Fitness

Losing Weight: Diet Versus Exercise

February 14, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

You always hear that to lose weight you must consume a healthy diet and exercise regularly. This is not inaccurate as both do lead to weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. However, one is more effective than the other in helping you to shed the pounds. This information will help you to make the right choices when it comes to shedding those extra pounds.

Diet

The key to a successful diet is not being overly restrictive. For example, some people try to do too much at once and this backfires. Cutting to 800 calories per day is not only unhealthy for most people, but it is just not enough to be satisfied. If you are not satisfied you will not stick to your diet for very long. You need to make sure that you can eat at least two to three meals a day that are satisfying plus a snack or two. This is why most people do not cut below 1,200 calories. 1,200 allows you to still eat a decent amount of food and get your necessary nutrients in so that you feel good as you strive to regain your health.

With a 1,200 calorie diet you can do a 300 calorie breakfast, a 200 calorie lunch and a 500 calorie dinner. This will leave you 200 calories for a snack or two. If you snack smart, this can be as many as three snacks. Or, if you are not really into snacking, you can use this extra 200 calories for something like a glass of wine after a long day.

Exercise

Regardless of whether you need to or not you should exercise for 30 minutes at least three times per week to maintain a strong heart, lungs, bones and muscles. However, if you never exercise, but only eat right, you will maintain a healthy weight. If you restrict calories and never exercise, you can lose weight. However, you want to exercise during weight loss because this helps to build muscle and lean muscle will contribute to burning more calories, thus increasing your weight loss. It also works to tighten and tone which will help to prevent some loose skin as you lose weight.

Exercise should consist of cardiovascular exercise, flexibility training and strength training. This will give you overall benefits that help you to fight disease and age-related issues like osteoporosis, heart disease and reduced lung capacity.

Which Works Better?

You can exercise seven days a week, but if you are consuming twice what you need to lose weight then you are either going to slowly gain or just not lose depending on your activity level and how many calories you burn. Now, with dieting, you are restricting calories to just what you need. Most people cut 500 calories per day and this alone will knock off a pound per week. Of course, the more a person weighs, the faster the weight will come off, but it will come off anyone who is cutting calories every day.

The bottom line is that you should be doing both to maintain overall health, but diet alone can result in weight loss.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: dieting, exercise, Fitness, Health, weight loss

Top Five Sports and Fitness Injuries Common in Women

February 7, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

Over the last decade more and more women are getting involved in sports and regular exercise. This is a really great thing, but unfortunately, this means that more and more women are experiencing injuries related to sports and exercise. You are always at risk for injury, but knowing what these injuries are can help you to take some steps to avoid experiencing one of them.

ACL Injuries

You often hear about ACL injuries if you watch sports or catch the sports report on the news. Well, women are an increased risk up to eight times higher than men to experience this injury. This is a really big difference and the sports that women most often experience this in are sports like soccer and basketball where you need to make sudden changes in the direction that you are running. Why women experience this more is not completely known, but women’s muscle balance is different and this is believed to play a role. The differences in women’s hormonal makeup could also be at play. Being aware of your movements and wearing a knee brace that supports the knees well could help to prevent this injury.

Patellofemoral Pain

This is pain at the front of your knee and you tend to feel the pain more when you are going down the stairs or a hill after you have been resting for a while. Tight muscles in the area and over-pronation are generally what cause this to occur. To prevent it you want to make sure that your muscles are always well-stretched and limber and you can wear arch supporting insoles to prevent over pronation.

Stress Fractures

Stress fractures are common in women, but occur especially in older women whose bone density tends to be lower. This means that the bones are weakening and are more prone to damage. Stress fractures can occur just about anywhere, but in women, they are most often seen in the bones in the feet, lower legs and spine. The best way to prevent these is to start slow and gradually increase your physical activity. Having well-cushioned shoes and a diet that helps to keep bones healthy and strong are also largely helpful. In terms of diet, you want to make sure that you are getting plenty of vitamin D and calcium. Strength training regularly can also help to increase bone density.

IT Band Syndrome

The Iliotibial band can cause the outside of your knee to hurt if it rubs the lateral epicondyle in the upper leg bone. This is due to repetitive friction. Since women have an increased Q angle and wider hips, they are more prone to experiencing this. You should make sure that the soft tissues associated with your knee are well-stretched and a supportive knee brace can be worn during physical activity to help prevent this.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

This is not reserved solely for those who type multiple hours per day. This means that the medial nerve gets compressed and you notice tingling, weakness, pain and burning in the affected hand. Now, this can be a difficult injury to avoid. When you use your wrist repetitively, such as with badminton or tennis, you can fall victim to this. To help to prevent this you should ice, elevate and compress your wrists following any activity where you used your wrists.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: exercise, exercise injuries, female athletes, Fitness, Health, sports injuries, women

Strengthening the Coopers Ligament: How to Naturally Lift Your Breasts

February 3, 2013 by admin Leave a Comment

A variety of factors cause the breasts to go a little south as the years pass and this can be something that negatively impacts a woman’s confidence. Having children, losing weight and getting older all play a role in whether the breasts stay youthful. The good news is that there are some exercises you can do to help bring them back up a bit. These exercises will not give you a miracle, but they can help to lift your breasts a little and restore some of that confidence.

What is the Cooper’s Ligament?

These are ligaments that attach from supporting structures in the chest to right under the skin of the breasts. These are responsible for keeping the breasts firm and up where they should be. Over time, these can weaken and when they weaken we notice that the breasts start to sag. There are some exercises that can slow down how lax these ligaments become so that you can maintain firm and lifted breasts for as long as possible. Many also state that doing certain exercises regularly has helped to lift their breasts a bit. The exercises should be done at least three times per week. It is important to have a rest day in between each strength training session.

Do Some Pushups

What is nice about pushups is that you can do them in a variety of ways so that regardless of your fitness level you can do them. If you are unable to do a regular pushup do them on your knees or even against a wall. Start by doing 10 repetitions. If this is easy for you then do two sets for a total of 20 pushups. Add two repetitions every other day until you can do three sets of 15 repetitions each with 30 seconds of rest in between each set.

Pec Flys

For this you will need two dumbbells at a weight that you can handle. Many people start off with two to five pound dumbbells. If you do not have any dumbbells on hand then grab some soup cans for the time being. Lie on the floor on your back and bend your knees. Basically, you want to be in the position you are in when you do situps or crunches. Then, put a dumbbell or soup can in each hand. Bring these straight up over your chest until they are touching. Start with doing one set of 10. Then, work your way up to three sets of 15 repetitions each. The key is to start slow and work your way up so that you are gradually building lean muscle and helping the Cooper’s ligaments.

Chest Presses

This is basically like a bench press without the bench. If you do have a bench or an exercise ball, use these to lie on because they allow a better workout. Now, lie on the floor like you do with the pec flys. The difference here is that you will hold a dumbbell in each hand and bend your elbows so that the dumbbells are facing the ceiling. You will then push up until your elbows are almost locked, but do not lock them. Then, bring them back down and repeat. Start out with 10 of these and then work your way up to three sets of 15.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: breast health, Fitness, Health, women's health

The Lone Runner vs The Group Runner

October 9, 2012 by Denise McGrail Leave a Comment

The Benefits of Running With a Group

Do you know why I love running? Honestly, it is because I am a horrible team player. For someone who spent years of her childhood and adolescence playing softball, I never quite grasped the idea of being part of a team. Running allows me to stay in shape, participate in an athletic event and not have to give much thought to anybody else. I admit this mentality can be a bit lonely.

Running alone provides me solitude and time to think. But it also means that I am without a running buddy to encourage me. I lack those race day pictures, smiling proudly next to my fellow racing friends, holding our medals as we take a dozen pictures. Being a lone runner means crossing the finish line and walking back to my car, well, alone.

Are you a groupie? If so, you may not realize all the benefits running with the pack provides. If you are a lone runner like me, you and I may want to consider the following benefits.

Safety

Training with a group is safer. Your options when exploring new places to run are greater. I can attest to this statement. There is a park I love to run in near my home, but I rarely run the trail because of its remoteness.

Encouragement

When you run alone you are less likely to push yourself. Running with a group encourages you to pick up the pace, to run another quarter mile, to not give up when it starts to get tough.

Performance Boost

The encouragement you receive whether verbal or implied, from a running group will enhance your performance. For a few mornings over the summer, I ran with two other women. During these runs, I found that my endurance increased at least 20 percent because I refused to be the first to suggest stopping.

Peer Pressure

This goes along with the performance boost benefit. Sometimes all it takes is not wanting to look weak in front of your running mates to give you the motivation to give it your all. Of course, peer pressure can also lead to injury. So be wary of this benefit/caveat of group running.

Builds Friendships

Runners who run in groups already have a social circle of people who share similar qualities such as fitness, healthy living and a love of the outdoors. The bond formed in running groups goes beyond running and racing. Lifelong supportive friendships can be formed.

Do you run alone or in a group? What benefits have you gained by including running groups in your training?

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: benefits of running with a group, Fitness, Health, running groups

Tips to Make Your First 5K a Success

October 8, 2012 by Denise McGrail Leave a Comment

Have you signed up for your first 5K? As the date approaches are you feeling a bit nervous, unsure that you made the right decision? Those feelings are completely normal. I know because I have been in your shoes. The first time I signed up for a 5K I didn’t know what to expect and I certainly didn’t train for it. I figured I would show up, get it done, and everything would come together like magic. Finishing at 45:00 minutes with a cramp in my side and a sour attitude, I quickly understood that I approached my first 5K a bit naively.

Couch to 5K

These programs are made for beginners. They understand that you are not an Olympic athlete Our bodies need time to adjust to an increase in physical activity, especially your knees, hips and heart. Couch to 5K programs start you off slow over an 8 to 9 weeks period, gradually increasing your distance to build endurance.

Choose Your First Race Wisely

I hate crowds. Crowds make me anxious. If you want to participate in large, national races crowds will be unavoidable. However, for your first 5K my suggestion is to pick a small town race that supports a cause you believe in. You will meet your goal of running a 5K while achieving a philanthropic goal as well.

Consider the Course

A flat course is your best choice for a first race. Unless you have trained significantly on hills, a flat course will be to your advantage. Also, consider a scenic course. Picturesque views of a river or a park will help you focus less on any discomfort you may be feeling. By the way, there will be discomfort that doesn’t mean you won’t finish.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I have been racing for 18 months now and this is a phrase that has become my personal mantra. Beginning at a pace that you will not be able to sustain will not only wear you down physically, but assassinate your 5K plans mentally. You are not in your first 5K to take the top prize. Your goal should be to finish. Start at a pace that is comfortable and your 5K experience will be happier.

Arrive Early

I prefer to arrive at my races 30 minutes before the official start time. This gives me time to stand in line for the restroom (aka port-a-potties), warm up and stretch. To avoid a cold start, it is ideal to jog for about 10 minutes before starting. If this seems too intimidating, try walking briskly for the same amount of time. The first mile is usually the hardest because your muscles and joints are warming up. This will help your muscles and joints prepare.

Keep Expectations Real

Pick a playlist that will keep your feet motivated to move. Don’t track your pace. Don’t time yourself. There will be plenty of races in your future for you to become serious. The goal for your first 5K is to have fun. You will finish when you finish. Do not put pressure on yourself to complete your race within a specific time.

What motivated you to sign up for your first 5K? If you are an avid 5K runner, what advice do you have for newbies?

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: 5k advice, 5k training, Fitness, Health, running

10 Minute Weekend Fitness Routines That Burn and Sculpt

October 2, 2012 by Denise McGrail 1 Comment

Do you have a weekend fitness plan? If you are like most people, you tend to loosen up on the weekends. Drink a little too much. Eat a little too much. And, generally, ditch your exercise routine. Choosing to stay healthy and active is a commitment, one that should be honored each and every day. Even a quick walk around your neighborhood is enough on the weekends to keep you in that fitness mindset so you don’t slowly begin to neglect your healthy lifestyle.

Trust me. I am not preaching. There have been way too many weekends where I have felt like doing absolutely nothing. In fact this weekend is not any different. I am feeling incredibly guilty for failing to sign up for a Warrior Dash that I had plenty of time to register and prepare for. And, now that people are posting pictures of their Warrior Dash successes on Facebook, the jealousy monster is starting to creep under my skin.

So, are you looking for a quick way to shape up this weekend? Fitsugar,a fitness, health and well-being website, has several 10 minute videos designed to kick your butt into shape or whatever muscle group you want to work on. I tried the 10-minute Arm routine and the 10-minute Ab routine earlier this week and I have three words. Oh. My. God. Yes, even though these routines are a mere 10 minutes they are killers. My biceps burned for two days and I am still feeling a little ripped in my abs.

I am going to post the videos below for you to try out this weekend. If you try them, drop us a note and let us know if these routines helped you with your weekend fitness plan.

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: abs, arms, Fitness, fitness videos

How to Conquer a Fitness Plateau

September 24, 2012 by Denise McGrail Leave a Comment

3 Methods to Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goals

These past few weeks have been incredibly frustrating. A conditioned, moderate mileage runner, I have spent the better part of two years building my base and racing resume. Starting my season early this year, during the cold, cruel month of February, I gained speed and endurance fast. My first 5K of the season I came in just under 30 minutes. As spring and early summer flourished so did my speed work. I was running 400 meters well under the 2:00 minute time goal my training plan recommended. At this rate, I knew I would have no problem placing within the top 5 in my age category during my October 7 race, a goal I had set back during the winter months. Plenty of time to train and plenty of time to succeed. Also, plenty of time to reach an unexpected plateau.

The unthinkable happened. It was as if someone had erected an invisible brick wall, dropped it directly in front of me and no matter what I did the structure was impenetrable.One small injury led to a quick recovery only to lead to another small injury. A hot, humid summer affected my speed. It suffocated my lungs. The physical difficulties led to mental frustration.Within a few short weeks, I lost my speed. I lost my endurance. I lost my desire. My chance at placing in my upcoming race dwindled.

I use the example of running because the majority of my physical exercise that keeps my heart healthy, my muscles strong and my waistline trim is running. But reaching a physical and mental plateau can occur with any type of exercise. The tell-tale sign of a plateau is when progress becomes stagnant. You are caught in limbo, unable to reach that next goal. It is downright frustrating, but there are ways that you can trick your body into catching back up to those fitness goals. Check out my suggestions below for three proven ways to get you back in the fitness game. You can do all three or pick the one that jives the most with your personality.

Rest

While this may seem counter-productive to your fitness goals, a tired body and mind are like a toddler. It doesn’t matter what you bribe your body with or how many promises you make (I promise you can have desert before bedtime), if your body is exhausted it will resist any effort you make. Allowing your body 2-3 days to relax, will help it catch back up with your plans.

Are you worried that you might fall out of the habit of exercising? That is a valid concern. So, if total rest may not work for you try the next level of rest.

Active Rest

Active resting is basically toning down the intensity of your workouts. For a period of 2 days up to a week, lessen
intensity of your workouts by adding a day of stretching (try a Yoga class). Maybe throw in a couple days of just walking
briskly around your neighborhood. You are still setting aside a time each day to be active, but by bringing the effort down a notch you are providing your body with the rest it is craving.

Again, some people feel stagnant with a full week of active rest. I get that. Really, I do. But remember that allowing time
for muscles to heal and repair is necessary for us to achieve our fitness goals. So, if here is an alternative to active
rest.

High/Low Intensity

For a full six days alternate high intensity workouts with low intensity active rest exercises. On the seventh day
completely rest. No cheating on this. If you want to conquer whatever is hindering your progress and you are following this plan, a full rest day is crucial. I mean it. Absolutely no cheating.

Everyone has times when their progress has surpassed their body’s ability to keep pace. It is nature’s way of telling us we may be pushing it just a little too much. Take it easy on yourself. Maybe I pushed things too quickly in the beginning and was to stubborn to realize that those small injuries were warning signals. Will I reach my goal in a couple of weeks?

Maybe. I don’t know. Right now the goal is to reclaim that desire again. Following my own advice, I think some rest days are what I need to succeed.

Have you reached a hurdle obtaining your fitness goals? What are some methods you have tried that have worked?

Filed Under: Health Tagged With: exercise, Fitness, fitness goals, Fitness plateaus, running