Category Archives for "fitness"
Dealing with pain and injury
Today we'll discuss pain and injury. When we start an exercise program and begin pushing ourselves, most of us expect we will feel some pain. It can be difficult for people to know when enough is enough, when to carry on and when to stop. In this episode, I want to help you identify when to push and when to stop.
When we work on our muscles, we tear the muscle fiber down. Our bodies were designed to respond to this. The muscles are repaired and in that process, they're made bigger and stronger. But this can only happen when we make sure to get appropriate rest and take in the right amount of protein. The cycle entails the following: challenge, feed, and recover. During the challenge phase, it is common to have a little bit of discomfort and pain. And it’s fine to continue with such pain.
When you're new to resistance exercise, it is not uncommon to suffer rather extreme muscle soreness. It means that you've done enough work with that muscle to elicit growth. You'll want to ensure you give the muscle enough time to recover. It takes roughly 48 – 72 hours to recover from intense resistance exercise.
Another type of pain, which is most often associated with running is called a stitch. It is a sharp pain in the lower abdomen. This is believed to occur when there is a mismatch between abdominal muscles and the diaphragm. The stitch can be very painful, bu it is nothing to worry about.
Injuries require a lot more care. The previous pain issues we covered will go away with rest. With injuries, that's usually not the case.
Most common exercise-induced injuries are damage to a tendon, ligament, muscle or bone. You should make sure you seek medical attention for injuries. The doctor will give you information on how to repair the damage and begin rehabilitation. I can't stress enough how important it is to follow your doctor's instructions. Injuries can put an end to exercise permanently if you don't address the underlying issue.
How you should approach pain and injury will depend on the nature of the pain. Make sure you properly asscess your pain and injury before you decide how to go ahead. There is some pain to get gain, but you'll need to know which type of pain is getting you gains or is going to sideline you.
February 10, 2016
- in fitness , guest/interview by tajirul
Should I do yoga? | Julie Zuzek
In this episode, we get into Yoga Basics with Julie Zuzek. Julie is the founder Corporate Yogi. She helps entrepreneurs grow businesses that are purpose driven and profitable. She is a business coach, a yoga teacher, and host of a podcast.
Julie points out the key benefits of yoga. Yoga iis not just physical, rather it is something that goes deep into our minds. She talks about the physical benefits of Yoga. It is great for developing flexibility. Just like strength training increases our muscle mass, yoga lengthens our muscles. Then, it increases our body strength. Yoga uses only human body-weight and not any equipment or machines. So, it tends to be a safe way for people to exercise.
Julie mentions how Yoga can help us reduce stress in our life. Relearning to breathe is something people struggle when they first come to yoga. Yoga tends to allow one to breathe in a larger capacity. And that is what allows one to reduce stress in one’s life.
Julie explains different types of Yoga. Bikram style of Yoga is one of the major modalities she teaches. It is something that involves a specific series of 26 poses and two breathing exercises. Ashtanga is another series she teaches. Another yoga type she mentions is Yin Yoga. It takes 4-10 minutes to complete a single posture. It allows us to focus on our breath and also reduce stress. She also mentions Iyengar which is quite popular as well. It teaches one how to align the body. These are the common styles in the yoga spectrum.
Julie believes one should keep trying Yoga until he or she finds the right type that is for him or her. Finding a connectable, accessible and trustable teacher is important as well.
Hope you enjoyed the session!
https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/45
https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/46
Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music
February 8, 2016
- in fitness , health , solo show , weight loss by tajirul
Going from project to lifestyle
Today, we are going to talk about lifestyle.
Often when people approach a new diet or exercise regimen, they have a goal in mind, for example losing 10-20 pounds. It’s important to have a target. But after you achieve that target or you fail to reach it, there seems to be a period of time when many people slip and let it all go.
I find this most often happens when the project (the diet) wasn't something they ever intended to sustain. And when they go back to doing what they did before the project, they end up where they were before, if not worse. That’s why you need to think about the changes that you put in place as being something that you can generally sustain for the long term.
Try making sustainable changes to your lifestyle so that you can maintain your healthy life even after achieving your initial goals. Long-term success requires supports from your family and friends. This may take some time. You're different. You're eating different foods, doing different things. Eventually, they come to understand. As you build this new healthy lifestyle, be sure to explain your why to you family and friends. This will help them get more comfortable with the changes in you.
I recommend limiting yourself to one sustainable healthy behavior at a time and work to make that stick.
Mindset also plays an important role in building a good lifestyle. Work on changing your language, find balance in your life, and build stronger relationships with the people around you. All of these will make you happier and that will make you healthier.
This is your life and you can do this.
Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
Nelson finds crossfit
Nelson is a sports fanatic at heart. In high school, he played multiple sports and even went on to wrestle in college and internationally. After he got married, he moved to Minnesota to raise his family. In his 40s, he put on some weight, but was soon able to find the perfect fit for his fitness journey when he stumbled upon Crossfit.
After putting on some weight, he began looking for a way to get fit. He signed up to run half-marathons and was eventually running eight per summer. However, he started having pain in his hip that wouldn’t go away. At 52 years old, Nelson was told that he had arthritis in his hip and that the damage was so bad, he would need a hip replacement. He realized he would no longer be able to run half-marathons with the state of his hip and needed to find some other way to continue his fitness journey.
After stumbling upon his local Crossfit establishment, he decided to give it a try. He did his Crossfit baseline and was hooked. Nelson has been doing Crossfit now for a year and a half. Not only can he do deep squats, but his hip is feeling much better.
At first, however, he wasn’t able to do the prescribed weight on all of the Crossfit workouts. He was able to work through scaling, where he did the same workouts as the rest of the Crossfit participants, but with less weight or no weight until he was able to learn the correct form. He was able to reclaim his own inner athlete and continue his fitness growth and progression.
In addition to improving his health, Nelson has found a whole new group of friends in his Crossfit community. He considers this supportive community of participants and trainers as being like his second family. In the end, Nelson found Crossfit to be the perfect solution that matched his fitness desires and goals.
Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
Can I get a good workout with a Wii?
If you own a Nintendo Wii, you know it can be a very fun and enjoyable activity for the whole family. Did you know it also has a lot of great health benefits?
In fact, there have been several studies done on the health benefits of the Nintendo Wii. One such study was published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in February 2014. This study selected 22 people, with half classified as doing high intensity trained exercises and the other half classified as doing low intensity exercises. They all played four different games on the Wii, including boxing, tennis, cycling, and step. They also worked out on a traditional treadmill and stationary bike. The results on all of these modalities were then measured.
While the Wii was not as effective in building cardiovascular health as the bike and treadmill, the results were still pretty good, especially for the low intensity group. All participants reported the Wii workouts as being much more enjoyable than the bike or treadmill. Of the four Wii games used, boxing had the best results, yet tennis yielded the least results.
So are you wondering if you should get a Wii?
The first question to ask yourself is what are your goals? If improving cardiovascular health is important to you, what is something you will keep doing for the long-term? What do you find enjoyable? What will keep you engaged? If you’ve played sports in the past or enjoy playing sports, the Wii may be a good choice. Especially during the winter months, adding the Wii into the mix with your other cardio activities will keep things fresh and offer another opportunity for the whole family to get involved.
As kids, playing was the norm. As people get older, they tend to lose this sense of play. However, play needs to be part of your program. Make your fitness program dynamic and fun, perhaps through using the Nintendo Wii. To purchase a Nintendo Wii through our affiliate link, click here.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26504308
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26513387
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26469308
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26556091
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26556092
Nintendo Wii Console Black with Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort
Nintendo Wii U Console 8GB Basic Set – White
Wii Fit U w/Wii Balance Board accessory and Fit Meter – Wii U
Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
February 3, 2016
- in fitness , guest/interview by tajirul
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- 1 comments
Body by science | Dr. Doug McGuff
This is the second part of a two-part interview with Dr Doug McGuff . In this episode, we discuss the principles behind the book “Body by Science”. Dr McGuff co-authored the book with John Little.
At the age of 15, Dr Doug McGuff became interested in exercise, diet and human performance. He took up weight training to improve his performance in the sport of bicycle motocross. He traded janitorial services for membership in a local gym.
In 1989, he graduated from the University Of Texas Medical School At San Antonio. He served as the chief resident at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at Little Rock. From there, he served as faculty at Wright State University Emergency Medicine Residency. In 1997, he realized his lifelong dream when he opened up Ultimate Exercise.
Dr. McGuff's program has always been high-intensity. Over the years, he continued to tweak his program to continue progressing. He turned his attention to finding the lowest volume necessary to still see results. He found that intensity was the key, not volume. Those principles are reflected in the Body by Science book. It is a combination of his own experience and scientific studies.
In the book, McGuff showed how the intensity comes by slowing down the exercise. He says the purpose of slowing down the exercise is not just going slow. There is nothing magical about that. It’s the focus and intent that changes things. It’s important to set a benchmark workload and progress over time following that benchmark. There is no reason to rush and try to achieve anything quickly. Taking time and focusing on safety at the time of weight-lifting are important.
The book discusses many other aspects of human body and muscular development.
https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/primal-prescription-doug-mcguff/
Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music
February 1, 2016
- in fitness , solo show , weight loss by tajirul
Should I lift weights?
Today we're going to talk about resistance training.
A very common question about resistance training is “why would I want to do resistance training if I am trying to lose fat?”
Fat-loss is all about what and how much you eat. And if you are trying to use exercise as a way of burning more calories, you probably pushing yourself to a point that is unsustainable. And when you go back to your normal lifestyle, your metabolism will have slowed. Good weight loss is when the loss is done on a sustainable eating plan. The ideal way is to set small goals like losing one or two pounds per week. Resistance training allows you to retain lean body mass while you lose body fat. This will lead to a better body composition after you've lost the weight.
Lifting weights can help us in three different modalities; muscle strength, muscle mass, and muscle endurance. What many people don’t know is after you turn 35, you start to lose muscle every single year. So, if you look at the older people who did not do resistance training and as a result, they don’t have as much muscle mass. That can be a big problem.
You may not feel comfortable lifting weights. I say you don't have to lift weights; you can actually use your own body weight.
Body-weight exercises like squat and pull-ups are things that can help you get really stronger. Two major advantages of bodyweight exercises are that you can do it anywhere and with limited injury risk.
If you choose to do weights, my typical choice would be free weights. Free weights are better for functional strength. The advantage of machines is that they are easier to learn and use. Regardless of whether you go free weights or machines, always ensure you use good form to avoid injury.
It is difficult to fully cover this topic in 15 minutes. Still, I hope you understand the value of resistance training and don't neglect this very important fitness modality.
Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music