Is It Safe To Start An Exercise Program?
I think the real question is "How safe is it for you not to exercise?" Did you know that obesity has just replaced smoking as the number one cause of health related problems? That's incredible! Sorry to say, but that means we are a bunch of fat, inactive people! Back in the day when people milked cows and planted their own food for exercise, you would never hear of something like this. Think about that the next time you can't exercise because of a hard day at the office! O.k. before I tear off too far into a rant lets look at some of the real concerns you should tend to before you start an exercise program. Before you exercise, go see your doctor-Get a check up. Make sure you get a blood pressure test and a blood test.
Have your heart condition checked and make sure all the other stuff is done and o.k. Some people mistakenly hold back serious effort in the gym for too long because they are afraid something may be wrong with them. If you get a check up and receive a clean bill of health, that's one more excuse gone! Before you exercise, note your pains and past injuries- Your trainer will need this to know how to design your exercise program. If you are going to do it on your own, you will be able to do some research as to which exercises are the safest and most beneficial for you and what you should avoid. Before you exercise, note your medications - A large part of exercise and fitness these days involves sports supplements.
It's a good thing to know if any medications you're on will interact adversely with these supplements. I.E. Blood pressure meds mixed with ephedrine, caffeine and exercise is not a good idea! Before you exercise, do the PAR-Q (physical activity readiness questionnaire). It covers most questions that should be addressed before starting an exercise program. Most gyms stock these forms for liability reasons and it shouldn't be hard to get a hold of one.Last point; if you are just starting out and have a lot of questions about exercise and your fitness, invest in a personal trainer.
It is the most sure fire way to make sure that you are doing all your exercises correctly and that you will be truly safe when you start your exercise program..
Ray Burton is a personal trainer and owner of the exercise fitness site www.buildingbodies.ca.Programming Brief: Exercise Order
Programming Brief: Exercise OrderByOne of the fundamental principles of exercise prescription, specifically resistance training, is the principle of exercise order. Which exercises do I do first? Which do I do last? Does exercise order really matter? From personal observations in the weight room, it would seem to many it doesn't matter. However, if you want an effective exercise program you must consider the order of the exercises.Multi-joint ExercisesAs a general rule you should perform complex multi-joint exercises first in your exercise routine while you are fresh. Typically, multi-joint movements require more skill and energy to perform. Such exercises include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups.
Nothing annoys me more than seeing someone perform bicep curls until their head explodes, then go right into lat pulldowns (notice, lat pulldowns, not pull-ups?anyone who does pull-ups knows better than to work their biceps beforehand).Of course, there are exceptions to...
Programming Brief: Exercise Order
Exercise > Programming Brief: Exercise Order
Hard-wired for Exercise
Exercise will make you more fit, but that's only a small part of the story, according to Philip J. Goscienski, M.D. "Humans are designed for much more physical activity than most of us get," says Dr. Goscienski, author of Health Secrets of the Stone Age, "and every cell of the body benefits from it. Barely 20 percent of Americans are physically active enough to enjoy those benefits."The 80 percent of us who savor the soft life now will have to endure a hard life later, he says.
The human body evolved under conditions that involved lots of activity for so many thousands of years that it depends on moderate physical stress in order to function well. "If we don't stress our bones with fairly heavy lifting, carrying, pushing and throwing, those bones will become thinner. After all, why should the body maintain a strong, heavy skeleton if it doesn't need it to support a lot of muscle? Thin bones are fragile, a condition we all know as osteoporosis." That's a pretty obvious example...
Hard-wired for Exercise
Exercise > Hard-wired for Exercise
Back in Shape with Baby is a New Exercise Video Designed for Women who Have Recently Given Birth
St. Petersburg, Fla. (ContentDesk) January 6, 2006 -- Back in Shape with Baby, an exercise video designed to help mothers get back in shape after childbirth, has been released by Exercise with Mommy, a fitness company that focuses on programs for mothers of young children.Back in Shape with Baby contains three low-impact workouts that target areas affected by pregnancy and childbirth while helping moms lose weight, according to Amy Burton, Exercise with Mommys founder and president. The program is unique because it incorporates the baby into the workouts and utilizes on-screen graphics throughout the video to help keep babies attention and reinforce learning. As a new mom, I looked for ways to get back into shape and continue an exercise program while working a full-time job, said Burton, a young mother who is an ACE-certified personal trainer with additional training in pre/post natal fitness. I couldnt find anything that fit my needs, so I created a series of workouts that allows...
Back in Shape with Baby is a New Exercise Video Designed for Women who Have Recently Given Birth
Exercise > Back in Shape with Baby is a New Exercise Video Designed for Women who Have Recently Given Birth
Facial Exercise Lifts Minority?s Faces
Women of color want to look younger and they want to do it without risk!
In the last twenty years, extreme scarring, discoloration, loss of certain ethnic characteristics and high costs have kept Afro-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and other non-Caucasians from seeking plastic surgery but with the advent of improved suture techniques, new procedures and shows like "Extreme Makeover", more and more minorities are considering using cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance
"The way plastic surgery statistics have escalated, especially among people of color, the trend to "look as young as you feel", has left no one out," declares anti-aging expert Cynthia Rowland, Los Angeles.
Statistics show a 65% increase in plastic surgery among ethnic groups over the past five years.
According to Minority Nurse Magazine, "more Americans are getting face lifts and other types of cosmetic surgery these days, and more of those faces being...
Exercise > Facial Exercise Lifts Minority?s Faces
The Effects Of Exercise On Body Temperature
If you are having trouble sleeping, and you don't already have a regular exercise program, you should start one if you want to sleep better. Exercise is beneficial to sleep in several ways. For example, exercise raises the body temperature rhythm and allows your body temperatures to ?peak' at a higher level. This, in turn, increases your energy level during the day, so you'll feel more motivated and alive. And just as body temperature reach its maximum at a higher level through exercise, the body's temperature will also drop further and more easily.
This lets you sleep more deeply without interruption.
A regular exercise routine prevents your body's temperature rhythm from remaining relatively level throughout the day. With an appropriate body temperature rhythm, you will find that you can get a deep sleep even if you've had a stressful day or can't perform your regular exercise on a certain day. Exercise also delays the drop in the body's temperature in the evening,...
Exercise > The Effects Of Exercise On Body Temperature
"Why Exercise Bikes Might Be the Ultimate Fitness
Exercise bikes are the first things that come to your mindwhen you talk about home exercise equipments. Exercisecycles popularly known as exercise bikes have gained somuch recognition that they are next to TV in demand andpopularity among the household items. The best part about workouts with exercise bike is that ithas no side effects or no rules to follow. This makes it atremendous gizmo to chop off that extra fat just like that.Most health conscious people keep the exercise bike intheir home for fitness. There are fundamentally two types of exercise bikes,upright bikes and recumbent bikes.
Upright bikes are morelike real bicycles with the exception that they do not runon road. Recumbent bikes on the other hand, have bucketseats and the pedals out in the front. These exercisecycles are fit for overweight people and those sufferingfrom backaches. Exercise Bikes the Easiest Way to Burn FatUnlike big exercise machines and gym equipments, exercisebike are simple to use and free...
"Why Exercise Bikes Might Be the Ultimate Fitness
Exercise > "Why Exercise Bikes Might Be the Ultimate Fitness