Posts Tagged ‘exercise’
Do You Know These Benefits of Home Treadmills?
In our society today, there are more and more people who are determined to lose as much weight as possible as quickly and easily as possible.
More time than not these are the same people that say they do not have enough time to work out or go to the gym. However, these people are the ideal candidates for getting a home treadmill.
Other than being able to use this in the convenience of your own home, there are several other benefits that a result of using a treadmill.
Treadmills are proven to be the most consistent calorie burning machine on the market. They are better at burning calories than an ab machine, rowing machine, and stationary bikes.
Your results are very easy to track on your home treadmill. With the digital readouts to view on the machine, you have the ability to track length walked, calories burned, and how much time you have been using.
With a home treadmill they are open anytime for use with no lines whatsoever. There is never any waiting for the gym to open or cannot go because it has gotten too late and it is closed already.
Any person no matter the height, age, or weight, as long as they can walk, can use a treadmill. The features of treadmills to be able to adjust to variable speeds makes it ideal for all no matter the pace at which they wish to exercise.
They are documented as one of the safest and most reliable ways to exercise on the market. Treadmills tend to be less painful on the joints and tendons than other machines and sports because when using you use your natural everyday walking motion.
There are some other, non health reasons as to why treadmills are seen as beneficial to those who wish to exercise.
First, unlike most exercising where time just seems to be dragging by, a treadmill allows for you to watch TV, read a magazine, or listen to music while not distracting you from your workout, which makes the time go by more quickly than other forms of exercise.
Also, in this day and age when home gyms or gym membership fees may be very expensive, treadmills can be found for less than a couple of hundred bucks.
Do not misunderstand, there are those that can range upwards of a thousand dollars, but spending this much on something one time in five or six years will prove to be cost effective over time, where you would renew a $500 gym membership each year.
Find out why treadmills can burn fat more efficiently than almost any other exercise. See reviews and useful information. Click ==> http://www.treadmills-easy.com/
Paul Johnson works tech support for New York based Internet Publishing company, DigiLectual Inc. He’s lost a lot of weight with a fitness regime that includes Treadmills. He shares his knowledge and research on treadmills in a series of articles.
Exercising With Kids — Tips For Parents
Making exercise a priority is a challenge for everyone. And for parents it can be especially difficult to find time to workout because of the full plates that they often juggle. When summer arrives the juggling act becomes even more tricky with kids home from school and involved in extracurricular activities.
But, finding time for regular physical activity is so important that it should be a priority placed on your calendar, just like your kids’ softball game. A parent needs to exercise not only for themselves, but also for their kids benefit. It’s important to set a good example. If your children never see you engage in fitness or if they hear you complain about working out, then they are going to have a negative image of exercise. Let them know that you workout to stay healthy, to be strong and to have more energy and stamina (so you can keep up with them)!
The big question is how to make it a priority that fits in your schedule. Well, it’s actually easier than you may think. With a little planning you can find ways to incorporate workouts into the time you spend with your children. Regardless of what age your children are, there’s a way to find time to workout (often even with your kids)! Here are some tips based on the age of your children.
Age: Infant through pre-school
- Fit in exercise time while they are napping. Try a home exercise video, walking or jogging (if you have a treadmill), jumping rope.
- Occupy them for even 15 minutes with a video or toy while you do some toning exercises like squats and tricep dips.
- Grab your stroller and go for a brisk walk*. Or, buy a jogging stroller for more flexibility. With a jogging stroller you can walk faster, jog or even run at a fast pace. And, for veteran rollerbladers, you can even use the stroller for some skating time.
- For younger children, you can use a back carrier to transport them while walking. This can burn even more calories as the extra weight makes it more challenging.
- Turn on some music and dance together. Toddlers love dancing, especially when their parents joins in.
- Push your kid on a swing. And, after every push complete one squat.
- Use an infant carrier or bike trailer to enjoy a bike ride together.
Age: Grade School
- Try rollerblading or skating together.
- Spend an afternoon at a park with a playground, but don’t spend the whole time relaxing on the sidelines ? join in on the fun. Spend some time swinging to help workout your legs. Try making it across the monkey bars ? even just once (it’s a great upper body workout and you’ll be amazed that your kid does it with such little ease). Try some pull-ups using a bar on the playset. Do some tricep dips on a nearby park bench.
- Play catch with a ball or get a small group together for a kickball or softball game.
- Make Saturdays family bike outing day.
- Involve your kids while you strength train. Let them count your reps out loud for you and/or clock your rest time in-between sets.
- For pool outings, don’t just spend time soaking up the sun. Walk back and forth in shallow water while your kids have fun splashing about.
- On rainy days that force you inside, walk or run up and down the stairs. You might even make it a contest to see who can finish 5 complete rounds first.
Age: Teenagers
- Register for a fun run (or walk) event and spend time together training for the event.
- Purchase a family gym membership and workout together weekly.
- Play tennis or basketball together.
- Consider joining a community volleyball or softball team that includes enthusiasts of all ages.
- Don’t just sit and cheer your kids at their sporting events. Every few minutes do some walking or jumping jacks or squats.
- Implement a daily family walk each day before or after dinner.
- Work together in the yard raking leaves, planting flowers, trimming trees.
So, with all the above recommendations, you no longer have the “I’m a parent ? I don’t have time to workout” excuse. If you implement these activities for just 30 minutes three times per week, you can easily burn an extra 450 calories or more! Plus, working out sets a great example for your children that will teach them at an early age how important (and easy) it is to make physical fitness a part of daily life. Exercising with your kids also provides the extra bonus of spending quality time together.
About The Author
Lynn Bode, author and certified personal trainer, offers her services online through WorkoutsForYou.com. Workouts For You provides affordable online exercise programs to help even the busiest of people lose weight, tone-up, build muscles, increase stamina and more via the Internet. Let us guide you one-on-one through your fitness journey. Visit: http://www.workoutsforyou.com for a free sample workout.
Body Building for beginners
Body building or even just showing up at a gym can be intimidating for a beginner. Provided below are some tips that can help you get into body building, and into your first fitness club:
Be smart about getting into body building to ensure that you will achieve success both mentally and physically.
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Feel free to reprint this article as long as you keep the following caption and author biography in tact with all hyperlinks.
Ryan Fyfe is the owner and operator of Bodybuilding Area. Which is a great web directory and information center for Body Building and related topics like Weight Lifting.
Golf Specific Core Exercises Improve Your Drive Distance
What if I could give you three important exercises for golf and you were able to hit the ball further than you’ve ever hit it before? What if these exercises could be performed with a minimal investment of time and required no equipment. How about if I made it so simple and convenient you could simply perform them in the evening in the comfort of your own living space? What are you waiting for?let’s get started.
The golf swing starts with core stability, then adds in the elements of strength, flexibility, balance and coordination. Core conditioning is very important for a golfer because all movements in the upper and lower body are tied together, supported, and coordinated by your core.
The core is where the body’s center of gravity is located, and it is where movement begins. Because all movement begins at the core and then progresses out to the arms and legs, core strength is essential. The core acts to produce force, it stabilizes the body to permit other musculature to produce force, and it’s also called upon to transfer energy.
So, what types of equipment or tools are best to most effectively train this power region of the body? I’ll give you a hint. It’s not the machines in your gym. If you like the gym, then use the equipment that will provide the best results like pulley systems, free weights, and exercise/ medicine balls which provide far more neurological advantages than your typical exercise machine. Not only is the core challenged to fatigue with these alternatives to traditional machines, but you can recruit more muscle groups in two or three planes of motion compared to only one with machines.
Most people have a very weak core, and as a result, chronic posture problems. Over time, this creates wear and tear on the body. A golfer with a weak core is vulnerable to injury and will never be efficient in their swing. These weaknesses must be reversed in order to promote proper health and function. For now, let’s put the gym equipment at rest and get started with those simple, home based exercises and get ready to create some serious distance with those woods.
Crunch ? Lie on the floor facing up with knees bent. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest and crunch forward. Contract the abdominals to raise the shoulders off the floor, pause and lower. You may also try this exercise on a Swiss ball.
Twisting crunch ? Identical to the crunch except as you crunch up you rotate the shoulders to alternating sides. Don’t forget to contract your abdominals.
Plank – Begin by lying on your stomach with legs extended. Place elbows directly beneath your shoulders with hands reaching forward. Push your body up onto your toes and elbows. Pull navel up and towards your spine. Do not allow your low back to drop towards the floor. Try and hold this position for 30 seconds to start.
Strengthen your core region for golf and add an extra 20 yards to your drive distance. Perform these three exercises several times weekly and you’ll see your hard work pay off in longer length off the tee.
Susan Hill is a CHEK Golf Biomechanic, Sports Performance Nutritionist and President of Fitness for Golf. For exercises targeted to lower your handicap and give you a competitive edge every time you play, then visit http://www.fitnessforgolf.com
Exercise and Kids: The Difference between Training Children and Adults!
The greatest mistake a person can make when exercising with children is to treat them like little adults. Children are growing and developing rapidly. This means that certain physiological issues must be considered when they are exercising.
Bone Injuries That Affect Growth
When most parents think of children and weight training their first concern is the possibility of it affecting their growth. Contrary to popular belief, weight training will actually improve the bone and muscular systems. It is when children have a lack of qualified supervision that accidents occur. Actually, growth problems are extremely rare when children are given well-designed programs with qualified supervision. In fact, growth problems occur more frequently in dynamic sports such as Tennis, Swimming, and Baseball, than they do in weight training.
Another misconception about growth related injuries is that it will happen without you noticing it. It is actually quite painful because you are actually cracking the top of the bone. It will cease the growth in that bone only so if you get this injury in your upper left thigh (femur), only your left femur will stop growing. Your right femur will continue to grow.
Kids Have Higher Heart Rates and Lower Blood Pressure
A child has a smaller heart and less blood volume than an adult so the child’s heart compensates by beating more often (per minute). A child’s blood pressure is also less than an adult because this is directly proportional to body size. It reaches adult levels in their late teens.
Children Don’t Perform Well Without Oxygen!
Children have a limited ability to perform anaerobic activities due to the limited production of the enzymes required for provide energy in the absence of oxygen.
Keep Kids Cool In The Heat
A child’s sweat glands are not yet fully developed so they are less effective at cooling down through evaporation then adults. Make sure they drink lots of water and always exercise in light, cotton clothing.
Copyright 2005 Raymond Kelly
Ray has worked extensively in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years. He has a degree in Exercise Science and is a Level 2 Strength and Conditioning coach. Ray has been involved in athlete development for the Olympics and world championships for 10 years, also lecturing at coaching accreditation courses Free Weight Loss Tips
Do you Have the Burning Desire to Lose Weight or Reach any Goal?
NOTE: This article is one of the component parts of the 9-step WTA3 program contained in the ebook titled “The Action Path -Your Key to Success!” due out in 2005 at http://www.your-key-to-success.com/index_actionpath.html.
- Do you have a Burning Desire? -
Do you have a burning desire to lose weight and reduce your body fat to 10%?
Do you have a burning desire to get a flat, well-toned midsection?
Do you have a burning desire to increase your net worth to $500,000?
Do you have a burning desire to improve your personal relationships?
Do you have a burning desire to start a business next year?
Do you have a burning desire to reduce your credit card debt?
The key phrase is “Do you have a burning desire to…”. We all have hopes, dreams, wants and wishes. Do you have a ‘Burning Desire’ to make the right choices on a daily basis and take positive action steps toward your goals?
Let’s start with a common goal of reducing body fat or losing weight. While losing weight is a more common goal, reducing body fat to your body’s optimum level is the better route to take. For this illustration, imagine you had a personal goal of losing 10 lbs in 30 days. Because you’re smart, you know that losing weight can be accomplished by taking in fewer calories than you burn. This is a law of nature and makes logical sense. Even though we are aware of this basic principle, losing weight continues to be a difficult goal for many people to accomplish. Now the question; do you really have a ‘Burning Desire’ to lose 10 lbs in 30 days? If you’re like many, your answer is “…yes, I have a desire to lose weight…” but in reality you don’t have a ‘Burning Desire’.
Another source for creating your own ‘Burning Desire’ is a program from Tony Robbins titled, Get the Edge! You can see a product review of his program at http://www.your-key-to-success.com/product_gettheedge.html.
To further illustrate our day-to-day choices and the difference between a desire and a ‘Burning Desire’ let’s pretend that you are two days into your diet and you’re at your favorite hamburger restaurant for your usual lunch. What are you going to choose from the menu? What choice are you going to make?
Will it be the usual double cheeseburger, large fries and a soft drink?
Will it be a double cheeseburger, small fries and a small soft drink?
Will it be a single burger, no small fries and a diet soft drink?
Will it be a burger (no bun), small salad (light dressing) and water?
Will you leave your favorite hamburger restaurant and find a different place to eat?
Most will order the usual lunch or might only cut down slightly. You might even justify it by convincing yourself that later in the day you’ll eat less, you’ll exercise more at the gym or you need all this food because you are ’starving’. By choosing to order the usual lunch, you’ve made a choice to take action towards your goal of losing weight. Let me repeat in a slightly different way. By selecting the usual lunch, you have made a (wrong) choice to take (a negative) action towards your goal of losing weight. Every minute of every day you have the power, potential and intellect to make good choices that will help direct you to take positive actions towards meeting your goals. Will you succumb to a need for immediate gratification or can you delay it for a short period with your eye on the prize, of a larger, more gratifying long-term goal.
Was choosing the usual lunch the right choice for you to meet your goal of losing weight? It probably wasn’t the best choice, but only you can make the decision to make the right choice. Your decision to eat a high calorie lunch was probably based on a short-term craving and the need for immediate gratification. After the meal, you’ve met your short-term craving but you’ve moved farther away from your long-term goal of losing 10 lbs. You need to be aware that your day-to-day choices are often based on a superficial need to satisfy your immediate gratification. When short-term wins over long-term, it shows that your immediate gratification cravings have registered more votes in your brain. Your objective it to move the pendulum; make your long-term goals register more votes so you will automatically start taking more consistent and positive action steps. You need to create a ‘Burning Desire’ to make long-term win over short-term.
Don’t forget to check out the other examples, such as increasing your net worth, outlined in other chapters of this book. You can also check out a product review of Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle at http://www.your-key-to-success.com/product_burnthefatfeedthemuscle.html.
Stop reading and take your first positive action step to create a ‘Burning Desire’. You can apply this technique to any goal. To make this exercise easier, use the form in the appendix section of this book.
- List at least 6 reasons why you want to attain a weight loss goal (or any other goal). List both the positive reasons (I want to look good for the Caribbean vacation) and the negative reasons (I can’t fit into my pants). Positive reasons are “What will I get if I attain this goal”. Negative reasons are “What will happen if I don’t attain this goal”.
- Next to each reason you listed above, write a short, visual description of that reason. It’s important that you visualize your reasons. If one of your reasons is “…I can’t fit into these pants…”, describe this visualization as a picture with your stomach hanging over the edge of your belt or waistband. Make sure you complete this visualization description for each reason. As you go through this visualization process you may start thinking of more reasons – go ahead jot them down on your list.
- Take 10-15 minutes and read your 6 (or more) reasons along with your visualization descriptions. Which one or two reasons trigger the most emotionally energized response?
- Take the top 1,2 or 3 emotionally energized reasons, write them down on a business card size piece of paper and place them in your wallet, purse, desk and/or car. For the next 3-5 days, take out this card and read the reasons and the visualization description out loud.
- By the end of the 3-5 days, if you still get emotionally energized and excited; congratulations, you now have created your own ‘Burning Desire’.
What if this didn’t work and you’re not emotionally excited – what if you didn’t create a ‘Burning Desire’. Your current goal has reverted back to a wish, a want, a dream or a hope. At this stage you have a few options. First, you should go back to step #1 and try this exercise again. Often during the first attempts, you may not have put enough time or energy into the process. Right now is the time to change for the better – take a positive action step and give it another chance. Second, if you’ve tried this exercise or other techniques and still can’t seem to create a ‘Burning Desire’, than you may need to pick another goal, abandon the goal or change the goal. Changing the goal is not giving up; changing the goal is often one of the best ways to get yourself re-energized, motivated and excited about moving forward.
By taking these 5 steps to create a ‘Burning Desire’ for each one of your goals (large or small), you will make your goals much more attainable, you will start to consistently meet more of your goals and you will have more fun along the path to success. This technique can be used in other areas of your life such as your business (career), your personal finances and your relationships. Other chapters in this book will provide the details on how to use this technique to succeed with more of your personal goals.
Author’s Personal Note: I have successfully used this technique in the area of weight loss and have lost 10 lbs (in 45 days), reduced my body fat by 3% and dropped from a 35-inch waist to a 32-inch waist. What was my ‘Burning Desire’? I had about seven of them, but two created the most passion and drive.
First, was when my youngest son commented about how big my stomach was getting and that I looked out of shape. This comment was my negative reason that drove me to make a change. If I didn’t attain this goal, I would continue to hear these comments . Second, I had a closet full of size 32 pants and was ready to go out a buy more tight-fitting 34 size pants. Since I personally don’t like (despise) spending money on clothes, I created a visualization of all the money I would save by not having to buy another 3-4 pairs of pants. If I did attain this goal, I would have another $150 to do what I love most – invest.
My personal visualization for the first reason was a flat stomach instead of the love handles and no ‘fat’ comments from my son. My visualization for the second reason was seeing $150 invested in 3 shares of a blue chip stock on my portfolio statement, instead of pants hanging in my closet. While my personal visualizations might not get you motivated, these visualizations created enough push, motivation and drive for me to change my dietary habits and eat right (not necessarily less) and exercise more often. Remember, each of you will have your own personal visualizations that will get you to take action.
It was the first time in my 40+ years that I’ve ever wanted to lose weight and while it was difficult to make these dietary and exercise changes; I sacrificed my short-term immediate gratification needs for the benefit and success of my long-term weight loss goal. Not only did I receive gratification from meeting my weight loss goal, but I received even more gratification by knowing that I could make the appropriate day-to-day choices to minimize my short-term immediate gratification needs to meet a long-term, more gratifying goal. It was worth the efforts. Other personal success stories can be found throughout this book.
It’s time for You to take Action!
What are you going to do right now to take one positive action step towards meeting one of your personal goals? To get the momentum moving in your favor, you need to take immediate action. After reading this article, take the next 30 minutes to complete this 5-step process for one of your goals? You don’t have 30 minutes, take 5 minutes to start the process. The key is to take Action. You owe it to yourself to be successful and one key component for making your personal goals attainable, is to create your own personal ‘Burning Desire’. Start it now!
About The Author
For more information about this ebook, “The Action Path – Your Key to Success!”, by Mike Matthews, please visit http://www.your-key-to-success.com/index_actionpath.html. Your-Key-to-Success.com provides a resource for articles, products and services to help you get motivated to take action and succeed with your goals in the areas of your personal finance, your business and your physical fitness. Remember – Dreams will determine what you want in life, Actions will determine what you get in life. Sign-up for our free newsletter at http://www.your-key-to-success.com/index_newsletter.html.
Best Abdominal Exercises to Get the Sexy Six Pack You Deserve
The key to getting those sexy abdominals lies mainly on what abdominal exercises you choose to perform.
Here are the best yoga Exercises for Removing Abdominal Fat Permanently!
1)Dhanurasana-Bow Posture
Technique:
1. Begin lying down on the stomach, reach back and grasp the ankles. Inhale.
2. Lifting legs, head and chest, arch the back into a bow. Retain breath, then exhale and lie flat.
3. Repeat three or four times.
More advanced:
While in the Bow position, rock back and forth, then from side to side. Slowly release and exhale.
Benefits:
1. Massages abdominal muscles and organs. 2.Good for gastrointestinal disorders, constipation, upset stomach, sluggish liver. 3.Reduces abdominal fat.
Warning:
Not for persons suffering from peptic ulcer, hernia, or cases of thyroid or endocrine gland disorders.
2) Naukasana-Boat Posture:
Position:
Lie on the back as in Shavasana position, stretch the legs with your feet together and raise them about 10″ to 12″ above the ground.
Stretch the arms around the head on the ground and raise the arms along with the chest upwards after taking a deep breath, while balancing on the buttocks at the same time.
Now, let both the arms lie horizontally to the ground with fingers pointing towards the knees. The body in this position looks like a floating boat.
Breathe normally in this position and return to Shavasana position slowly after 10 to 30 seconds. Perform Naukasana at least 8 to 10 times per session.
Benefits:
It helps strengthen the muscles of the abdomen, neck and shoulder. It also relieves constipation.
Caution:
Severe backache and hip joint disorders are contra-indication for this asana.
3) Kapalbhati:
This is one of the best abdominal exercises for removing abdominal fat.
How to do it.:
Sit comfortably in a cross-legged position.Breathe normally for about a minute. Once composed, you can begin.
First, Exercise the diaphragm by exhaling suddenly and quickly through both nostrils, producing a “puffing” sound. Don’t focus on inhalation. It will be automatic and passive.
The air is exhaled completely from the lungs with a sudden, vigorous stroke while simultaneously drawing inwards the abdominal muscles.
The breath should be expelled fully. Inhaling is automatic – the abdominal muscles will relax automatically.
This abdominal exercise should be done in three rounds, each consisting of 10 strokes (for the beginner). Each round should take about a minute.
A little rest can be taken in between the rounds as convenient. Throughout the exercise, the chest should be kept still without expansion or contraction. Only the diaphragm is used for breathing and not the upper chest.
Over a month, the number of strokes per minute can be gradually increased from 10 to about 30.
Benefits:
Clears toxins from your body and lungs.Tones the abdominal muscles and burns fat.
Practising the above mentioned yogic exercises regularly will take 10 minutes of your time daily, but they have a profound, long-term effect on your overall health and fitness.
Abdominal flab lost in this manner doesn’t return easily and you remain happy and young for a long long time. Hence it’s definitely a smarter way to look sexy and stay healthy.
Get more cutting edge fat burning secrets in my Free 5 day email ecourse delivered straight to your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter at: www.eweightlosstips.com/weightlossltr.htm
Rajesh Shetty
Expert in weight loss principles of Ayurveda Medical Science and Author of the Best selling book, “Proven weight loss secrets revealed”.
The Truth About Exercise and Why Its Not Always Good for You!
Exercise is often regarded as a panacea for many things…”if you want to lose weight, you must exercise”; “if you want to get those feel good endoprhins racing, take some exercise”; “if you want to help with stress, you should take up exercise”.
All of this may be true but there are times when exercise is NOT a good thing and should be undertaken with caution or proper supervision. A good example of this is stress. Although exercise is often promoted as a means to work off all your stress, physiologically exercise actually puts stress on your body.
What happens when you get stressed about something? You might start to sweat; your heart races; your blood pressure goes up; you breathe a little heavier….what happens when you exercise? You sweat, your heart pumps faster, you breathe harder. Physically, your body’s response to exercise is exactly the same response to a stressful situation.
So if you are in a stressed or even ‘distressed’ state and this has been the case for a while, your body will have been placed under enormous pressure to maintain its equilibrium (also called homeostasis) throughout this period. If you then add exercise to the mix, the additional stress that exercise puts on your body may just push it to breaking point. Your immune system could shut down and make you susceptible to illness, your blood pressure may rise dangerously high and you may feel dizzy or nauseous because your heart is struggling to pump blood fast enough to your muscles and brain.
And for the guys wanting to pump iron and bulge those biceps, if you are stressed (either from work or even from a cardio workout), you will have cortisol – a stress hormone – pumping round your blood. Cortisol inhibits the production of testosterone – another key hormone that is needed for muscle growth. If you pump iron with cortisol in your blood, your ability to produce testosterone is limited and you’ll therefore be wasting your effort to bulk up your muscles. So if you’ve just done an aerobic workout and stressed your body and then go into the weights room, you’re not going to see as much progress as you think you should.
But…..I do NOT want to put anyone off exercise, especially aerobic exercise that helps to keep your heart & lungs healthy. In fact, as a personal trainer that’s the last thing I want to do!
Exercise can be a great stress reliever and the perfect way to wind down after a day of frustration but if you are stressed – and by this I mean truly & physically stressed out – try and de-stress first with some relaxation and meditation, before placing your body under any more stress with 10km on the treadmill. And if you want to build bigger muscles, don’t do any aerobic exercise in the same workout – or even on the same day – as a resistance workout.
And if all else fails and you are unsure when and how to exercise safely, consult a fully qualified and registered exercise professional.
Lea Woodward is a qualified personal trainer in the UK. She runs a health & fitness company, activOne, that provides personal training, massage therapy and training resources to other personal trainers see http://www.activone.co.uk
The Truth About Exercise and Why Its Not Always Good for You!
Exercise is often regarded as a panacea for many things…”if you want to lose weight, you must exercise”; “if you want to get those feel good endoprhins racing, take some exercise”; “if you want to help with stress, you should take up exercise”.
All of this may be true but there are times when exercise is NOT a good thing and should be undertaken with caution or proper supervision. A good example of this is stress. Although exercise is often promoted as a means to work off all your stress, physiologically exercise actually puts stress on your body.
What happens when you get stressed about something? You might start to sweat; your heart races; your blood pressure goes up; you breathe a little heavier….what happens when you exercise? You sweat, your heart pumps faster, you breathe harder. Physically, your body’s response to exercise is exactly the same response to a stressful situation.
So if you are in a stressed or even ‘distressed’ state and this has been the case for a while, your body will have been placed under enormous pressure to maintain its equilibrium (also called homeostasis) throughout this period. If you then add exercise to the mix, the additional stress that exercise puts on your body may just push it to breaking point. Your immune system could shut down and make you susceptible to illness, your blood pressure may rise dangerously high and you may feel dizzy or nauseous because your heart is struggling to pump blood fast enough to your muscles and brain.
And for the guys wanting to pump iron and bulge those biceps, if you are stressed (either from work or even from a cardio workout), you will have cortisol – a stress hormone – pumping round your blood. Cortisol inhibits the production of testosterone – another key hormone that is needed for muscle growth. If you pump iron with cortisol in your blood, your ability to produce testosterone is limited and you’ll therefore be wasting your effort to bulk up your muscles. So if you’ve just done an aerobic workout and stressed your body and then go into the weights room, you’re not going to see as much progress as you think you should.
But…..I do NOT want to put anyone off exercise, especially aerobic exercise that helps to keep your heart & lungs healthy. In fact, as a personal trainer that’s the last thing I want to do!
Exercise can be a great stress reliever and the perfect way to wind down after a day of frustration but if you are stressed – and by this I mean truly & physically stressed out – try and de-stress first with some relaxation and meditation, before placing your body under any more stress with 10km on the treadmill. And if you want to build bigger muscles, don’t do any aerobic exercise in the same workout – or even on the same day – as a resistance workout.
And if all else fails and you are unsure when and how to exercise safely, consult a fully qualified and registered exercise professional.
Lea Woodward is a qualified personal trainer in the UK. She runs a health & fitness company, activOne, that provides personal training, massage therapy and training resources to other personal trainers see http://www.activone.co.uk
