Archive for the 'exercise' Category
August 21st, 2008 -- Posted in Fitness, exercise |
This is another myth that has some basis in fact.
Walking burns more fat than running.
The basis for this myth is the estimate of what kind of fuel a person uses while exercising. The muscles prefer glucose (sugar) as a fuel because it can burn it more efficiently than other fuels. The harder you exercise, the more your body relies on sugar.
If you exercise slowly or less strenuously, the body shifts to burning more fat as a fuel. That’s the basis for fat-burning exercise: exercise slower and your body uses fat as a fuel.
While absolutely correct, it’s meaningless in the real world. You’d have to invest much more time in exercising slowly than if you go fast. It doesn’t mean that walking isn’t efficient–it is, but you’ll have to spend more time doing it than you will running or taking a spinning class.
Here’s the thing: it doesn’t really matter what type of fuel you use when you exercise because as long as you don’t overeat, you’ll burn up body fat when you run out of glucose. It may be hours later, but you will burn up the fat and that’s a fact.
May 23rd, 2008 -- Posted in exercise |
Warm-up is not really necessary for the beginning level. If you can’t do 10 reps, use a lower grade elastic band, or reduce the weight if you’re using dumbbells. If you get to 15 reps without any burning in the muscles, you need more resistance. Go up in weight if you’re using dumbbells or add another elastic band. Wrap the elastic bands around your hands a couple of times to prevent slipping. Keep increasing the resistance until you get slight burning after 15 reps.
Whether you stand on the bands, sit on the bands or have them closed in a door frame, sooner or later they’ll slip. Avoid looking at them directly as you perform the exercise so you won’t get hit in the face.
You can do the groups in any order, but don’t change the matched exercises within the group. Since we are using the Opposition Muscle Training, each pair must be performed together. Use a stop watch to time the rest intervals. You can rest no longer than 30 seconds!
The exercises shown here are for the people using elastic bands or surgical tubing. In most cases the exercises can be done the exact same way using dumbbells.
Biceps Curl
Starting position: Stand on elastic band or tubing with palms facing forward. Knees can be slight flexed to relieve any pressure on lower back. Raise arms toward chin while keeping elbows pointing downward. Return to starting position. After 10-15 reps, GO immediately to Triceps Extension.
Triceps Extension
Starting position: Begin with hands behind your head with elbows pointed upward. Extend the hands toward the ceiling until full extension; then return to the starting position. After 10-15 reps, STOP and rest for 30 seconds. Do this pair of exercises with rest periods 3 times, then go to the next set.
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Overhead press
Starting position: stand or sit on elastic band or tubing, elbows flexed at sides, palms forward. Extend arms overhead until elbows are fully expanded. Return to starting position. After 10-15 reps, GO immediately to Lat Pulldown.
Lat Pulldown
Starting position: insert the elastic band or tubing in door or over beam, kneeling or sitting on feet depending on height of door or length of band. Grasp each end with arms extended overhead. Pull band down toward shoulder maintaining at least a shoulder width between arms and preferably more. Return to starting position. (Note: tie a knot in the center of the elastic band so it won’t slip through and snapped you in the head!) After 10-15 reps, STOP and rest for 30 seconds. Do this pair of exercise with rest periods 3 times, then start the next pair of exercises.
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Lateral Raise
Starting position: stand on elastic bands or tubing with hands at your side, elbows slightly bent with your palms facing backward. Raised arms up and to the side away from your body until your hands reach shoulder level then returned to the starting position. After 10-15 reps, GO immediately to Shoulder Shrug.
Shoulder Shrug
Starting position: stand on elastic band or tubing with hands at side and palms facing backward. Drop shoulders as far as possible while keeping back straight. Try to touch your shoulders to your ears, while squeezing the trapezius muscles as far as you can. Then relax to starting position. After 10-15 reps, stop and rest for 30 seconds. Do this pair of exercises with rest periods 3 times, then start the next pair of exercises.
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Bench press
Starting position: sit in the chair with elastic band or tubing around for back, elbows flexed, and palms facing forward. (The use of the bench is prefer to but when in your home or on a business trip, doing the exercise with a restricted range of motion is better than not doing it at all). Extended arms by pushing away from the body until full extension is reached. Return to starting position. After 10-15 reps, GO immediately to Seated Row.
Seated Row
Starting position: sits on the floor with legs extended and elastic band or tubing around the sole of the feet, palms facing down. Pull back toward chest, trying to touch shoulder blades together. Return to starting position. After 10-15 reps, STOP and rest for 30 seconds. Do this pair of exercises with rest periods three times, then move on to the next pair.
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Legs Press
Starting position lie on your back with knees flexed and the elastic band or tubing across the sole of your feet. Extend the legs while keeping both arms firmly on the floor to maintain balance. Return to starting position. After 10-15 reps, GO immediately to Calf Raise.
Calf Raise
Starting position: stand on the elastic bands or tubing holding onto the ends with palms facing backward. Raise up on your tiptoes as high as you can. Returned slowly to starting position. You may stand on a 2- inch block of wood to increase the stretch of the starting position, but be sure it is firmly attached and that you can maintain your balance.
After 10-15 reps, STOP and rest for 30 second. Do this pair of exercises with the rest periods 3 times then start the next pair.
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Abdominal curl
Starting position: lie on your back with legs elevated on chair and arms across your chest or by your sides. Contract abdominals and lift shoulders off floor. Return to beginning position. Use your abs to perform this exercise – not momentum. After 10-15 reps, GO immediately to Modified Leg Lift.
Modified Legs Lift
Starting position: arms at side, knees flexed, head flat. Lift legs using lower abdominal muscles. Again, use abs and don’t rock. Return to beginning position. After 10-15 reps, stop and rest for 30 seconds. Does this pair of exercises with rest period one more time.
You are done. Mission accomplished.
May 22nd, 2008 -- Posted in Fitness, exercise |
Let’s Get Moving
No time to exercise? You just have to make time, because if you don’t, all kind of ailments will follow. The body is designed to move, so you either move it or loose it. When you are coming up with excuses not to exercise, ask yourself whether you can afford to get sick, live in pain or not able to do the things you like and want to do later on in life? If not, you just have to find the time, even 30 minutes a day will do.
Here is a foundation exercise program any one can do (unless your doctor says no). You don’t have to go to a gym. You need only 30 minutes. You can do the cardio and weight training at home, around the block or in your back yard.
Cardio exercise
Cardiovascular (cardio) exercise is commonly referred to as “aerobic” which means “with air”. Exercise increased the heart rate, and when your heart rate increases so does your breathing rate. This is to pull in more air containing oxygen to compensate for the increased oxygen you are using in muscles. Blood flows faster to deliver oxygen and other nutrients to muscles and to remove waste products. Research shows that the benefits of cardio exercise on numerous.
Types of cardio exercise
The types of cardiovascular exercise, also call modes, are whatever uses large muscle groups in rhythmic patterns.
- Walking, jogging, all running outdoors or on treadmills
- Cycling outdoors or on cycle ergometers
- Swimming all pool-walking
- Cross-country skiing or Nordic-tracking
- Stair climbing using stairs or stair-climbing machines
- And too many others to list
Find something you like (or dislike the least) and go for it. You can use a combination of various exercises on different days or even within each workout. It’s up to you, but you must pick something.
The foundation 5-20-5 cardio workout
Once you have picked the mode of cardio exercise, get started. Get out door, jump on the bike, get in the pool, put on the skate and get moving.
5 Begin at a comfortable pace—one that is easy to sustain without getting out of breath. You may feel a slight glow and have to take the deep breaths occasionally, but you should be comfortable. If not, back off, because you have started too fast.
20 After 5 minutes, increase the speed, grade, or intensity in a way appropriate to your mode of exercise so that you are moving faster and breathing deeper in a rhythmic way. If you are gasping for air, slow down! This is a pace you want to sustain for the next 20 minutes. You should start to sweat – that’s good because it means your cooling system is working just fine.
5 Reduce the intensity for 5 minutes to cool down—same pace as you warm-up—and you are done. Time to hit the showers
This is the simple as approach to cardio exercise and it’s effective. It’s always good to have a workout buddy to make sure your form is correct, to make the times go faster, and to drag you to the weights when you feel like skipping your workout.
Although it is recommended that you do 30 minutes continuous exercise for better result, you can do 10 minutes three times a day. You can also change the type of exercise you do. Walk in the morning and ride an exercise bike in the evening. Variety can spice up your workouts.
Is 30 minutes enough to burn fat?
There is no such thing as fat burning exercise! As long as you don’t over-eat, your body will be forced to burn fat throughout the day. The best thing to do is to exercise as hard as you can to use as much total energy as possible—then after your body uses up all of the readily available carb, it will have to burn fat.
Weight training workout
If the heaviest weight you have ever lifted was yourself out of an easy chair to go get another snack, or you have lifted in the past but now it’s just a faded memory, this foundation weight training program is the place to begin. And you don’t have to go to the gym if you don’t want to. You can do this program your living room.
You can use the elastic bands or surgical tubing or dumbbells for resistance. Either way, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars for equipment just to get started we are.
The promise is no more than 30 minutes per day for three days a week. It can be Monday-Wednesday-Friday, choose a-Thursday-Saturday, or any other combination as long as there is a day of rest between weight training exercises.
Weight training lingo such as reps, sets, and rest…Reps are repetitions – how often do you do in action. Sets are groups of reps –for example, you do an action 15 times and that equals one set. Rest means relax—you don’t have to put your head down on your desk, just hang loose and let your muscles recover.
Some cautions
Never hold your breath! Breathe out on exertion and in when returning to starting position. This includes abdominal exercises as well. Holding your breath builds up pressure in you chest cavity. The effect is t make your heart beast harder wile you’re lifting and limits the return of blood to your heart.
Start slowly to prevent injuries. You will make gains quickly and avoid the pain and possible injury of doing too much, too fast.
Don’t lift alone if you are using free weights. Too many injuries occur when people lifting heavy weight don’t have a spotter and drop a weight on themselves. Be safe because you can lose a lot of time in recovery.
