TOP HEALTH AND FITNESS 2019

(1) Health and Fitness:Aerobics Cardio 

                                                                                  

Should You Do Cardio Exercise Before or After Strength Training?

#So you understand the importance of both cardio and strength training, yet should you perform cardio before or after strength training in order to maximize the benefits? This article looks at the benefits of performing cardiovascular exercise prior to and after resistance training

A question that I am often asked and one that I have seen countless times on message boards across the Internet is whether a person should do cardiovascular exercise before or after a resistance training workout? Before going any further, I want to clearly state that it is my position that everyone should engage in a cardiovascular exercise of their choice for 5 to 10 minutes prior to any workout, be it a cardiovascular, resistance or flexibility workout. This is vitally important for several reasons as a proper, light-intensity cardiovascular exercise will warm up the muscles, ligaments, joints and tendons that will be used more intensely in the following workout routine. Warming up with cardio also increases the core temperature slightly, increases circulation, slightly elevates the heart rate and helps to prepare the heart for an increased workload, it helps increase lung functioning and helps you to mentally focus in on the upcoming workout routine. The most important advantage to warming up with light intensity cardio is the substantial decrease in risk of injury. If the body is not properly warmed up, you are much more likely to experience an injury to a muscle, joint, ligament or tendon.

Now back to the question of whether you should do cardiovascular exercise prior to or after a resistance workout? There is no single best answer here and instead, you should evaluate your individual fitness goals. If you goal is to increase endurance, stamina or overall cardiovascular health, then I suggest doing your cardio workout prior to weight and resistance training. By doing the cardio workout first (after your 5 to 10 minute warm up of course), you are able to engage in a more intense cardio session, which possibly might include some intervals in which you really push up to your lactic acid threshold or VO2 max level. It is much less likely that you would be able to achieve high intensity cardiovascular work after you have engaged in a weight training session. So, in short if your goal is to increase cardiovascular fitness levels, you should perform cardio workouts prior to resistance training

On the other hand, if your goal is fat and weight loss, a current mode of thinking in the fitness community is by doing a cardiovascular workout after a resistance workout, you increases the rate of fat metabolism (fat burn as it is often referred to as). The theory is that by engaging in an intense resistance workout, you will deplete the glycogen stores in the muscles during this workout. Once the glycogen stores are depleted, the body begins to utilize fats in the body for fuel. Endurance athletes have long know this, yet typically in order for this to occur in endurance training, an athlete has to continuously run for approximately 90 minutes to fully deplete the muscles of glycogen. Therefore, I remain somewhat skeptical that many average people working out are pushing themselves to the point of glycogen depletion during their resistance workout, particularly workouts of less than an hour in duration. For more advanced trainers, I do believe that it is possible and therefore can be an effective means of decreasing body fat perhaps for these individuals.

I tend to look at it like this, if you are engaging in a cardiovascular and resistance workout on the same day back-to-back, one or the other will be of a lesser intensity level naturally. Again, evaluate your personal fitness goals before deciding whether to do your cardio workouts before or after resistance training. If you are trying to build muscle, you want to have as much muscle strength as you can available for your resistance workouts, therefore doing cardio before weight training would be counterproductive to your muscle building goals. If you are looking to gain endurance or heart health, place your focus on the cardio workouts and do them first. Remember, regardless of which you end up doing first, it is more important to properly warm up with a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes of cardio (even if it is only a brisk walk on the treadmill) in order to prepare the body for the workouts ahead, to get your head in the right space in order to bang out a productive workout, and most importantly to decrease the risk of injury. This debate won't mean a thing if you get injured 5 minutes into a workout and are sidelined for the next 8 weeks rehabilitating an injury!.

(2) Health and Fitness:Anti Aging

Ease the Wrinkles and Fine Lines on Your Face With Botox Injections

#Facial expressions that repeatedly use the same muscles, will eventually leave crow's feet, frown lines and forehead creases upon the skin. Botox is a reputable cosmetic procedure which visibly reduces lines and wrinkles or removes them completely.

A question that I am often asked and one that I have seen countless times on message boards across the Internet is whether a person should do cardiovascular exercise before or after a resistance training workout? Before going any further, I want to clearly state that it is my position that everyone should engage in a cardiovascular exercise of their choice for 5 to 10 minutes prior to any workout, be it a cardiovascular, resistance or flexibility workout. This is vitally important for several reasons as a proper, light-intensity cardiovascular exercise will warm up the muscles, ligaments, joints and tendons that will be used more intensely in the following workout routine. Warming up with cardio also increases the core temperature slightly, increases circulation, slightly elevates the heart rate and helps to prepare the heart for an increased workload, it helps increase lung functioning and helps you to mentally focus in on the upcoming workout routine. The most important advantage to warming up with light intensity cardio is the substantial decrease in risk of injury. If the body is not properly warmed up, you are much more likely to experience an injury to a muscle, joint, ligament or tendon.

Now back to the question of whether you should do cardiovascular exercise prior to or after a resistance workout? There is no single best answer here and instead, you should evaluate your individual fitness goals. If you goal is to increase endurance, stamina or overall cardiovascular health, then I suggest doing your cardio workout prior to weight and resistance training. By doing the cardio workout first (after your 5 to 10 minute warm up of course), you are able to engage in a more intense cardio session, which possibly might include some intervals in which you really push up to your lactic acid threshold or VO2 max level. It is much less likely that you would be able to achieve high intensity cardiovascular work after you have engaged in a weight training session. So, in short if your goal is to increase cardiovascular fitness levels, you should perform cardio workouts prior to resistance training.

On the other hand, if your goal is fat and weight loss, a current mode of thinking in the fitness community is by doing a cardiovascular workout after a resistance workout, you increases the rate of fat metabolism (fat burn as it is often referred to as). The theory is that by engaging in an intense resistance workout, you will deplete the glycogen stores in the muscles during this workout. Once the glycogen stores are depleted, the body begins to utilize fats in the body for fuel. Endurance athletes have long know this, yet typically in order for this to occur in endurance training, an athlete has to continuously run for approximately 90 minutes to fully deplete the muscles of glycogen. Therefore, I remain somewhat skeptical that many average people working out are pushing themselves to the point of glycogen depletion during their resistance workout, particularly workouts of less than an hour in duration. For more advanced trainers, I do believe that it is possible and therefore can be an effective means of decreasing body fat perhaps for these individuals.

I tend to look at it like this, if you are engaging in a cardiovascular and resistance workout on the same day back-to-back, one or the other will be of a lesser intensity level naturally. Again, evaluate your personal fitness goals before deciding whether to do your cardio workouts before or after resistance training. If you are trying to build muscle, you want to have as much muscle strength as you can available for your resistance workouts, therefore doing cardio before weight training would be counterproductive to your muscle building goals. If you are looking to gain endurance or heart health, place your focus on the cardio workouts and do them first. Remember, regardless of which you end up doing first, it is more important to properly warm up with a minimum of 5 to 10 minutes of cardio (even if it is only a brisk walk on the treadmill) in order to prepare the body for the workouts ahead, to get your head in the right space in order to bang out a productive workout, and most importantly to decrease the risk of injury. This debate won't mean a thing if you get injured 5 minutes into a workout and are sidelined for the next 8 weeks rehabilitating an injury!

(3) Health and Fitness: Arthritis

Is It Arthritis or Rheumatism? Distinguishing Rheumatism From Arthritis in Homeopathy

#Both arthritis and rheumatism can affect joints in the body; however where they affect the joints is different depending on if it is arthritis or rheumatism. Also, muscles and other tissues are affected by rheumatism. Learn how to distinguish the difference and some of the best homeopathic remedies to assist with healing.

By definition, according to the Oxford Dictionary, rheumatism is "inflammation and pain in joints, muscles or fibrous tissue." Arthritis is "painful inflammation and stiffness of joints." The key difference here is that, although both affect joints, rheumatism also affects muscles and fibrous tissue (arthritis only affects joints). Most of the time people do not distinguish between the types of pain or the causes-they call it all "arthritis."

Is this important to know the difference? Yes.

Both arthritis and rheumatism can affect any joint in the body; however, the usual first places where arthritis is noticed is in joints that are used more often than others, such as the fingers, neck and knees. Rheumatism can affect any muscle and joint but is more often noticed in areas where there is frequent over-use (arms, upper back, hips, legs).

Causes and Usual Medical Care:

Arthritis pain and stiffness are usually caused by a decrease in the space between joints, then a decrease in the cartilage that covers the ends of the bones resulting in bones rubbing on bones. The usual medical care is a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) such as motrin or ibuprofen. When the degeneration of the joint becomes severe, if the joint can be replaced, it is.

Rheumatic pain is caused by inflammation of the affected muscle, joint or tissue. This is usually the result of over-use, repetition or using an affected part "the wrong way." For example, a common area of rheumatic pain in those who use computers a lot is in the trapezius muscle of the upper back of whichever arm the person uses the mouse. The frequent motion of the arm from the mouse to the keyboard and back again. This repetitive motion is made worse if the mouse and the computer are on different heights-then added is the use of the arm the wrong way.

Rheumatism can also be brought on by stress or emotional turmoil. Typical medical treatment for rheumatism is an NSAID and rest. There is no surgical option as there is nothing to replace-there is no damage to the joint.

 Homeopathic Case:

Dan, 75, was a healthy farmer whose complaint was upper back pain. He had gone to his chiropractor who stated it was arthritis and recommended calcium supplements and chiropractic care. When he failed to improve, he sought my care as he didn't want to "go the medical route."

As the chiropractor didn't take x-rays, there was no way to prove if Dan had arthritis or rheumatism. An x-ray would've shown the decrease in joint space, thus confirming arthritis.

Based on the case, I determined that Dan's problem was rheumatism. His pain occurred after lifting sacks of feed, during intercourse and when faced with an emotional upset (they were trying to sell their farm and house). The pain was not constant, not weather-contingent and there was no stiffness. Pain did not radiate but was centered between the shoulder blades and was restricting. When he had emotional turmoil, the pain came on suddenly and was severe. During intercourse or after lifting the bags of feed, he had to stop and rest to alleviate the pain. Occasionally he took a baby aspirin which helped (he was averse to taking medical drugs); but he was concerned with all the bruising he was having (a side effect of taking aspirin).

There are 3 key homeopathic remedies that help with typical rheumatic pain: Arnica montana, Ruta graveolens and Rhus toxicodendron.

Arnica montana is great for sprains, strains, backaches and muscle aches.

Rhus toxicodendron is for achy joints, low back pain, and pain between the shoulder blades.

Ruta graveolens is the one of the best remedies for joints and tendons. Great for repetitive-use injuries.

I initially gave Rhus tox based on Dan's symptoms and findings in his evaluation. I also recommended Glucosamine supplement to help stabilize the joints of the upper back, and to stop taking the Calcium supplement. A month after taking the Rhus tox, Dan's symptoms had only improved slightly. He didn't take the Glucosamine because of the cost.

At the time I was doing a study of Cell Salts and decided that Calcarea fluorica was very similar to Dan's symptoms, which was very similar to Rhus tox (ex. better with heat and after motion). The thing that stuck in my mind, however was that Calcarea fluorica had a mental symptom that matched Dan: groundless fear of financial ruin or poverty.

Dan and his wife were retired from conventional employment, keeping up a farm, planning to sell the farm and house. Every time the phone rang and it was the realtor, Dan had great anxiety. His anxiety stemmed from the fear of becoming homeless and losing all their money. This was groundless because if the house sold, they'd have money. They already planned to buy a condo or rent an apartment once the house sold. Their retirement benefits were sufficient even without selling the house. Even Dan felt his concerns were baseless; but those were his anxieties.

I gave Dan the Calcarea fluorica and it helped wonderfully. He still had times of increased pain, but those were far less frequent than before. He also stated he didn't have as much anxiety when the realtor called.

Conclusion:

Although Arnica, Rhus tox and Ruta can help with both arthritis and rheumatism, distinguishing between the 2 ailments can help the practitioner narrow down the remedy that will best assist with healing-or will help point to a different one that would be more effective, as in Dan's case.

The degeneration of arthritis will often require a deeper-healing remedy as well as nutritional support (to help rebuild the joint) whereas rheumatism often responds to a more superficial remedy or cell salt without the need for nutritional support.

(4)Health and Fitness: Back Pain

10 Minutes To A Healthy Back!

Nothing can make you feel old vulnerable more quickly than a seemingly and out-of-the-blue bad back. And if you know the feeling, it's probably little comfort that four out of five adults will at some time share it.

Nothing can make you feel old vulnerable more quickly than a seemingly and out-of-the-blue bad back. And if you know the feeling, it's probably little comfort that four out of five adults will at some time share it.

Yet, only a small percentage of back problems are truly serious. Eighty per cent of all lower-back pain is simple muscle strain. Even more important: Such pain almost always develops gradually - meaning the moment your back "goes out" is the end result, not the cause. And the cause, more often than not, is years and years of bad back habits.

So, what can you do to buck the odds? That's what's coming up in the next few pages - a ten-minute, ten-move formula to prevent a back problem from ever developing. A little daily back attention at home, at work, in workouts can keep your back young for a long, long time.

A healthy back stays that way from a supporting cast of strong and flexible muscles. That's why this simple routine zeroes in key back-stabilizing muscles in the torso and legs. It specifically stretches the flexors, the muscles in the front of the body that tend to get tight and short, and strengthens the extensors, the muscles in the back that tend to be underused and weak, as well as the spine-supporting abdominals.

Results: a trimmer middle and straighter posture as well as backache prevention and relief.

You'll need enough space to lie down in, an exercise mat or soft surface, a small towel, along cord or belt - and ten minutes a day.

1.LOW-BACK LOOSENER: Lie down on your back with right leg straight. Holding your left knee toward chest with hands on back of thigh. Hold for ten seconds. Repeat on other side.
SIDE-OF-HIP STRETCH: Lie down on your back with right leg straight out on floor. Bend left leg up toward chest. Grasp left knee with both hands and pull leg up and across body toward right shoulder. Feel stretch on outside of left hip. Hold for ten seconds. Repeat on other side.

2 FRONT-OF-BODY LENGTHENER: Lie down on stomach with hands under shoulders, and elbows bent. Push up to slowly raise shoulders/chest straightening arms as much as possible while keeping hips in contact with mat/floor. Hold for ten seconds, and remember to breathe.

3 FRONT-OF-HIP STRETCH: Kneel down on towel with left knee and place both hands on right thigh and bent in front of you. Keeping back straight, shift hips forward until you feel a stretch on front of upper left thigh. Don't let right knee bend past right foot. Hold for ten seconds. Repeat with other leg.

4 BACK-OF-THIGH UNTIGHTENER: Lie down on your back. Place a rolled-up towel under your lower back. Keep legs straight. Place cord or belt around heel of right leg and slowly lift straight leg until you feel stretch in back of thigh. Hold for ten seconds. Repeat with other leg.

5 LOWER-BACK STRENGTHENING: Lie down on back with heels close to buttock. And gently lift buttocks and lower back off floor until thighs and back are in a straight line. Hold for ten seconds, and remember to breathe.
6 ABDOMINAL FIRMER: Lie down on back with knees bent and heels close to buttocks. Reach hands between thighs. Exhaling, gently curl your head and shoulders up until shoulder blades leave floor. Hold for ten seconds.

7 WAIST SHAPER: Lie down on left side with legs bent at hips and knees. Lift head shoulder up until left shoulder leaves floor. Hold for ten seconds. Repeat on other side.

8 WHOLE-BACK STRENGTHENER: Lie face-down, arms along sides. Exhale and gently lift shoulders and chest off mat/floor. Hold for ten seconds, and remember to breathe.

9 LOWER-BACK RELEASER: Lie down on back with knees bent, heels close to buttocks, shoulders flat and arms stretched out to sides. Slowly lower your knees to left, and gently twist hips and lower back. Hold for ten seconds. Repeat on other side.