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How’s Your Engine Running? Increasing Your Oxygen Capacity for Living a Fit Life

Look at the front of your car, or any car for that matter. You see that opening (the grill) in the front? The grill allows air from outside to come into the engine and combine with the car’s gasoline to produce energy. In the world of fitness, we like to use the analogy of your body being like “your car” because, in many ways, they perform in the same manner. Your primary grill is your nose, and depending on other factors, your mouth becomes a secondary grill. So, when doing cardio for weight loss or for greater aerobic endurance and strength, (in other words to run farther for example), one must consider two things: 1) how do we get in enough oxygen, and 2) how do we get our bodies to use this oxygen most effectively to burn more fat? This is called your oxygen capacity.

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About Author:

Etta Hornsteiner

Etta Hornsteiner

Etta Hornsteiner has spent 12 years as an Educator teaching both English and Acting. Her love for fitness led her into bodybuilding competitions and later into a career as a personal trainer. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada in English and minors in Sociology and Spanish, a Master’s degree in Education with emphasis in Theatre from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a Master's degree in Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching from Maryland University of Integrative Health, and a coaching certificate from Duke Integrative Health. She is certified by the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching and the International Coaching Federation. She is the author of the Ten Guiding Lights to Health and Wholeness.

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