Healthy Experiments

Making Exercise a Habit

j5simon — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:12:54 +0000

I should’ve posted this one a long time ago. The hardest part for me, especially if I haven’t worked out in a while, is actually getting myself to go to the gym regularly. Once I get to the gym, the rest falls in place. But actually going is the mountain I struggle to climb. I read an article on www.lifehack.org called “15 Tips to Restart the Exercise Habit (and How to Keep It)” and I found it very interesting. Many of the tips given are ones that I’ve actually used and benefited from.

15 Tips:

Don’t Break the Habit
Reward Showing Up
Commit for 30 Days
Make it Fun
Schedule During Downtime
Get a Buddy
“X” Your Calendar
Enjoyment Before Effort
Create a Ritual
Stress Relief
Measure Fitness
Habits First, Equipment Later
Isolate Your Weakness
Start Small
Go for Yourself, Not to Impress

To check out the article your self click here!

Update

j5simon — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:09:44 +0000

I’ve been working out consistently for about a month now and just wanted to give an update. First off I feel amazing, but here are some of the things that I’ve truly noticed and enjoy:

-Less stress and anxiety. Working out has made me feel more relaxed. It has allowed me to release some of the everyday stress by exerting energy in the weight room.

-Better sleep. Along with being more relaxed, working out has allowed me to expend enough energy to make me fall asleep faster at night.

-More alert. The fact that I’ve been getting better sleep has added to my alertness during the day. I no longer experience being drowsy and groggy from a lack luster night of sleep.

-Weight loss. I have loss some pounds along the way, making me feel better about myself in general.

I am very happy with the results I have achieved in one month, and I look forward to gaining even better ones in the future!

Cardio

j5simon — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:48:39 +0000

I wanted to incorporate a cardio plan into my exercise program. I was surfing the web, and came across ways to maximize weight loss with cardio from www.dummies.com. According to the site, in order to maximize weight loss:

-Perform 5-6 cardio workouts a week

-Aim for a minimum of 45 minutes per exercise

-If you’re out of shape, exercise at 50% of your maximum heart rate and steadily increase.

-Choose an exercise that you can sustain for at least 15 minutes

Here are 10 of my favorite cardio exercises:

Basketball
Jogging
Bicycling
Roller Blading
Racquetball
Climbing Stairs
Tennis
Swimming
Jumping Rope
Soccer

Soreness

j5simon — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:49:33 +0000

If you are new to weightlifting, or just haven’t worked out in a while (like myself), prepare to experience muscle soreness. Muscle soreness emerges when the muscles are “damaged” and the body acts to repair the affected area. The pain can make you miserable, however, there are ways to help prevent and heal sore muscles.

Stretching – Be sure to stretch before and after workouts to loosen up the tight muscles.

Light Cardio - Taking a jog after a workout helps to promote blood flow and flushes muscle toxins like lactic acid (linked to muscle soreness).

Massage – Getting a massage will help breakdown the chemical buildup as well as soothe tense and tight muscle areas.

Ice Bath – Although a little extreme, an ice bath will reduce inflammation and swelling in the muscles. If a bath is too much, ice packs work as well.

Heating Pads – Placing heat on the sore area will soothe and bring down the inflammation in the muscles.

Trying the above will definitely help to decrease the pain from muscle soreness. Stay patient, because after a week or so your muscles will be used to the wear and tear and the pain won’t be as severe. However, if you do experience pain for a longer time, it might be a good idea to see a doctor, as this would indicate an injury.

Workout C

j5simon — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:46:39 +0000

Third and final workout of the “Flex Appeal”:

50 Total reps per exercise
20-22 Rep range, first set
75 Seconds of rest between sets

The final workout includes the most reps yet at 50. For this particular workout, be sure to choose a weight that allows you to achieve 20 reps, but no more than 22. Along with the reps, the rest between sets is bumped up to 75 seconds.

The exercises for this workout include:

CABLE STANDING FACE PULL

PUSHUP

ROMANIAN DEADLIFT

STANDING HAMMER CURL

Just click for the demo!

Healthy Eating & Diet

j5simon — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:13:18 +0000

The key to maximizing any workout plan is a proper diet. Choosing the right foods to eat will reduce your risk of cancer and disease, lower your cholesterol, and make you feel great. I was searching WebMD and found an article that listed what they call “Superfoods” that promote good health.

TOP SUPERFOODS

BEANS – High in protein, help lower cholesterol

BLUEBERRIES – Packed with antioxidants, reduce risk of heart disease

BROCCOLI – High in vitamins and fiber, reduce risk of cancer

OATS – Loaded with fiber and magnesium, lowers cholesterol and risk of disease

ORANGES – Tons of vitamins, protects against common cold and other sickness

PUMPKIN – High in potassium and antioxidants, boosts the immune system

SALMON – High in omega 3′s, helps heart joints and memory

SOY – Rich source of calcium, iron, zinc and fiber, promotes heart health

SPINACH – High in fiber and antioxidants, reduces risk of cancer

TEA (GREEN OR BLACK) – High in antioxidants, inhibits growth of cancer cells

TOMATOES – Antioxidants, antioxidants, antioxidants!

TURKEY – Low in fat, high in folic acid and vitamins, aids in nerve function and growth

WALNUTS – Tons of fiber and antioxidants, reduce risk of heart disease

YOGURT – High in calcium and healthy bacteria, promotes bone and digestive health

Feel free to comment with other superfoods that I missed! I look forward to trying these out!

Workout B

j5simon — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:52:22 +0000

Here are the directions for the second workout of the “Flex Appeal” plan:

40 Total reps per exercise (for each arm or leg)
10-12 Rep range, first set
60 Seconds of rest between sets

This particular workout ups the reps to 40. Be sure to choose the heaviest weight that allows you to do 10 reps, but no more than 12. Since there are a larger number of the reps, the rest in between sets is a little long at 60 seconds. Along with the changes above, this workout focuses on isolation of one arm or leg. For maximum effectiveness, do all the reps and rests on one appendage before switching to the next.

The 4 exercises for this workout are:

DUMBBELL ONE-ARM ROW

DUMBBELL ONE-ARM SHOULDER PRESS

BARBELL REVERSE LUNGE

STANDING CALF RAISE

Just click on the lift to check out a demonstration!

Some Random Numbers

j5simon — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:57:13 +0000

I was flipping through another Men’s Health Magazine and I saw a snippet that I found interesting. Did you know that….

-Men have a 30 percent increase in control on the putting green after lifting weights for eleven weeks, according to a U.S. Air Force Academy study.

-There are 48 hours needed between intense workouts for your muscles to completely heal, according to Ball State University researchers.

-Men burn 4 percent more calories when they lift weights quickly as opposed to slowly, according to Anderson University researchers.

-Muscle growth becomes visible after the first 20 days of a heavy weight training program, according to researchers in the U.K.

-Compared to strong men, physically weak men are at a 47 percent higher risk of dying from cancer, according to U.S. and European scientists.

Fact or opinion? Who knows! But it still gives you something cool to think about. Feel free to let me know your thoughts!

Workout A

j5simon — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:11:02 +0000

This is the first of three workouts in the “Flex Appeal” plan. The directions for this workout are as follows:

25 Total reps per exercise
4-6 Rep range, first set
45 Seconds of rest between sets

What this means is that for each exercise you are to do a total of 25 reps. Furthermore, you are to choose the heaviest weight that allows you to lift at least 4 reps but no more than 6. Finally, you are to do as many sets as it takes to do the total of 25 reps with a 45 second rest between each set.

There are a total of 4 exercises that you are to perform that include:

If you would like a demonstration on a particular lift, no problem! Just click on the desired exercise to see a YouTube video on how to properly perform the lift.

The Decision

j5simon — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:39:53 +0000

After four years of tailgates, parties, alcoholic beverages and fast food (AKA College), I’ve decided to make a change in my life. That change is getting back to the healthier me. First, though, I would like to give a brief history of how I reached this point.

During my adolescent years, I enjoyed playing sports. Throughout high school I maintained an exceptional physical condition with personal trainers for basketball and football. As a matter of fact, I even played one year of Division III college football. An amazing accomplishment? Not quite. But at that point in my life, it’s fair to say that I was in good shape and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But here is the good part. After that year everything went to shambles. I transfered to a large public university, and 1,000 cases of beer and big macs later, here I am. A terribly out of shape and lazy human being. But I’ve decided that’s enough.

I’ve been spending a lot of time searching for a workout that I would like to engage in. I wanted to find something that would help me lose some unwanted weight, but strengthen my muscles as well. I was reading a Men’s Health Magazine and found one that looked interesting. This particular workout was called “The Flex Appeal”.

“The Flex Appeal” consist of three workouts that one is to perform once a week. What was peculiar to me though, was the fact that it does not contain a listed amount of sets, but rather reps. It is designed to include cardio with the weightlifting, allowing you to burn fat as you strengthen your muscles.

I’ve chosen to experiment with this workout for the rest of the summer. My goal is to construct a healthier me. Keep a heads up for the following posts in which I will explain each workout that is included.