3 Types of Exercise We Can Choose From To Be Fit

Exercise is one of the 5 Health Essentials we talked about in our previous blog.   It is a physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive for the purpose of conditioning any part of the body. Exercise is used to improve health, maintain fitness and is important as a means of physical rehabilitation.  The benefits of exercise not only improve physical health, but also enhance emotional well-being.

• It is useful in preventing or treating coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, weakness, diabetes, obesity, and depression.

• It is important for increasing or maintaining joint function.

• It provides appropriate resistance to the muscles to increase endurance and strength.

• It improves the cardiovascular system for prevention and rehabilitation of cardiac disorders and diseases. 

• It improves general health, build endurance, and slow many of the effects of aging.

Here are the 3 types of exercise you can choose from to fit your physical needs:

1.  Cardio Conditioning (e.g. aerobics, jumping rope)

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, cardio, or cardiovascular exercise, is any activity that increases heart rate and respiration while using large muscle groups repetitively and rhythmically. The root word "card," or "heart," provides a clue as to why this type of exercise is so important. By providing training that progressively challenges your most vital internal life support network, cardio can improve both the function and the performance of your heart, lungs and circulatory system.

• High-impact

- Among the most popular and enduring of the high-impact cardio activities, jogging and running still attract and retain large numbers of exercise enthusiasts.

- High-impact activity involves having both feet off the ground at some point during the exercise, and therefore includes jumping rope, high-impact aerobic dance as well as certain types of advanced strength training.

- This type of cardio is weight-bearing, meaning that you are supporting your own body weight with your limbs against gravity.

• Low-impact

- The definition of low-impact cardio is any aerobic activity during which one foot is kept on the ground at all times. Just because it's low impact doesn't necessarily mean it's lower intensity.

- This type of cardio is still a weight-bearing activity, meaning that it is good for maintaining healthy bones in addition to conditioning the heart and lungs.

- Walking, hiking and low-impact aerobic dance are the most common forms of this type of exercise.

• No-impact

- Being immersed in water reduces the pull of gravity on your body; in effect, cardio in water is a no-impact activity. Swimming or water aerobics increase your heart rate and burn calories effectively.

- Bicycling can also be considered a no-impact workout, as the frame and tires of your bike support most of your body weight.

- Both aquatic exercise and cycling eliminate much of the pounding and jarring associated with land-based activity, making them ideal choices for arthritic conditions and injury rehabilitation.

2.  Resistance Training (e.g.weight training)

Resistance exercise is any form of exercise that forces your skeletal muscles (not the involuntary muscles of your heart, lungs, etc.) to contract.

An external resistance (such as heavy weights) is used to cause the contractions, and those contractions lead to increases in muscular mass, strength, endurance and tone. 

What can you use for that external resistance? Why, anything you want! You can use dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, your body weight, bottles of water, bricks -- the list goes on and on! As long as the weight causes muscular contractions, it counts as resistance exercise.

There are three basic types of resistance exercises:

• Bodyweight -- This uses only your body weight to force your muscles to contract. It includes exercises like pull-ups, push-ups, and squats.

• Free Weights -- Using dumbbells, barbells and kettlebells helps to increase the strain placed on your muscles, forcing those contractions and building muscle. Free weight training is considered the most effective form of resistance exercise, as it engages secondary muscles (stabilizers) and leads to more effective muscle growth.

• Weight Machines -- Every gym has dozens of weight machines--Pec Deck, Cable Machine, Leg Extension machine, etc. Weight machines are not as effective as free weights, but they are a safer alternative for those who are new to resistance training.

3.  Interval Training (combination of cardio and resistance training)

Unlike staying at the same pace or intensity during cardio, interval training involves alternating segments of high-intensity exercise with periods of rest.

This allows you to work more in a shorter period of time and it's much more comfortable than spending the entire workout at a high intensity.

There are two types of interval training: aerobic and anaerobic. The latter is more popularly known as high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, and it is having its moment in the fitness spotlight.

• Aerobic Interval Training (AIT)

AIT, which some experts also call fitness interval training, focuses on working harder during your intervals, but not going all out, as you do with anaerobic training.

AIT involves alternating moderate to high-intensity exercise (e.g., running briskly) with a recovery period (e.g., walking). The idea is to work harder during work intervals while keeping the intensity below 85 percent of your maximum heart rate or at Level 7-8 on this perceived exertion scale.

• Anaerobic Interval Training

Also known as High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), anaerobic intervals involve going all out during your work intervals. That means shorter intervals at 85 to 100 percent of your maximum heart rate or Level 9-10 on this perceived exertion scale. Your recovery intervals will usually last as long or longer than your work intervals, to allow your body to fully recover for the next interval.

So as you can see, exercise is not just body building and jogging, there are different types of which you can choose from.  And if you decided to start a regular exercise, be sure to set a goal first, check your lifestyle, then choose the type of exercise that will fit that goal and at the same time will be enjoyable for you to do even if you will be doing it alone.

  

As an example, if you want to build muscle and increase strength and can afford membership to a gym, then you can go with resistance training using free weights and/or weight machines.  But, be sure to consider your health condition as well, always consult your doctor for advice to what limitations you have in doing a regular exercise.

So, which type of exercise do you think will be enjoyable to you and will give you great results? Share us your thoughts.  And if you learned from this post, we’d be very grateful if you help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook.  Thank you!

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Sources:

medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/exercise

livestrong.com/article/114986-definition-cardio-exercise/

fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/what-is-resistance-exercise.html

verywell.com/interval-training-a2-1231286

Do the 7-Minute Workout The Proper Way

For most of us who wants to workout at home with minimal equipment and in a short period of time, 7-Minute Workout is the thing for  you.

An article in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal in 2013, introduced an interval exercise that can be done in 7 minutes using only your body weight, a wall, and a chair. 

This exercise not just only needs minimal and common equipment but also requires only a short period of time to finish.  That is why many people tried this exercise, and as a matter of fact, there are a lot of articles written reviewing this workout and most of them gave a good review because it works.

What is 7-Minute Workout?

7-Minute Workout is an interval training exercise, it is one of the 3 types of exercise that is basically a combination of cardio and resistance training.  Interval training effectively boosts cardio-respiratory endurance, increases muscle mass, improves blood pressure, and can help you lose body fat faster than cardio.  It is consists of 12 exercises scientifically arranged to engage all of your major muscle groups in such a short period of time.

Each exercise is done in 30 seconds with 10 seconds rest between exercises.  You can use a TIMER APP for this on your android phone.

In this article, we will be exploring all these 12 exercises.  We gathered all the videos from “7 Minute Workout” YouTube channel and compiled it in this blog.  It is equally important to show you the proper way to do this exercise to avoid injury and to get the best benefit that this exercise offers.

       1.  Jumping jack

       2.  Wall sit

       3.  Push up

       4.   Abdominal crunch

       5.  Step-up onto chair

       6.  Squat

       7.    Triceps dip on chair

       8.  Plank

       9.  High knees running in place

       10.  Lunge

       11.  Push up and rotation

       12.  Side plank

How often should you do this?

Like all other exercises, results will not automatically happen overnight even though the exercise only takes less than 10 minutes to finish, but it is still better than no exercise at all.  

High-intensity interval training is designed to be done every other day, allow yourself for at least one rest day between workouts.  After doing this for at least 4 to 6 weeks you'll likely see some health benefits, like you will not easily get tired as you climb up the stairs or carry the grocery bags. 

To get the best benefit from this exercise you can repeat the whole 7-minute process up to 3 times, making it at least 21 minutes in all, if after 2 weeks or so you find the exercise too easy for you.

As always, check with your doctor before beginning any high-intensity exercise routine and watch what you eat to have a better and satisfying result.

Do you think this exercise will work for you? Share us your thoughts.  And if you learned from this post, we'd be very grateful if you help it spread by emailing it to a friend (who you think will also benefit from this), or sharing it on Twitter or Facebok.  Thank you!

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source:

    youtube.com/7minuteworkout

    journals.1ww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/05000/

5 Health Essentials We Are Not Aware Of

Basically, all of us want to have a happy life.  And we pursue that by working hard so we can have plenty of money to spend, hoping that we can enjoy most everything in life.  But, we all know that even if we have all the money in the world but with a bad health condition, we cannot really enjoy life 100%.

So in order for us to enjoy life to the fullest, here are 5 health essentials that we must be aware of to maintain a healthy lifestyle:

1.  BALANCED DIET

A well-balanced diet means eating the right amount of nutrients to supply the body with the energy it needs to function properly. It also means getting the right amount of nutrition to support growth and development. A well-balanced diet contains nutrient-rich foods from all the food groups. People who follow a well-balanced diet feel better and are in better health, says the American Dietetic Association.

•  A well-balanced, healthy diet helps the growth and development of our bodies.

•  It helps with weight control, and provides the right amount of energy while maximizing  nutrient intake to make us more physically motivated and able to think more clearly,

•  It reduces the risk for chronic disease, and may help prevent depression and anxiety.

2.  REGULAR EXERCISE

The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Everyone benefits from exercise, regardless of age, sex or physical ability.

• Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn.

• It helps prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, a number of types of cancer, arthritis, and falls.

• Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed, and it promotes better sleep.

• You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem, which may also boost your sex life.

• Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores.

Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it.  Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you haven't exercised for a long time, have chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes or arthritis, or you have any concerns.

3.  PLENTY OF WATER

The body loses water through breathing, sweating, and digestion, which is why it's important to rehydrate by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water.

Here are the top 10 health benefits of drinking water.

• Relieves Fatigue.  When there is less water in the body, there is a drop of blood volume which causes the heart to work harder to pump oxygenated blood out in the bloodstream, and other major organs also work less efficiently.  Research indicates that mild dehydration (even one or two percent lower hydration level of hydration than optimal) can negatively affect your mood and ability to think.

• Treats Headaches and Migraines.  If you have a headache or migraine, the first thing that you can do to get some relief is drink plenty of water. Headaches and migraines are often caused by dehydration.  

• Helps in Digestion and Constipation.  Drinking sufficient water boosts your metabolism and helps the body properly break down food. This helps your digestive system work well and promotes regular bowel movements. Warm water, in particular, is good for digestive health.

• Aids Weight Loss.  In a clinical trial, scientists found that drinking two eight-ounce glasses of water prior to meals can help suppress appetite and hence support your weight loss efforts. When you drink water, it fills your stomach and reduces the tendency to eat more. 

• Flushes Out Toxins.  Water is an excellent detoxifier as it helps flush out toxins from your body and get rid of waste primarily through sweat and urine.  It also promotes kidney function and reduces kidney stones by diluting the salts and minerals in urine that cause kidney stones.

• Regulates Body Temperature.  A well-regulated body temperature also will make you feel more energetic when exercising. Water also helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, thus preventing cramps and sprains.

• Promotes Healthy Skin.  Water keeps the body well hydrated and improves capillary blood flow, which promotes healthier and younger-looking skin. Water helps replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increases the elasticity in your skin.

• Beats Bad Breath.  Bad breath is a clear sign that you may not be drinking sufficient water. It keeps your mouth moist and washes away food particles and bacteria. It also dilutes the smelly compounds that oral bacteria create.

 So it is essential to make necessary efforts to drink adequate amount of water daily.

4.  SUNLIGHT AND FRESH AIR

Exposure to sunlight and fresh air actually offers your body health benefits that can last a lifetime.

• Clears up infections.   World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that natural ventilation–allowing fresh air to circulate–is an important part of infection control. 

• Boosts mood.  Sunlight (phototherapy) helps ease the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which includes: difficulty concentrating, fatigue, loss of interest in daily activities, moodiness, and sleeping more than usual. 

• Disinfects naturally.  Numerous studies have shown that both exposure to natural sunlight and fresh air are effective disinfectants that kill bacteria.

• Increases vitamin D + lowers cholesterol.  Cholesterol is the precursor to vitamin D. Did you know that both are formed in your skin? When you expose your skin to sunlight for an extended period of time (15 minutes or more), the cholesterol in your skin begins to transform into vitamin D.

5.  ENOUGH SLEEP

Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.

• Healthy Brain Function and Emotional Well-Being.  Sleep helps your brain work properly. While you're sleeping, your brain is preparing for the next day. It's forming new pathways to help you learn and remember information.

• Physical Health.  Sleep plays an important role in your physical health. For example, sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.

• Daytime Performance and Safety.  Getting enough quality sleep at the right times helps you function well throughout the day. People who are sleep deficient are less productive at work and school. They take longer to finish tasks, have a slower reaction time, and make more mistakes.

These 5 essentials are all equally important to a healthy lifestyle, if we will only focus on regular exercise and don't take in the right daily nutrition then chances are possible health problems will still occur.

Share us your thoughts and if you learned from this post, we’d be very grateful if you help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook.  Thank you!

_________________________________________________________

sources:

livestrong.com/article/143197-importance-well-balanced-diet/
mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389?pg=2
everydayhealth.com/water-health/water-body-health.aspx
top10homeremedies.com/kitchen-ingredients/10-health-benefits-of-drinking-water
conversational.com/4-benefits-get-from-sunlight-fresh-air/
nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why

7 Minute Workout: A Review [Tagalog]

Nagkaroon ako ng interest dito sa 7-Minute Workout ng mabasa ko na 7 minutes lang ang kailangan ko para sa kumpletong exercise sa buong bahagi na ng katawan.  Ibig sabihin, ma wo-workout mo na ang mga muscles sa upper body at sa lower body, kasama na pati resistensya.

Hmm... Ito daw ay scientific, ibig sabihin, napag aralan ito ng mabuti kaya epektibo itong ehersisyo. At bukod sa 7 minutes lang ito, ang kailangan mo lang na gamit ay pader at upuan...yun lang.

Kaya naman hinanap ko sa google at sa youtube ang buong set ng exercise nito at sinubukan ko din gawin kung talagang ok ito.  Sa tingin ko pa lang sa mga klase ng exercise ay parang madali lang naman gawin, pero iba na pala pag ginagawa mo na.

Kung hindi ka familiar sa sinasabi kong exercise, pwede mo munang tingnan sa LINK NA ITO para maintindihan mo ang mga sasabihin ko.

Ito ang aking pananaw dito:

• Kung ikaw ay matagal tagal ng hindi nag e-exercise, mahirap ito gawin sa simula, lalong lalo na kung mabigat na ang iyong timbang.  Kailangan mo munang sanayin ang sarili mo sa loob ng mga dalawang linggo. Alalahanin mo, ginagawa mo ito para magkaroon ng malusog na pangangatawan at hindi para mapilayan o mapahamak.

• Sa simula, wag munang pwersahin ang sarili.  Hinay hinay ka muna para masanay ang katawan mo sa mga ehersisyo at kapag medyo kapa mo na ang lahat saka mo ibigay ang 100% mong lakas at pagsisikap, dahil ang layunin ng high intensity interval training (HIIT) ay gawin mo ang mga ehersisyo ng matinding pagsisikap at hindi ka dapat makakaramdam ng ginhawa.

• Kung may hindi ka kayang gawin na ehersisyo sa una, subukan mo itong i-modify para mapadali muna. Huwag mong hindi gagawin dahil hindi mo ito kaya.  Halimbawa, kung hindi mo kayang mag push up (sino ba ang kaya agad itong gawin sa simula), ibaba mo muna ang tuhod mo sa sahig para mas madali.  At kung sakaling hindi mo pa rin kaya pwede kang mag push up sa gilid ng lamesa o cabinet, o kaya sa pader kung talagang sobrang hindi mo kayang mag push up ng nakadapa, ang importante masanay kang mag push up gamit ang bigat ng sarili mong timbang.  Panoorin ang video kung paano gawin ang push up ng mas madali.

• Kung hindi mo naman kaya ang step onto chair, pwede ka munang gumamit ng mas mababang upuan o baitang ng hagdan kaya kung meron kayong hagdan sa bahay.  

• Triceps dip on chair... ito ay mahirap sa simula, maaaring mabalian ka ng balikat dito kaya doble ingat.  Ginawa ko muna ito sa una ng naka bend ang tuhod para hindi lahat ng bigat mapunta sa braso at balikat.  Panoorin ang video kung paano gawin ito ng mas madali.

• Yung push up and rotation ay mahirap talagang gawin, mahirap na ngang mag push up mag ro-rotate ka pa, mahirap bumalanse.  Kaya sa gilid ng lamesa ko ito ginagawa.  Tingnan ang video kung paano gawin ito sa gilid ng mesa.

Iyan ang mga paraan na ginawa ko para mapadali yung mga exercise na mahirap gawin sa simula.  

At higit sa lahat, importanteng wag kalimutang huminga, dahil sasakit ang ulo nyo kapag hindi tama ang pag hinga.  Huminga palabas (exhale) kabag mag e-exert ng effort, huminga paloob (inhale) kapag pa-relax.  

Ang aking konklusyon:

Ang ehersisyong ito ay epektibo, pawis na pawis talaga ako kahit na 7 minutes lang yung tinagal ng exercise, at kahit may mga binago pa ako para mapadali ganon pa din ang epekto, kailangan lang talaga tuluy-tuloy ang galaw. 

Pero sa totoo lang, hindi talaga sya saktong 7 minutes natatapos, dahil may pahinga na 10 seconds sa pagitan ng bawat exercise.  Tapos yung side plank kailangan mo pang mag dagdag ng isa pang 30 seconds para sa kabilang bahagi naman ng katawan, maliban na lang tig 15 seconds lang ang gawin mo kabilaan.  Mga 8 minutes din mahigit kung tutuusin.

Matapos ang dalawa o tatlong linggong pag e-exercise, nagdagdag ako ng isa pang set para lalong ma challenge at masanay ang katawan ko sa exercise.  Sabi naman sa pag-aaral, para makuha ang kumpleto at totoong benepisyo ng 7-minute exercise na ito, kailangan gawin ng tatlong (3) beses, kaya parang 21-Minute Workout talaga ang exercise na ito.

Pero syempre, gawin mo lang ng isang set ay sapat na para mapagod ka, pawisan, at hingalin ng sobra, at kung dumating ang araw na madali na saiyo ng sobra saka ka na magdagdag ng set.

Sya nga pala, hindi ito ginagawa ng araw-araw, tuwing makalawa lang.  Lumalabas na tatlong (3) beses lang ito gagawin sa loob ng isang linggo.  Ginawa ko ito ng Lunes, Miyerkules, at Biyernes... pahinga ng Linggo.

Nirekomenda ko ito sa anak ko at sa mga kaibigan namin na gustong mag exercise pero walang time pumunta ng gym... at hanggang ngayon, maganda ang kanilang sinasabi tungkol dito.

Para sa mga bihasa na sa pag e-exercise alam kong hindi ito sapat, pero mas mainam na ito kaysa hindi nag e-exercise.

Mag komento lang sa ibaba kung may tanong o may nais na ibahaging karanasan din sa ganitong uri ng exercise.  At kung hindi kayo nag e-exercise, simulan na natin ngayon para sa ating kalusugan.