Tag: fitness

10 Things You Should Know About Stretching

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.

How Much Exercise Do You Need To Lose Weight?

Few people are able to lose weight without using exercise to burn calories and raise their metabolism. But there is uncertainty about how much and what kind of exercise is best. Also, the amount and kind of exercise that is right for you can depend on your age and fitness.

Some fitness trainers have worked out elaborate programs to maximize increased metabolism and the burning of calories. These programs may be suitable for a professional athlete, but they might be dangerous for you. If you read about one of these programs online and it sounds good, consult your doctor before you try it. These programs manipulate your body’s functions, and can easily throw your system off balance. To make them work, you have to be very disciplined and do things exactly as instructed.

The better way to go is a moderate program that you follow consistently. Many people begin their weight loss effort with such enthusiasm that they overdo the exercise part and end up with an injury such as plantar fasciitis. Straining a muscle means a setback for your weight loss hopes. Get coaching from someone with experience in fitness. If you are out of shape, they will create a step by step plan for you to gradually increase your fitness without sustaining an injury.

Whether you are better off exercising at home or at the gym depends on you. Do you have the self-discipline to complete an exercise program at home? Or do you need an instructor to keep you motivated, and special gym equipment to get an overall workout?

Most people advise starting with a walking program if you are out of shape. If you are young and fit, but have simply let things go for awhile, you can start with a more rigorous program to work your way back up to your former fitness level. Either way, you are the one who will get the signals your body sends you about stress and limits. You should listen to what your body tells you. You are bound to have some sore and tired muscles. But the pain should not continue all the time. Use unguents such as tiger balm or arnica oil to mitigate muscle soreness. There are lots of such products at your local drug store, and they work pretty well. A good soak in a hot tub with some epsom salts in it is a great way to relieve sore muscles. It also adds to your magnesium level. If you have concerns, be sure to consult your doctor.

Can exercise work against weight loss? To some degree it can in the short run. As you exercise, you are building muscle. Muscle is denser, so the muscles you build may outweigh the fat you lose for awhile. But this is temporary and should not keep you from continuing you exercise program. Muscle is needed to burn calories.

As you can see, there is no one sure-fire and easy program that fits everyone. But get started, and adjust your program as you go along. Be determined and you can succeed at weight loss through exercise.