Sitting actually compresses the spine more than standing. The greater intradiscal pressure can cause nerve impingement and degenerative osteoarthritic changes. Always remember to take periodic breaks (an alarm set to go off hourly helps) and stand up and walk around to lessen muscular aches and pain. Here are some recommendations for you to do to help minimize lower back pain:- Limit the duration of time you spend sitting
- Support your lumbar while sitting in your chair (e.g., use a rolled up towel held within rubber bands or a specially-designed foam roller)
- Your chair should have arm rests
- Your chair should be able to recline (optimum angle is 120 degrees)
- Sit with your knees open
- Place your feet on a small step to reduce lumbar strain
- Purchase an ergonomic chair suitable for the height of your desk
- Chair height should allow you to rest your elbows on your desk without shrugging your shoulders or leaning forward
The benefits of good posture are numerous and cannot be overstated as the nature of your health and wellness later in life may depend on your posture now. That is, if your posture is poor (i.e., rounded shoulders, drooped head, etc.) due to sedentary behavior (i.e., sitting for extended periods of time in front of a computer), adverse effects on your body will become more apparent down the road. Such conditions as joint osteoarthritis and spinal misalignments may develop due to stresses incurred as a result of poor posture. Good posture means drawing your chin back, relaxing your shoulders, stretching your chest forward, tucking your navel toward your spine, sitting with your knees lower than your hips, and having both feet planted firmly on the floor. Here are some benefits of having a good posture:
- Efficient function of your internal organs (i.e., rounded shoulders can affect the function of lungs and therefore breathing capacity due to constriction in the chest cage)
- Efficient function of your limbs (i.e., forward-facing feet and legs while running)
- Improves exercise performance (i.e., tight hamstrings can affect your ability to properly perform a squat or deadlift due an inability to arch the lower back)
- Reduces back pain
- Boosts metabolism
- Improves feelings with regard to your body
- Enhances self-esteem
- Enhances sense of self-confidence and how confident you look to others
- Enhances sense of attractiveness
- Enhances ease of movement
- Optimizes breathing
- Keeps your blood pressure in check
- Improves core strength
- Increases testosterone levels
- Lowers cortisol levels
- Lowers inhibitions
- Reduces joint stress
- Improves balance between your muscle strength and flexibility
- Decreases risk of falls
- Reduces headache frequency
- Optimizes movement efficiency
Here are some self-check methods to assess your posture for any deviations from good posture:
- Mirror assessment. Stand sideways to a full-length mirror. Close your eyes, bend forward, then stand up quickly and gaze at the mirror to check your posture. Are your shoulders slumped? Is your head tilted forward? Does your chest have the appearance of being caved in as if someone just punched you in the sternum? Is your lower back flat or excessively arched? Ideally, your posture would be considered good if your shoulders are pulled back, your head is upright, your chest is expanded, and your lower back is in a neutral position (i.e., not flat but not excessively arched either). Now turn and face directly to the mirror and check your posture for symmetry. Is your head tilted to one side? Are your shoulders misaligned? Are your hips misaligned? Are your knees lined up? Your head should not be tilted to the side, shoulders and hips should be aligned and knees should be lined up.
- Wall assessment. Stand with your back against a wall. Do your heels, calves, butt, upper back, and head touch the wall? If not, there may be some postural deviation in your body.
- Hanging string with weight. Find a piece of string at least six feet in length and attach a small object to one end. Fasten the other end of the string to a ceiling in front of your mirror. Now stand directly behind the string so that it bisects your body and look at your image in the mirror. The string is a reference line for you to compare the symmetrical appearance of your shoulders, hips, and knees.
For your information, here are some postural misalignment terms and their possible causes:- Lordosis--excessive anterior pelvic tilt (i.e., excessive lumbar arch)
Possible cause(s): tight hip flexors and/or lumbar spinal erectors and weak abdominals and/or hip extensors- Kyphosis--excessive anterior-posterior spinal curvature (i.e., hunched upper back)
Possible cause(s): tight obliques, pecs, and/or lats and weak thoracic spinal erectors and/or mid/lower traps- Flat back--posterior pelvic tilt (i.e., insignificant lumbar arch)
Possible cause(s): tight hamstrings, abdominals, and/or hip extensors and weak lumbar spinal erectors and/or hip flexors- Forward head--excessive neck protrusion (i.e., jutting neck)
Possible cause(s): tight neck extensors and/or upper traps and weak neck flexors You don't have to live with aches and pains in your body as a result of misaligned joints from poor posture. Physical therapy, chiropractic care as well as the services of a good personal trainer can rectify any musculoskeletal imbalances within your body. A knowledgeable personal trainer having a sound background of anatomy, kinesiology and biomechanics can strengthen and stretch the appropriate muscles in order to rebalance and reduce postural deviations. Having good alignment will enable you to live a pain-free, mobile and functional life.
Correct posture is absolutely essential when executing resistance exercises such as overhead presses, bench presses, squats, etc. Improper form when lifting will undoubtedly detract from an efficient workout that maximally targets the intended muscles. The key to safely and effectively engage your muscles is to assume stability in your body when lifting. In order to do this, you need to practice and adhere to the following fundamentals of posture no matter your body position in space (e.g., standing, sitting, supine):
- Eyes focused on a reference point in front of your head
- Shoulder blades squeezed
- Chest out
- Abs tucked in
- Lower back arched so that your butt is to the rear (anterior pelvic tilt)
Note: Most clients have trouble assuming the anterior pelvic tilt posture but it is absolutely essential in order to effectively target muscles such as the hamstrings or gluteals when performing an exercise like the deadlift. To practice, try lying in a supine position (i.e., face up) on a floor and arch and flatten your lower back repetitively for up to 25 reps for 3 sets daily. Be sure to feel your lumbar contact and lift off the floor as you flatten and arch your lower back. Next, practice performing the same maneuver of arching and flattening your lower back while standing sideways to a mirror. Be sure to observe the action while looking at your profile to ensure it is done properly.
- Knees slightly bent (applies primarily to standing posture)
- Feet at least shoulder width apart
- Bench press: feet should be pressing into the floor at all times!
In addition, be sure to always inhale when performing a pulling action and exhale when executing a pushing action. For example, when performing a bench press, inhale as the weight is lowered to the chest and exhale as you press the weight upward. Another example, when executing a squat, inhale as you bend your knees and exhale when straightening your knees as you press upward.
By following the aforementioned recommendations you will find you will be much more successful in achieving your fitness goals. Remember to always work smarter, not harder!
Your success at losing bodyweight, gaining muscle mass, getting stronger or more powerful, etc. is primarily dependent on one organ--your brain. How you perceive your bodyweight and what you know it should be, or how you perceive your muscle mass and how much more you know you can put on your frame, or how you perceive your strength or power and how much more you know you can increase it to the next level, depends largely on how you psychologically approach your training. Only until you take your training seriously and understand its importance in terms of how it will impact your ability to achieve success in losing weight, gaining muscle mass, or getting stronger or more powerful--only then will you undoubtedly achieve your fitness goal. Ultimately, your success in feeling comfortable and happy with your physique or strength level is dependent on how strongly you cherish your goals and understanding how much your training will impact the rest of your life.
The answer is an unequivocal yes! Newly-published research, courtesy of the New England Journal of Medicine, has found that eating certain foods can indeed derail one from successfully losing bodyweight. In this diet study it was discovered that consuming certain foods in relative large amounts was found to be a significant issue affecting one's bodyweight. In particular, regular consumption of potato chips (who can stop at eating just one chip or two or three or?...you get the idea) is one of the primary culprits for annual weight gain in many people. The study's conclusion was that it's the amount of food and not necessarily the type of food consumed that is the primary factor when it comes to long-term weight gain--in this example, eating a whole bag of potato chips regularly at a sitting. In other words, what you eat is more important than exercise in terms of weight gain or lost. In particular, the study found that eating potato chips was more likely to cause weight gain than soda, candy and ice cream (!).
Bottom line: The foods you choose to eat and how much plays a very large impact on your bodyweight over time. Lesson learned: Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts in order to maintain a healthy bodyweight. Cut back on potatoes, sweets and soda.
Since each individual has a different body composition (i.e., bodyfat content, lean body mass), the answer to this question obviously varies from person to person. The percentage of water within our bodies varies from 55% to 75% of total bodyweight. But having said this, an easy way to determine that you're drinking enough fluids is to look at the color of your urine. Yes, that's right. Check to see that your urine is faintly yellow or almost clear. If this is the case, then you're drinking adequate fluids. If your urine is dark yellowish or orange, then consider yourself already dehydrated. Get some fluid into your body as quickly as possible. You should drink liquid (preferably water) almost every hour throughout the day because a sufficiently hydrated body is a happy body. Plus, and this is very important, staying hydrated allows you to have more energy due to the increased circulation of nutrients (e.g., glucose, amino acids, fatty acids) within your blood stream. Waiting to drink water by the time you get to the gym is too late. You need to drink water regularly at least four to six hours prior to your workout to feel energized and ready to take on those weights. In the event you did not hydrate in advance before your workout, simply drink ice water instead. The cold water allows for quicker emptying from your stomach and thus increases rehydration rate--ideal before, during or immediately after training. The dangers of dehydration are very real, especially as we get older. This is because the older we get, the less efficient our body's thermoregulatory mechanism becomes. Translation: we don't readily recognize the feelings of thirst as we age and losing more than 10% of body weight in fluid can be fatal. Dehydration can cause a whole host of problems including the following:- Decreased temperature regulation which may cause overheating
- Increased muscle fatigue
- Decreased strength
- Decreased food metabolism
- Decreased athletic performance
- Decreased energy level
- Possible heart malfunction
There is no scientific evidence substantiating that you should drink 8 glasses of water daily. It is recommended that you should drink half of your body weight in fluid ounces daily (e.g., someone weighing 200 lbs should drink about 100 ounces per day). When working out in the gym, you should drink 16 ounces (2 cups) of water for each pound of bodyweight lost during exercise. When drinking water to replenish lost amounts, you should aim to drink only 16 ounces in 15-minute intervals in order to allow the body time to absorb the fluid. By the way, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has found that nearly half of bottled waters comes from municipal sources and not from mountain streams as advertised on the labels. This means that tap water has as good a quality as most bottled waters for drinking.
- Increased fast-twitch muscle fiber density
- Increased fast-twitch muscle fiber size
- Increased lactic acid threshold
- Increased glycolytic enzymes
- Increased ATP, CP, creatine, glycogen content within muscles
- Increased growth hormone and testosterone levels
- Increased muscle glycogen storage capacity
- Increased muscle mitochondrial density
- Increased muscle ATP/CP content
- Increased muscle creatine content
- Increased aerobic enzymes
- Increased slow-twitch muscle fiber percentage
- Decreased fast-twitch muscle fiber percentage
- Decreased muscle fiber size
- Increased cardiac output
- Decreased resting heart rate
- Decreased bodyfat
- Increased capillary density
- Increased myogloben content (for oxygen transport within muscles)
RECOMMENDED FIBER FOODS: GRAINS:- All bran
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat
- Bulgur
- Popcorn
- Puffed wheat
- Shredded wheat
- Sweet corn
- Whole rye
- Whole-rye bread
- Whole-grain bread
- Whole-grain cereal
- Wild rice
VEGETABLES:- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Mixed beans
- Mixed salad
- Peanuts
- Peas
- Lentils
- Cauliflower
- Soybeans
- Spinach
- Steamed vegetables
- Sunflower seeds
- Sweet potatoes
FRUIT:- Apples
- Avocados
- Bananas
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Dried figs
- Dried pear halves
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi fruit
- Oranges
- Papaya
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Prunes
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
BENEFITS OF EATING FIBER FOODS: -PROMOTES INTESTINAL FUNCTION-STABILIZES BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL -REDUCES APPETITE -ACCELERATES REMOVAL OF FATS & CHOLESTEROL FROM BODY -IMPROVES PROTEIN METABOLISM -IMPROVES FAT METABOLISM -LOWERS HEART DISEASE RISK -IMPROVES BLOOD PRESSURE -REDUCES RISK OF DEVELOPING CERTAIN CANCERS (e.g., colon cancer) -REDUCES INSULIN RESISTANCE -REDUCES BODYWEIGHT -BLOCKS CHOLESTEROL ABSORPTION -BLOCKS FAT ABSORPTION-REDUCES HEART DISEASE RISK-REDUCES THE RISK OF DIABETES
5 mins cardio warm-up
30-MIN PROGRAM
30-60s REST/SET
BENCH SUMO SQUAT (1 X 15-25)
SITTING ADDUCTION MACHINE (1 X 15-25)
WIDE FRONT PULLDOWN MACHINE (1 X 12-15)
BALL DUMBBELL PRESS (1 X 12-15)
SITTING LEG CURL (1 X 15-25)
NARROW SLIDING LEG PRESS (1 X 15-25)
CALF LEG PRESS (1 X 15-25)
SUPINE LEG LIFTS (PALMS DOWN) (1 X 15-25)
PLANK (1 X 1 min)
SUPERMAN (1 X 12-15)
DELT MACHINE PRESS (1 X 12-15)
CABLE KICKBACKS (1 X 12-15)
PREACHER ALTERNATE DUMBBELL CURL (1 x 12-15)
STAND EZ-BAR REVERSE WRIST CURL (1 X 12-15)
PREACHER DUMBBELL HAMMER CURL (1 X 12-15)
|
RSS Feed