Battling Obesity

From some trainers ‘No pain, no gain’ really means ‘you should feel some pain’. While mild discomfort is to be expected, especially for those just beginning a new fitness routine, pain is a natural warning sign. Pay attention to it.

A good workout routine will test you, but shouldn’t damage you. As muscles get used, especially somewhat beyond their usual range, lactic acid, micro-tears and other physiological changes occur that result in muscles being built up stronger than before.

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Gyms offer a number of benefits, both practical and psychological. But there are a few caveats to consider before taking the plunge.

Few could afford to buy the variety of equipment that gyms typically offer. Multi-station weight machines are just the beginning. Most gyms have treadmills, stationary rowing equipment, stretching bars, etc.

Many have tennis and racquetball courts, occasionally even squash and Jai Lai courts. Jai Lai is that fast-paced Spanish-origin game played in a racquetball-like court with a curved racket, only much faster. In addition, some gyms offer swimming pools, saunas and even rock-climbing practice walls.

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Anyone who has ever suffered from a major backache knows how central the back is, even in times you might think it isn’t important. Even something like squeezing a tennis ball, an action that involves a focus on the fingers, forearm and bicep will involve the latissimus dorsi and other back muscles.

The lats are the large ’side’ muscles that make a man triangle-shaped. To demonstrate how they are used during squeezing a tennis ball, try it! You’ll quickly feel a tensing of the muscles on the side of the arm you use. It’s especially noticeable if you have back pain.

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It’s a commonplace observation that as you age you have to work harder to keep the pounds off and to stay fit. One major reason is the inescapable biological fact that metabolism slows as we age. Inescapable for now, at least, until medical technology finds some safe way to alter it.

Genetic research into aging is trying, in a way, to do just that. Several studies in the last two decades have pointed to hints about precisely what causes aging. If they get sufficient knowledge of the subject, there is some hope of altering the situation.

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There’s considerable hype in the news about the incidence of childhood obesity and the risks. As usual, scare stories abound with calls for government intervention and/or large-scale social changes. But apart from the over-the-top reactions, there are some basic facts that remain.

With the increase in the availability and lower cost of food in Western countries, all but the poorest individuals are at no risk of starving. At the same time, convenience foods, fast food establishments and snacks everywhere have made it all the more likely that many will consume too many calories.

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Though stereotypes are dissolving with each generation, there are some that persist - in part, because they are based on real differences between men and women.

While some women can and do achieve the upper body strength of some (even very fit) men, the overwhelming majority of males have a natural advantage in this area. Male aesthetic values, the source of which isn’t clear, reinforce this and so they tend to work on upper body more than some other areas, relative to women’s efforts.

Women, in part out of a desire to be seen as attractive, will focus exercises more on buttocks and legs. But here they also have a slight natural advantage for some exercises. A woman’s pelvis tilts at a different angle than a man’s. This effects the style and efficiency of squats, for example. Women will benefit by tilting the feet outward with legs further apart, while not needing to squat so low.

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Individuals under 20 are naturally more flexible, have higher metabolic rates and more energy than those older. But they, too, need to exercise (in appropriate ways) to avoid injury and build strength and endurance, avoid obesity and stay fit.

Particularly today, when there are so many electronic alternatives, young people may exercise less than they should. It’s during the formative years that individuals lay the groundwork for what later become healthy or poor habits.

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Aristotle helped define the standards of fitness 2,500 years ago when he taught that a thing that suits its purpose well is fit. Fortunately for us, the cardiovascular system, lungs, skeleton, muscles, endocrine system and all the other amazing components of the body function for our purpose: to live well.

Exercising aids fitness in numerous ways, each involving one or more of those systems.

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By Craig Ballantyne

Its much easier to maintain a healthy level of low body fat than it is to lose 10-15% body fat and 30 lbs or more. But it can be done. Pick up any fitness publication these days and you will find amazing transformation pictorials. Check the timeline. It may have taken these people 3 months, 6 months, or even a year, but these people have made incredible journeys.

Were they less busy than other overweight individuals? Are people too busy with appointments? If that is a problem, individuals should schedule an appointment 2-4 times per week with the gym just like it was any other business meeting. Spend a half-day on the weekend shopping for an accomplished personal trainer that can give you a program that requires only 2-4 hours per week. C’mon, 2-4 hours per week, who can’t spare that?

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By Dan Patterson

Here’s a sad truth that arguably a large contribution to the obesity problem in the U.S.: Americans watch a lot of TV. Here are some interesting statistics from TVTurnoff.org:

* The average American home has the TV on for 8 hours a day
* The average American watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of television each day
* The average American household is 2.55 people, but the average home also has 2.73 televisions

Statistically, we have more TVs per household than we do people in this country! We have very quickly become a lazy, entertainment seeking people. No wonder we have such a large problem with people being overweight and obese. This is no news flash, but when you’re just sitting in front of the TV you are contributing to an overall sedentary lifestyle - a lifestyle that is proven to be prime ground for becoming overweight and obese.

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