Special Reports
on Exercise
| 10 Good
Reasons to Exercise |
| Well and Good : What happens when you stop exercising |
| Getting physically fit takes work |
10 Good Reasons to Exercise
By Barbara A.
Brehm, Ed.D.
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Sometimes we wonder whether all this exercise is
really worth the effort. On busy days, we are tempted to put the
workout on hold. We'll get back to it tomorrow, or the day after
tomorrow, or maybe the day after that when things settle down (which
they never do). A couple of weeks go by, and now you are too
embarrassed to show up for exercise class. Don't be! The benefits of
exercise accrue only to those who make it a lifelong commitment.
Sometimes a reminder of the many health benefits offered by exercise
helps us reconfirm its importance and make exercise a lifelong
priority.
Regular aerobic exercise helps prevent heart
disease. It does this by slowing the build-up of plaque in the
arteries of the heart. Active people tend to have larger, cleaner
arteries. Aerobic exercise increases the level of the “good” HDL
cholesterol in the bloodstream, which helps carry the cholesterol
out of the arteries, while decreasing the “bad” LDL cholesterol,
which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Aerobic
exercise helps to prevent obstructive blood clots from forming in
these arteries.
An additional cardiovascular benefit of aerobic
exercise is that it helps to normalize blood pressure, especially in
people whose blood pressure is somewhat elevated. Aerobic exercise
makes the heart stronger and a more efficient pump. Resting heart
rate usually decreases after exercise training because the heart can
pump more blood per beat. Therefore, it needs to beat fewer times to
circulate the amount of blood.
Exercise improves the body's ability to regulate
blood sugar, thus preventing type 2 diabetes.
Weight-bearing exercise prevents the loss of bone
mineral that occurs as we age, which can lead to a condition known
as osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise includes walking, jogging,
aerobics, racquet sports - any activity that applies some force to
the bones.
Physical activity also strengthens the muscles and
joints and other structures that help hold the body together, like
tendons and ligaments.
Exercise helps control body weight and is
essential in any weight-loss program. Exercise burns calories, and
weight lost through a program of a low fat diet and exercise is more
likely to be fat loss, rather than water or muscle tissue loss.
Weight loss is more likely to be maintained if a person continues to
exercise.
Since a history of repeated weight loss and weight
gain can be harmful to your health, slow but sure weight loss that
stays off is the best way to go.
By preventing the loss of metabolically active
muscle tissue (lean body mass), exercise helps prevent the drop in
metabolic rate that sometimes accompanies weight loss and the
gradual decline in metabolic rate that occurs as we age.
In many ways, exercise is the antithesis of aging.
Exercise can slow the loss of stamina, strength, flexibility, bone
density, metabolic rate and general enthusiasm for being active that
seems to go with getting older. Exercise gives you the ability to
maintain an independent lifestyle and increases the likelihood that
you'll enjoy your post-retirement years.
Maintaining flexibility in the muscles of the legs
and lower back, and strength in abdominal and back muscles, can help
prevent the development of back problems that can be debilitating
and very painful.
Exercise makes life more fun! As fitness improves,
activity becomes easier, and you're more likely to go out for a
hike, or enjoy a day of skiing. Exercise increases your stress
resistance, helps you feel more relaxed and even helps you sleep
better. An active lifestyle also encourages other health-promoting
habits, like avoiding tobacco and alcohol and developing healthful
eating habits.
Your fitness instructor can help you design a
well-balanced fitness program and help you decide whether you need
to check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
Well and Good : What happens when you
stop exercising
By Tina Juan
Inquirer News Service
Published on page D1 of the November 30,
2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
It's
sad but true that to maintain your hard-earned workout results, you
have to stay fit by continuing to exercise regularly.
In
fitness parlance, this is called the reversibility principle. To lay
people, this simply means use it or lose it. Without a doubt, you
will eventually lose whatever benefits you gained from working out
when you stop exercising.
This
can discourage many people from even starting to exercise. I have
heard many physically inactive people defend their lifestyle by
saying, "What's the use of exercising? When I stop, I'll just get
fatter."
Detraining or cessation of exercise is also a problem for athletes
who get injured.
Research has shown that the problem is not really a case of "use it
or lose it." It seems to be more like "use it or lose some of it, or
maybe all of it" depending on how physically fit you were before
detraining, what aspect of fitness (endurance, strength,
flexibility) is involved, and what preventive measures you take.
Misconceptions
There are many
misconceptions about what happens to the body when exercise stops.
The most common is that the muscles turn into fat. Let me assure you
this is a physical impossibility. Muscle cells are completely
different from fat cells.
What really happens is that muscle cells become
smaller or they atrophy. Fat cells become bigger leading to a change
in appearance from firm and lean to soft and flabby.
Another misconception is that you will become
fatter or flabbier than when you started. Admittedly, you will
eventually return to your pre-exercise shape, fat levels and muscle
tone but you won't be worse than when you started.
Changes in stamina
The main concern of athletes or serious fitness buffs is how fast
and how much of the cardiovascular benefits they have achieved will
be lost from detraining.
Though the benefits will definitely be reversed,
people with a high level of aerobic endurance can retain many of
them for a longer period.
In studies done by Dr. Robert Moffat of the
Florida State University and Dr. Randall Wilbur of the Olympic
Training Center in Colorado Springs, highly trained athletes showed
a rapid drop in aerobic endurance in the first three weeks of
detraining. But the decline slowed in the following weeks.
Three months later, their aerobic stamina was
still higher than that of sedentary individuals. Scientists were
encouraged and surprised by the findings.
They were surprised by the rapid initial drop in
stamina and by the fact that a significant amount of endurance was
retained even after 12 weeks of detraining. They could not determine
whether this was due to a cumulative effect of high fitness levels
over the years, or genetic factor, or both.
They discovered the opposite for people with low
to moderate levels of aerobic fitness. These people showed little
changes in stamina in the first three weeks but quickly reversed
back to pre-exercise levels thereafter.
Changes in strength, muscle size
Dr. Edward Coyle from the University of Texas, a leading researcher
in detraining, found that muscular strength returned to pre-exercise
levels after only four to 12 weeks of detraining. Muscle size was
also reduced. This is why many people notice their bodies "sagging"
after a few weeks without exercise.
Changes in fat levels
Exercise, especially aerobic-type activities, burns a significant
amount of calories. It is no surprise that stopping exercise can
result in weight gain if people continue to consume the same amount
of calories as when they were working out.
Let's assume a person burns 900 calories by doing
three exercise sessions a week (300 calories per session). He
continues to eat the same amount of calories after he stops
exercising. Everything else being equal, he would gain about 3
pounds of fat (3,500 calories per pound of fat) in three months.
Preserving fitness benefits
You don't have to lose all your fitness benefits if you have to stop
your workouts because of injury, school or office work or other
reasons. However, the following suggestions probably will not help
if you stop exercising due to laziness. Some amount of
self-discipline is required to follow the recommendations.
Researchers have found that muscular strength and
size can be maintained by doing one to two weight-training sessions
per week. This is good news if you are too busy to work out this
holiday season. By doing just one weight-training session per week,
you can maintain your strength until you can resume exercising
regularly.
However, you can only do this for a few weeks. You
can't do a once-a-week routine indefinitely and expect to maintain
your strength and muscle tone. Six months is too long.
In aerobic fitness, scientists recommend you do
half your usual frequency and duration of workouts but at the same
intensity to prevent stamina loss. In a study of distance runners
who reduced their training volume (frequency per week and length of
workout) but not the intensity for a three-week period, researchers
found that the runners showed no change in their 5-km race
performance.
To prevent weight gain when exercise stops,
determine how many calories you were burning with your fitness
routine. Reduce the same amount of calories from your diet.
Detraining should only be temporary. If you have stopped for a long
time, the sooner you start exercising again, the better for you. The
hardest part is starting again. Be sure to start gradually to avoid
injuring yourself.
INQ7.net a Philippine Daily Inquirer Company
Getting physically fit takes work
New Resolutions by Jake
To avoid the
endless cycle of broken resolutions Jake suggests ways to get start
on an exercise program. He also discusses how to jump-start a
stagnant routine.
Body by Jake
will not gloss over the fact that it takes hard work and discipline
to be physically fit. Working out can be a pain in the buttisimo,
and it can be boring. We realize that the holidays are a busy time
and that it is difficult to find the time to focus on fitness and
healthy living, - but it is vital that you take care of yourself,
and we know we can make it more enjoyable.
Body by Jake's
goal has always been to encourage men, women and children to learn
healthy habits and to stick with them, throughout the year.
Regardless of your age or your fitness level, you'll find something
valuable to use in your daily life.
Have you been
making and breaking the same "get-in-great-shape" New Year's
resolution for years? Instead of starting the same cycle again, this
year, try a different approach.
The challenge
is that there is no single guaranteed workout plan for everyone, and
of course diet and nutrition play a big role, but we have some
innovative ways to jump heels first into the new year. Remember,
fitness is a never-ending road, but the more we take care of our
bodies, the easier the ride will be.
Need help
getting started?
- You don't
always need fancy equipment at home to get a good workout. So no
excuses. If you don't have a set of dumbbells, use water bottles
or even 16-ounce cans to tone and tighten up those arms.
- Schedule
your exercise like any other "appointment". When was the last time
you said "Gee, I have nothing to do for the next hour, I'll
exercise?" Exercise will become a habit if you "ink it in" and
then just follow through.
- Try working
out in the morning. It is the best time of the day to exercise.
You're usually more rested in the a.m. so you'll get a better
workout. You'll be energized for the rest of the day and the best
reason, it gets it out of the way - done - finished.A
- Ask your
friends to exercise with you. You will encourage and motivate each
other. You'll have someone to talk to and you'll find the time
passes more quickly.
- Get the
most out of your daily duties. For a quick pick-me-up, walk a few
flights of stairs at the office, take the dog on a longer walk, or
park your car in the furthest spot from the market.
- Remember
that participation not perfection is the goal of exercise. If you
miss a workout or just can't get going one day, so what! Don't get
hung up on it, just get back on track the next day.
If you have
been working out for a while, but need a jump-start:
- Revive a
stagnant routine and jolt your body into action, shake it up a
little - or a lot. If you use the treadmill for cardiovascular
endurance, try using an elliptical machine. Or if you are stuck in
the same old step aerobic class, try taking a cool new class at
your gym. Some of the hottest classes around are making their way
mainstream. Boxing-based programs, indoor cycling, martial arts
based aerobics and yoga classes may be your best defense against
boredom, which is the number one reason people give up exercising.
- If you
haven't been in the habit of warming up and stretching before you
workout, make it a new resolution. You probably are pressed for
time and can't be bothered with the extras, but it is absolutely
necessary to warm up your body before any strenuous exercise.
Start by marching in place for two or three minutes to get the
blood flowing to your muscles. This, along with some gentle
stretching will prep you for almost any activity ahead.
- Distract
yourself if you find it helps pass the time. With an inexpensive
tape player on your hip, you can learn a new language, listen to
your favorite music, or catch up on the news. This is a super
productive thirty minutes for your brain and body.
- Remind
yourself how good you feel after you exercise. That great, pumped
up feeling is your reward for doing something good for yourself.
Remember, you only get it…if you do it! Don't Quit!
Body by Jake
has become a worldwide leader in health and fitness products and
information helping everyone live a healthier lifestyle. Our logo
stands as a symbol of opportunity to achieve strength, better
health, and improved physical fitness. Body by Jake has the ability
to attract and motivate people to take an interest in fitness by
presenting a healthy and fit lifestyle in a manner that is
encouraging and fun, not intimidating.
Body by Jake
offers "real life" solutions that anyone can attain. Visit www.bodybyjake.com.
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