Monday, July 12, 2010

Age Defying Fitness

As you grow old, it doesn't mean that you don't need to do Looks exercises. In fact, you need them more than ever. This way, your body will stay physically fit and combat certain health problems which old people are more prone to having.

If you don't believe these things, its time that you buy Marilyn Moffat and Carole Lewis' book entitled Age Defying Fitness. This is a good book that will open your eyes to the importance of health and Looks as people age. You can get the book under $20 from leading bookstores and online bookstores.

Different individuals have varying Looks levels. With the right physical therapist or doctor, you will be provided with your very own specific profile and assessment. This way, you can determine which physical exercises are suited to your level and age to achieve the most favorable health.

The physical body changes as a person grows old, and there's no doubt about that. Many old people are slowly realizing that and most of them can't easily accept such fact. Changes related to an individual's age is often induced, reversible, and inevitable. That is a fact that old people should accept and deal with.

With the aid of the book by Moffat/Lewis, old individuals can now overcome almost all the aches, unsteadiness, and stiffness of their joint muscles. By using their self-administered tests which are very simple, you can now assess your physical performance level based on the five vital domains. The five domains are balance, posture, flexibility, strength, and endurance.

Based on the results of the tests provided, the authors are able to develop your personal profile. The book features very easy stretching and strengthening exercises that are largely based on the newest clinical researches. A Theraband is also included; it is a resistive band used in certain kinds of exercise.

Age Defying Looks is not just the typical how-to reference book because it encourages its readers to take full responsibility over their physical wellness. Straightforward everyday approach is also offered by the authors in order for the reader to achieve better health.

The book's authors are widely recognized in their own fields. Marilyn Moffat is a physical therapist recognized internationally as a leader/professor in the University of New York. She also was the president of APTA or the American Physical Therapy Association for a term of six consecutive years. At present, she is currently included on the World Federation of Physical Therapy's executive committee. For nearly 40 years she is practicing her profession in the private sector.

Carole Lewis is also a physical therapist, and is the owner/founder of a huge PT practice in Washington. She is a full-time professor in the Geriatrics Department of GWU (George Washington University). Lewis also published various articles and textbooks about aging.

The book is very interesting to read and the aging reader can appreciate very much all the photographs and drawings. Many reviews have given Age Defying Looks very high ratings and they encourage other people, especially aging baby boomers, to purchase the book.

Old people will likely get a low assessment on the quizzes, but if you continue reading, you might be able to pass the different tests provided on the book. Purchase the book now and don't miss the chance to stay fit in your golden years.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Health and Fitness

Your family is every important, and so are each family member's health and fitness. That is probably why a lot of individuals are reading about family health and fitness whenever they have the chance; they read books, magazines, emails, newspapers, e books, and even articles. Almost all of the reading materials can be very confusing, too serious, too in depth, too long, or too complicated. But nevertheless, such materials contain what you need to know.

Unused information is worthless, so even if you found countless numbers of health and fitness information, it is of no good if you don't use it. All your needed information about health and fitness are out there. Many experts, writers, and trainers have different things to say; so the best thing to do it to start having a health and fit family life now.

Here are simple steps that can help you in your struggle to attain a healthy and fit family life.

- Always eat a healthy diet. You might be aware by now of what a healthy diet is; and as parents, you should set an example to your children by eating healthy foods. If your children often see you doing just that, they will eventually follow your eating habits. You don't have to be technical about your food preparation. With a little information about the different food groups and a little creativity in your cooking, you can give your family a healthy meal everyday.

- From breakfast to dinner, make sure that you eat foods rich in protein like red meat, turkey, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese, and fish. Proteins are important for your body because this maintains your muscle mass. Muscle mass is an essential key to excellent health and/or fitness.

- Fats can be very harmful to your body, but if you only eat the good fats in every meal, you're on your way to a healthy and fit body. Make sure that stay away from saturated fats because it can do more harm to your body.

- You know the importance of getting a daily exercise. It would be best to have your own family exercise plan, encourage your children to join so that they will know the significance of exercising every day. You can start your exercise plan of about two hours for a period of five days. Try a lot of exercises and just make sure that you do it the proper way. Teach your children simple exercises that they can do on their own while you try other strenuous exercises.

- Talk to your family, especially to the children. Tell them of your good intentions, and that you're bound to carry such goals. Once your family sees that you're determined and serious, they will eventually support you.

The secret is to get all your family members involved in your quest for health and fitness. This is an activity that can only be realized if all of you worked together. Forget about the articles, books, etc. your search for health and fitness information is over. Act now and soon you can see that your family is already living a healthy and fit life. Thanks to your efforts your family can avoid health problems in the future.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Supplements in Fitness

Giving your body the nutrients that it needs to make it through the day is essential to your well being. But, even if you think that you can do this through the foods that you eat, you are probably still missing out.

Today’s foods often do not contain enough of the nutrients that your body needs to be in your best physical shape. While a diet that’s full of nutrient rich food should not be replaced, it sometimes needs additional supplementation to take it to the best level it can be at.

But, what do you take? First off, find a good quality multi vitamin and take that as directed. Multi vitamins are a good starting point because they provide a decent dose of supplements that just about everyone needs. Multi vitamins give you what your food doesn’t and they are affordable solutions to your needs.

In addition to this, find out what type of supplements you can take for your individual needs and problems.

For example, if you have a need to lose weight, look for supplements that can offer weight loss benefits.

If you have heart problems, problems with gaining weight or other conditions, you can probably find a supplement or several that can address those problems for you.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The fitness center

aintaining a physically fit body is vital to being healthy. All fitness centers can help us to keep in shape. In a All fitness center, one would find a lot of equipment in which he can physically exercise.

Below is a listing of the equipment and programs commonly found in All fitness studios:

* Treadmill

This is a piece of sporting equipment that allows the user to run without actually moving a distance. The word treadmill is used to refer to a kind of mill which is run to grind grain.

The treadmill operates by the principle called belt system in which the top side of the belt runs to the rear so that the runner could run the same distance. Therefore, the speed of the mill can be measured or set since the rate of the belt equals the rate of the runner.

* Weight training

Weight training is under the strength training program designed to develop the size of skeletal muscles and physical strength. It uses the principle of gravity; the trainee's force would be used to oppose the pull of the earth. This weight training makes use of different kinds of equipment to develop specific groups of muscles. Dumbbells, weighted bars or weight stacks are the most commonly used.

* Cycling

Cycling is commonly done by people who want to improve their cardiovascular health and fitness. In this view, cycling is particularly beneficial for those suffering from arthritis and for those who are not fitted to play rigid sports like running which require strength of the joints.

* Swimming

Swimming is a very good exercise. Swimming is also usually recommended for those who with disabilities or who want to rehabilitate after injuries.

* Racquetball

Racquetball is a sport game where racquets are used along with a hollow rubber ball. This can be played either in indoor or outdoor courts. Unlike other racquet sports like badminton and tennis, the usage of the floor, ceiling, and walls of the court is legal instead of out-of-bounds. Two players are involved in the game, although some variations of this game have three and four players.

* Aerobics

Aerobic classes usually include stepping patterns, done with music and signals directed by an instructor. Researches show that aerobic is one of the healthiest exercises. Aerobics, literally meaning "with oxygen", helps the body to use consume the oxygen more efficiently by training the lungs and heart. This helps to reduce stress and to control weight.

* Basketball

While this very common sport is an indoor game, other variations have been popular as this sport can also be played outdoors.

* Yoga Yoga focuses on meditation. It is considered as a way to both spiritual and physiological mastery.

* Martial arts

Martial arts are structures of arranged traditions and practices of combat training. Martial arts today are not just being learned for combat purposes, but also for fitness, self-defense, mental discipline, self-cultivation, and character development.

* Physical therapy

Physical therapy deals in maximizing and identifying movement potential in promotion, treatment, prevention and rehabilitation. This includes services that are concerned with circumstances where function and movement are threatened by injury, disease, or ageing.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Baby’s Naptime

If you baby is not napping well during her first few months of life, you may want to try to cut back on the time she is awake by 15 minute increments. If she is getting overstimulated, then she will fight sleep and be difficult to get to nap. The way to prevent this is to watch her “sleepy” cues to make sure that you put her down when she is beginning to get sleepy.

Some parents believe that letting their child cry will harm him or her. Fifteen or twenty minutes of crying will not harm your child physically or mentally. Babies will learn to self-soothe and fall asleep by themselves, but only if you let her. It is very important that babies learn to fall asleep by themselves so that they can self-soothe if they awake in the middle of the night. Otherwise, you may have a child that will not sleep through the night for years.

Regular sleep patterns are intermeshed with regular eating patterns, so let us look at the stages of a baby’s life:

* Newborn: Your newborn will sleep anywhere from 16 to 20 hours a day, including the naps that he takes between feedings. When your baby has been fed, let him stay awake for a short while and then put him down before he becomes overstimulated.

* Two months: At two months and older, your child should be allowed to try to self-soothe during their naptimes and bedtime. Crying is normal when you put your baby down, but it is okay. If he cries for longer than 10-15 minutes, then go in and check on him. Don’t get him up, but pat his bottom or lightly rub his back until he calms down.

* 3-6 months: At around 3-6 months, your baby will stop taking one of his naps. Usually it is the third nap or late afternoon nap that they do not need as much. He may be a little fussy and may want to take a little nap, but you need to try to keep him up if you want him to go to bed at a decent time and sleep soundly through the night.

* 16+ months: When your child is between 16-20 months, they usually quit taking the morning nap in favor of a longer nap in the afternoons. Babies this age usually sleep between 10-12 hours a night and take a 2-3 hour afternoon nap.

Ground Rules about Naps
1. You decide when the nap starts and ends, not the baby.
2. When your baby is older than 4 months old, she will wake up crying if she hasn’t slept enough. She might have a dirty diaper, be in a position that is not comfortable, or cold/hot. Fix the problem and encourage her to go back to sleep. Babies that have enough rest wake up happy, talking, and in a good mood.