This is from the Australian Better Health Iniative 'Measure Up' and given that 50% of Australians are overweight, it's timely advice:
The smell of spring flowers, the warmer weather…. Spring is the ideal time to (re)start being physically active and to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods.
1. Spring is a perfect time to tend to your garden. Increases in daily activity can come from tasks like gardening. Gardening activities like digging, shifting soil, and mowing the lawn are great exercise. You can even grow some fruit and vegetables that contribute to eating a healthy diet!
2. Make sure you are drinking sufficient water in the warmer weather. It is easy to get dehydrated when temperatures are on the rise. Avoid sweetened drinks such as cordial, soft drink and sports drinks. If you need to add pizzazz to your water take the advice of Jack from Takura QLD by adding a few slices of fresh lime, lemon or other citrus fruit.
3. There is no excuse not to include fruit and vegetables on your shopping list in Spring! Fresh produce is ripe for the picking in Spring. Stick to in-season produce to get the best prices. Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fibre that are important for good health. Make eating fruit and veg fun- create a fruit salad and try a fruit you have never had before; add to your Spring BBQ by making grilled vege-kebabs, or cut fruits and vegetables into interesting shapes.
4. Get active with friends and family in outdoor springtime activities. It is always nice to share a beautiful day with somebody else. Instead of doing something that is inside and less active together choose to take a walk or a bike ride.
5. Take advantage of the nicer weather and include water based activity as part of getting physical. Go for a swim or take a water aerobics class in your local pool or head to a nearby river, lake or beach.
... remember though, when outside - slip, slop & slap!
Resource: http://www.measureup.gov.au/internet/abhi/publishing.nsf
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The time to exercise
Yes, we all know that exercise is a necessary part of your good health regime, but when's the best time to exercise?
Well, one option is when it works for you eg before/after work etc. If you're a "first thing" exerciser I'd like to highlight some information for you to take into account when planning a routine.
The spine needs bed rest and bed rest reduces the applied (hydrostatic) load below the disc osmotic pressure, resulting in net inflow of fluid. This is how the disc receives nutrients and in fact your spine will "grow" during the usual eight hours of bed rest per day. Diurnal variation in the fluid level of the intervertebral (spine) discs changes the stresses on the disc: they are highly hydrated upon rising from bed. The annulus (core of disc) is subjected to much higher stresses during at this time and the end plates fail at lower compressive loads as well.
Discs will lose 90% of the fluid they generally lose over the course of the day within the first hour after rising from bed.
Thus, performing spine-bending maneuvers first thing in the morning is unwise and it is recommended to avoid full-range motion under load shortly after rising from bed eg. spine stretches, sit-ups, rowing.
Reference: "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance" (3rd Edition) by Stuart McGill PhD, Professor of Spine Biomechanics, University of Waterloo, Canada. www.backfitpro.com
Well, one option is when it works for you eg before/after work etc. If you're a "first thing" exerciser I'd like to highlight some information for you to take into account when planning a routine.
The spine needs bed rest and bed rest reduces the applied (hydrostatic) load below the disc osmotic pressure, resulting in net inflow of fluid. This is how the disc receives nutrients and in fact your spine will "grow" during the usual eight hours of bed rest per day. Diurnal variation in the fluid level of the intervertebral (spine) discs changes the stresses on the disc: they are highly hydrated upon rising from bed. The annulus (core of disc) is subjected to much higher stresses during at this time and the end plates fail at lower compressive loads as well.
Discs will lose 90% of the fluid they generally lose over the course of the day within the first hour after rising from bed.
Thus, performing spine-bending maneuvers first thing in the morning is unwise and it is recommended to avoid full-range motion under load shortly after rising from bed eg. spine stretches, sit-ups, rowing.
Reference: "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance" (3rd Edition) by Stuart McGill PhD, Professor of Spine Biomechanics, University of Waterloo, Canada. www.backfitpro.com
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Cold n Flu Fighters
Obviously eating well, exercising every day and getting enough sleep is integral to staying healthy, but what should you do when you're "under attack" with a cold or the dreaded flu? Here are some tips:
Supplement Your Diet
Vitamin C helps increase the production of disease-fighting white blood cells and antibodies.
Vitamin E also helps immunity cells produce antibodies.
Echinacea fires up your immune system to help prevent/treat attack.
Beta-Carotene converts in the body into Vitamin A and helps in the production of infection-fighting cells.
Zinc increases the ability of white blood cells to fight infection.
Selenium helps prevent cellular damage by free radicals.
Exercise is great to reduce stress, improve sleep and aid weight management HOWEVER if you've got a "bug" is best to cut out or cut back on exercise until your immune system has recovered (physical activity causes a level of stress on the body). "Soldiering On" is NOT the way to quickly recover - if you're unwell, treat your body nicely and let it rest.
Sleep rejuvenates your body and helps your immune system function. Deep sleep stimulates the thymus gland to produce T-cells which help reject foregin substances and produces antibodies to fight infection. Aim to get 7-8 hours quality sleep a night. Sleeping helps you de-stress...
Stress triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol hormones that will reduce your boyd's ability to produce antibodies - that's why highly-stressed people offers get more colds and suffer digestive upsets.
Resource: 'liveitup' Winter 08 magazine, published by Blackmores. Information supplied by Andrew Cate, Nutritionist.
Supplement Your Diet
Vitamin C helps increase the production of disease-fighting white blood cells and antibodies.
Vitamin E also helps immunity cells produce antibodies.
Echinacea fires up your immune system to help prevent/treat attack.
Beta-Carotene converts in the body into Vitamin A and helps in the production of infection-fighting cells.
Zinc increases the ability of white blood cells to fight infection.
Selenium helps prevent cellular damage by free radicals.
Exercise is great to reduce stress, improve sleep and aid weight management HOWEVER if you've got a "bug" is best to cut out or cut back on exercise until your immune system has recovered (physical activity causes a level of stress on the body). "Soldiering On" is NOT the way to quickly recover - if you're unwell, treat your body nicely and let it rest.
Sleep rejuvenates your body and helps your immune system function. Deep sleep stimulates the thymus gland to produce T-cells which help reject foregin substances and produces antibodies to fight infection. Aim to get 7-8 hours quality sleep a night. Sleeping helps you de-stress...
Stress triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol hormones that will reduce your boyd's ability to produce antibodies - that's why highly-stressed people offers get more colds and suffer digestive upsets.
Resource: 'liveitup' Winter 08 magazine, published by Blackmores. Information supplied by Andrew Cate, Nutritionist.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The 10 minute lunchtime workout
A lack of physical activity drains your body of energy. Sitting at your desk all day hunched over your computer and sliding further into your chair results in heavy legs and a tight lower back.
Greater benefits of finding time to exercise include wellbeing and elevated moods that help us to perform at our best and cope better during stressful times. The catch-22 is that when we do get busy and stressed one of the first things to drop from our schedules is our daily exercise.
Of course, if you have injury, haven't exercised for awhile or have other concerns, take care. You should feel the work but it shouldn't cause pain. Any issues talk to your exercise leader or doctor.
Here are a few exercises to do during the day: it doesn't have to be lunchtime, also think:
* if you're on a conference call and hands-free or if you're early to a meeting;
* wasted "waiting time" eg waiting for the kettle to boil for that cuppa, waiting for transport etc
* some can be done seated, so if driving, red lights present a great opportunity.
Wall push-ups – push-ups are an excellent exercise that uses your entire upper body. If you haven’t done a push-up for a few years you might find floor push-ups a real challenge, and besides if you’re all dressed up for work, you don’t want to go lying on the floor.
Stand about an arm’s length from the wall.
Put your hands or arms on the wall, shoulder width apart.
Stand straight, feet flat on the floor, tuck in your stomach and hold your chest up.
Keep your body straight and lower yourself to do a push-up against the wall.
The slower you go, the faster you will tone your muscles.
If you find this too easy, bring your hands closer together for more of a challenge.
Squats – are excellent for toning the front and back of your legs and your buttocks.
Stand facing your desk, move your chair back so that it is a little behind you and take off your shoes if you are wearing heels.
Stand tall with your feet shoulder width apart, then keeping your back straight, push your bottom out while keeping your chest up.
Squat slowly down in this position until your bottom just touches the chair (do not sit down), then slowly stand up straight again.
Breathe in as you descend and breathe out as you come up. The objective of a squat is to push your bottom out, keeping your knees over your toes. If you have ever been skiing, just think of that position.
Do three sets of ten of these.
Pec Stretches - poor posture at the computer invariably leads to forward rounded shoulders. When this happens the Pectinus (Pecs) on the front of your chest shorten, so stretching them out is important.
Stand in a doorway with your arm at shoulder height and forearm at a ceiling pointed right-angle. Holding your body firm and straight with your stomach gently tucked in lean diagonally away. Make sure not to strain your lower back. You should feel the stretch in your chest, not your arm.
Back stretch - again that rounded posture will strain your back, so
raise your arms above your head and lock your fingers together, palms up if you like.
Gently push arms backwards and raise chest to get a strong arch in your back. Breath deeply.
These next ones you can do anytime: sitting or standing eg at home in front of the TV or at your computer, red lights etc. Hold each for 5-10 seconds and also come back to neutral before doing the next move.
Chin Retraction –
Simply drawer your chin back towards your spine. It's a tiny move and to get the correct position I recommend starting with putting a finger on your chin and gently pushing backwards. That's it.
Note: there's no head tilting involved so you shouldn't be staring at the ceiling orfloor. You may feel a "nervy" sensation in your neck and arms, this should stop when you finish the move as it is the nerves being stretched.
Neck Stretches -
Simply turn your head slowly from side to side, holding for a few seconds at the end of the turn.
Drop your ear to your shoulder (don't bring your shoulder up! sit on your hand if you need to)
Drop your chin to your chest
Drop your head backwards and feel the strain on your throat, open and close your mouth (warning: this'll make you look like a dying fish!)
Shoulder Rolls - a great one to loosen the entire shoulder girdle.
Put on fingers on your shoulders and with your elbows drawer big circles (I said BIG) preferably backwards and slowly.
Remember with exercise it is quality over quantity. And with weight-bearing exercises, the slower you go the faster you build muscle.
... and for the rest of the time, sit properly with both feet on the floor (see my link on "How to sit at a computer" under Favorites), but also get up and move at least every hour for a few minutes.
Resource: http://www.blackmores.com.au/News/Detail.aspx?ArticleId=9180
by Jennifer Jefferies
Greater benefits of finding time to exercise include wellbeing and elevated moods that help us to perform at our best and cope better during stressful times. The catch-22 is that when we do get busy and stressed one of the first things to drop from our schedules is our daily exercise.
Of course, if you have injury, haven't exercised for awhile or have other concerns, take care. You should feel the work but it shouldn't cause pain. Any issues talk to your exercise leader or doctor.
Here are a few exercises to do during the day: it doesn't have to be lunchtime, also think:
* if you're on a conference call and hands-free or if you're early to a meeting;
* wasted "waiting time" eg waiting for the kettle to boil for that cuppa, waiting for transport etc
* some can be done seated, so if driving, red lights present a great opportunity.
Wall push-ups – push-ups are an excellent exercise that uses your entire upper body. If you haven’t done a push-up for a few years you might find floor push-ups a real challenge, and besides if you’re all dressed up for work, you don’t want to go lying on the floor.
Stand about an arm’s length from the wall.
Put your hands or arms on the wall, shoulder width apart.
Stand straight, feet flat on the floor, tuck in your stomach and hold your chest up.
Keep your body straight and lower yourself to do a push-up against the wall.
The slower you go, the faster you will tone your muscles.
If you find this too easy, bring your hands closer together for more of a challenge.
Squats – are excellent for toning the front and back of your legs and your buttocks.
Stand facing your desk, move your chair back so that it is a little behind you and take off your shoes if you are wearing heels.
Stand tall with your feet shoulder width apart, then keeping your back straight, push your bottom out while keeping your chest up.
Squat slowly down in this position until your bottom just touches the chair (do not sit down), then slowly stand up straight again.
Breathe in as you descend and breathe out as you come up. The objective of a squat is to push your bottom out, keeping your knees over your toes. If you have ever been skiing, just think of that position.
Do three sets of ten of these.
Pec Stretches - poor posture at the computer invariably leads to forward rounded shoulders. When this happens the Pectinus (Pecs) on the front of your chest shorten, so stretching them out is important.
Stand in a doorway with your arm at shoulder height and forearm at a ceiling pointed right-angle. Holding your body firm and straight with your stomach gently tucked in lean diagonally away. Make sure not to strain your lower back. You should feel the stretch in your chest, not your arm.
Back stretch - again that rounded posture will strain your back, so
raise your arms above your head and lock your fingers together, palms up if you like.
Gently push arms backwards and raise chest to get a strong arch in your back. Breath deeply.
These next ones you can do anytime: sitting or standing eg at home in front of the TV or at your computer, red lights etc. Hold each for 5-10 seconds and also come back to neutral before doing the next move.
Chin Retraction –
Simply drawer your chin back towards your spine. It's a tiny move and to get the correct position I recommend starting with putting a finger on your chin and gently pushing backwards. That's it.
Note: there's no head tilting involved so you shouldn't be staring at the ceiling orfloor. You may feel a "nervy" sensation in your neck and arms, this should stop when you finish the move as it is the nerves being stretched.
Neck Stretches -
Simply turn your head slowly from side to side, holding for a few seconds at the end of the turn.
Drop your ear to your shoulder (don't bring your shoulder up! sit on your hand if you need to)
Drop your chin to your chest
Drop your head backwards and feel the strain on your throat, open and close your mouth (warning: this'll make you look like a dying fish!)
Shoulder Rolls - a great one to loosen the entire shoulder girdle.
Put on fingers on your shoulders and with your elbows drawer big circles (I said BIG) preferably backwards and slowly.
Remember with exercise it is quality over quantity. And with weight-bearing exercises, the slower you go the faster you build muscle.
... and for the rest of the time, sit properly with both feet on the floor (see my link on "How to sit at a computer" under Favorites), but also get up and move at least every hour for a few minutes.
Resource: http://www.blackmores.com.au/News/Detail.aspx?ArticleId=9180
by Jennifer Jefferies
Friday, February 8, 2008
Pilates
Pilates is a body-conditioning programme designed to teach efficient movement patterns and provide general well-being using controlled exercises and deliberate breathing patterns.
Regular practice will provide you with a strong core, good alignment and functional mobility whilst providing a unique approach to body awareness, posture and stability.
Pilates exercises are generally low impact and non-aerobic so are ideal for all levels of fitness: from the injured and sedentary to fit people wanting further improvements.
Unlike a lot of other types of exercise, Pilates emphasises basic techniques that should be observed with EVERY MOVE, in short:
1. Concentration - use your brain to put bones and muscles in place and isolate moves ... think about what is happening;
2. Breathing - lateral rib breathing takes a bit of getting used to, it's essentially expanding your rib cage out to the sides;
3. Alignment (including Neutral Spine) - Pelvis, ribs, scapulae (shoulder blades), head, neck, feet all have a proper position ... before, during and after each move;
4. Corset Activation - activating specific muscles to support alignment;
5. Precision - it's quality of movement of quantity. In fact, generally you won't do more than 10 reps of any movement.
Around the world there are lots of variations on Pilates. The most popular are -
Winsor or West Coast (CA) - focusing on 'the burn' or cardio component;
East Coast (NY) - comes mainly from the dance world, where people are very flexible;
Stott (Can) - a combination of both of the above it was developed by a professional dancer and a team of sport medicine experts who introduced the neutral spine & imprint techniques;
English - the above but moving more towards the remedial;
Australian - as with lots of things, we've taken the best of the best, modified it and designed a safe, progressive program, which can be tailored to individual needs starting at the most basic and gradually making moves more challenging.
Joseph Pilates also developed a series of machines to help challenge the body. The machine most people use is called the Reformer, which is a sliding carriage with resistance springs. There is also the trap table or "Cadillac". This piece looks like a table with bars above. Personally, I strongly recommend learning fundamental moves on the mat before progressing onto the equipment (however cool it looks!). Working on a stable floor helps with control and you can then also exercise at home.
There are two big precautions in terms of Pilates:
Find a qualified teacher: Pilates is great for preventing injury and rehabilitating people who've had injuries. But if the teacher is not qualified, the opposite can be true. Don't put yourself in unqualified hands.
If you do have a back problem or other medical issue, make sure that your teacher knows about it: what it is, how long it's been going on, any other information etc. Pilates has become known for helping people with back problems. This can be true, but it is not a one-cure-fits-all.
If you bear these two precautions in mind, you should be on track to reap the benefits of Pilates.
Regular practice will provide you with a strong core, good alignment and functional mobility whilst providing a unique approach to body awareness, posture and stability.
Pilates exercises are generally low impact and non-aerobic so are ideal for all levels of fitness: from the injured and sedentary to fit people wanting further improvements.
Unlike a lot of other types of exercise, Pilates emphasises basic techniques that should be observed with EVERY MOVE, in short:
1. Concentration - use your brain to put bones and muscles in place and isolate moves ... think about what is happening;
2. Breathing - lateral rib breathing takes a bit of getting used to, it's essentially expanding your rib cage out to the sides;
3. Alignment (including Neutral Spine) - Pelvis, ribs, scapulae (shoulder blades), head, neck, feet all have a proper position ... before, during and after each move;
4. Corset Activation - activating specific muscles to support alignment;
5. Precision - it's quality of movement of quantity. In fact, generally you won't do more than 10 reps of any movement.
Around the world there are lots of variations on Pilates. The most popular are -
Winsor or West Coast (CA) - focusing on 'the burn' or cardio component;
East Coast (NY) - comes mainly from the dance world, where people are very flexible;
Stott (Can) - a combination of both of the above it was developed by a professional dancer and a team of sport medicine experts who introduced the neutral spine & imprint techniques;
English - the above but moving more towards the remedial;
Australian - as with lots of things, we've taken the best of the best, modified it and designed a safe, progressive program, which can be tailored to individual needs starting at the most basic and gradually making moves more challenging.
Joseph Pilates also developed a series of machines to help challenge the body. The machine most people use is called the Reformer, which is a sliding carriage with resistance springs. There is also the trap table or "Cadillac". This piece looks like a table with bars above. Personally, I strongly recommend learning fundamental moves on the mat before progressing onto the equipment (however cool it looks!). Working on a stable floor helps with control and you can then also exercise at home.
There are two big precautions in terms of Pilates:
Find a qualified teacher: Pilates is great for preventing injury and rehabilitating people who've had injuries. But if the teacher is not qualified, the opposite can be true. Don't put yourself in unqualified hands.
If you do have a back problem or other medical issue, make sure that your teacher knows about it: what it is, how long it's been going on, any other information etc. Pilates has become known for helping people with back problems. This can be true, but it is not a one-cure-fits-all.
If you bear these two precautions in mind, you should be on track to reap the benefits of Pilates.
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