Exercise & Fitness

Exercising regularly, every day if possible, is the single most important thing you can do for your health. In the short term, exercise helps to control appetite, boost mood, and improve sleep. In the long term, it reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, dementia, depression, and many cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following:

For adults of all ages

• At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise like brisk walking or 75 minutes of rigorous exercise like running (or an equivalent mix of both) every week.  It’s fine to break up exercise into smaller sessions as long as each one lasts at least 10 minutes.
• Strength-training that works all major muscle groups—legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms—at least two days a week.  Strength training may involve lifting weights, using resistance bands, or exercises like push-ups and sit-ups, in which your body weight furnishes the resistance.

For pregnant women

The guidelines for aerobic exercise are considered safe for most pregnant women. The CDC makes no recommendation for strength training. It’s a good idea to review your exercise plan with your doctor.

For children

At least 60 minutes of physical activity a day, most of which should be devoted to aerobic exercise. Children should do vigorous exercise and strength training, such as push-ups or gymnastics, on at least three days

How To Get Fit When You Work All the Time

 

How To Get Fit When
You Work All the Time

Client Question: I work seventy-two hours a week, so I have practically no free time. But I still want to get in shape. What type of exercise will get me the best results in terms of weight loss and overall fitness, in the least amount of time?

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Gina’s Answer: You have a couple of options. In a situation like this, I tend to prescribe predominantly weight training set up in a circuit fashion, with short but intense intervals in lieu of cardio. It is important that you are cleared by your doctor before undergoing such a rigorous workout plan, however.

Option A would be working out twice per week. Each session would be about 45 minutes. First would be a five minute warmup, followed by five minutes of direct core work. Then you would perform 3-4 compound exercises such as squats, chest press, and lat pulldown for 2-3 sets each, rotating thru the exercises without resting in between. Then you would perform 3-4 additional exercises such as deadlifts, rows, and shoulder press for 2-3 sets. If time is really of the essence, 2 sets gives almost the same results as three. Finally, you would perform interval training for 10 minutes, such as 1 minute ‘easy’ and 1 minute ‘sprint’ which could be performed outside running, inside on a treadmill, or on a bike or elliptical.

Option B would be working out three or four times per week. All the workouts would start with a warmup and core work. Then on day 1 there would be the ‘push exercises where you are pushing weight away from you. Examples are: walking lunges, squats, shoulder press, and chest press. They would be performed circuit style as indicated above. This would be followed by intervals as indicated above. Day 2 would be the same but ‘pull’ exercises would be performed, such as deadlifts, lat pulldown, row, and bicep curls. Day 3 can be on your day off from work and could be a full body weight routine. If you want to add a day 4, perform a longer steady state cardio session like a 30-60 minute jog or session on the elliptical. The Day 1 and Day 2 workouts will take just 30 minutes or less, ideal for a long workday.

Although you can experience great fitness gains with these relatively short workouts, one thing you won’t do is burn a ton of extra calories thru activity. Therefore, it will be extremely important that your nutrition is dialed in to your goals. For instance, if weight loss is your goal, you would need to be consuming fewer calories than you burn.

Health & Fitness : Exercise & Fitness

Generally, trying to lose weight fast is a recipe for disaster, disappointment, and ultimately, failure. Even if you have the motivation, determination, and "willpower" to diet hard and lose weight rapidly, the body's metabolism tends to drop like a rock when you crash diet, sabotaging your weight loss in the end. Also, even you do lose weight fast, who's to say that you have developed habits you can live with in the long-term to KEEP the weight off?

For these reasons, I generally advocate losing weight slowly but steadily (1-2 lbs. per week, max) and following a plan that will be similar to what you'll follow when you're simply trying to maintain your weight loss. I detail this approach in my book, "Mind Over Fatter."

Click on the link to learn more:

Health & Fitness : Exercise & Fitness

But, you're probably reading this page because you are determined to lose weight fast. Hopefully, you can understand that you still need to be smart about losing weight, even if you'd like to lose weight as fast as possible. You see, you can't have the best of both worlds: there is an inverse relationship between how fast (and how stupidly) you lose weight and how good you look afterwards (more muscle, less fat) and how long you keep the weight off.

While it's true that, in general, losing weight fast is a recipe for disaster, there are certain "tricks of the trade" that very few people know about that are safe and effective for losing weight fast. It took decades of scientific research coupled with people who had the time and interest to perform real-life experiments with the techniques to find the best ways to undergo a crash diet or to lose bodyfat when you're already super-lean to begin with.

Why has this information taken so long to gather? For one, most scientific research is catered to disease states, meaning that the studies are done on the clinically obese, the heart-disease victim, or the malnourished due to a terminal disease. It makes sense that we would spend our research money on these issues, which, if you really think about it, are more important to mankind than whether you fit into your size 12 or size 8 jeans! Over time, certain individuals have taken the rather limited number of studies on "normal," healthy people looking to lose a bit of weight, and tested it in the real world to see if there was a way to lose as much bodyfat as possible with minimal repercussions and minimal risk of the diet backfiring due to the metabolism slowing.

Lyle McDonald is the guru of body recomposition: that is, losing the most amount of fat and the least amount of muscle when you're losing weight. Losing fat but maintaining muscle is the number one way to look phenomenal and have everyone ask you, "what are you doing? You look amazing." Lyle is a "nerd" for lack of better words that has basically spent the better part of his life learning the secrets even the pros didn't know about losing weight fast. See, people who look good enough to be models or bodybuilding champions tend to have such good genetics that almost ANY type of diet and training will lead to them looking great. It's the REST of us, those who weren't born with a gorgeous body, who need more specific, scientific help in our quest to get rid of the fat!

I highly recommend these books by Lyle McDonald books for everyone looking to lose weight:

If you're already very lean, you might benefit from:

*The Ultimate Diet 2.0

I own all of these Lyle McDonald books and more, and I believe they are worth at least 5 times the price I paid for them...they are a steal at the prices he's selling them for. You could spend years online researching and still wouldn't come up with concise, specific, step-by-step strategies to lose pure bodyfat at a rapid pace, and learn how to keep it off for good. I base many of the diets I use myself or those I give to my clients on Lyle's teachings, and have never had better results, or easier diets to follow that work great. He has a Rapid Weight Loss to Lose Weight Fast book that's really great.

Type of Muscle Fiber

       

       Type of Muscle Fiber

One of the most influential factors is muscle fiber type. We have two basic types of muscle fibers, often referred to as “slow twitch” and “fast twitch.” Slow twitch muscle fibers are best used for cardiovascular (aerobic) activities. They produce small levels of force for long periods of time and thus are better suited for endurance activities. Fast twitch fibers are best used for anaerobic activities. They produce high levels of force for short periods of time and are best suited for power activities such as weightlifting.

Most men and women have an equal combination of both slow twitch and fast twitch fibers. However, some people inherit a high percentage of slow twitch fibers that enhance their performance in endurance activities, such as long distance runners. Most world class marathon runners have a very high amount of slow twitch fibers. World class sprinters or football players, for example, have relatively more fast twitch muscle fibers. Although both fiber types respond positively to strength training workouts, the fast twitch types experience greater increases in muscle size and strength, and thus may obtain greater and/or faster results from a strength training program.

Age

Another factor over which we have little control is age. Studies show that people of all ages can increase their muscle size and strength as a result of a safe and effective strength training program. However, the rate of strength and muscle gain appears to be greater from age 10-20, the years of rapid growth and development. After reaching normal physical maturity, muscular improvements usually don’t come as quickly.

Gender

Gender does not affect the quality of our muscle, but does influence the quantity. Although men’s and women’s muscle tissue are characteristically the same, men generally have more muscle tissue than women do because muscle size is increased by the presence of testosterone, the male sex hormone. The larger the muscles, the stronger the person; this is why most men are stronger than most women.

Limb and Muscle Length

Another strength factor that is naturally determined is limb length. Persons with short limbs tend to be able to lift more weight because of advantageous leverage factors (arms and legs). Similarly, differences in strength development may come about because of variation in muscle length. Some people have long muscles, and some people have short muscles. Persons with relatively long muscles have greater potential for developing size and strength than persons with relatively short muscles.

7 Step Guide to Becoming a Personal Trainer

Point of Tendon Insertion

Muscle strength is also influenced by the point of tendon insertion. For example, let’s say Jim and John both have the same arm and muscle length. However, Jim’s biceps tendon attaches to his forearm farther from his elbow joint than John’s does. This gives Jim a biomechanical advantage: he is able to lift more weight than John in biceps exercises such as the Biceps Curl.

Other Important Factors

All of these factors affect our ability to gain strength and muscle development through training. Keep in mind, however, that the most influential factor in achieving good results is using a very slow, controlled lifting movement and lifting to the point of muscle fatigue.

In addition to using good lifting technique, it is absolutely imperative that you not only train with intensity on a well-balanced program, but also give your muscles enough resting time between training sessions. Overtraining is a common mistake people make; it happens not only when you don’t allow your muscles enough rest, but also when you train with too many sets and exercises for each muscle group.

Another mistake people make is doing the same program over and over again even after they have reached a plateau. Any time you 1) stop gaining strength or muscle size or 2) get bored, it is crucial that you change the program, so that you can go through a whole new phase achieving new results.

We inherit most of these factors affecting strength from our parents, and they have a big impact on our size, strength, and appearance. It is very important that you not become obsessed with trying to look like a world-class body builder—or any other body type that is not your own. We are not all meant to look the same. It is very important that you learn about and accept your own body’s characteristics and type, so you can develop a reasonable program specific to realistic goals and personal interests.

Genetics does clearly play a role in your health and appearance, but they certainly do not determine how often or well you train. Even if you are born with a genetic predisposition to being overweight or weak, the way you live is what will ultimately determine whether you become fit and strong or fat and weak.

Weightlifting provides many important benefits that cannot be achieved by any other exercise or activity. Physiologically, the benefits of consistent strength training include an increase in muscle size and tone, increased muscle strength, and increases in tendon, bone, and ligament strength. Strength-training has also been shown to improve psychological health as well, by increasing self-esteem, confidence and self-worth. If you understand and accept your body, you will be able to work with it, not against it. Everyone can improve their strength, appearance, and performance level by consistently implementing an effective strength training program.

The AFPA Strength Trainer Certification and continuing education courses offer an indepth view of strength training and conditioning for the entire body, and teaches you the most effective routines for your personal strength goals.  Also you may want to know about these 10 Things to Avoid in Your Strength Training Workout.

WORLDWIDE SURVEY OF FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2020

ACSM’s annual survey of worldwide fitness trends is now in its 14th year. New to this year’s survey was the inclusion of potential new trends such as mind-body movement (e.g., tai chi) and lifestyle medicine. Other trends were more specifically defined in the 2020 survey. For example, virtual/online training was redefined as online training, water workouts were redefined as aquatic exercise, circuit weight training was redefined as circuit training, mobile phone exercise apps was redefined as mobile exercise apps, and barbell training was redefined as training with free weights. As in the past, the results of this annual survey will help the health and fitness industry make some very important business decisions for future growth and development. These investments can now be based on emerging trends that have been identified by health fitness professionals and not on the latest exercise innovation marketed during late night infomercials on television or the next hottest celebrity endorsing a product.

For the last 14 years, the editors of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal^® (FIT) have circulated an electronic survey to thousands of professionals around the world to determine health and fitness trends for the following year. This survey guides health and fitness programming efforts for 2020 and beyond. The first survey (¹), conducted in 2006 (for predictions in 2007), introduced a systematic way to forecast health and fitness trends, and these surveys have been conducted annually since that time (^2–13) using the same methodology. As this is a survey of trends, respondents were asked to first make the very important distinction between a “fad” and a “trend.”

Human Experiments

Human Experiments

Studies involving human subjects (including research on identifiable human material and data) must have been performed with the approval of an appropriate ethics committee and with appropriate participants’ informed consent in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration.

In the manuscript, authors should specify the name of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or ethics committee (EC) or other relevant authority who approved the study protocol and provide the reference number where appropriate. If ethics approval was not required, or if the study has been granted an exemption from requiring ethics approval, this should also be detailed in the manuscript (including the name of the IRB/EC who made that decision).

For all research involving human subjects, written informed consent to participate in the study should be obtained from participants (or their parent/legal guardian where appropriate ) and a statement detailing this should appear in the manuscript. For studies involving vulnerable participants or participants at risk of potential coercion, detailed information regarding the steps taken to ensure informed consent must be provided. If consent was not obtained, please specify why and whether this was approved by the IRB/EC.

In line with the ICMJE recommendations on the protection of research participants, authors must avoid providing identifying information unless strictly necessary for the submission and participants’ identifiable attributes must be anonymized in the manuscript and its supplementary files, if any. If identifying information is necessary, authors must confirm that the individual has provided written consent for the use of that information in a publication. Manuscripts reporting a case report must include a statement detailing that written informed consent for publication was obtained and from whom. If the patient has died, consent for publication must be obtained from their next of kin. If the patient described in the case report is a minor or vulnerable, then consent for publication must be obtained from the parent/legal guardian.

10 Diabetes Care Tips During the Coronavirus Pandemic

You’ve been keeping up with federal guidance on who’s at higher risk for complications from COVID-19, you know that people with diabetes are among the affected groups. People older than 60, along with those who have respiratory problems, high blood pressure, and heart disease are, too, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

That said, if you have diabetes, the disease doesn’t appear to increase your risk of being infected, according to American Diabetes Association (ADA). This is apparently true even though research, including a review published in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, has shown that the immune systems of people with persistent hyperglycemia function less well. With COVID-19 — the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus — the real problem is that people with diabetes are more vulnerable to complications and getting seriously ill from the virus once they are infected, says the ADA.

It had been clear early on in China, where the first cases of the disease were reported, that people with diabetes had much higher rates of serious complications and death than people without this condition, the organization explains in its online guide to COVID-19. That’s because people who already have diabetes-related health problems are likely to fare worse if infected simply because of those problems. A person with diabetes who is otherwise healthy doesn’t carry the same level of risk.

Diabetes foods

       Fitness Tips

Whether you’re just starting out or you’re already a self-proclaimed fitness buff, there’s always room to learn, grow, and get stronger. In 8fit’s series of fitness tips, we discuss topics like the benefits of tracking steps, the perks of using a fitness app, and how working out at home can help you reach your wellness goals. You’ll also find ways to jazz up your current fitness routine and get constant motivation from 8fit’s team of coaches.

When it comes to those of you just beginning your fitness journey, our best advice is to start small - start by moving a little more every day. Simple changes like walking to work, taking the stairs, or parking at the far end of the parking lot will impact your energy levels, giving you that boost you need to incorporate even more movement into your routine. Our coaches will share their expert knowledge and explain why moving more and eating better can help you reach your goals - weight loss, muscle gain, and weight management - more efficiently.

Yoga for health fitness

Yoga

Yoga comes in many styles and levels of physical intensity, and there is no right or wrong way to practice this ancient art. There is hatha yoga, vinyasa yoga, hot yoga, Kundalini yoga, Iyengar, Ashtanga yoga, and prenatal
yoga, to name a few, so no matter what your fitness level or wellness goal, there’s likely a yoga style fit for you. What’s even better is that you can do yoga from the comfort of your own home without very much equipment or space. The 8fit app features a number of these styles of yoga, and we encourage every 8fitter to make yoga a part of their regular fitness routine.

The benefits of yoga are vast. Aside from physical benefits like an increase in strength, weight loss and flexibility, regular practitioners report an improvement in sleep quality, a decrease in stress levels, and better overall health and immunity. Read more about the benefits of yoga and try one of 8fit’s yoga flows.

To follow  rulls for good Health & Fitness

To follow another rulls for good Health & Fitness