Fitness on The Wire

If you just started a new sport or fitness program, chances are you jumped in without giving your body much thought. Whether you workout with an instructor or alone, you need to consider the effect and result of your exercise movements. Deciding on a safe form of exercise and finding out the advantages of that particular sport can help you to maintain safe levels and still get the best results.

Overeating at Thanksgiving means four days of overindulgence. It’s long enough to set a pattern for life. Thanksgiving dinner alone brings with it about five thousand calories, that’s a lot of eating. We overeat to relieve tension, and there is sure enough of that to go around at Thanksgiving. Relatives who haven’t seen each other for years get together for ego mashing over the potatoes. You end up with a migraine and a killer desire for pie. And we were born with overdeveloped guilt feelings regarding pie.

Every day you see a few more walkers hitting the sidewalks. They travel in packs, that way they can intimidate the non-walkers, the dogs, and all non-fitness types that are driving instead of walking, and I applaud the tenacity it takes to buck the wind, smoke, dirt, and exhaust fumes. Walking is an easy, quick way to accomplish exercise and it’s always available. It builds cardiovascular endurance, it builds muscle strength in the legs and it burns fat. And, there are a lot of people out there who could do with a little more "burned fat"...

The new fitness student often finds it difficult to complete a pull-up or push-up and may strain for even an inch of lift. There are good reasons why these moves are hard to accomplish.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Cold weather exercise has its drawbacks. Some of the drawbacks are mental. But a lot of them are physical. Cold stiff muscles don’t lend themselves to quick fitness and sports moves. A person’s range of motion also takes a big dip when it’s cold.

The human body functions best within a very narrow range of outside temperature, usually between 65 and 75 degrees with a humidity reading of about 45 percent. The further you get from this ideal temperature range, the harder it becomes for your body to compensate.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — What part of your foot strikes the floor first in your sport, the toe or the heel? Are you a basketball player, a dancer, or a jogger? Do you train with a bicycle, the stairmaster or a rowing machine? Do you run on cement, uneven dirt or on the side of a hill? This isn't about your ankles; it’s about your feet.

By Jerry Vance
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Every now and then I get bored with exercise routine and I begin to experiment. After watching several of my exercise students struggling with coordination, I decided to do a little testing without their knowledge. I had no idea what a challenge this would be! I see all ages in my classes so I testing them all.

Are you a little tired of the same fitness routine? Are you hot and sweaty? Try a change of pace from your regular workout style and move your fitness into the swimming pool. Water is a wonderful medium for those of you who enjoy summer exercise.

Carson City’s Aquatic Facility holds Wet Sweat Water Aerobics classes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:00pm, with Monday and Thursday evenings held in the shallow end of the pool with less water resistance and less water weight to lift.

By Jerry Vance
 Fitness students still carry hand-held weights during aerobic workouts with the thought that carrying extra weight in each hand while running would speed up fat loss.  It is true that the heavier you are the more calories you burn with any given energy expenditure.  But, there are other factors to consider before you pick up those hand weights. 
 

There are two exercise terms; weight bearing and impact that can be confusing to the new exercise student.

No one counts calories at Thanksgiving. However, if you do plan on diet control, you might also consider adding a little exercise to your holiday menu.

Start that turkey and while everyone is still asleep go outside for a long walk. Exercise during the holiday will lower your stress level, slow you down, and maybe even keep you away from the refrigerator.

— I can’t tell you not to eat too much. You wouldn’t listen anyway. However, eating light, getting plenty of rest, and putting in a little exercise time, will help you through the holiday.

This week the focus is on the muscles in your body, what they do and how to strengthen them for better workouts.

• Muscles that are used often will react safely to extended use, but those of you who are new at fitness may find a different reaction to muscle usage. The tired, sore muscles that you feel after your first try at fitness can cancel all your desire to be fit. How do you plan a workout without at least one sore spot? Well-you can't.

If you have a book explaining nutrition relating to vitamin and mineral needs, read the chapter regarding what is proper nutrition for kids as well as for adults.

Children don’t consider the amount of vitamins and minerals in food, only the desire to cure hunger. During growing years is the time that they need good nutritional habits. And as we age, eating habits change and many factors, medication, special diets, illness and loneliness get in the way of proper nutrition.

Physical Fitness - Quality of Life

Being physically fit gives you the ability to enjoy life. It's called "quality of life".

With so many new types of exercise available maybe it’s time to define quality of life and how you achieve it. When you work on physical fitness, you enhance the physiological capacity of your body. You increase the ability to stay with a task longer and increase the range and weight of the task. Your heart will beat slower with more blood behind each beat, and generate more oxygen to your muscles. Who cares? You should!