Is Warming Up Really Necessary
You may have questioned whether warming up was really necessary and never pursued the answer, but it’s one that most trainers get asked frequently. Once you understand the role that the warm up plays in your workout, you’ll agree that it’s really important and while you may still hate doing it, won’t neglect it when you’re starting your routine. Just as important as warming up is the cool down phase. Another addition to a workout that people often feel is useless, but is extremely important.
Why warm up?
Warming up for maximum exertion is extremely important if you want to get the most benefit from the workout and avoid injury. A good warm up will let you get the most out of your workout and leave you feeling satisfied and like you did a great job with the most benefit. There’s a reason it’s called a warm up. It raises the core temperature of the body. It also increases your heart rate and sends blood flowing to every muscle in the body, alerting the nervous system to prepare the brain for stress.
You need the increased temperature to get the maximum benefit from the exercise.
As the blood surges into the muscles, the increased core temperature warms the blood and increases their temperature, too. That prepares them for the tough workout ahead. The warmer temperature increases the effectiveness of the shortening and lengthening process muscles undergo in a workout. If they’re not warm or functioning at their best, it increases the potential for injury from muscle tears and pulls.
Dynamic stretching is the best possible warm-up.
It’s not just warming up, but the type of warming up you do that counts, too. If you’re standing in place, touching your toes and holding for ten seconds, you’re doing static stretching. That’s not the best type of warm-up. Dynamic stretching keeps you moving while you’re stretching, which helps circulation and increases the core temperature faster. It’s a more active form of warming up that boosts blood flow and gets the brain and body ready to work. Static stretching actually tends to relax muscles and reduce blood flow, so they’re far better as a cool down exercise.
- For dynamic stretches, think jumping rope, agility drills and jogging. For static stretches, think touching your toes and holding, side bends and hamstring stretches.
- Dynamic stretches used as a warm up increase your range of motion and make you not only feel more limber, but actually be more limber.
- Studies show dynamic warm ups can actually help athletes perform better. Studies compared performance after no warm up, static stretching and dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching improved performance.
- Dynamic stretching warm ups tend to activate more muscles, since you’re moving as you’re stretching. That prepares your entire body better for the workout ahead.
Can Working Out Improve Posture
There are many different ways to look thinner, without actually losing weight. One is by wearing concealing clothing. When you stand taller, it pulls everything in and that also makes you look almost instantly thin. Unfortunately, it’s hard to maintain if you’re out of shape. In order to get the benefit of that great look, working out can help improve posture and let you maintain it throughout the day. It’s one of the reasons many of the exercises I use with clients in Alexandria, VA are core exercises.
When your core muscles are weak, your posture suffers.
Not only is it hard to pull your tummy in for very long when core muscles are weak, but you also won’t walk as tall. The core muscles consist of lower back and abdominal muscles, plus the buttocks and thighs. The lower back and abdominals help keep the spine erect and the thighs and glutes help align the hips. There are many different ways to build core muscle strength from kettlebells to resistance exercises. Working on overall body strength improves posture tremendously.
Back, neck and shoulder exercises help keep your head held high.
An adult head weighs about ten to eleven pounds, but you don’t notice the weight when it’s balanced properly in line with the neck and upper back muscles. If you move your head forward just one inch, the increased pressure is like adding ten more pounds. Move it forward two and you have twenty pounds. Lean forward like you’re reading a text, approximately three inches and now that ten pound head exerts the pressure of a 40 pound weight. That’s as much as a four year old weighs and is inviting back, neck and headaches! Diligent attention to back, shoulder and neck exercises can help. Of course, avoiding the awkward position when texting does too.
Doing stretching exercises can improve your posture throughout the day.
You don’t have to wait to do exercises until its time to go to the gym. You can work on your posture throughout the day. Make it a conscious effort to sit up straight with your shoulders back. Periodically throughout the day do stretching exercises to relieve muscle stiffness. Stand up, roll your shoulders, stretch your arms in the air. Do shoulder blade rolls and back rounds to get the kinks out and move those stiff muscles.
- Improved posture does more than make you look thinner and more confident, it helps reduce the risk of injury by reducing muscle and ligament stress.
- When you have good posture, it helps reduce the effort to walk, sit and move. You’ll move more efficiently and that means, you’ll use less energy and won’t tire as rapidly.
- Learning how good posture feels is as important as exercising to achieve it. Once you know how you should feel when your body is aligned, it’s easier to ensure you’re in that position.
- Poor posture can also affect your digestive tract. It can lead to acid reflux, compress the abdomen creating gas and constipation.
Should You Workout When You Have A Cold
Cold season comes to every area of the country at one time or another, even to Alexandria, VA. Knowing whether you should workout when you have a cold will prepare you for the inevitable. There really isn’t one right answer, but many different answers, because, let’s face it, every situation is different. First, think of others. You’re contagious with a cold from a few days before symptoms until the symptoms disappear. If you go to a gym, you could be infecting others, so be kind and workout at home instead.
Take note of whether your symptoms are just in located in your head.
No, that doesn’t mean that the symptoms are imaginary and all in your head. It means if you have a runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion or a slight maybe a slight sore throat from drainage, it’s okay to exercise. The intensity of the exercise you do makes a difference, too. Don’t go aggressive and try to break your speed record running. Instead, go for a walk.
Is there something going on below your neck?
A bad sore throat might be one of the symptoms that keep you from doing your workout, but there are others and they all take place below the neck. Chest congestion and a bad cough make it hard to breathe, so your workout will be miserable at best and harmful at worst. Is your stomach upset? It could be a sign that your cold has gone to the next level into something more severe. Stay at home and get some rest.
There are some sure signs you need bedrest and maybe even a visit to the doctor.
If you’re running a fever, you have more than a common cold. Do you have chills, fatigue and achy muscles, check with your health care specialist and get rest. The illness is more than just a common cold. Your workout will be miserable if you attempt to workout. Remember that if you do workout, you risk the potential of making your illness even worse and putting yourself at risk of getting sicker. That could interfere with workouts even longer.
- Some people want to work through their illness and if that’s you, just take it easy on yourself and workout with less intensity. Cut your workout short or break it up to several smaller sessions.
- Beware of working out if you’re taking cold medication. Some cold medications, like decongestants, speed up your heart rate. When you workout, your heart rate also increases. That can lead quickly to shortness of breath.
- Listen to your body. You know when you feel too miserable to workout and take heed. If you’re unsure, try walking a bit. If you start to feel better, then exercising is the right thing to do.
- A strenuous workout triggers a stress response, which can lower your immune system. If you find you’re getting more colds than normal, look at your workout. Do you allow yourself a day off for recovery after a tough workout? If not, you may be adding to the problem.
Is It Really Possible To Get A Flat Stomach?
A six-pack, great abs, a flat tummy are all the same and something almost everyone envies. After all, it’s easy to bulge out your belly, but no matter how hard you try, if you’re not in shape, no matter how hard you suck in your tummy, you’ll never get a flat stomach. It’s not magic and there’s no quick fix. Achieving a flat stomach takes work and dedication.
There’s no such thing as spot reducing.
If you could really exercise away only certain troubled areas, everyone would have the body they want with minimum effort. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. If you have excess pounds in the form of fat, then you have to lose it. No matter what you do, you can’t dictate exactly where those pounds are going to be lost. In fact, your body dictates that. Most of the excess weight will be lost evenly on your body, but there are some pesky pounds that are reluctant to leave called visceral fat. Where is it located? You guessed it! Right around the middle.
Visceral fat is the most dangerous type of fat.
Visceral fat lands in the belly area and hangs on for dear life despite your efforts to rid yourself of it. It crowds the organs and makes you more susceptible to serious conditions like heart disease and diabetes. There’s good news on the horizon, however. You can get rid of it, it’s a wee bit tougher than normal fat. When you’re working on weight loss, cut out sugar and sugary drinks like cola that add to the problem. Even diet cola can be an offender. Eat more protein, cut the carbs (like bread and pasta–stick with veggies and fruit) and get plenty of fiber (that’s where veggies and fruit fit in).
Bring out the big guns and start an exercise program.
You need to replace fat with lean muscle tissue. While you’re working on a healthy eating plan, you can start a program of exercise. Do all types of exercises, including strength-training, endurance training, flexibility exercises and exercises that improve balance. As you build muscle tissue throughout your body, you’ll be burning more calories, since muscle tissue requires more calories for maintenance than fat tissue does.
- Remember, even if you build the most powerful abs in the world, if they’re covered with a layer of fat, nobody will know.
- While cardio is an effective way to burn fat, weight training works extremely well and the muscles you build help you lose even more weight. Don’t worry that you’ll bulk up if you’re a woman. Mother Nature prevents that by providing hormones that won’t let you do it. You’ll just look toned.
- When you’re not working out in the gym, try going for a bike ride. Riding a bike can help get your muscles get in shape and the abs stabilize you while riding, so they’ll get a workout too.
- Don’t expect overnight miracles. It may take months before you see a change, depending on how much weight you have to lose. It will be worth it when you do.
What To Do When You’re Too Tired To Workout
It’s easy to find yourself too tired to workout. After a tough day at work, just thinking about spending 45 minutes to an hour at the gym can be overwhelming. In fact, thinking about the effort to go there and just changing your clothes without being able collapse on the couch immediately following the change can make you wince. There are ways to combat this or even find alternative routes if you plan ahead. No matter how much pep you have in your step right now, you know that one day you’ll be too pooped to pop, so have a plan of action ready.
Combat fatigue with water or a healthy snack.
Your first thought may be a cup of coffee when you’re absolutely out of steam, but reconsider. Actually, water is often the quicker picker upper that I turn to when I’m tired. Dehydration can take its toll and you won’t even know it. Try drinking an ice cold bottle of water and see if you have a bit more energy. Follow it up with a healthy snack to boost your energy level. If that doesn’t work, try the next approach.
Tell yourself you only have to workout for a short time.
You don’t have to get a full workout, go for ten to fifteen minutes, but go. If after that first ten minutes, you start to feel more alive and awake, extend the time. Give yourself permission to leave if you just aren’t feeling it after the initial time. You really may be physically exhausted and need the rest. Go home, get some sleep and workout the next day instead.
Have a shorter five minute version of the workout that you can do anywhere.
I can’t take credit for this one. Reading an article about a workout called the nitric oxide dump by Zach Bush, MD, got me thinking about it. His four minute workout is simple. It’s doing three sets of four exercises for 10 to 20 repetitions each. The exercises are deep knee bends, tin soldier (alternating 90 degree raises of each arm), snow angel (It’s arm only version of the jumping jack) and the military press (a pull up without the bar–arm movement only). These four exercises are done a minimum of three times a day, at least two hours apart. While I like his version, find your own. Create a mini workout you can do throughout the day to keep stress at bay and keep you going. If you’re too tired to go to the gym, at least you have some exercise in that day.
- Know yourself. If you’re consistently exhausted after work, exercise before work. Skipping one day because you REALLY don’t have the energy is one thing, but never let it be more than once in a while. If it is, rethink your exercise time.
- Practice deep breathing. When you’re exhausted, deep breathing can often help you regenerate and boost your energy level.
- Move more during the day. If you’re at a desk job, get up at least once an hour and walk around. Not only is that healthier, it also aids in keeping your energy level higher.
- Check your sleep schedule. The problem may really be with the amount of sleep you’re getting. Make sure you have adequate ZZZs to get you through the day.
Tips To Lose The Baby Fat
If you’ve recently had a baby and are like most women, you’re probably looking for tips to lose the baby fat that are quick and simple. Quick is not an option unfortunately, especially when your body is already struggling to get hormone balances reset and you’re probably exhausted. However, simple can be one of the features that might make you feel better. It’s all about consistency. One aid that has helped many women be more active is a postpartum wrap. The decision to use one should be between you and your doctor. While shedding your extra baby weight is important, your first priority should always be to helping your body recover from the trauma of pregnancy and delivery, enjoying and caring for your little one and adjusting to the new role of mom.
Just move.
You don’t have to do anything strenuous right away. In fact, you shouldn’t. However, taking the baby out for a walk in a bassinet stroller where he or she can lay flat and strolling around the park or even just around the block, for about 20 minutes can be a healthy way to begin your workout routine. Bad weather shouldn’t stop you if you have a mall near you. Go early in the morning before the shopping crowd arrives. Worse case scenario, walk the baby around the house, either held in your arms or in a stroller. Save the tough workout for later, about six weeks later, based on your doctor’s recommendation. There are no magic numbers, just guidelines. Everyone is different. However, short walks are also great stress reducers, so you’ll actually feel better and be less frazzled.
Turn your walk into a HIIT workout.
Okay, I know I said nothing strenuous, but this is an idea I loved from Kristen Horler, the founder of Baby Boot Camp. It’s perfect for everyone, since it allows you to go at your own pace, lets you take the baby with you and gets the right amount of exercise. It is a version of taking the baby out in a bassinet stroller or stroller that allows the baby to lay flat, but with an HIIT twist. Warm up with five minutes of moderate speed walking. Walk 30 seconds at a challenging pace and then slow it down for 60 seconds. Adjust your pace and time as you get fitter.
Eat smart.
Consuming junk food isn’t going to make you thinner or healthier. Don’t have it in the house. You’ll probably be ravenous for sugar, especially when you’re up all night with the baby. Have healthy snacks ready. If mom or friends come to help or want to know what you would like, ask them for some healthy snacks you can munch on every time you feed the baby. It will help you get through the day without feeling ravenous. If you have a super helper, key them in on your plan for healthier whole food meals, just in case they want to cook for you.
- If weather permits, besides taking a walk outside, go out and sit in the sun with the baby. Take a few minutes just to relax. You need it and deserve that time.
- When the baby’s asleep, take a nap, too. Don’t worry about housework. It will all get done when you’re feeling less frazzled.
- Prepare vegetables ahead of time. Buy baby carrots, prepare celery, broccoli and cauliflower and have them on hand. Make a dip from Greek yogurt or have hummus as a dip for a quick snack.
- Always remember, this is the most important time for you and baby. Make that first six weeks about both of you and your relationship with baby, but take ten minutes for yourself every day. It can be when baby sleeps or when your partner takes the lead on baby care.
Can You Relieve Arthritis Pain With Diet And Exercise?
Today, there’s far more known about what causes arthritis and what helps it. More and more scientists discover that you can relieve arthritis pain with diet and exercise. The right type of exercise is important. It’s one of the reasons trainers ask about special needs, such as physical limitations. Inflammation is the cause of some types of arthritis. It can come from an infection, injury or every day overuse. Non-inflammatory arthritis comes from an autoimmune problem. Both types produce stiffness and pain.
You need exercise to help you maintain flexibility, strength and endurance.
You may groan thinking of working out while you’re in pain, but it can do a lot to reduce that pain and is crucial. Exercise also helps to keep weight gain in check and even helps you shed a few pounds that can add an extra burden on joints. You’ll help maintain bone density, strengthen the muscles around the joints and improve the quality of life. It also helps you sleep better and improve your balance.
Eating healthy with some emphasis on certain foods can improve your arthritis.
Healthy eating for arthritis sufferers can begin with a generous serving of the cruciferous family. These veggies include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, kale or cauliflower. One study showed that the sulforaphane found in crucifers can help slow cartilage damage from osteoarthritis. Omega-3 fatty acids are also important. Salmon, walnuts, soy beans, chia seeds, flaxseeds and tuna all have Omega-3. The juice of tart cherries also may bring relief from joint pain. It’s the anthocyanin that does the job. Anthocyanin gives the cherry the red color.
Vitamins, spices and herbs can also help.
Turmeric is a well-known anti-inflammatory and easy to use. Keep a bottle on hand and sprinkle a bit in your food as you would with salt. It adds a warm, mellow taste to food and is loaded with benefits. The curcumin in the turmeric that does the job. It’s been used as a treatment for arthritis in India for centuries. Garlic is another supplement that cures a lot of ailments. It contains diallyl disulfide that shows promise in reducing damage to the cartilage. Taking a vitamin C supplement can also reduce the risk of osteoarthritis.
- Supplementing with fish oil and krill oil tablets is one way to boost the amount of Omega3 in your system.
- Losing weight is extremely important when you suffer from any type of arthritis. Not only will eating healthier help you shed pounds, it also can reduce inflammation that exacerbates the arthritis and may even cause it.
- Always check with your health care provider first before starting with a training program. Getting the help of a specialist, such as a personal trainer can help ensure it’s right for you.
- Get out in the sun and soak up the rays so your body can create vitamin D or take a supplement. Vitamin D lowers the risk of cartilage loss in the knee.
The Magic Of Exercise Is In Recovery
If you’re going to get the maximum out of your exercise program, you need to make sure it includes a recovery period. Rest is important for a number of reasons. If you’re focusing on performance, you need to get rest for maximum high performance levels. Your body needs rest to repair itself and also your mind needs it too. If you’re spending all your time at the gym in Alexandria; work and home suffer since you neglect them. Even your fitness goals can suffer too, as you tend to burn out and workout less frequently.
The magic does occur during recovery.
When you exercise, you’re working your muscles hard and creating micro tears in them. During the recovery, the body is mending those tears. That tissue repair is building the muscles, while also replenishing energy stores. That’s the time you’re actually building muscle tissue, not during the workout, where you’re really tearing it down. Of course, for the repair to occur, you need the breakdown to happen first.
There are two types of recovery, short term and long term.
Short-term recovery starts within hours. In fact, it can start immediately in the form of active recovery during the cool-down phase. It’s during the process of recovery that you see the most changes in your muscles. They’re replenishing fuel and fluids, while boosting the protein synthesis that increases protein in the muscles, boosts muscle size and prevents muscle breakdown. Long term recovery tends to be more for avid athletes that participate in a seasonal sport or even a year around sport. It may mean taking a few weeks off of training periodically, or even a season focusing on other types of training.
What happens when you don’t get the needed recovery time?
One problem overzealous beginners often face is overexercising. Sometimes, even seasoned athletes have the same problem. Too much of a good thing doesn’t give your body time to repair and it comes with consequences. Those consequences include, apathy, malaise, depression, increased potential for injury and impaired performance. It can even cause weight gain.
- During recovery time, it’s important to consume the right types of food to boost muscle development and burn stores of fat.
- To ensure you have the best recovery, you need adequate sleep. It’s particularly important for anyone on a grueling training schedule. It can also help you shed pounds quicker.
- You need to change your routine frequently to avoid efficiency that occurs when the body adapts to a group of exercises. You don’t get the effect of muscle building when you’re doing the same exercise repeatedly.
- Be aware that you can overdo, which could make recovery time even longer. It can cause muscle damage and injury that takes weeks to heal. However, doing too little also won’t give you the results you hope to achieve. Finding the perfect blend is one of the reasons people use a personal trainer.
Get Pain Relief From Arthritis Naturally
Your body is an amazing machine, but like any machine it can break. That causes illness or injury. Body aches are frequent when you’re working out, especially at first, but deep pain from arthritis isn’t. It can cause anyone to recoil at the thought of working out, which actually only makes pain worse. You don’t have to reach for a prescription or over-the-counter pain reliever. You can get pain relief from arthritis naturally.
Start with moderate exercise.
I think most health care professionals agree that exercise is a great pain reliever. Not only does it kick the body’s natural pain killing hormones into gear, it also reduces the stiffness and strengthens muscle tissue in the process. It helps you lose weight, which can relieve the pressure on knee and hip joints, improves your balance and bone strength. You’ll even sleep better at night and that helps you face the next day with more vigor. If you’re just getting back into exercise, use low impact workouts or consult a personal trainer who will create a program specific to your needs.
Eating the right ratio of healthy fatty acids can also ease the pain.
Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids help. They include fatty fish like salmon, walnuts, flaxseed and meat from grassfed beef. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation, too. You need to have this fat and Omega-6 fatty acids in your diet, but the ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 should be 4 to 1. The average American diet is 25 to 1. An imbalance with too much Omega 6 causes arthritis, inflammation, heart disease and many other problems. Many studies show that changing your diet so that the ratio is 2 to 1, two units of Omega 6 to one unit of Omega 3, can actually reduce arthritis pain and even help reverse it.
Make other changes to your diet.
Anthocyanins are phytonutrients that make blueberries blue and give the brilliant red color to tart cherries. These flavonoids not only create a rainbow of color, they also help reduce inflammation and provide many other benefits. Since arthritis pain is caused by inflammation, adding colorful veggies and fruit to the diet can help. Eat foods rich in sulforaphane like broccoli and other crucifers. Asparagus is also high in nutrients and has been found beneficial for arthritis.
- Steer clear of junk food and foods high in sugar. It depletes nutrients from the system, just like alcohol does, and can exacerbate the pain.
- Natural pain relievers include turmeric, ginger, astaxanthin and boswellia. Try sprinkling turmeric on veggies for a taste treat, in soups or other foods at the table. Ginger tea is also soothing.
- If you’re taking over-the-counter pain relievers daily, talk to your physician about switching to white willow bark. It has salicin which was the original aspirin and changes to salicylic acid which acts like aspirin without severe stomach irritation.
- Enjoy Mother Nature. Get out in the sun, take your shoes off and walk in the grass. It’s soothing and relaxing and could be just what you need to help speed pain relief.
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