Wellness Articles

The most important thing to consider is that there’s been a shift in mentality on exercise. the days of “no pain, no gain” are long past.

Any kind of activity that causes pain shouldn’t be continued; fortunately there are a number of methods for exercising your thighs - read on.

The exercises that you describe - lunges and squats - employ the gluteus muscles (muscles in the rear end) more than the quadriceps (muscles in the front part of the thigh).

Because of the movement required in these exercises, you may experience added strain on the joints of the hips, knees, ankles, and feet.

You may also find that running and high impact activities cause similar strain or pain.

It’s possible to do exercises to tone your thighs without standing. One idea you may consider, is to spend a little time with an individual trainer.

Spending a little one on one time with a fitness professional might have lasting benefits for your training and your comfort.

You could also want to consult with your primary care provider to determine when you must be referred to an orthopedic doctor or physical therapist who may recommend orthotics.

Specific exercises that may be better suited for you are varied. an appointment or two with a trainer will help find those that best meet your specific needs.

Your personal trainer may recommend

• Leg extensions and leg curls using a machine weights or other types of resistance

• Be sure to use of a physioball to reduce the pressure on your joints

• Make sure to use of resistance bands or other tools best suited to your range of motion

Your frustration is understandable, but could be overcome by consulting with the right individuals to help you.

Some guidance from a trainer or therapist can provide you with the skills necessary to keep up your workout, without the pain.

Almost all people have one part of the right arm or leg one quarter of an inch to over one inch bigger or smaller than their left in circumference. and often even feet are .-a-size different from one another.

That said, there are ways of making your legs more similar in size, even when the upper or lower portion of your right leg is larger than the left.

So that you can achieve hypertrophy (muscle growth), you will need to train your legs, just as as you need to with all parts of your body.

This weight training could include lifting weights at least three days per week at 60 to 85 percent of your leg’s one-repetition maximum (i.e., the most a individuals can lift at one time).

You might find it works to do three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for these leg lifts, but working with an individual trainer would be your best bet to get a workout tailored to your needs.

So that you can have the left leg catch up in size and circumference with the right, you will need to work only the left leg for an additional set or two, doing each exercise that you had completed for both legs earlier in the workout.

Examples of exercises to complete for both legs that you can also do with just your left are

• leg press

• leg curl

• leg extension

• squat

• standing and seated calf raise

Again, an individual trainer or exercise physiologist will be your best partner in helping your left leg become roughly equal in circumference to your right.

Research studies suggest that the reason person benefit from working with personal trainers so much is that the personal trainers encourage their clients in using and tolerating greater training loads.

As a result, the clients elicit greater gains than exercisers who simply push themselves to complete their full workout regimen on their own.

When you can’t afford a personal trainer at a health club you might contemplate using an online personal trainer.

This alternative offers a qualified trainer to craft a workout regimen and communicate adjustments while monitoring your progress via e-mail.

These services are often much less costly than working with an individual trainer in person, but the disadvantage is that you won’t have the personal attention of the fitness trainer to ensure that you are consistently performing the exercises most efficiently, effectively, and safely.

You might wish to start with a trainer for at least a few sessions.

This will allow you to observe and practice proper form for the variety of exercises you’ll include in your training regimen.

How’s this for a breath of fresh air - there is no right or wrong pattern to breathing while working out.

Although you may often hear people say it’s best to exhale during exertion (or as you wrote, contraction) and inhale during relaxation, the most important part is to make certain you are breathing evenly and regularly during exercise.

Almost all individuals may think they are breathing while they are working out, but they are actually holding their breath in short bursts.

To see if this applies to you, take several seconds to focus on your breathing next time you are engaged in strenuous exercise, whether it is at the health club running to catch a bus, or going up a flight of stairs.

You may surprise yourself by finding out you are holding your breath most of the time!

It is important to breathe during exercise because your muscles are working hard and use oxygen as their main source of fuel. It is okay to breathe with your mouth, your nose, or both - all of these choices are normal and help the body to get oxygen.

Relaxing your jaw and keeping your mouth slightly open during exercise will help you breathe generally and naturally without much thought or effort.

It is specifically important to breathe ordinarily during strength training, such as weightlifting; otherwise, your blood pressure (BP) can climb to dangerous levels.

Also, feel free to breathe easily - if you’re breathing, the rhythm makes absolutely no difference in the performance. That means that breathing quicker won’t make you run faster (and vice versa).

If you have asthma, severe allergies, or other respiratory issues, it’s important to give extra thought to the types of the activity you’re doing and what they mean for management of your health.

In conclusion, pain does not lead to gain, so make certain to stop if you are feeling dizzy, have chest pains, or become severely out of breath.

Walking on pavement increases the stress on your joints and connective tissue. Shin splints are an inflammation of the muscle and/or tendons of the lower leg caused by repetitive walking or running on a hard surface.

The signs are pain on the inner side of the shinbone (tibia) in the front part of the leg. Sometimes, it comes on very slowly and gradually and eventually becomes quite severe.

Shin splints rarely lead to permanent damage.

The best cure is to rest. Try taking the bus or train to school for a week. Wearing good footwear when you walk, and stretching your legs in an effective flexibility program before your walks, can help prevent the problem from getting worse or recurring.

When choosing shoes, do not hesitate to spend several additional dollars — you spend more time than you think every day walking back and forth to campus. Because you are walking on pavement, be sure the shoes have adequate cushioning.

The shape of the shoe should correspond to the shape of your foot, without areas of pressure or pain, or a feeling of binding. Solicit advice from friends and from several specialty stores about what brands and styles are best.

Flexibility exercises help to reduce muscle soreness and the chance of injury.

Examples of simple exercises are the Sitting Heel-Cord Stretch, where you sit on the floor with one leg extended and the opposite leg bent with the foot against the inside of the thigh.

Hook a towel around the ball of the foot and pull the toes towards the knee. Be sure to keep your knee straight, and repeat ten times for each leg.

Or, try the Lying Knee-Pull, where you lie on your back with your legs extended and bring your left knee to your chest, grabbing just under your knee with both hands.

Pull until you feel the stretch, and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 10 to each side.

Before you start the exercises, take some time off from your regular pavement walking, allow your shins to rest, purchase some good footwear, and then get into a reasonable exercise routine.

Although walking sometimes seems innocuous, it actually is excellent aerobic activity, and utilizes and strengthens your muscles.

Consequently, you also need to treat your walks as you would any other form of exercise, and use proper equipment and stretch beforehand.

Swimming may be a wonderful form of exercise. It uses nearly all the major muscle groups, and places a vigorous demand on your heart and lungs. It develops muscle strength and endurance, and improves posture and flexibility.

The buoyancy factor makes it namely useful for people who are pregnant, have injuries like leg or lower back problems, or who find high-impact exercise uncomfortable. It is a excellent sport for people of all ages and all proficiency levels.

To lose weight, you could want to keep your swimming regime (speeding up your pace a little bit and increasing the length of your swimming sessions, if necessary), and supplement it with some good-paced, arm-swinging walks.

Research shows that swimming and weight loss, however, has produced inconsistent and contradictory results.

Research shows that swimmers lost weight (and body fat), gained a few pounds, and had no weight changes at all.

In most of the cases where swimmers gained weight, it was lean body mass (muscle) and not fat.

One research study found that individuals who swim in cold water may consume more calories post-workout than individuals who swim in warmer water.

So when you are swimming primarily to lose weight, make sure that you aren’t inadvertently consuming unneeded calories during post-workout snacks and meals.

In addition, the number of calories you burn while swimming depends on how fast you go and for how long.

At a slow pace, twenty laps may burn only fifty calories - little more than simply staying afloat. On the contrary, a swimmer doing a brisk forward crawl will often burn as much as eleven calories per minute.

Swimming in a pool may be more conducive to the type of workout you are looking for than swimming at a beach or lake; pools often have lap swim hours, and you will not have to contend with rolling waves or boats.

For a guaranteed workout, you can also join up with a United States Masters Swimming group near you.

In the end, weight loss is dependent on a simple formula; more calories are burned than are consumed. No one exercise is necessarily better than another for weight loss; what matters is that you eat a healthy, well balanced diet and remain regularly physically active.

Swimming may be a fun activity to add to your workout routine, whether you’re a novice or a master. Enjoy!

There are recommendations for minimum and maximum heart rate during exercise. Two slightly different formulas are currently used to guide exercisers. Both formulas take your age into account, but one also factors in your resting heart rate and is especially useful for individuals training with a specific performance goal in mind.

Heart rate is measured in beats per minute (bpm). Before demonstrating each formula, it is useful to define a few terms

• Maximum heart rate - an estimate of the heart rate that one potentially could (not should) achieve during maximum physical exertion.

• Resting heart rate - as simple as it sounds - your heart rate at rest with no physical exertion (best when measured in the morning before any stress, caffeine, or much movement).

• Target heart rate - a percentage of your maximum heart rate. Experts recommend keeping your heart rate in a certain range to achieve benefits during exercise, based on your level of conditioning and exercise goals.

To demonstrate how each formula works, let’s say that Devon is 24 years old, has a resting heart rate of 65 bpm, and wants to workout between 60 and 80% of maximum heart rate. Time for a little arithmetic!

Formula 1

Maximum workout heart rate =

(220  - age) X percent of maximum heart rate

(220 - 24) X .60 = 117

(220 - 24) X .80 = 157

According to this formula, Devon should maintain a target heart rate between 117 and 157 bpm to reach 60 to 80% of maximum heart rate while working out.

Formula 2

Maximum workout heart rate, adjusted for resting heart rate =

(220 - age - resting heart rate) X% of maximum heart rate + resting heart rate

(220 - 24 - 65) X .60 + 65 = 144

(220 - 24 - 65) X .80 + 65 = 170

According to this formula, Devon should maintain a target heart rate between about 140 and 170 bpm to reach 60 to 80% of maximum heart rate while working out.

As you can see, these formulas give Devon different recommendations for target workout heart rates. This is because the second formula adjusts for resting heart rate, a number that generally gets lower for most people as they exercise and become more conditioned.

Using the second formula can increase the accuracy of target heart rate recommendations for regular, consistent exercisers.

The easiest place to check your heart rate could be on your carotid artery in the neck (avoid pressing too hard or the reading could be less accurate).

Be certain to check your heart rate before, during, and after exercise by taking your pulse for 10 seconds and multiplying by 6, or for 15 seconds and multiplying by 4. You can then adjust your workout hence.

Don’t forget, you’re estimating your heart rate with these formulas, so always let safety come first. Stop exercising when you feel dizzy, faint, or shortness of breath.  

Heart rate is affected by age, gender, exercise habits, heredity, cardiovascularfitness level, body conditions (such as hydration), blood volume, and environment (such as humidity and temperature). As an athlete increases his or her exercise intensity, heart rate increases.

Due to all of these variables, it is impossible to predict how increased intensity translates into a specific rate of elevation in your heartbeat.

For example, as a person improves his or herfitness level, his or her resting heart rate decreases. As a result, it might take a greater effort to elicit a specific heart rate.

Think of it this way - an out-of-shape individuals huffs and puffs climbing up a flight of stairs.

A fit person can bound up those stairs with ease because his or her heart is already well conditioned. Additionally, the person may need to climb up ten flights to significantly raise his or her heart rate.

This adaptation occurs over time and is constantly changing. Response to exercise also varies greatly from person to person.

A good way to become more aware of your conditioning and reaction to train is to monitor changes in the heart rate thus of exercise.

Perhaps buying a heart rate monitor at a local sporting goods store (or via the Internet) will allow you to better keep track of your heart rate’s ups and downs.

To further understand your heart rate, pay attention to your breathing, sweating, and performance during exercise.

Athletes’ protein, carbohydrate, fat, and calorie requirements can differ, depending on many factors. Athletes’ needs depend on theirfitness level, kind of training, body size and composition, and performance goals.  

Let’s discuss endurance athletes first. They train aerobically for an hour or more at a time, which requires a lot of energy.

Since muscles would rather burn carbohydrates for fuel, serious endurance exercisers need plenty of these. the body stores carbs in muscle tissue (and the liver) as glycogen.

Muscles use glycogen for fuel during exercise. When glycogen runs low, the body may resort to burning protein for energy.

When this happens, endurance athletes’ protein needs increase. Glycogen levels can diminish when exercisers workout at a moderate intensity for an extended period of time (90 minutes or more) without taking in any carbohydrates.

These levels can remain low if individuals exercise day after day without consuming enough carbs to replenish their supply. In either case, their bodies resort to utilizing protein for energy during workouts.

This makes exercise tough; the result is fatigue. In running, this is known as “hitting the wall,” and it’s just like it sounds - exhausting. Adding carbohydrates to your overall eating plan can help to prevent this from happening.

Consuming a snack just before exercise may be helpful, but does not entirely fuel that activity, because there will not be enough time to store those carbs as glycogen. It is the previous meals eaten that significantly contribute to glycogen levels.

Studies show that enzymes promoting glycogen storage hit their peak 1 to 2 hours after exercise. Having a carbo-licious snack during this time window can help stoke up glycogen stores and spare protein breakdown.      

Resistance exercisers are those mainly involved in weight lifting activities. Without doing aerobic activity, these people usually do not burn as many calories as endurance athletes.       

Their protein needs depend on whether or not they’re trying to build or maintain muscle mass.      

The following is a general guide for protein and carbohydrate intake. A person’s specific needs may vary dependant upon the duration and intensity of activity,level of fitness, and body weight.       

A person’s weight in kilograms (kg) is equal to his or her body weight in pounds divided by 2.2. For more details about dietary sources of carbohydrate and protein, check out Does carbohydrate become body fat?, Confused about carbs - What’s a good carbohydrate choice?, and Do bodybuilders and other weightlifters need more protein?.      

Using the information below as well as your body weight, you are able to calculate your daily protein intake recommendation      

Activity level      Protein recommendation (grams protein per kilogram of body weight)

Sedentary person to light exercisers      0.8 g/kg

Recreational athlete      1.0 to 1.5 g/kg

High intensity endurance athlete      1.2 to 1.6 g/kg

Resistance training to maintain muscle mass      1.0 g/kg

Resistance training to increase muscle mass      1.5 to 1.7 g/kg

Estimated maximum protein requirement for all adults, regardless of activity level      2.0 g/kg

As far as calculating your recommend daily level of carbohydrate intake, there is a simple rule of thumb. Endurance athletes should consume 3 to 5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight (6 to 10 g/kg).       

Fitness exercisers, including resistance trainers, should consume 2 to 3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight (4 to 6 g/kg).      

Besides carbohydrate and protein intake, it is also important for all athletes to consume enough total calories to fuel training in addition to activities of daily living; otherwise, protein will still be burned as fuel in lieu of being used for muscle-tissue repair and other important functions.       

Resistance athletes attempting to build muscle mass also have to take in sufficient calories to support muscle development. Hopefully this information will help as you hit the books and the gym

It’s very possible that the maximum heart rate concept that is widely used might not be as valid as we’ve come to believe. For those who need a refresher, maximum heart rate is calculated as

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) = 220 - age in years

MHR reflects the maximum number of heartbeats per minute one could achieve during high intensity exercise.

By your account, your heart rate goes higher than this value. How could your heart beat more than the maximum? One explanation for this could be that the estimation of maximum heart rate isn’t correct.

In an article that appeared in the New York Times on April 24, 2001, this very subject was addressed.

Back in 1970, two doctors preparing for a meeting wanted to determine how strenuously patients with heart disease could exercise.

They collected information from ten studies using individuals of all different ages who’d been tested for maximum heart rate.

They plotted the subjects’ maximum heart rates on a graph, drew a line through the points, and determined that the heart rate maximum seemed to be, on average, 200 beats per minute (bpm) for a twenty-year-old, 180 bpm for a forty-year-old, 160 bpm for a sixty-year-old, and so on.

Based on these findings, they came up with the equation that MHR = 220 - age (in years). However, many subjects in these studies had heart rates that varied commonly from the formula. Almost all  variables also weren’t accounted for.

The tests used in determining this formula were far from perfect as well. Somehow, though, this equation, 220 - age, became entrenched in cardiology departments, health club, and textbooks.

According to Dr. William Haskell, among the physicians who observed this relationship - “The formula was never supposed to be a guide to rule people ’s training.”

So, what does this mean for you and others whose heart rates do not seem to fit into this equation? First, you need to discuss your observations about your heart rate with your primary health care provider.

Let him or her assess any other conditions that could affect your heart. Barring any problems, you might focus your training in two other ways.

One is by using a scale termed, “Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE),” in which you rate how hard you feel you’re exercising.

It’s advised you assign a number from 0 to 10 to rate your exercise intensity, 0 being no exertion and 10 being most difficult.

A major advantage of this system is that it gets you in touch with how you feel while you’re exercising. Also, you don’t need any special equipment or devices.

When you already have a heart rate monitor or enjoy counting your beats, you are able to use RPE along with your heart rate. Attempt comparing your perception of exercise intensity to how hard you actually are working.

This method will help you establish a new frame of reference for your exercise intensity.

Another useful measurement of fitness is how quickly one’s heart rate falls when exercise is stopped. (Don’t just stop completely - that can be dangerous.) This measurement is probably best done with a heart rate monitor.

Be sure to check your heart rate while at the very end of a vigorous routine. Start cooling down, and then check your heart rate one minute later.

As a individuals becomes more fit, her or his heart rate returns to resting faster than an unfit individuals. This is called heart rate variability.

Recent studies have shown that individuals whose heart rates fell less than 12 beats per minute after vigorous exercise had four times the risk of dying in the next six years compared to those whose heart rates dropped by 13 beats or more! Most healthy individuals ’s heart rates will drop about 20 beats in a minute.

You can measure progress in an exercise planby bettering the volume of beats your heart rate goes down in one minute. Tracking this can help you chart the effectiveness of your aerobic training.

The moral of the story here is that we all do not fit into a neat package (or equation, as the case may be). We’re all unique and different person.

Congratulations on deciding to run the large 26.2! Marathon exercise programs normally begin six months prior to the race.

A lot of plans for first time marathoners outline weekly distance, daily totals, and rest days.

A few tips include

• Begin by increasing your weekly mileage little by little to create a running base before you decide to start your training program.

• Raise the volume of weekly miles slowly and gradually, ranging from 1 to 3 miles weekly.

• Arrange one day each week for long runs. A lot of schedules begin with 6 to 12 miles and summit at 20 to 23 miles.

• Be sure to include adequate rest days in the exercise program. Rest is specifically important after long runs.

• Taper off and decrease distance over the lasttwo weeksbefore the marathon.

A few schedules also include recommendations for strength training and cross-training activities.

Including activities like riding a bike, swimming, or walking may improve overall fitness while giving you an essential break from running.

Nonetheless, the # 1 consideration is always to pick a schedule that suits your current level of fitness, the volume of days and time you want to spend training, as well as your objectives for the marathon.

Following an established schedule adequately prepares people physically and emotionally for the big day; nonetheless, over- or under-training can lead to injury.

Focusing on a total body workout has benefits, namely when it comes to developing a strong, well-conditioned body. The majority of  runners neglect their muscles from the waist up, so strength training is recommended, as you’re aware.

Since upper body strength contributes to improved performance, you can picture your arms as your steering mechanism. What’s more, strong, vigorous arm motion can contribute to a powerful finish.

Trunk muscles provide coordination and balance while core strength can help maintain posture and form when fatigued during long runs.

A variety of lower body exercises for the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, and gluteus muscles helps strengthen muscles, tendons, and other connective tissue that also may help prevent injury.

Proper hydration, stretching, and icing are important actions to take as well.

A running club can offer advice and support, in addition to running partners. Often, they provide motivation for the large event, group training runs, and quite possibly lectures.

Almost all  communities have such groups through the local YMCA/YWCA, community centers, and/or stores that sell running gear. A running coach or running classes can provide feedback regarding form and other valuable tips.

Many  charities also provide coaching and group training programs in exchange for raising money for a worthwhile cause.

There are also a number of online resources and books with information on marathon training, including

• the New York Road Runners

• the New York City Marathon Training

• the Competitive Runner’s Handbook - the Best Selling Guide to Running 5Ks through Marathons, by Bob Glover and Shelley-Lynn Florence Glover

• Training Programs by Hal Higdon, author of Marathon - the Ultimate Training Guide

• Runner’s World

Depending upon your foundation of fitness, you might consider walk-running the NYC marathon this November.

For a lot of people , the excitement of the marathon is in being in the race in addition to completing the marathon. A marathon also has a component involving mind over matter.

If you’re new to marathons, you may want to avoid focusing on your time. Instead, focus on fulfilling your own particular goal(s), such as the goal of finishing the marathon, even if you make the decision to walk-run.

Remember, you are not competing with anybody but yourself.