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 star...

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, no matter where they started from, what setbacks the...

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.

In the last 40-50 years, food companies have increasingly added sugar to help satisfy those taste buds.  From cereal, to candies, to soda, sugar has become a common place.  In that same time period, the obesity rate has increased from <10% Obesity to >40%.  Moreover, obesity and obesity related illness has become the number one cause of death.  

How much should I be consuming a day?  According to the American Heart Association, the recommended daily allowance for adults is 25g for women and 36g for men.  

For reference, a can of mountain dew has 46 grams of sugar.  But before you say, “That’s why I drink diet soda”, note there are studies that have shown artificial sweeteners may not be any better than regular sugar. It’s important to understand how the body responds to different stimuli.  Why might we crave sugar or sweetened things so much?

 Understanding Sugar and the Sugar cycle

Sugar is a “short burst” energy source and causes the glucose levels, a primary source of energy in ...