A recent study published in Neck and Shoulder Pain from Harvard Health Publications shows strong evidence supporting the use of stretching and gentle strengthening exercises for people who suffer from neck and shoulder pain. This also spills over into other sports injuries and muscle sprains.

The results show that recovery from muscle pain is accelerated when the victim remains active and engages in gentle stretching and strengthening exercises after the injury occurred. Even in injuries such as whiplash, this treatment works.

In sports, active recovery is something that is recommended during intense training and the same principles can be applied here. Other therapeutic methods can include foam rolling that stimulates deep tissues to repair and breakdown adhesions that may be stifling your performance.

Even on your days off, taking a 30-minute walk to invigorate yourself is recommended to keep muscles flushed with nutrient-rich blood. During my off days, I practice Yoga and use this time to fully and deeply stretch my muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints. This helps with recovery and my body responds better to the intensity of training.

Strength training and weight lifting work in contradiction to stretching and mobility exercises, which is why it is so important to fully stretch your muscles out after exercise. While we lift weights, we shorten our muscles and create bulk. Through stretching, we work the muscles in the opposite direction by lengthening them and releasing any tension that may build up during training.

It is recommended that you work your body on all planes and that your exercise program is planned in such a way that your body is given the treatment and time to properly recover and repair itself. This is the path to a successful and healthy fitness plan.

It’s also a good idea to plan your workout around the kind of lifestyle you lead. For instance, if you work at a computer all day sitting down or you are a commuter who spends a lot of time in the car, your exercise plan will want to strengthen the muscles you weaken during your daily work life. Being hunched over a desk all day causes tension in your upper back and shoulders, your chest and abdomen. Some back-bending exercises, thoracic-opening exercises and movements that help improve posture will ensure you’re developing a well-rounded health and fitness plan and will help you move into your senior years with greater flexibility and mobility.

You can feel it, can’t you? The difference between eating healthy and not eating healthy by your energy levels – zapped! So, now is the time to get back on track and take the bull by the horns.

If you’re a regular gym-goer, you dread the beginning of the New Year and how crowded your gym gets by all those new hopefuls. This year, why not try being more supportive and encourage those new faces in their fitness endeavors? Who knows – maybe you’ll even meet a new workout partner.

Despite the crowds, you still need to work out and having a plan is the best strategy to have.

This full body workout uses higher reps with moderate weight, which will help burn fat while promoting the growth of lean muscle mass. Each rep count will be set somewhere between 10 to 15 repetitions, depending on the exercise. A key point to remember is that just because the weight is lower than your max, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t struggle at the end of each set. It is imperative that you choose a load weight that pushes you. If you’re not struggling to get those last few reps, then increase the weight. However, make sure you’re sticking to form and not compromising your workout by lifting too heavy. If you’re consistently not making it to the appropriate rep count, you need to decrease the weight.

New Year, New You Workout

Monday – Chest & Triceps

Stability Ball Push-ups – 3 Sets/ 12-15 Reps
Perform by placing your hands about a foot apart on a stability ball and then execute a standard push-up. Make sure to concentrate on your motion and balance during each repetition.

Reverse Cable Crosses – 3 Sets/ 12-15 Reps
Start by positioning the handles so they are at the highest point in which you can reach. Then grasp each cable opposite to the side your hand is on. Simultaneously pull each cable until your arms are fully extended and pointing towards the floor. The cables should cross during the execution of the exercise. Slowly bring the cables back down towards the starting position and repeat.

One-Arm Dumbbell Presses – 3 Sets/ 12-15 Reps
Start by lying flat on your back, while grasping one dumbbell. Take your other hand and place it on your hip for stability. Position the dumbbell so it is perpendicular with your chest and push upwards. Once you have reached a full extension, bring your arm down and repeat. Switch hands on every other set.

Standing Triceps Presses – 3 Sets/ 12-15 Reps
Grasp a barbell with an overhand grip with your hands 8 to 10 inches apart. Stand upright and hold the bar over your head. Lower the weight down while keeping your elbows stationary. Take the weight down as low as possible and then press the weight back up to the starting position and repeat.

Tuesday – Quads and Hamstrings

Dumbbell Squat Press – 4 Sets/ 10-12 Reps
Start by standing upright with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Slowly bend your knees until you are in a full squatting position. Then jump as high as possible, upon landing continue to the next rep.

Overhead Squat – 4 Sets/ 10-12 Reps
Position one end of the barbell against the wall and stack desired weight on the other end. Grasp the weighted end of the bar with one hand and place your other hand behind your back. Then squat until your hamstrings are parallel with the floor. Rotate your hands with each set.

Jump-Squats – 4 Sets/ 10-15 Reps
Start by standing in a standard squatting position. (Note: You can also position a barbell across your shoulders and upper back, holding it on each end to add more resistance during the exercise.) Then jump from the squatting position, landing with your feet spread at about your shoulder-width apart.

Wednesday – Rest

Thursday – Back and Biceps

Upright Raises – 3 Sets/ 10-12 Reps
Start in a standing position while grasping a barbell with an overhand grip. Your hands should be 8 to 10 inches apart. Let the barbell hang in front of you, with your arms fully extended. This is the starting position. Lift the bar straight up until it reaches your chin, and then slowly bring the bar back down. Make sure not to swing your back or cheat during the reps. Your motion should be stabile and controlled.

Two Hand Cable Curls – 3 Sets/ 10-12 Reps
Stand upright with your body facing the cable and pulley. Grasp the curl bar while keeping your feet shoulder-width apart. While keeping your elbows close to your body, curl the weight as high as you can and then slowly bring the bar back to the starting position.

Bent-Arm Pullovers with Barbell – 3 Sets 10-12 Reps
Start by lying on your back along a flat bench. Place a barbell on the floor behind your head. Reach back and grab the bar. Raise the bar while keeping your arms bent. Bring the bar over your head and to your chest. Then lower the bar back down towards the starting position. You should feel a nice stretch in your lats. Make sure to keep the bar from touching the floor.

Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls – 3 Sets/ 12-15 Reps
While standing upright with a dumbbell in each hand, hanging at the side of your body, curl one dumbbell up towards your chest. Alternate as the first dumbbell reaches the starting position and repeat.

Friday – Rest

Saturday – Shoulders and Abs

Seated Twists – 3 Sets/ 75-100 Reps
Perform by sitting on the edge of a bench. Place a light-bar or broom handle across the back of your shoulders. Hold each end of the bar. While keeping your head still, rotate your torso as far as you can in either direction. When reaching the end of your extension, hold for 5-10 seconds. Make sure you don’t swing your body during the exercise.

Variation Dumbbell Raises – 3 Sets/ 12-15 Reps
Start with your arms at your sides with a dumbbell in each hand. Then raise your arms to your sides until your elbows are shoulder height. Lower your arms to the starting position. Lift one   arm in front of your body, until your arm is parallel to the floor. Make sure you don’t swing your body during the lifting motion. Bring your arm back down and then rotate arms. This will complete one rep.

Medicine Ball Leg Lifts – 3 Sets/ 15-20 Reps
Start by lying flat on your back with your knees up and your feet flat on the floor. Position a medicine ball between your knees and squeeze to stabilize. Bring your legs up towards your chest. Slowly bring your legs back down towards the starting position, but do not let your feet touch the ground.

Military Presses – 3 Sets/ 12-15 Reps
Sit at the edge of a bench and then grasp a dumbbell in each hand. Hoist each dumbbell to shoulder height and then press simultaneously until the dumbbells touch each other above your head. Bring the weight down until your arms form a 90-degree angle and then repeat.

Sunday – Rest

If you goal is to lose weight and burn fat, then you have probably asked yourself the same question that most people want to know:

What is the best exercise for burning fat?

That question was at the forefront of the minds of scientists out of the University of California who engaged in a study to find out exactly what is the best exercise for burning fat.

Published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, this study focused on three groups of trainees:

• Cardio only group.
• Resistance training only.
• Cardio plus resistance training (the cardio component came in the form of active recovery, which was performed at the end of each set for 30-60 seconds).

It was calculated that each group performed the same amount of work in terms of expenditure; however, the Cardio Plus Resistance Group performed better and experienced better fat-burning scores.

Why did this group perform better?

The combination of resistance training plus cardio had the effect of building muscle and burning fat at the same time. The fat that this group burned was ten times greater than those focusing on one type of training alone.

Fat Burning Workout

• 10 Push-Ups or Knee Push-Ups
• 15-20 Jumping Jacks or 1 minute of jumping rope
• 10 Squats or Lunges
• 15-20 Jumping Jacks or 1 minute of jumping rope
• 10 crunches followed immediately by 15-20 jumping jacks
• 10 sets of deadlifts to shoulder press
• 15-20 jumping jacks or 1 minute of jumping rope.

You can easily incorporate this type of training into your regular weight lifting routine simply by adding active recovery and jumping rope, cycling, walking on the treadmill, jogging or sprinting for one minute in between each set. After two weeks, you should experience a shrinkage in your waistline and an overall reduction of body fat.

Scientists are now studying intra-cellular activity in the brain under the effect of exercise and are making some surprising discoveries.

An inactive brain, much like an inactive body, withers and loses its ability to function properly. Under the influence of exercise, new branches of cellular development grow in the brain, keeping it elastic and fully functional. Exercise to your brain (and body) is like water to a plant – it needs it to grow and flourish.

Exercising the body creates proteins that travel through the bloodstream to the brain, where they take turns in maintaining and creating cognitive behavior. You may have heard of these proteins – insulin-like growth hormone or IGF-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF. These factors embody the mind-body connection and make it happen.

The absence of these proteins affects cognitive behaviour and productivity. They also affect memory and the amount of data you are able to store and remember throughout the day. These processes involve binding neurons together to make the connection to the brain and then to the body. How efficiently these processes are executed rely on the delicate balance of neuro-chemicals and the growth factors mentioned earlier.

“Exercise has a documented, dramatic effect on these essential ingredients. It sets the stage and when you sit down to learn something new that stimulation strengthens the relevant connections. With practice, the circuit develops definition as if you’re wearing down a path through a forest.

The importance of making these connections carries over to all the issues I deal with in this program. In order to deal with anxiousness, for instance, you need to let certain well-worn paths grow over while you place alternate trails. By understanding certain reactions between your body and your brain, you can manage the process, handle problems and get your mind humming along smoothly.” – John J. Ratey, MD: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.

All you need is 30 minutes of exercise a day to trigger these growth factors and stimulate brain activity and a high-protein diet, supplemented with whey protein that helps stimulate IGF-1. If you started your day with exercise today, then your brain is better prepared to handle the stresses of the day and absorb information. The result: you’ll be more productive and less fatigued.

There is a catch, however, you have to be in the right frame of mind in order to reap the benefits of exercise. This also has a lot to do with motivation and sticking with an exercise program. You can’t trick your brain. If you hate working out, your brain knows and those paths in the forest will remain restricted.

So, the more important question is why do you hate exercise? Probably because you haven’t found an activity that suits your personality. Exercise should be enjoyable, invigorating and social. Focus on finding something you enjoy. Check with your friends and see how they stay active and join in. Above all, change your attitude towards exercise and your brain will flourish.

I’m talking about that ever-expanding holiday waistline.

Well, there is no better time like the present to step up and get back into shape.

We all know the key to losing weight and fat loss is to create a negative energy balance and the best way to do this is by keeping your metabolism revved up even at rest. The best way to do this is by building lean tissue and creating an intense metabolic response that will not only burn some calories during your workout but will keep you burning them for hours afterwards.

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is the answer to this dilemma and is best performed after your weight training workout. As a post-workout workout, HIIT will boost your metabolism for hours and hours. Because this type of workout is so effective, you will be spending less time in the gym but getting twice the results and faster.

It won’t take you more than three hours per week to make significant changes if you are following a sound nutrition plan. The old saying of work smarter not harder…well it just isn’t the way it really goes when it comes to positive training outcomes. Yes, you will work smarter, which is why you can spend less time during the week in the gym, but you will be working harder than what you may have been (or never have) before.

Performing the workout below three times per week with at least a day off in between each workout will help you get fitter faster.

Post-Workout High Intensity Interval Training

Warm-Up

• Jump rope 5 minutes
• 360 degree bodyweight lunges x 5 each side
• Overhead Squats with stick x 10
• Isolateral Butt-Bridges x 5 each side
• Inchworm x 10

Resistance Training

These supersets should be performed for 2 to 3 sets of 8 reps with a 60-second rest in between.

Superset 1

• Thrusters
• Back Squats

Superset 2

• Deadlift
• Bent-Over Barbell Row (supinated grip)

Superset 3

• Lateral Lunge to Overhead Press
• Push-Ups AMRAP (as many reps as possible in 30 secs)

Intervals can be done on your favorite piece of equipment or with burpees or a jump rope. Choose whichever will challenge you the most without compromising on safety for 30 secs of work at 85-90% of your heart rate reserve followed by 60-second rest. Repeat this 10 times.

If you are feeling up to it, throw in 3 sets of supersetted ab work like ball rollouts and pikes for 15 reps each. Finish with some stretching and be sure to refuel afterward.

Some scientists believe, based on research from a study from 1991 out of the University of Georgia, that we are hardwired to our instincts dating back to our cave-dwelling days and these instincts are responsible for an average increase of 200 calories a day in the winter. Colder weather means a food scarcity.

The other culprit is light. The lack of daylight hours in the winter sends signals to the brain for us to stockpile on food and eat faster than normal.

But some scientists disagree with this theory and place the blame on the holidays and people spending more time indoors and less time exercising. During the winter months, our cravings for comfort foods escalate as does our caloric intake. The stronger the memories attached to your favourite foods, the higher the possibility that you’ll eat more of these foods. With every mouthful, these memories are enhanced. Eating already increases our production of the feel-good hormone, dopamine, and when it’s a favorite food, this sensation is even greater.

Unfortunately, most of our comfort foods are high in carbs and high in fat, which leads to more calories and an increased chance of weight gain. So, you can limit yourself by paying close attention to your portion control. Also, including a protein component to every meal you eat will fill you up faster and keep you full for longer.

For those people who are strict about their fitness regime, having a winter plan is always a part of their strategy. Planning ahead is always a good game plan, especially when the winter months are ahead of us. Don’t give in to colder climates and use that as an excuse not to exercise. Devise a plan that will keep you motivated and exercised all winter long.

Overeating is something we all do, whether we are young or old and even if we’re not hungry. Changing this repetitive and destructive habit requires a lifestyle change and some serious behavioral therapy.

A recent study out of the University of California, published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology looked at a couple of different methods to help overeating.

These studies focused on reprogramming natural responses to satiety and internal hunger cues. Scientists also brought cognitive therapy into the mix by working on the psychological and physiological response to foods in any given situation.

The first method was called Appetite Awareness Training that focused on learning the difference between being full and actual hunger. The second method was called Cue Exposure Training that focused on resisting temptation – something like that old dog trick, where you sit your dog down in front of a delicious treat and he sits there and drools, not touching the food until he’s given the command.

“We teach children and parents how the environment tricks us into eating foods even when we’re not hungry,” said Kerri Boutelle, PhD and lead study author, citing examples of food triggers such as TV commercials, the abundance of easy-to-eat and high-calories snacks, and the use of food as a reward.

This study lasted eight weeks and provided the participants with coping skills and ideas to help resist temptation and the urge to overeat. Test subjects were also taught how to manage their overeating and listen to their body’s hunger cues and food-related moods.

The results were recorded for body weight, overeating, binge eating and caloric intake.

“While this was a pilot study, our initial results suggest that the ‘cue exposure’ approach might be very helpful in reduction of eating in the absence of hunger,” said Boutelle. She added that significant reduction in such overeating was found in the cue-exposure group, even six months post-treatment, though there was very little long-term impact on overeating in the appetite awareness group. There was only a small effect on body weight and no effect on reported calories eaten in either group; however, both approaches resulted in decreased binge eating in children and their parents

“These findings are exciting because they offer a completely new paradigm for controlling overeating and binge eating,” Boutelle said. “By reducing overeating and binge eating, we hope to provide a new way of preventing weight gain and providing children with a sense of control over what they chose to eat. This is really important, because a loss of control can lead to depression and other psychiatric problems, and of course childhood obesity.”

Source:

University of California – San Diego. “New approach to management of overeating in children.” ScienceDaily, 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 20 Dec. 2011

]]> http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/how-not-to-overeat/feed/ 0 nsecretan How Not to Overeat http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/teens-soda-pop-and-obesity/ http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/teens-soda-pop-and-obesity/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:00:02 +0000 Natalie Secretan http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/?p=2312 ]]> If you’re a teenager and trying to lose weight, where do you go for advice?

Reportedly, 75% of obese teenagers are trying to lose weight, but when their methods were analyzed by researchers, it was found that certain habits and behaviors are holding them back.

These findings come from a study out of Philadelphia, where 14% of high-school students are overweight. This analysis from the Philadelphia Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, looked at about 44,000 high-schoolers to determine what kind of efforts are being made to help with weight loss and what kind of behaviors are lingering that prevent them reaching their goals.

Such behaviors as smoking, regular exercise, video game playing and the consumption of junk food were all taken into account.

Sadly, the obese weight group of female teenagers were also more likely to be smokers and even though most of these females were committed to 60 minutes of aerobic activity a day, their subsequent consumption of soda pop was standing in their way of success.

You need to exercise for 30 minutes of cardio to burn one soda pop.

Their male counterparts were less likely to exercise on a daily basis, giving up aerobic activity for video games – an average of three hours a day is spent on playing video games.

“From a health education standpoint, finding out that three-quarters of students who are obese want to lose weight is exactly what we want,” said lead researcher Clare Lenhart. “But the behavior they’re engaging in is puzzling; it’s counterproductive to what they’re trying to do.”

The researchers believe there is a lack of education amongst these teens and there needs to be a better system for raising awareness to help break bad habits causing weight gain.

“For example, among the girls who are exercising, they may not realize that one soda could undo that 30-minute walk they just took.”

Health-care providers can also do a better job at evaluating teen health with more accurate follow-up questions about their activity levels and nutritional habits.

“If a child is going to their pediatrician, and he asks them if they’re losing weight, an appropriate follow-up question might be, ‘How are you doing that?’” said Lenhart. “It could help guide those teens to more productive weight loss activities.”

Source:

Temple University. “Overweight teens want to lose weight, going about it the wrong way.”ScienceDaily, 1 Nov. 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2011.

]]> http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/teens-soda-pop-and-obesity/feed/ 0 nsecretan How Do Teenagers Lose Weight? http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/cut-out-mid-morning-snacking/ http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/cut-out-mid-morning-snacking/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:00:42 +0000 Natalie Secretan http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/?p=2309 ]]> There is so much confusing information out there about how to lose weight, it’s enough to drive you nuts.

How many times have you heard that grazing throughout the day, dividing your calories into smaller meals, is the ideal way to stay full, curb cravings and lose weight?

Well, new evidence is saying that if you are a woman aged 50 to 75 and are trying to lose weight, you need to omit that mid-morning snack from your diets.

This new study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, took 123 women aged 50 to 75 who were overweight or obese and tracked their eating habits and subsequent weight loss. Their diets ranged from 1,200 to 2,000 calories a day and low in fat – less than 30%. Each woman engaged in 45 minutes of cardio exercise a day for five days a week.

The results showed that those women who consumed a mid-morning snack were lose an average of 7% of body weight compared to those women who did not consume a mid-morning snack who lost 11% of their body weight.

“We think this finding may not relate necessarily to the time of day one snacks, but rather to the short interval between breakfast and lunch,” says study researcher Anne McTiernan, MD, PhD. “Mid-morning snacking, therefore, might be a reflection of recreational or mindless eating habits rather than eating to satisfy true hunger.”

The study reports that once snacking becomes a regular part of your dieting regime, it’s easier to give into temptation and snack too often.

“Since women on a weight loss program only have a limited number of calories to spend each day, it is important for them to incorporate nutrient-dense foods that are no more than 200 calories per serving,” McTiernan says.

Having a high-protein breakfast will keep you feeling fuller for longer and you will probably forget all about your mid-morning snack. Another way to help you succeed in your weight loss goals is to measure out your snacks, so you won’t be tempted to eat more than you should. Grabbing nuts from a full bag or grapes from a full bunch will only lead to eating more calories.

]]> http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/cut-out-mid-morning-snacking/feed/ 0 nsecretan Mid-Morninig Snacking a No-No http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/warm-up-with-exercise-this-winter/ http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/warm-up-with-exercise-this-winter/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:00:40 +0000 Natalie Secretan http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/?p=2306 ]]> With the advent of winter, comes shorter days and colder temperatures.

But don’t let that deter you from getting regular exercise, especially if you suffer from arthritis.

Too many people slow down and neglect their exercise routine with the onset of winter and this is a big mistake for those managing the pain of arthritis.

“We found that there’s a huge difference in trying to get these patients to be active in the winter and trying to get them to be active in the summer,” said Joe Feinglass, a research professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Lead author of a recent study called “The Effects of Daily Weather on Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity,” published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Feinglass  also notes that elderly people who suffer from arthritis from low-income households neglect exercise during the winter months because of lack of funds.

“Chicago has indoor ‘exercise deserts,’ just like we have food deserts, making it difficult for low-income seniors, like many in our study, to get the physical activity they need,” said Feinglass, lead author of the study. “Even modest reductions in activity can have serious health consequences for people with arthritis.”

This study was conducted over a three-year period and followed 250 men and women over 60 with either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, equipping them with an accelerometer to record their physical activity. This study also took into account the type of weather and the available hours of daylight from day to day.

“The lack of daylight hours in the winter had a huge effect on the participants,” Feinglass said. “There’s more than a three-hour difference in the amount of completely sedentary time each day, where people are just sitting around doing nothing, during the months with less daylight, such as November, versus June.”

It is important for people with arthritis to get daily exercise to help manage their pain. Low-impact activity of moderate intensity for 150 minutes per week is the recommended dose of exercise for arthritis sufferers.

“We spend an enormous amount of money on outdoor activities in the summer months for younger and healthier people,” he said. “We need to design more public access opportunities for older people to be more physically active indoors, in the winter.”

If you live in a climate that experiences cold temperatures in the winter time that makes exercise outdoors difficult, look into some inexpensive ways to keep active. Resistance bands and exercise balls are relatively cheap and are effective ways to keep active. You can pick up a lot of used equipment for a good price at secondhand stores. Also, look into mall walking, which is free and often draws a huge crowd. It’s a great way to meet new people. Exercise videos can also be rented out from your local library to help guide you through some new and different exercise routines.

]]> http://natsecretan.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/warm-up-with-exercise-this-winter/feed/ 0 nsecretan Don't let winter put the freeze on your exercise efforts