July 12, 2006
by Jim O’Neill
As everyone knows, exercise is good for you. It helps to keep your weight down, helps to keep you toned up, and helps to make you feel good. So then, if getting a little exercise is good for you, then it must be better to get even more and if getting more indeed is better, then it stands to reason that getting a lot would be even better. Sounds logical, doesn’t it? However, this is not always the case.
When you exercise with fairly high intensity, and you exercise that way often, there will come a time at some point when your body will begin to slowly start to shut down. People will get to this point at different times, depending on their fitness levels and exercise intensity and frequency. If after exercise you tend to feel more wore out than worked out, you may already be a victim of overtraining.
There are some signs that your body will give you both physically and mentally that will let you know that you are overtraining. It is wise to recognize these signs and act accordingly, before the problem gets to the point of causing you possible serious injury. Some of the major signs to be aware of are:
Decreased performance
Lack of motivation
Poor coordination
Loss of appetite
Chronic muscle soreness
Chronic stiffness at the joints
Chronic headaches
Longer recovery times
Loss of concentration
Reduced self esteem
Depression
You need to understand that whatever your exercise goals are, your body needs ample time to recover and adjust to the demanding loads you placed on it. Sometimes people who are newcomers to the world of exercise will try to do too much too soon, and may ignore their body when it’s trying to tell them to take a break.
In the case of some who have been into exercise for a while, they will often view these signs as an obstacle and feel the best way to deal with it is to "work through it" or "tough it out". For some others, the problems causing them to overtrain may be more psychological. Excessive exercise is now recognized as a legitimate problem, much like anorexia nervosa or bulimia.
For most, the solution to the problem is simply to exercise in moderation or cut back on the intensity from time to time. Use periodization in your routines. When you feel the signs of overtraining coming on, reduce the intensity of your workouts for a while. When you are ready to increase the intensity again (your body will let you know), then gradually start to pick it up again.
Know your limitations, and never try to compare yourself to anyone else as this is asking for problems. There are some times when you should even just take a whole week completely off and do no exercise at all. This is like taking a vacation from work, it gives you body and your mind a chance to relax and rejuvenate so you can start again a week later nice and fresh.
Remember, if you exercise to the point of overtraining it is almost as bad as not exercising at all. Overtraining will only impede your progress, not help it and in the long run, if you let yourself overtrain, you may be headed for some very unwanted side effects.
Jim O’Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7 part mini e-course at: http://www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php
July 9, 2006
by Chris Chew
Want to know how to reduce weight fast and lose that weight forever? Here are the Ten Commandments you need to do to reduce weight and keep body fat away permanently.
1) Cardio Exercises ñ Do your cardio exercises frequently. These can be any exercises that work up your heart rate to the extent that you are huffing and puffing for at least 20 ñ 30 minutes. Do your cardio exercises 5-6 times a week if you want to reduce weight or 2-3 times a week for weight maintenance.
2) Build Muscles ñ Muscles burn calories even when you are not doing anything but resting. The more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn a day and in the course of over a period of time, the calories you burnt will add up very substantially. Building muscle mass is one sure way of losing body fat forever.
3) Eat Carbs Early ñ Take your meals with carbs earlier in the day and cut down on carbs on later meals. This is to prevent unused carbs from turning into body fat when you sleep and to regulate insulin level.
4) Donít be too afraid of fats ñ The fats in your diet that are bad for you are saturated and trans fat. So replace these bad fats with unsaturated fat and essential fatty acids (EFAs) and these good fats will keep your body fat and fat related diseases down. But do take your fats in moderation as after all, they are still calorie laden.
5) Complex Carbs ñ Choose your carbs. Avoid starchy and refined carbs such as pasta, pizza, white rice and white bread. Replace them with brown rice, brown bread and high fiber carbs like green leafy vegetables.
6) Food Portion ñ Decide how much you want to eat at each meal and then keep to it and do not eat anymore when that portion is consumed. Eat slowly to let your body signal to your brain that you are full. This usually takes about 20 minutes. Extra food means extra and calories mean extra body fat if the food is not converted to energy.
7) Avoid Canned Or Boxed Food ñ These food are usually high in trans fat, sodium, sugar and simple carbs all of which will help you to gain weight and body fat.
8) Eat Often ñ By eating often, say at every 3 hourly intervals, your body will think that food is abundant and therefore less likely to store body fat for emergency such as a famine. But do bear in mind to keep the portion small so as not to consume more calories than you expand.
9) Get 8 Hours Sleep ñ Research after research has shown that people with less sleep are more prone to being fat.
10) Do Not Skip Meals ñ Skipping meals will slow your metabolism and forcing your body to use your muscles for energy instead of your body fat. This is a vicious cycle, the less muscle you have, the more your metabolism slows down.
There you are. By committing to these 10 commandments, not only will you reduce weight but will lose your body fat forever.
About The Author
Chris Chew is a personal trainer of actors, male pageant winners and top models. Read more of his fitness tips at http://www.sgfitness.com and http://www.sgfitnessonline.com.
Other posts tagged with 'cardio exercises'
July 1, 2006
by Gray Rollins
Candida is naturally occurring yeast in the body generally found in the mouth, throat, intestines and genitourinary tract. When friendly bacteria and properly functioning immune system are not present, balance of the system may be lost and Candida overgrowth may occur, but you can help yourself by paying closer attention to your diet.
Someone with an overgrowth of yeast can experience any number of unpleasant symptoms such as a yeast infection, fatigue, rash, depression and anxiety. The symptoms of Candida overgrowth are frequently treated with anti-fungal remedies. Even with these remedies, however, if your diet is not changed to create an environment within the body to prohibit the overgrowth of Candida, relief is sure to be temporary, and problem symptoms will return.
Once you have established that you have a yeast infection, by reviewing symptoms and confirming the presence of causative background factors, there are a variety of dietary changes that you can make to improve your health. Refined sugar should be eliminated from your diet entirely as it encourages the growth of yeast. Sources of this sugar include honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup, molasses, and the familiar white granular sugar. Be sure to read all labels carefully because these sugars are used in many products you may normally buy off the grocery store shelves. Donít eat fruit ñ or drink fruit juices - as they contain natural sugars that promote the growth of yeast. Donít drink beer, wine or liquor as the alcohol also provides sugar, and many of these products are fermented with yeast.
Bagels, muffins, pastries, breads and crackers should also be eliminated from the diet as they contain yeast and sugar. Anything with vinegar ñ which is made with yeast culture ñ should be avoided as well. This would include salad dressings, olives, pickles, mayonnaise, steak sauce, barbeque sauce, soy sauce and mustard. Again, itís important to read all the labels on grocery items. Mushrooms should be avoided as should peanuts and peanut butter, cheeses, and meats that are dried, smoked or pickled. Beverages that should be avoided are fermented drinks such as root beer and cider, black tea, and coffee, including decaffeinated.
Increasing your intake of raw garlic and soluble fiber will help your body to fight the yeast infection. A supplemental dose of acidophilus will help to make your intestinal track more acidic which helps to kill off the Candida. Other recommended supplements include volatile oils, such as peppermint oil or oregano oil ñ these should only be taken in capsule form as the straight liquid may be toxic. Get plenty of sleep and keep your stress to a minimum as well.
Early in the diet many people notice a worsening of their symptoms. When the Candida is killed it releases proteins and toxins. This process is known as die-off and is temporary. With strict adherence to the diet, the patient will usually begin to notice improvements in two to four weeks.
Keeping your immune system, ìfriendlyî bacteria, and Candida in proper balance can be a lot of work; but itís a small price to pay to reclaim your good health and transform your life.
About The Author
Gray Rollins is a featured writer for http://www.candidarelief.com. For more information about a candida diet, visit http://www.candidarelief.com/candidadiet/.
RSS Site FEED
