Why warm up & cool down??

Warm Up

The main purpose and benefit of warm up exercises is to slowly increase your heart rate. This increase in heart rate helps to raise your body temperature and to increase the blood flow to your muscles.

This increase in blood flow properly oxygenates your muscles and prepares them for the upcoming more strenuous aerobic exercise. With your body properly warmed up, you can easily and safely perform the needed stretching exercises to ensure proper flexibility and range of motion for your exercise routine.

A warm-up helps you prepare both mentally and physically for exercise, and reduces the chance of injury. During a warm-up, any injury or illness you have can often be recognized, and further injury prevented. Other benefits of a proper warm up include:

• Increased movement of blood through your tissues, making the muscles more pliable.


• Increased delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. This prevents you from getting out of breath early or too easily.


• Prepares your muscles for stretching


• Prepares your heart for an increase in activity, preventing a rapid increase in blood pressure


• Prepares you mentally for the upcoming exercise


• Primes your nerve-to-muscle pathways to be ready for exercise


• Improves coordination and reaction times

Cool Down

Although many people skip warming up and cooling down, the cool down step is probably the most overlooked piece of an effective exercise routine. The benefits of cooling down are just as important as warm up period but bring you different benefits than the warm up routine.During an aerobic exercise routine you are working your heart within your target heart rate zone. The main purpose of cooling down is to bring your breathing, body temperature and heart rate back to normal slowly.

During the cool down routine you are allowing the blood to properly redistribute itself to the heart. This redistribution helps rid the muscles of lactic acid which can build up around the muscles during an aerobic workout.

If you stop your aerobic exercise abruptly and do not cool down, the blood can pool up around your muscles in the legs. This can cause insufficient blood flow and oxygen to the brain giving you a light headed and dizzy sensation. Dizziness, nausea and feeling worn out are common symptoms of an improper or no cool down period.

The importance of staying hydrated during exercise

Everybody knows that you should drink plenty of fluids when you are exercising, but like so many things, the importance of this one simple thing gets forgotten. It is not only vital to stay hydrated while you are exercising, but also to make sure you are well hydrated before you start exercising and also to keep drinking after your exercise has finished. Many people tend to forget about the before and after parts, and this can lead to dehydration which in turn can not only affect your performance, but can also lead to other problems such as migraines and poor recovery.

Your body needs to be well hydrated in order to function at it's best. While it can work perfectly well at low levels of dehydration, this puts a strain on your body and means you will not be able to perform to your optimum potential. While everybody's needs are different, you should aim to drink around 1.5 - 2 litres of water a day in order to keep yourself at maximum hydration. A good way to check how hydrated you are is to check the colour of your urine, ideally it should be a very pale straw colour, indicating good hydration, any darker than this and you should up your water intake.

Another important aspect of hydration, especially when undertaking high intensity or endurance sports is your electrolytes. These are essential salts and minerals that your body needs in order to function, and a lack of these can present themselves in the form of migraines or even muscle cramps. Sports drinks are a good way to ensure you are getting everything your body needs while you are exercising, and many contain these essential electrolytes as well as sugars to help you go on for longer. It is always a good idea to check the contents of these types of drinks, as many of them use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar to try and keep the calorie content down, which in a way defeats the purpose as more often than not when you reach for an energy drink you are doing so for a quick and instant energy boost, which can only be gained through some form of sugar.

Trying out different drinks until you find one that suits your needs is the only way to go about it, as everybody is different and of course have different tastes. Your friend might rave about their citrus flavour drink which you can 't stand the taste of, the great thing is that most drinks come in a range of flavours so you will be able to find one that you like. It shouldn't be necessary to consume this type of drink before your exercise, however there is nothing wrong with sipping on one throughout the course of your workout, and of course afterwards if it is a drink that contains electrolytes. The most important thing is that you stay hydrated, however you choose to do it.

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What to eat before & after exercise...

To get the best results from your workout, it’s important that you’re eating the right things before and after you exercise. Proper nutrition is essential to improving your endurance and preventing injury, keeping your body in the best condition to reach optimum performance levels. By following these guidelines, you can make the most of your fitness plan and start seeing results faster. Here’s what you need to know…

How your body uses fuel
First, it can be useful to understand how your body uses energy while exercising, and how different types of foods will help and inhibit your weight loss. When you do aerobic exercise- that is, exercises that focus on endurance over long periods of time, like cycling, jogging or swimming- your body uses carbs as fuel to start with. When it runs out of carbs, it starts burning fat.

When you do short-term, high-intensity exercises (anaerobic activity) such as strength training, your muscles use up lots of carbs in the form of glycogen, which is a complex sugar. Repetitive and vigorous training can easily use up most of the carbs stored in the muscles. So here’s how you can use this information to make the most of your workouts…

Before exercise
Make sure you’ve eaten a nutritious meal about an hour before you exercise to keep you going strong throughout your workout. Eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates, like whole-grain pasta, rice and bread, or fruits and vegetables. Complex carbs are easy to digest, and will give you plenty of energy to sustain you throughout your exercise, allowing yourself to really push your body to get the optimum results.

Avoid simple sugars like lollies for at least an hour before you exercise, as they will cause your blood sugar to drop during your workout. It’s important to make sure you don’t suffer low blood sugar levels when you exercise, as this can cause jitters and dizziness, which stops you from training as long and hard as you normally could.

It’s also important to make sure you are well hydrated before you work out. Drink 500-600 ml of water in the one or two hours before exercising. This will help you to reach your optimal physical performance, as well as providing resistance to injury and maintenance of normal body temperature.

During exercise
Make sure you take a water bottle to the gym and keep drinking throughout your workout. It’s recommended that you drink 100 to 200 ml for every 15 to 30 minutes of exercise. If you’re doing intense exercise for prolonged periods of times, you might consider sports drinks, which contain simple carbohydrates and electrolytes. Just remember to check the nutrition label- drinks with up to 10% carbohydrates (most good sports drinks) can help improve endurance, as they enter the bloodstream quickly and deliver glucose to active muscles effectively, but drinks with more carbs than that (like fruit juices and soda) should be avoided, as they can cause cramps and nausea.

After exercise
After your workout you should have a small snack that is rich in complex carbs, so you can restore your muscle-glycogen levels. An hour later, you should have a nutritious, protein-rich meal to repair damaged muscle tissues.

You will also need to rehydrate your body, so make sure you drink some more water. One way of figuring out how much you should be drinking is to weigh yourself before and after you exercise. Any weight lost in that time will be water, so drink one to two cups for each half-kilo lost.

Following these guidelines can help you to get the most out of your workout. You’ll find that your energy levels will improve, and you’ll be more able to reach your optimum performance. Be kind to your body- listen to what it needs, and you’ll be seeing better results in no time.

For more information see source: http://sportsmedicine.about.com

Will weight training make me bulky??

A lot of people (especially women) shy away from weight training for the fear they will end up with big, bulky, and oversized muscles. This simply isn’t true. A properly designed resistance program can deliver whatever you want from your muscles: tone, size, strength, and endurance.

Men and women often see body builders and think that weights will make them look similarly big and scary. But professional body builders train twice a day for hours on end and follow an extremely strict diet to achieve the hulking figures you see in magazines.

Not only does it take a lot of hard training to develop very large muscles, especially for women, the extent to which our muscles grow depends on many factors including:

• The type of resistance program followed (high volume and loads will add more bulk)
• Diet and food intake (you need to eat plenty of food, especially protein, to have the building blocks for big muscles)
• Gender (females generally don't have the chemicals eg. testosterone for extreme muscle building)
• Genetic make up (some people gain muscle faster than others)

Individuals respond differently to Weight Training

Everyone can benefit from a regular weight training program, especially women. Not everyone however, will respond the same way, even if they follow identical programs because we are all very individual and our genetic and body shapes are all very different. For example, if a program is designed to increase muscle size and strength, men will respond very differently to women as their muscles grow much larger due to higher circulating levels of the hormone testosterone. It’s primarily this reason why most women won’t get big muscles from resistance training, even when training with heavy weights. Genetics also play a part in how we adapt – some people gain lean muscle mass faster and in different places.Good weight training design is of paramount importance and a program must “deliver the goods”. Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean stronger so programs designed to increase muscle strength differ from those designed to increase muscle mass or endurance. Women should follow a weights program designed specifically designed for them and their body type.If weight loss is your goal then combining weights training with aerobic exercise is proven as a very successful approach. A number of studies have shown that aerobic work combined with resistance training gives the best fat loss results. You'll increase your metabolism, gain strength to make your aerobic workouts more effective, and improve posture, balance and get good feelings of well being.

Benefits of weight training

• Bone density (especially important for women in the fight against osteoporosis)
• Muscle endurance (reducing muscle fatigue by lifting lighter weights for more repetitions)
• Muscle tone and firmness (we all like this!)
• Increased work capacity (ie you can walk, run, cycle etc faster and burn more calories)

A weights training program can be designed according to your individual needs. Getting big muscles need not be one of these, so women shouldn’t worry about turning into the incredible hulk from some weights training!

For more information see source: http://www.completefitness.com.au/

6 quick tips for getting to sleep...

Many people have problems falling asleep at night, often because their minds keep running at full-speed even though they feel physically tired. Here are six techniques that may help:

1) Keep a regular sleep schedule. This gets your mind and body into a routine.

2) Stay away from reading fiction before bed. Fiction stimulates your imagination and does not help you relax your mind and get to sleep. Mental energy is not what you want when trying to fall asleep.

3) Take a few minutes to quiet your mind. This will help stop that ceaseless thinking. Ways to quiet your mind are: slow and deepen your breathing; think of a few things that went well with the day and be grateful for them; release the emotions attached to anything that didn't go well; stop consciously thinking about things. That last one means to stop trying to think about any issues you have, and stop consciously putting your attention on them. If something is still on your mind, write it down on a notepad next to the bed and resolve to deal with it tomorrow. This is really an important step because if you haven't released something that's bothering you before you try to go to sleep, you'll be replaying it over and over unless you have extremely good control of your thoughts.

4) Keep away from any form of caffeine after 1:00 pm in the afternoon. No coffee, decaf, tea or soda with caffeine. If you are susceptible to the effects of caffeine, it will make it harder for you to quiet your mind when you want to sleep.

5) Focus on your body and relax one area at a time starting at your feet. This both helps your body physically relax and helps you keep your attention on something other than your to-do list, what's going on at work, how mad you are at someone, etc...

6) Visualize walking down an endless stairwell. Keep your attention on your feet as you visualize your walking. This is similar to number 5 above. Giving your attention to something mindless and repetitive helps your brain shut down.

Judy Braley is an author, an attorney, and a parent of two. Her personal development blog with free articles and information on inspiration for your life can be found at GrowFromWithin.com. Copyright © 2007 Wherett Inc. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_Braley

Exercise & Pregnancy

Before beginning an exercise program when pregnant it is advisable to see your Doctor. Your Doctor will need to assess your fitness status in relation to your pregnancy to be sure you are safe to exercise. Also be sure to speak with a Fitness Instructor to work out a fitness program that will be suitable for you to follow.

Exercising when pregnant can provide many benefits to the mind and body as well as helping relieve some common problems associated with pregnancy such as excessive weight gain, swelling of hands and feet, varicose veins, insomnia and fatigue. Some of the benefits of exercising while pregnant include improved posture & circulation, reduced back pain, and increased energy levels. And you will feel better knowing your doing something good for yourself, which is also good for your baby.

Exercise during pregnancy should take into account the changes your body is experiencing – new body alignment, different posture, and reduced strength and endurance.

Generally Pregnant women can participate in low-impact aerobic activity up to three times per week (if your doctor agrees). But don’t push it, if you are feeling exhausted it is better to rest than cause any damage by over-doing it.

Remember always listen to your body, if you experience any sharp pains, fluid leakage, dizziness or faintness be sure to stop exercising and call your doctor straight away.

*Please be advised that you are solely responsible for the way this information is perceived and utilised. Please see your physician before changing your diet or starting an exercise program.

The Les Mills Phenomenon!

By far the most popular form of group exercise offered today, Les Mills has become a phenomenon in the Fitness Industry. Originating in New Zealand Les Mills has revolutionised group exercise practices in gyms all over the world.

Les Mills created eight choreographed group exercise-to-music programs each delivering an hour-long workout in one of the classic exercise genres, such as weight training, mind-body, martial arts, step and dance. These classes are easily identifiable by their trademark prefix of “Body” before the class name, for example; “Body Pump”, “Body Balance”, “Body Combat, “Body Step” etc.

The Les Mills Program Directors create a new class, with new music and choreography, every three months, drawing on the latest trends in music and the latest developments in exercise science. When the new classes are perfected, they are filmed for DVD and dispatched with choreography notes, education sessions and licensed music CDs to the 10,000 qualified Les Mills instructors working in facilities which have licensed one or more of the Les Mills programs from Les Mills Asia Pacific.

Today it is estimated that over one million people a week attend a Les Mills class around Australia and South East Asia. This is testament to the power of Les Mills’ programs and its mission to create life changing fitness experiences every time, everywhere.

Excerpt from the Les Mills website for more info see: www. lesmills.com