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Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

Rookie running guidelines for long-term fitness

Posted January 9th, 2007 at 2:30 PM by Christopher Jack

Section: Running & Training, Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Health & Fitness, Exercise

The passing of another year means it’s that time again; time to look to the future and resolve to create that better you. For many, personal health and fitness become the centerpiece of their New Year’s Resolution.

Running can be an ideal and long-term means to those ends as long as you follow these simple guidelines:

Set a goal. The downfall of many beginners is setting a goal that is too high considering their running experience and fitness level. Starting small and building up can protect a new runner from injury and the frustration that may accompany failure.
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Eating carbohydrates and protein for muscle growth

Posted January 6th, 2007 at 6:02 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Exercise

If you want to become very strong, you should lift heavy weights, eat carbohydrates before you lift and eat plenty of protein afterwards.

Normal amounts of insulin help muscles grow, and eating carbohydrates causes your blood sugar to rise, which, in turn, causes your pancreas to release insulin. Taking in large amounts of protein after a workout helps muscles to recover faster from hard exercise, so you can do more hard work and grow larger and stronger muscles (Journal of Physiology).
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Will lifting weights make
me musclebound?

Posted December 31st, 2006 at 12:00 PM by Jamal Walker

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

In 1937, Dr. Peter Karpovich of Springfield College in Massachusetts published a ground-breaking paper showing that lifting weights helped men improve their coordination. At the time, his paper was ridiculed by most athletes, particularly professional baseball players. They were afraid that lifting weights would cause them to develop such large muscles that they would lose the fine coordination necessary to hit and throw a baseball.

Today we know there is no such condition as “muscle bound”. Baseball players all lift weights and they are so much better as athletes that the best baseball players in the world before 1940 probably would not even make today’s professional teams.
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Exercise, but don’t run, with arthritis

Posted November 24th, 2006 at 12:00 PM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab, Exercise

tennis player baby boomer.jpg When you have arthritis, your joints hurt you wake up, but you force yourself to get out of bed and as you keep on moving, the pain lessens. Is your body trying to tell you something when you feel better after you start to move? Many studies have shown that bed rest worsens the pain of arthritis, and a strength training program can help to control it.

Most people with arthritis think they should rest their muscles and joints, but resting is the worst thing you can do. When you move around, the cartilage in your joints acts like a shock absorber. Resting weakens cartilage and increases its likelihood to break. Resting also weakens muscles so they can’t control the joints, allowing more wobble of the joints with each movement and increasing cartilage damage. Read the rest of this entry »

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Lifting Weights Can Also Make Your Bones Stronger

Posted October 29th, 2006 at 7:00 AM by Hariz Siddiqui

Section: Health & Fitness, Exercise

An interesting study from the University of British Columbia shows that lifting weights strengthens the bones of women in their late sixties.

The women were asked to use several weight machines three times a week for one year. At the end of that year, the women gained a tremendous amount of muscle strength, and they also had denser bones.

If a woman lives long enough, she will certainly develop osteoporosis which can shorten her life. This study shows that it is never too late to strengthen bones. Read the rest of this entry »

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