1. Your
knees fall inwards. This can put pressure on the ligaments in the knee and lead
to injury. Upping the strength of your inner and outer thighs will help – try llateral
walks with a resistance band around your ankles.
2. Your
lower back hurts. Adjust the distribution of your weight until you feel the
tension in your legs and glutes instead of your back. If your lower back aches,
brace your abs to keep it neutral.
3. Your
heels rise. Keeping your heels planted firmly on the floor will help you push
back up to the starting position effectively. If they come off the floor, it
will knock your centre of gravity off-kilter and prevent you from recruiting
your hamstrings and glutes properly.
Lactic acid build-up is often blamed for post-workout muscle soreness, but lactic acid isn’t the problem; it breaks down quickly and is no longer present when the muscle soreness hits.
Why muscle soreness occurs is still a grey area, but anti-inflammatory herbs and spices can help: ginger, oregano and rosemary in food as a tincture or in essential-oil massage.
Turmeric
is great to have daily with a little black pepper to enhance absorption. Aim
for a teaspoon of turmeric per day.
Tart
cherry juice has been shown to lessen pain and improve strength recovery in
athletes at 2 cups per day; it also helps you sleep which is important for
muscle repair.
Beta-glucan-rich
medicinal mushrooms, cordyceps and chaga help mitigate oxidative stress,
support community, and assist in muscle recovery.
We have
been told over and over again that 10,000 steps is a healthy and achievable
daily goal. But why 10,000? It might surprise you to learn that the magic number
is actually the relic of a 1960s Japanese marketing campaign for a
pedometer.
Public
Health England recently released new guidelines suggesting that the ‘active 10’
– three speedy 10 minute walks per day – could be more advantageous than the
10,000 steps goal.
If losing weight is your aim, it’s worth noting that while increasing your step count can lower your body fat, not all steps are created equal. The higher the intensity of the workout, the more significant your weight loss will be. Not only will you burn more calories overall, but metabolic rate increases and remains high for hours after.
Regardless of your goal, experts agree that you reap the rewards when you get your heart rate up. Research suggests it could reduce your risk of early death by 15%.
To make
your 10,000 steps go the extra mile, try alternating between walking and
running and working inclines into your day.
Focus on full body exercises: A new study found that moves that recruit the deltoids and glutes create more ab activation then crunches. Plus, total body moves like deadlifts burn more fat.
Practice crocodile breathing: This form of breathing engages your abs more. Lie on your front with your hands under your forehead. In this position, inhale through your nose, filling your abdomen (not chest), for five seconds, hold for one, then exhale for three. You can also try it while working out, exhaling during the exertion part of the move.
Do chest openers: Exercises that work the back and open the front of the body will improve your core strength and posture by firing up your glutes and the muscles along your spine. And these moves tend to retract your head (which pokes forward most of the day, putting pressure on your midsection).
Thou shalt not…
Waste time doing tons of crunches: Crunches aren’t worth it. They just don’t do much to work any part of the core except the rectus abdominis. Plus, if you sit and hunch at your desk all day, the last thing you need is more forward-bending movements.
Fret about marathon planks: Holding a four-minute plank might be a cool challenge, but it doesn’t actually translate to every day life or sports. So what is the better choice? A variety of moves that work on stiffness, rotation and anti-rotation.
Skip unilateral moves: One-limbed exercises are a brilliant way to increase core activation. They can be tough, so start with bodyweight options like a one-legged glute bridge, step-up or split squat. Using one limb means the core has to work overtime to make sure the body stays stable.
Exercising
over a hot summer can be challenging as our bodies struggle to deal with the
increased heat and humidity and keep cool. Usually, our bodies are warmer than
the environment – when this changes as a result of rising temperatures or
exercise, our muscles regulate heat by releasing sweat, which allows the body
to cool down. This becomes dangerous both when we fail to replace the fluids
lost in sweat, or when the body is unable to cool itself down and begins to
store heat, increasing our core temperature and putting our internal organs and
central nervous system at risk.The result
of this can be heat exhaustion and, ultimately, heat stroke.
To make
sure you avoid these issues, there are several measures you can take to protect
your body and ensure you remain safe and healthy while exercising in the
summer.
1. Don’t push your body too hard Exercising when it’s hot places your body under extra strain. It’s important to remain aware of this, paying close attention to how you’re feeling throughout your workout. Look out for any sign of light-headedness or weakness and reduce your intensity or stop training.
Understanding
that you are not going to be setting any personal bests, or performing to your
usual standard or intensity, is really important. Don’t push yourself too hard
and make sure you take consistent breaks to allow your body to regulate its
temperature.
2. Aim to exercise at a cooler part of the day Exercising during the hottest part of the day is a bad idea, especially if you’re sensitive to the heat. Make the effort to either wake up early and squeeze a workout in before the day warms up or wait until later in the night once the heat of the day has started to dissipate. Not only will your workout be much more enjoyable, but you’ll be able to perform much better.
3. Wear the right clothing Making sure you wear the right type of clothing can be incredibly helpful in keeping your cooler during your workout. Choose breathable, lightweight, and light-coloured workout gear that will allow your sweat to evaporate, and you to cool down effectively.
4. Keep hydrated One of the most important things you can do when exercising in the heat is make sure you are staying properly hydrated! Guidelines suggest that you should be drinking between six and eight glasses of water each day (the equivalent of around two litres).
5. Try a different kind of workout If you’re struggling to keep up with your usual exercise regime, try out a different type of training that will allow your body greater opportunity to remain cool. For instance, if you’re a long-distance runner, try swapping your long runs for a shorter HIIT session or spinning class that will allow you to take on water and work out for shorter periods.
Less
aerobic-heavy classes such as yoga or Pilates are also a good option in the
heat as your heart rate does not typically increase by a large margin, and your
body temperature will remain fairly constant. The summer is also prime time for
swimming – not only is swimming great exercise, but there is no better way
to stay cool while working out, even if you do it outdoors.
A number
of recent studies show that a large number of children in the UK are not
receiving enough daily activity, with only 1 in 3 kids being physically active
every day. As technology develops and becomes more widespread, children are
spending more time looking at screens, and less time moving their bodies.
Exercise
has multiple benefits for children. Not only does it help them develop strong
muscles and bones, maintain a healthy weight and decrease the risk of diseases
like type 2 diabetes, but it aids mental developmental and health, increasing
motivation, focus and learning.
Encouraging
your child to be active and love exercise will set them up for life, equipping
them with the skills and confidence necessary to stay active and healthy.
Here are
just a few ways in which you can inspire your children to be active from a
young age:
Provide active toys A good way to get kids moving when they are young is to provide fun, active toys they can play with. This could be something as simple as a ball, although there are plenty of options to choose from. Not only will this get them moving and having fun, but it will help them develop motor skills, hand-eye coordination and other vital abilities.
Lead by example It has been shown that children who regularly see their parents enjoying sports and physical activity are more likely to do so themselves. If you treat your body with respect, your children will notice this and work to imitate you. Stay active yourself, and you’ll provide your children with a positive role-model, influencing what they see as normal and healthy.
Play with your child and exercise as a family Inspire your child to be active by taking the time to play with them and exercise as a family. Make activity enjoyable by taking them for a bike ride or walk in the park – add some fun with a little game or challenge. The opportunities are endless if you use your imagination. Make exercise and games a regular part of the week, and it will effortlessly become a habit for them.
Turn off the TV Limit TV time and computer use. The general recommendation is no more than 1 to 2 hours of total screen time a day, including TV, videos, computers, and video games. Screens are not all bad and they have a time and a place, but they shouldn’t be used all the time. Free time can then be used for more physical activities.
Allow them to try different sports and activities One of the best ways in which you can inspire your children to love exercise and make a life-long habit of it, is to help them find a sport or activity that they absolutely love and are passionate about.
It’s no
secret that fat loss is a modern obsession. Most of us have some, most of us
want to lose some. Surprisingly, then, one of the most obvious questions raised
by all this fat-fixating is never really addressed: when it leaves our bodies,
where does the fat actually go?
If you’re
unsure, you’re not alone. Some would believe that fat turns into muscle, or
that it leaves the body via the colon, both of which are incorrect. Others may
believe that fat is converted into energy and lost as heat (no doubt based on
the “energy in equals energy out” assumption). Trouble is, this would disobey a
fundamental law of chemical reactions, known as the conservation of matter (or
mass), which states that the same amount of matter comes out of a reaction as
goes into it. It doesn’t simply vanish.
Put
simply, fat tissue is full of lipids – compounds that store energy. Even if
those compounds are broken down and generate heat, you’re still left with the
same number of atoms you started with.
So, where does the fat go? When you begin to run low on fuel you produce a hormone that, when mixed with oxygen, breaks down fat in order to use its energy. When fat is metabolized, it needs to go somewhere. Once converted to carbon dioxide and water, over 80 percent of each measurement of fat leaves the body as CO2. The rest is released as sweat and urine.
Unfortunately,
this doesn’t mean you can get rid of any unwanted jiggle by simply huffing and
puffing on the couch. When you engage in any form of physical activity,
however, your body’s metabolic rate is raised significantly. So a higher
intensity workout will produce more huffing and puffing – more energy burned,
more converted fat expelled.
Knowing
that fat is actually leaving your body via your lungs might even make those
extra reps a little easier to get through.
Research
suggests regular aerobic exercise can boost the size of the hippocampus, the
core of the brain’s learning and memory systems.
When you
exercise your body releases a lot of good things, including brain-derived
neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is good for the health of brain cells.
The idea
is that when you exercise you’re much more likely to cause the brain to make
new brain cells.
This is
backed up by a German study that showed how cycling while learning a foreign
language helped people remember new words better.
We’ve long
known that when it comes to resistance training it’s fatigue, not load, that
generates change within the muscle.
We also
know that maximising fatigue comes down to manipulating range of movement and
repetition speed. New insights now clearly show that pulses are a great way to
maximise fatigue when lifting light weights for higher repetitions.
Example 1 – Squats: Full-range squats, as you’d expect, fire up all the global muscles that drive your body away from the ground. This highlights how full-range squats are great for working the glute max, rectus femoris and the hamstrings.
With squat
pulses there is a more isolated activation of the quadriceps muscles closer to
the knee. The activation of these muscles is key for stabilisation.
Example 2 – Chest Press: Full-range chest presses result in activation of the key push pattern muscle groups, the pec major and anterior deltoid. As soon as a pulse action is introduced there is a significant increase in the activation of lat dorsi, again acting as a stabiliser.
In Summary These findings highlight how combining pulses with full-range exercises changes activation patterns and allows you to engage all the key target muscles. This is the secret to maximising fatigue and driving muscle change
1. Wearable Technology:
Wearable technology, such as smart watches, fitness trackers and heart monitors, has ranked in the top three trends every year since 2016. This looks set to stay for 2019 too!
2. Group Training:
Choosing to work out in groups (where ‘group’ is defined by more than five participants) is highly likely to stay at top of the trend list for this year. With the introduction of online group workouts, what could be easier!
3. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): A HIIT workout involves short bursts of high-intensity bouts of exercise followed by a short period of rest. Despite taking a dip in previous years, experts predict this type of training will rank high in the list for 2019.
4. Fitness Programmes for Older Adults: As the population ages, it’s only natural that fitness offerings would age along with us. These programmes emphasise and cater to the fitness needs of older generations. Which makes sense, considering exercising is a great way for people to maintain bone density and muscle mass as they age, plus reap the numerous other health benefits that come with being active.
