Fitness Tips: July

24. July 2008

Salt Reduction

Consuming excessive salt causes an increase in blood pressure which can put you at risk of a stroke or a heart attack. Salt is however an important ingredient within our diet but if we consume too much it can be detrimental to our long term health. To assist in reducing salt consumption always read the labels on your food and using natural seasoning whilst cooking instead of salt will also keep your salt levels low. Most processed foods contain salt so eating more naturally prepared food stuffs will help. Eating less salt which contains sodium can reduce the risk of cataracts by as much as 50%. The recommended dose of salt per day should be no more than 2,400 mg this amount can be found in a cup of chicken soup.

23. July 2008

Eat Protein

It is important to eat enough protein to avoid losing muscle mass and body strength. It is essential to consume 1.2-1.4g of protein per day by eating foods that are rich in protein such as cheese, fish, meat, nuts and soya products. An excellent form of protein is yoghurt which contains vitamin B12, potassium and calcium. Studies carried out by the University of Illinois found that to maintain muscle when on a weight controlled program you should consume protein with every meal. Proteins contain dopamine which is essential for swift brain activity and alertness so to avoid mid afternoon tiredness include more protein in your lunchtime meal and make sure you are well hydrated too.

22. July 2008

Help to Stop Smoking

If you are considering giving up smoking seek professional help from your Doctor and recruit the support and help of your family and friends. If you smoke you are 50% more likely to suffer from heart disease. To change your thinking and behaviour around your smoking habit you can make a list of the benefits of giving up smoking (money, health, improved mood) then keep a diary of the times during the day where you are most likely to smoke, highlighting your ‘weak times’. Smoking routines should be avoided and if possible don’t visit the shop where you buy cigarettes until you are free of your cravings. Using nicotine aids such as gum, patches. Lozenges give you a greater chance of stopping.

21. July 2008

Heart Disease

Reducing your salt, alcohol, fat and increasing your exercise levels will reduce your risk of heart attack. Stress is a major cause and a more positive outlook on life will also reduce your risk of a heart attack. The biggest cause of heart attacks is a build up of fat in the arteries (atherosclerosis) which over time can block the blood supply to the heart. When the heart is deprived of blood, the oxygen cannot get to the heart muscle so it stops working efficiently. Pains in the chest result and some severe cases death can occur.

 

20. July 2008

Mental Alertness

It is important as you get older to keep mentally stimulated as that is the key to increasing your body’s ability to repair damaged brain cells. Performing regular crosswords, number puzzles or brainteasers will activate your brain to learn new thought patterns and maintain existing ones. According to research carried out in the USA maintaining your physical fitness and being active can increase your brain function by 15%. It is also believed that eating plenty of fish can maintain a healthy brain function, capacity and continued ability to learn.

19. July 2008

Measure Pulse

A good indicator of your level of fitness is to measure your pulse rate following vigorous exercise your pulse can come back to normal (resting pulse) within ten to fifteen minutes. Taking your pulse on waking each morning before you get out of bed will give you an accurate resting pulse rate. Over time as you get fitter from regular training your pulse will return close to your normal/resting pulse at a much faster rate. A simple way to assess fitness is to record your pulse rate during exercise and when you stop exercising, then measure how quickly your pulse returns to normal resting state.

18. July 2008

Injury

Pain, soreness and stiffness are the main indicators of injury from exercise as well as swelling, heat, redness around the affected area and in some cases restricted movement. It is important if you are injured to seek expert medical advice and you should not continue to exercise or train through the injury as this can further complicate the injury and make it longer lasting. First aid treatment would normally include ice, compression, rest and in some cases elevation depending on the individual nature of the injury.

17. July 2008

Why Exercise?

There are a number of reasons why exercise is good for you: it can slow down some of the ageing processes and can reduce the number of visits to the Doctor. Exercise can help you stop smoking, make you more prudent in your dietary choices and it can improve your self esteem. By regularly exercising you can sleep better and can reduce anxiety as well as reducing the likelihood of depression by helping you relax. By doing consistent sufficient exercise of the right intensity you can reduce your body fat percentage and therefore lessen your risk of heart disease.

16. July 2008

Skin Health

Exercising regularly is extremely good for your skin health as it increases the blood flow to the skin’s surface. Excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking can increase the aging process of the skin. Sleep is very important for skin health as your skin regenerates and repairs during a good night’s sleep. Fish as part of your regular diet containing Omega 3 fatty acids is very good for the lubrication of your skin as is staying properly hydrated throughout the day.

15. July 2008

Pain Relief

Sleep is an important factor when tackling pain, as sleep deprivation leads to an increase in the perception of pain. Seven hours minimum of quality sleep is recommended to maintain mental wellbeing and physical wellness. An effective method of relaxation is P.M.R. Progressive Muscle Relaxation which involves progressive relaxation of muscles from the top of your body to your toes, whilst breathing techniques that concentrate on relaxed exhalations are performed. Light exercise and being active can often reduce pain by increasing serotonin and endorphin levels that give a sense of mental well being.

14. July 2008

Jogging

If you have only just begun a training program that involves running or jogging you need to ease yourself into the activity gradually, mix walking with running to begin with and aim to run 20-25 minutes after your first 6 weeks without having to stop. By performing light stretching exercises after each run while your muscles are still warm you will reduce the possibility of soreness or stiffness. Try and vary the surfaces you run on and care needs to be taken when running near traffic as when you get more fatigued you may not concentrate as well.

13. July 2008

Health

If you are in the middle of a long term exercise program and you become unwell or ill it is important that you are sensible about how you deal with this. Very light exercise or complete rest when ill is the safer approach despite the fact that it may disrupt your scheduled program. Exercising through illness can cause long term health problems and can increase the duration of the illness. A definition of Health: the state of being bodily and mentally vigorous and free from illness, so rest or take it easy if you are unwell.

12. July 2008

Flexible Muscles

When performing flexibility exercises it is important that your muscles are warm so performing 5-10 minutes of light but dynamic exercise to build up a very light sweat and raising the internal core temperature of your body is essential. Once the muscles are warm you can stretch out whilst concentrating on each individual flexibility exercise working towards performing the correct technique and style. When stretching do not hold your breath try to breathe easy whilst relaxing through each stretch so the muscles are less tense.

11. July 2008

Spinning Classes

Spinning classes are a very popular collective group based exercise performed on a specialised stationary bike with a fixed wheel. The spinning cycle has an adjustable dial that can increase or reduce the resistance of the peddle power so that exercise intensity can be easily controlled. Spinning classes are usually accompanied by music and are led by instructors and are usually between 30-50 minutes in duration. It is important to wear cycling shorts to reduce the friction from the saddle. Spinning is an excellent form of low impact exercise for fat reduction, increased leg strength, high calorie burning as well as improved cardiovascular fitness.

 

10. July 2008

Health Screen

If you are beginning a health related fitness training program it is prudent to be cautious especially if you haven’t exercised in some time. So it is important that you have a health screen from your physician or doctor who will give consideration to your family history in particular heart disease or diabetes. Try and seek professional fitness advice from a training instructor or fitness consultant to begin with so that you can balance the recovery with the type, frequency, technique and intensity that will be needed to improve your fitness levels.

09. July 2008

All Round Health

Your all round health can be improved or maintained by making sure you get enough sleep with 7-8 hours per night being recommended. Regular scheduled or incidental exercise is important for maintaining muscle mass, improving blood profiles and encourage bone strength from weight bearing exercise. Consuming minerals with a healthy varied diet that includes vitamins and minerals will maintain energy levels and boost your immune systems. Recent research also shows that watching too much television relates to a double risk of obesity in people who watch more than 3 hours of television per day.

08. July 2008

Quit Smoking

By using nicotine aids ie gum, lozenges, patches you can greatly enhance your chances of quitting smoking, the nicotine alternatives can help you overcome the cravings associated with stopping. In a short space of time you will feel much healthier and by increasing your activity levels you drastically improve your health status. Recent studies carried out in the UK suggest that 70% of smokers would prefer to stop smoking and also that 3 million have tried to stop each year with 11 million succeeding. If you live with someone else who smokes you are more likely to quit if you try to stop together.

07. July 2008

Fit to Dance

Regular dancing can produce and maintain very positive health gains as it is an excellent form of exercise and that can also boost your endorphin levels (positive feel good hormones released in the body during and following exercise.) A North American research study showed heart rates were elevated to between 60% and 80 % of the participant’s maximum levels whilst dancing. Metabolic rates were also shown to be elevated long after the dance activity had ceased. So come on get up and dance.

06. July 2008

Lose Fat

By being consistent in your approach to losing weight in a fat loss program you are more likely to be successful by adopting a moderate active lifestyle and make dietary changes where possible. Avoiding extreme dietary practices and opting for healthy nutrition will help you reach your optimum health related body fat percentage gradually. By reducing your saturated fat and simple sugar intake combined with an increase in physical activity levels you will reduce body fat and lose inches specifically around the waist and hips. The duration and quality of life can be greatly improved along with your mental well being, as a result of long term sustainable changes.

05. July 2008

Improvements to Fitness

To increase levels of fitness and improve performance within the main five elements of fitness: flexibility, strength, muscle endurance, stamina and motor skills the process of gradual overload has to take place. In practical terms this means overtime gradual and systematic increase in the intensity and duration of your exercise will create a training effect. Basically the training has to get more demanding so it is important to plan sufficient recovery for the body to absorb the increase in training loads so that the physical adaptation to the training can take place.

04. July 2008

Waterbased Fitness

There are a number of benefits from water based exercise due to the fact that the water suspends your body weight. Training in water is excellent for rehabilitation exercise to recuperate following injury, some athletes use aqua flotation vests which help to keep them buoyant whilst performing specific exercises in the water. The reduced weightless situation lessens the risk of joint and muscle injury. Also the resistance nature of the water can strengthen, tone and improve the endurance of muscles and is good for assisting recovery after extremely physical events such as the marathon.

03. July 2008

Maintain Fitness

Fitness cannot be stored so ‘use it or lose it’ so it is important to maintain regular exercise or your fitness levels can be lost and this process is called reversibility. The down side is you lose your fitness levels faster than you gain it and after only 2 weeks your fitness gains can begin to diminish with 10 weeks of inactivity you can lose all your fitness gains. If motivation levels are low which leads to inactivity then set short term achievable goals, train with a partner, keep a training diary to record your progress and vary the type of training you do as much as possible. ‘Muscles are hard to get and easy to lose.’

02. July 2008

Don’t overdo it!

Some people can over train and do more exercise than is actually good for them, excessive training without sufficient recovery can lead to illness and long term health conditions. Signs that you may be overtraining are irritability, low energy levels, interrupted sleep and in some cases excessive weight loss. Training or exercising to excess when you are ill or injured could be classed as negative addiction to exercise. However regular habitual exercise can become a positive addiction and be beneficial to your health status. Seek advice from professional fitness instructors and consultants so that you can exercise in a safe and balanced way that will be best suited to you as an individual.

01. July 2008

Flavonoids

Flavonoids act as antioxidants in the body to boost the basal metabolic rate and can assist in weight loss by altering the enzyme involved in metabolism and cell growth. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit contain high levels of flavonoids as well as numerous vitamins that will aid energy production. Flavonoids can be found in berries and can protect the sensitive cells of the eye especially if you work at a computer all day. Elderberry flowers also contain flavonoids that can be effective in reducing fever and promote sweating.