April 25, 2008
Filed under: Essays — arlene @ 2:29 pm
The housewife at home has a lot to do and many opportunities to work on her physical fitness. One of the things which she must guard against is the number of chores which seem to call on her to stoop.
How often do we see the tired housewife at the end of the day holding her tired and painful back?
Always bend at the knees, not with the back. At the beginning this may require a little attention but it is worth it. When you pick up a baby or anything from the floor, always go down by bending your knees first. (more…)
April 22, 2008
Filed under: Essays — arlene @ 3:37 am
Getting your blood up
This is just a form of waking up and its better than blindly groping for a cigarette or reaching for the coffee cup some loving husband or wife has brought.
While still in bed, we stretch like a cat.
Extend your arms above your head and stretch your feet out. Now extend your fingers and stretch your toes as far as you can. Now tighten your fingers and bend your feet back as far as you can. Hold it for a few seconds and repeat four times. If you tend to get cramps when you stretch do not point the toes while stretching, but keep the whole foot pulled back. Breathe easily, but deeply, with each movement and, at the same time, concentrate on your whole body and in particular your muscles. (more…)
April 5, 2008
Filed under: Aerobic, Essays, Gym, Muscle, Programs, Sex, Trainer — arlene @ 4:27 am
What is your average day? I am not suggesting you change your whole working life, but take time to think about these questions:
- Do you walk, take the lift, catch a bus, go by car?
- Why don’t you currently exercise?
- When do you have uninterrupted time to exercise?
- Where are you going to exercise?
- What exercise will you do?
- How often can you exercise?
- Who can support or help you with your programme?
From those questions you will have some realistic answers about what you can currently do, so let’s look in more detail about how you will benefit from an exercise routine. Even the most modest amount of exercise has enormous benefit, but you need to know exactly what is the specific gain you are going to get. What do you want as well as weight loss? Below are just some of the benefits exercise can bring, but you need to think about what you would add to this list that would make you start, and keep on, exercising: (more…)
Filed under: Essays, Mental, Nutrition, Physical, Trainer — arlene @ 4:21 am
In the ‘holy trinity’ of weight management, exercise is one of the key players. Mind-set and nutrition are vital components of the Warriors programme, but without adding in exercise you won’t be able to get the maximum long-term benefit in terms of weight loss, fitness and a positive mental attitude about yourself and your body.
Think of your body as being like a car that you have left in the garage for a couple of months while you are away on business.
During that time it has not been used. When you come back, it’s likely that the battery’s run down and the oil will have stuck in the sump. You know that when you want to get the car going again it will need a service before you can get it out on the open road. Your body is just the same. If you stop using it, then you will gradually lose suppleness, strength and energy. How much you want to use it, however, is, to a large extent, up to you. (more…)
April 4, 2008
Filed under: Essays, Gym, Muscle, Programs — arlene @ 12:36 am
Observing the signs
Along with monitoring your heart rate, you should also pay attention to how your body feels when you are exercising. When working out you should feel slightly breathless but not be gasping for air. Your body will start to tell you when you’re working too hard:
- You’ll start to get excessively hot
- You’ll start to pant for breath
- Your muscles will start to ache more.
As you become used to exercising at the correct intensity, be aware of how your body feels. These feelings can educate you progressively about how your body responds to different exercise types. You will be surprised at how comfortable a reasonable workout intensity can feel to you once you get started. (more…)
March 17, 2008
Filed under: Aerobic, Diet, Essays, Muscle, Physical, Programs, Women, equipment — arlene @ 5:02 pm
People who attempt to lose weight purely through exercise often find that there is an increase in their lean body (muscle) mass and a decrease in their fat mass, but very little change in their total weight. However, in combination with a balanced reducing diet, an increase in physical activity seems to encourage the loss of weight which is due mainly to fat losses.
Some researchers have suggested that exercise maintains or increases the muscle compartment (muscle tissue is far more active than fat tissue and contributes largely towards basic energy expenditure) and in this way at least partially prevents the diet-induced decrease in energy requirements. The latter could be responsible for the reaching of a ‘plateau’ in weight loss.
There are several other advantages in combining increased exercise with a balanced reducing diet. For example, it has been shown that exercise:
Filed under: Diet, Essays, Muscle, Nutrition, Physical, Trainer, Women — arlene @ 2:38 am
For a world-class track athlete, a few seconds may be the difference between a good performance and a ‘great’ performance, or the difference between being a qualifier and a gold medallist. In a recent survey of Olympic hopefuls, many indicated that they would be willing to sacrifice both health and long life by taking potentially harmful substances which have been shown to enhance performance. Some may regard this simply as an illustration of the extreme competitiveness of world-class sport, but what it highlights is the extent to which athletes and sportsmen and -women in general are influenced by claims that foods, liquids or other substances are able to improve their performance. Virtually every food or part thereof has at some time been promoted as having magical performance-enhancing properties this raises the question: Does what we eat or drink really affect our physical performance in sport in particular and exercise in general? (more…)
February 21, 2008
Filed under: Aerobic, Essays, Physical, Programs, Trainer — arlene @ 10:12 pm
Rope jumping is aerobic if done at a slow or moderate pace, but is anaerobic if done vigorously. One study shows that typical exercisers jump very briskly, and for this reason, cannot maintain the jumping continuously. Even those who are highly trained or who jump at a moderate pace find it difficult to continue this exercise long enough to build cardiovascular fitness because of leg fatigue, high heart rate, or loss of interest in the activity. To be most effective, a continuous routine involving several different jump steps should be used in combination with other forms of exercise. For example, rope jumping could be a part of a circuit-resistance training program or a dance aerobic routine. (more…)
Filed under: Essays, Family, Muscle, Trainer, Women — arlene @ 12:45 am
There is no ideal standard for flexibility.
It is not known how much flexibility any one person should have in a joint. There are test norms available that list how hundreds of subjects of various ages, of both sexes, and in many walks of life have performed. But there is little scientific evidence to indicate that a person who can reach two inches past his or her toes on a sit-and-reach test is less fit than a person who can reach eight inches past the toes. Too much flexibility could be as detrimental as too little.
Lack of use, injury, or disease can decrease joint mobility.
Arthritis and calcium deposits can damage a joint, and inflammation can cause pain that prevents movement. Failure to move a joint regularly through its full range of motion can lead to a shortening of muscles and ligaments. Static positions held for longer periods, such as in poor posture, working postures, and when a body part is immobilized by a cast, lead to shortened tissue and loss of mobility. Improper exercise that overdevelops one muscle group while neglecting the opposing group results in an imbalance that restricts flexibility. (more…)
February 20, 2008
Filed under: Essays, Mental, Muscle, Physical, Women, equipment — arlene @ 3:41 am
Stress can be self-induced and pleasurable, or unpleasurable.
Some people may deliberately place themselves in stressful situations; for example, athletes plate themselves under maximum strain; lawyers and surgeons arechallenged by difficulties; and pregnant women acceptthe psychological and physiological stress of bearingchildren. Self-induced stress may also be an unpleasant but necessary interlude that cannot be avoided. For example, there is a risk of falling that is necessary in learning to ride a bicycle. (more…)
February 18, 2008
Filed under: Aerobic, Essays, Man, Muscle, Physical, Programs, Singles, Trainer, Women, equipment — arlene @ 11:55 pm
Survey results repeatedly indicate that calisthenics is one of the top two or three participant activities performed. Calisthenics, exercises such as the crunch and push-ups, are designed to build flexibility, strength, or muscular endurance in specific muscle groups. Even though most calisthenics are aerobic, they are often done intermittently. That is, calisthenic exercises are done a few at a time followed by a rest period. This type of calisthenics can build flexibility, strength, and muscular endurance, but does little for cardiovascular fitness or fat control.
Continuous calisthenics, or calisthenics that are done without stopping or with walking, jogging, rope jumping, or some other aerobic activity performed during the rest period, can develop virtually all health- related aspects of physical fitness. Fitness pioneer Dr. Thomas Cureton (1965) long advocated the use of continuous calisthenics, or what he referred to as “continuous rhythmical endurance exercise.” Almost everyone can plan a continuous calisthenic program by selecting exercises for each fitness part that will elevate the heart rate to the optimal level and sustain this intensity an adequate length of time. As is the case with CRT, it is essential that resting between exercises be kept to a minimum. Continuous calisthenics can be done individually, but is also excellent for group use. (more…)
February 17, 2008
Filed under: Essays, Muscle, Trainer — arlene @ 2:16 am
For maximal effectiveness and minimal harm, there are guidelines that should be followed in performing flexibility exercises.
There is a correct and an incorrect way to exercise, and some exercises can even be harmful. Concept 9 presents guidelines for flexibility exercises and some samples of the exercises defined in this concept.
There is a minimum amount of exercise (threshold of training) and an optimal amount of exercise (target zone) necessary for developing flexibility. (more…)
February 4, 2008
Filed under: Diet, Drugs, Essays, Mental, Nutrition, Physical, Sex — arlene @ 6:32 pm
There are many different positive life-styles that can reduce the risk of disease.
Many of the factors that contribute to optimal health and quality of life are also considered risk factors. Changing these risk factors can dramatically reduce the risk of hypokinetic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, back pain, and cancer, as well as other diseases such as infections and sexually-transmitted diseases. Lack of exercise, poor nutrition, smoking, abuse of alcohol and other drugs, inability to cope with stress, and poor personal hygiene are all risk factors associated with various diseases.
Not all risk factors can be altered by life-style changes. (more…)
February 1, 2008
Filed under: Aerobic, Essays, Physical, equipment — arlene @ 5:22 am
Those sports in which youth are active are often not the activities performed by adults for a lifetime.
Team sports are the most popular among school-age children, but the leading lifetime sports are bowling and tennis. However, many of the most popular lifetime activities are not even sports. Bowling is the only sport in the top five activities performed regularly by adults. The other four activities are walking, swimming, calisthenics, and bicycling. Only three of the top ten lifetime activities are sports. The top ten sports in which adults regularly participate (excluding swimming, cycling, and jogging/running). (more…)
January 25, 2008
Filed under: Essays, Magazines, Physical, Programs, Trainer — arlene @ 11:25 pm
All fitness books do not provide scientifically sound, accurate, and reliable information.
Because publishers are motivated by profit and publishing is a highly competitive field, the choice of material to be printed is often selected on the basis of how popular, famous, or attractive the author is, or how sensational or unusual his or her ideas are. Movie stars, models, TV personalties, and even Olympic athletes are rarely experts in biomechanics, anatomy and physiology, exercise, and other foundations of physical fitness. Having a good figure/physique, being fit, or having gone through a training program does not, in itself, qualify a person to advise others.
If you have read the facts presented in the previous concepts, you should be able to distinguish between fact and fiction. To assist you further, however, there are ten guidelines listed in question form that might help you evaluate whether or not a book, magazine, or article on exercise and fitness is valid, reliable, and scientifically sound. If the answer to each of the questions is not “yes,” then you should be suspicious of the material. If in doubt, ask one or more experts, or write to the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) or to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). These organizations will refer your question to an appropriate expert.
Filed under: Diet, Drugs, Essays, Programs, equipment — arlene @ 11:18 pm
It is not necessary to join a club, spa, or salon to develop fitness, but if you are considering joining such an establishment, make your choice with care.
The consumer should observe these precautions before becoming a member of a club, spa, or salon.
- Do not expect “miraculous” results as advertised.
- Be prepared to haggle over price and to resist a very hard sell for a long-term contract.
- Choose a no-contract, pay-as-you-go establishment if possible. Otherwise, choose the shortest term contract available. (more…)
Filed under: Essays, Gym, Physical, Programs, equipment — arlene @ 10:50 pm
The consumer who plans to purchase equipment should keep in mind certain guidelines to get the most for the money.
The following suggestions will help you select equipment:
- Unless you are wealthy or just like to collect gadgets, there is no need to buy a lot of exercise equipment. A complete fitness program can be carried out with no equipment. If you learn to depend upon equipment, you may eventually feel like you cannot exercise unless you are at home or at a gym.
- If you do not like jogging or swimming, and you hate calisthenics, then the minimal equipment you may want to consider is a bicycle (regular or stationary), treadmill, or rowing machine for cardiovascular fitness; and a set of weights, pulleys, or isokinetic device for strength and endurance.
- Consult an expert if you want to know the effectiveness of a product. Individuals with college or university degrees in physical education, physical therapy, corrective therapy, and kinesiology shouldbe able to give you good advice.
- Buy from a well-established, reputable company that will not disappear overnight and will back up warranties. Avoid mail-order products. If the product is not available in a retail store where it can be examined, you probably should not buy it.
December 7, 2007
Filed under: Aerobic, Essays, Gym, Mental, Physical, Sex, Singles — arlene @ 1:28 am
Taken as a whole, the review posits that a range of exercise regimens may have a therapeutic role in relation to a number of psychological disorders. At the same time, the research evidence to date does not provide unqualified support for the efficacy of exercise, and enthusiasm must be tempered with an acknowledgment of the dangers associated with exercise. Certainly, the literature does not indicate that exercise should be treated as a panacea or snake-oil for psychological malaise of whatever kind. Instead, it does suggest that different forms of physical exercise may be palliative in relation to particular conditions.
Whether that exercise be non-aerobic, aerobic or anaerobic, of short, medium or long term duration, competitive or non-competitive, team or individual, single or multi-session, is not always clear but there are suggestions that different psychological conditions respond differentially to alternative exercise regimens and recent attempts to develop taxonomies of physical activity and mental health may offer a realistic starting point in attempting to draw together some of the diverse recommendations. (more…)
December 4, 2007
Filed under: Essays, Man, Physical, Women — arlene @ 12:54 am
Ilk Mechanical loading is an important determinant of bone mass and architecture’ and the influence of increased physical activity on bone has been much studied. This is one area where the accumulation of exercise throughout the day must, theoretically, be an effective pattern. An osteogenic stimulus arises when bone is exposed to unusual dynamic strain distribution. This effect is quickly “saturated”, however, so that there is little extra stimulus to bone formation from high numbers of load cycles. The relevance of this finding is that the structural competence of bone can be maintained by comparatively infrequent loading events and does not require long periods of repetitive activity.’ This thinking fits well with findings of increased bone mineral density in premenopausal women after a daily exercise regimen of 50 vertical jumps.’ If strain magnitude and strain nature are the determinants of the osteogenic response to exercise, then several brief periods during a day of high impact exercises will in fact be more effective than long periods of endurance-type exercise where the applied loads are typically low. (more…)
