Tips For Fitness:
- Carbohydrate Re placers: If you use carbohydrate fluid re placers when exercising, the
best time to do so is during exercise, not before or after. Using before exercise may
trigger a hypoglycemic reaction. After exercise, a high carbohydrate, nutrient rich
recovery meal or snack is more appropriate for replacing nutrients lost during exercise.
- Over training: Did you know that is possible to over-exercise? Symptoms of over-training
include unusual soreness, decreased resistance to colds and flu, poor coordination, and
chronic fatigue. Prevent over-training by alternating heavy exercise days with lighter
ones, monitoring the intensity of your exercise (don't push yourself too hard), and
including a proper warm up and cool down.
- Dehydration: Knowing the signs of dehydration can help you to prevent serious illness.
Symptoms include progressive thirst, flushed skin, fatigue, headache, dizziness, weakness,
increased pulse, and eventually delirium. Do not wait until you are thirsty to replace
bodily fluids. When exercising in a warm environment, play it safe. Bring water or fluids
with you, do not exercise alone and watch carefully for the warning signs of dehydration.
- Say yes to stretching! Stretching is an essential part of any exercise program.
Generally speaking, stretching about 3 times per week for about 10 minutes per session
will help to maintain flexibility. Don't forget to include warm up exercises for a few
minutes BEFORE stretching. Good warm up activities include walking, jogging in place or
riding a stationary bike. All of these help to increase blood flow to the muscles and
increases body temperature. Both are important for muscle elasticity.
- Ankle weights: Some research indicates that wearing ankle weights during exercise can do
more harm than good. Weights may cause improper form, and can lead to muscle sprains and
damage to ligaments and tendons.
- Exercise And Meal Timing: Should you work out on an empty stomach? Not unless you have
to. Eating a light meal or snack one to two hours before a workout will aid in endurance
and delay fatigue. This may result in a better workout, improved metabolism and a more
energetic feeling.
- TV. and obesity: Did you know that in the past 15 years, 12 studies have linked
television viewing to childhood obesity? Spend some daily exercise time with your children
instead of TV time. Play catch, Frisbee, or hopscotch, kick the soccer ball around or walk
the family dog. Make physical activity a fun and routine part of your evenings together.
- Muscle soreness: Unaccustomed strenuous exercise will result in muscle soreness.
According to a recent study in ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, soreness peaks between
24- 48 hours after exercise. To minimize soreness, build up gradually for strenuous
activities. Massage can produce temporary relief.
- What weight works? The key to weight training is to tax muscles beyond their present
capacity. Choose a weight for each exercise that causes you to struggle on the last few
repetitions without sacrificing form.
- Exercise and Mental Health: Need more reasons to exercise? Data published in 'Preventive
Medicine' suggest that active individuals experience less depression, anger, cynical
distrust and stress compared with sedentary individuals. Don't believe it? Maybe you need
to get moving….
- Yoga: Give Yoga a try. It's a non-impact way to tone, increase flexibility, improve
circulation, body awareness, breathing and reduce stress. Check out a class at your local
fitness or wellness center or try an at-home video to get started.
- Super Slow Weight Training: Want to see results fast? Go slow when you weight train. Use
a moderate weight, perform just 4 to 6 repetitions of each exercise, taking 10 counts to
lift and 4 to lower. The super slow method is a great way to add variety to your workouts.
- Good news for golfers! A recent study in 'Medicine Science in Sports & Exercise'
reported that a 20-week program of golf improved coronary heart disease risk factors
significantly in a group of sedentary individuals. Who said exercise can't be fun?
- Cross-train: Getting bored with your current fitness routine? Try cross-training.
Incorporating new sports or training into your routine can help to prevent muscular
imbalances, challenge different muscle groups, reduce boredom and improve overall fitness.
- Interval Training: Interval training is an effective way to boost your fitness level.
Try 1 minute of more intense exercise mixed into your regular aerobic exercise sessions.
For example, walk at moderate intensity for 5 minutes, then 1 minute of faster walking.
Repeat.
- Building strong bones: While swimming is a great aerobic exercise, it is not the best
choice for individuals trying to build stronger, denser bones. Try weight-bearing
activities such as walking or jogging to stimulate bone growth.
- Feel good: When you finish exercising, you should feel good. Pick a time of day and an
activity that works for you. Your exercise program should make you feel better. If it
doesn't, change it.
- Walk the course! Just 30 minutes of golf (when walking the course) can burn about 165
calories! Exercise doesn't have to be vigorous to provide benefits. So, ditch the cart,
bring plenty of water, and enjoy the outdoors!
- Track it! Keep a record of your exercise sessions. Researchers at the U of Calgary in
Alberta, Canada found that those exercisers who kept track of their workouts exercised
more frequently than those who did not. It's a good strategy to stay motivated.
- Play ball: A casual 30-minute hoops game can burn about 130 calories. Get
outdoors for an old fashioned game of 'around the world' with your child, spouse, neighbor
or friend. And yes, this counts towards the recommended 3-5 days of activity recommended
by the American College of Sport Medicine.
- Exercise & metabolism: Metabolic rate, or the amount of calories your
body burns each day is closely related to oxygen consumption. When you exercise, you
consume more oxygen, increasing your metabolism. This increase occurs during exercise and
even continues for some time after exercise. Boost your metabolism by incorporating more
activity into your day, including gardening, housework, and walking the dog!
- Back stretch: For a great back stretch, begin on all fours. Slide your
hands and arms out in front of you so your torso forms one long sloping line from your
fingertips to your tailbone. Breathe into the stretch, reaching with your fingertips but
keeping your hips in line with your knees. Hold for about 30 seconds.
- Back pain? Bad back? Stick to low or lower impact exercises. Running or
jogging causes the spine absorb up to 4 times your weight with each step!
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