Jog Your Way Into Fitness

May 15th, 2011 by admin No comments »

Jogging has long been acclaimed for its health benefits, not just because it is a successful component of a weight-loss program. It brings improvement in many areas, for optimal state of fitness. Working together with personal trainers can also help maximize your techniques in jogging or running.

Shed Those Pounds Off

The appeal of jogging to many people is its ability to burn fat with tangible results. Sticking to a regular schedule of a morning jog greatly increases the chances of shedding two pounds a week, which is the recommended number advised by doctors and fitness experts.

Forget about trendy albeit dubious fitness programs that promise losing 10 pounds in just 7 days. Get involved in physical activities that promote a natural progression of losing weight, such as jogging, tennis and running.

Boost Your Cardiovascular System

With the amount of movement and the intensity involved, there is more to jogging than a mere calorie-burning workout. It increases the heartbeat rate, enabling the heart to pump more blood into the system. This action ensures that there is a healthy flow of blood in the arteries and the blood vessels.

Jogging allows you to stay away from risk of heart diseases. Sufferers of heart attack can find improved fitness by working with a Chicago fitness trainer who can guide them through jogging sessions.

Effective Ways to Jog

To achieve the maximum number of benefits from jogging, draw up a regular weekly plan. Allot 20 to 40 minutes for a morning or afternoon session, three times a week. Those who are just starting to take this path can begin with 10 to 15 minutes, gradually moving up to 40 minutes. Your trainer may advise you to combine jogging with other activities like tennis, biking or swimming.

Stay on the safe side by making sure to wait at least half an hour after drinking or eating before a session. Maintaining a hydrated body is very much needed to protect oneself from heatstroke, especially if the weather is terribly hot. Invest in ample protection for your body and feet, as well, to prevent injuries.

How to Stay in Shape in the Office

May 15th, 2011 by admin No comments »

White collar jobs are desk bound jobs that account for corporate America’s love affair with the sedentary office environment. Thanks to the internet and the computer, all you need is to type away on the keys and set our eyes on the PC monitor to get things done while your buns maintain an intimate relationship with your office chair.

If you live in Chicago, or any of the country’s commercial capitals, then you must know what it means to have most of your waking hours spent intimately on the unhealthy clutches of an office chair. Your Chicago fitness trainer should be able to coach you on neutralizing this intimacy with some exercise routines you can do while in the office.

Move Around at Every Opportunity

Get yourself a cup of coffee or glass of water during the break periods. Not served, but get up and go to the office pantry yourself. If your job takes you to walk and carry a bunch of reports to an executive at the other side of the building now and then, count yourself lucky. Walking is a great way to get the blood to circulate and it will also exercise your lethargic leg muscle. When you have to answer some biological necessity, walk to furthest bathroom you can find. If it takes a flight of stairs to reach it, that’s even better.

Flex Your Butt Muscles

But if you have to sit all day in your office cubicle analyzing miles of printouts or online pages, you better get some discipline to pause and do some isometric movements that can lessen the strain on your back muscles. Your sitting position is no barrier to an exercise routine like flexing your butt muscles and keeping it there for 20 secs or longer. You can twist your torso around your waist left to right, circle you head to loosen your neck muscles, or rotate your feet. Go into some deep breathing or you can get an anger management squeeze ball to take your hands off the PC keys occasionally and exercise your hand muscles.

Soft Rubber Slippers

Change from tight leather high heels to a softer rubber slipper or go barefoot on the carpeted office floor.  It allows your feet muscles to breathe freely while seated and there’s really no sane need to wear those tight shoes while seated. Just be sure to wear it back when the boss calls for you.

There are many other physical routines you can do, like parking your car farthest from the building entrance for a good walk to the office and back.  You can also take the stairwell for the first three floors before getting an elevator ride to your 25th floor office.  Take every chance you can to move from your office chair. Any personal trainer will always recommend walking even around the office, as a great way to loosen up. It also lengthens the life of your ergonomic chair, the longer you stay out of it. Not to mention your life as well.

Osteoporosis and Physical Activity

May 15th, 2011 by admin No comments »

Clinical studies affirm the beneficial health value of exercise among older folks, even those suffering from osteoporosis, a diminished bone density condition that is common at their age. Women are known to suffer the ailment earlier with a 1% to 2% osteoporotic condition starting at menopause. Even younger people who are taking prolonged steroids or glucocorticoid medication can also suffer from osteoporosis.

Exercise for Aging Folks with Osteoporosis

The important consideration when embarking on any workout for old folks is to start with light exercises and progress to the point where you can feel the stress, but without suffering any muscle pain as a result. Aerobics and strength or resistance training should never cause pain. Exercise is supposed to make you feel invigorated, not fatigued.

That applies to older folks with any form of osteoporosis, provided they are properly guided by their Chicago fitness trainer, if they happen to live there. In addition to regular aerobics such as brisk walking or climbing stairs meant to strengthen the heart and lungs, a set of strength training routines even lasting as short at 15 minutes a day for 2 days a week are good enough. This is just a rough guide though.  To get the benefits of strength training such as lifting weights or doing sit ups and push ups, you should complete the repetition 8-12 times or until you find the routine hard to complete.

Getting the Benefits of Exercise in the Twilight Years

It’s often natural for older folks to progressively reduce their physical activity as they age and feel the burden of osteoporosis on them. But medical data shows that participating in aerobics and strength training activities actually delays the aging process and reduce the pain associated with osteoporosis as they strengthen the skeletal structure.

People who have led active or sport-centric lifestyles shouldn’t give up their activity when they retire or after a debilitating surgical recovery. With the guidance of your doctor on the level of activity you can take a personal trainer who can develop a training regimen along this line, retirees and old folks with osteoporosis can enjoy quality life even as they reach their twilight years.