 |
||
|
|
 |
|||||
The Truth About Exercise and Why Its Not Always Good for You!
Exercise is often regarded as a panacea for many things..."if you want to lose weight, you must exercise"; "if you want to get those feel good endoprhins racing, take some exercise"; "if you want to help with stress, you should take up exercise". All of this may be true but there are times when exercise is NOT a good thing and should be undertaken with caution or proper supervision. A good example of this is stress. Although exercise is often promoted as a means to work off all your stress, physiologically exercise actually puts stress on your body. What happens when you get stressed about something? You might start to sweat; your heart races; your blood pressure goes up; you breathe a little heavier....what happens when you exercise? You sweat, your heart pumps faster, you breathe harder. Physically, your body's response to exercise is exactly the same response to a stressful situation. So if you are in a stressed or even 'distressed' state and this has been the case for a while, your body will have been placed under enormous pressure to maintain its equilibrium (also called homeostasis) throughout this period. If you then add exercise to the mix, the additional stress that exercise puts on your body may just push it to breaking point. Your immune system could shut down and make you susceptible to illness, your blood pressure may rise dangerously high and you may feel dizzy or nauseous because your heart is struggling to pump blood fast enough to your muscles and brain. And for the guys wanting to pump iron and bulge those biceps, if you are stressed (either from work or even from a cardio workout), you will have cortisol - a stress hormone - pumping round your blood. Cortisol inhibits the production of testosterone - another key hormone that is needed for muscle growth. If you pump iron with cortisol in your blood, your ability to produce testosterone is limited and you'll therefore be wasting your effort to bulk up your muscles. So if you've just done an aerobic workout and stressed your body and then go into the weights room, you're not going to see as much progress as you think you should. But.....I do NOT want to put anyone off exercise, especially aerobic exercise that helps to keep your heart & lungs healthy. In fact, as a personal trainer that's the last thing I want to do! Exercise can be a great stress reliever and the perfect way to wind down after a day of frustration but if you are stressed - and by this I mean truly & physically stressed out - try and de-stress first with some relaxation and meditation, before placing your body under any more stress with 10km on the treadmill. And if you want to build bigger muscles, don't do any aerobic exercise in the same workout - or even on the same day - as a resistance workout. And if all else fails and you are unsure when and how to exercise safely, consult a fully qualified and registered exercise professional. Lea Woodward is a qualified personal trainer in the UK. She runs a health & fitness company, activOne, that provides personal training, massage therapy and training resources to other personal trainers see http://www.activone.co.uk
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Exercising for life ? The magic is in the synergy! Synergy: the working together of two or more things, people, or organizations, especially when the result is greater than the sum of their individual effects or capabilities 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. Dangerous Shoulder Exercises Have you ever suffered from shoulder discomfort after working out? I am referring to aching or sharp pain experienced in the front of the shoulder or lateral upper arm that is felt with overhead activities, reaching behind the back or even laying on the shoulder. These symptoms are often indicative of rotator cuff inflammation. This is a common problem for many people who perform resistance training on a regular basis. It is also a problem that can easily be prevented by modifying the following "dangerous shoulder exercises." Top 10 Reasons To Exercise In The Morning If I had to pick a single factor that I thought The Benefit of Back Exercises Back exercises are often prescribed effectively as an alternative to surgery. Doing daily back exercises can significantly reduce back pain related to a variety of common ailments. However, not every exercise is appropriate for some conditions and certain back exercises may even make the problem worse. This is why it's important to check with your doctor about which exercises will help or hinder you. Are You A One-Dimensional Trainer? Most people are classically biased toward one of the three legs of the fitness triad: progressive resistance training, cardiovascular training or diet/nutrition. How many folks try and lose weight by dieting and dieting alone? A safe bet would be a majority of individuals. Ever wonder why people who lose a lot of bodyweight rapidly still look fat? It's because they are still fat. The Power Workout: Scenario: I really want to get in shape, but I work all day and attend multimedia classes until 8:30. How do I find the time to exercise, and what are a few good exercises for beginners like me? Solution: Finding time to exercise is certainly a challenge. Even the most motivated among us suffer setbacks during our business's busy season or when a new project is on the horizon. The key to fitting fitness into your busy day is to recognize that finding time isn't the issue--it's making time. How to Supercharge Your Energy Levels through Exercise Your energy levels will depend on several factors, including genetics, nutrition, sleep habits, and emotional stress. Some of these you have no control over But there is one VERY important factor that you do have control over and that is your ability to take part in physical exercise. Your Guide to Joining the Right Gym Whether you want to look good on the beach this summer or loose the pounds the thanksgiving turkey puts on, a gym membership could be just the ticket. An Ab Exercise For Everyone! I don't have much of a problem with belly pouch or bulge, since I've been doing one ab exercise or another for most of my life to make my abs flat. Arthritis Exercise ? One Way to Relieve Pain & Stiffness in Your Joints (part 3) There are three main types of exercises to include in a basic exercise program: Get Fit From Home-Part 2 --------------------- Using The Stairs --------------------- 5 Little Known Benefits of Warming Up & Cooling Down After Exercising While working out in the gym, I have noticed that many exercisers tend to skip two very important parts of their workout. It is crucial that exercisers starts with a warm-up and ends with a cool-down. As a fitness educator, I educate my clients of why they should include warm-ups and cool-downs in their workouts. When Exercising Right Looks Wrong For most of us we live in a black and white world. Good vs. evil, right vs. wrong. For a few of us the shade of grey is more appealing. In the world of fitness and exercise most people, novice and advanced exercisers (athletes) there is generally a correct and incorrect way to exercise. Just as in any other specialty or business there is much research that goes into doing the right thing from the wrong thing. There are consequences from doing the wrong thing and rewards from doing the right thing. Thirty Minutes of Exercise a Day Keeps the Doctor Away "Exercise is good for you!" If you had a dollar for every time you heard this statement uttered, you'd be rich by now, right? Well, proponents of everyday physical activity aren't just blowing smoke when they repeat this mantra. Medical research has uncovered resounding evidence to back up this "good for you" claim. In fact, the U.S. Surgeon General, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Centers for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion all recommend the same thing when it comes to regular exercise: American adults should aim for 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week. Get Moving...The Benefits Will Last a Lifetime! The benefits of physical activity are numerous and very well documented. Aside from substantially reducing the risk of dying of a heart attack, regular physical activity decreases the risk for stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain forms of cancer. Regular physical activity helps to build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints and reduces the risk of arthritis and osteoporosis. Regular physical activity helps reduce the symptoms of arthritis and degenerative joint disease and reduces the falls among older adults. Regular exercise has even been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. As overwhelming as these benefits are, the sad fact is that less than half American adults do not get enough physical activity to provide health benefits. Less than 25% of adults are not active at all in their leisure time. The good news is, it's never too late to reap the benefits of an active lifestyle. Wise Up and Invest in Your Workout Success - Six Top Fitness Faux Pas Already dedicated exercisers make small but costly mistakes regularly in their workouts, and one tiny change can have a huge impact on their results. Time is valuable, and for each precious moment invested you want to ensure the best possible return. If your body is not yet as lean or toned as you would like, it is likely that you are committing some key training mistakes. These errors can sabotage the efforts of even veteran exercisers. By learning about the most common fitness faux pas and their fixes, you will mistake-proof your exercise and see tremendous payoffs. Six of the biggest fitness faux pas are? Different Exercises Schedule to Combat Diabetes, Arthritis, and Obesity! Different Health Problems generally do not allow us to do traditional exercises. Above all, one type of exercise cant be effective to each group facing different challenges. But despite all these different challenges, the general rule applies to all: Extra Effort and Persistence. 4 Steps To More Effective Aerobic, Streching, and Weight Training Exercise We all know that well-balanced diets include the different nutrients we need to maintain health and well-being. But did you know that your exercise program needs to be well-balanced, too? There's three types of exercise to include in your work-out diet. 10 Best Workout Tips Top Trainers share their secrets to getting slim, toned and strong in record time. It guarantees that you will see results in no time.
|
|
|
|
|
