| The New Year is almost here and you have no doubt been thinking about your New Years resolution. Of the top ten most common New Years resolutions, six have to do with your health. Get more exercise, weight loss, quit smoking, enjoy life more, quit drinking, eat better; do any of these sound familiar?
There is a simple reason we choose to make these resolutions, we put a value on our health and we want to feel better. We know that with better health comes a better quality of life. Unfortunately, there is a multitude of obstacles standing in our way. Lack of time, lack of knowledge or lack of a good plan can derail all the best intentions. The average length of a New Years resolution for exercise lasts no more than, are you ready, ten days. The common cold can last longer than ten days.
The major problem is that most resolutions are doomed to fail before they ever start. What we need to do is get away from the idea of a resolution and make a commitment.
A commitment is defined as the act of binding yourself to a course of action. On January 2nd the Wellness Center will be starting our third 100 Days - Commit to be Fit exercise program. For those of you who have not participated before, this is a programwhere you commit to a personal fitness goal for 100 days. At the end of the 100 days if you have obtained your goal you will receive a 100 Days - Commit to be Fit T-shirt.
Personal fitness goals can range from walking 50 or 100 miles in 100 days to committing to cardiovascular exercise, weight training or a combination of both. The best part is that you choose the commitment, as much or as little as you want. The only person you are competing against is your self.
Each participant is given an exercise log to record your progress and to make sure you are on track to fulfilling your commitment. There is even a weekly drawing for prizes. Every time you exercise, fill out an entry tag and drop it in the box, the more you workout, the better your odds are for winning.
For those of you who have participated in 100 Days - Commit to be Fit before, this is a great time to really challenge yourself. If your current program has become dull or the results are slowing down, take this opportunity to step it up a notch and for the next 100 days try something new, different or more demanding.
If you have committed in the past but came up short, you know first hand how much better you can feel. Take this chance to prove to yourself that you can make it the 100 days.
If you need help or guidance in figuring out what level of commitment would be best for you, the staff of the Wellness Center is here to help.
This year do something that will last more than ten days. Make a commitment for the next 100 days to your health and fitness and start enjoying a higher quality of life.
For more information or to sign up, contact the Wellness Center. The cost is $10 (which is in addition to all membership fees).
Putting A Little Flexibility In Your Program
| Stretching is a key component to any balanced fitness program. Flexibility is important in performing everyday tasks. Proper stretching can also reduce post exercise soreness and is vital to injury prevention.
As we age the length of our muscles tends to shorten. Stretching will help lengthen the muscles and as a result, we become more flexible. The more flexible we are the better we perform. In general, stretching is the component often neglected in an exercise program.
A few rules to follow when stretching are:
Never stretch a cold muscle. Always stretch after a proper warm up. Stretching after your workout is ideal because your muscles are nice and hot and post-exercise is the time they really need to be stretched. Many times you can use a stretching routine for your final cool down.
Never force or over stretch. Stretch only to the point of slight discomfort. There is a high potential of injury if we force a stretch or try to over stretch a muscle group. Remember to stretch within the limits of each individual joint.
Go with traditional static stretches. Slowly and smoothly stretch to the point you feel mild tension or slight discomfort. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds and release, slowly returning to a neutral position.
Don't forget to breath! Slow, deep, relaxing breathing will actually help increase your flexibility.
Give priority to the muscles you use the most, but remember to stretch your entire body. If you are a runner, then it is logical that you need to spend extra time on lower body stretches, just remember to include a few upper body and core stretches too.
Submit your fitness, exercise and nutrition questions and look for the answers in the next newsletter.
Q: What is a good amount of weight to lose in a week?
A: Instead of talking about what is a “good” amount of weight to lose in a week, let’s talk about a healthy amount of weight. Always remember that when it comes to weight lose there are three components to look at, fat weight, lean body mass weight and water weight. Since we want to keep all of our lean body mass or muscle weight and loss of water weight is only temporary, not to mention dangerous, we will focus in on fat weight. So the best question to ask is what is a healthy amount of fat weight to lose in a week? Age, sex and current body composition should always be considered, but in general a healthy amount of fat weight to lose in a week is two to three pounds.
For most people, any more than this is a result of loss of muscle and or water weight. Take a look at the math, one pound of body fat contains 3500 calories. If we decrease our caloric intake (how much we eat) by 500 calories per day, a safe and recommended amount and increase our caloric expenditure (how much we exercise) by 500 calories per day, that has a total daily effect of 1000 calories. 1000 calories x 7 days = 7000 calories or two pounds of fat.
Keep in mind that everyone is different and weight loss results can vary. With many healthy weight loss plans, there is an initial weight loss of more than two to three pounds, this can usually be explained by the “cleaning out” of the old waste that has accumulated in the intestinal tract. For the most part, this only occurs in the first week or two.
Always be skeptical of programs promising a big weight loss in a short amount of time. These tend to be temporary, unrealistic and unsafe.
Q: Why does it seem like I sweat more than other people?
A: Some people do sweat more than others. The main reason is genetics, which determines the activity of your sweat glands. That’s why some people literally drip sweat while others can come off of a high intensity cardio workout looking like they have done little.
In addition to your genetics, your current fitness level also plays a role. A person that is more fit will start to sweat earlier and, in general sweats more.
Sweating is a mechanism used by the body to reduce heat. A fit person’s body can recognize an increase in body heat earlier and therefore start the sweating process sooner.
Finally, let’s also remember that some people just plain workout harder than others. If your intensity rate is high and you are pushing yourself hard, you probably need to sweat more.
Whichever the reason, always remember to put back what you have lost. Replenish those lost fluids by drinking plenty of water before, during and after your workout.
Vitamin A & Beta Carotene: Quick Facts…
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Vitamin A is important in vision, bone growth and cell division.
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Vitamin A helps regulate the immune system.
Vitamin A promotes healthy surface linings of the eyes and respiratory, urinary and intestinal tracts.
How Much Vitamin A?
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Males ages 14 and up: 3000 IU per day.
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Females ages 14 and up: 2310 IU per day
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Pregnancy: 750 IU per day.
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Lactation: 1200 IU per day.
Food Sources
Carrots, spinach, kale, cantaloupe, apricots, tomato juice, pumpkin, cheese, fortified milk.
Eating a variety of these foods will help you meet your daily need for vitamin A.
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