Fitness articles

1.Are You Ready for Optimal Fitness?

When was the last time you gave your exercise program a "check-up?" Whether you've been exercising 60 days or 60 years, it's helpful to analyze if you're getting the most out your workout.

Compare your current fitness goals with your exercise program. Is it a match? Is it time effective? What are the best ways to incorporate physical activity into your life at this time?

 You may find that even small additions such as stretching can increase the benefits of your exercise program. For additional variety, ask a personal trainer or fitness professional at the gym.

 Variety is the spice of life

Physical fitness results from adaptation to exercise overload. Overload is taxing your body to do more than it's accustomed to. Your body can adapt to this overload. It does so in the energy production systems, the cardiovascular system, blood system, muscular, bone and joint strength, to name a few.

 The proper amount of overload improves fitness, but too much can cause injury. As in life, a sound general rule: moderation. Overuse injuries are the most common type of injury seen in adults. Tendonitis and shin splints, for example. Injuries such as these often occur due to improper use of equipment for a prolonged period of time.

 Additional exercises can reduce the risk of injuries by strengthening and stretching muscles in new ways. Consider adding an activity that is different from what you are currently doing. If you're walking: add some weight training or swimming.

 Does your current exercise program improve strength and flexibility? If not, activities such as weight training and yoga can be the additions necessary for increased fitness and reduced stress.

 Keep it fun

No matter the exercise or the additions, remember to keep it fun. As long as you enjoy your routines, you won't mind adding new skills or sharpening old ones in order to keep the mental as well as physical stimulation.

2. In Traveling, Don't Forget to Exercise!

We rely on the force of habit to support our healthful lifestyles. Our routine gets us to the fitness center, helps us choose nutritious, low-fat meals and cope effectively with stress. Anything that disrupts our routine, such as travel, vacations, holidays and even visitors, can send that lifestyle into a tailspin. While a week or two away from exercise probably does little harm, it's discouraging to feel that hard-earned improvements are being reversed. When travel plans are on the horizon, why not plan to take advantage of the change in routine to reaffirm your commitment to a healthful lifestyle?

 Plan ahead

 It's not enough to tell yourself, "I'll try not to overeat" or "I will try to walk everyday." Most people need more concrete guidelines. Think about where you will be. How will you cope with too much food? How, when and where will you exercise? Write up a specific plan. Some people find it motivational to share this plan with an instructor, trainer or partner.

 Record your progress while you're on the road

 Once you have a plan, design a simple form or use a calendar to record your workouts and other behaviors (food intake, for example, if that's a concern). Keep your log in a convenient place where you'll see it every day.

 Anticipate and plan for potential difficulties

As you make travel plans, hope for the best but be prepared for problems that inevitably arise. For example, if your plan is a daily walk outdoors, what will you do when it rains? Take along a rain coat or be prepared to use the exercise machines at the hotel. Having anticipated problems, you will be less likely to throw in the towel when challenges arise.

Get support from family, friends and coworkers

Let your family, friends or those you are traveling with know about the importance of your exercise program. Business travelers may be able to recruit coworkers for an early morning walk or workout to plan the day. Vacationers can try to get family and friends involved as exercise partners or as a support system to provide a temporary release from childcare or other duties.

Try to find environments that support a healthful lifestyle

When making vacation plans, consider options that offer opportunities for enjoyable physical activities. Most cruises and resorts provide exercise facilities and classes. Campers can select locations with beautiful hiking or biking trails. Headed to the coast? What's better than a walk along the beach? If children will be along, figure out a way to be active as a family; take along bikes, strollers, child carriers or whatever is needed for mobility. Business travelers may be able to select a hotel that offers at least an exercise machine or two.

Do all you can to stay healthy

Catching a cold can really upset an exercise program, not to mention make you feel lousy. Somehow it's easier to get sick while traveling. Perhaps jet lag, sleep loss, dehydration and exposure to new germs impose excess stress on the immune system. Do what you can to avoid getting sick. Wash your hands frequently, drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, avoid drinking too much alcohol and take your vitamins.

Use exercise to manage the stress of traveling

Travel means change, and change, even positive change, is a form of stress that requires some adjustment. Travel presents new situations that require problem-solving ranging in difficulty from simple, like ordering from a new menu, to complex, like losing your wallet. Everyone knows that physical activity is one of the most effective stress-management techniques around. When things do not go exactly as they should, you may be tempted to skip your workout because you're feeling stressed. If this happens, remind yourself that exercise will help relieve those feelings of stress and improve your problem-solving ability so you can better cope with the inevitable challenges and opportunities of travel.

3. If You Don't Use It, Will You Lose It?

If you've been sidelined by an injury, or you're considering taking a break from exercise, you might wonder if you'll lose your hard-earned strength and endurance. Some loss of fitness is inevitable, but there are ways to help minimize it. Here's what happens to your body when you take a break from exercise.

Matters Of The Heart

The degree to which cardiovascular fitness declines during a period of detraining depends upon what kind of shape you were in to begin with. Individuals who are extremely fit, such as highly trained athletes, experience a rapid drop in fitness during the first three weeks of detraining, which then tapers off. A significant level of fitness - higher than that of an untrained person - is retained for about 12 weeks. Individuals with low-to-moderate fitness levels show little change in cardiovascular fitness within the first few weeks, but their ability rapidly declines in the weeks immediately following.

Performance Jitters

The ability to perform a given sport or activity, whether it involves swinging a bat in softball or running 10Ks, invariably declines when the sport is abandoned for any length of time. One study found that marathoners experienced a 25-percent decrease in endurance time during a maximal aerobic treadmill test after just 15 days of inactivity. Another showed that swimmers' arm strength declined by more than 13 percent within four weeks of abandoning their regular training regimen.

Numerous variables come into play when analyzing the ability to perform a particular sport-specific skill, making it difficult to analyze the effects of detraining. Some are like riding a bike - you never forget how - while others, such as the ability to deliver an accurate serve in tennis, for example, involve specific timing and well-trained muscles.

Speaking Of Muscles...

With the exception of a genetically blessed few, most of us have to work at it building strength through formal or informal strength-training workouts. Again, well-trained athletes have the edge, because the positive effects of training remain evident weeks, sometimes even months, after ending training. Lesser-trained individuals can expect to see their muscle strength and conditioning decline at a slightly faster rate, though not at the levels seen in sedentary individuals.

Stem The Detraining Tide

Experts agree that the best way to avoid losing much of the health and fitness benefits you've worked so hard to achieve is to do something. If you can't find the motivation to run for a few weeks or longer, try walking instead. Cross training became popular because it is a viable means of maintaining, even increasing, one's fitness level. Runners can give their knees a break by switching to cycling, swimmers can work their legs on a stair stepper, and aerobics enthusiasts can take their workout outdoors by hiking through a local park or reserve.

If an injury is keeping you from your favorite activities, take your worries to the pool. Of course, it's always advisable to check with your physician before resuming exercise after an injury. Regardless of which activity you choose, be sure to progress gradually.

If boredom is the problem, now's the time to try that sport you've been considering for so long. In-line skating, tai chi, boot-camp workouts - whatever strikes your fancy. The key is to keep your heart and muscles challenged in order to minimize the detraining effects that come when taking a break from your usual routine.

4.Meditation: Time Out for Stress Reduction

Once viewed as the domain of cave-dwelling hermits, meditation has shaken off its mysterious trappings and joined the ranks of respected relaxation techniques. Because of its effectiveness, meditation practice is included in many disease-treatment and stress-reduction programs.

Meditation affects both body and mind. By relieving stress, meditation lowers the level of harmful stress hormones that inhibit immune function and interfere with our natural healing processes. And by increasing body-mind relaxation, it eases the pain created by panic and fear.

While there are many varieties of meditation, most include the following elements:

Quiet environment

Reduce the distraction potential of your meditation environment as much as possible. Choose a time when you will not be interrupted, turn off the telephone and post a sign on the door. If you have a roommate or family, find a time when they will respect your need to practice, and not need to disturb you. A truly silent environment is often impossible. No problem. Background noises are part of real life, and meditation must take place despite real life. Learning to meditate with some background noise is valuable practice.

A comfortable position

While lying down is permitted for some relaxation exercises, meditators find the position too suggestive of sleep. A sitting posture produces a more alert mental state. Your sitting position should be as comfortable as possible, and one you can maintain for at least 10 minutes to begin with. Sitting with a straight back, cross-legged on the floor, or sitting in a chair, presents the best musculoskeletal balance, with no one muscle group being made to take all the antigravity stress. During meditation, you may either close your eyes or keep them focused on a point in front of you.

A mental focus

Beginning meditators often use one word or phrase to repeat with each exhalation. Try a suggestive word or phrase like "relax," "peace" or "let go." A short line or phrase from a favorite prayer or poem works well. The word or phrase should help you feel safe, secure and relaxed. Phrases that help you feel connected to a deeper reality than daily life can help you achieve feelings of transcendence. Transcendence is a grand word for a reachable experience. When you transcend your daily "normal" state of mind, you step outside of the daily grind. You may glimpse a sense of the larger picture, perhaps even a connection to a larger spiritual reality. Whether or not you believe in a god or spiritual power, you at least feel as though you are part of the continuum of history, the web of humanity and life on earth. And if the idea of transcendence is not relevant to your present experience, read on! Relaxation benefits are still yours to enjoy.

Physical relaxation and calm breathing

Meditation practice often begins with a minute or two of physical relaxation and breathing awareness. A quick body scan and a few deep breaths lower physiological arousal and bring your awareness into the present moment.

Passive attitude

Simply observe with a nonjudging awareness what is occurring. The harder you try, the more tense you get. When your mind starts to wander, simply bring your attention back to your focus, without judgment, scolding or frustration.

Regular practice

Like everything, meditation gets easier with practice. Practice is essential for the realization of meditation's benefits. If you are new to meditation, start with one 10-minute session per day, gradually increasing the time to 15 or 20 minutes when you are ready. How will you know when the time is up? Setting an alarm ruins your relaxation. Keep a clock within reach of your peripheral vision, and sneak a glance at it periodically.

Why not give meditation a try? Here is a summary of the instructions above:

Pick a focus word or phrase 

Sit quietly in a comfortable position. 

Close your eyes, or focus them on a point in front of you. 

Relax your muscles. 

Become aware of your breathing, letting the breath come slowly and naturally. Repeat your word or phrase as you exhale. 

Maintain a passive attitude. 

Continue for 10 to 20 minutes.