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Warming Up Properly

by: Tanja Gardner

Copyright 2005 Tanja Gardner

In our �Stretching� article series (http://optimumlife.co.nz/Fitness%20Articles/Stretching/Stretching1.htm), we discussed why it�s important to stretch as part of your workout. We also touched on the importance of warming up before even *thinking* about stretching. Since that article, I�ve had a couple of questions about warming up, so it seemed like a good topic for this week�s Optimum Fitness News.

When fitness experts talk about �doing a warm up�, they generally mean doing some kind of general activity that gradually raises the heart rate. They will happily tell us that doing so reduces the risk of injury during the following workout � but don�t often explain exactly how. In fact, a good warm-up should involve more than just this �general activity�. The second, less commonly described aspect is the �dynamic stretching� we mentioned in last week�s article. And there are many more reasons to warm up than simple injury risk reduction

WHY WARM UP?
When you start moving in any way that raises your heart rate, certain changes start to take place in your body. Your respiratory rate increases. Bloodflow throughout your body increases, which means that the levels of oxygen and nutrients that are delivered to your cells also increase. In effect, all your body�s systems are warned you�re going to be making demands on them, and primed to meet those demands.

Once you�re at this point, you�re ready to move onto dynamic stretching. This, you�ll remember, involves slowly performing the same kinds of movements you�ll be making in your workout, and gradually increasing the speed. As specific muscles, tendons and joints follow the movement patterns they�ll be expected to complete later, they become used to the movement, and less likely to tear when the movements are made at higher speeds. This stage also works as a cue for your nervous system to �switch on� the specific neuro-muscular connections it will need for those movement patterns.

Lastly, this two-stage warm-up helps you to prepare you mentally for the coming workout. Regardless of what that workout might be, you�ll do it better, and enjoy it more, if you�re able to bring your full focus into it. By taking the time to warm up before you start exercising �for real�, you�re giving yourself the mental space to switch your focus to where you need it to be.

HOW SHOULD I WARM UP?
The general part of the warm-up can be done in any way that gets your heart beating faster. If you have a piece of cardio equipment available� a bicycle, rowing machine, or stepper � feel free to use it; or simply walk and then jog. Whatever you use, start very gently, and gradually increase the intensity until you can feel your body getting warm, and your heart rate starting to rise. The specific intensity will depend on your current fitness level � but it should have you working at a level where you�re energised, not exhausted.

Some people continue until they feel a light sweat, but because this can be more reflective of humidity than body temperature (and because some people sweat more easily than others), it may not be the most useful measure. Experts suggest 3-5 minutes, but if your exercise environment is particularly cold, it may need to be longer.

Once you�re feeling warm, it�s time to bring in the dynamic stretching. What you do here will depend totally on what kind of exercise you�re planning. For a martial art, it might involve light sparring at � speed, or simply performing some of the techniques in slow motion. For a sport, it could involve mimicking the same kinds of movements you�ll be using on the field or court, in a slow, controlled way. There are no specific time guidelines for how long this should take � but allow enough time for repeating each movement, starting slowly and gradually increasing the speed until you�re working at the level you expect during your workout

Finally, once you�re warm, stay warm. Especially if the workout that follows will be particularly vigorous, don�t stop to do a static stretching routine. This will give your body a chance to cool down again, and undo much of the good you�ve done by warming it up in the first place. If you have any questions about either kind of warm up mentioned in this article, please don�t hesitate to e-mail me on tanja@optimumlife.co.nz. Otherwise, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life.

About the author:
Optimum Life's Tanja Gardner is a Personal Trainer and Stress Management Coach whose articles on holistic health and relaxation have appeared in various media since 1999. Optimum Life is dedicated to providing fitness and stress management services to help clients all over the world achieve their optimum lives. To find out more about how you could benefit from online personal training, please visit . To find out more about holistic fitness and stress management please visit or contact Tanja on tanja@optimumlife.co.nz.

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Do you want to be thinner, healthy and fit?
by: Lucy E. Riddell

While we offer an effective and natural fat loss product � the Jen Fe Next Fat Loss Patch and the Power Patch, we also know that without a commitment from you to bring about some lifestyle changes, you won�t reach optimal fat loss. There is no product in the world that can produce fat loss while we are eating and drinking excessively, and moving only slowly from couch to car to office chair. We need a program of sensible diet and exercise that will support the products we utilize to help our weight loss.

Here�s what to eat:

1. Lots of vegetables and fruits

2. Increase healthy protein intake. This is how you build lean muscle tissue, which in turn speeds up your metabolism. Examples are fish, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, beans, and soy products.

3. Fiber-Rich foods. They will fill up and they make they are satisfying. In this category are: peas, beans, bran cereals, potato skins, nuts and seeds, oatmeal, bulger wheat, 100% whole wheat baked goods, fruits and vegetables.

4. Minerals. Calcium and other minerals are you �secret weapons� against body fat. They are found in low-fat dairy products, small or canned fish, soy tofu, green vegetables, nuts, seeds, bran cereals, and calcium fortified orange juice, and avoid processed, salt-loaded foods.

5. Eat fish and beneficial fats. Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acid in some fish, oils and nuts is a good fat. Eat moderate amounts of salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines and other oily fish. Soybeans, nuts, pumpkin seed are also excellent sources for Omega-3.

6. Reduce harmful fats � saturated and trans fats. These are not only high in calories; they are also loaded with harmful fatty acids that cause disease.

7. Always eat an adequate breakfast for several reasons: it will speed up your metabolism earlier in the day and when you skip breakfast, it makes it harder to control your appetite later in the day.

8. Cut back or eliminate alcohol. It is high in non-filling calories. Ideal consumption is one glass of beer or wine a day.

9. Stay away from junk carbohydrates � sugar and white flour are diet killers in all but the smallest amounts.

10. Gradually reduce your calorie intake because extreme and sudden dieting causes your body to conserve, not burn calories, and it slows fat loss.

11. Snack instead of eating large meals � larger, higher calorie meals tend to be stored as fat, instead of burned for energy. Ideally, you should eat five or six smaller, nutritious snacks each day instead of large meals.

12. Move! You must exercise to build lean tissue that burns fat. As little as two to three hours per week of brisk walking at minimum, and you will notice a major impact on your weight loss.

13. Reduce stress. It produces adverse fat-producing chemistry in your body. Try warm baths, meditation, deep breathing, stretching, massage, prayer and rest.

14. Get outside into the sunshine at lest 20 minutes per day � the vitamin D you get from sunshine works with calcium for health and body fat control.

For more information on the Fat Loss Patch, go to www.FatBeGoneWithLucy.com or call 888-407-0570.

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