Liquid
Peace
Fitness Tips
Exercise
We
all want to stay physically fit. We want to maintain our quality of
life and feel good about ourselves. Here are some tips to help you
succeed!
One simple formula: Caloric intake - Caloric output = Weight gain, Weight loss or balance
Caloric intake: The food and beverage or calories ingested. What we eat and drink!
Caloric output: The amount of calories or energy used during work, exercise or rest. What we do!
Weight gain, loss or balance: Is dependent on these two variables.
That
is it! Simplified, yes, but not a big secret, or difficult to
understand. Yet, millions of people want
to believe there is a secret pill, formula, exercise or food that
magically cheats the formula. Sorry, there is no quick fix and we
all must adhere to the simple parameters.
Note:
Some drugs can slow or speed up caloric output. Different body types expend
energy more or less efficiently. Different foods & beverages
are used more or less efficiently by the body. Please, consult a
certified nutritionist for foods that are best for your body. Please,
consult a physician before beginning an exercise program.
What
is Exercise?
Exercise: Physical activity that stimulates muscular growth by
incorporating rigorous muscular and body movement in a controlled, safe
environment to momentary muscular exhaustion or fatigue. Muscular exhaustion or
fatigue is the point when no more exercise can be done. Exercise
is work, not fun! For optimal results exercise should be done with a clinically trained
professional.
Recreational "exercise": Physical activity for
fun in any environment. Recreational exercise is fun, not work!
Although, it is not as stringent as exercise it does have similar
benefits, most notably; increases caloric output, burns calories!
Both include physical activity, burn calories and are
healthy but the goal of exercise is to increase muscle by exercising to momentary
muscular fatigue. The end goal of recreational exercise is to have fun.
If you choose recreational exercise pick one that you enjoy and will do
regularly to maximize caloric output and fun! Efficacy is important but
having fun is crucial for maintaining your interest and developing a
pattern of long term physical activity. In other words, choose
something you love to do!
The main purpose of recreational
exercise should be to maximize enjoyment & increase caloric output;
burn calories. Additional benefits include the
list below but more importantly increase your overall happiness
& quality of life. Select your physical activity
wisely, some activities can be dangerous, particularly in the long
run. Lower impact physical activities, cycling, swimming, water
aerobics, rowing, cross country skiing, and in-line skating, are
examples of activities that put less stress on the joints and reduce
the incidence of injury or problems over the long term.
Recreational
exercise can be done everyday but if the recreational exercise is
very intense, rest is paramount to the body.
Why Exercise?
1) Increase muscle & decrease adipose tissue-fat, more muscle equal better metabolic function.
2) Increase body strength, including muscles, ligaments and tendons.
3) Increase muscular endurance, increased lung capacity.
4) Increase heart muscle function and efficiency-healthy, oxygenated blood flow throughout body.
5) Increase bone density & strength, reducing the chance of osteoporosis.
6) Increase flexibility & enhance posture.
7) Increase endorphins to brain & brain function.
8) Decrease injury incidence.
9) Decrease the risk of heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, depression & insomnia.
10) Increase quality of life
How
to Exercise & boost Caloric Output?
The best exercise for the body, overall, is circuit weight
training. Circuit weight training is a strength and
cardiovascular exercise protocol that combines a series of weight
resistant exercise machines in succession without rest between
exercises. If possible, include circuit weight training in your
regimen of
physical activity. Learn the proper technique for circuit weight
training. There are numerous techniques for circuit weight training and
a vast array of different exercises. Nautilus
is a well known and respected circuit weight training method. An
offspring of Nautilus and a better circuit weight training protocol is SuperSlow.
Always exercise
larger muscle groups first, the butt and legs, before smaller muscle
groups, chest, deltoids and arms. The butt is the largest muscle in the
body and the most ignored. Remember, the more muscle you build the more
calories expended at rest. Your core, abdomens, should be
exhausted last. Strong abdomens and hamstrings lead to a strong back.
Back machines are rubbish, concentrate on your stomach and hamstring
muscles to increase back strength. Never skip the gluts, butt, and leg
exercises; this is the foundation for any meaningful circuit weight
training routine.
Exercise is like anything else you
do in life; what you put into exercise is what you will get out of
exercise. The quality of exercise is much more important than the
quantity.
Where
to Exercise?
Safe, controlled environments with professional
supervision offer the safest mediums for constructive exercise,
especially circuit weight training, but not everyone can afford this luxury.
Gyms offer countless machines other than weight training machines for
physical activity, some are good & others worthless. Stationary
bicycles and recumbent bicycles are the safest and least taxing on the
joints. Treadmills, step & elliptical machines can provide a decent workout but
what is the long term risk, knee replacement, hip replacement? If you
love running, jogging or sprinting make every effort to find soft
surfaces to run on. Walking is safer for the body but still
puts enormous stress on the knees, hips and ankles.
When selecting an exercise it is imperative to understand not only the
benefits but the risk/reward ratio of the exercise you undertake both
short-term and long-term.
Circuit Weight Training Tips:
1)
Intensity, how hard you work out, is the most important component.
Intensity takes time, focus and dedication, be patient, each workout
try to improve your intensity.
2) Join a good exercise facility,
check all the facilities available, select the one most suitable for
you, dismiss cost. Make sure the gym is convenient & easy to get to. Consider day care facilities!
3) Choose
a circuit, series of weight machines, 8-12 machines that function smoothly. Leg machines, larger muscle groups,
are more important and should be completed first. Unless you are Pooling; Best Circuit Weight Training Workout.
4)
Be sure seat
adjustments are set perfectly for safety, function and productivity.
Hire a trainer or ask a qualified employee. Choose a weight you can
handle, go light, until you feel confident of your form & strength.
5)
Repetitions, reps, 12-15 reps for larger muscles/lower body and 10-12
reps for smaller muscles/upper body. Reps should be smooth, fluid and
slow. Breathing should be even, controlled and regular.
6) The
count, number of seconds counted for the positive, pushing or pulling
the weight and the negative, the amount of time to let weight down
without resting, touching weight stack or pausing. This is one of the more highly debated topics in
weight training. The physiology behind a slower & more
controlled repetition is well documented. It is safer, yields greater
cardiovascular benefits & exhausts the muscle deeper and quicker. 8/4,
positive/negative, is a good goal. Regardless of the count, the objective is momentary failure of the targeted
muscle.
7) Move from machine to machine
without rest. This will take time, as your fitness level
increases your routine will take less time but yield greater
results. If you get dizzy or light headed, rest!
8) Duration: An
excellent workout should take between 30-40 minutes. Quality not
quantity, focus on exhausting the muscle to fatigue.
9) Muscle fatigue: Complete exhaustion of a targeted muscle, no more reps can be completed.
10)
Frequency: 2 to 3 times week, rest is imperative for muscle
development. Rest is critical for muscles to repair, rebuild, regenerate, and
strengthen.
11) Stay Hydrated, yes you can take quick breaks for water. Carry a bottle with you!
12) Be careful with what you hear
& see in the media, gym and lounge. Most weight training
prescription or advice is nonsense, dangerous & counterproductive.
How
to lose weight?
We
all have three choices; increase caloric output
through exercise or work, decrease caloric intake, less food and
beverage, or a combination of the two. Try not to complicate exercise
and diet. Really, it is not rocket science... Keep a journal of what
you eat, write down everything..., keep track of your exercise and
recreational exercise, number of calories burned, and use the simple
formula to track your success. Drink an appropriate amount of water to help lose weight and stay fit.
Written by ceholli, M.S., Exercise & Health Studies
"It is not how good you are at something, it is about how good that something makes you feel." -ceholli
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2008-2012 Liquid Peace
