Fitness Friday

WebFit Tip January 18, 2008

I heard an interesting quote this week "Success is never ending, failure is never final". I don't know who is the originator but it definitely applies to all of us who have fitness and weight management goals. If we've gone off of our plan or dropped a couple of resolutions, it's never too late to pick it back up!

Here's an easy way to add strength to leg muscles and get a cardiovascular workout at the same time, try climbing plain old stairs. This can be done at home, in your office, apartment building, or on stair-climbing machines in the gym. Climbing two steps at a time is good for building the quadriceps (thigh muscles) and the gluteus (butt). Going down steps builds strength in the quadriceps and to a lesser extent, the hamstrings.

Eating 5 To 6 Meals A Day For Optimum Health & Fitness

A recent debate questions whether we should eat three meals a
day or five to six meals a day for optimum health and fitness.
Nutritional experts are divided about this, but all of them
agree that skipping meals is detrimental to overall fitness
success.

Individual metabolism seems to be the key in determining how
many meals a day to eat. However, if you eat only two to three
meals a day you are probably not making your metabolism work as
hard as it is supposed to. You may feel tired with a loss of
energy and wind up turning toward snacks, which may not be as
carefully chosen as an actual meal. With five to six meals a
day, you have more opportunities to plan to eat correctly as
opposed to snacking on junk food.

Exercise Routines - Keep Challenging Yourself

For some of us when it comes to exercising, executing the same
routine is not in your best interests. The reason is your body
will eventually adapt to it and less growth will occur.

So how do we continuously challenge ourselves and not give up
in the process? One way is to keep changing your workout
routines. Varying your workouts will keep them fun and they
will also keep your body from getting used to the same work out
by providing new challenges.

You will not be stressed about working out because you may want
to work out. So if you’re having fun while losing weight you're
actually accomplishing something that is useful to you.

If you work out at the gym all the time or in your home, one
variation is to exercise out doors. You can make this a total
change from the usual workouts in the gym. For example, instead
of weight lifting, try going for a jog out side followed by a
few running drills. Add stretching to the work out while you
breathe the fresh air. You may find this refreshing too.

WebFit Tip January 11, 2008

So, we're one week into the new year and hopefully everyone is still sticking to their New Year's resolutions of exercising more.  Here are a couple of tips as you dive into your workouts:

1.  Focus on correct form. If you are unable to use proper, safe form when performing an exercise then you probably are using weights that are too heavy. Choose a size that allows you to train with correct form.

2.  Get out and walk! Try walking whenever possible. Experts recommend taking 10,000 steps per day (2,000 steps is about one mile) through exercise and daily activities to improve overall health. Walking at a moderate pace burns over 200 calories per hour!

Train Better With These Tips

We’ve heard from many people over the years that they train the
way they learned in High School, or worse, the way they saw some
character in a movie train!

Here are some tips to bring you into the modern era.

1. Train hard, without overdoing it.
Anxiety reduces your peripheral vision by 3 degrees and slows
the reaction time by nearly 120 milliseconds, according to
research described in the Journal of Sports Sciences. When the
going gets difficult, seasoned athletes rely on skills they've
trained for and practiced. Doing so keeps them cooler under
pressure, widening their peripheral vision so they can react
much faster.

2. Know where you're going first. 

Whether skiing or biking, be sure to have a trial run down any path first. Many injuries can be avoided when you're familiar with the route.

Eat Green

Your parents always said you need to eat your veggies. (I can
still hear those words, can’t you?) And, as usual, they were
right. Greens are packed with nutrients: antioxidants, fiber,
vitamins and minerals (and very few calories) to keep your body
feeling great and looking fabulous! Here are a couple of ideas
to increase the green in your life… A dinner creation by yours
truly, and a green powder that is superb for on-the-go
lifestyles. Try ’em, you might just like ’em….Mikey does!

Everything but the kitchen sink:

* Brown some ground free-range turkey meat (or use tofu for all
you super veggies).
* Steam your fav or organic veggies - I like spinach, broccoli,
kale, red bell pepper, snap peas & onions with a touch of
garlic powder.
* Get a large plate or bowl.
* Fill the bowl with a variety of fresh, organic crisp greens,
lots and lots of them.
* Add the steamed veggies.
* Pile on the cooked turkey (or other) meat.
* Crumble a handful of feta cheese over the whole dish.
* Sprinkle some raisins, to taste.
* Top it off with freeze-dried veggies like peas or corn
(Crunchies brand is the best!)
* Drizzle your favorite dressing.
* Shazaam - You’ve got a plate full of nutrition, protein and
greens, a variety of flavors to satisfy, and a dish with no
name. Oh yeah…it’s good, and quick to prepare!!
Remember - Eat Fresh, Buy Local.

WebFit Tip January 4, 2008

Here we are, a new year and for many of us resolutions for a new body.  This means setting achievable goals.

When setting goals, be specific and choose things that can be reached or measured. Goals like "lose weight" or "gain muscle" are too general with no specific stopping point. If your goals are large... break them into smaller chunks like lose five pounds this month, ten pounds in two months, etc.

Boosting Metabolism

Some are just much luckier than we are. In this body-conscious
world, it is important to have an ideal body that can standout,
not by way of course, of being too large.

There are always good ways to maintain the weight you have
always wished for. But for those we are not as blessed as they
want themselves to be, it is often tempting to blame it all on
metabolism.

By word metabolism, we pertain to a biological process that
allows the rate at which calories in the body are burnt out
which in the end influence the weight gain or loss.

It involves complex systems of enzymes and hormones that
facilitate the conversion of fuel to energy. The sad truth
though is that we have different rates by which our calories
burn. That’s why it is important to encourage metabolism for
better loss of reserved fuel, if our main aim is to shed off
some extra pounds.

Exercising To Promote Bone Health

Bone density is important for nutrition. In the course of
aging, your bone density changes. It is vital to maintain bone
density. There are certain exercises you can do to ensure your
bones will remain healthy. The main problem affecting bone
health is osteoporosis. Arthritis in your bones may be another
problem. All of these result from age-related weakening of
bones or joints. These conditions do not have negative effects on
your health, but can cause pain as you age. Preventing bone
loss from a younger age can help you to retain your health for
a longer period of time.

Ensuring you are getting enough calcium in your daily diet is
the first thing to do to maintain bone health. This will help
you maintain your optimum bone density. There are a variety of
foods you can eat and calcium supplements you can take each day
to ensure that you are getting an adequate amount of calcium.
From here, there are exercises you can do in order to retain
healthy and strong bones.

The major group of exercises that will help with bone health
are those that are considered strength training or
weight-bearing exercises. Activities such as soccer,
basketball, tennis, baseball, dancing, aerobics, and walking
are good cardio vascular strength training exercises that can
benefit your bone density. Weight lifting is also proven to
help maintain bone health. The first reason that these types of
exercises benefit your bone health is that they provide for the
stimulation of bone formation. The bones are engaged along with
the movement of the rest of your body. Subsequently, the muscles
that are connected to your bones will be strengthened, providing
extra support for your bones.

WebFit Tip December 28, 2007

Decide today that you want to make the best out of this holiday season. Don't wait until January 1st to set your New Year's Resolution; set it today. You will enter 2007 feeling great and will be able to focus on a different goal than 90 percent of the population.

There is no question the holidays will probably affect your exercise program to some extent. Just remember to make a few adjustments that will help you stay fit during the season. An extra set or two will help compensate for those cookies and desserts. The little things do make a difference.

Set your goals and best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season!