters from UW-La Crosse.  A former wrestler, he has helped coach area wrestling.   He is a great addition to the Northstar Team and Family!

Trevor has begun our training program as part of our Career Progression System, that helps not only our clients see better results, but helps our staff grow and develop in meaningful ways.   

He allows Northstar Fitness to expand availability, offering times, and improve our depth as a team.  

You can read more about him on our website here:  Northstar Team

Northstar Fitness is not your typical gym, bootcamp, cross fit, or conventional exercise.  We've not only developed the latest in resistance training science. And our mission is to help our clients achieve the look, energy, overall health, and high quality-of-life, to achieve each of our client's God-given potential,...

Practicing healthy habits with the intention of them being a "fix" is proven to lead to a never-ending yo-yo effect on your health.

Reframe your mind to think of exercise and nutrition as lifelong commitments, and that "healthy you" won't be temporary, but your new baseline.