Managing Stress Through Fitness (Nov 17, 2008)
By Inshape | November 17, 2008
Stress is a given in life. In good times and in bad, work commitments, family obligations, finances, traffic, even the noisy neighbors can cause anxiety and stress. Some of these challenges generate positive results, because they force us to make adjustments, push ourselves, and reevaluate situations. Other stresses, like those many of us are dealing with in the country’s economic crisis, generate negative results. While people react to stress in many different ways, studies show that all people experience three types of responses to elevated levels of stress: physical, mental, and emotional.
Physically, the body reacts to stress by an increase in blood pressure, rapid breathing, and a breakdown of glycogen stored in the liver and muscles (which is used to produce glucose, the body’s energy source). These changes manifest themselves, in varying degrees, as chest pain, breathlessness, panic attacks, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, etc. Over time, chronic illnesses can develop and severely impact one’s quality of life. In addition to and to a certain degree, because of these physical effects, the body also experiences myriad mental and emotional responses to stress. Examples include restlessness, isolation, inability to focus, loss of productivity, irritability, rage, among many others.
Endorphins
Fitness fights stress by staving off the body’s various negative responses and thus, increasing your overall health and quality of life. One of the best known benefits of exercise is the spike of endorphins that are released into the blood stream. Endorphins are the body’s natural neurological pain reliever, and the increased optimism that results, which you can experience with a minimum of 30 minutes of intense exercise, can last several hours after a workout.
Brain Balance and Productivity
Regular exercise also improves blood flow to the brain, bringing additional oxygen and nutrients that are needed to focus and stay productive. In fact, studies also show that exercise leads to the creation of new brain cells in the hippocampus, which is the memory engine of the brain.
Nutritional Edge
Finally, a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise tends to live hand in hand with proper nutrition, which is also plays a major role in managing stress. Essential vitamins and minerals are depleted during times of increased anxiety, so it’s critical that you eat foods that do more than just satisfy hunger. Specifically, certain amino acids are needed to produce stress-fighting hormones during tough times, so a diet rich with proteins is beneficial. In addition, the body’s need for vitamin C dramatically increases during times of stress (because your immune system is compromised), and B vitamins can help alleviate cloudy thinking and other mental reactions to stress.
A Few Helpful Tips
1. Several times a day, take a few minutes to breathe 10 deep, diaphragmatic breaths. Slowly inhale through your nose (count to 10), then exhale at the same rate through your mouth.
2. Set up your exercise plan to succeed. If you know that your schedule includes late evenings and work dinners, plan your workouts for the morning. An hour less sleep is worth it in the long run. Likewise, if you simply cannot get out of bed early enough to exercise, schedule exercise for the afternoon or evening. And whatever the plan, stick to it!
3. Incorporate both cardio and strength moves into each workout. Studies show that you need both aerobic and anaerobic exercise in order to stave off the effects of stress, so make sure that if you go for a run or bike ride, you incorporate short intervals of push ups, tricep dips, plank, and crunches. You can also access one of several free workouts on our website.
Topics: Personal Training | No Comments »
Pyramid Workout (November 11, 2008)
By Inshape | November 11, 2008
Pyramid Workout
Feeling guilty after eating too much or having a big weekend? Don’t beat yourself up, we have a workout that will melt the fat away and leave you feeling good. Just follow our 20-30 minute high-calorie burning workout. You can add more repetitions to each exercise and increase the cardio segment times if you feel motivated!!!
High Step/Knee Jogging: 30 count/seconds
Jog in place lifting knees up to hip level and keep pumping your arms!
Heel Kicks: 30 seconds
Jog in place and kick heels to butt with each step… focus on flexing your hamstrings for a good burn.
Super SLOW Squats: 8x
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Keeping your torso erect, very slowly bend your legs and lower your body into a squat (5-8 count when lowering body and 5-8 count coming back up); reverse direction when your legs are parallel to the floor.
Super FAST Squats: 8x
Same as above, however, this time you will lower and raise your body to a single count with as little time in between as possible.
Squat Jump: 8x
Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your torso erect, slowly bend your legs and allow your body to lower into a squat position. When your thighs are parallel with the ground, reverse direction and propel yourself into the air as high as possible. Land in an upright position, bending your knees slightly to absorb the shock to your lower body.
Super Slow Push Ups: 8x
(5 count when lowering and a 5 count when returning to start position)
Super Fast Push Ups: 8x
(1 count when lowering and 1 count when returning to start position)
Hand Taps: 20x
Remain in push up position and alternate tapping hand to hand
Plank: 30 count/seconds
Remain in push up position but lower onto elbows and toes. Contract your abdominal muscles keeping your back straight (don’t collapse in the middle) and hold this position.
Hip Dips: 14x (7 to each side alternating)
Stay in plank position with your forearms flat on the floor and your palms down. Keeping your hands in place and using your feet as the pivot point, twist your body to the left as far as possible without losing your balance, then to the right dipping your hips toward floor on either side.
Mountain Climbers: 25x
Start on your hands and knees and get into in a sprinter’s start position. Keep your hands on the ground and push off with your feet so you alternate foor placement (run in place). Be sure to keep your back straight, not arched.
Next, you’ll reverse course and go back through all ten exercises before moving on to the Reach and Press at the end.
Hips Dips: 12x
Plank: 30 count
Hand Taps: 20x
Super Fast Push Ups: 5x
Super Slow Push Ups: 5x
Jump Squats: 5x
Super Fast Squats: 5x
Super Slow Squats: 5x
Heel Kicks: 30 count/seconds
High Knee Jog: 30 count/seconds
Reach and Press: 5x each leg (see left for image)
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Bend your left knee, lifting your foot behind you. Squat down and raise your right arm out to the side to shoulder height, then reach your left hand down across your body, touching the floor outside your right toes (A). Stand up as you lift your left hand toward the ceiling, lower your right arm to your side, and raise your left thigh to hip level in front of you (B). Lower your left leg and repeat on the other side.
Topics: Personal Training | No Comments »
Exercise of the Week: Reach and Press (Nov 7, 2008)
By Inshape | November 7, 2008
Reach and Press
This is a great way to close a cardio circuit, because it stimulates muscle fibers throughout your upper leg, works your core, and promotes balance. We’ve included it in our Halloween Hangover (Pyramid) Workout and suggest that you will include it in your exercise routine twice a week.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Bend your left knee, lifting your foot behind you. Squat down and raise your right arm out to the side to shoulder height, then reach your left hand down across your body, touching the floor outside your right toes (A). Stand up as you lift your left hand toward the ceiling, lower your right arm to your side, and raise your left thigh to hip level in front of you (B). Lower your left leg and repeat on the other side.
Topics: In-Home Exercises (no or little equipment needed) | No Comments »
Nutrition Essentials: Timing & Moderation (Nov 3, 2008)
By Inshape | November 3, 2008
Nutrition Essentials: Timing & Moderation
This week we finish our discussion on the five essentials to better nutrition. Meal timing and moderation play a significant role in how your body responds to the nutrition you provide it. In order to keep metabolism in check, energy up, maintain mental focus and avoid cravings, we must understand these concepts. How many meals should you eat each day? When should you eat them? How many calories should each meal be? What types of food should be eaten at what times? Read on and get the answers that you need to stay healthy, feel great, and stay inSHAPE!
How many meals should you eat each day?
Everyone has different schedules, so one plan doesn’t fit all. However, in order to increase your metabolic output (how many calories you burn), you need to eat frequently. When you eat sporadically or skip meals, your body responds by slowing down to conserve energy. Ideally, therefore, you should try to consume something healthy 5-6 times a day. This may sound unrealistic, but these should be smaller meals (mini-meals) packed with nutrient dense foods. Think about it this way, after several hours without eating, your body “panics” and goes into starvation mode – skipping a meal may sound like an appealing form of punishment for eating too much at a previous meal, but metabolically, you are doing more harm than good. If you eat regularly (every 2.5-3.0 hours) your body will release its fat stores more readily because food is more efficiently absorbed. It is much more difficult for your body to utilize the nutrients ingested in 3 larger meals and the result is that the body stores the excess as body fat.
How many calories should each meal be?
This is dependent on how many calories your body needs, as we all have different body sizes and activity levels. This is also dependent on how active you are before and after your meal. If you are going to be more active for the next several hours you may need to consume a higher calorie count at the meals prior to activity. You just need enough energy to sustain yourself until the next meal. All mini meals do not need to be equal but they should be in a fairly close range of each other. If you consume 2000 calories a day, each meal should be approximately 333 calories, if you are having 6 meals a day. You may have one or two that are closer to 400-500 and one or two (healthy snacks) that are closer to 200 calories.
When should you eat the meals/snacks, what time of day?
You should always start with a healthy breakfast to “break the fast” between last night and the new day. Your body has been without food for 8-12 hours (unless you sleep walk to fridge at night) so you need to replenish your fuel stores. Eating breakfast can increase your metabolism by as much as 10%. Following breakfast you should eat every 2.5-3 hours. On workout days you need to pay special attention to your pre and post workout meals. If your goal is to lose fat you need to have your pre-workout meal about 2 hours prior to exercising so that you burn more from fat stores. And your post-workout meal should be consumed within 1 hour of completing the workout. This hour is a window of opportunity where nutrients are more effectively absorbed after the workout.
What types of foods should be eaten at what times?
Your body responds differently to a meal consumed in the morning than it does to the same meal eaten in the afternoon or evening. After 7-9 hours of “fasting” during sleep, your body needs to replenish glucose, your body’s energy source. During this fast, the body compensates by releasing glucose that has been stored in your muscle tissue and liver, called glycogen. Once all the energy from the glycogen stored is used up, the body breaks down fatty acids to produce energy. Carbohydrates are the source of glucose, and without carbohydrates, fatty acids are only partially oxidized, which can cause reduced energy levels. This means that your breakfast should include carbohydrates, especially whole grains and fruits. These foods also boost your metabolism and help you stave off unhealthy snacks once you get into the office.
In the evening, on the other hand, your body craves foods that will metabolize super slowly in preparation for the nightly fast. If your final meal of the evening is chock full of carbs (think: an extra serving of pasta or potatoes on your plate), your body will metabolize and store all of those extra calories in fat cells. The bottom line is to balance your diet, eat a variety of foods, in moderation, and enjoy each bite.
Topics: Nutrition | No Comments »
Exercise of the Week: Hip Thrusts (October 29, 2008)
By Inshape | October 30, 2008
Hip Thrusts are an excellent floor exercise that works your core, glutes, and hips. Integrate this move into your regular workout several times a week for best results.
1. Lie on your back with your legs bent 90 degrees at the hip.
2. Slowly lift your hips off the floor and towards the ceiling.
3. Lower your hips to the floor and repeat.
Start with 2 sets of 10 reps, and as you get stronger, increase to 3 sets of 15 with a count of 3 at the top of the lift.
Note: to work your inner thighs as well, hold a light-weight ball (soccer, small beach ball, etc) between your knees during the exercise.
Topics: In-Home Exercises (no or little equipment needed) | No Comments »
Nutrition Essentials: Taste and Variety (October 27, 2008)
By Inshape | October 27, 2008
With the turn to lower temperatures and shorter days, people tend to spend more time indoors and more time near or in the kitchen. This transition is often accompanied by a significant increase in consumption and therefore often results in seasonal weight gain through the New Year (a study out of Texas A&M finds that people consume an extra 619 calories each day between Thanksgiving and New Years). What a better time, then, to focus on two important factors in good nutrition: taste/enjoyment and variety. And next week, we will conclude our series with the final two factors: timing and moderation.
Enjoying your Food
You have to enjoy the food choices that you make in order to sustain healthy eating patterns. Sure, if you’re on the go (think airports, road trips, or just running from one meeting to the next), selecting something for a quick snack or short meal is more about what will keep you going. Taste may end up getting side-lined in these instances, but it’s a vital component when it comes to more substantial meals and your overall nutritional plan. So, how do you add taste without packing on the fat grams? The answer - is flavor.
Adding flavor without greatly increasing the amount of fat in your favorite dishes will help keep you from getting bored. By varying the flavor of your favorite healthy meals, you’ll be less likely to give in to cravings. Also, if everything you eat is bland and you constantly eat the same things, you will eventually give in to foods that aren’t’t good for you – to satisfy the urge for something different.
Here are a few tips:
1. Add lemon or lime juice to sauces, marinades, and dressings in place of (or in conjunction with a smaller amount of) oils or butter. Citric acid is full of flavor, vitamin c, and antioxidants and therefore adds taste and boosts immunity. It also aids in digestion, fights heart burn, bloating and gas.
2. Spice up your spice rack. The generous application of pepper, thyme, rosemary, parsley, cumin, oregano…the list goes on and on…can make a huge difference in the enjoyment of a dish. Just go easy on the salt - most US adults consume more than double the 4.2 g of sodium recommended per day.
3. Keep your pantry stocked with chicken broth, yogurt and applesauce. These are healthy, flavorful substitutes for milk, mayo and butter in recipes.
4. Add a fruit to a dish to add taste and ward off cravings for fattening sweets. Examples are to add raisins to couscous or rice dishes, cranberries and cherries (fresh or dried) to salads, and apricots to poultry coatings.
Variety
Most of us are in a constant food rut, eating the same few foods day after day. Not only is this insanely boring, but it’s also a huge no-no if you want to eat for optimal health. It’s important to remember that in order to eat for good nutrition, varying your food choices, as well as how you prepare them will help you get the most health benefits. Eating a wide variety of healthful foods, especially fruits and vegetables, helps to protect against diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The color of the foods you eat should vary, as color is what determines the amount of nutrients in the food. So the more colorful your plate is throughout the day, the more balanced your diet will be. Consuming an assortment of foods is the key to ensuring you receive the proper nutrients your body needs to function and thrive.
Two other tips:
1. Eat fruits and veggies that are in season. Mother Nature has arranged for us to add variety to our diets - why not take advantage of that? Here’s a great website that lists the foods that are in season on any given week of the year: http://www.eattheseasons.com.
2. Vary the grains that you eat in your breads and pastas. If you always order rice, switch to couscous or bulgar rice. If you always eat whole grain bread, take a chance on pumpernickel or rye. Mixing it up keeps meals interesting, and offers your body different nutrients and metabolic demands.
Topics: Nutrition | No Comments »
Nutritional Essentials #1: Awareness and Knowledge (October 21, 2008)
By Inshape | October 21, 2008
Last week we discussed five important factors related to nutrition. We are going to expand on each of these to give you a more in depth understanding of why they are crucial in helping you maintain a healthy and well-balanced eating plan. This week we will cover Awareness and Knowledge of your nutritional choices, arguably the most important in your ability to manage a healthy weight through diet.
Awareness
Awareness of what you choose to put into your body is critical to living a healthier lifestyle. Most of us know the good from the bad but don’t monitor how much good and how much bad we actually consume. Yes, it’s alright to have a cupcake once in awhile, or a big juicy burger, but a subconscious reach for the unhealthiest options in front of you, on a regular basis, takes its toll. It affects your weight (obviously), your cholesterol level, your energy, even your ability to absorb vitamins and minerals.
One way to monitor your food choices and caloric intake is to keep a food journal. The first step in learning how to improve your diet is learning what needs to be changed – and a food diary will do this. It may seem like a lot of work but there are many benefits from recording what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat. A journal allows you to monitor you caloric intake and can create a healthier relationship with food. Learning what triggers unhealthy eating patterns will help improve your diet. Knowing how many calories you actually consume versus what you think you consume is usually a wake up call. Note: a Cornell study estimated that the average person underestimated their caloric intake anywhere between 20-40%.
Free Offer from inSHAPE (expires Oct 31, 2008)
A journal encourages you to focus on the food choices you make and encourages mindful eating…it all comes down to awareness. The more aware you are of your choices, the less and healthier you will eat. Studies show that those who keep a food journal lose two times as much as those who do not. A simple notebook will do – just write down everything that you eat throughout the day, then go online and track it at www.nutritiondata.com. We’d also be happy to help you tally your caloric intake – so we’re making a special offer to you between now and October 31st. Track your caloric intake for any three consecutive days, send us the information, and we will provide you with an estimated tally of your caloric intake, percentage of carbs, protein, and fat, as well as make a few recommendations for modification. All for FREE - if you are interested, click here to sign up or send an email to info@inshapellc.com, and we will email you instructions.
Knowledge
Nutritional Knowledge is a little more challenging than simply being aware, because there are so many sources of knowledge, so many opinions from experts, and so many ideas about what is right for different types of bodies and lifestyles. Awareness forces your brain to own up to what you eat – knowledge provides your brain with the tools you need to create and sustain a successful eating plan.
Are you getting adequate protein, carbohydrates and fats and the proper amount of nutrients your body needs to function at peak levels? Are the foods you’re eating too high in sodium? Is your diet balanced? Reading labels is one way people choose items in the grocery store, but as we’re sure you know, labels can be both confusing and misleading; in fact, a nutrition label must be off by more than 20 percent to be in violation of federal law. Labels also mislead us because they almost always include information for a single serving, when in fact, the serving packaged is for two or three servings. You may think you’re consuming 120 calories of juice when in fact, your actual caloric intake is 240. Additionally, fresh fruits, veggies, and meats are often packaged without labels, compounding the confusion for anyone trying to cook a healthy balanced meal.
A great resource for information on achieving balance in your diet is the USDA’s www.mypyramid.gov. And if you’d like more advice or information from an expert, the inSHAPE nutritionist is available for an hour of shopping at a local grocery store with you. She will help explain how to properly read labels and the important ingredients to look for when trying to choose the best possible products.
Topics: Nutrition | No Comments »
Exercise of the Week: Bird Dog
By Inshape | October 16, 2008
Weak core muscles and back pain are two conditions that many, many of us experience. One in four US adults, in fact, experiences chronic back pain, and for many, it’s painful enough to affect the quality of your sleep, your ability to concentrate, and your productivity at work. For all those reasons, it’s important to incorporate back/core strengthening exercises into your workouts.
The Bird Dog exercise is an excellent, no equipment needed move that you can do anywhere, and it strengthens your spine, core, and shoulders, as well as improves balance. Incorporate this exercise into any routine 2-3 times per week.
Start on your hands and knees, with your shoulders directly over your hands and your knees directly under your hips (right angles). Your back should be straight, not arched. Extend one leg and the opposite arm out so that they are parallel to the floor. Hold this position for seven to eight seconds, relax, then repeat with the opposite arm and leg. Repeat both sides five-ten times.
Over time, you should be able to hold the position for 10-15 seconds on each side. Also, remember to keep your hips parallel to the floor - don’t let them lean to one side or the other during the holding positions. Also, keep breathing steadily throughout.
Topics: In-Home Exercises (no or little equipment needed) | No Comments »
Nutritional Essentials: Five Important Factors (October 14, 2008)
By Inshape | October 14, 2008
It’s hard to put a finger on exactly how one should manage all of the variables involved in healthy nutrition. There’s so much data out there, so many tips, recipes, fad-diets, internet blogs, etc. In addition, everyone is different - no two nutritional profiles match because no two people are exactly alike. However, on a broad level, five common threads emerge among the vast array of information about healthy nutrition:
1. Awareness/Knowledge
2. Enjoyment
3. Variety
4. Timing
5. Moderation/Control
Awareness/Knowledge
Whether it’s keeping a journal of every single thing that you put in your mouth, reading about the latest study on the benefits of a particular food, or simply paying attention to labels at the market, you can’t claim ignorance when it comes to what your body needs for health and energy. Information is readily available about all types of foods, how they affect different body types, and what is best for a particular lifestyle, so take responsibility for your health. And remember that regardless of how old you are or how knowledgeable you are, there’s always more to learn when it comes to doing the best for your body.
Enjoyment
Let’s face it, life is WAY too short to live in a perpetual state of unsatisfying diet restrictions. Cultures that honor food and take pride in the mealtime experience understand this factor best. Food is not only meant to fuel the body, but it also serves as the centerpiece of enjoyment in daily life. In the U.S., however, we are often in a huge hurry and more often than not, that means that we eat too quickly and not very healthily. Sitting down for a meal, chewing slowly, and savoring each bite may seem impractical, but it makes a difference in how our bodies digest food and thus in our body’s overall health.
Variety
They say that “variety is the spice of life,” but when it comes to nutrition, variety is more like the “water of life.” You have to have it in order to benefit from the wide array of nutrients that active bodies need. Vibrant color is an excellent indicator of variety, though unfortunately, most adult diets are brown (like bread, potatoes, cooked meats, etc) or muted in color due to excessive cooking or dressing. An easy way to introduce or increase the variety to your diet is to add just one additional color to your plate at any meal. Having a salad for lunch? Instead of romaine lettuce, add raddicio or endive. Planning steamed broccoli as a side for dinner? Toss some red pepper or carrots into the steamer with it. Making a turkey sandwich? Add a layer of something crunchy other than lettuce…like cucumber slices or apple.
Timing
Subtle starvation and nighttime feasting are two of the most powerful forces at work against the modern adult. So many people skip breakfast and many more, eat dinner 6-8 hours after lunch without a snack to hold them over. What they don’t realize is that after several hours (reported estimates vary but it’s somewhere between 3-5 hours), the body shifts into a subtle starvation mode, which means that metabolism slows in order to conserve calories. This is why it is critical that you eat something for breakfast and have small nutritional snacks (around 100-250 calories) EVERY SINGLE DAY!
A second challenge exists relative to nutritional timing - dinners are simply too big, too fattening, and eaten too late. And if you’re out to dinner, you’ve probably consumed enough calories for a whole day, upwards of 3000 in one sitting. Few people exert themselves to such a degree that they can afford to eat this way, so if your work demands you eat out, or if you tend to cook gourmet meals at home, it’s time to take a look at what you’re eating, pare it down, and rethink your choices.
Moderation and Control
Everyone should have an “i” day each week, a day of indulgence, a day when it’s okay to have that huge steak or plate of pasta three times the size of reasonable portion. However, moderation and control are extremely important factors in the balance between enjoyment and health.
You only have one body, and though sometimes you have to choose something that’s more healthy than that which you traditionally deem tasty, by controlling your diet and choosing smaller portions or healthier options, you choose health. And in the long run, you choose a better life.
Topics: Nutrition | No Comments »
Exercise Safety and Injury Prevention (Oct 6, 2008)
By Inshape | October 6, 2008
Most people have been guilty of exercising or engaging in some athletic
activity without being properly prepared. Whether it’s checking the
weather, traffic conditions, or simply taking a few moments to listen to how
your body is feeling, many factors affect the success of physical activity.
Short-term affects can range from getting drenched in a downpour to simply
having an unpleasant experience, but long-term affects are also possible.
Chronic joint or muscle pain can develop, and you can sustain other injuries
that severely limit your physical abilities, and the most common conditions
are as follows:
OVERDOING it.
Listen to your body. Be aware of overdoing it or noticing if something does
not feel right. This is the number 1 cause of injury. All too often we get
excited about starting a new fitness program or sport and do too much too
soon. We tend to ignore the signs of overdoing it and suffer unnecessary
setbacks. While exercising is critical to living a healthy, well-balanced
life, it’s also something that needs to be mapped out – like any other part
of your life.
If you experience any of the following sign or symptoms stop what you are
doing: swelling in hands, feet or face, dizziness, cramping, chest, stomach
or any other acute or chronic pain, shortness of breath, sudden or sever
headache, and/or excessive sweating over your normal level of exertion.
IMPROPER exercise techniques.
Learn how to play the sport you’re participating in. Learn how to execute
the moves and when something doesn’t feel right, STOP. If you’re working
out on gym equipment, make sure you know how the machines work. Be aware of
the proper seat setting for your build. When it comes to free weights or
just using your own body weight as resistance be aware of what muscles you
are working. If you know where you should be feeling it, you’re move
inclined to know whether you’re doing the exercise right or wrong. If your
back hurts when you’re doing a bench press, either your form is wrong or the
weight you’re lifting is too heavy. Make sure your grips are all correct to
avoid overstressing the wrist and elbow – the wrong hold can set you up for
carpel tunnel or tennis elbow which are 2 nagging and extremely painful
conditions.
Warm-UP / Cool-DOWN
You only have 30 minutes to workout - what gets booted from your workout
first? Usually stretching! You cannot expect your body to perform
efficiently without a proper tune up. A warm up doesn’t have to be long but
you should always ease into your workout and allow your muscles to prepare
for more intense workloads. And a cool down with a little stretching is
essential to keeping your body limber and strong. Stretching at the end of
a workout or sporting event encourages lengthening of the muscles and helps
in recovery.
Buyer BEWARE
Don’t run out the second you decide to pick up golf and purchase the first
set of clubs you try just because you hit the ball well. BIG mistake.
Learn about equipment, do some research and talk to a few professionals
about how to determine what’s right for you. You may like the look of a
club but what good will it do if it’s not the proper fit? Compulsive buying
leads to injuries. Slow down when making purchases. Rent equipment for a
few weeks until you determine the best line of equipment for you. Note: When
playing a sport, know how to use the equipment. So many injuries could be
avoided by just learning the basics.
SERVICE equipment.
Make sure all equipment you use is serviced regularly. Tune up your bike,
the strings on your racquet and have the belt and cadence checked on your
treadmill often. If you own small equipment such as tubing or stability
ball make sure there are no tears in the rubber and that there is adequate
air in the ball. All equipment has a lifespan. The more you use the
equipment, the faster it breaks down.
WEAR proper fitness attire/gear
Wear proper gear at all times. If you’re biking or skating, wear a helmet
that fits snug. Wearing a bike helmet can cut your risk of serious head injury by up
to 85 percent, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Wear
appropriate shoes for your sport and replace them when needed. The life
span of an athletic shoe is much shorter than one might think. So be aware
of the signs of an aging shoe. When working out in the early morning or in
the evening, wear light colored and/or reflective bands or clothes so that
you can be seen.
WEATHER conditions anyone?
Not paying attention to weather can be detrimental. You need to know what to
expect when you’re exercising outside. Weather can change at the drop of a
hat, so be prepared. If you’re working out in cold weather you need to be
aware that the cold prompts fluid loss, so you need to stay hydrated. You
also need to warm up a little longer when working out in the cold.
For clothing, layer up! Wear light, high-quality synthetic fabrics that are
breathable. Cotton is a no-no as it retains moisture and leaves you damp and
cold.
Be AWARE of your surroundings
Exercising in the parks and outdoors is wonderful but you need to pay extra
attention to the terrain you are on. Many times surfaces are uneven, there
are cracks in the cement or twigs and rocks on trails and you can easily
sprain and ankle or suffer a hard fall. Shin splints occur when working out
on hard surfaces if your body is not prepared and properly warmed up. When
working out in the early mornings or evenings make sure to wear
light-colored, reflective bands or gear so you can be seen. Always face
traffic when walking or running and ride with traffic when cycling.
Stay HYDRATED
Not taking in proper fluids during exercise is all to common, and not just
in the summer months! If you’ve waited until you’re thirsty, chances are
you’re already dehydrated. If you’re planning to exercise for an hour or
more, drink more water than you think you need before, during, and after
exercise to avoid getting dehydrated. Signs of dehydration include fatigue,
nausea and lightheadedness. It is recommended that you follow these
guidelines to stay properly hydrated.
• Drink about 2 cups of water 2 hours before exercise
• Drink 1 cup of water about 30 minutes prior to exercise.
• Drink ½ cup – ¾ cup of water every 15 minutes during exercise
• Drink 1-2 cups of water within 30 minutes of completing your exercise
session.
Next week we will turn our attention to nutritional guidelines for high
energy and fat burning. As always, if you have any questions, please send an
email to info@inshapellc.com [ mailto:info@inshapellc.com ] or call 212.362.1001.
Topics: Personal Training | No Comments »
« Previous Entries