Exercise and Health
EXERCISE AND WEIGHT LOSS
Fitness benefits The study says people do not have to spend all day in the gym to gain significant benefits, and that those who have let their fitness slip have the most to gain. Improving your fitness helps prevent heart disease It says: "Moderate improvements in physical fitness, particularly among those who are least fit, bring substantial benefits to health." The benefits include a reduced likelihood of heart disease and improved breathing ability. Meanwhile, those men whose fitness continued to decline were more likely to die. The study's authors called for their findings to influence public health policy. They also pointed out that while many people rely on drugs and medical treatments to maintain their health, this study established that exercise could be equally beneficial. Exercise prescription Dr Keith Hopcroft, a GP in Essex with an interest in exercise medicine, welcomed the findings. He said: "This is something GPs have been telling patients for a long time. "In a climate of evidence-based medicine it will help to have something like this." The team started their work in 1972. Over a three-year period they examined more than 2,014 men aged between 40 and 60 years old, and established how fit they were. They repeated the process from 1980 to 1982, and monitored the remaining participants until the end of 1994. Those whose fitness improved over the time of the study were less likely to die. They showed a corresponding improvement in risk factors such as blood pressure, breathing capacity and heart rate.
Walking and Health
All it takes is a little time, common sense and a few guidelines. Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation floating around regarding fitness walking, weight-loss and dieting. Walking is one of the best exercises for strengthening bones, controlling weight, toning the leg muscles, maintaining good posture and improving positive self concept. People who diet without exercising often get fatter with time.
To avoid getting fatter over time, increase your metabolism by exercising daily. Just increase your activity slowly. Instead of taking a lift walk up the stairs, if you can't manage all the floors just walk two, next week three and so on. Walk to the shops don't drive, plan to go for a walk instead of sitting indoors just get more active, it will help.
To lose weight, it's more important to walk for time rather than speed. Walking at a moderate pace yields longer workouts with less soreness - - leading to more miles and more calories spent on a regular basis. High-intensity walks on alternate days help condition one's system. But in a walking, weight-loss program, it's better to be active every day. This doesn't require walking an hour every day. The key is leading an active life-style 365 days a year.
When it comes to good health and weight loss, exercise and diet are interrelated. Exercising without maintaining a balanced diet is no more beneficial than dieting while remaining inactive.
Though bear in mind that even high-impact exercises burn off relatively few calories, so even two hours of running doesn't begin to justify that 5-course meal !
Carbohydrates are high-octane fuel. They provide energy for movement and help raise internal body metabolism. They're also satisfying. The key is not adding high-fat toppings to your carbohydrates.
It's everyday habits which define our weight and body composition. A three-minute walk after each meal is worth four pounds less body fat annually. Two flights of stairs a day burns off half a pound of body fat in a year.
On the other hand, one candy bar eaten daily will cost you 20 pounds annually. So think sensibly and you'll reach your weight-loss goal far more easily!
The buoyancy of water reduces the 'weight' of a person by about 90 percent. This means that the stress on weight-bearing joints, bones and muscles is similarly reduced. For this reason, it is unlikely that a water workout will result in injury or leave you with sore muscles. That's why the pool is such a great place for people with arthritis or back problems to exercise, and for those who are new to exercise. But don't get the idea that just because it doesn't hurt, you can't get a great workout in the pool. Swimming encompasses all of the components of fitness: cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. And, when done regularly, swimming can help reduce body fat.
Swimming is good for Your Heart Aerobic workouts in the pool are perfect for those who find the same movements on land too jarring or painful: running, striding, kicking, leaping and even dancing. Keep in mind that in the water, heart rate will be reduced by as much as 17 beats per minute when compared to land exercise. That's why it's so important to pay attention to how you feel. Your heart rate might indicate that your intensity is too low when you are actually exercising quite strenuously.
Water Adds Resistance The resistance of water is perfect for a strength-training workout - instead of weights, the water itself provides the resistance. One of the easiest ways to create resistance in the water is to cup your hands and push or pull the water away from you. Other devices, such as hand-held paddles and water chutes can increase the resistance to provide a more intense workout.
The Flexible Benefits of Water One of the greatest benefits of water exercise is its effect on flexibility. Water is a welcome environment for performing stretches that might otherwise be difficult on land. Because the effects of gravity are lessened, you can move your joints through a wider range of motion and achieve long-term flexibility. A little cycling is also a good exercise if you have a static exercise bike get on that and do 20 minutes at least 5 times a week. If the weathers good and you have a proper bike get out, take some sun, fresh air (if your lucky) and enjoy life.
Get fit, get exercising As all young girls and boxers know, skipping is quite a good aerobic workout. I have recently started doing it again after more than a 35 year layoff. I had forgotten just how effective a workout it can be. Housework counts as a high-intensity activity Dragging yourself to the gym once a week, or even vacuuming the house from top to bottom, are not the best ways to improve your fitness, say researchers. Moderate exercise fitted into daily life is much more likely to benefit your overall health, recommends a Dutch study featured in the journal Nature.
Attempts to counteract the negative of sedentary living include introducing high-intensity exercise Professor Klass Westerterp, Maastricht University The research looked at the effectiveness of several different types of exercise. It studied 30 adults, aged between 22 and 32, and asked them what kind of activities they pursued. Exercise was categorised into low - lying, sitting or standing; moderate - walking and cycling; and high - housework, gymnastics and sport. Professor Klass Westerterp, from the Maastricht University, who led the study, said the results showed that bursts of high-impact activity were less effective than introducing a moderate level of exercise into daily life. He assessed the physical activity level of the adults studied. To do that, he used a portable motion sensor fitted to the study participants. The sensor measured how much energy was used. He found that those who spent more time doing a moderate level of exercise expended more energy overall than those who did short bursts of high intensity exercise - and were then relatively inactive. Moderation praised The Dutch team writes in Nature: "Attempts to counteract the negative of sedentary living include introducing high-intensity exercise. "It can be more effective to increase the amount of time spent on activity of moderate intensity while reducing periods of inactivity during waking hours. "Subjects wanting to increase their metabolic rate should exchange low-intensity activities, such as sitting in front of a screen, for moderate-intensity activities, such as walking or cycling." They add: "Moderate-intensity activities are better tolerated than high-intensity activities, especially by the middle-aged or obese." Andree Deane, chair of the Fitness Industry Association, told BBC News Online that people could go to the gym and do moderate exercise safely. "The general public is most concerned about the effectiveness of exercise, and how much time do I have to spend to look different." She added: "We still say that some exercise is better than no exercise, so one session is better that no exercise at all."
There is compelling evidence for the benefits of regular exercise in old age. However, Professor Marion McMurdo, of the Department of Medicine, University of Dundee, argues that the medical profession has devoted too much of its energy to finding reasons why older people should not exercise, and too little to why they should. Older people may see modern keep fit as too strenuous Writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Professor McMurdo argues that doctors and often the elderly themselves fear that more damage is likely to be done by exercising in old age, or that chronic disease has its roots earlier in life, so there is little point trying to reverse the process. But she says that this attitude contributes to increasing levels of disability and health care costs. Professor McMurdo says that misconceptions abound about exercise in later life. First, people think that for exercise to truly benefit, it has to be vigorous, which is a major turn off for the elderly. Lycra-clad image Despite the evidence to the contrary, she writes: "Public health advice has failed to shake off the high-tech lycra-clad image of aerobic exercise and physical fitness, and embrace the concept of health and physical activity - walking, dancing, gardening, or playing with the grandchildren." Secondly, there is no such thing as the inevitability of decline with old age or the inability to train elderly muscles, says Professor McMurdo. A perception of exercise as intense was "misleading" In 20 years no pensioner has been injured at the University of Dundee's over-60s exercise class, which attracts around 1,000 people a week, she says. The fact that the elderly in institutional settings are missing out on activity is of concern, she says, and the time has come for a radical rethink in all those facilities that care for the elderly, including hospitals and daycare centres. "A public health approach to an ageing society is long overdue," she concludes. "Elderly people must be informed that regular physical activity is both appropriate and desirable in old age, and the older community should be invovled in developing a range of services and facilities to back this up." Charity Age Concern says much research has shown the benefits of "simple, inexpensive exercise" such as walking. Studies in the US and UK have shown improved muscle strength in over 70s who trained three times a week for three months; a reverse in declining lung capacity following a walking programme for over 70s; and a doubling of leg strength after a weights programme. Sally Greengross, director general of Age Concern, said: "Fitness is not just for the young or agile. No matter how late in life you start, by gradually increasing the amount of excercise you do you can improve your health and well-being. "Anyone of any age can join in; it's about finding an activity which suits you." For more information about exercise, please see: The Fitness Motivator: The fitness site for those of us with busy lives. Provides motivation, inspiration, and knowledge to help you build a successful fitness plan for a healthier life. The fitness motivator
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