| |
| |
|
Exercise Information |
|
|
|
How to Supercharge Your Energy Levels through Exercise
Your energy levels will depend on several factors, including genetics, nutrition, sleep habits, and emotional stress. Some of these you have no control over But there is one VERY important factor that you do have control over and that is your ability to take part in physical exercise. Need a source of vast power and energy? Look no further than your gym. The link between physical fitness and energy is so strong, that doctors have lately been prescribing exercise as treatment for chronic fatigue, depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and insomnia, for instance. If sufferers of the most stubborn kind of fatigue can be energized with exercise, imagine what can do for those of us who experience ordinary, every-day fatigue. * Feel Great At Mid-Afternoon * Your brain thrives on oxygen. Blood transports oxygen to the brain, so the greater blood flow to the brain, the greater the oxygen supply the brain has. As you increase your heartbeat with a vigorous workout, more blood surges through the brain, more oxygen gets absorbed by your brain cells, and you feel more mentally alert and energetic. Experts point out another long-term cause-and-effect relationship between exercise and blood flow to the brain: as you continue exercising, the number of capillaries (small blood vessels between your arteries and veins) throughout your body will grow. More blood flow through your "pipes" means more oxygen will be supplied where you need it. Regular exercise also keeps the pipes clear and circulation healthy by preventing atherosclerosis (buildup of plaque). Regular exercise can actually REVERSE atherosclerosis when combined with a healthy nutrition plan. When you have atherosclerosis in check, your brain is virtually guaranteed for the rest of your life. Blood also carries glucose, the simple sugar that's the primary fuel source for your entire nervous system of which the brain is the command center. Glucose's production starts the metabolism of carbohydrates. Various enzymes, plus your body's ability to use glucose to produce ATP, the more important energy chemical in the body, control this production. When you exercise, you increase the level of those enzymes and their activity. In other words, when you exercise regularly, you boost your enzymes, resulting in more glucose, and your body is more efficient in using the glucose. You get a larger supply of ATP, which helps fight off the mid-afternoon energy drop-off. * Increase Metabolism * It's no secret that strength trainers are firmer and stronger than sedentary folks. How could it be otherwise? Resistance exercise builds muscle, pure and simple. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, and the more calories you burn even at rest. So why does "strong and toned" equate to more energy? For starters, heavy people have to lug around more weight all day long. When the overweight climbs a flight of stairs, do yard work, or even just carrying the garbage can to the curb, they're also carrying that excess weight, making almost everything they do more exhausting. Better-conditioned muscles make every task that much easier, regardless of body weight. When you exercise, your ability to use muscle fibers is increased. So you require less effort to perform any physical task. A strong body also has a stronger immune system. Being sick drains us of energy, and exercise, by boosting immunity, staves off illness. Recent research has shed light on why the strong may get sick less often and recuperate faster when they do get sick: exercise increases the activity of natural killer cells in the bloodstream. * Less Stress * A great deal of research supports that weight lifting is one of the most effective means of battling depression and stress. One of the main fatiguing factors of depression and stress is lack of sleep. In a recent Stanford University study, formerly sedentary insomniacs who began to exercise fell asleep 15 minutes faster and were able to sleep an hour longer than they had before becoming active. * Boost Brain Fitness * To this point, we've been talking about the benefit of exercise on mental energy. But is it possible that being in shape might translate to even greater mental benefits, such as increased intelligence, creativity, memory, or reasoning ability? It's very possible. Studies show that both factors of mental stimulation and exercise were contributing to the increase of the brain's learning centers in different ways. Mental stimulation results in more synapses (the little gaps between brain nerve cells that enable them to communicate with one another), while exercise increases the number of capillaries in the cerebellum and cerebral cortex (two areas of the brain crucial to intelligence.) * Take a Walk * Medical research results could hardly be clearer: Taking a walk is one of the best ways to take charge of your health. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (February 11, 1998) showed that walking briskly for half an hour just six times a month cut the risk of premature death in men and women by 44 percent. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine (January 8, 1997) reported that men 61 to 81 years old sharply reduced their risk of death from all causes, including cancer and heart disease, by walking two miles a day. Other research has shown similar results for women. Recent studies have concluded that moderate amounts of exercise - including walking, jogging or using a treadmill for one hour, four to five times a week - can turn back the aging clock 30 years for middle aged men. Consistency is probably the most important part of your workout. The more committed you are to walking all or most days of the week, the healthier you'll be. Remember that short walks are better then none at all. Health, like life, is a journey. All you have to do is take the first step. About The Author Paul Reeve is a Personal Trainer responsible for training individuals one-on-one and assisting them in achieving their health and fitness goals and providing them with guidance, support and motivation. Presenter and lecturer for Fitness Professionals, Sports Organizations, Sport Coaches, Corporate and Community Organizations. Webmaster for http://www.treadmilladviser.com - providing informed advice on exercise treadmills.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Strength Training After Fifty Strength training after fifty is no longer for those people who are having some sort of mid-life crisis. In fact, doctors are literally writing prescriptions to get this generation up and moving. The Bad Workout: Some Advice for Female Bodybuilders Bad workouts. We have all had them at some time or other. Stretching and the Warm up - Are You Confused? Lately, I've been receiving a lot of questions referring to the latest studies and research findings, and one question that I receive most queries about concerns the role that stretching plays as part of the warm up.Currently, there seems to be a lot of confusion about how and when stretching should be used as part of the warm up, and some people are under the impression that stretching should be avoided altogether. What is the Right Home Exercise Program for You? What do you want to get out of the exercise program?What you want to achieve as a whole fitness program has to do with the kind of program that will work for you in the long run. You may want to ask yourself what you want to accomplish, do you want to lose weight, do you want to stay in shape. The Many Benefits of Exercise Health experts encourage us to include exercise as a necessary part of our daily routine to promote our general well- being. Together with healthy and balanced diet, adequate rest and relaxation, exercise is recommended to promote optimal health. Invest in Your Health What if a trusted friend were to tell you about an investment where you could not possibly go wrong.. Is It Safe To Start An Exercise Program? I think the real question is "How safe is it for you not to exercise?" Did you know that obesity has just replaced smoking as the number one cause of health related problems? That's incredible! Sorry to say, but that means we are a bunch of fat, inactive people! Back in the day when people milked cows and planted their own food for exercise, you would never hear of something like this. Think about that the next time you can't exercise because of a hard day at the office! O. Exercise and the Time Clock I have to admit that I sometimes find it amusing when someone knows I am a trainer and proceeds to elaborate on the hours that they spend in the gym. One example was a few years back when I was introduced to a nice young women, who proceeded to tell me that she went to the gym twice a day, an hour each time. Metabolism: How to Increase Your Metabolic Rate? Metabolism is a process by which the body burns the calories and convert them into useful energy. High metabolic rate uses up the energy stored in the form of fat. Health Tips For Busy People: Healthy Diet & Exercise In the Office Many women's lifestyle magazines frustrate us by providing exercise regimens for work and then adding: "You can do this exercise in your office!" What about those of us who work in a cube or other small space (with no floor space for Pilates-style stretches) that's not very private (do you really want your boss to wander by right when you're doing jumping jacks?). Even if you are cube-confined, you can maintain your health in a cube. 5 Essential Walking Exercise Tips Walking exercise is one of the easiest ways to get in shape and burn fat. In fact, mile for mile, you can burn as many calories walking as you would jogging. Athletics and Winning Athletics are pretty cut and dry in one regard; the goal to win. Having been in competitive athletics in a prior life I can certainly attest to that. Weight Loss, Bodybuilding, and Exercise Tips - Keeping Your Body-fat Low; Part 1 of 10 Ever go to a party and wish you were the guy/girl that was considered the life of the party? They just seem to work every part of the room effortlessly. One minute you see them by the coffee table, then seconds later they are talking to someone by the refrigerator. Lance Armstrong's Training Tactics - The Tortoise or the Hare? I have been counseling people on weight loss, exercise efficiency and nutrition for over twenty years. Every time I go to the gym I observe people, their training tactics and their workout habits. Different Exercises Schedule to Combat Hypertension, Obesity, and Asthma! Different Health Problems generally do not allow us to do traditional exercises. Above all, one type of exercise cant be effective to each group facing different challenges. Exercise - Anxiety & Panic Yes, all I'm afraid this does play a part in reducing anxiety and depression. As much as you may not like doing it (I've never been a huge fan of it myself) but once you get into it, you certainly feel better for it afterwards. The Great Forgotten Exercise -- Parallel Bar Dips When it comes to building lower pectorals, triceps and frontal deltoids, dips are without doubt one the best exercises I've ever used. They are seldom used nowadays and the reasons are plain to see: you have to be able to handle your own bodyweight for reps - unless you have access to one of those fancy-dan machines that allow you to dip (or chin) with less than body weight. Lance Armstrong and Exercise - From Denial to Desire! Press Conference 1996 - Lance ArmstrongOn Wednesday October 2, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. I have been made aware that it has spread to other parts of my body. Essential Power Walking Tips Ever since I took a power walking class in college, I have been hooked. If you are thinking about learning how to power walk, I strongly urge you to do so. VO2 Max- Exposing the Myth VO2 max is defined as the maximal amount of oxygen the body is able to extract and use to support work performed by the body. It is therefore an indirect measure of the aerobic power of the body, which is controlled by complex interactions between neural (brain and nervous system), cardiovascular (heart and lungs) and skeletal muscle factors.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
