1Mar
Being fit and healthy is the in thing. Actually, it really never goes out of style. That body is the most valuable asset you could have in your lifetime. Thus it is important that you take good care of it. Give it the proper attention it needs.
When it comes to ensuring and maintaining the health, the best option is to do cardio training.
What Is Cardio Training?
Cardio training involves any activity that requires the use of the large muscle groups of the body in a regular and uninterrupted manner. It elevates the heart rate between 60 to 85 percent of the fastest heart rate you could get.
Some of the usual cardio training activities are walking, jogging, running, aerobics, cycling, tae bo, swimming and rowing. Cardio training is considered an aerobic exercise as one is required to move from one exercise to another.
What Are the Benefits of Training?
1. Gives Energy to the Body
You can expect more energy and higher endurance after some time of regular cardio training.
2. Prevents Diseases
One could prevent heart diseases with regular cardio training. It is also helpful in preventing other variety of diseases like diabetes, obesity and even high cholesterol. The cardiovascular training strengthens the heart and the lungs. The low to moderated type of cardio exercises are required for people seeking to prevent diseases. Examples of these are walking, brisk walking or jogging.
3. Control Your Weight
With cardio training, you are able to burn more calories. This will help one who needs to lose weight. While those who already achieved their ideal body mass, the training will make it easier to control the weight.
Cardio training helps burn calories. However this generally depends on your current weight and the kind of cardio training you are undergoing. Better consult this matter with your physician or trainer, to know the proper type of training for your needs.
4. Lose Body Fats
Some people do not have problem with their weights. However, there may be some excess fats that keep bothering. Cardio training will help in getting rid of those. The activities involve the movements of large muscle groups. Regularly doing the training will make you leaner.
5. Get Rid of Boredom
Cardio training is fun. It pumps up your system. You will definitely feel more energized and on the go.
Recommendations to Better Enjoy the Benefits of Cardio Training
Cardio training is essential when you need to make health improvements. For starters, it is best to do the 30 to 45 minutes of exercises, 3 to 5 days a week. If you are aiming for weight loss, the training must be done 5 days a week. The more frequent you do it; the more likely it is that you will lose weight. However, avoid exhausting yourself too much in exercise. Avoid going beyond 45 minutes. Remember, it has to be done in a regular basis.
Start now. Walk or ride the bike around the neighborhood now. Follow that aerobics video you purchased. Set a goal and follow that goal. At the same time, modify your diet too. Eat healthy food.
As you increase in the fitness level, the intensity of the training must also increase. This is to have an area of variation and there should always be room for improvement. Implement this by intensifying some parts of the training. If you are into jogging or running, increase speed every 5 minutes for at least a minute or two. It is important that you challenge yourself, so as not to be stuck in a stump.
Avoid doing the cardio exercises before bedtime. You will have a difficult time sleeping if you do so as the energy level of the body will stay high for sometime.
If you are undergoing weight training too, do the cardio exercises right after, not before.
It is best to take a snack 30 minutes before doing the cardio exercises. Do not start with training in an empty stomach. This will not help in achieving the proper momentum when you train. At the same time, avoid indulging in large meals too before exercise. Just give your body the proper supply it will need to sustain exhausting movements.
It is good to do the cardio exercises outdoors. This way you can easily interact with nature and breathe fresh air. You can also simply enjoy going around the neighborhood as you get your system healthier by the minute. It is possible to make some friends among the people who also do their exercises.
Be consistent and stick with the training once you have started it. This is the only way that cardio training will benefit your body and your health in the long run.
22Feb
Before fitness training, one must give importance to doing warm-up or stretching exercises to prevent accidents or to enhance the output during the training. There are also a number of precautionary measures and tips to serve as guidelines when doing fitness exercises. Here are some of them.
1. To increase your flexibility and to avoid injuries, stretch before and after workout. Almost everyone knows that stretching before workout prevents injuries during the exercises, but only few people know that stretching after workout, when muscles are still warm, can increase flexibility.
2. Hold your stretching position for more than 60 seconds to increase flexibility. While holding your position for 20 seconds is enough for warm ups, holding each position for at least 60 seconds will develop the body’s flexibility.
3. Do not go into a stretching position then immediately return to the relaxed position, and do it repeatedly. This is more appropriately termed as bouncing while in a position. When stretching, hold that position for several seconds, and then slowly relax. You may do this exercise repeatedly this way. Bouncing or forcing yourself into a position during stretching can strain or damage some joints or muscles.
4. Work slowly in increments instead of immediately proceeding to doing the hardest exercise or position.
5. Make sure that you have stretched or warmed up all muscle groups. For some people, even if they have strong bodies, they tend to neglect the neck when working out of stretching. Stretching the neck muscles can be as simple as placing the palm of one’s hand against the front of the head and pushing it. Then, do the same to the sides and the back of the head.
6. Stretch regularly to continually increase your range of movements and your level of flexibility and strength.
7. Workout considering only your capabilities and not of others. Do not force yourself to do exercises that you are not yet capable of just because there are people who can do it. Increase your limits slowly. Listen to your body. There are days when your body may be too tired that you may have to consider reducing your range of motion.
8. Learn to rest. Rest in between sets and stations to make sure that the body has enough time to recover its energy. Also, it is advisable that you don’t work the same muscle groups consecutively for two days. The muscles grow during the period when you rest and not when you are working out.
9. Do aerobic exercises to strengthen your heart. Aerobic exercises are those physical activities that much oxygen for fuel. This includes cardiovascular exercises such as skipping rope, running or swimming.
10. Music may help you when you want to train for longer periods or to increase your intensity. You can use mp3 players, CD players or lightweight am radio receivers for this. Just make sure that you brought your headset with you so you wouldn’t disturb people who don’t prefer music while exercising.
Apart from preventing injuries and increasing one’s limit, it is also said that stretching is good for a tired body and also for a stressed mind and spirit.
17Feb
To de-mystify the concept of strength training, this expert fitness trainer answers some of the most frequently asked questions regarding beginning a program. Most people are familiar with the term strength training, but may not be aware that it is a method of resistance training, a broader category that also includes endurance training.
- Resistance training – also referred to as weight training or weight lifting – is the technique of applying resistance to the muscles to stimulate growth of the muscle fibers and increase circulation to them.
- Depending on the training method you use, you can develop both strength and endurance in the muscles.
- Strength is measured by the amount of force you can produce with one all-out effort; endurance by the number of times you can sustain a muscular contraction before you fatigue. Strength allows you to lift a case of baby formula into the trunk of a car; while endurance allows you to carry your grocery bags home from the store.
How do I know whether I should do strength training or endurance training?If you are just beginning to exercise, or are starting again after a long absence, it is best to follow an endurance training program using lighter weights and higher repetitions (12-15 reps). It is important to start easy and progress gradually. Even if you are naturally strong and capable of lifting heavy weights, if you haven’t previously trained with weights, you need to protect your joints by building up slowly.
When could I progress to strength training?
After conditioning the muscles and joints on a regular basis (2-3 times a week for 4-8 weeks) you are ready to progress by increasing the amount of weight you are lifting and reducing the number of repetitions (8-12 reps). This trains the muscles to produce more force, making it easier to lift something heavy without straining or to power up a steep incline.
How do I know the proper starting level of weight?
Pick a weight that allows you to complete the set in good form – stabilizing the shoulders and pelvis, engaging the abdominals and maintaining proper spinal alignment – with the last few reps being somewhat difficult.
How often should I lift weights?
You need to do a minimum of two full-body weight-training sessions per week to achieve the desired training effects. Allow one day of rest in between workouts since the repair and recovery of the muscle fibers is as important as the stress to the development of the muscle.
How long should each weight training session be?
The length of the session depends on how many exercises you choose to do, and how many sets of each exercise you perform. A full-body training program should include a minimum of 8-10 separate exercises that work the major muscle groups. Research has proven that one set of each exercise is sufficient for developing strength, although more sets may produce more gains.
What are the major muscle groups?
In descending order of size, they are: Hips and thighs, back, chest, shoulders, arms and calves.
I usually save the core body (abdominals and spinal muscles) for last since much of it is done on the floor, preceding the cool-down stretches.
Do I need to do strength moves in a certain order?
Ideally start with the largest muscles and work down to the smallest, so you don’t fatigue the smallest muscles first. The smaller muscles help stabilize the larger ones, but if you exhaust them first they cannot support the larger muscles in their work, making it more difficult to complete the exercises.
For expert guidance on strength training techniques, step by step photos depicting how to perform the exercises and a selection of well-rounded workouts please check out the book Strength Training for Women by Joan Pagano at http://www.amazon.com
Joan Pagano is the author of best-selling fitness books, an informational speaker on health and fitness topics, and the owner of Joan Pagano Fitness in New York City. For over 20 years, she and her staff have provided professional guidance and support to people at all levels of fitness, creating hundreds of training programs for individuals, groups, fitness facilities, schools, hospitals and corporations.
Joan is an authority on the benefits of exercise for women’s health issues such as pregnancy, breast cancer, menopause and osteoporosis as well as strength training through the decades. She has contributed to such publications as SHAPE, Health, Fitness, Oxygen and Vitality magazines, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune and The Cleveland Plain Dealer among many others and has made national and regional TV appearances.
For more information, please visit http://www.joanpaganofitness.com
6Feb
There is a lot of hype around the exercise ball, and using it to get perfectly sculpted abs. Whatever you’ve heard about using an exercise ball in your ab workout is true, because it is really effective. The real beauty of it is the fact that you do not have to purchase anymore exercise equipment, because if you have an exercise ball, you will be able to get those abdominal muscles in shape.
Firstly, you have to get an exercise ball that is the right size for you, it is really simple. All you need to do is buy an exercise ball, matching your weight. Once you have that you are now ready to start attacking those ads and getting them into the perfect shape.
Start off with the basic crunches, you will need to sit almost on top of the ball. So your backside and most of your lower back is supported by the ball. Make sure to keep your feet as wide as possible to maintain a balance.Then slowly lean back, and slowly up to start doing your crunches. It will be very difficult at first, as your abs have to get use to doing this, but the more you do. The more stability, you will gain from the movement, and the smoother the whole movement will become.
The next one would have to be doing a push-up. Now, you will need to push up from the ball. I do know that this is very tricky in the beginning. As the ball tends to be slippery at first, but don’t give up. Find a position that will work best for you.
This is the beginning exercises that you should try, and once you have mastered them. And you’re doing it regularly.You will then be prepared to move on to the next level.
If you really want these ab workouts with the exercise ball to be successful. You need to remain focused, and remember to eat healthily. No matter how sore your abs, arms and body are feeling you need to tell yourself why you’re doing what you are doing, and you will find the motivation to carry on doing it.
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