The following are suggested guidelines for nutrition for during training and racing so your energy levels don’t let you down due to dehydration,
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The Importance of Resistance Training
Resistance training is important for everyone and it tends to be the one form of exercise that gets left out. As kids we run, jump and play…we use our bodies!
Over time we lose our flexibility, strength and agility, but we can greater slow that process down and be fit and healthy well into our 90’s! Working with a personal trainer privately or in a group keeps you accountable, ensures you are using the correct technique so your workouts are safe and efficient and makes sure that you are going to succeed at achieving your health and fitness goals.
Resistance training provides many benefits…
Improved Posture
We all have a postural type and most of us don’t hold good posture throughout the day. Holding proper posture makes us feel more confident, reduces the likely hood of back discomfort and leads to greater efficiency in sport. By strength training we ensure that our bodies musculature is balanced and therefore holds our skeletal structure up with proper alignment. Working with a personal trainer is a great way to make sure you are on the right program for you.
Slows the aging process
When we’re aging it’s commonly said I’m slowing down or can’t do something due to my age. I don’t like hearing this because I know that if you just use your body one can be active long throughout one’s entire life. Yes, as we grow older we do lose muscle mass (the process starts commonly in our 40’s), but we can significantly slow down this process by using our muscles! The old saying if you don’t use it, you lose it is true for all of us. So celebrate your body and stay active!
Increased Metabolism
Ever notice that athletes eat so much? Well, it’s not only their high level of activity it’s also the amount of muscle mass that they carry. Muscle burns more energy than fat, so the greater the muscle mass on one’s body the greater your metabolism. For example, if you put on an extra 2kg of muscle you would burn an extra 220 calories (~900kj) a day just by sitting!
Daily movements without compensation
Every day we squat, push or pull, but we often do these things with compensation. Overtime daily simple daily activities can cause us needless injuries, that if just done with correct form in the first place won’t have caused us any grief. For example, most of us round our back when we sit. Rounding our back continuously puts pressure through 1 or 2 vertebrae (so boy do they feel picked on!) which overtime is not healthy. So try this, the next time you sit, let your leg and hip muscles do the work and maintain a neutral spine.
Increased Athletic Performance
A stronger athlete is one that moves more efficiently and that will last longer out on the field or in an event! It’s important that athletes though train properly for their sport and for their body, there is no one size fits all approach. Make sure that your strength training in the gym is the right one for your sport. This is where working with a Form Fitness personal trainer on your gym program with your goals in mind is highly beneficial.
Improves Glucose Control
Diabetes is on the rise and it is shown in studies that an active lifestyle can slow the accelerating factors in diabetes complications. Exercise can lower blood glucose levels and stabilize glycoslyated hemoglobin levels (hemoglobin to which glucose is bound). Long term exercise is known to reduce cholesterol, lessen body fat and improve lipid levels. Exercise also reduces systolic blood pressure and reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease.
Strengthens Bones
Resistance training as an adult helps to slow the process of Bone Mass Density (BMD) loss that occurs over time and can increase BMD in small amounts (1-3%). It is small compared to the effects of exercise on BMD in youths, but increases in BMD can be see in exercises well into one’s 70’s (Karlsson MK, Lancet 2000; Karlsson MK, Calcif Tissue Int 1995). Continued exercise will prolong its benefits. Fit adults are also less likely to lose balance and have falls that result in injuries.
So if you are not already working with a Form Fitness Personal Trainer in our studio or in the park, contact us to make sure you are on the right program for your lifestyle and body. Working with a Form Fitness Personal Trainer ensures that you will be training with an experienced, knowledgeable and passionate trainer!
Posted in Health and Fitness Tip 11 months, 1 week ago at 2:27 pm.