Workout Tips To Help You Achieve The Best You

Tips To Remember When You Workout:
1. Try not to rest between your exercises sets. Try to be the best conditioned athlete you can be in the gym. I believe you can increase your strength along with your endurance through this method of training. Believe in it and follow it!

2. Always go hard! Challenge yourself each and every day! Intensity is the key to overall success. Be intense and don't settle for nothing less!

3. Always pick challenging weight for each of your exercises. Try to increase your weight if at possible...challenge your body and make it work. An increase in weight will help you get stronger and make your body work harder during your workout. Try to pyramid your weight for each set that you do.

4. One important rule to remember is that even though you want to challenge yourself on your weight, it is not how much you lift but how you lift. One goal is to build a strong foundation that will help you perform better and longer. Your foundation supports all movements, motions, activities, and most importantly it helps prevent injuries. Always make sure you have good form and that you perform each exercise with full range of motion.

5. One way to stay motivated is to set daily goals. This concept not only helps with motivation but it helps you get mentally prepared and strong for anything you attempt. The thought of pushing yourself is one thing, but the most important thought is believing that by pushing yourself you will be successful. Try to challenge yourself with your daily goals and workouts~this will also help you create mental toughness. I believe that with mental toughness~NOTHING can stand in your way. The mind and the body should work as one unit~supporting one another through intense bouts of exercises and/or life.

6. Try to feel the burn and some after that initial burn. Try to challenge yourself physically but also mentally. I believe that both these components work together to create an overall YOU! If you do an exercise and you begin to feel an intense muscle burn~mentally take yourself to the next level and don't stop. Push through and get it done at all costs. Try to incorporate a few challenge rounds in your workout routine. This will help you improve on pushing through.

7. Think of each workout as a practice. It is getting you ready for your big event. Preparing you to be the best you can be. Even if you are not participating in a competitive event, I believe that creating an overall foundation will support you in any activity you do. For example, you want to do yard work (pulling weeds) without any problems or soreness. With a strong foundation, you can pull weeds without any pain and soreness.

8. You must think of yourself as an athlete~this is the bottom line. Be an all-round versatile athlete~strong physically and mentally, conditioned to the extreme, and unstoppable. Remember, the word athlete is what you make it for yourself.

9. Nutrition! I can not stress this enough. You are what you eat and if you are going to perform and be intense, you will need the proper fuel to support this. You must be eating right in order to have the strength and endurance to get through each and every workout with intensity. Always eat breakfast! Eat every 2 to 3 hours. Each meal must consist of a protein, carb, and a fruit/vegetable. Think well-balanced for each meal. If you are not taking care of your eating you will not have the energy to perform at the best of your potential. This in turn will lead to discouragement, fatigue, and a decrease in motivation.

10. Nutrients you get from food sources help with injuries. It also helps injured areas to rebuild and become healthy and strong. Fruits and veggies are filled with lots of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that will help support you and your injuries.

11. Always make sure you eat something after a workout. You have 30 to 45 minutes to get something in your system. This is one of the most important tips you must remember in health and fitness. Think more fast-digesting carbs along with whey protein. Protein smoothie with fruit is a good choice. Your post-workout meal helps you replenish and restore nutrients you lost during your workout. It helps with recovery and helps preserve your lean muscle. Don’t ever skip your post-workout meal. This is one of the most important meals of your day.

12. Have fun! Think of what you are doing, what it takes to get there, and where you will go. Now, think of how fun this journey will be for you. All the things you will learn about yourself along the way and what you will endure with each workout. Smile and have fun with your training! Fitness is fun~it is truly what you make of it.

Today's Dofitness Training Tip

Today's Dofitness Training Tip:

There are a couple of things you can do that will benefit you in so many ways~ just by adding 5 minutes to your workout. Here are a couple of suggestions that you may want to choose from.
The first on the list is to firm your belly. There's no rule that says you should work your abs only when you lift weights. I advise my clients to change things up sometimes. Hit abs as soon as you get done with your cardio or even in between your cardio session. Next on the list is burn an extra 50 calories. Try running, rowing, doing the elliptical or biking. Next, think about getting stronger all over. Do a one minute round of squats, push-ups, seated or bent-over rows, crunches and jumping jacks~without resting. Another option is to calm your mind. Breathe deeply and imagine inhaling energy and exhaling negativity. Try to banish any thoughts about work, family and your to-do list. Finally, get limber. I can not stress this enough! Take time to stretch the muscles you worked. Hold each stretch for no more than 30 seconds. Stretching gives your body time to slow down and bounce back from exercise.

Remember, it is the little things that make the difference. BE THE DIFFERENCE!

Ten Challenges

"There may be more to learn by climbing the same mountain a hundred times than by climbing a hundred different mountains." -Richard Nelson

Often times I hear people say I just don't seem like I am making any changes in my life...I go two steps forward and then three steps back...and I don't seem to be going anywhere. I like this quote because I believe that many of us climb the same mountain (deal with a push-pull effect) for a variety of reasons. Just like the quote says...there is more to be learned before reaching the top and succeeding. 

But, it is safe to say that each time you climb, you are making tremendous progress and you are getting stronger from each climb, more than you know...it is okay that you continue to climb the same mountain. Just don't give up, keep climbing, keep learning, and keep getting stronger. Don't give up on that mountain that is giving you so much back. It is allowing you to see yourself in good times and in bad times, it is challenging you, it is teaching you, and most importantly, it is shaping you into a strong and dedicated person.

The title of this blog is ten challenges. I would like for you to write down the ten most challenging things in your life. Ten things that may be preventing you from reaching your goals. For example, say that you are struggling with getting your cardio in each week. And you know that this may be one thing that may be preventing you from losing weight or acheiving your goal. It is obvious then that this would be one of your ten challenges.

Now, this is your challenge game and you can make it as challenging and as detailed as possible. For instance, some of you may just write down...DO A 60-MINUTE CARDIO SESSION. Others may write, DO A 60-MIN CARDIO SESSION AND BURN 1200 CALORIES. Again, be as creative and as detailed as possible. Make it fun and worthwhile. 

The only rule I ask of you is to write all your challenges down on paper...put them in a container...AND HAVE SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT YOU AND LOVES YOU DRAW YOUR CHALLENGE FOR YOU. If you choose the right person, they will encourage you and hopefully make sure that you fulfill that challenge. You may choose ten different people each time or you may stick with the same person...that is all up to you. Some of you may choose to have someone draw a challenge for you each day, while others may choose to do one challenge each week. That is also up to you. 

Again, be creative and really challenge yourself. It is little challenging games like this that will help you reach your goals faster. As well as teach you the meaning of...what truly lives inside you and what you can overcome!

I BELIEVE IN ALL OF YOU! GO FOR IT!

PUSH YOUR STRENGTH TO NEW LEVELS

"Be not afraid of growing slowly, Be afraid only of standing still." -Chinese Proverb

A= Above, Accelerate, Adventure, Aesthetics, Affection, Aggressive, Ahead, Aim, Alive, Ambition, Angel, Approach, Ardor, Ascend, Attitude, Audacious, Aver, Awesome, Azimuth

**Choose challenging weight for each exercise
**No rest between exercises
**Use proper form on all exercises
**Use full range of motion for all exercises

ROUND ONE: Total Of 4 sets/Alternate between #1 and #2 until you have completed 4 sets/No Rest Between Exercises And Sets
1) Pull-ups- 10x
2 Push-ups- 10x
3)*After 4th set- Jump Rope- 250 times

ROUND TWO: Total Of 3 sets/Go down the line without resting/Rest 45 seconds between sets
1) DB Bench Squats- 25x (make sure to sit back on your squats and make sure that your butt taps the bench each time you squat)
2) Wall Sit- 1 min
3) Squat Jumps- 25x
4) DB Lunge Pulses- 25x each side (make sure to hold each 25th rep at the bottom for 20seconds/make sure to sit back on your pulses)
5) Wall Sit- 1 min
6) Split Squat Jumps- 50x

ROUND THREE: Total Of 4 sets/Same concept as ROUND ONE/No rest between exercises and sets
1) Wide Lat Pull-downs- 10x (Try to increase your weight for each set if you can)
2) Push-ups- 10x
3)*After 4th set- Jump Rope- 250 jumps (challenge for this round- no mess-up/you must start over each time you mess up)

ROUND FOUR: Total Of 3 Sets/Go Down The Line Without Resting/Rest Only 45 Seconds Between Sets
1) DB Step-Ups With High Knee- 25x each leg (use 23" box/challenged weight)

2) Split Squat Jumps- 1 minute (non-stop)
3) DB Walking Lunges- 100 steps (use challenged weight)
4) Box Jumps- 1 minute (non-stop)

Good Job! Workout Completed!! Always Work Hard!!!

SUCCESS COMES FROM DISCIPLINE

Our Life Is Defined By Opportunities. Opportunities That Help Us Grow. In Order For Growth, There Must Be Commitment. A Commitment To Yourself...A Commitment To Succeed.

Check Out This Amazing Accomplishment...Awesome Job To My Client For Reaching Her Big Goal After One Year At Dofitness Training Studio. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Resistance Band Training During Squats Boosts Force And Power Output

SO HERE YOU HAVE IT! :) 

Movements become ballistic at the end of the range of motion during large, multiple-joint exercises, such as the bench press, squats, and deadlift. In other words, there's less load on the muscles as you get closer to lockout and little motor unit activity in the prime mover muscles (the muscles doing the work). Lifting with resistance bands or chains attached to the bar increases the load at the end of the range of motion.

Australian scientists found that force and power output was greater during back squats performed on a Smith Machine when using resistance bands than during traditional weight training. Also, resistance bands are effective when doing traveling lunges and side shuffles...keeping the tension and force continuously while performing these movements.

They used a force platform to determine the forces created during the exercise. Muscles tend to get larger and stronger when subjected to more tension, so we may infer from this study that training with resistance bands (or chains) is beneficial. It can also be stated that training with resistance bands or chains does increase strength and lean muscle mass more than traditional training methods. SO GOOD NEWS FOR ALL OF THE CLIENTS THAT TRAIN WITH ME...JUDY IS HERE TO STAY!!! LONG LIVE JUDY!!!

Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 20: 268-272, 2006.

Post-Exercise Protein Intake Speeds Tissue Repair

After a hard workout in the gym or on the track, your body must repair damaged tissues using amino acids from protein. Exercise speeds the use of amino acids as fuels, which puts them in short supply during recovery...the time the body repairs and restores itself.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers did a sophisticated study showing that feeding protein (10- 15 grams) and carbs after a endurance exercise increased WHOLE BODY protein synthesis after exercise compared to a placebo. All athletes should eat a high-protein energy bar, protein shake, or a high-protein meal within 30-40 minutes of an intense workout.

So remember, it is SO IMPORTANT to include a post-exercise protein source after each and every one of your workout. It will not only speed up your recovery process, but it will build muscle faster. This is something that definitely works...SO DO IT!!! :)

Medical Science Sports, 34:828-837, 2002.

Repeated Cardio Exercise Bouts Boost Fat Use

Exercise is important for weight control because it burns calories during the activity and raises metabolic rate for hours after the exercise is over. Most people trying to control their weight run on a treadmill, ride a stationary bike or work on an elliptical trainer continuously for 30-60 minutes. There may be a better way.

Japanese scientists found that two 30-minute moderate-intensity aerobics programs with a 20-minute break between sessions burned more fat than one 60-minute exercise session. The researchers compared fat use and hormone levels in people riding a stationary bicycle for 60 minutes continuously, or doing two bouts of 30 minutes separated by 20 minutes of rest between sessions. Two 30-minute bouts of exercise increased fat metabolism, stress hormone levels (i.e., catecholamines) and blood ketone levels (a marker of increased fat use) while lowering insulin and blood sugar more than the continuous 60-minute workout. Burn more fat by splitting your cardio routine.

Applied Physiology, in press; Online Published Feb. 22, 2007.

Heart Rate Reserve Formula

The Karvonen Formula

This is a heart rate reserve formula and it’s one of the most effective methods used to calculate training heart rate. The formula factors in your resting heart rate, so you will need to determine your resting heart rate by doing the following:

• Prior to getting out of bed in the morning, take your pulse on your wrist (radial pulse) or on the side of your neck (carotid pulse).
• Count the number of beats, starting with zero, for one minute. If you don’t have a stop watch or a second hand in your bedroom, you can measure the time by watching for the number to change on a digital alarm clock. Find your pulse and start counting when the minute number changes the first time, stop counting when it changes again.
• To help assure accuracy, take your resting heart rate three mornings in a row and average the 3 heart rates together.

The next important element in finding your training heart rate zone is determining the intensity level at which you should exercise. As a general rule, you should exercise at an intensity between 50% - 85% of your heart rate reserve. Your individual level of fitness will ultimately determine where you fall within this range. Use the following table as a guide for determining your intensity level:
   Beginner or low fitness level . . . 50% - 60% Average fitness level . . . . . . . . 60% - 70%
High fitness level . . . . . . . . . . . 75% - 85%

The Karvonen Formula: 220 - Age = Maximum Heart Rate

Maximum Heart Rate - Rest. Heart Rate x Intensity + Rest. Heart Rate = Training Heart Rate

For example, Sally is 33 yrs old, has a resting heart rate of 75 and she’s just beginning her exercise program (her intensity level will be 50% - 60%.) Sally’s training heart rate zone will be 131-142 beats per minute:


Sally's Minimum Training Heart Rate:
220 - 33 (Age) = 187
187 - 75 (Rest. HR) = 112
112 x .50 (Min. Intensity) + 75 (Rest. HR) = 131 Beats/Minute


Sally's Maximum Training Heart Rate:
220 - 33 (Age) = 187
187 - 75 (Rest. HR) = 112
112 x .60 (Max. Intensity) + 75 (Rest. HR) = 142 Beats/Minute

Try to take your pulse, periodically, during your exercise session to gauge your intensity level. Typically, the easiest location for taking a pulse is on the side of your neck, the carotid pulse. Be sure not to press too hard on the carotid artery or you’ll get an inaccurate reading. Count the number of beats, always beginning with zero, for 6 seconds (then multiply by 10), or for 10 seconds (then multiply by 6) to get the number of times your heart is beating per minute. If your pulse is within your training heart rate zone, you’re right on track! If not, adjust your exercise workload until you get into your zone.

PUMP UP Those Legs

A Great Exercise Round To PUMP UP Your Legs

My client is on one of my favorite exercise machines...Vertical Leg Press. She had just completed a round of lower body boxing drills...I then made her stop and get on the leg press machine. She has a soft ball that goes between her legs, which makes her have to stimulate those inner thighs as she is pressing. Her round consists of a ladder drill.

BEGINNING WITH:
2 mini press (starting from the bottom you will come up a little below half way and then go back down to your starting position) + 2 full presses
* 4 mini presses + 4 full presses
* 6 minis + 6 fulls
* 8 minis + 8 fulls
* 10 minis + 10 fulls
She then took a 45 second break went back to her lower body power boxing drills...now remember what goes up must go down...so after her boxing drills she went back to leg press and began at 10/10 and worked all the way down to 2/2.
Be creative when you train....your muscles won't know what's coming and you will definitely see the results you have been working so hard for.
~ Dofitness

BURN CALORIES BY DRINKING WATER

Many diet books recommend drinking plenty of water to cut hunger and create a feeling of fullness. But did you know that , drinking water also increases metabolic rate slightly and burns more calories. German researchers found that drinking 500 milliliters of water (about 1 pint) increased resting metabolism by 25 percent- so about 20 extra calories for 60 minutes. Drinking 50 milliliters of water or 500 milliliters of saline (mildly salty water) had no effect on metabolism.

Water increases calorie burning by diluting the blood going to the liver (portal circulation) and by turning on the sympathetic nervous system (the body's fight-or-flight system). The cells have very sensitive methods for regulating fluids in blood, cells and the space between cells. Water intake activates this system, which increases caloric expenditure. Drinking extra water has little effect on weight control and could be dangerous...just like anything. You must find the right balance that works for you and how water plays into your everyday activities. The 20 calories you expend processing the water is equivalent to jogging for two minutes. But again...don't forget, excessive water intake can cause hyponatremia (water intoxication), which can be deadly.

So remember to stay hydrated each and every day...do not go overboard on your water intake especially if you are not active. Water has and will always be vital to your survival. It participates in almost all the chemical reactions in your body, it helps cool you, and moves vital fuels and hormones to your muscles and tissues. Just be aware that just like anything else...there have been known cases of people drinking too much water and dying from these decisions. BALANCE IS THE KEY TO EVERYTHING IN THIS LIFE! So be ACTIVE and DRINK YOUR WATER!!

Journal Clinical Endocrinolgy Metabolism, 92: 3334-3337, 2007)

A Passion For The Process

FITNESS is a way of life rooted in the deeply held conviction that physical, psychological, and spiritual health are inextricably related. *When you wake up at dawn and EXERCISE it is like an act of devotion. It CENTERS THE MIND for the day to come.*

"Beauty is superficial and fleeting, but health is profound and lasting."

The pursuit of FITNESS is the pursuit of WHOLENESS that can empower each of us to cope with the overwhelming pressures of our day-to-day existence.

Fitness is a lifelong pilgrimage and you must commit yourself to the journey. And those who do will find long-lasting results. Athletes fall into two groups: the believers and the nonbelievers. The nonbelievers just want to win the race, but never seem to enjoy training for it. And the sad thing is that nonbelievers seldom last in the world of fitness. The glory of winning is short-lived. 

You must have STAYING POWER and that is exactly what separates the believer from the non-believer. The believer has A PASSION FOR THE PROCESS. They enjoy winning, but they CHERISH THE LIFESTYLE even more.

**The irony: To achieve physical beauty you must LOOK BEYOND IT. If we keep our eyes focused on a particular short-term goal we may achieve it, BUT the victory will only be temporary. YOU MUST BE TRANSFORMED FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

You must have faith and when it comes to fitness, you must make the leap of faith. Trust and recognize that THERE IS NO GROWTH WITHOUT COMMITMENT, and NO COMMITMENT WITHOUT BELIEF. You must keep the FAITH. 

"There are no shortcuts."

One morning a young man in his twenties came in and enrolled at a local gym. Looking around, he saw an older man across the room, working out. His face and physique didn't seem to go together. His gray head was that of a well-kept septuagenarian, but his body seemed grafted on-impossibly young looking. In his sweatpants and tank shirts he exposed arms and shoulders that revealed full, deeply defined muscles covered with smooth, tight skin. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him. Awestruck, the young man walked over to him and said, "You look great, how long have you been working out?" The old man gave him a fierce look and replied, "All my damned life- you are looking at a LIFETIME of working out!"

With the long-term pursuit of fitness, however, weight loss, or fat loss, takes care of itself-automatically. Again, to achieve it you must not pursue it! The object is not to lose weight but to BECOME FIT. You must commit yourself to the journey of fitness, which will bring you rewarding results for a lifetime. You must stop wanting immediate results or a quick turnaround.

"We seldom make the connections between our physical health and our spiritual well-being."

You must BELIEVE that if you are on the journey toward fitness, your own lifelong pilgrimage, you will lose fat and gain muscle.

"Our bodies are, to most of us, an inconvenient appendage to our head."

***Always keep in touch with everything that surrounds you...The journey to fitness keeps us in contact with nature. The sights, smells, and sounds of land and water-reminds us of our true relationship to the material world.

"A sensory delight-the sound of your heart beating, the feel of muscles working, and the smell of nature around you confirm your existence as a living, breathing, physical being."

Three Words- IMPROVE, INCREASE, CONSISTENT
You have the power to have: improved body chemistry, increased strength and lean muscle mass, consistent weight control, improved cardiovascular health, improved psychological health, improved quality of life.

One problem many face is having an ingrained, deep-seated discomfort with their bodies. We make our living by reading, writing, speaking, and thinking, but seldom by physical labor. The nature of our work is written on our physiques, and the imprint of our sedentary lifestyles can be read in our posture, gait, and carriage. Unfortunately our neglected bodies often serve only as a repository for stress, depression, and illness. 

We must seek to restore a sense of INNER PEACE through the pursuit of health and wholeness. Fitness has all the necessary tools to help improve a person's sense of well-being, reduce their stress levels, and make them more productive.

It is important that you have the right mindset in order to achieve and live a healthy life. You can know all the theories in the world, but if you do not have the right mindset, it will do you no good. You need to have FAITH and you must BELIEVE in the intrinsic value of health if you hope to achieve it. If you haven't seen the light, if you're not a convert, you will fail. I BELIEVE IN YOU AND I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO. Never give up and don't give in. You are stronger and nothing should stand in your way. And when you face challenges and obstacles you have a hidden power rooted in your inner self to overcome. 

Like I have said before, YOU are the one, YOU are the captain of your ship, YOU lead the way, but most importantly, YOU ARE THE FOOTPRINTS THAT LEAD YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY. 

Kybartas, Ray. Fitness Is Religion. Pgs. 19-34.

An All-Time Favorite Recipe For A Cold Winter Season

The All-Time Favorite, Turkey Chili, is brought here by popular demand.

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 cup red pepper, coarsely chopped

1 onion, coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chopped plum tomatoes in juice

2/3 rib celery, coarsely chopped (2/3 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 cup chicken stock or low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a 3-quart, nonstick saucepan over high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add the turkey and season to taste with the salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, breaking up the turkey into pieces, until browned all over. Remove to a bowl, and cover with foil to keep warm.

Reduce the heat to low, and add the peppers, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Increase the heat to medium, and add the tomatoes, stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered.

Add the browned turkey, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving.
Makes 4 servings.

For YOU with LOVE!

Kirsch, D. New York Body Plan. ppgs. 206-207.

Preventive Solutions

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." 

We all know about intensity and we all know what comes with that intensity...muscles that are tight, tired, and sore.  It is important that you are aware of the things your body is facing and do the little things to prevent yourself from getting injured. 

One of the best preventive solutions is gradual stretching. Stretching involves the entire muscle/tendon complex, lengthening it so that the chance of an exercise movement's suddenly stretching these structures past their limits and causing damage is reduced.  Another preventive solution is warming up before you workout. Warming up pumps blood and oxygen to the area and literally raises the temperature of the muscles involved, allowing them to contract with greater force.

DID YOU KNOW???

Endurance Training Helps Cells Release Fat
Losing body fat and keeping it off is extremely difficult and only about five percent of dieters are successful after a year. Many studies suggest that the only way you can lose fat permanently is to diet and exercise at the same time. People who only diet usually gain back all the weight they lost and then some. Part of the problem is that fat cells in obese people like to hold onto their fat. French researchers discovered that endurance training made fat cells more responsive to the hormone adrenaline, which made the fat cells release fat into the blood more easily.
Int. J. Obesity, 26: 1371-1378, 2002.

Potassium Accurate Measure of Nutritional Health
Canadian researchers found the urinary potassium is a good measure of the quality of the diet. People with the highest levels of potassium were most likely to eat a well-balanced diet that met the United States Department of Agriculture Nutritional Guidelines. These people were also leaner and had lower blood pressures and resting heart rates. Low potassium levels suggests a diet high in fat and low in fruits and vegetables. Urinary potassium is a simple test that doctors can do in the office or patients can do at home. Good food sources of potassium include sweet potatoes, tomato paste, beets, white beans, yogurt, clams, prune juice, carrots, bananas, soybeans, halibut, and tomatoes.
Paper presented at the American Society of Nephrology annual meeting, Dec. 2006.

UPRISING AGAINST THE SNOW

Strength comes from the force...the force from within. And It is what you decide to do with any circumstance...that is where it all begins. :) This is a fun and intense training video in the snow. Examples and ideas of exercises you can do if u are stuck at home due to ice and snow. Have fun with what life throws at you...always make the most of your circumstances...NO MATTER WHAT. Thank you for watching. 

~Dofitness

Preventing Injuries For Young Female Athletes

Sports build fitness and confidence in young women. Competitive athletics can result in serious athletic injuries that have lifelong consequences. Girls get five times more anterior cruciate ligament injuries than boys. Injuries to the vital knee ligament can cause a lifetime of pain, arthritis and instability. Orthopedic scientists think that women sustain more knee injuries because of muscle imbalance in the lower body. Women have stronger quadriceps muscles, but relatively weaker posterior leg muscles (hamstrings and glutes). Also, women are more stiff-legged when they run and jump. Active young women can prevent serious knee injuries by developing the posterior leg muscles through weight training and functional-high levels of fitness. Many girls benefit from specialized speed- and power- training programs. So train those hamstrings and try to incorporate exercises that work the smaller muscles in your legs (the muscles that will help assist the larger muscles and will help you from getting injured.

Below I have included an image of an exercise that you may want to try when training to strengthen the small muscles in your legs. It is called Over And Backs (as you can see I have her using a cane- I like using the cane because you can challenge yourself by adjusting the cane to go higher after mastering a certain height level). When doing this exercise, find your center point. Keep your shoulders and hips squared in front of you. Contract your quads and  point your toe. Go over the top of the cane tapping the floor and then going back to the other side (try not to rest as soon as you tap, try to go continuous and make sure you watch your form). Do not to bend your knee when doing this exercise. Always keep your quad engaged even when you tap the floor. Over and back= 1 rep....try to do 30 reps and then graduate from there. Exercises like these are effective when your reps are higher. Thanks for tuning in and I hope you have a wonderful day. :)

The Washington Post, September 11, 2007

Improve Distance Running Performance With Resistance Training

Distance Running and weight training are polar opposites in most people's minds. Several studies show that resistance exercises, such as weight training and plyometrics, help INCREASE speed and running economy- the energy cost of running at a specific speed. Your ability to perform well in a fun-run, 10-k run, or a marathon depends on your running speed and fatigue resistance. Success depends on your ability to maintain a fast running speed. You can achieve this by improving your power output and endurance capacities. Build endurance by practicing over-distance training. Develop power through interval training- running at fast speeds for two or more repetitions with rest periods between. Studies show that weight training and plyometrics also help build power. Finish studies showed that runners who practiced plyometric training for 12 weeks took 30 seconds off their 5-K time with no change in oxygen consumption capacity. This study showed that runners must build power as well as endurance. So don't be afraid to include resistance exercise in your regimen, particularly explosive plyometrics, when trying to improve running performance.

Sports Med, 33: 539-552, 2003.

Flex Ability

Did you know that stretching your legs could improve your muscle performance. According to reports from a Clinical Journal Of Sports Medicine Study, scientist took flexibility and leg-strength measurements of 30 participants and asked them to stretch each leg for 2 minutes 5 days per week. After 6 weeks, they found that the volunteers' flexibility had increased by 35 percent; quad strength had increased by 3.2 percent; and hamstring strength had increased by 5 percent. Stretching is so important in preventing injuries, but most importantly, it helps make your legs stronger by increasing your muscles' range of motion, making joint movement more efficient. And what does all of this mean...MORE POWER!!! So hit the floor and get tough: Broaden your muscles with at least 15 minutes of Yoga or Pilates twice a week. Oh Yeah...One more thought: In Order To Be The Most Fit-Sounded Person (a complete image of health and fitness), YOU Must Separate Yourself From The Average. You Must Achieve Every Part That Makes You Who You Are ...YOU ARE WHAT YOU DO!!! 

Egg White Omelet With Whole Wheat Toast

Ingredients:
*4-6 egg whites (Extra Large)
*1/4 cup fat-free shredded cheese
*chopped veggies, like green peppers, onions, tomatoes
*2 slice whole wheat (or rye) bread

Beat egg whites and pour in pre-heated, Pam sprayed skillet on low to medium heat. Let cook for a couple of minutes, and then add fat-free cheese and vegetables. When egg whites are no longer runny, fold egg over the cheese/veggies and flip. Let cook for another couple of minutes, and then remove from the pan.

Toast 2 slices of bread. Eat plain, or with just a little all-natural fruit spread.

Omelet plus toast makes 1 serving.

Additional Notes: Put the omelet on the toast and eat like a sandwich. All the fat of an egg is in the yolk, but it is also a good source of protein. So you could add one egg yolk to your egg whites, if you like.

Enjoy! :)