Archive for the ‘Exercises’ Category

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Why be fit after 50?

August 12th, 2011 by David

This post is from guest writer -Philip J Reed from a company called  Hydroworx.

Chances are, the older you get, the harder it could be to keep up a good exercise regimen. But that doesn’t make it any less important. Here are some good reasons to stay fit past 50.

Weight Control

Perhaps some of the biggest motivations for following a good exercise program are weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. With exercise, you can burn extra calories you’ve consumed that would otherwise be turned into fat. You might have to adjust the amount of time you exercise depending on what your goal is.

Preventing Diseases and Other Health Conditions

Maybe you can “pinch an inch” somewhere on your body, but it’s the fat that gets deep by your internal organs that can cause potentially serious problems, too. Exercise provides the stimulation your body needs to stay healthy and get rid of this troublesome fat. Heart disease, osteoporosis, certain cancers, and strokes are just some of the issues that can be curbed with regular exercise.

Options Are Available

Are old injuries making traditional exercise too painful? Or are you just not intrigued by the idea of hitting the gym anymore? Keep in mind that there are new and beneficial choices for helping people of all ages stay healthy while minimizing negative side effects, including orthopedic therapy or a trip to an exercise pool.

Feeling Better

If stress is getting to you or you struggle with issues like depression, exercise is a good way to combat those troubles. For those who need a little more energy throughout their day, exercise is also a good solution.

Enjoying Work

If you’re still heading to the office, exercise can help you feel more productive and better equipped to deal with the stresses of your job. For these perks and others that have made the list, even 30 minutes of exercise can be enough to be beneficial.

Strengthen Your Back

In addition to improving your tolerance for work, exercise helps strengthen your back and alleviate the pain that can come from sitting at a desk. Yoga in particular has proven a quick remedy for back issues.

Improve Your Sleep

Exercise also makes it easier to rest, but be sure you do it at the right time of day. Work out too close to bedtime, and you might energize your body too much to fall asleep.

Boosting Your Brain Power

Studies have shown a connection between cognitive health and good levels of physical activity. Those with more active lifestyles were less likely to demonstrate memory loss or other signs of mental decline than those who didn’t exercise enough.

Living Longer

Not only will exercise keep your brain healthy for a longer period of time, but a longevity study has also found that those who participate in regular exercise live longer than those who don’t.

Getting Out, Having Fun

This is a perfect time in life to get out with others and have a good time. Start a walking group or find an exercise partner as you reap physical rewards of exercise and foster good friendships, too.

References

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10568481/ns/health-fitness/

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20110720/exercise-sharpens-older-minds

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/acne-care-11/exercise?page=1

http://www.webmd.com/diet/exercise-weight-control

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676

 

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Exercise protects cells from effects of stress

April 5th, 2011 by David

Researchers form the University of California in San Francisco have reported that exercise helps to prevent, and even reverse, the effects of stress on the cells. They found that stress resulted in shorter telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes.  The telomeres are a measure of the age and health of the cells.

They examined telomeres in the white blood cells, of the immune system, which defends the body against both infectious agents and cell damage.

Their findings suggest that traumatic and chronic stressful life events are associated with shortening of telomeres in cells of the immune system, but that physical activity moderates the impact.

Telomeres are tiny units of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that protect the chromosomes. Each time a cell divides, some telomeres come off and after a certain number of cell divisions the telomeres reach a critical length and the cell typically dies.

Scientists have known for over a decade that the length of telomeres in immune system cells is a marker of cell aging. In recent years, they have discovered that shorter telomeres are associated with a broad range of age-related diseases and are predictive of incidence and severity of cardiovascular disease and a variety of cancers.

In their latest research, they studied three different groups of women who were under some type of stress.  In all three groups, an increase in perceived level of stress was related to an increase in the odds of having short telomeres.

However, this was only evident in the non-exercising women. In those who exercised, perceived stress was not related to telomere length.

The researchers concluded that exercise protects the telomeres from the shortening effect of stress, thereby reducing the risk of premature ageing and chronic disease.  Even people who had experienced severe stress as a child seemed to be protected by exercise later in life.

If you have, or have had, stress in your life, get exercising to protect the ends of your chromosomes and live a longer, healthier life.

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Tips to get more from your exercise (part 1)

February 25th, 2011 by David

Many people give up on exercise because they don’t get the results they expect from the effort they put in.

It’s not that they aren’t trying.  Often they are not doing the right exercise in the right way to get the result they want.  I think life is too short and your time is too precious to not get the results you deserve.

So, here is the first three of a collection of tips to get more from your exercise.

Cut out long slow endurance exercise (cardio)

Unless you’re a marathon runner in the making or training to swim to Rottnest, there’s no reason to do long sessions of low-intensity cardio.

Many fitness trainers will still tell you that low-intensity exercise is the best way to stay in the fat-burning zone, but all the evidence is showing that you get limited fitness and fat loss results from this type of exercise session.

Although you may burn fat during the 40 or 60 or 90 minutes you work out, your metabolism hasn’t been affected in any lasting way. Furthermore, your body adapts after about 6 weeks and then starts to store extra body fat as a means of being prepared for the predicted upcoming sessions.

Introduce (true) interval training

If you’ve been getting Stay Sharp newsletters for a while you’re familiar with interval training – alternating periods of high intensity with periods of lower intensity or recovery.

Interval training allows you to work much harder in a shorter period of time, burning off twice or more as much energy as you would with endurance cardio, and possibly even elevating your metabolism beyond the workout (if the resistance is high enough).

Most people don’t know how to push themselves. Ideally interval training should last no longer than 20-30 minutes, and the high intensity part should be hard enough that you feel like you’re can’t go any faster or longer as the interval draws to its end.

Your recovery should be true recovery – either a complete standstill, or very slow and relaxed. If you’re able to keep up a ‘decent’ pace then you probably didn’t work hard enough. Also, it’s important to make sure you vary your approach. If you usually alternate minute to minute, try 30 second changes. Or 45 hard, 30 recovery. Variety is crucial if you want to achieve lasting results.

NOTE – if you haven’t done any exercise in a while don’t start out with ‘hard’ intervals. Build up to it by working at 70% of your maximum, then 80%, then 90%. Don’t go ‘flat out’ first time you do intervals!

Try some sprints

Have you ever compared the body of a sprinter to a marathon runner?

They certainly look stronger and healthier.

We typically think of sprints as being running-based, but you can definitely do sprints riding, swimming or even walking.

While interval training can allow for increases in speed OR resistance (or both), sprint training is purely speed-based. And typically performed either over a set distance or for a given period of time, before being followed by a complete rest. The rest period should be around twice as long as the work period in order to continually perform at your best. Aim to include sprint training at least once a fortnight for variety and a try to do it for the different activities you do; it’s the muscles you are training to get faster as well as your heart and lungs.

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Don’t wish it were easier

November 30th, 2010 by David

Don’t wish that it were easier – wish that you were better’. Jim Rohn

I am always telling people that once you get into the habit of exercise, it gets easier. Deep down I know it’s one of those little white lies that does more good than harm. So I keep telling it!

That’s the thing with fitness. The fitter you get, the more you have to push yourself to get the same benefits. So it shouldn’t actually get any easier. Not physically easier anyway.

You can just go faster or further or lift more or jump higher.

But the effort required to do that is still relatively the same

However, in reality, my little white lie is partly true.

Once you are in a regular exercise routine it’s easier to get out the door and your muscles don’t hurt as much as when you first start. So the mental effort required is less. Especially when you get to the point that you really don’t think about it.

The hardest part of getting up in the morning to exercise is the five minutes you lie in bed debating with yourself whether to go or to roll over and go back to sleep. Once you’re up, it’s easy. If you can get to the point where you aren’t thinking about it, exercise becomes so much easier.

That’s the thing I’ve realized about exercise.

It isn’t a physical challenge as much as it is a mental challenge. Sometimes it is tough to get yourself out the door and moving. You just don’t feel like it or you’re tired or busy or stressed. But once you get passed that and started, it gets easier. And I have never known anyone who wishes they had stayed in bed or at work and not done their exercise.

So next time you are having a debate with yourself about whether to exercise, just commit to doing 10 minutes. It’s surprising how often that 10 minutes stretches into 20 or 30 once you get moving.

‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ Friedrich Nietzsche


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Exercise at home – you don’t need much space

November 25th, 2010 by David

Being able to exercise at home is convenient, time efficient and means you can incorporate it into other things you are doing around the house.

I am a big advocate of having some equipment or a space at home to do some simple strength and flexibility exercises. The biggest obstacle to regular exercise is finding the time, but if you can do a few short workouts at home finding the time is not so hard, especially if you can multi-task.

Ladies you have no excuses!

I have a small strength training area under my home office so rather than just stand up and walk around every 45 minutes (as we are told to do) I do some strength exercises such as pushups, chinups o. It might only be a few pushups or some squats but over the course of a morning it’s surprising how much I can get done. And I don’t have to find extra time.

Many people say they haven’t got any weights or equipment and while I agree that they make it more convenient, you don’t have to have big expensive machines.

(If you have got the space and the money, there are some fantastic home gyms available – contact me for more information if you are interested)

Equipment makers are getting better, at designing equipment that is space efficient. I’ve got some adjustable dumbbells that allow you to change the weights so you have effectively got a whole set in one. It means you can use them for a whole range of exercises and people of different strength can use them.

While they are not cheap ($500 – $700 depending on the size) they are very convenient, you can use them for a range of exercises and the whole family can use them.

If you are interested in getting some see Adam at Orbit Health and Fitness in Scarborough Beach Road, Osborne Park (for those that live in Perth) and tell them I told you about them. And no, I don’t get any commission.

Another piece of fitness equipment I use is a Theraband, which is an elastic band that you stretch to get resistance. By putting it over a beam or around a fixed object you can do lat pull-downs or seated rowing. You can also do squats, biceps curls or just about any pulling exercise.

If you haven’t got a Theraband an old bike tube will do the same job.

So next time you are using time, space or lack of equipment for not exercising, think about the options above and just get started.

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Need some added motivation to exercise?

October 19th, 2010 by David

I’ve said many times that regular exercise is more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge, so anything that helps you stay motivated to get and stay fit is worth thinking about.

So this blog is for those of you who need that extra motivation to start or maintain some regular strength training. Unless you’re a new subscriber to this blog you’ll know I encourage everyone to do some strength exercises at least twice a week.

Here’s some exercises that will help you in everyday life as well as the bedroom.

Pushups

If you’re going to pick just one exercise to do, this is the one to go for. (No surprise really) If you can’t do regular pushups at first, start with wall presses (essentially pushups done against the wall), aiming for 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions. Once you can do that many relatively comfortably, progress to knee pushups on the floor, making sure to keep your back straight while you slowly touch your nose to the ground. Once you’re can do those easily, progress to traditional hand-and-toe pushups.

Abdominals

After pushups, your abs are the next most critical love-boosting body area. After all, you have to use your abdominal muscles while making love.

The key to strong abs is to use a variety of exercises to work the different abdominal muscles. Start your with good old-fashioned crunches. Lie on your back, hands supporting your neck, knees bent and your feet on the floor, then bring your body up just enough to get your shoulders off the ground. Do 3-5 sets of 15-20 repetitions.

Bridges or hip raises are also good. Lie on your back with your knees bent and lift your hips up and down, making sure to lower your hips slowly. Aim for 3 sets of 15 reps.

Men can also try pelvic tilts. Standing up or lying down, straighten your lower back and pull your belly button in until your lower back touches the wall or floor.

Women contract your pelvic muscles (the ones you’d use to stop the flow of urine); squeeze the muscles tight for 3 seconds, then relax for 3 seconds. Do 10-15 repetitions, three times a day. The good thing about these two exercises is you can do them any time of the day, without people even noticing.

Deadlifts

These keep your back strong. To do deadlifts, you raise a weighted barbell or dumbbells from the ground to about thigh level, starting in a bent-over position, Imagine picking up a bucket of water and putting it on a step in front of you. It is important to keep your back in its natural position by not letting it curve forward too much.

An alternative to deadlifts if you haven’t got any weights (or a bucket) is Superman exercises. Lie on your stomach with your hands out in front. Imagine you are Superman flying through the air and lift your legs and arms off the floor. Hold for a few seconds then relax. Aim for 3 sets of 15.

Added Bonuses

  1. Exercise may help beat erectile dysfunction, too. One study showed that in men over 50 years of age, physically active men had a 30% lower risk of erectile dysfunction than sedentary men. Studies also show a strong link between obesity and ED.
  2. People who exercise often have a better body image than sedentary people, which can help them feel more appealing. One study found that 80% of men and 60% of females who exercised two to three times a week felt their desirability was above average.
  3. Have a love life like you’re 20 years younger. A study showed swimmers in their 60s have love lives comparable to people in their 40s. Other research found that in men and women over 55, high levels of ‘intimacy’ were associated with higher degrees of fitness than in younger sedentary people.

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Don’t blame your parents

September 7th, 2010 by David

Genetics determines who can get fat not who will.

Some people are more predisposed to fat gain than others. However you have more control than you think, or maybe than you want to admit.

Studies have shown that multiple areas on a person’s DNA (genetic loci) identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) increase the susceptibility to obesity in a cumulative manner. That means the more obesity-related factors on your DNA, the more likely you are to accumulate body fat. However, it wasn’t known whether, and to what extent, this genetic susceptibility may be influenced by a physically active lifestyle.

A recent study in Europe examined over 20000 people over a 3.6-year period showed that living a physically active lifestyle is associated with a 40% reduction in the genetic predisposition to obesity.

In this study, the researchers examined the DNA areas that increase obesity-susceptibility in a sample of 20,430 individuals (aged 39-79 y) from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk cohort with an average follow-up period of 3.6 y.

A genetic predisposition score was calculated for each individual by adding the body mass index (BMI)-increasing areas. Physical activity was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analysis was used to examine the effects of the genetic predisposition score and its interaction with physical activity on BMI/obesity risk and BMI change over time.

Each additional BMI-increasing area increased the risk of obesity 1.116-fold in the whole population, but significantly more in inactive individuals than in active individuals.

What does this mean?

Some people inherit a predisposition to accumulating body fat than others. Others use genetics as a reason for their excess fat. What this study shows is that even if you are predisposed to getting fatter, if you have an active lifestyle, and exercise regularly and consistently, your chance of getting fat is significantly less.

Add to this the risk-reducing effects of exercise, regardless of body fat, and it makes sense to make exercise a part of your day; every day.

Reference: Li S, Zhao JH, Luan J, Ekelund U, Luben RN, et al. (2010) Physical Activity Attenuates the Genetic Predisposition to Obesity in 20,000 Men and Women from EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Study. PLoS Med 7(8): e1000332. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000332

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Seven reasons for exercise before breakfast

July 20th, 2010 by David

With the days starting to get longer (in the southern hemisphere anyway), I thought it would be a good time to revisit the issue of the best time of the day to exercise. I also get questions about whether you should eat breakfast before exercising so I’ll give some information on that as well.

The best time of the day to exercise is the time that is most convenient for you and you are most likely to do. There is no point trying to exercise at a time that just doesn’t suit your routine.

When I was competing in triathlons I used to exercise after work, however once my second son arrived getting out in the afternoon became too hard. (With just one I could take him with me in a running stroller but two didn’t fit.)

I tend to exercise mostly in the morning and I often recommend people give early morning exercise a try.

Here are some reasons morning is the best time to exercise.

1. Many people believe that early morning exercise before breakfast burns more body fat than after eating later in the day.  Although there is still some debate, the evidence is growing that doing aerobic or cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is good for fat loss. The argument is that after an overnight 8-12 hour fast, your body’s stores of glycogen are reduced and you burn more fat when glycogen levels are low.
Eating breakfast causes a release of insulin which interferes with the mobilization of body fat. Less insulin is present in the morning; so more body fat is burned when exercise is done in the morning.
There is less carbohydrate (glucose) in the bloodstream when you wake up after an overnight fast. With less glucose available, you are likely to burn more fat.

2. If you eat breakfast immediately before exercising, you have to burn off what you have just eaten first before tapping into stored body fat (and insulin is elevated after a meal.)

3. When you exercise in the morning, it raises your metabolism from it’s lowest and it stays elevated for a period of time after the workout is over. If you exercise in the evening, you burn calories during the session, but you don’t get the same advantage of the “afterburn” effect because your metabolic rate drops dramatically as soon as you go to sleep.

4. Morning exercise gives you a feeling of accomplishment and makes you more productive the rest of the day.
Morning exercise “energizes” you and “wakes you up” by turning off melatonin (the sleep hormone) and turning on serotonin (the feel good hormone).

5. There is some evidence that morning exercise may help regulate your appetite for the rest of the day. You’re also more likely to make better eating choices if you have already done your exercise for the day.

6. Your body’s circadian rhythm adjusts to morning routine, making it easier to wake up at the same time every day.
You’re less likely to skip your workout when it’s out of the way early. After work there are more demands likely to get in the way, like working back late or you just feel too tired or someone invites you for a drink!

7. You can always “make time” for exercise by setting your alarm a bit earlier in the morning.

Getting into the habit of morning exercise takes a while, and even then some mornings can be a bit of a struggle to get out of bed (especially when it is cold).  For all the reasons above, however, I recommend you give it a try.

For fat loss, fitness, lifestyle and mental health, early morning exercise is a good habit to develop.

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Exercise really is good for your brain

July 6th, 2010 by David

A new study, reported in the journal Neuroscience, has shown that regular aerobic exercise improves blood flow to the brain and speeds the learning process.

The study led by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is the first to examine these relationships in non-human primates.

While there is ample evidence of the beneficial effects of exercise on cognition in other animal models, such as the rat, it has been unclear whether the same holds true for people, said senior author Dr Judy Cameron.

Testing the hypothesis in monkeys provides information that is more comparable to human physiology.

“We found that monkeys who exercised regularly at an intensity that would improve fitness in middle-aged people learned to do tests of cognitive function faster and had greater blood volume in the brain’s motor cortex than their sedentary counterparts,” Dr. Cameron said. “This suggests people who exercise are getting similar benefits.”

To reach the conclusion, researchers trained adult female cynomolgus monkeys to run on a human-sized treadmill at 80 percent of their individual maximal aerobic capacity for one hour each day, five days per week, for five months.

Another group of monkeys remained sedentary, meaning they sat on the immobile treadmill, for a comparable time. Half of the runners went through a three-month sedentary period after the exercise period.

In all groups, half of the monkeys were middle aged (10 to 12 years old) and the others were more mature (15 to 17 years old). Initially, the middle-aged monkeys were in better shape than their older counterparts, but with exercise, all the runners became more fit. (It’s never too late to get fit!!)

During the fifth week of exercise training, standardized cognitive testing was initiated and then performed five days per week until week 24.

“Monkeys that exercised learned to do the cognitive tasks twice as quickly as control animals,” Dr. Cameron said. “They were also more engaged in the tasks and made more attempts to get the rewards, even though they made more mistakes.”

She noted that later in the testing period, learning rate and performance was similar among the groups, which could mean that practice at the task will eventually overshadow the impact of exercise on cognitive function.

When the researchers examined tissue samples from the brain’s motor cortex, they found that mature monkeys that ran had greater vascular volume than middle-aged runners or sedentary animals. However, those blood flow changes reversed in monkeys that were sedentary after exercising for five months.

These findings indicate that aerobic exercise at the recommended levels can have meaningful, beneficial effects on the brain.

It also shows that the benefits of exercise only last while the exercise is continued. After five months the benefits were lost.

So once you get fit, do enough to maintain your fitness.

Fortunately, it takes less exercise to stay fit than it does to get fit.

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The importance of core strength

March 9th, 2010 by David

A good friend of mine is currently experiencing ‘significant’ back pain. You know… the sort of pain that stops you doing what you enjoy and makes simple things like getting dressed and tying your shoe-laces almost impossible.

While there are numerous factors why someone might experience back pain, having weak core muscles increases your risk of getting a sore back.

Typically, when the word “core” is used, it is in reference to the six-pack abdominals and lower back. However, it actually includes a large number of muscles between the abdomen and the ribs. There are many muscles that work together so you need to keep all of them strong enough to do their particular job.

The role of the abdominal and back muscles

When most people think about training their ‘abs’ they focus on a muscle called the rectus abdominis. It’s the one that creates the six-pack look, so women love it and men crave it. Its role is to pull the shoulders towards the hips, but this is only a small proportion of what the core muscles do.

The best way to describe what the muscles of your core do is ‘posture’ and ‘support’. They are responsible for holding the upper body in the proper posture for whatever it is you’re doing, be that standing, lifting something, riding a bike or sitting at your desk. Posture, as in pulling your shoulders back and sitting or standing up tall is the easiest to see.

Support is another major role of these muscles. Think of picking up a bag of shopping, doing squats, or putting something on the top shelf in the kitchen. Your core muscles contract to hold the body rigid and support the spine. If you don’t or can’t contract the core muscles to support your upper body, you will either falter under the weight of whatever you are lifting or put additional pressure on the spine.

The core muscles are also responsible for efficient movement. Without effective core muscles, the upper body would flop about unnecessarily creating a lot more work for other muscles and joints in the body.

Why You Need A Strong Core

The key role of the core is to support the upper body, primarily to prevent injury to the spinal column. The spine is an amazing design with each joint allowing about four degrees of movement. If the muscles are not strong enough, the body may well push the boundaries of this limited range. If the limits are exceeded too much and/or too often, it can cause damage to the ligaments, facet joints or disc between the vertebra.

How most people train their core muscles

Sit-ups, sit-ups and more sit-ups or crunches, crunches and more crunches. Because the rectus abdominis is the most visible muscle it gets all the attention. However, strengthening just this muscle and forgetting the rest is dangerous. It only strengthens the front of the abdomen so there is little support on the sides and at the back. This doesn’t mean you should never do these exercises, but activities that include all the core muscles working together are important.

Examples of how to exercise the core muscles

Just tighten everything up

Get into the habit of tightening up all the muscles around your abdomen and stomach 10 times a day. Create cues, like the phone ringing or every time you have a drink of water to contract the muscles.

Plank or Bridge

This involves holding the body rigid and parallel to the floor, keeping everything from shoulders to ankles in a straight line. Start lying on your stomach then push up onto your toes and elbows, keeping your body straight. I do this when watching TV. Instead of sitting on the couch, I’ll lie on the floor and each time an ad comes on I’ll do a plank for as long as I can. You’ll realise how long the ad breaks are when you do this!

Side plank

This is similar to the plank except you are on one elbow and the outside of one foot. Hold your body in a straight line for as long as you can and make sure you do both sides.

Working on these three is a good start to strengthening your core muscles. Just a few minutes each day can make the difference and could potentially prevent you from experiencing the sort of pain my friend is going through. It is a lot easier to do these before you get a sore back, so don’t wait until something starts to hurt.

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