Tag Archive for: fitness programs

History of Pilates

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If you aim to understand the power Pilates has in strengthening your body, it would be appropriate to take a short glimpse at the history of the exercise program. You may have the impression that Pilates is like Yoga, which has been developed thousands of years ago. Be informed that Pilates was only developed in the 1920s, during the height of the World War I.

It was 1880 when a sickly baby was born in Dusseldorf, Germany. The boy was named Joseph Pilates. As a very young child, Joseph was contended in watching his friends jump, run, and play games. He was not able to do the same because his weak body was frail. That was when the methods of Pilates were conceived by the young Joseph.

pilates

Joseph was very determined to find ways to improve his physical strength, stamina, and overall health. He then set a lifelong quest for an appropriate fitness program and exercise. Joseph not only succeeded in overcoming his physical frailties. Eventually, he mastered them all. As he aged, Joseph stood to become an accomplished gymnast, boxer, skier, and yogi.

During the World War I, Joseph took an internship in England. There he worked as a male nurse, treating and attending to injured victims of the war. He was very convinced in his own belief that specific exercises could effectively help in the rehabilitation of badly damaged bodies. Most of the patients he handled were not really able to move. Joseph’s determination to help patients gain mobility and strength was undeterred.

He then rigged up hospital beds of war patients with springs and straps. At the same time, Joseph created several series of strategic exercises that aim to help move patients’ joints through great ranges of motion. Such exercises aimed to also help patients develop flexibility, endurance, and muscle strength. Surprisingly, most of Joseph’s patients were eventually able to finally get up and then move around on their own.

Joseph, together with his wife, moved to New York City in 1923. There, the couple opened a fitness studio that aimed to provide rehabilitation to injured dancers. Several famous dancers that became clients of the studio were Martha Graham and George Balanchine. Since then, word about the Pilates method spread like wildfire.

Soon the renowned Pilates method became an exercise of choice not just by many dancers but also by many professional athletes and entertainment icons. For many decades, Pilates was enjoyed exclusively by the elite community. It was a form of an exercise program that was enjoyed only by the rich and the famous.

However, in the past decade, Pilates found its way to reach more people. Many membership gyms and fitness clubs have started offering Pilates classes and sessions. Many people have since then discovered for themselves how Pilates could truly help them effectively gain flexibility, strength and body balance. Most of them have been awed by the fact that they need not spend more time at the gym just to attain desired results. Not surprisingly, Pilates emerged to become among the hottest trends in fitness and health.

 

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Why Muscles Get Sore

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As people age, they begin to complain more of pains in their muscles and joints. They seem to stiffen up with age, and such commonplace activities as bending over for the morning paper can make them wince.

Such pain can grip so fiercely that they are sure it begins deep in their bones. But the real cause of stiffness and soreness lies not in the joints or bones, according to research at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, but in the muscles and connective tissues that move the joints.

muscles

The frictional resistance generated by the two rubbing surfaces of bones in the joints is negligible, even in joints damaged by arthritis.

Flexibility is the medical term used to describe the range of a joint’s motion from full movement in one direction to full movement in the other. The greater the range of movement, the more flexible the joint.

If you bend forward at the hips and touch your toes with your fingertips, you have good flexibility, or range of motion of the hip joints. But can you bend over easily with a minimal expenditure of energy and force? The exertion required to flex a joint is just as important as its range of possible motion.

Different factors limit the flexibility and ease of movement in different joints and muscles. In the elbow and knee, the bony structure itself sets a definite limit. In other joints, such as the ankle, hip, and back, the soft tissue—muscle and connective tissue—limit the motion range.

The problem of inflexible joints and muscles is similar to the difficulty of opening and closing a gate because of a rarely used and rusty hinge that has become balky.

Hence, if people do not regularly move their muscles and joints through their full ranges of motion, they lose some of their potential. That is why when these people will try to move a joint after a long period of inactivity, they feel pain, and that discourages further use

What happens next is that the muscles become shortened with prolonged disuse and produces spasms and cramps that can be irritating and extremely painful. The immobilization of muscles, as researchers have demonstrated with laboratory animals, brings about biochemical changes in the tissue.

However, other factors trigger sore muscles. Here are some of them:

1. Too much exercise

Have you always believed on the saying, “No pain, no gain?” If you do, then, it is not so surprising if you have already experienced sore muscles.

The problem with most people is that they exercise too much thinking that it is the fastest and the surest way to lose weight. Until they ache, they tend to ignore their muscles and connective tissue, even though they are what quite literally holds the body together.

2. Aging and inactivity

Connective tissue binds muscle to bone by tendons, binds bone to bone by ligaments, and covers and unites muscles with sheaths called fasciae. With age, the tendons, ligaments, and fasciae become less extensible. The tendons, with their densely packed fibers, are the most difficult to stretch. The easiest are the fasciae. But if they are not stretched to improve joint mobility, the fasciae shorten, placing undue pressure on the nerve pathways in the muscle fasciae. Many aches and pains are the result of nerve impulses traveling along these pressured pathways.

3. Immobility

Sore muscles or muscle pain can be excruciating, owing to the body’s reaction to a cramp or ache. In this reaction, called the splinting reflex, the body automatically immobilizes a sore muscle by making it contract. Thus, a sore muscle can set off a vicious cycle pain.

First, an unused muscle becomes sore from exercise or being held in an unusual position. The body then responds with the splinting reflex, shortening the connective tissue around the muscle. This cause more pain, and eventually the whole area is aching. One of the most common sites for this problem is the lower back.

4. Spasm theory

In the physiology laboratory at the University of Southern California, some people have set out to learn more about this cycle of pain.

Using some device, they measured electrical activity in the muscles. The researchers knew that normal, well-relaxed muscles produce no electrical activity, whereas, muscles that are not fully relaxed show considerable activity.

In one experiment, the researchers measured these electrical signals in the muscles of persons with athletic injuries, first with the muscle immobilized, and then, after the muscle had been stretched.

In almost every case, exercises that stretched or lengthened the muscle diminished electrical activity and relieved pain, either totally or partially.

These experiments led to the “spasm theory,” an explanation of the development and persistence of muscle pain in the absence of any obvious cause, such as traumatic injury.

According to this theory, a muscle that is overworked or used in a strange position becomes fatigued and as a result, sore muscles.

Hence, it is extremely important to know the limitations and capacity of the muscles in order to avoid sore muscles. This goes to show that there is no truth in the saying, “No pain, no gain.” What matters most is on how people stay fit by exercising regularly at a normal range than once rarely but on a rigid routine.

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Golfing – Why Weight Training Is Important

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It does not matter what sport you play, strength as a necessary component. To the surprise of many people, golfing is not an exception to the rule. It is important that all golfers train for endurance, stamina, and aerobic activity. It is essential for your body to perform at its best until after the last sing of the day. A commonly overlooked training activity for golfers is weight training. Weight training allows you to strengthen muscles, and develop better spatial awareness. The weight training recommended for golfer’s targets muscle groups that other exercise programs ignore. This is why it is necessary to learn which muscles you will be using while golfing.

A strong swing puts a lot of force on muscles and joints around the shoulder, wrist, and elbows. You also put a lot force on the lower back and hips. Your weight training program should focus in on the specific areas. This will allow you to drive with more power and strength, as well as provide you with better accuracy. You will not require as much effort from these muscles if they’re toned and in shape.

golfing

As you use them, your muscles are naturally able to stretch and return to their normal position. When you perform exercises that are designed to focus on the muscle groups use them of, they will be able to lengthen further, and provide more strained without training. This will help improve not only your strengths, but also your joint flexibility and a range of motion.

The purpose of weight training is to focus your muscles and increased their ability to respond to outside forces, like weights. There are a large number of exercises you can use to assist with resistance training. In some cases, special equipment must be used, but the majority of exercises can be adapted to standard weights.

Each weight training program provided to golfers will have training cycles. The cycle you are in will depend on the season. Typically, during the preseason and well into the season, your focus will be on building strength and lean muscle mass. During the off-season, you will be focused more on maintaining the muscle and stamina you have built.

In golf, the main focus is on the upper body because this is the force that delivers the swing. Because of this, the majority of weight training for golfers is focused on the upper body. It is important that you do not ignore your lower body. Many golfers fail to train adequately on their gluteals, their thighs, their hips, and their abdominal muscles. This is unfortunate because they are crucial to executing the proper swing. Performing squats, leg lifts, and resistance training for the legs will help you develop these muscle groups.

It is extremely important for a golfer to protect their shoulder joint during weight training. This is because the majority of the golfers the shoulder workout should be performed on the course. There are very few exercises that allow local for to build strength and stamina in this joint while maintaining flexibility.

Before you choose a weight based exercise program, you should research the experience of other people. You will want to choose an exercise program that has high ratings, and plenty of customer testimonials. Your exercise regimen should help you focus your strengths in a way that you will perform better on the course without damaging your joints. If you do not feel confident in your ability to choose an exercise program, consult with a professional to help you design one specifically for your body type.

 

Exercising Properly To Avoid Injury (exercise tips)

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There are two main types of exercise that you can do – aerobic and anaerobic. The first one, aerobic, means with oxygen. Aerobic type exercise has an important distinction, it burns fat as the main fuel.

Anaerobic on the other hand, burns sugar as the main source of fuel. Despite common myths, exercise doesn’t have to be drastic in any way to provide massive benefits. Even if you choose light exercise, you will still burn fat.

exercise

Light exercise will clear out lactic acid, which is a waste of the body, and stimulate your cells to
regenerate. To be sure that you are burning fat rather than sugar, it’s very important to make sure
that you are doing several things as you exercise.

The most important thing you can do as you exercise is breathe deep. You should always breathe in deep into your stomach through your nose, hold it for a few seconds and then exhale hard through your mouth.

Second, you should make sure that you exercise at a comfortable level. You should exercise at a level of 7 out of 10, and still be able to carry on a normal conversation while you exercise. You should do this for 45 minutes or so each day, then you’ll begin to notice just how much your energy
will explode.

Even if you don’t think you have the time to exercise, rest assured that there is always time. If you have to, use the time that you would normally spend sleeping. With exercising, you’ll actually need less sleep than before.

You can also use the time of your lunch break to exercise as well. The increase in productivity will have you more on the ball, and you can save your time through the dramatic increase in your
overall productivity.

Cellularise, or rebounding, is one of the best forms of aerobic exercise there is. If you have access to a rebounder, you shouldn’t hesitate to use it. Use any break you have at work to engage in some type of movement and deep breathing.

Any type of exercise you do will strongly benefit your heart. It will make it a stronger and larger organ. Deep breathing will help your lungs become stronger and larger as well. There is research now that links exercise to helping benefit and almost prevent each and every type of disease or ailment.

Movement of the joints will promote proper blood flow and create energy, as sitting down all day
will rob your body of much needed energy. If you sit down all day, it’s very important that you promote blood flow, circulation, energy, brain flow, and the strength of your heart. With just a little bit of your time devoted to exercise, you’ll find yourself healthier than you have ever been in the past.

exercise

5 Simple Stretching Exercises To Relieve Back Pain

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As our bodies undergo day to day stress it takes a toll on our backs and stretching exercises to relieve back pain can help. Depending on the occupation that we hold, we either sit or stand for the better portion of our day. Poor posture of the spine can bring about pain and long term problems for our backs. Fixing our posture and stretching exercises to relieve back pain will help your back.

Another issue that we face is that we attempt to over compensate for lack of activity during the week and put ourselves through rigorous physical activity on the weekend. Exercise is highly recommended and even beneficial, however it can cause problems if you are not physically used to it. This can make your back and body able to be easily injured. Exercising during the week and also doing stretching exercises can prevent this from happening. The stress that our bodies go through during the weekday can be overcome by doing five stretching exercises to relieve back pain for 15-20 minutes a day. These stretching exercises to relieve back pain will require an elastic band that could be purchased at a local store.

back pain

Lower Back Stretch Start by sitting on the floor with your legs together and straight out in front of you. Put the exercise band around your feet and hold on to it with both hands. Then “climb towards your foot using the band to pull yourself. Continue this until you feel a stretch from your calves, spine and lower back. Hold the position for 8-10 seconds as you breathe normally.Repeat 3 times.

The Groin Stretch Lay on the floor face up with your legs in an almost split position. Bend your left leg at the knee and place your foot on the floor. Put the elastic band on your right foot and then pull gently with both of your arms. You should hold this position for 8-10 seconds and then repeat the exercise 3 times.Then switch to the other leg and do three times.

The Glute and External Rotator Stretch Laying on the ground face up, wrap the band around a toe and straighten your leg while holding on to the band. When your leg is extended twist your torso at the hip until your leg is on the ground while keeping your back as flat as you can. Then hold this position for 8-10 seconds and repeat 3 times. Switch to the other leg and repeat.

The Hamstring Stretch Start in the same position as the External Rotator Stretch. However, instead of twisting at the hip, lay straight with your leg straight up then pull your leg gently towards your head. This will stretch your hamstring and help to relieve tension on your back.

The Quad Stretch Lay face down on the floor and wrap the band around a toe then pull your leg towards your head. When you feel the stretch in your front thigh, hold the pose for 8 seconds and repeat twice more. Then switch to the other leg and do the same. These exercise will help with flexibility and strength but they are also wonderful stretching exercises to relieve back pain.

 

 

 

Making Exercise More Fun

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Nothing beats waking up in the morning with the thought of going to the gym to lift weights or jog on the treadmill or some other form of exercise. After a hard days work, the gym is one place you don’t even want to think about. Sometimes, even the thought of exercising at home with your own equipment can be less than desirable.

Sometimes, just trying to get and stay motivated to exercise on a regular basis can be a challenge. No matter how you look at it, exercise can be downright boring and even tedious at times.

exercise

So, you may be wondering just how you can get the motivation you need to exercise on a regular basis. If you’ve been wondering what you can do to make exercise more fun, you’ll find some ideas below that just may help to make exercise more fun and a little bit easier.

First things first, you should exercise with a friend. You can challenge each other, help each other out, keep each other motivated and on track, make each other laugh or just make a game out of your exercise programs.

You can also try something different. If you go to the gym each and every day and use the same
piece of equipment or use the same piece of equipment at home, you should try mixing things up.
Reverse your routine or just change the order of your exercises.

Go to a city park that has playground equipment and use the slide, climb on the monkey bars, do pull-ups, hang from your knees, just let your imagination guide you. You don’t always need to follow a strict routine, just get out there and have fun working your muscles.

An outdoor circuit in the park is also something you can try. There are some parks that have circuit
courses set up with a planned course where all you have to do is walk or jog to each station and
then follow the instructions. If there isn’t a planned course, then you should do a combination
of jogging and walking, picking a distance of a couple hundred feet. Jog 100 feet then drop and
do a couple of push-ups, walk the next 100 feet and then drop to do sit ups.

You can also ride a bike around your neighborhood or hike on a hiking trail. A walk in the park or
around your neighborhood is also a great way to get some exercise. Doing yoga in the park or on
a beach is also a nice and relaxing way to exercise both your body and your mind.

Playing a competitive sport is also something you can try. A lot of cities have team activities such as softball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, and so on. These types of activities will not only provide you with good exercise but they will also help you to meet new people as well.

When you exercise, try to picture your muscles getting bigger. Research has shown that if you
focus all of your thoughts on the muscles that you are working, they will respond better. Try to watch them work with each repetition as your muscles contract and relax.

As you can tell, there are plenty of ways you can make exercise more fun and interesting. You don’t
need to follow the same routine day after day, as you can do many other things to get in some
exercise.

The important thing is that you should always try to incorporate exercise in any various form into
your everyday life and make these habits the kind of habits that will last a lifetime.

 

Quick Tips to Boost Your Metabolism

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There are a lot of people who would give a lot to increase their metabolism. Having a high level of metabolism enables one to maintain burn fat and lose weight fast with the least amount of activity. Metabolism is the rate by which the body produces and consumes energy and calories to support life.

There are several factors that affect the metabolism of a person, such as the amount of muscle tissue, the frequency of the meals one consumes, genetics, stress levels, personal diet and activity levels. Metabolism slows done due to the following: loss of muscle because of not enough physical activity, the tendency of the body to cannibalize its own tissue because there is not enough food energy to sustain it, and the decrease of physical activity that comes naturally with old age.

metabolism

Here are several ways to fire up one’s metabolism:

  1. Build up on lean, mean body mass. It is only natural that metabolism decreases along with age, but it is possible to counter the effects. The amount of muscle a person has is a very strong determinant in the ability to burn calories and shed fat. So it goes without saying that exercise is essential. Build strength and resistance by working out at least twice a week, preferably with weights. Do easy exercises in between workouts. Simple tasks such as walking the dog and using the stairs in place of the elevator can already take off calories. The key is to match the amount of eating to the amount of activity one has. Here are some guidelines in getting the right exercise:

For strength training

-Increase the amount of repetitions of a particular exercise.
-Add the level of resistance
-Utilize advance exercise techniques if possible

For cardiovascular training

-Insert intervals between exercises
-Perform cross-training and combine the exercises
-Add up on resistance and speed

  1. Eat breakfast. A lot of people are ignoring the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Surprisingly, the ones who eat breakfast are thinner than the ones who do not. Metabolism can slow down considerably if breakfast is taken during mid-morning or if one waits until the afternoon to eat.

  2. Avoid sugar. Sugar enables the body to store fat. It is recommended that a person consumes food that helps sustain an even level of blood-sugar. Additionally, progressive execerise 2-3 times a week should be in order to stabilize blood sugar.

  3. Eat spicy foods. Hot cuisine with peppers can increase metabolism.

  4. Sleep more. According to research, it is riskier for people who do not get enough sleep to gain weight. Also, muscles are regenerated during the last couple of hours of slumber.

  5. Increase water intake. Water flushes out toxins that are produced whenever the body burns fat. Majority of bodily functions involves water, and lack of water causes the body system’s operations to decrease its speed, and produces unneeded stress as a result.

  6. Eat smaller meals. It is advisable to consume 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart.

  7. Never skip meals. People tend to skip meals in order to lose weight, which is a big mistake since it slows down metabolism.

  8. Plan meals in detail. Always prepare the right amount of food to be consumed at the designated intervals. Do not commit the mistake of eating meals in sporadic patterns.

  9. Ditch the stress! Stress, be it physical or emotional, triggers the release of a steroid called cortisol, which decreases metabolism. Also, people tend to eat excessively when stressed.

  10. Guzzle up on green tea. It can be used as a substitute for coffee. Tea has the ability to stimulate metabolism, and unlike coffee, it has no undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.

  11. Include more energy foods in the diet, such as fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.

Achieving the desired body weight is never impossible if one has the determination and patience needed to stabilize the metabolism level, which plays an important role in weight loss. A person needs to realize that eating right and working out is not just a passing fancy, but a way of life.

 

Cross Training for Fitness and Fat Loss

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The numbers on your scale do not indicate whether you are fit or fat. Far more significant than your total body weight is the composition of your body tissue. If a man’s fatty tissue is bigger than 14% up to 15% of his body mass, or if a woman’s is more than 20% to 22%, he or she is overweight, or more precisely, over-fat. Cross Training has become a recent trend to assist with fitness and weight loss.

A small amount of fat is needed for padding the internal organs and as insulation under the skin. Excess fat leads to such diseases as diabetes, gout, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and gallbladder problems. There are very few, very fat persons. The reason is that the fittest, not the fattest survive.

cross training

The problem now is focused on how to resolve the problem. The problem with most people who want to lose weight is that they have the propensity to concentrate more on getting those numbers lower than what they are seeing now. What happens next is that they strive harder to achieve a lower weight, according to the “ever reliable” result of the weighing scale.

It would be more important to think of the human body as a heat-exchange engine that works on the basic principles of energy physics. The caloric balance equals the total calorie intake minus the total calorie expenditure.

Some of the calories people ingest are used for basal metabolism. As people get old, their bodies require fewer calories for this basic upkeep. Some calories are excreted as waste products. Some go into “work metabolism,” the energy expenditure required for any physical activity.

Hence, if people take in more calories than are used by these functions, there is a definite caloric excess. By the laws of physics, energy is transformed rather than destroyed. In this case, each excess of 3,500 calories is changed into a pound of fat. If people want to reverse this process, they have to burn up 3,500 calories to lose a single pound.

Winning the War Against Fat

When you think of fighting fat with exercise, you probably think of hours of hard, sweaty exertion. If this is the case, then, you will not get any farther. This is because people who are so much into losing more by exerting more effort tend to get bored easily.

Why? Because experts contend that when people exert more effort than what they are capable of doing creates a tendency to develop weariness and ennui. Hence, they give up, stop doing their routine exercises, and end up sulking in the corner with a bag of chips that seems to have all the bad calories in this world.

Now, you might ask, “What should be done instead?” The answer: cross training.

After some intensive studies and experimentation, health experts were able to come up with the concept of incorporating cross training in order to overcome or break the monotony or dullness in an exercise program.

Cross training refers to the integration of diverse movements or activities into a person’s conventional exercise routine. The main purpose of incorporating cross training into an exercise program is to avoid overdoing excess muscle damages and to put a stop to an imminent boredom.

Three of the most commonly used activities whenever a person decides to engage into cross training are swimming, running, and cycling.

In cross training, distance is one way to extend your activity as your condition improves. For this reason, you need to traverse a measured distance.

If possible, swim the course and measure the distance. If you will be using a running track, such courses usually are a quarter-mile per lap for a complete circuit.

Cross training offers a variety of benefits for fitness and fatloss. It builds up the strength and endurance of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. It has also some tranquilizing effect on the nerves, and it burns up calories as much as it makes your “losing weight” more bearable.

Cross training has three basic components:

  1. Endurance exercises to condition the heart, lungs, and blood vessels and to induce relaxation. These begin with a careful planned walking and jogging regimen, depending on fitness level.

  2. Exercises to strengthen the muscles, particularly those important to good posture. These include some activities that are selected to encourage some people who are already burnt out with a particular routine.

  3. Exercises to improve joint mobility and prevent or relieve aches and pains. These consist of a series of static stretching positions that are safe and effective for most of the people who wish to try to lose some fat.

Indeed, cross training is a great way to modify the concept of exercising and losing fat without having to endure monotonous activities. In fact, the idea of exercising is to like what you are doing, hence, if you engage into cross training, you will be aware of it that you have already achieve your desired weight.

Boiled down, cross training is, certainly, one way of having fun.

 

Success with Strength Training

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Strength training is the most effective way to turn your body into a fat burning machine and stay in great shape! It is the most productive form of exercise there is! In order to be successful with strength training there are some basic principles that must be followed if you want to receive the many benefits which strength training has to offer! The three most critical factors are progressive overload, intensity, and recovery.

Progressive overload simply means that you must force your muscles to work harder each time. That means you can’t use the same weight every workout, regardless of how many sets or reps you do. The best way to do this is by attempting to increase the resistance / weight used and, or increase the number of repetitions performed at each workout.

strength training
Intensity is also very important. You must force your body to increase its strength. For example, if you typically do 3 sets of 10 reps on the leg press at 115 pounds, and your legs are capable of doing 16 reps, why is your body going to make any improvements? Your body will only add muscle if you force it to work at a higher level than it is used to. The most effective way to overload your muscles is to perform one or two sets per exercise, and continue each set to muscular failure. That means continuing each set until no more repetitions are possible. Challenge yourself!

Once you have overloaded the target muscle group you must then allow for proper recovery and over compensation. This means you must rest long enough to allow for recovery of the targeted muscle group, the nervous system, refill glycogen stores (Energy stored within your muscles), and also allow enough time for the muscles to make improvements or increases. This process takes time. Generally, it takes between 2-7 days to recover from a strength workout! The harder you work the longer it takes your body to repair. Don’t short-circuit your progress by strength training too often!

Basic Guidelines for Successful Strength Training

Strength train no more than three times per week!

Perform 1-2 sets per exercise!
Choose 1-2 exercises for small muscle groups and 2-3 for large muscle groups. (ex. 2-3 exercises for legs, back, chest, and 1-2 for arms, shoulders, etc.)
Choose no more than 8-10 exercises and work hard on them! . Always keep a record of all workouts! . Take each set to failure or fatigue!
Perform each exercise SLOWL V! Force the muscle to do the work — NOT momentum!
As soon as you see a slow down in progress it’s time to make a change to your program!

Below are some sample workouts and frequently asked questions regarding strength training.
Full-body Workout 1-2 x per week (approx. 30-40 mins.)
Lat pull-down 2 sets Chest press 2 sets Leg press 2 sets
Lateral raise 1 set Bicep curl 1 set
Triceps pushdown 1 set Leg curl 1 set
Leg extension 1 set

Upper / Lower Split
2-3 x per week (approx. 25-40 mins)

A. Upper
Seated row 2 sets
Shoulder press 2 sets
Lat pull-down 1 set
Pectoral fly 1 set
Lateral raise 1 set
Bicep curl 1 set
Triceps pushdown 1 set

B. Lower
Leg curl 2 sets
Glute machine 1 set
Leg press 2 sets
Leg extension 1 set

 

strength training

Keep Your Inner Body Healthy

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The human body has daily rhythms that seem to be governed by what scientists now regard as a “biological clock.” Heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and urine excretion all have varying levels (peaks during the day and troughs that occur at night). Such functions are also known as “circadian rhythms.”

Although environmental clues sometimes influence these rhythms, such as the light and dark cycles, many rhythms persist when environmental clues are removed.

In experiments designed to understand the workings of the body’s inner clocks, people were observed as they lived for weeks with neither social nor geophysical cues, such as set meal times and light-dark cycles. The basic rhythms continued.

The most well-known circadian rhythm is that of body temperature, which varies daily only a degree or two in a healthy person, peaking in late afternoon and dropping during early morning hours.

The temperature rhythm persists when the individual does not follow daily routine, such as periods when one is confined to bed for 24 hours, or when meal time is varied, or when no food is eaten during fast periods.

Levels of blood sugar, essential to body fuel, start decreasing about noon. By 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., the body has used up much of its supply. This aspect of rhythm explains why diabetics experience low blood sugar in the morning.We have all heard our body grumble when it needs to be fed; it growls and screams at us for not looking after it. Hunger pains should not be ignored, they are your body’s way of signaling that it is in need of something. If you break your meals into smaller, more frequent meals this will help to quell the hunger pains.

But when your body is being fed junk, it does fill the gap, but the body starts to realize that every heartbeat will get tougher and tougher to achieve if we constantly input unhealthy foods loaded with saturated fats and preservatives into our systems everyday.

Natural health foods are not available to just make you look good; they are there to make you feel good, as well as to be able to achieve that greater feeling of overall well-being. Natural foods are essential for maintaining the proper balance in our bodies.

You do not have to jump straight in the deep end either when looking for health natural foods; there are books designed to help the beginner start to gain a healthier body.

These books will help you make decisions, such as what type of healthy natural food you should be looking at buying, as well as how to achieve and maintain a health body.
The greatest medicine can be the food that we eat. Don’t just rely on taking supplements, be sure to eat the most naturally healthy foods as well. Natural health supplements should be an addition to a natural health diet, nit something to take in place of one.

Healthy bodies maintained properly will not only help our immune systems, but it will also improve our overall health. With the various new viruses and other diseases coming up every day it is essential now more than ever to maintain a healthy immune system.