Pump It Up :: Healthy Lifestyles and Natural Weight Loss Information

Pump It Up
by author Tanya Rouble, ACE-CPT

My best friend Kim works out several times a week. Recently, after a few months of commitment and determination, Kim shyly approached me for some help. While she was feeling better–more energetic, less stressed, and more confident–she wasn’t seeing all of the physical changes she had hoped for.

Although Kim had been working very hard, I wasn’t surprised to find she’d been making a common mistake with her exercise plan: Kim’s program included very little weight training. Instead, she was “cardio-ing” herself into the ground, believing that this was the only way to achieve the change in body composition she was looking for.

While her main goals were to lose weight and to improve her muscle tone, she was avoiding weight training for a few reasons: she wasn’t sure what exercises to do, she was nervous to use the equipment, and she was worried that she would end up looking like a body builder.

What is Strength Training?

Synonymous with other common terms such as “weight lifting” or “resistance training,” strength training is exercise that uses resistance to condition the musculoskeletal system (your muscles and bones), thereby improving the muscles’ ability to work more efficiently without tiring too quickly. In turn, there is improvement in muscle tone, appearance, and strength.

The benefits of consistent strength training also include increases in bone, tendon, and ligament strength (tendons attach bone to muscle and ligaments attach bone to bone). These improvements have great impact on our appearance, physical capabilities, and metabolism. Combined with a solid cardiovascular training program, strength training rounds out a good exercise program. For my friend Kim, it may just be the key to helping her accomplish her goals.

Looking–and Feeling–Good!

An important physical result of strength training is the improved ability to function in day-to-day life. Stronger muscles equate to better performance at work and at play. They also tend to be more toned, giving a firmer, more fit appearance. This can positively affect mood, self-esteem, and confidence.

Both our physical appearance and physical performance can be enhanced by muscle gain or hindered by muscle loss. After the age of 25 we begin to lose muscle mass at a rate of three to five percent per decade. Strength training aids in preventing this loss, thereby allowing us to continue to do the things we are used to doing–from walking up stairs, to carrying groceries, to getting in and out of the bathtub.

You would be surprised at the amount of strength the “little” things require. In fact, many people think that it is normal to stop being active as we age and instead rely on aids such as canes to help us get around. This is neither normal nor inevitable. There is no reason why we all can’t continue to be active into our golden years. If our muscles are cared for as we age, they will continue to allow us to do all that we set out to accomplish. If they aren’t, they will retire far sooner than we may like.

Burn Calories–Even at Rest

Even when we are sleeping, our muscles require a great deal of energy. They are calorie-burning ovens! Therefore, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will chew up over the course of a day.

If you are consistent with a strength training program, you can actually increase your body’s resting metabolism and calories required to function. This is true because an increase in muscle tissue equals an increase in metabolism, and a decrease in muscle tissue means a decrease in metabolic rate. It’s no wonder that aging, inactive people gain weight even though they may not be eating any differently; as they lose muscle mass each year, their metabolism decreases and, in turn, the pounds begin to pack on.

Can you guess what I advised my friend Kim to do? You’re right–she has made the gutsy transition to the weight training area of the gym and hasn’t looked back. Her newly balanced program of cardiovascular exercise and strength training has shown her results from the inside out. She couldn’t be happier!

Tanya Rouble, ACE-CPT, is a certified personal trainer and fitness instuctor. She co-owns Pilates Niagra. www.pilatesniagra.com

Source: alive #282, April 2006

Lose Weight with Weights
It is a widely-believed myth that training with weights will make you resemble Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallon.

Strong Shoulders and Sexy Arms
It's a month past New Year's-how are you doing with your resolutions? This is the first of a three-part series to help you follow through on your fitness goals.

Strong Back and Great Legs
Welcome to the second in a three part series designed to help you keep those New Year's fitness resolution.

Strong Abs and a Great Chest
Welcome to the last of a three-part series. This issue covers training for your chest and abdominals. The first section covered arms and shoulders; the second, legs and back.

Women and Weights
Do you want to look and feel better? How about being able to do more? Most of us would respond to those questions with a resounding "yes.

Age-Less Exercise
If there is an anti-aging pill, it has to be exercise--age-less exercise. Proper exercise has been shown to slow aging through reduced cholesterol, high blood pressure, stress levels, insulin levels and osteoporosis risk..

Build Muscle Not Fat
Still haven't gotten rid of that old winter padding? Maybe it has slowly crept up on your unsuspecting physique over years of wrong food choices.

Get a New Grip on Weights
You can have the body you want. Free your mind of any doubt and begin thinking in a way that serves you.

Take the Plunge With Water Workouts
The benefits of drinking eight glasses of water a day are indisputable. So are the health benefits of jumping in a pool full of water for some exercise.

Get Straight A's in Exercise
Anaerobic activities will increase your lean muscle mass, bone structure, strength, endurance and balance. Aerobic activities will decrease coronary disease, blood pressure, risk of diabetes, osteoporosis and some forms of cancer.

Debunking Fitness Myths
The next time you see a new theory on fitness or some new gimmick, consider this...if it seems too good to be true, it probably is! Let's face it: most of us have been confused at one time or another about what we need to do to live a healthy, activ.

Muscle Mass Mastery
If we're not careful, by retirement, we could lose one-third to one-half of our muscle tissue. This debilitating condition, called sarcopenia, is now considered one of the top biomarkers of aging: its specific physical traits are used to measure the progress of aging.

Gaining the Right Weight
If only it were true for all of us: some people have trouble gaining weight. Their metabolism runs high because of an enhanced biochemical process called thermogenesis, the body's ability to burn calories at an accelerated rate.

Bands of Resistance
Want to stretch out your workout this fall? Rubber exercise bands are a simple piece of equipment that can enhance your workout at home, at the gym, or on the road. Exercise makes you look better and, of course, it makes you feel better, too.

Outdoor Biking
Many people tire of spending countless hours peddling on the same old stationary bike. Bring excitement back into your exercising by stepping off the stationary bicycle and moving outdoors.

Free Weights or Machines?
When beginning a strength training program, it isn't always necessary to begin working with machines before "graduating to free weights. In fact, this is just a common myth that tends to deter people from trying free weights-especially beginners.

Take It Outside
In the first part of this series, we explored the roles of linked strength and performance balance. Developing core strength will also help set you up to enjoy the outdoors.

Move It or Lose It
Aging is inevitable. It is possible, however, to curb many of the effects of aging with regular physical activity. We all want to maintain quality of life and good health as we age, and exercise is essential to maintaining good health. The less we move, the more susceptible we are to various conditions and diseases, and thus the vicious cycle of inactivity begins.

Sweat = Healthy Skin

A Little Is Better Than Nothing

Posture Perfect With Pilates

Pumping Iron Pumps the Heart

Job Pressure Hinders Exercise Plans

Over 50? Run for Your Life!

Your Brain Needs Exercise, Too

Hip is In

Herbal Self-Help for Herpes

Be a tea-totaller: Green Tea Fights Colon Cancer

What is white tea?

Creatine Increases Strength, Endurance

Pump for positivity

Start exercising now to cut risk of breast cancer

Does your workout feel tough?

Active Lifestyle Lowers Risk of Gallstones

A Simple Weight to Strong Arms

Flexible Benefits

Exercise Trains Your Brain, Too

Old Dogs, New Tricks

Hit the Road, Jack and Joan

Pain in the Neck?

A little means a lot

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Team work for your muscles

Forever strong

Add longer walks to your exercise routine

Hydration for digestion

Breathe your way to better abs

No More Excuses
To help you find the time, energy, and room within your budget, I've designed a workout that uses minimal equipment, can be performed at home, and takes only 35 to 45 minutes to do. A perfect workout solution for our not-so-perfect, hectic lives...happy training!

Desk Set
Like many of us, I spend a lot of my time sitting at a desk, typing. Health professionals recommend various tactics to help make desk time less detrimental to your health. These suggestions include getting up and moving frequently, as well as carefully arranging your workstation.

Reached a Plateau?
"I don't get it. I was doing so well, and all of a sudden, I stopped improving. This is a familiar refrain from exercisers who believe their program has failed them. In reality, they have maximized what their workout was designed to achieve.

Stop Resisting and Start Lifting
When you think of weight training, you may think of energetic young men pumping iron at the gym. But these exercises can be done at home by people of all ages. All you need is a set of free weights and the will to use them.

10 Common Workout Mistakes
Through the years, I have seen many interesting and creative exercises performed in the gym. I've also observed some wacky ones...

Abs of Steel
The other night, while suffering through one of my occasional bouts of insomnia, I was channel surfing at an hour when there is only one type of television program playing-infomercials.

Strength for Life
You may be a fitness enthusiast or weekend warrior who believes you are doing a good job of looking after your body's fitness and conditioning. What if I told you that you may have overlooked one of the most important components in your active and health-driven lifestyle?

High Rollers
In the depths of winter, your indoor exercise routine may have become repetitive. Both your body and your mind are calling out for variety. Foam roller training offers an alternative exercise option that provides strengthening, balancing, and relaxing benefits.

Wiggle-Free Wave
I once had a client who asked me if I could help her tone her "waving muscle. A bit baffled, I told her I had never come across that particular muscle in any of my anatomy books.

Get a Leg Up
Are sore knees holding you back from making progress in the gym? Exercise selection, technique, and lack of strength in stabilizing muscles can often be the root cause of knee pain.

Put Some Sting In Your Swing
Tiger Woods was onto something when he publicly credited his strength-training routine for his recent success in the sport of golf. Tiger improved his golf swing by preparing for the physical demands that the golf swing places on the human body.

No Butt About It
Our butt (or, in technical terms, our gluteal area) is comprised of three muscles. The first and outermost layer is our gluteus maximus muscle. This muscle is the largest of the gluteal area (some peoples' being much larger than others, much to their chagrin).

Target Your Thighs
Our thighs are a muscle group that we frequently target in the gym, but do we really know why we are training them?

Open Gym
I serve as the first-aid attendant at my place of work, where we help disabled people find employment. The other day I attended a young man with a nosebleed. He was sitting in his wheelchair at the back of the classroom with his head between his knees.

Nordic Walking
My wife and I love to take a walk after dinner every evening, usually along the shores of Vancouver's False Creek inlet with mugs of tea in hand. Perhaps tonight we'll set down our tea and instead pick up a pair of lightweight Nordic walking poles for our stroll.

Change It Up!
Are you burned out or bored with your fitness routine? Did you start out eager to make improvements to your strength, conditioning, and healthy lifestyle, but now find yourself sidetracked?

Maintain your muscle
We should be aiming to somersault and perform back flips over the ground that we are above, no matter what age we are.

Unleash Your Inner Champion
The Olympics have finally reached Canada, and as we settle in front of our televisions to watch, many of us will be cheering on our favourite athletes—and possibly even daydreaming a little, picturing ourselves on that winner’s podium.

It’s Not Too Late to Keep Your Resolutions
Every January the population in fitness classes double as people flock to the gym to live up to all those New Year’s resolutions generated over a glass of bubbly late December 31st. By Groundhog Day the population of newcomers drops by 50 percent.