Latest research!

A study has just been published about the training effect on mucked tendons. When starting a weight training program initial changes in strength are displayed in the nerveous system; more
efficient neural conduction and mucle recruitment. After 8 to 12 weeks and consotstent loading the mucles would then hypertrophy or grow. However tendon tension increases which are necesary to be able to effectively lift heavier weights without injury takes 11 to 16 weeks. Therefore it is important to start gradulally to build up tension in the tendons for safe lifting.

The most interesting applications of the study are in regards to the detraining effect. After 1 month of not training the tendon becomes slack and you lose your gains, where as mucsle takes 2-3 months. If you stop training with weights you have to give yourself time to rebuild tendon tension when starting back up again to prevent injury.

 

Sometimes laughter is all you need….

WARNING: the following link is crass, but funny none the less. View at your own risk.

Awkward workouts

 

February is heart month!

Many causes have designated months to raise awareness about their plights. For example February is black history month, as well as heart month (as per the heart and stroke foundation). This is the one with more relevance to our purposes and a cause close to my heart since heart disease is prevalent in my family.

Check out the Heart and Strokes website, be ready for lots of fun and interesting heart facts this month.

Happy heart month!

 

Stretching and meditation

Yesterday I wrote about all the components of fitness, but today I wanted to further emphasize the importance of stretching. When we stretch our bodies we invite relaxation, not only in the body but also the mind. Those who come to my stretch class know that by the end of the class the mind is quieter, thoughts are more calm, and your body feels great! In a gym setting you will see people stretch 10-15 seconds, muscle their way into it, but he reality is that a stressed out muscle can not relax therefore can not stretch. Comparatively a stressed out mind can not relax and therefore can not expand and grow.

Stretching the body allows you to be present within it, check in with yourself if you will. Expanding the mind offers the opportunity to explore yourself. The next time you are in a yoga or stretch class, relax. Do not force it, just be, and see where your flexibility of body, and openness of mind takes you.

Happy stretching.

 

Return to blogging

In life we are always presented with opportunities to grow. At first these opportunities may seem like challenges, though in the end we learn and see them for what they are. As a wellness practitioner I have learned that I have to listen to what I tell my clients and take that advice myself. It is every easy to get wrapped up in what we feel we need to get done, when sometimes the opposite is true.

This is partially why I have been absent from my “new” blog, though I have decided that no matter what is thrown my way, I will persevere with this project because not only can I reflect back on what has been happening, but hopeful others may learn form it as well; like a food journal.

All that said, I am happy to be back and explore all the window that have opened when a door was closed. Enjoy the sun, live life to its fullest.

Health and Happiness.

 

Well-rounded Fitness

There are five components of fitness which together determine your overall physical well-being and ability; Cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and balance.

Together these components provide general health benefits also known as functional fitness. Functional fitness is comprised of  exercises and activities which includes two or more of these components. They are all equally important because they contribute to a longer and more importantly independent life.

Cardiovascular endurance is essential to a healthy circulatory system and heart; your body’s transportation system to nourish itself. Because heart health is so vital for everyday living regular cardiovascular exercise, is a sure fire way to ensure it is optimal for as long as possible

 

Muscular strength is important in everyday movement, getting out of bed, getting dressed etc. These are things we take for granted until we are no longer able to perform them for ourselves. Because we lose muscle mass as we age it is important to build and maintain as much as possible so that you can live independently for as long as possible.

Muscular endurance is the ability to repeatedly move a muscle without tiring and allows us to participate in sport, gardening, hiking; activities which contribute to our quality of life and are essential to our overall well-being.

Flexibility helps us maintain range of motion around our joints reducing stiffness and tension. The more flexible we are the less likely we are to get injured because we can more easily move our joints properly.

Balance is critical in injury prevention especially as we age. Participating in physical activity which requires us to balance helps us build and maintain our stabilization muscle which helps prevent falls and related injuries.

 

Warm ups, cool downs and stretching

When you are participating in physical activity and or exercise it is important to make sure you warm up, cool down and stretch.

Warming up prepares the body for more strenuous work, or exercise. It takes a few minutes for the body to gear up to work optimally during an exercise bout. Firstly blood has to be redistributed from your internal organs to your working muscle, your heart and lungs. The movement of blood to your muscle warms them which reduces your risk of injury as your move your body more strenuously. Therefore a warm up is important to prepare your body for exercise and reduce your risk of injury.

Similarly a cool down in important because as you exercise your heart rate is increased, and your body temperature is higher. A gradual cool down is an effective way of reducing post exercise muscle soreness.

Stretching is an important part of a cool down down for many reasons. Stretching is important in maintaing range of motion around a joint a.k.a. flexibility. It also reduces muscular tension built up in the muscle during exercise, thus improving recovery time. Stretching must be done while your muscle are still warm to prevent injuring yourself, and is a great way to cool down; you are still moving, but you are giving your body a chance to recover gradually.

 

How to Measure Exercise Intensity

Exercise intensity can be gauged based on this simple equation:

220- (minus) your age gives you a fairly accurate estimate of your maximum heart rate.

Heart rate is used as a benchmark in determining exercise intensity because as the exercise gets more difficult, the heart has to provide the working muscles with more blood, which means the heart has to pump faster. Working at a maximum intensity is very uncomfortable to exercise at and is most suitable for athletes. For the general population, a healthy exercises range is 60-80% of you maximum heart rate. To find this rate, take your max heart rate and multiply it by .6 and .8 respectively to get your exercise range.

You exercise range can be further broken down into moderate and vigorous zones. If you are looking to improve your cardiovascular fitness over time, then incorporating small bouts of vigorous physical activity into your daily routine can help. Start small; 2 minutes and work up. As you become more fit, it will take more intense exercise to get you in the vigorous zone. Eventually you will be able to enjoy more vigorous physical activity pursuits.

There are several ways to know what intensity you are working at: the heart rate equation, and/or how you feel. Moderate exercise is characterized by an increased heart rate, increased rate of breathing, mild sweating and the ability to carry on a conversation while exercising. If you find you cannot carry on a conversation, then you are working too hard. You can also use a scale from 1 to 10. If the exercise you are doing feels like a 6-7 then you are in the moderate zone.

 

Welcome to my new blog!

Hello and welcome. I am stating this blog to share my thoughts, experience and expertise on health and wellness. Check in weekly for updates. If you have specific topics you would like me to cover feel free to e-mail me questions and comments.

There is 30 day exercises challenge starting April 1st. It is organized by reach physio. I will leading a chat room discussion Tuesday nights for those taking part. To sign up go here.

Enjoy the sunshine.