Archive | Health and Wellness

A big reason we are dedicated to the pursuit of fitness is for improved health and wellness. Whether it is through insight on better workouts, diet and supplements, or the best equipment we have, we want to help improve your health. Our friendly and experienced professional staff knows a thing or two about improving health and wellness. Feel free to ask us any questions you might have!

5 Ways Exercise Makes You More Attractive

By Primo Fitness Staff on 07/25/2014 in Health and Wellness, Working Out, We can equip your gym

It’s common knowledge that exercise has a variety of health benefits from warding off diseases and making the body run more effectively, but working out regularly will also increase attractiveness in a variety of ways. When you’re working out, whether it’s just a run or using some amazing used fitness equipment, you’re not only improving your health but your beauty also. This goes far beyond “it just makes you look better,” there are specific facets of your body that is improved.

1. Exercising can help you grow healthy hair more quickly

This may seem a little odd, but the explanation is pretty simple. The body is like a machine that uses nutrients as a fuel to keep itself alive. Being active and having a healthy lifestyle will make the body run like a well oiled machine. When the body is in top shape, nutrients are used more efficiently, leaving leftover resources to protect and build your hair. Working out also promotes circulation, which helps deliver those nutrients to your hair.

2. It helps you get your “beauty sleep”

Regular exercise promotes deeper and more restful sleeps which combats symptoms of sleep deprivation which can take a toll on your body. Quality sleep will prevent the sagging of skin, eye bags and premature wrinkling. When sleeping, the body “repairs” itself by generating new skin cells keeping a youthful appearance. Sleeping also burns calories, not a huge amount, but every little bit does help. Sleep is absolutely vital to looking good, youthful and healthy and working out will promote deep and restful sleep.

3. Sweating can help improve your skin

Although it should be noted that just sweating more isn’t going to improve your skin alone. There are a couple of ways that sweat helps to improve your skin. The first is the contents of the sweat itself. If you’re big on spas and skincare, you may be aware of those exfoliating salt scrubs. Although it may not be as effective as that, salt does contain sodium which may help. The other main way that sweat can help your skin comes from how we sweat. In order to sweat, the body opens up its pores, which allows it to be deep cleaned. You should make sure to actually clean it though, because if sweat sits on your skin too long it can cause rashes.

4. It burns fat

This one is painfully obvious, but there is also another dimension to the fat burning that exercise does. On the surface level, it does burns the fat that’s visible, such as love handles and beer bellies. This is the fat that can be touched, pinched and jiggled. Then there is the fat under the surface, called visceral fat. This is the fat that lines your organs and produces a plethora of health risks. Regular exercise promotes the burning of this visceral fat, increases your metabolism, which improves your body’s ability to burn the surface fat.

5. It improves self esteem and confidence

Confidence is attractive. Working out can improve your feelings of self worth. For many, this happens before they even see a significant physical change in their body. Exercise just feels good and being happy leads to being more confident.

So in summary, working out can help you become a well rested, fat burning machine, with luscious hair, that’s confident in their own beautiful skin. Want a convenient way to start working out? Check out our shop filled with used gym equipment.

5 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

By Primo Fitness Staff on 07/16/2014 in Health and Wellness, Working Out, We can equip your gym

We all know the benefits of exercising, but sometimes it is still really hard to get up and start moving. You can browse Instagram and read motivational quotes to your heart’s content, which may work for some; for others, we have to get a little more creative. When looking inside your heart for inspiration and motivation isn’t enough, we have other methods to get you psyched up to work out.

1. Get a workout buddy

Having a friend to work out with is a great way to keep both of you accountable. Everyone has their off days where they can’t find the willpower to go to the gym or work out, but having a friend to drag you along It also serves as a social activity to bond over sweat and soreness. There’s no ship more sturdy and solid than friendship.Having workout partner can also breed friendly competition between the two of you, encouraging you to work harder and get better results.

2. Punish yourself for not working out

Back in your childhood, you may have remembered having a swear jar that you had to put money into every time you cursed. This principle worked because of negative reinforcement. Swearing was associated with losing money, which is associated with depression, so naturally you’d swear less in order to avoid that feeling. This same concept can apply to workouts. Whenever you skip exercising, put some money into a jar to feel bad about yourself. Eventually if you skip enough times, you can use the jar money to buy an exercise machine for your home, which leads us to

3. Get a home gym

One of the most common excuses to working out is that people are too tired after work to drive all the way to the gym. The best way to solve this problem is to get a gym right in your home! You don’t need to spend a ton of money on it. You can buy some high quality, commercial grade used gym machines that will last. Having a gym in your house will also slowly eat away at you if you constantly walk by it without exercising. You don’t need an entire set up. A single cardio machine and a couple of strength machines can be more than enough to get a full body workout.

4. Track your progress

There’s no better motivation than actually seeing results and having your body change before your eyes. Not only should you write down your weight every week or so, you should also track fitness goals like how many pounds you lifted or how many miles you ran. You can also take it up a notch and do before and after photos to track your physical progress.

5. Have a goal

It is absolutely essential to have something to reach for, something to strive for. Although it’s great to have general goals like lose weight or get fit, it is even better to quantify these goals. Maybe lose 20 pounds or run a mile in under eight minutes. Goals that you can reach, but will take some effort to reach are the best kind of goals. Once you reach your goal, pat yourself on the back and set another one. Fitness is not a one time event, it’s a lifestyle.

Once you’re up and motivated, you can check out our warehouse for some great prices on used fitness equipment. We’re located in Orange County and we ship worldwide! If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

5 Different Exercises Around the World

By Primo Fitness Staff on 07/14/2014 in Health and Wellness, We can equip your gym

It seems like everyday there’s a new type of exercise craze sweeping the United States. Whether it’s p90x or crossfit there seems to be something new and exciting every few months. Despite innovative and exciting ways to workout constantly being created and imported to the United States, there are many of these workouts that you may have never seen before. For this blog post, we’re taking a tour around the world and seeing how they get fit.

1. Yoga (India)

We know how popular yoga pants have become as a fashion statement, but it’s always great to look at the exercise that spawned the beloved leggings. Yoga originated in India is based on the concept of mental and physical discipline. Yoga can range from spiritual to physical and emphasizes flexibility and strength. Yoga is a wonderful way to increase flexibility, tone muscles and relax and find peace.

2. Zumba (Colombia)

Zumba is the preferred choice of workouts for many trying to lose weight because at its core, it’s just very fun. Zumba is primarily focused on dance moves to burn calories. Zumba was actually created because an instructor could not his find his aerobics tape and opted to just listen to music on the radio and created a routine from it. Zumba includes music with changing tempos and combines salsa, merengue and many other dances. A wonderful aspect of Zumba is that is very versatile and flexible. There are Zumba classes for children to the elderly.

3. Radio Taiso (Japan)

Radio Taiso, also known as radio calisthenics, refers to a warm-up calisthenics workout that is broadcasted on the radio in Japan every day. Many students do these warm-ups during school to energize themselves before the day, workers tune in together to form camaraderie and teamwork and seniors generally do them in the park. It is a wonderful way to start off the day moving and stretching.

4. Belly Dancing (Middle East)

Not only is belly dancing sultry, it is also a great tool to strengthen your core. Belly dancing emphasizes isolating muscles and learning how to move them independently. Belly dancing is a great way to get some cardio in and also tighten your abs. Strengthening your core also serves to help your overall fitness and allows you to better perform your other exercises.

5. Karaoke Spin Class (USA)

If spin class isn’t challenging enough for you, try pumping your legs while belting out your favorite tunes. Not only are your legs getting a workout, so are your vocal chords. The logic behind this is that singing helps to elevate the heart rate to an optimal fat burning level. Also, it’s pretty fun.

Here are just a few of the exciting and innovative ways people are working out around the world. Next time you go travel, don’t just gorge out on food and see the sights (although those are essential to a great trip), hit up the local gym and see how others are working out!

Also, we sell used fitness equipment and you should buy from us if you want awesome prices.

5 Overlooked Benefits of Working Out

By Primo Fitness Staff on 07/09/2014 in Health and Wellness, We can equip your gym

We all know working out and staying active is great way to burn calories and build muscle, but what else does it do to our bodies? There are some, not exactly hidden, but overlooked benefits that working out impacts us in a positive way. We hope these facts will motivate you to get moving and pumping those weights.

1. It helps you sleep better

Not only does exercise give you more energy throughout the day, it’ll improve your sleep when you’re all done with your exciting activities. Regular physical activity helps you fall asleep quicker and promotes a deeper, more invigorating sleep. It is important to remember though that exercising too close to your bedtime can keep you awake with too much abundant energy. How this works is that your body temperature increases during the day, and lowers during the night which causes you to fall asleep. Exercising increases the body temperature higher than not exercising, which then leads to a lower body temperature later on, increasing the likelihood of quality sleep.

2. It makes you feel better, chemically.

For some, the thought of working out is associated with feelings of exhaustion and pain. This may be true for some of the process, but working out actually chemically makes you feel better. 30 minutes of actively working out releases “positive” chemicals in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin. These chemicals also work as stress relievers and have a soothing effect on our bodies. Working out also increases blood flow to the brain, which is great for thinking.

3. It makes you feel better, emotionally.

In addition to the clear biological and physical benefits, for many, exercise provides emotional and intrinsic benefits. Working out frequently can increase self-esteem and body image. That doesn’t mean that you have to have sub 10% body fat or rock hard abs, but seeing small changes to your body and fitness level can do wonders for confidence.

4. It helps the brain

Keeping your brain running smoothly is pretty important since it keeps everything else running smoothly. It may come as no surprise then that running and physical activity can help keep the brain in tip top shape. Exercising actually promotes the growth of more brain cells and formation of more connections between those cells, which in turns promotes learning. Of course, complicated exercises or sports further increase this benefit and working out has also been shown to improve concentration.

5. It increases your immune system

Tired of being tired and getting the sniffles and taking sick days? Regular exercise can actually improve your immune system and help your body fight off those nasty viruses and bacteria. Working out stimulates cells involved in the immune system and help to battle the decline of the immune system with older age. Not only does it increase the immune system, it also decreases the chances of many diseases.

Now that you know the amazing benefits of working out, it’s important to get out there and do it. Maybe start with some commercial grade gym equipment. Whichever way you choose, exercise will only help you.

5 Fun 4th of July Activities

By Primo Fitness Staff on 07/03/2014 in Health and Wellness, We can equip your gym

We here at Primo Fitness love fitness equipment, but we also enjoy seeing people get fit and stay healthy in general. Fourth of July is a great time to gather up the family, maybe do some grilling at the park and watch some fireworks. Besides just eating, the fourth is a wonderful opportunity to have some fun with some activities that will get you up and moving. The following five games are guaranteed to help you break a sweat and have some fun with the family and friends.

1. Steal the Bacon

This classic playground game requires not only speed but calculated strategies. Fakes and feints can be your friend or you can opt for raw unmatched speed to acquire the bacon and return to base. To play this game you’ll need people and a small object that can be easily grabbed like a tennis ball or a hot dog that will be placed in between the two teams. There will be two teams where each member has been assigned a number. There will be a judge that will call out a number and the corresponding members will attempt to grab the “bacon” and run back to their line. The person who is not holding the “bacon” can tag the person holding it to gain a point for their team. For more excitement, the judge can call out multiple numbers which allows for passing of the bacon and more team play.

2. Red Rover

Red Rover is a game that not only requires running but strength and teamwork. Like the previous game and most other park/backyard games, it requires that your team be standing in a line. Teams will alternate saying “Red Rover, Red Rover send (insert name here) over.” The person that was called out will run full steam toward the other team. The team that called the person out will link arms and the person called out will attempt to break the link. If the link is broken, the person returns to his/her team. If not, the person will be a part of that team. The game ends when only one person remains on the other team.

3. Tag

No gimmicks, no real rules, just straight up oldschool tag. You can’t go wrong with this tired and true game of speed and stamina. To play, you designate someone as “it” and then will attempt to tag any else who isn’t it. Once a person is tagged, they are now “it” and will proceed to transfer their title to another player by means of tagging (touching them).

4. Endurance Contests

A true test of athleticism and endurance and a surefire way to win bragging rights. Have competitions for the most push-ups, most sit-ups, races and anything else you think you’re superior than other people at. This can be your Olympics.

5. Frisbee

With an MSRP of around three bucks, the frisbee is a fun way to get up and moving. You can either just toss it around with your family and friends or even your furry companions. If you want to add some competition, try to see who can throw it the farthest or maybe even look up the rules for ultimate frisbee.

We hope you have a great holiday and to stay safe and enjoy the sights and sounds of this beautiful country. Also, if you’ve been losing every game, maybe you should start working out with some exercise equipment. Coincidentally, that’s what we sell here at Primo Fitness!

5 Common Gym Mistakes (That You Should Really Avoid)

By Primo Fitness Staff on 06/24/2014 in Health and Wellness, We can equip your gym

It isn’t easy to begin working out and it might be discouraging to not see results right away. Losing weight and getting fit is not quick and simple, it’s an entire change in lifestyle. But if you’ve been putting in effort and not seeing results, you may be making some common mistakes that plague beginners and experienced gym-goers. Whether it’s at home or at the gym, try to avoid these mistakes that decrease workout effectiveness.

1. Not Eating Before Working Out

Many people live busy lives filled with work and family and sleep and other obligations, so it can be difficult to find time to work out and get in shape. Many people opt for waking up early and getting in a good workout before they start their day. It’s tempting to just hit your alarm and fly off to your workout, but it is absolutely vital to remember to eat before. If you’re not eating before working out, you’ll have no fuel to really perform your best and get the most of of our exercise. It is recommended to eat around an hour before your workout, but again time may be a factor. Even if you can’t get a full meal, you should at least eat a banana (provides energy and is easily digestible) before starting strenuous exercise. Food is fuel and you’re not going to make much progress without eating. It’s like trying to drive a car without gas in it, you can push it, it’ll move, but it won’t get very far. You can read about previous blog post for food suggestions!

2. Taking it Easy

Many cardio machines come with televisions and fancy touchscreens in them nowadays, so it is really easy to be distracted and lose intensity. Many people also enjoy reading while working out on an elliptical, but it is important to remember that just going through the motions isn’t going to get you results. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t do other activities while working out, just be conscious that your intensity level is high enough and that you are truly focused on getting or staying fit.

3. Not Warming Up

Many people get amped up and immediately want to get into their routine and start working their hearts out, but not including a warm up in your routine is a great way to suffer injuries. It is not saving time at all to skip your warm up before working out. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean starting off your routine by stretching. Stretching with cold muscles can also lead to injury. Do some light jumping jacks, lunages or push ups to increase your heart rate and warm up your body.

4. Not Learning Proper Form

It’s great to feel sore after a workout, but if you’re feeling actual pain, you may be doing something wrong. The most common mistake is not learning proper technique, especially when lifting. Not only are you not going to gain maximum benefits, you can and probably will hurt yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask someone around you for help, or hire a trainer for a month to help you learn the ropes and make sure your form is proper. One thing is remember though, when deadlifting, don’t lift with a rounded back.

5. Doing Cardio Before Lifting

Again, proper form is absolutely vital when lifting and increasing strength. By doing cardio before lifting, you’ll become exhausted, making it extremely difficult to keep proper form. It is much easier to push your limits without harm when doing cardio, but doing so when strength lifting is not highly suggested.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you hit the gym, or maybe even when you’re working out in your home gym. Don’t know how to set up your own home gym? You can contact us and we can help you get started!

What to Eat Before and After Working Out

By Primo Fitness Staff on 06/19/2014 in Health and Wellness, We can equip your gym

Knowing what workouts to do and how to do them properly is essential to getting in shape and staying in shape, but it’s important not to overlook what comes before. Eating correctly will only enhance your workout. Food is fuel and you want to put in the premium so your body can perform to its full potential. But before we get to what you should eat, we should probably answer when you should eat. Most recommend working out two to three hours after your meal. This ensures that you’re not too hungry, but also that you won’t upset your stomach by moving too much while working out. Here are some simple-to-make power meals that will be sure to give you enough energy to maximize you workout.

Meals

1. Veggie Omelette

Sometimes eggs (entire eggs) are a little misunderstood but there is no better source for useful proteins than eggs. You can add an extra punch and more vitamins and health benefits by adding vegetables such as mushrooms, peppers, onions to two whole eggs.

2. Grilled Chicken with sweet potatoes and broccoli

This is easily the most fundamentally workout beneficial meal you will ever have. It’s a staple in fitness and there’s a great reason why. The lean grilled chicken (6 oz is optimal serving size) is basically the best source of proteins you’ll get and it’s quite delicious too. Sweet potatoes are a great source of quality carbs and brocoli just filled with fun vitamins and minerals.

If you’re feeling a little famished, then it is highly advised to have a snack an hour before working out. Here are some great snack suggestions

Snacks

1. A banana

There’s a good reason why you can see star athletes like Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova downing bananas during breaks between play. Pretty simple, not much to talk about when talking about a banana. It’s yellow, it’s very easy to digest, portable, requires no utensils and a great source of carbs for endurance sport athletes.

2. Banana Almond Butter Toast

If you’re looking for something a little more than just a banana, then banana almond butter toast is a wonderful way to get some energy before you workout. It can also double as a quick breakfast if you’re short on time. Almond butter contains healthy fats and are a good source of protein. Get a piece of toast, spread some almond butter on it and slice some bananas up for a great pre-workout snack.

Post Workout

1. Hummus and Pita Bread

Hummus, generally made from chickpeas, is a delicious source of both carbs and proteins. When choosing pita bread, try to go for the whole wheat variety. This perfect combination is a great way to restore some of your energy.

Now that you know what to eat before and after your workout, why not test out how well you run with this new fuel? Check out tons of great used fitness equipment at Primo Fitness!

5 Best Gym Machines for Legs

By Primo Fitness Staff on 06/09/2014 in Ellipticals, Exercise Bikes, Health and Wellness, Strength Equipment, We can equip your gym

With the World Cup around the corner, soccer spirit is in the air and the era of powerful legs is upon us. Want those toned thighs or monstrous tree trunk legs but don’t know where to begin and which gym machine to use? No matter what your fitness goals are, working out your legs is absolutely vital in a variety of ways. Strong legs will aid you in working out the rest of your body and having high quality legs is just plain attractive if that’s your end goal. Between cardio and strength machines there are many great ways to tone and strengthen your legs and Primo Fitness can be your guide. The following five machines and the accompanying workouts will be a great start to getting those great legs that you’ve always dreamed of.

1. Seated Leg Press

This machine may be a little obvious seeing as “leg” is in its name itself, but it is nice to know how to properly use this machine and how it benefits your lower body. If you’re not sure what exactly a seated leg press is, it is a strength machine with an angled chair and a large plate in front of that chair that is usually attached to a weight stack. The leg press primarily targets the thighs and glutes and is a great strength machine to tone them. The leg press is also extremely beneficial because it keeps your body in a stable position which maximizes the workout and prevents injures.

To use this leg press, sit comfortably on the chair until your thighs are parallel to the plate. To perform this exercise, slowly straighten out your leg, but not complete. After, begin to bend your knees until the weight hovers over the stack and repeat.

2. Leg Curl

While the seated leg press targets the upper half of the lower body, the leg curl machine is designed to help work the hamstrings. The leg curl machine has a bench where the user lies flat on their stomach and has a weighted bar over their legs. To properly use this machine, you should start with your legs straight and then bend your knees toward your body, pushing against the resistance of the weighted bar.

3. Leg Extension

As you may have figured out, machines with the word “leg” in their name was great for working out your legs. Each of these machines targets a different part of the leg though, with the leg extension targeting the quadriceps. These machines are distinguished by their slight angled seats (100 degrees from the back to the seat opposed to the 90 degree angle for normal seats) and a weighted resistance. To properly use this machine, you would sit on the seat with your knees bent and slowly raise your leg against the resistance of the weighted bar.

4. Fitness Bike

In addition to strength machines, many cardio machines also provide great workouts for your leg. In addition to burning tons of calories, exercise bikes use nearly every part of your leg. To properly use an exercise bike, you sit on it and pedal to your heart’s content. Your quads are being worked out for the downward portion of pedaling while your hamstrings are being used for the upward motion. The calf muscles are also used for the pushing and pulling motion of pedaling.

5. Elliptical

Elliptical machines are one of the most popular machines in the gym and luckily they’re also great for working your lower body. Elliipticals are awesome at working your hamstrings and even more so if your elliptical allows you to increase incline or even use the machine backwards. The quadriceps are also used when working out on an elliptical when you leg straightens.

No matter what workout goal you’re trying to accomplish, remember that your legs can play a vital part in nearly every exercise you do. It is important to strengthen them and make sure they can handle the load. You have plenty of choices at the gym but if you ever need any more help or tips, feel free to contact us.

5 Ways to Workout at Work (Without Anyone Noticing)

By Primo Fitness Staff on 05/27/2014 in Health and Wellness

8 hours in the office, 1 hour in traffic and 8 hours sleeping doesn’t leave much time to pump your weights or get your cardio on. There is no doubt that office butt is an epidemic, but there are many ways to battle the workday slump. There’s a reason that many people go home sore and exhausted after work, even if they’re not moving much or at all. Standing still on your feet for long hours or sitting motionless camped out in your cubicle can be brutal for your body. To combat these symptoms, short but effective exercises throughout your day can help immensely. If you’re running low on time to head to the gym, there’s no reason why you can’t get some quality mini-workouts in throughout your day. Here are some great ways to get in shape in your office without looking too ridiculous (although getting into shape is never ridiculous!).

1. Calf Lifts: Constantly sitting down and not moving can cause your calf muscles to tighten, causing discomfort. Calf lifts are a great, low impact way to strengthen and tone your calf muscles. This exercise can easily be done right at your desk. Here are instructions on how to do a calf lift:

Stand up straight and either grasp a wall, a chair or your desk for balance. Your feet should be positioned parallel with your hips.
Raise your heels until you’re on your tiptoes, like a ballerina, and try to balance the weight on the balls of your feet. Hold this position for 30 seconds to a minute and then lower yourself slowly.
Repeat this 15 times per set and try to complete three sets. Or as many as your break allows you.

2. Wall Sits: Most conventional work places have walls, which is great because one is necessary for this exercise. Wall sits, or wall squats, are amazing for working out your quadriceps and hamstrings.

Find a wall and have your back flat against it, with your feet out in front of you. Slowly begin to slide down the wall until your knees create a 90 degree angle (or less if you’re not quite ready for that yet).
Hold onto this pose for as long as possible (20 to 60 seconds is recommended) and then return back to standing position. Repeat until the burn is felt.

3. Desk Push Ups: Using your own body weight to do strength training is a wonderful method when weights and dumbbells are not readily available (which is the case at most offices). While it may look a little odd to just drop the floor and start doing conventional pushups, desk pushups are a great alternative.

Stand a few feet away from your desk. Place your palms on the edge of your desk so that they are parallel to your shoulder.
Lower yourself until you reach the edge of your desk and push yourself back up.

4. Sitting Leg Raise: If you’re a little shy about exercising at work, the seated leg raise is perfect for you. Sometimes standing up at your desk isn’t an option but this isometric exercise can be done while sitting down behind your desk.

Straighten one leg out and hold the pose for 5 or 10 seconds.
Slowly lower the leg, but don’t let your feet touch the ground.
Repeat with the other leg or with both legs if you’re feeling adventurous.

5. Cubicle Cardio: Although this isn’t one specific exercise, these are some tips on doing the little things that can really add up over time and contribute to your cardio workout.

Tapping your toes may seem insignificant, but some studies have shown that you can burn up to 350 calories a day by fidgeting. So turn on some tunes and get to tapping.
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a simple solution to increasing your daily cardio. The incline of going upstairs is great for your heart health.
Walking is low impact but helps the metabolism get pumping. Instead of e-mailing your coworker, walk to him/her. Instead of browsing on your phone during a break, take a gentle stroll around the block.

These are just a fraction of secretive exercises that can be done in the privacy of your office. But exercise isn’t something to be ashamed of. Talk to your boss and coworkers and rally them up for office exercises. Get a basketball hoop in the parking lot, have a weekly one hour yoga session in the conference room, ask the CEO to consider installing a gym (because there are plenty of options for wholesale used gym equipment) or just buying a used elliptical, used exercise bike, or used treadmill for the office. There are endless possibilities to working out at work!

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