Protected: Books to Satisfy the Hunger
May 30, 2010
Protected: Presentations and Public Speaking
May 30, 2010
The Effects of Exercise
May 23, 2010
What can Exercise do for you? Well, get your pop corn and get ready for a long 3 hour epic. I won’t bore you with all the details, but because I am so passionate about it, I will scratch the surface a little bit for you.
Depending on your current situation, exercise will
- Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis.
- Improves your cardiovascular fitness.
- Improves metabolism which will reduce your risk of being overweight.
- Increases endorphin release.
- Improve your productivity
This simple activity is becoming more and more scarce with the way our society is changing. We were designed to move, hunt and gather. Today we mostly sit, push buttons and walk to the supermarkets for our foods.
All the diseases mentioned in the first point are classed as diseases that can be prevented if we only changed our lifestyles. Sedentary-ness, malnutrition, lifestyle and sometimes genetics are possible factors of how we develop these dangerous and deadly diseases that are claiming many lives by the hour. All of which can be fixed with a little bit of a lifestyle adjustment and a bit of exercise.
The Department of Health has a Find Thirty Everyday campaign that recommends for a 30 minute activity everyday. In an attempt to get the public moving and more active again. The message is clear. We are not moving or getting active enough. But is it really enough to get us losing the weight? Probably not. But it is a good start.
Metabolism is a fantastic thing. It is the amount of energy needed to keep your body running or you alive. There are many factors that can affect your metabolism. Learn how to maximise your energy burning potential by raising your basal metabolic rate. I will cover this in another blog post later on down the track.
As a fitness professional, we have probably heard of the many excuses or barriers put up by folk who do not want to exercise. These may be because exercise is too hard to do, hurts too much, do not have time for it, it costs too much, the trainers yell too much, the exercises they make me do are too difficult and the best of the lot, just could not be bothered. These are all lame excuses. They do not work anymore and the only person you are kidding is yourself. Sedentary folk need to understand that there is a problem, realize that there is and take the appropriate action.
Everyone needs to exercise. No matter where you come from, what sort of lifestyle you may have, cut the ridiculous and get exercising.
Review of Vibram FiveFingers
May 11, 2010
A quick review on the FiveFinger shoes that arrived in the mail three weeks ago.
I have a rule against spending way too much money on shoes, but this was an exception. It was in line with my view of training without shoes on. These particular pair of shoes FiveFingers by Vibram has allowed the barefoot minority to explore even more activities available.
I tried running and jumping yesterday up Mount Street Kings park and today everything from knee down copped a feel of D.O.M.S. including the gastrocnemius, tibialis anteriors and plantar fascia. It may be a build up from the Leg training the leg before, but tibialis posterior also felt worked.
The freedom it allows is amazing. Being able to grip the terrain with your phalanges is something else extra. Traditional shoes have a large layer of cushioning on the sole of the shoes which does not allow too much force production from toe flexion. But in the case of the FiveFingers, more force generated from toe off improved stride length and also stride rate.
Looks wise, it is a very peculiar looking shoe and shaped like your foot, it will generate a lot of interest. There is not anything like it in the market at the moment.
Training and exercising with the FiveFingers is a different feeling altogether because you are able to connect with the floor and closed circuit training becomes a lot more ‘feelable’. Do ask your gym or centre if these shoes are allowed, because I have heard of certain centres who have restricted the use of these shoes on the premise that you could ‘injure your feet if you dropped some weights on your toes’. Poor excuse when you will injure anything if you drop any weight on your toes unless you are wearing steel caps.
I tried them on last week for Pilates and they were fantastic! Just like not wearing shoes. Not that I do my pilates with shoes on.
FiveFingers can also be used in outdoor training, rock-climbing, bushwalking, swimming, jogging, trekking and yoga.
