Category: Health and Fitness Articles

Stress Relievers

Aug 04, 2012

Stress management is an important practice that most people nowadays need to learn. With a fast paced working environment, people are constantly subjected to tremendous pressure that results in unpleasant levels of stress in their lives. You need to be able to cope quickly with the amount of stress that you have to deal with since it produces several negative effects on your health. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and there are so many options out there that everyone can find an activity that they enjoy doing but will also de-stress the body and mind.

Stress and It’s Effects
First off, stress can cause your performance to drop because of your inability to focus on the tasks at hand. Stress can also affect your health and body. Oftentimes, stress can escalate into depression or anxiety. High blood pressure, poor eating habits and lack of rest caused by high stress can also lead to worse health conditions including heart disease.

Where to Start
If you’re working long hours and stressed about balancing work and family life, it may be difficult to even start an exercise program for stress relief. Start small. Taking 20-30 minutes out of your busy day to take a walk through the park can do wonders for your stress level. Walking for half an hour a day can help kick start your fitness. It’s also a great excuse to spend time with your family. Get everyone together for a walk after dinner or take the kids and the dog to the park for a good run.

Another good starting place is a local fitness company. There are many options here in San Jose with regard to fitness:  health clubs, yoga studios, pilates studios and of, course, your local San Jose boot camp company, lifeSport Fitness!  Choose what suits your fitness style and lifestyle best and make sure you do something that you enjoy so your more likely to stick with it. Even if you decide to work out on your own, book a consultation with a fitness trainer so they can show you the proper use of the equipment and help you set your goals.

Group classes may include anything from a relaxtion yoga class to a fast paced step class. Some clubs and fitness centers have started adding Zumba Fitness classes which incorporate latin dance and aerobics moves. Find what interests you and gets you moving.

How Does Exercise Help?
You may be wondering what all this exercise is going to do to benefit your stress levels. There are a number of reasons why physical activities reduce stress. The first is the chemicals released in the brain and body when you exert yourself through physical activity. Exercise can release endorphins and seratonin which boost our mood and make us feel happier. Exercise can also help reduce stress through improving confidence and body image. The healthier we are, the more confident we become. Confidence helps us take control of our lives and in turn reduce our stress levels.

Giving yourself 30 minutes to an hour to exercise, play a sport or do a class a few times a week is also a great way to unwind and destress. Doing something for yourself can help take your mind off the stresses in life. It’s also an opportunity to concentrate on something other than work. Clearing your head of the things that are clogging your brain and causing stress can help you regroup your thoughts.

It may seem that you don’t have time to fit exercise into your busy schedule but there’s always time to do even a short activity to get your body moving and your heart pumping. Even five minutes of deep breathing at your work desk is better than nothing!

Exercise is so important for our physical health — but it’s also good for our mental health.

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Rock Climbing For Fun and Fitness With The Family

Aug 01, 2012

Rock Climbing has become an incredibly popular physical activity. You don’t need to have a rock face near you in order to enjoy the benefits however. There are several indoor rock climbing facilities right here in the Bay Area.  You’ve got Planet Granite in Sunnyvale Touchstone Climbing in San Jose .

One of the major benefits of rock climbing at an indoor facility is the fact that almost anybody is able to carry it out whether they have experience or not. Some of the more advanced centers have multiple walls put into place to accommodate different ages, fitness or skill levels. Since you are in a safe and controlled environment it also does not carry the same risk as rock climbing outside. This basically means that almost anybody is able to jump in and start building up their fitness levels and getting an intense work out even if they’re just learning.

Most indoor rock climbing facilities are fairly inexpensive and accommodating to beginners so they make an ideal place to take your family for your first foray into rock climbing. As you improve your skills you will be able to head to more advanced forms of climbing. You will often find that getting a child started in this type of activity early will spur on their interest for a long time to come. This means that you will be getting your child interested in fitness activities from an early age :-).

So why is rock climbing something to try with the whole  family? The main reason is that everybody can get involved with the activity. It encourages better hand-eye coordination in young people, and it’s great for upper body strength development for all ages.  It is also incredibly fun. Your children won’t even know that they are working out and will be looking forward to that rock climbing session each and every week.

Rock Climbing will help build up the muscles in your legs and arms and therefore it is a pretty physically demanding work out. This in turn will help you increase your fitness levels. Increased fitness levels will lead to a loss of weight, reduced chance of heart disease and feeling healthier in general. All of this can happen while you are having fun with your family. Rock climbing is also a great way to bond with your family.

 

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OK, Vitamin K!

Jul 29, 2012

Cauliflower: A great source of Vitamin KVitamin K plays an important role in the function of the body. It is a key player in blood flow and clotting. If you are deficient in Vitamin K when you are cut or injured your blood will not clot as easily. Some scientists and researchers also think that Vitamin K is important for maintaining your bone health–especially as you age. The best way to ensure you’re getting enough of this hardworking vitamin is through food sources. However, if you are still unable to fill the body with enough Vitamin K you should speak with your doctor about the available Vitamin K supplements.

There are thirteen different vitamins that your body needs to survive. Of these thirteen, four are fat-soluble and the rest are water-soluble. If the vitamin is water-soluble, it dissolves quickly and exits the body. Therefore, water-soluble vitamins must be consumed daily in order to keep your levels normal. However, if a vitamin is fat-soluble, it does not exit the body but is instead stored in your fat to be used at a later time. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so it is not crucial for you to consume it every day. However, it is important for you to keep a careful eye on your levels of Vitamin K in the body in order to make sure that you are not becoming Vitamin K deficient. If this occurs, a vitamin supplement may be necessary.

Vitamin K is found in a variety of foods. It is also produced in the body by the bacteria found in the lining of your gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, your body helps regulate its own Vitamin K levels. As for foods that contain Vitamin K, you will more than likely get enough if you simply eat a healthy, balanced diet. Some foods that are especially high in Vitamin K include vegetables like cabbage, spinach and other leafy greens, soybeans, and cauliflower.

If you do not get enough Vitamin K in your diet, it is important to talk to your doctor about taking supplements. Signs of Vitamin K deficiency include easy bruising and bleeding. Extreme Vitamin K deficiency is very rare, but when it does occur it is usually due to a problem in the intestinal tract. Instead of absorbing Vitamin K like normal, the body simply allows the vitamin to pass through with the waste. In this case, vitamin supplements are necessary. However, because this is a fat-soluble vitamin, you should take vitamin supplements for Vitamin K under medical supervision. There may be another underlying condition that is affecting your vitamin absorption and must be looked into further by a medical professional.

Whether through diet or vitamin supplements it’s important to include Vitamin K in your diet along with all the other vitamins and minerals that are needed for a healthy, functioning body.

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Photo Credit:

Cauliflower at Farmer’s Market

Vitamin C and Recovery from Exercise

Jul 26, 2012

Oranges are a good source of Vitamin CIt is no secret that certain vitamins can not only contribute to better overall health and life longevity but some may not be aware of the fact that vitamins can also help our bodies heal quicker than they normally would without vitamins. For those who participate in sports activities or exercise program, accidents and injuries are to be expected. One vitamin that is aggressive in helping our bodies recover is Vitamin C. Here is what you should know about Vitamin C and recovery from exercise.

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is one of nature’s best gifts whether ingested it in pill form or from food sources. Because it has antioxidant properties and components it naturally assists our bodies in growth, production and healing. Vitamins in general fall within one of two categories-either water soluble or fat soluble. Vitamin C falls in the water soluble category which simply means is has the ability to dissolve easily and therefore the benefits we get from it are quick. Water soluble vitamins transition or pass through our urine as well and help regulate the toxins within our systems.

Each time we take something into our bodies, our metabolism works hard to process it. Vitamins that are water soluble such as Vitamin C are easily processed and therefore our bodies can absorb what it needs and flushes what isn’t needed (or the excess) out with ease.

Benefits of Vitamin C

With regard to exercise, Vitamin C is essential not only in the preparatory stages of exercising but it also plays a key role in helping our bodies recover from aches, pains and injuries. When we exercise we are naturally putting strain on our joints, tendons and muscles so we need to take preventative measures to not over strain them and to be responsible in helping them to repair themselves when we do over-extend.

Our bodies contain massive amounts of tissue that connects our muscles and ligaments. Vitamin C plays a vital part in strengthening and repairing these tissues, particularly the connective ones. Since Vitamin C is stored within the tissues, it has direct access and can aid in promoting healthy tissue development. Additionally Vitamin C has antioxidants that have been shown to assist with oxidative damage that often occurs during exercising. This type of damage is sustained and caused by free radicals within the air that we breathe and can deteriorate our cell functions.

Because antioxidants also promote healthy immune systems, our bodies will recover from illness and exercise related injuries much quicker than someone who has an infected or compromised immune system. This is especially true once we begin to age because our bones, muscles and connective tissues are more fragile than they were in our younger years.

Taking Vitamin C for pre- and post-exercise regimes

Whether you’re a high level athlete or just beginning to incorporate regular exercise into your life, the benefits that one can obtain from taking recommended doses of Vitamin C are vast. Many health professionals recommend that you take Vitamin C on a daily basis. Because Vitamin C is soluble, it doesn’t remain in our systems permanently; our body will absorb what it needs and secrete the rest through sweat and urine, therefore we have to offer our body a steady stream of it for it to be beneficial.

Taking the proper dose of Vitamin C prior to working out can prevent muscle aches and pain and can also assist the repair of injuries at a much quicker rate. The recommended dose of daily Vitamin C will vary depending on your own physiological make up as well as the intensity of your regime. Professionals generally recommend anywhere from 400 to 3,000 mg of vitamin C per day.

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Photo credit:

Oranges in glass

Benefits of Aerobics

Jul 17, 2012

There are more benefits from aerobics for your body that you could possibly count. All over the world, people are talking about new and better ways to work out, because all over the world the health of the general population is declining. Therefore, doctors and other health care professionals are trying to create more awareness of the benefits of aerobic activity.There are simply too many benefits of aerobics to mention in a short article. However, there are a few that stick out as very important. For instance, the best way that you can make sure you are living a healthy life is to get your heart rate pumping, and the absolute best way to get your heart rate going is aerobics. Aerobics requires constant movement without any resting for an established period of time. Allowing your heart to keep going a higher rate than resting for a set amount of time is one of the best ways to get healthy, because this delivers blood and oxygen to each part of your body at an even faster rate.

There are also many more benefits to aerobics that you might not have even realized. Besides making your heart and lungs strong, aerobics makes all of your muscles stronger because you have to keep them moving for longer periods of time without stopping. Aerobics not only helps with you cardiovascular endurance but it will also increase your muscle endurance allowing your body to work for longer periods of time. This transfers into many areas of your life and not just fitness.

Aerobics comes in many forms. Most people think of aerobics classes at the gym or step classes when the term aerobics comes up. Yes,  those are two forms of “aerobics”, but there are many other activities that you can partake in to get the full benefits of aerobics. Team sports have an aerobic component to them so if you play soccer or hockey you are getting a form of aerobic activity. You could try a dance class, walking briskly, tennis with your partner, or any activity that elevates the heart rate for a sustained time period.

Not sure how to start an aerobic exercise program, contact your local fitness pros at lifeSport Fitness if you’re interested in learning more ways to increase your aerobic activity. In a few short personal training sessions or boot camp workouts, we can give you ideas on how to start or improve upon your exercise program.

Always consult your physician before starting any new exercise program. You will never feel so healthy as when you are working out and taking care of yourself. Getting into an aerobics routine is one of the best way for you to accomplish this.

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