Tag Archives: weight training program

October 3, 2014 · 4:32 am

What are the five best exercises?

Not everyone likes to work out. I see the cross fitters in the park and they don’t look like they are enjoying themselves a bit. On the other hand, everyone’s body needs to get exercise regularly. Adults should get at least 2.5 hours of moderate intensity exercise a week, or 1.25 hours of vigorous aerobic physical activity or some combination of the above.

Harvard HEALTHbeat offered the following: “If you’re not an athlete or serious exerciser — and want to work out for your health or to fit in your clothes better — the gym scene can be intimidating. Just having to walk by treadmills, stationary bikes, and weight machines can be enough to make you head straight back home to the couch.

“Yet some of the best physical activities for your body don’t require the gym or require you to get fit enough to run a marathon. These “workouts” can do wonders for your health. They’ll help keep your weight under control, improve your balance and range of motion, strengthen your bones, protect your joints, prevent bladder control problems, and even ward off memory loss. No matter your age or fitness level, these activities can help you get in shape and lower your risk for disease:

1. Swimming. You might call swimming the perfect workout. The buoyancy of the water supports your body and takes the strain off painful joints so you can move them more fluidly. “Swimming is good for individuals with arthritis because it’s less weight-bearing,” explains Dr. I-Min Lee, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.  Research finds that swimming can improve your mental state and put you in a better mood. Water aerobics is another option. These classes help you burn calories and tone up.

Tai Chi is called meditation in motion. It is excellent for seniors because it helps balance.

2. Tai chi. Tai chi — a Chinese martial art that incorporates movement and relaxation — is good for both body and mind. In fact, it’s been called “meditation in motion.” Tai chi is made up of a series of graceful movements, one transitioning smoothly into the next. Because the classes are offered at various levels, tai chi is accessible, and valuable, for people of all ages and fitness levels. “It’s particularly good for older people because balance is an important component of fitness, and balance is something we lose as we get older,” Dr. Lee says.  Take a class to help you get started and learn the proper form. You can find tai chi programs at your local YMCA, health club, community center, or senior center. Continue reading →

Five Weight Training Tips for Arthritis Sufferers – Harvard

Although I am an avid bicyclist, I also recognize the need for weight training to keep my muscles from shrinking as well as to make my body a fat burning machine by replacing fat with muscle. In addition, as an arthritis sufferer, I have written repeatedly about arthritis and exercise: Yoga for arthritis, What are good exercises for folks with arthritis? and Is it okay to exercise with arthritis?

So I was happy to see Harvard offering five weight training tips for people with arthritis.
Continue reading →

How and Why You Should Count Calories

I think the best thing about counting calories is that it demystifies weight management. It is a very useful tool in managing your weight. There is no longer a conundrum about how much to eat, or did I eat too much? When you get into calories, it becomes simple arithmetic. If you can add and subtract, you can lose weight by counting calories. Of course, you need to exercise discipline, too. So, weight-management becomes a character-building process.

In the old days you had to write everything down. These days, you can use your computer, or cell phone to get calorie counts and track your intake.

There are 3500 calories in apound.

A 165 lb man has a daily budget of 2200 calories a day to maintain his weight.

To lose weight, e.g. a pound a week, (This is a healthy rate. Much more than this is not healthy or recommended. Remember, it took you months/years to put those pounds on, don’t expect them to evaporate overnight.) you need to take in 500 calories per day less than the 2200 you need to maintain your weight, or 1700 calories.

There is more than one way to do skin a cat, or to get to be a skinny cat. You can eat 500 less calories, or you can burn off 500 more calories, or any combination thereof. A compromise would to be eat 250 calories less and do 250 calories worth of exercise, maybe 40 minutes on the treadmill. That kind of practice pays aerobic dividends and allows you to eat more.

Another avenue to weight loss is to increase your lean muscle mass through a weight training regimen. Muscles burn calories, fat does not.

In the beginning of weight training you may slow your rate of weight loss. Don’t fret, you are reducing your waistline at the same time and reshaping your body in ways that you will like. You will find your clothes fitting better even while your weight remains steady. That is a very nice feeling. Muscle is also slimmer than fat and so are you.

When you increase your lean muscle mass, you are making yourself into a fat burning machine. How good is that?
Tony