Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Can You Build a Fitness Habit in 21 Days?

Despite writing about health and fitness for a living, several months ago -- ok, about 18 -- I fell off the workout wagon. I'd been regularly sweating it out in yoga and cycling classes for years, but with the appearance of new work responsibilities I quit cold turkey. I gained a few unwanted pounds and, despite attending fitness classes here and there, I wasn't able to get back that passion for exercise. So when a 20-class, 25-day fitness challenge was announced at my local barre3 studio I signed up. I'd read (and even written) that 21 days -- three weeks! -- was all it took to form a new habit. Ready to give it a try I squeezed into my spandex and headed to class. There was only one problem: When I asked a couple of sports scientists if this three-week to a fitness habit theory held up, their overwhelming response was "No." It turns out this "21-day to a habit" info is touted everywhere -- in magazine articles, at gyms -- but it's all based on one small study that took place back in the 50s. In the research, which came from a plastic surgeon named Maxwell Maltz, amputees stopped feeling their phantom limbs after three weeks, which signaled a change in brain chemistry. The stat has become commonplace in self-help plans, but some researchers have questioned the validity of these findings as well as the application of the theory across all changes in habit. And then there's the whole matter of what actually defines a habit. "I have a problem with applying the word 'habit' to exercise," explains James E. Maddux, Ph.D., a psychology professor at George Mason University. "'Habit' conjures up images of engaging in a mindless, automatic behavior, which fitness is not. If a person's goal is to make exercise that sort of habit -- like biting their nails -- they're already setting themselves up for failure." That's not to say that committing to a goal of regular fitness won't work, just start thinking about making exercise a routine or a ritual more than a habit, suggests Maddux. It's a bit of semantics, but according to psychologists the difference is that routines and rituals are deliberate, purposeful, goal-oriented and mindful acts, rather than mindless ones. For help forming a fitness plan into a routine, Ryan Rhodes, Ph.D., director of the University of Victoria's Behavioral Medicine Lab, has some practical tips. First up, physically set aside time in your schedule to be active, suggests Rhodes. He recommends penciling in workouts for three weeks so that fitness won't be "squeezed in" (or squeezed out). Taking this to heart, I registered up for my first week of barre3 classes. Check. Next up: Find fitness buddies. Meeting friends for class would help keep me accountable and make the workouts more fun, says Rhodes. I talked a friend into joining me for the first session which helped ensure I made it out the door. Almost as soon as the music started pumping in that first class my legs, which hadn't done consistent exercise in a year and a half, were shaking. It was hard, but it felt good. According to Maddux, noticing all of the benefits you get from working out -- such as that intoxicating burn I'd felt on day one -- will keep you coming back for more. Sure, I'd started the fitness challenge to shed a few pounds, but I really enjoyed the whole experience. The studios were gorgeous and, as a freelance writer who works from home, having a place to go each day was invaluable. Plus, everyone was nice! The instructors often remembered my name after just one class and I exchanged smiles with the other attendees during challenging sections of the workout -- only 99 leg lifts to go! -- creating the feel of a real group workout. Not surprisingly, I found my mood improving. I hadn't necessarily been in a funk, but treating myself to an hour of endorphin-boosting exercise set to a soundtrack of catchy tunes did a remarkable job at erasing my worries. Then, on day 21, a funny thing happened. With the challenge nearing its end I found myself wanting to not only keep up my barre work, but also enroll at a gym that offered indoor cycling, a class I'd loved during my last fitness craze. I was hooked on the feeling. And then there were the results: On day 21 I also tried on an old pair of pants -- ones that hadn't fit in more than a year. They were snug, but they zipped. I'd been so focused on the other reasons to exercise -- the camaraderie, the daily diversion from work -- that I had started to edge toward this goal without my realizing it. If you can't make fitness a true habit, maybe a better question is, at what point do you start craving exercise? When does it become something you look forward to enough to do regularly without putting up an internal fight? For me, it was 21 days, just like that mid-century report suggests. Exercise is never going to become something innate, like flossing, for any of us. But for me, whenever my enthusiasm starts to dwindle in the future I'll remind myself of the many reasons I have to get moving: to see my friends, to squeeze into my skinny jeans, to get my money's worth of a membership, to move my body, to lift my mood or to simply get out of the house. Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jessica-cassity/exercise_b_1237470.html

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Bootcamp Schedule 30th Jan - 5th Feb 2012

Mon 0830- 0930hrs Jalan Lembah Permai ,Tg Bungah

Mon 1830-1930hrs Sg Nibong ( Bukit Jambul)

Tues 1830-1930hrs Youth Park

Wed 0830-0930hrs Jalan Lembah Permai ,Tg Bungah

Wed 1830-1930hrs Sg Nibong ( Bukit Jambul)

Thurs 1830-1930hrs Youth Park

Monday, January 23, 2012

8 Signs you are over training

1. You repeatedly fail to complete your normal workout.
I’m not talking about normal failure. Some people train to failure as a rule, and that’s fine. I’m talking failure to lift the weights you usually lift, run the hill sprints you usually run, and complete the hike you normally complete. Regression. If you’re actively getting weaker, slower, and your stamina is deteriorating despite regular exercise, you’re probably training too much. Note, though, that this isn’t the same as deloading. Pushing yourself to higher weights and failing at those is a normal part of progression, but if you’re unable to lift weights that you formerly handled with relative ease, you may be overtrained. 2.> You’re losing leanness despite increased exercise. If losing fat was as easy as burning calories by increasing work output, overtraining would never result in fat gain – but that isn’t the case. It’s about the hormones. Sometimes, working out too much can actually cause muscle wasting and fat deposition. You’re “burning calories,” probably more than ever before, but it’s predominantly glucose/glycogen and precious muscle tissue. Net effect: you’re getting less lean. The hormonal balance has been tipped. You’ve been overtraining, and the all-important testosterone:cortisol ratio is lopsided. Generally speaking, a positive T:C ratio means more muscle and less fat, while a negative ratio means you’re either training too much, sleeping too little, or some combination of the two. Either way, too much cortisol will increase insulin resistance and fat deposition, especially around the midsection. Have you been working out like a madman only to see your definition decrease? You’re probably overtraining. 3. You’re lifting/sprinting/Hitting hard every single day. The odd genetic freak could conceivably lift heavy, sprint fast, and engage in metabolic conditioning nearly every day of the week and adequately recover, without suffering ill effects. Chances are, however, you are not a genetic freak with Wolverine’s healing factor. Most people who maintain such a hectic physical schedule will not recover (especially if they have a family and/or a job). Performance will suffer, health will deteriorate, and everything they’ve worked to achieve will be compromised. Many professional athletes can practice for hours a day every day and see incredible results (especially if they are using performance enhancing substances), but you’re not a professional, are you? 4. You’re primarily an anaerobic/power/explosive/strength athlete, and you feel restless, excitable, and unable to sleep in your down time. When a sprinter or a power athlete overtrains, the sympathetic nervous system dominates. Symptoms include hyperexcitability, restlessness, and an inability to focus (especially on athletic performance), even while at rest or on your off day. Sleep is generally disturbed in sympathetic-dominant overtrained athletes, recovery slows, and the resting heart rate remains elevated. Simply put, the body is reacting to a chronically stressful situation by heightening the sympathetic stress system’s activity levels. Most PBers who overtrain will see their sympathetic nervous system afflicted, simply because they lean toward the high-intensity, power, strength side. 5. You’re primarily an endurance athlete, and you feel overly fatigued, sluggish, and useless. Too much resistance training can cause sympathetic overtraining; too much endurance work can cause parasympathetic overtraining, which is characterized by decreased testosterone levels, increased cortisol levels, debilitating fatigue (both mental and physical), and a failure to lose body fat. While I tend to advise against any appreciable amount of endurance training, chronic fatigue remains an issue worthy of repeating. Being fit enough to run ten miles doesn’t mean that you now have to do it every day. 6. Your joints, bones, or limbs hurt. I’m unaware of any clinical tests that can identify overuse injuries specifically caused by overtraining, but don’t you think that pain in your knee might be an indication that you should reassess how you exercise that knee? In the lifts, limb pain can either be DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) or it can indicate poor technique or improper form; DOMS is a natural response that should go away in a day or two, while poor form is more serious and can be linked to overuse or overtraining. With regard to endurance training, if you creak, you wince at every step, and you dread staircases, it may be that you’ve run too far or too hard for too long. The danger here is that your daily endorphin high has over-ridden your natural pain receptors. You should probably listen to them more acutely. I tuned them out for longer than I should have and it cost me my career as a marathoner (so I got that going for me, which is nice). 7. You’re suddenly falling ill a lot more often. Many things can compromise your immune system. Dietary changes (especially increased sugar intake), lack of Vitamin D/sunlight, poor sleep habits, mental stress are all usual suspects, but what if those are all locked in and stable? What if you’re eating right, getting plenty of sun, and enjoying a regular eight hours of solid sleep each night, but you find yourself getting sick? Nothing too serious, mind you. A nagging cough here, a little sniffle or two there, some congestion and a headache, perhaps. These were fairly normal before you went Primal, but they’ve returned. Your immune system may be suffering from the added stress of your overtraining. It’s an easy trap to fall into, simply because it’s often the natural progression for many accomplished athletes or trainees looking to increase their work or improve their performance: work harder, work longer. If you’ve recently increased your exercise output, keep track of those early morning sore throats and sneezes. Any increases may indicate a poor immune system brought on by overtraining. 8. You feel like crap the hours and days after a big workout. Once you get into the swing of things, one of the great benefits of exercise is the post-workout feeling of wellness. You’ve got the big, immediate, heady rush of endorphins during and right after a session, followed by that luxurious, warm glow that infuses your mind and body for hours (and even days). It’s the best feeling, isn’t it? We all love it. What if that glow never comes, though? What if instead of feeling energetic and enriched after a workout, you feel sketchy and uncomfortable? As I said before, post-workout DOMS is completely normal, but feeling like death (mentally and physically) is not. Exercise generally elevates mood; if it’s having a negative effect on your mood, it’s probably too much. Source: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/overtraining/#ixzz1kFovnwf8

Friday, January 20, 2012

Sunday, January 15, 2012

BOOTCAMP SCHEDULE 16th - 22nd JAN 2012

Mon 0830- 0930hrs Jalan Lembah Permai ,Tg Bungah

Mon 1830-1930hrs Sg Nibong ( Bukit Jambul)

Tues 1830-1930hrs Youth Park

Wed 0830-0930hrs Jalan Lembah Permai ,Tg Bungah

Wed 1830-1930hrs Sg Nibong ( Bukit Jambul)

Thurs 1845-1945hrs Jalan Lembah Permai ,Tg Bungah

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Owning a car and a TV increases your risk of a heart attack


OWNING a car and TV increases the risk of having a heart attack by more than a quarter, a study has found.

But the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle can easily be cancelled out by exercise, say researchers.

Mild leisure time activity reduces the chances of a heart attack by 13pc, while moderate to strenuous exercise cuts the risk by 24pc.

The findings, published in the European Heart Journal, come from the Interheart study which looked at more than 24,000 people from 52 countries around the world.

Scientists compared the work and leisure exercise habits of around 10,000 people who had suffered a first heart attack with 14,217 healthy individuals.

Participants were asked about their ownership of goods such as cars, motorcycles, stereos, TVs and computers, as well as land and livestock.

Researchers took account of factors such as age, sex, country, income, smoking, alcohol consumption, education and diet.

After making these adjustments, the team found light and moderate work activity reduced heart attack risk, but not heavy physical labour.

All levels of exercise during leisure time lowered the risk compared with sedentary pursuits such as reading and watching TV.

People who owned a car and TV - both indicators of sedentary lifestyle - were 27% more likely to have suffered a heart attack than whose who did not.

Study leader Professor Claes Held, from Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden, said: "Until now, few studies have looked at the different aspects of physical activity both at work and during leisure time in relation to the risk of heart attacks.

"Much is already known about the association between physical activity and cardiovascular risk, but what this study adds, among many other things, is a global perspective. The study shows that mild to moderate physical activity at work, and any level of physical activity during leisure time, reduces the risk of heart attack, independent of other traditional risk factors in men and women of all ages, in most regions of the world and in countries with low, middle or high income levels.

"Interestingly, heavy physical labour at work did not protect against heart attacks.

"These data extend the importance of physical activity and confirm a consistent protective effect of physical activity across all country income levels in addition to the known benefits of modifying traditional risk factors such as smoking.

"Furthermore, ownership of a car and TV, which promotes sedentary behaviour, was found to be independently associated with the risk of heart attacks."

A greater proportion of people in low-income countries had sedentary jobs and did less exercise in their leisure time than in middle and high-income countries, the study found.

"This may partly be explained by differences in education and other socio-economic factors," the authors wrote. "In addition, this may also reflect differences in culture and in climate. The likelihood of a subject performing leisure time PA (physical exercise) in tropical or hot climate zones is less than in more temperate areas of the world."

Leisure time physical activity was divided into four categories: mainly sedentary (sitting reading, watching TV), mild exercise (yoga, fishing, easy walking), moderate exercise (walking, cycling, light gardening) and strenuous exercise (running, football, vigorous swimming).

One highlighted finding was the fact that heart attack risk was reduced even in people who exercised well below current guideline levels.

In an accompanying editorial, doctors Emeline Van Craenenbroeck and Viviane Conraads, from Antwerp University Hospital in Belgium, wrote: "If we want to support healthy longevity, we should put a stop to the pandemic of sedentarism.

"Staying physically fit throughout life may well be one of the easiest, cheapest and most effective ways to avoid the coronary care unit."

Natasha Stewart, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: "This study reminds us that we all need to be regularly active to keep our hearts healthy.

"The link between keeping active and lowering your risk of developing coronary heart disease and having a heart attack is well-established.

"We recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day, on at least five days a week. Making small changes to your lifestyle can help make a big difference to your heart health.

"Walking to the local shop rather than driving, or playing sport rather than watching it on TV, will help to work towards long-term benefits for your health."

http://www.independent.ie/health/health-news/owning-a-car-and-a-tv-increases-your-risk-of-a-heart-attack-2985090.html

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Women tell 474 lies a year about their diet


Women tell nearly 500 fibs a year about their eating and drinking habits, according to a survey.

Women tell almost 500 lies a year about their diet, most commonly over chocolate, cheese and wine Photo: Alamy

"It was only a small portion," is women's favourite untruth, and one of nine lies told weekly by the average woman.

It is followed by "I'll have a big lunch so I won't eat much after this", and "I only treat myself once in a while."

Claiming always to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, never eating biscuits and only drinking one glass of wine a day are also common falsehoods, according to a study released by Timex.

Women often claim to be only "eating the kids' leftovers" or "testing the dinner" when indulging, the watch manufacturer found.

Other questionable claims include never eating fast food, only drinking to toast a special occasion and claiming that red wine is healthy.

Chocolate, crisps, cake, wine, cheese and bread are among the foods most likely to be the subject of deception, the survey of 3,000 people found.

Dr Cassandra Maximenko said: "Studies show that keeping a food diary can double weight loss but it seems that rather than being honest about the food and drink which passes our lips, many women are lying about it, or completely denying it altogether.

"But while this might save them some embarrassment in front of their partner or friends in the short term, it's not going to help them reach their health and weight loss goals in the future.

"By lying to their loved ones, women are also lying to themselves and could easily see their weight creep up."



Read more: http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/health-fitness/women-tell-474-lies-a-year-about-their-diet-2981775.html#ixzz1imV2nnFt

Schedule 9th - 15th Jan 2012

Mon 0830- 0930hrs Jalan Lembah Permai ,Tg Bungah

Mon 1830-1930hrs Sg Nibong ( Bukit Jambul)

Tues 1830-1930hrs Youth Park

Wed 0830-0930hrs Jalan Lembah Permai ,Tg Bungah

Wed 1830-1930hrs Sg Nibong ( Bukit Jambul)

Thurs 1845-1945hrs Jalan Lembah Permai ,Tg Bungah

Fitness Warriors - Sungai Nibong Jan 2012