The Importance of Strength Training and Best Strength Training Exercises

According to studies, there is a type of exercise that strengthens your bones, improves your balance, benefits your heart, and even helps you lose weight. The type of exercise that allows you to do all of these is strength training. Contrary to the popular belief, strength training is so much more than bodybuilders lifting weights. Strength training benefits all sorts of people including those with health conditions such as heart problems and arthritis.

There are many benefits of strength training. This includes shedding a few pounds off your body, protecting your muscle mass and bone health, becoming stronger and fitter, developing better body mechanics, preventing some diseases, boosting your metabolism, and improving your energy levels/mood. If you want to achieve all the aforementioned benefits then you simply need to incorporate of the following four strength-training exercises in your exercise regime.

Bodyweight Squats

One of the best strength training exercises is bodyweight squats. In order to perform this exercise, station your toes in a forward facing direction and stand with your feet and hip separated apart. Without allowing you knees to surge ahead of your toes, sit back as if you’re sitting in a chair. Until your hamstrings, quads and glutes engage and come back up to standing, do not stop sitting back. It is important that you create 90-degree angle in your knees. 8 to 12 repetitions are what you need to complete. When this becomes easy, start adding weight to the exercise.

Single-Leg Deadlifts

Another great strength training exercise is single-leg deadlifts. In order to perform this exercise, lift the opposite leg behind you after bending one knee and hinging it forward towards the waist. It is important that you do all this while holding a barbell or free weight slightly in front of your body. Until the weights come below your knees, lower them and keep them very close to the top of your legs. Come back to the standing position after engaging the glute of the leg on the ground and your hamstring. Switch to the other leg after you’ve performed 8 to 12 repetitions.

Core work

Core work is another important strength training exercise. You can use any one of the hundreds of exercises meant for strengthening core. Some of the best exercises include reverse crunch, bicycling, planks, and crunches. All of them are equally effective and you need to make them a part of your daily workout routine.

Single-Leg Squats

The final exercise that I am going to recommend is single-leg squats. In order to perform this exercise, sit with your hips back, bend your knee, balance yourself on one foot, and squat down. Extend your leg back to standing after your knee is down in a 90 to 110 degree angle. Rest the toes of your hovering foot on the ground if you find this too challenging. Switch to the other leg after completing 8 to 12 repetitions.

You can achieve all the benefits of strength training by making the above-mentioned exercises a part of your exercising routine.


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The Importance Of Manipulating Training Variables And The Best Ways ToDo It

A quiescent period in training is something that everyone inadvertently experiences. Everything is going well with you losing fat, gaining strength, and looking better when all of a sudden things take a new twist, and you hit a rough patch. Rarely changing their training variable is what causes most people to suffer from this rough patch.

If you want to progress in training without getting injured then there are a few things you need to consider, known as training variables, whether you’re a beginner or an elite trainer. The variables that are the most important and the ones you need to manipulate include volume, load (weight) lifted, and muscle actions to build muscle. Following are the ways of manipulating training variables.

Manipulating Volume Variable

The best technique for manipulating the volume variable is the progressive overload. Increasing the total number of sets or repetitions for a particular workout can overload volume. In order to manipulate the volume variable, start by increasing the number of repetitions and then add an entire set.

Keep the sets and weight same for the next workout if you’re doing a chest fly at 5 sets of 10 reps for 40 pounds. You can increase the number of repetitions to 12. However, a sudden increase in volume can be taxing for your body so refrain from adding an entire set.

Increasing the volume by adding a set to each exercise if you’ve been doing 5 sets at 14 reps of 4 exercises will increase your training session volume by 56 repetitions. If your body or fitness levels do not allow you to deal with rapid changes then this increase in volume may not be suitable for you.

Manipulating load (Weight) Variable

Dialing the weight up is the only way of progressively manipulating it. The weight will become easier to lift as you become stronger. This will automatically encourage you to increase the weight on the bar. Increase the resistance in the following training session by 2.5% or 5 lbs if you’re able to easily handle the prescribed weight through all your reps.

Manipulating Muscle actions

The isometric, eccentric, and concentric actions of a lift are what muscle actions include here. A standard concentric focused routine is what most programs employ. However, employing other muscle actions will allow you to enjoy a number of benefits. Focusing on the eccentric action of a lift will provide you with a greater stretch than a concentric focused routine and will also increase the time under tension.

Furthermore, you will be able to increase volume and strength by performing supra-maximal or circa-maximal eccentric overload. However, the greatest benefit of employing different muscle actions is avoiding a rough training patch.

If you want the desired training success and results then it is important for you to know the ways of manipulating training variables. By understanding these ways, you will be able to avoid a rough training patch and will ensure your training success.


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Exercise tips for people with asthma

Today, approximately twenty million Americans suffer from asthma. People with asthma can suffer from a shortness of breath and other health problems when they exercise. Fortunately, this has not prevented people from exercising and there’s good reason for that. Asthma, including exercise-induced asthma, will not be a hurdle for you if you keep a few basic things in mind.

Following are some exercise tips for people with asthma.

Use asthma medications

Approximately 15 to 20 minutes before you start your work out, inhale the medication such as albuterol to reduce your asthma symptoms. It is important that you talk to your doctor and explain them your symptoms. Before performing a diagnosis, the doctor will probably ask you to undergo some tests. The first few times you exercise, take the inhaler slow and easy (if the doctor has prescribed you an inhaler). Your doctor may prescribe you fitness supplements meant for asthma patients as well. Listening to your body is important. The pace and lengthy of your exercise is something you should gradually increase over time. Stop exerting yourself if you feel airways tightening or chest pain.

Use a scarf to breathe through

You can pre-warm the air as you breathe harder by breathing through a scarf during an exercise or training regime.

Perform a pre-workout warm up

Warming up before you workout is an easy and fun activity. However, the biggest benefit of a pre-workout warm up is that it prepares your body for the exercise or training regime. Whether you brisk walk or jog, the purpose of a warm up is to get your blood flowing and lungs working so that you are prepared for more arduous exercise. The difference a ten-minute pre-workout warm up will make to your health is something that will surely surprise you.

Avoid Interval training

Avoiding interval training is something people suffering from asthma must ensure. Moving at different paces is unlikely to cause any breathing issues for you. However, you’ll end up huffing, puffing, and challenging your respiratory system if you switch too fast. Therefore, it is important for you to either maintain a consistent speed or choose a pace your lungs can keep up with if varying your speed is what you prefer.

Exercise indoors especially during the winters

For asthmatic people, exercising indoors is always a good option, especially if their asthma is triggered by cold weather. Allergens, such as air pollution and pollen, and cold air are the two factors that aggravate asthma. If people with respiratory problems are exposed to these factors, their health is bound to deteriorate.

Perform aerobics

Research has proven that exercise programs such as aerobics improve your health and quality of life. This includes a range of benefits for asthma patients. Aerobics help to improve self-confidence, neuromuscular coordination, and fitness. Therefore, performing aerobics is something people with asthma must consider.

For asthma patients, exercise is a challenging activity. However, using the aforementioned tips can help them to overcome their troubles and make exercising easy.


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6 Frequently Asked Questions About Low Carbohydrate Diets

Today we will be discussing the 6 most frequently asked questions about low carbohydrate dieting. Let’s have a look!

What is the concept behind low carbohydrate diets?

There are a few variations between all the low carbohydrate diets, but the most common theme is the reduction of insulin and blood sugar production, which allows your body to use stored body fat as energy. Apart from that, these diets also provide better control on eating and other health benefits.

What is the link between blood sugar and low carbohydrate diets?

Low carbohydrate dieting is all about blood glucose (blood sugar). Essentially, we consume low carbohydrate diets for keeping our blood sugar stable and normal. To completely understand the link, it’s useful to familiarize yourself with how blood sugar is processed by the body.

Are low carbohydrate diets and high protein diets the same?

People mostly use the terms low carbohydrate diet and high protein diet interchangeably. For instance, they believe that the Atkins diet is a high protein diet. Of course, most low carbohydrate diets are higher in terms of protein as compared to typical diets. But technically, low carbohydrate diets put the emphasis on the reduction of carbs. It is possible to consume a low carbohydrate diet which has a typical protein intake, or a high protein diet which has a considerable amount of carbs.

Why do individuals stay/go on low carbohydrate diets?

What generally attracts people to such diets is the hope of blood sugar control and weight loss. However, the individuals who find these diets suitable mostly discover several other types of benefits. People usually find that they have mental clarity, control over eating, and more energy. What’s more, improvements in terms of health indicators including blood pressure, triglycerides, and glucose are also reported.

Is low carbohydrate dieting for everyone?

Despite the fact that most of the individuals can benefit from a reduced intake of refined grains and sugar, people vary in terms of their tolerance for carbs. According to a recent study carried out in the journal Obesity Research, individuals who had insulin resistance experienced better results with health factor improvement and weight loss while on a low carbohydrate diet, whereas the insulin-sensitive group experienced better outputs on a low fat/high carb diet.

Can I switch to a diet which is both low fat and low carb?

Probably not. You have to eat SOME thing. A few of the people whose systems don’t require a lot of calories are capable of supplementing their protein intake with small doses of both fat and carbs. Most of the fats aren’t quite the demons we thought they were for years. With smart choices, one can consume a lot of fat as a part of their healthy diet.

Shy Away from Sugar

Medical herbalist Dominique Finney says sugar is first pressed as a juice from the cane and refined into molasses. It is then refined into brown sugar and finally into strange white crystals that are an alien chemical to the human system. “Refined sugar is too processed for our body to handle, at least not in anywhere near the quantities that we now ingest due to today’s lifestyle.”

The average person now downs around 50 kilos of sugar per year. It is considered a ‘food’ and ingested in massive quantities. We only need one teaspoon of sugar a day for metabolic functions, but many of us end up eating up to 20, thanks to hidden sources like snack bars, salad dressings and even bread.

Finney says sugar is not addictive; it is the fast fuel hit that makes it so appealing. “Sugar is metabolised quickly so you feel an almost immediate surge in energy. Like any drug, be it alcohol or even Panadol, it has an instant effect. The problem is when the hit wears off, you dip down to the doldrums again and are left wanting more.”

She says a healthier option would be to eat a bowl of complex carbohydrates like brown rice, or whole meal bread which release energy slowly over a longer period of time. “Sugar is not filling in the same way that more complex carbohydrates are filling, so therefore we can unconsciously consume a lot of it without noticing,” Finney says.

Dangers

Sports dietitian and nutrition consultant Alison Miles, says humans need sugar as much as they need nicotine and tobacco. “Refined sugar has no nutritional value and has been linked to mental disorders, dental cavities, not to mention hypoglycaemia and enlargement of the lower kidneys.”

One of the major drawbacks of sugar is that it raises insulin levels, which inhibits the release of growth hormones, and in turn weakens the immune system. This is not something you want to take place if you are keen to avoid diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

Finney says sugar increases over-growth of the Candida yeast organism that causes thrush. “It can also trigger binge eating in those with bulimia as well as increasing PMS symptoms.”

Miles says if that wasn’t enough, sugar can make it difficult to lose weight because of constantly high insulin levels, which cause the body to store excess carbohydrates as fat. “The white granules are nothing more than empty calories, which create excess energy and lead to weight gain.”

Not only is refined sugar a dangerous foe, Finney says it’s a sneaky one, hiding in an extraordinary range of foods, including yoghurt, canned items, most sweets – even tomato sauce. “There is nothing wrong with a small amount of sugar in your diet, but that can be hard to measure these days with so many processed foods.”

Dodgy deals

High fructose corn syrup is another baddy that finds its way into tons of foods, because of how cheap it is to produce. Manufacturers love its versatility and put it in nearly everything: juice, beer, energy bars, cookies and even frozen goods.

Like refined sugar, it has a negative, dramatic effect on our blood-sugar levels. According to studies conducted by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, diabetes and obesity are directly linked to eating refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

Switching refined sugar for artificial sweeteners can be even more detrimental to our health. Research shows that saccharin can be a possible contributing cause to cancer and its mate aspartame (found in NutraSweet and Equal) has been shown to turn into formaldehyde in your body.

Splenda may lack calories, but it’s no good either, containing small amounts of heavy metals, methanol and arsenic. It is difficult to know the long-term effects of these sweeteners, but given that they are surrounded by suspicion it’s best to turn to the healthy choices.

Natural Sweeteners

Lets be realistic, if you like sweet treats, it can be a real struggle to eliminate sugar from your diet. But rest assured, there are natural, healthier alternatives that don’t carry any of the dangers of refined sugar and are full of health benefits.

Stevia

Given that Stevia is 200 times sweeter than sugar it’s no surprise that it is referred to as the Queen of herbal sweeteners. The Japanese have been using it for decades, South Americans for centuries. In fact, this wonder-sweetener is used by hundreds of millions of people around the world to lower high blood pressure, reduce cravings for sweets, and aid digestion.

With no kilojoules and zero GI, Stevia stimulates the pancreas rather than stressing it. Stevia has only a mild effect on blood sugar levels, making it ideal for diabetics. Scientific studies have also found that it can reduce acne help heal wounds, and soothe an upset stomach.

Xylitol

This natural sweetener is found in fruit and vegetables, providing just two calories per teaspoon. While sugar is acid-forming, Xylitol is alkalising, helping to prevent dental plaque build-up and tooth decay. It also promotes bone health and boosts immunity. Its low GI means it doesn’t cause blood sugar dips or yeast overgrowth like refined sugar can.

Raw honey

Honey is an all-round healing elixir, which can promote general health and wellbeing. A daily dose will boost the body’s supply of antioxidants, essential for protecting the body from free radicals. It is also rich in vitamin C, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, iron and manganese.

Honey is one of Finney’s personal favourites. “I love mixing honey with organic black tea, a little chilli powder and a slice of vanilla pod. I call it honey vanilla chilli tea and it’s delicious.” At traditional Indian weddings, the groom is often offered honey to boost his stamina – perhaps this is why Cupid’s emblem was a bee!

Agave nectar

Derived from the Mexican Agave Cactus, this high-nutrient sweetener is full of vitamins and minerals. Because it absorbs slowly into the bloodstream, it doesn’t have a big impact on blood-sugar levels. Agave Nectar provides 20 calories per teaspoon and is significantly sweeter than refined sugar, so you use less. It has a low GI and can be used in place of sugar in any recipe.

Other good substitutes for refined sugar include maple syrup, evaporated cane juice, Sucanat, brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, raw sugar, beet sugar, date sugar and molasses. All of these natural sweeteners possess one or more of the following health benefits: Enzymes, calcium, iron, potassium, protein, the B- vitamins, magnesium, chromium, fibre, and folic acid.

Now just because you have healthier alternative, that doesn’t mean you can eat naturally sweetened biscuits three meals a day, but it does mean you can have your cake and eat it. Miles says the trick is moderation. “I encourage my clients to indulge in sweet foods occasionally, rather than treating them as everyday foods.”

Original Source: http://www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au/diet-nutrition/popular-topics/185-shy-away-from-sugar

Fitbit Flex Review: Having a Detailed Look at the Activity Tracker

In this post, we’ll be taking a detailed look at the Fitbit Flex!

The Fitbit Flex weighs only 16 grams and is among the most comfortable fitness trackers. The small band can be worn on your wrist, is both smart and tough, specifically when you want to track your daily fitness levels with it. Your goals for each day are displayed prominently in the app whereas indicator lights on this device activate with a single tap, telling you how much longer you need to go.

Tracking Accuracy

The Fitbit Flex is among the most accurate tracking devices. It can accurately track your steps, calories burned, distance traveled, sleep, and active minutes. The app can display graphs and charts, so you are able to analyze your progress and work at it on a consistent, daily basis. Due to its accuracy, the Fitbit Flex is among the best activity tracking devices to monitor your fitness and health.

Progress Monitoring

Staying up to date with the progress you are making towards your goals is the most exceptional manner to meet them. This is where the Fitbit Flex comes in as it keeps you accountable. While it does lack an altimeter for tracking the number of stairs climbed, it does let you make goals for and track everything else.

Apps & Connectivity

The Fitbit app is plain and simple, yet very effective. It records the correct amount for all the necessary information. The main screen displays you each of your daily totals, the progress you’ve made toward your goal, and an account of minute by minute results of your whole day.

Battery & Design

It is currently the lightest tracker available in the market as it only weighs 16 grams. It’s comfortable, slim, and available in two sizes: large and small. As such, it is suitable for all wrist sizes. It also comes in ten different interchangeable colors. Its 5-day battery life is among the shortest of all the fitness trackers.

Help & Support

The fitness tracker comes with a 1 year warranty, and as such, you don’t need to worry about any defects straight out of the box. In case you do have questions or problems with your device, phone and email support is available from Fitbit. For those who are seeking immediate customer support, there’s also a live chat feature available on the company’s official website.

Summary

The Fitbit Flex is undoubtedly one of the top fitness trackers currently available since each of its features is geared towards motivating users to meet their fitness goals. It’s lightweight, it’s available in ten different colors, and its associated app is considerably helpful in allowing you to reach your daily health goals.

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