Strength training is a beneficial form of exercise for everybody, no matter your age, gender, or fitness background. And no, it's never too late and you are never too old to get started. It's important to know a few fundamental principles of strength training:
Resistance: You have to apply an appropriate resistance to build muscle. The amount of resistance should be above what one is accustomed to in everyday life. Add this resistance by using weight machines, free weights, cable machines, various weighted tools or even your own bodyweight.
Balance: Make sure to work the entire musculoskeletal system, to avoid postural and strength imbalances and injury. Work several muscle groups at once when possible.
Rest: Rest between sets of exercise for about 60-90 seconds giving your muscles a chance to recover before you attempt the next set. Also, rest 48 hours between bouts of weight training if you are sore.
Other basics to help you be successful:
Use body weight. Sometimes your own body weight can be the most effective and most challenging training tool. Add bodyweight training exercises to your workout with planks, push-ups, squats or lunges.
Make the muscles do the work. It's important not to use momentum to lift free weights. You will activate more muscle fibers if you lift and lower weights with purpose through your range of motion. If you cannot lift a weight without swinging it, it is too heavy and you should lower the amount of weight you are lifting. As a beginner, select a weight that allows you to go for 15 repetitions. Around repetition 12, you should be feeling a bit of fatigue.
Practice good form. Stand tall with your chest lifted and your arms naturally at your side. Don't hunch over in the shoulders or hold tension in your neck. Hold your abs tight. The stronger your core, the more effective you will be at lifting weights. Make sure you breathe. Exhale during the hardest part of the exercise to fuel the movement. If you have questions about form, you may consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions.
Pay attention to your body. Never work through intense pain and learn to differentiate between pain and muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue is a feeling of your muscles being tired but pain makes you want to say "Ouch!"
-- Life Fitness
New Research
A study published in Vascular Medicine has found that boiled Greek coffee may increase longevity. Only 0.1 percent of Europeans live past 90, but the number rises to 1 percent for the residents of the Greek island of Ikaria. Researchers studied Ikarians over the age of 65. They found that 87 percent of the participants drank boiled Greek coffee, and that those who did had better function of their endothelium, a layer of cells that lines blood vessels. Endothelial health is affected by lifestyle and aging. The authors of the study suggested more research into the benefits of coffee to heart health.
Strength training is a beneficial form of exercise for everybody, no matter your age, gender, or fitness background. And no, it's never too late and you are never too old to get started. It's important to know a few fundamental principles of strength training:
Resistance: You have to apply an appropriate resistance to build muscle. The amount of resistance should be above what one is accustomed to in everyday life. Add this resistance by using weight machines, free weights, cable machines, various weighted tools or even your own bodyweight.
Balance: Make sure to work the entire musculoskeletal system, to avoid postural and strength imbalances and injury. Work several muscle groups at once when possible.
Rest: Rest between sets of exercise for about 60-90 seconds giving your muscles a chance to recover before you attempt the next set. Also, rest 48 hours between bouts of weight training if you are sore.
Other basics to help you be successful:
Use body weight. Sometimes your own body weight can be the most effective and most challenging training tool. Add bodyweight training exercises to your workout with planks, push-ups, squats or lunges.
Make the muscles do the work. It's important not to use momentum to lift free weights. You will activate more muscle fibers if you lift and lower weights with purpose through your range of motion. If you cannot lift a weight without swinging it, it is too heavy and you should lower the amount of weight you are lifting. As a beginner, select a weight that allows you to go for 15 repetitions. Around repetition 12, you should be feeling a bit of fatigue.
Practice good form. Stand tall with your chest lifted and your arms naturally at your side. Don't hunch over in the shoulders or hold tension in your neck. Hold your abs tight. The stronger your core, the more effective you will be at lifting weights. Make sure you breathe. Exhale during the hardest part of the exercise to fuel the movement. If you have questions about form, you may consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions.
Pay attention to your body. Never work through intense pain and learn to differentiate between pain and muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue is a feeling of your muscles being tired but pain makes you want to say "Ouch!"
-- Life Fitness
New Research
A study published in Vascular Medicine has found that boiled Greek coffee may increase longevity. Only 0.1 percent of Europeans live past 90, but the number rises to 1 percent for the residents of the Greek island of Ikaria. Researchers studied Ikarians over the age of 65. They found that 87 percent of the participants drank boiled Greek coffee, and that those who did had better function of their endothelium, a layer of cells that lines blood vessels. Endothelial health is affected by lifestyle and aging. The authors of the study suggested more research into the benefits of coffee to heart health.
-- MedicalNewsToday.com
Health Tip
Be mindful of what you add to your morning coffee. Your on-the-go 16-ounce latte could contain as much as 330 calories, 13 grams of fat and 40 grams of sugar, and could be costing you. Substitute with a 12-ounce cup of coffee with skim or soy milk, a pinch of cinnamon and a natural sweetener like honey.
-- Family Features/Smart Ones
Number to Know
2: The CDC recommends adults between the ages of 18 and 64 do muscle-strengthening exercises at least two days a week.
Kids' Health
The CDC reports that more than 60,000 young children end up in the emergency room each year from wrongly ingesting medicines; but it's not only parents who need to be aware of the risks. Many of these incidents occur outside of the child's home. In fact, in 23 percent of the cases in which a child under 5 mistakenly ingests an oral prescription drug, the medication belonged to someone who did not live with the child.
Paul Reyes, Express Scripts pharmacist and host of Ask the Pharmacist radio series, offers these tips for preventing accidental and unintentional poisonings, and what to do if you suspect your child or teen has ingested a potentially poisonous substance:
Be cautious of colors: Medications are colorful and attractive to children, and can be mistaken for candy. For example, Tums look like SweeTarts, and Advil and Ecotrin resemble Skittles or M&M's. Parents should not encourage children to take their medicine by comparing it to candy, as this may lead to improper use.
When not to share: Be sure to remind children that they should never share their medication. When playing "doctor," friends and younger siblings of those taking a medication are often the recipients; this can lead to accidental poisoning.
Know the signs: Reactions to ingested medications or household products may vary. Look for signs such as vomiting, drowsiness and any residue odor in the child's mouth and teeth. But know that some products cause no immediate symptoms, so if you suspect that your child has ingested a potentially hazardous substance, call the poison hotline immediately.
-- Brandpoint
GateHouse News Service
