Exercise

Everyone knows the basics of sit-ups and push ups. They’re basic and easy exercises. You need to go beyond the simple exercises though and work more muscles if you wish to have a taut and shapely body. Diet can help you get there but not by itself, you need to take regular exercise to build up and strengthen your muscles and burn off fat.

Another great way of exercising that can easily be done at home is squat thrusts. How you perform these is by putting your hands flat on the floor, shoulder width apart and stretching your legs out just like in the push up position. Next, bend your knees and thrust forward to bring your legs up underneath your torso. Then bring your legs back to their original position. These movements should be carried out in a fast and vigorous motion.

A variation on this basic squat thrust is to push each leg forward in alternate movements, one leg thrusting back as the other pushes forward. As the left leg goes back to the original position, the right leg should be thrusting forward and as the right leg returns, thrust the left leg forward.

These squat thrusts are a great way of exercising the hamstrings, glutes and quads and also give a work out to the triceps. Be careful you don’t tumble over whilst doing these and always make sure to keep your hands firmly on the floor as they hold the whole body correctly and in the right position to do the exercises. Build up to 15 – 20 repetitions of these for each fitness session and in no time at all you’ll have a great set of legs that the opposite sex just won’t be able to resist!

Keep in mind that exercise alone won’t give you all the benefits of a shapely body. Diet is just as important so be careful about what you eat. Cut out the sodas, snacks and junk food and eat plenty of vegetables and fruit and other healthy and nutritional food.

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In recent years many studies have been released telling us of the benefits we see from a lifestyle rich in physical activity. Running, biking, swimming, sports and even walking can add to these benefits.

The number one killer in most of the developed world is cardiovascular disease (CVD). As more countries adopt the American lifestyle of fast food, combines with little exercise, they too are becoming affected by CVD. In the United States alone, CVD affects about 50 million people. As health care is getting more expensive, our economy will take a bigger hit from all these people needing care. Luckily, CVD is very preventable. Eating a healthy diet and exercising is all it takes. Unfortunately most people don’t see down the line. Its always to early to start and never the perfect time until you have to go see a doctor.

Regular exercise improves cardiovascular function. Many people can’t complete everyday tasks like climbing a flight of stairs or even standing for long periods of time without being tired and out of breath. Being out of shape to the point where you can’t complete these activities is a very serious thing. It can get worse until you won’t be mobile anymore.

Regular exercise also reduces your risk of coronary artery disease which can lead to blocked arteries. Exercise can lower blood pressure, increase good cholesterol, improve your blood profile and decrease body fat. Exercising regularly has also been shown to decrease anxiety and depression and help the older population live independently.

A lack of physical activity has many serious consequences. People who don’t exercise have higher rates of strokes, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, colon and breast cancers and most seriously, death from coronary artery disease.

There are many things we can’t protect ourselves from, and from these we shouldn’t spend our time worrying about. But when it is as simple as walking or running and having fun while we make ourselves healthier, the choice is simple.

Ken Bendor is a Senior at Florida State University studying Exercise Science and Dietetics. He started Straight Health to try and spread easy to understand and accurate information on health and fitness.

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Do you believe that exercisers need to take potassium, magnesium or any other mineral? The only mineral that you need to take during prolonged exercise is sodium, found in salt.

The definitive studies on minerals and exercise were done during World War II. Dr. James Gamble of Harvard Medical School paid medical students to lie on a raft in his swimming pool, taking various amounts of fluids and salt and having blood drawn to measure salt and mineral levels. He showed that you have to take a lot of salt when you exercise for several hours, particularly in hot weather. For many years after that, every student at Harvard Medical School heard Dr. Gamble give his lectures on minerals and exercise, and today, most serious students still read the Gamble lectures published in 1958 by The Harvard University Press. Now, more than sixty years later, nobody has improved on his research.

After Gamble published his studies, people who worked or exercised in the heat were given salt tablets. Then doctors became concerned because they thought that a person could have his blood pressure raised by taking in too much salt and some people vomited because of the high concentration of salt in their stomachs. So they recommended restricting salt, causing many people to suffer heat stroke and dehydration during hot weather exercise. A low-salt diet does not lower high blood pressure for most people. A high-salt diet causes high blood pressure usually only in people with high blood insulin levels. Eating salty foods and drinks when you exercise for more than two hours is unlikely to raise blood pressure. We don’t recommend salt tablets because they can cause nausea and vomiting.

If you don’t take salt and fluids during extended exercise in hot weather, you will tire earlier and increase your risk for heat stroke, dehydration and cramps. We eat salted peanuts and drink water at least every 15 minutes when we ride in hot weather. Potassium deficiency doesn’t occur in healthy athletes. The only mineral that athletes need to take when they exercise is regular table salt.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin has been a radio talk show host for 25 years and practicing physician for more than 40 years; he is board certified in four specialties, including sports medicine. Read or listen to hundreds of his fitness and health reports at http://www.DrMirkin.com

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